Bill Rancic and 'Kitchen Casino'

Giuliana & Bill star Bill Rancic is set to host the upcoming Food Network show, Kitchen Casino. Premiering on Monday, April 7th at 9pm ET/PT, the new show brings together four talented chefs in a high-stakes game of chance that requires skill, speed and adaptability.

Bill opens up to Celebrity Baby Scoop about his new show, how fatherhood has made him an “even better communicator” with wife Giuliana Rancic, the importance of date nights and family vacations, and how “everything in life matters more” thanks to his adorable 19-month-old son Duke.

CBS: As a restaurateur you have an appreciation for food. What made you want to be a part of Kitchen Casino? It’s a novel idea to combine gambling and cooking, what was the inspiration behind the show’s theme?

BR: “People love to eat and to gamble, so why not combine the two! When I was approached to host Kitchen Casino, I was thrilled because I loved the novelty of the idea, combined with the required skills from the contestants to execute great dishes in such a challenging environment.”

CBS: How were the competitors selected for the program? How much strategy is involved in winning the game versus luck of the spin?

BR: “The more sill a competitor brings to the competition, the more likely they are to yield success despite andy twists and turns we throw their way. You could quickly tell the chefs from the cooks in how they would adapt to every situation.”

CBS: You and Giuliana have busy careers. How do you make family a priority? What kinds of things do you enjoy doing as a family?

BR: “Family always comes first for Giuliana and myself and we make sure to constantly work our schedules to ensure that never changes. We are constantly going on hikes and spending time with Duke. We make a point to have date nights and we believe that because of our hard work, we are fortunate enough to enjoy family vacations and that quality time together.”

CBS: You recently went to Mexico. Since having Duke, have your ideal vacation spots changed? Where do you like to go and get away from it all?

BR: “We love going to places that encourage relaxation. Mexico is definitely a favorite because you really feel like you’ve gotten away from the stresses of work and can focus on the enjoyment of family.”

CBS: Mother’s Day is approaching. How do you plan to celebrate?

BR: “Moms are so important in my life. My mom continues to be a huge influence, as does Giuliana’s. And now that we have Duke, I love celebrating what a great mom my wife is to our son. I’m sure we’ll do something to celebrate our family and how blessed we all are.”

CBS: How has being a parent changed your relationship with Giuliana?

BR: “Giuliana and I have similar parenting styles on the big stuff, but lots of different opinions on the little stuff. It’s made us even better communicators with one another and we’ve learned to make compromises along the way.

Giuliana is such a great mother and her bond with Duke is one of my favorite things to watch every day.”

CBS: How has fatherhood changed you? What are some of your favorite memories so far as a dad?

BR: “I have nieces and nephews, but nothing really prepared me for being a dad myself. Because of Duke, I love the little things even more — a quiet moment, his smile, his first steps. Everything in life matters more because of him.”

CBS: Do you have any other upcoming projects you’d like to share with us?

BR: “Right now my priority is on my family, the new season of Giuliana & Bill on E!, and hoping for many more seasons as host of Kitchen Casino on Food Network.”

Shark Week Catches A Lot of Fans

From the folks at Deadline.com:

http://www.deadline.com/2013/08/shark-week-nets-biggest-crowd-ever-in-opening-but-some-obsessives-attack-discovery-over-kickoffs-fake-documentary/

Discovery Channel’s Shark Week clocked its biggest audience in its 26-year history Sunday night. Nearly 5 million “fin-atics”  (blame Discovery, not me) tuned in for the two-hour fake docu, Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives – not all of them happily. Megalodon was up 141% in the 25-54 demo compared to the same two hours of 2012. Later, Shark After Dark, Shark Week’s first ever late-night talk show, clocked 2.1 million viewers. Discovery noted this afternoon that Shark Week continues to dominate social conversation year after year. On Sunday, it was responsible for the #1 most social show  — Megalodon — across broadcast and cable, according to SocialGuide, beating the NFL Hall of Fame Game — and even Justin Bieber: Never Say Never! Shark Week conversation on Twitter grew 66%, year over year, in primetime and late night, and was responsible for nearly 1 million Tweets for the day.

Stefanie Wilder-Taylor says “You And You Alone Are The True Expert On Your Kids”

From celebritybabyscoop.com

Stefanie Wilder-Taylor is lighting up the small screen in the new NickMom show, Parental Discretion with Stefanie Wilder-Taylor that is “all about the humor involved in parenting.” The queen of “anti-advice” parenting books, Stefanie says moms are the “true expert on their kids.”

