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Remember I had written about Jennifer Beals’ role for WIGS? I continue to be impressed with its lineup. Canadian Catherine O’Hara recently tackled an actress-turned-saintly role in a two-episode series penned by Mitch Albom.

In the series launching today, Rochelle, Rosanna Arquette tackles the role of a woman who hires an escort to break her ex-husband’s heart. The 3-episode series is written by Scott Turow and directed by Rose Troche (The L Word, The Safety of Objects).

In a phone interview, Arquette shared her reason for doing the webisodes: The quality of the writing. “Well I’m a huge fan of Jon Avnet and Rodrigo Garcia as directors and then Scott Turow had written this wonderful piece…. It was so wonderful because it was so beautifully and impeccably written. When you have lousy dialogue you can’t remember it.”

She brought her own experience to the role. Rochelle has been betrayed and left for a younger woman; Arquette of course is no stranger to divorce, and she says she brought up those sense-memories to prepare for the role. “That’s the great thing about acting – being there to open up other people in thinking differently or recognizing something in themselves.”

But acting’s taken a back seat overall for Arquette lately. She has a daughter in high school on the east coast, and can’t commit to shooting in L.A. “You can’t leave a newborn and you can’t leave a teenager,” she comments, although she then muses that she sees the empty nest on the horizon.

When I ask her what kinds of roles she’d like to tackle, she answers “I would love to actually play where I’m at in life – I am officially middle aged…. I was looking at Jane Fonda as inspiration – you know, Prime Time [Fonda’s guide to living and aging well] – you don’t have to go down the road of hell, but you can be vivacious and powerful like she is.”

Or like Arquette. Check out the series; it launches today (Monday August 27).

Totally worth checking out: Jennifer Beals and Troian Bellisario star in Lauren, a made-for-YouTube three-episode series for WIGS (Where It Gets Interesting), a channel dedicated to scripted video featuring complex, compelling characters played by female leads. The channel’s the brainchild of Jon Avnet (Fried Green Tomatoes) and Rodrigo Garcia (In Treatment).

This web series tackles a tough topic: Lauren (Bellisario) is a member of the United States military who reports sexual assault by three fellow American soldiers. In the first episode, Major Stone (Beals) reviews the report and warns Lauren about the impact of filing a contentious charge.

Good writing – on YouTube
In a conference call about the series, Beals shares that it is the writing that attracted her to the role: “Major Stone thinks within the parameters of the institution and all the kind of acculturated patriarchy that that implies. And then…this other character, the younger character, the Staff Sergeant played by Troian who just really thinks in terms of justice and plain and simple.”

The interplay between the actors is strong on the (very) small screen, and carries the first episode. That’s no surprise for fans of Beals. As we shared in our profile of her in our February/March 2011 issue, she’s an actor who brings fire and intelligence to her roles.

Roles for women over a certain age: Why not sexy?
When I ask her about how she’s finding the options for roles for women over 40, she shares: “One thing I think that needs to be addressed is how roles for older women — which is basically anybody over 30 — become desexualized, because that’s not the case. I’d like to fix that.”

She’s certainly an actor to take that on: She’s a swimmer and a runner, comfortable in her skin. She recently swam Lake Louise: “Man is that cold. But it was so beautiful to be surrounded by that color and to turn and look up at the glaciers. It just knocked me out but I had to grease my face and my hands and my feet and I had a full wet suit…it was really cold ”

But it’s Beals’ performance that brings depth and warmth to her role in Lauren. Check it out:

Lauren
Premiers on YouTube today, with new episodes to launch Wednesday and Friday.

Photo: Kayt Jones

At our Twitter party last night we asked people to share advice for their younger selves, on the occasion of More’s 5th birthday. (The hashtag was #More5th) The answers blew me away! Here’s a list of them. Add yours in the comments! And be sure to follow us on Twitter so you don’t miss future parties.

trevster A ‏be yourself ‏

Spot Star Start saving your money right away. it adds up really fast

Deborah Coombs ‏I’d also say “it’s ok to say yes” Take chances & try new things while you can

auntjenniepoo ‏Education is power. Stay in school. Get a degree!

drew p ‏ follow your dreams
and… also I would say have fun

benshairnet ‏I would tell my younger self to travel more.

Ginette ‏ Don’t try and please everyone, be yourself

Spot Star ‏ Start saving your money right away
and…invest in realestate, long term its the best safest return

Susan Bannister ‏ Don’t let others bring you down

carriesbig ‏ Learn another language! It gets harder to the older you get.

