Made Visible: Women, Children & Poverty in America,” which continues tonight on PBS’s “Tavis Smiley” with guests including Hilda Solis (right). (WireImage)
Tavis Smiley’s panel discussion with Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Suze Orman, among others, airs tomorrow night through Friday night on “Tavis Smiley” (midnight on Ch. 13).
The discussion, held as part of Smiley’s “Made Visible: Women, Children & Poverty in America” event, was taped March 18 at NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. It also features Nely Galan, Dr. Julianne Malveaux, Susan Sarandon, Cecelia FireThunder, Faye Wattleton, Randi Weingarten and Sheryl WuDunn all discussing the growing number of women and children falling below the poverty level. “To be fully human, we cannot allow mothers and children to live in poverty amidst the backdrop of America’s corporate prosperity,” says Smiley. “The future of our democracy, in part, depends on how seriously we take this challenge.”
The three-part series is also slated to air on C-SPAN in the near future.
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Ernie Anastos, Jodi Applegate, Mr. G and Magee Hickey will be among the well-known local news faces hoofing and crooning to support The Lawrence F. Hickey Center for Child Development, located on Dyre Avenue in The Bronx. The school, named after Hickey’s late father, helps pre-schoolers with special needs.
The second annual fundraiser will be held Saturday, April 14 at 1 p.m. at Convent of the Sacred Heart (1 East 91st St.) and will feature singing, dancing and stand-up comedy. “My colleagues in the TV news biz have some of the biggest hearts of anyone I know,” says Hickey. “They also have lots of hidden talents. Ernie and Jodi are both wonderful singers. And you’d be surprised what great entertainers some of these newscasters are.”
And speaking of local newscasters, former Ch. 5 and Ch. 9 reporter Bob O’Brien, who retired to Oregon several years ago, is in town for the annual Inner Circle show, being held this Saturday night at The New York Hilton. This year’s title: “Preoccupied.”
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Nick Santora, who does just about everything on A&E’s “Breakout Kings” (executive producer, showrunner, co-creator, writer) is awaiting publication of his second novel, “Fifteen Digits,” due out next month from Mulholland Books.
The New York native, who’s also written for “The Sopranos,” “Law & Order” and “Prison Break” — as well as the concept for the reality show “Beauty & the Geek” — had his first novel, “Slip & Fall,” published in TK. “Fifteen Digits” revolves around five low-level employees at a “white-shoe law firm” who delve into the world of insider trading.
“Breakout Kings,” by the way, is in its second season on A&E, where it airs Sundays at 10 p.m. with stars Laz Alonso, Jimmie Simpson, Domenick Lombardozzi, Brooke Nevin, Serinda Swan and Malcolm Goodwin.
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Everyday Health launches its official channel on YouTube next Tuesday, April 3. The new channel will feature 15 hours of original programming — including shows hosted by former “Biggest Loser”/”The Doctors” co-host Jillian Michaels and Joy Bauer — and a show called “Recipe Rehab” (in which noted chefs are challenged to make favorite dishes healthier).
Everyday Health will celebrate the channel with a launch party this Monday at The Crosby Street Hotel.
Former ABC News guru Paul Slavin runs Everyday Health as senior VP and GM.
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Last, but not least:
* Alex Perez has joined ABC News as a Chicago-based correspondent . . . “Doc McStuffins” on Disney Junior launched to 2.5 million viewers last Friday, the network’s second-best weekday series launch ever in that demo. It was also the most-watched preschool series launch in cable history in adults 18-49 (800,000 — which begs the question as to why people of that age would be watching) . . .Giants star David Diehl will judge a live cooking competition, inspired by BBC America’s “No Kitchen Required,” Thursday at 12:15 in the Flatiron District (north side of 23rd St. at Broadway and 5th) . . . I’m thisclose to taking out a restraining order against the hyper-aggressive publicists over at Frank PR.