Sally Jessy Raphael isn’t just sitting around since her TV show was canceled three years ago. We had dinner in Santa Fe last evening. Both of us were wearing our travel hats – we were in New Mexico for a meeting of the North American Travel Journalists Association. The outspoken and savvy Sally, a 40-year veteran of broadcasting – now with glowing orange hair and still her signature bright red glasses – and her longtime husband and partner, Karl Soderlund, are doing a Web-based radio show which she describes as “a running audio blog of our family on the farm,” and she plans to launch a Web-based travel TV show. When I asked her why she is doing the show, she told me, “Because I want to.
“We hear from women all over the world – they aren’t being served by commercial broadcasting.”
Surprisingly to the travel writers, she didn’t know that the term “fam” trip – words spoken often during the meeting – is short for familiarity, or in Washington terms, press junket. There are two places she’s never been and would like to visit – Moscow and the Grand Canyon – so perhaps she’ll find out what a fact-finding fam trip is all about.
Sally says her passions are food, wine, art, friends and travel, and lamented that “broadcasting today is so commercial that there isn’t any art and culture.” Now she’s making up for that cultural deprivation. When not traveling to more exotic locales, Sally and Karl spend half the year at their home in Nice, France, where she paints using oils and acrylics. When asked how the French feel about Americans, she replied: “They don’t give a darn. Politics and economics are an impediment. All they care about is the good life.”
Sally’s rules and other observations
“If I wrote for a living and read that Paris Hilton’s dog got a book contract, I’d kill myself.”
On living in France: “You get many more big hugs from the Italians than the French, but in France if you need a plumber at 2 a.m., he’s there, and I need a plumber more than a hug.”
“The least important thing about a trip is what you wear.”
“Never miss an important opportunity to do absolutely nothing.”
“It’s terrible that Martha Stewart is a model for today’s women. They don’t care about her – it’s the media who does.”
Sally usually travels with her two small “bag-trained” dogs. “Dogs are first; children second,” she says. “I’ve raised both and there’s no question.” Campari gave her a big kiss when she spoke those words!
White House photogs grab a presidential first
President Bush will have an opportunity Saturday evening to see if he can entertain the news media – this time at the White House News Photographers’ annual dinner – and top the positive reviews the first lady received at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last month. This is the first time that POTUS will attend this dinner. His dad and former President Clinton declined the invitation each year. Broadcaster Joe Scarborough emcees.
Obama rocks; Fenty looks for his nod
Senate superstar Barack Obama, D-Ill., was in the liberal outpost of Austin, Texas, within the last couple of weeks raising gobs of money – we hear around $100,000 in one night. He will have a lot of IOUs out there when he is ready for the national ticket. … In the meantime, back in Washington, the Adrian Fenty camp is trying to get Sen. Obama to endorse the councilman for mayor even before Fenty officially announces in June.
And Fenty’s friends look for a great new job – for Williams
D.C. Mayor Tony Williams is looking more and more like a candidate every day. Some friends of his very social mom, Virginia Williams – who frequently sings at house parties – are Fenty supporters and are on the prowl for a well-paying job for the current mayor in the private sector, one he just can’t refuse. They are hoping to entice him not to seek re-election. That should make his wife, Diane, very happy.
Yes, we’d Rather go home again
Who said, “You can’t go home again”? Dan and Jean Rather are planning to spend more time in his native Texas. The retired CBS News anchor purchased a condo near daughter Robin in Austin, in the very same building where former Gov. Ann Richards lives. The Rathers have a house outside of Austin, but Jean wanted to be right in town so she could play bridge with Richards in the evening and not have to drive home. After all, she doesn’t have a Harley for transportation as her pal Richards does.
Trumpeting the queen of salsa, Celia Cruz
Pedro Knight, Cuban-born Celia Cruz’s husband, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History hosted a reception last evening for the exhibition on the life and music of one of the most extraordinary singers of the 20th century. “Azucar!: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz” features more than a dozen of her costumes, wigs and shoes, and captures the power of her voice and stage presence. Ambassadors from Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Panama attended.