Gail Strachan‏ To my younger self, I would say ‘be patient’.

foomento To not burn the candle at both ends.

bayouhip ‏ To take better care of my skin. If I could go back, I’d wear facial sunscreen daily starting in my teens.

edmcalg I would have lived in the moment more. I was far too serious.

Toronto Sassy ‏ Don’t kill yourself with too difficult relationships

lunastel ‏To try more new foods. I’ve only started doing this as I’m getting older.

Julia Teeluck ‏ I’d tell 12-year-old me that cookie cutter’s overrated. Embrace your differences.

servlip‏ To try new things without the fear of looking foolish.

Professor A ‏Make sure you’re following your dreams and not someone else’s.
and…thought of another one, that the saying blood is thicker than water is very true, family is very important.

bullado ‏ I would have advised my younger self to not be afraid to tell the truth.

rollersing To not get a perm!

Joy Mills ‏ Don’t waste time – enjoy every second ’cause you don’t know what’s around the bend.

Nighat Your opinions are as valid as anyone else’s

halaksave‏ That people over 30 aren’t ancient!

jackchlo ‏Not to worry about what other people think of you, as long as you’re not hurting anybody.

Tina Lee ‏ Speak up even if your opinion or views are different from others

Christine I would have advised my younger self not to sweat the small stuff and not to be afraid to go after what I want

ackrene To stand up and be counted. My opinion is as valid as anyone else’s

nooshang I would have listened to my gut instincts more… They’re more often right than wrong.

finalping Don’t believe everything people tell you, despite sometimes really wanting to.

ruizschNot to be afraid to ask for help… And don’t ever be afraid to offer it.

Goomba King I would tell my younger self that eating my veggies really wouldn’t kill me! My parents were smarter than I gave credit

epibree To respect myself. So simple yet I think a lot of people struggle with this when they’re young.

theresa Mayville I woudl advise my younger self to have more fun and enjoy the litlle moments in life . #More5th

windpuzzle That not everyone is going to appreciate you, and really, who cares.

cowboybros To learn who to give to and who is taking advantage of you.

jerpato Be happy for the family you have because someone else’s is NOT usually better!

pestoresto To always treat people in your life with the same repect you want them to give you.

torlonias Be strong, never give up, keep loving myself and others.

thinflexi To younger self: Don’t take everything so personally or seriously!

vocexp To not worry about what other people think of me, to live my own life and make my own choices.

veeships Simple, to follow my heart and not overanalyze everything.

suevogues Take more risks, mistakes are made for learning.

cheerpali To my younger self, appreciate what you have now.

valuepk To tell the one’s you love that you do, because they could be gone tomorrow.

privyseel Don’t sweat the small stuff (can apply to any age really).

‏ClimaClub this is a professional advice, but the first professional job or so you get will setup your career path so pick correctly
and…when possible, always find employment you enjoy, and never waste time with a job that holds you back

nixbrit1 That the best person I can be is me.

brypark1 To laugh more, especially at myself!

Debra Goldblatt “No is a complete sentence,” was my favorite.

phenrome To listen more, listen better, pay attention and remember!

debbie paisley ‏I would advise my younger sefl not to worry what other people thought about me.

santfinn Don’t stress about relationships. If it works, it works, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.

raptturk To be more assertive! And be more spontaneous.

Brenda Penton I’d tell myself to face my fears

colbosh To never ever stop asking questions about how the world works.

Thank you so much to the sponsors of our great prizes: Coty, Elizabeth Arden, NeoStrata and Shiseido!

We asked you what you wish you’d known – or what you’d tell your daughters – and we got some great answers, including advice from a mum whose daughter’s success on the public stage is undeniable: Advice for young women.

As for me, I’m torn. I have a niece who will graduate from high school this fall, and there’s so much I’d like to tell her: Believe in yourself; never settle for others’ ill-treatment of you; wear sunscreen.

At the same time, part of my experience of being 41 is that first of all, it’s the advice I didn’t take that has often been the biggest source of learning for me – and even joy. I married young (23) and 18 years later, he’s still my best friend. I had kids late and although it wasn’t entirely by choice, I still feel they entered my life when it was best to have them.

And professionally while I have followed my hippie-leaning parents’ advice a lot of the time — “Do what you love; the money will follow” — I still often feel like I’m finding my way every day – my messy, fun, interesting way. I love that most of the time.

So maybe that’s my advice: Don’t be afraid to ignore advice. Although maybe not the specific points our wise readers have shared.

And, borrowing from the song below: Don’t forget about the sunscreen.

Back in our Summer 2011 issue, we featured The 7 Virtues line of perfumes. Company founder Barb Stegemann of Halifax started the brand, which sources organic scented oils from legal crops in war-torn or impoverished communities. What we didn’t say was that she took her product to CBC’s Dragons’ Den – successfully. They’ll be running an update about the company on tonight’s episode.