Stefanie opens up to Celebrity Baby Scoop about her three daughters – Elby, 8, and 5-year-old twins Matilda and Sadie – who are into the iPad and barbies. The funny mom goes on to share her other projects, including a podcast called For Crying Out Loud, and her favorite celebrity mom Pink, whom she hopes to have a playdate with in the future.

CBS: Tell us all about your new NickMom show, Parental Discretion with Stefanie Wilder-Taylor. What is the show all about?

SWT: Parental Discretion, my new NickMom talk show, is all about the humor involved in parenting.  Luckily, I was given a forum to really mine for funny in all the areas we are usually not allowed to poke fun.  Breast-feeding may not sound like a hilarious topic but on our show, I rode along Cops style, and “helped” moms in need of support while asking the consultant a lot of stupid questions.  She was a great sport.

We also make fun of old commercials and films, and poke fun at some of the more extreme mom types out there with our Super Mom character.

CBS: We hear you’re hosting the show. Tell us all about your hosting duties.

SWT: Yes, I am the host of the show. As the host, it’s my job to deliver the monologue at the beginning of each show but more than that, it’s my job to be the “heavy” when it comes to getting people to be honest. When we interviewed a party planning service I had to ask the “Princess” how different her job was from a prostitute. That’s dangerous work!

CBS: Tell us about your popular parenting books. Do you give advice, or is it more mom humor?

SWT: My books are basically anti-advice books. My whole point is that with all the tons of advice out there on the “best” way to parent, you and you alone are the true expert on your kids. Of course I deliver this message in a funny way.

CBS: We hear you have three daughters. Please tell us their names and ages. What are they into? Do they all get along?

SWT: Elby is 8, Matilda and Sadie are 5. Elby is into school, her iPad, her friends and her iPad (pretty much in that order except maybe school would fall right below her iPad) Did I mention she loves her iPad? Sadie and Matilda love Barbies and Hot Wheels respectively. Oh, and Elby’s iPad. In answer to the questions of whether they get along, yes, other than when they fight over Elby’s iPad.

CBS: You are raising your kids in LA among the movie stars that get stalked by the paparazzi. Do you think high-profile families should move out of Hollywood? Who are some of your favorite celebrity moms? And why?

SWT: Despite the fact that I live in LA, we rarely even see celebrities. I heard that Britney Spears’ kids went to My Gym with mine once or twice but I didn’t know it was them because they were with a nanny. Oh, I did run into Kyle from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills once at Menchies with her daughter and she was really nice.  I think my favorite celebrity mom is PINK.  I want to be PINK.  Do you know her? Can you hook up a playdate for us??

CBS: Do you celebrate Earth Day? How do you teach your kids to be eco-friendly?

SWT: For Earth Day, we will probably do what we do every year and take a trip to another country to build a well for the day. When we get back, we will compost the neighborhood’s trash and build a robot out of the city’s recyclables.  Okay, I’m kidding.  Our schools usually have a big Earth Day celebration and at home my kids are very conscious of recycling.  Plus, no one likes a litter bug!

CBS: Tell us about your parenting podcasts and web columns. Where can we find you online?

SWT: Well first and foremost, go to NickMom.com to find out when you can watch Parental Discretion but besides that, I do a podcast called For Crying Out Loud which can be found at www.CryingOutLoudShow.com. I also have a column on Babble.com and then I have my personal blog at www.stefaniewildertaylor.com

Parental Discretion with Stefanie Wilder-Taylor is one of four series in the new NickMom primetime comedy block. Tune into NickMom nightly on the Nick Jr. channel from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. ET.  Check your local listings.

'Draw Something' Comes to Television

CBS has secured the rights to make a pilot based on the popular drawing game, Draw Something.  Despite the game’s waning popularity, CBS had to compete with other media companies for the privilege, including Sony Pictures Television, Embassy Row and Ryan Seacrest Prods.

Imagine Ryan Seacrest having these rights.  Every picture would've been a different Kardashian or American Idol finalist.

Word is, the upcoming show will follow the Pictionary-esque format of divining words from drawings, and will also include a studio audience, some celebrities, and a cash prize for winners. Moreover, folks watching the show from their homes will be able to play along using their smartphone and/or tablets.

Not sure if the viewers at home will be able to win prizes.

My Appearance on Last Week's "Brilliant Mobile Marketing"

Back on May 29, I joined Mobile Mary to talk about sports marketing, tech and trends on her weekly show.

Mary is a delight and even though she isn't big into sports, she was able to grasp that much of the tech we use everyday came out of the sports world.

You can listen here:  It's the May 29 show.

http://rockstarradionetwork.com/shows/brilliantmobilemarketing