WOMEN WHO INSPIRE US #3: AUTHOR EM KAPLAN TELLS US ABOUT THE STELLAR ELLEN DEGENERES!

Hey, guys, we don't slow down here at MJ's Blog! We speed up. One of the kindest people in show business, as well as being talented and entertaining is ... well, let's let mystery author EM Kaplan tell us about her. See the end of the blog to meet Emily herself, and don't forget -- this is blog entry #3, and you're sure to like entries #1 and #2... Excelsior! -- MJ

Take your mind back to the very first TV commercial that featured Ellen Degeneres. Remember it? I do. The spot was an ad for small business services that aired in 1992. And by the grace of the internet gods, you can still see it (http://youtu.be/l_zaV7HnsLA). My point in bringing this up isn’t the ad, of course, it’s to re-introduce you to the fresh-faced young comic with the impeccable timing that cracked me up even then. It’s her everyday, normal person outlook, her I’m-just-like-you character caught in this crazy world we all share, that I admired then and still do. Just look at how she talks to the animals in that clip. I challenge you not to smile.

After that commercial, Ellen went on to create her own sitcom, host the Emmy’s, and then get her own talk show. True, she’s not that same coed-looking, pageboy-wearing girl. She weathered an enormous media storm when she came out and still more scrutiny for her marriage. On the other side of that upheaval, she’s now the current face of daytime television. She might have been relegated to a small corner of TV history. Instead, she’s the post-Oprah Oprah. Ellen’s the one who broke the internet with her star-packed selfie. Why? How did this happen?

Character. Integrity. Like Spider-Man, wielding her substantial powers responsibly, for good.

Ellen has said, “Here are the values that I stand for: honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated and helping those in need. To me, those are traditional values.”

And again,  “We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to contribute to that.”

Frankly, I don’t care if people condemn her for her sexuality, for her snarky jokes, or for the blatant use of shirtless hunks on her show. No one can criticize her for a lack of kindness and compassion. You can see it in how she treats her guests, children, and animals, whether she’s interviewing a baby from a viral video or introducing the next Emmy nominees.

And that’s the only type of role model anyone needs. 

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EM Kaplan writes snarky mysteries and also fantasy books. Currently, the first Josie Tucker mystery, The Bride Wore Dead, is 99 cents on Kindle or free with Kindle Unlimited.

EM grew up in Tucson, Arizona where there were no sidewalks but plenty of tumbleweeds. She attended Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts where she majored in English Lit with a minor in Philosophy. She later earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. She's also been a Girl Scout, trombonist, toilet-cleaner, beginner ninja, and subversive marketeer. You can visit her at www.JustTheEmWords.com.

Other links:

Amazon: amazon.com/author/emkaplan

Facebook: fb.com/emkaplan.author

Twitter: @meilaan

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