I asked Stegemann about the experience via email:

Was Dragons’ Den as scary as it looked?
Yes, I was so scared I thought I was going to pee my pants. They do this countdown as you “walk the plank” into the Den…ten, nine, eight…and you begin to wonder how crazy is this? But I got through it because I focused on my mission, the chance to share with millions of Canadians that we must do trade with nations that are experiencing war or strife to build peace by helping them rebuild.

When I am scared I always think of something bigger than me and I get through it. It works every time.

What were the best moments and the worst moments?
Best moments were when they offered the deal and hugged me. I seriously never ever in my wildest visualization imagined that!!! W. Brett Wilson invested in me and became the mentor I dreamed of. And right after you walk out of The Den, the producers and the entire CBC family come running out to hug you and talk to you and cheer for you and then the Dragons’ VPs of business talk with you and applaud you and make you feel really special. It’s quite a feeling I will never forget.

Worst moment is the time spent in the greenroom before you go on. You are so nervous and the other pitchers are there and everyone wants to try their pitch on you and it can psyche you out, so you want to remain somewhat reflective and quiet. Because otherwise you can begin to doubt yourself when the TV in the green room plays an old episode of a pitcher being told to get out of the Den, it’s unnerving.

So you really have to quiet your mind and focus on the bigger mission. Then your spirits are lifted by Sean Wise, a professor of business at Ryerson. He vets you just before you enter and he really helped me.

What advice would you give to someone looking for capital?
DO IT!!! Please do not live your life with any regrets. If you have a burning passion to launch a company and if it can make our world a better place, then you have nothing to lose.

Do your homework before you go on. I met with several amazing venture capitalists in my own community first to learn the language and to ask tips on the pitch. They were so generous with their time they even let me practice my pitch on them. I had never met these people in my life. I just reached out.

One of them, Mickey MacDonald, carried my fragrance in his boutique when I was literally out of my garage and in two stores. He taught me some of the language I used in my opening pitch. You have 90 seconds when you start to wow them. Also, listen to the producers. I was assigned to Molly Duignan. She is a business genius and really fun and she helped me contain my wild dreams into a clear, focused opener.

What impact has going on the show had on you or your business?
I was the first woman from Atlantic Canada to land a deal on Dragons’ Den and it changed my game. It gave me the confidence to cold call The Bay and now we are in The Bay across Canada at the beauty counters. The over half a million in fragrances we have had in sales in our short time in business allowed me to buy all the essential oils from my supplier in Afghanistan so that he is able to employ many farmers and their families benefit.

Beauty does have the power to transform lives.

For more information, and for Barb’s book, The 7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen, visit the7virtues.com

Find the fragrances at The Bay across Canada!

Photo: Peter Schafrick

And if women entrepreneurs are your thing, don’t miss:
How four women launched their businesses – for peanuts
Reinvention is the best revenge
What it takes to be a civility coach
Our reinvention channel

Update: Barb shared that her pitch was called the best ever on Dragons’ Den on the show! Congrats!

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Our latest online exclusive interview: Tony Bennett

Do you enjoy reading interviews in a question-and-answer format? I have to tell you, as a web editor, I enjoy editing them.

I get to read what esteemed thinkers, writers, actors and singers have to say before the rest of you do. It’s quite enjoyable, not in a smug way–it’s just fun to have the first peek. Here are a few you won’t want to miss:

Tony Bennett

See what Tony Bennett says about his long career. I am hugely impressed by his gracious words about today’s younger performers. So classy and so positive.

Michele Landsberg

“When I was a young woman, there was absolutely no understanding by anyone that the sexes could be equal. I was laughed at when I said that women were as intelligent as men,” writer and activist Michele Landsberg says in the More.ca exclusive interview. Read it here. 

Gloria Steinem

Discover why she’s concentrating a huge effort on a collective called Women Moving Millions. Steinem brings up a really interesting point: that wealthy heiresses seldom control their own money for philanthropy.

Enjoy!

-Helen

Fresh off reading Joan Didion’s heartbreaking Blue Nights about the untimely death of her daughter Quintana Roo, the next book on my list was Terry Helwig’s Moonlight on Linoleum.

Is there a bumper crop of books about mothers these days that I am unknowingly stumbling on? A few weeks ago I blogged about reading Cocktail Hour under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller.

Moonlight is another alternately tough and tender memoir about growing up with a mom who was…I suppose unconventional is the charitable descriptor.

Helwig’s mom married at 15, had a gaggle of daughters, cheated on her loving husband(s), successfully trained to be a nurse, died a drug addict, and generally had a life stranger than fiction.

A totally gripping read.

The first time I posed the question “Would you write a book about you mom?” I got one response I hadn’t anticipated from Louise, whose comment you can read at the bottom of my prior blog post but I’ll repeat here:

“I don’t believe I knew my mother well enough to write about her as I lost her when I was 22. Her life was certainly notable and full of drama. If I were to interview each of my older siblings about her I would hear three different perspectives…what is the truth? The truth died with her and she deserves to keep it with her.”

What are your thoughts on this matter?

-Helen

The November 2011 cover of More, featuring Jann Arden. See her ET Canada interview here.

“Who doesn’t like Jann Arden?” says Shannon, a Facebook page fan of ours.

“I love her voice, her sense of humour and enjoy her writing. Nothing but admiration for her,” says Anne, another More Facebook fan. 

Did any of you catch Jann Arden on ET Canada on Tuesday of this week? She’s the November cover girl, and you ardent Arden fans will need to pick it up to read More‘s exclusive Jann Arden memoir excerpt. You’ll also find out how to enter our big Jann Arden contest (flights, tickets, hotel!).

Check out the Arden interview and get a behind-the-scenes peek of the cover shoot here on our video channel, footage courtesy of ET Canada.

Here’s my question du jour: Do you remember what you were doing, life-wise, when “Insensitive” was a huge hit? I remember being in Italy on vacation, where it was also smash hit.

-Helen

This image: Artist Tina Dolter (fourth from right) with models at the Christina Parker Gallery in St. John’s.

This is the second part of a two-part blog post about Newfoundland artist Tina Dolter and her upcoming Toronto show, “The sensuality of the maturing woman.”  (Read Part 1 here.)

If you can’t make it to Toronto for Tina Dolter’s show, you can see many of these paintings in her online portfolio. The women of Corner Brook, Newfoundland are here and St. John’s, here.

Are all the women in the paintings Newfoundlanders?

No, not all are Newfoundlanders, but I do know all of the Newfoundlanders personally. The others I either knew myself, knew of them and approached them, or they were referred to me by people involved in the series or that knew of the project.

How did this project start?
In 2001, in my final year of my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, I became involved with a calendar project to raise funds for a palliative care unit in my home city of Corner Brook, Newfoundland.

I soon realized that I had found what to focus my thesis on, and I invited three of the models from the calendar project to pose for me. These three portraits were so well received by our community that I could feel the spark of something much grander forming.

I was delighted to be approached by more women in my area who wanted to take part. The project was evolving into a profound statement about women and our collective concerns about aging and how we feel about our bodies, minds, and spirits as we get older. The exhibition of the first twelve portraits opened at the Arts and Culture Centre in Corner Brook in 2005.

I was overwhelmed with the response and encouraged to keep going with the series. Women began calling and emailing wanting to be part of the project.

This [show] will be a curated version of the entire series, featuring woman from Corner Brook and St. John’s Newfoundland, Ontario, and BC.

Tina has also organized a panel discussion to take place Wednesday Sept 21 from 7-9pm at the Propeller Centre on the topic of “redefining the art of aging well.” Call the gallery to register as seating is limited.

-Helen

This is Newfoundland visual artist Tina Dolter with paintings from her series The Sensuality of the Maturing Woman. Check in with us at the end of the week to see part two of this post.

I love Tina Dolter. I am envious to my bone marrow of her enormous talent, and she dispels any myth of the visual artist at midlife as a navel-gazing crunchy granola type with paint in her hair and sensible sandals on her feet. In other words, she’s down-to-earth and smoking hot.

On Sept. 15 in Toronto her show “The Sensuality of the Maturing Woman” is opening at the Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts. “This project is a series of more than two dozen life-size portraits of women between 40 and 85 who are enjoying the most creative, dynamic time of their lives,” says Dolter. I had the opportunity to ask her a few questions about her work.

Why this subject matter, the “maturing” woman?
I think it is so important to celebrate this stage of our lives, and what mature women bring to their families, communities, and society. In this age of obsession with youth, we have lost the respect and reverence that wise mature women enjoyed in times past. This is so unfortunate, and we need to reclaim that matriarchal status. This project celebrates the accomplishments of our lives, the self acceptance, confidence, wisdom, and self assurance that come with maturing. We are going to age, that’s a given. All of creation ages. [But] our life, manifested through the presentation of our physical body, intellect, and spirit, is a gift meant to share.

Next post: Are all these women from Newfoundland? And how Dolter’s calendar project kicked off a word-of-mouth phenomenon.

-Helen