Giada Pamela De Laurentiis

Born on August 22, 1970
Giada Pamela De Laurentiis is an Italian American chef, writer, television personality, and the current host of the Food Network programs Everyday Italian, Behind the Bash, Giada's Weekend Getaways, Giada in Paradise, and Giada at Home. She also appears regularly as a contributor and guest co-host on NBC's Today. De Laurentiis is the founder of the catering business GDL Foods.

Sexiness

To look at Giada De Laurentiis, you probably wouldn’t classify her as ultra-sexy in the same way you would Jessica Alba, for example. She’s more of the super cute and bubbly type. But anyone who’s seen an episode of Everyday Italian knows that there’s more to Giada’s sex appeal than straight looks. She has a way of charming the camera and of gushing about the food she’s eating that does cruel things to a man.

De Laurentiis, a self-proclaimed chocoholic, studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France with aspirations of becoming a pastry chef. After returning to the United States, she became a professional chef working in several Los Angeles restaurants, notably the Wolfgang Puck-owned Spago. She later worked as a food stylist and was contacted by the Food Network after styling a piece in Food & Wine Magazine in 2002.

Her cooking program, Everyday Italian, has been broadcasted on the Food Network since 2003. On her Chefography (a Food Network biography program), she admitted that she never wanted to be in her "family business" of show business. She felt very uncomfortable in front of the camera when she first began hosting Everyday Italian, but has since become more relaxed and open on air. When the program first aired, the Food Network received emails accusing the network of hiring a model or actress pretending to cook instead of a real chef.

De Laurentiis began hosting Behind the Bash in October 2006. The program examines the catering process behind big event extravaganzas such as the Grammy Awards. In January 2007, a third De Laurentiis-hosted show, Giada's Weekend Getaways, debuted on Food Network. On this show, De Laurentiis travels to a featured locale (such as Seattle, South Beach, San Francisco, Napa, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming) and visits her favorite local culinary destinations.

On a November 2006 episode of Iron Chef America, De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay competed against, and were defeated by, Rachael Ray and Mario Batali.

In 2007, De Laurentiis appeared as a presenter on the inaugural Food Network Awards. In June 2007, she hosted a two-part Food Network special entitled Giada in Paradise, featuring the two locales of Santorini, Greece and Capri, Italy. De Laurentiis also made several appearances as a guest judge on the third season of The Next Food Network Star, which aired in 2007. In 2008, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle Host.

De Laurentiis is a spokesperson for the pasta manufacturer Barilla.

Publications

1. In 2005, De Laurentiis published her first cookbook, Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes.
2. A second cookbook, Giada's Family Dinners, was released on April 4, 2006.
3. Another cookbook, Everyday Pasta, was released on April 3, 2007.
4. Her latest cookbook, Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites, was released on September 30, 2008.

1. Giada's book Everyday Italian reached #5 on the New York Times Best Seller's List.
2. Her other book, Giada's Family Dinners reached #1.
3. So did her third book Everyday Pasta.
   
4. Her fourth cookbook Giada's Kitchen debuted in September, 2008 and became #2 in its first week.
5. Giada's book, Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes, is a New York Times Bestseller.
6. Her private chef/catering company is called GDL and is based in Los Angeles

Giada De Laurentiis Quotes

"I grew up in the kitchen, mostly with my grandfather, my mother and my aunt Raffy. My grandfather's family used to own a pasta factory in Naples and they would go door-to-door selling their pasta. So his love of food came from his parents, which was then passed down to my mother and then again to me. Some of my best memories growing up are being in the kitchen with my family cooking. I also spent time at my grandfather Dino's gourmet store, DDL Foodshow, where he brought in chefs from Naples to cook. I thought of them as rock stars. I loved being there, and that made me decide to become a chef."

"My biggest bit of advice would be to spend some time actually helping caterers or Chefs, even if it has to be for free or as an intern of culinary externship. It helps immerse yourself in what you potentially want to do. Being involved, learning firsthand and observing the craft and absorbing all you can, makes it easier to define what you want. It will also ultimately make you a better Chef. Culinary school, or even a single class, is a great bet too."

“I spent time at my grandfather Dino's gourmet store where he brought in chefs from Naples to cook. I thought of them as rock stars.”

- Giada De Laurentiis

On her other favorite cuisines

Definitely Japanese. I love how clean and refined the dishes are. They're simple in their ingredients but the flavors and presentation are typically amazing. Second would be Chinese.

About cooking at home for guests vs. cooking on TV

It's a chance to talk to the people I'm cooking for. When you cook on television, you don't get that. It's really a lot of fun for me, filling their tummies with goodness.

On how she can still be in good shape while being a chef

I have to say that this is by far the question I am most frequently asked, and my answer is always the same: genetics, portion control and fresh ingredients. If you've ever seen my mother either on the show or in photographs, you'll notice that she is quite petite, trim. So I have her to thank for getting me off to a good start. In addition, I've never been one to sit down to a meal with a large plate of food and eat every morsel until I was uncomfortably full. Rather, I graze - eating small portions of food all day long. And the ingredients are clean and fresh. Yes, I absolutely love chocolate, and I do eat it, but just a bite.

On who her inspirations are

Definitely my grandfather, my mom and my aunt Raffy. They've all taught me something about Italian cooking: tradition, simplicity and creativity, respectively.

Filmography

1. "Giada at Home" .... Herself - Host (39 episodes, 2008-2009)
- Busy Day Menu (2009) TV episode .... Herself - Host
- Welcome Home (2009) TV episode .... Herself - Host
- Surf's Up (2009) TV episode .... Herself - Host
- Road Trip Picnic (2009) TV episode .... Herself - Host
- Beach Volleyball (2009) TV episode .... Herself - Host
(34 more)
2. "The Next Food Network Star" .... Herself (2 episodes, 2009)
- Holidays with Giada (2009) TV episode .... Herself
- Press Party for Food Network's 16th Birthday (2009) TV episode .... Herself
3. "Today" .... Herself (39 episodes, 2006-2009)
... aka "NBC News Today" (USA: promotional title)
... aka "The Today Show" (USA)
- Episode dated 10 April 2009 (2009) TV episode .... Herself
- Episode dated 9 April 2009 (2009) TV episode .... Herself
- Episode dated 4 March 2009 (2009) TV episode .... Herself
- Episode dated 29 December 2008 (2008) TV episode .... Herself
- Episode dated 10 November 2008 (2008) TV episode .... Herself
(34 more)
4. "Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show" .... Herself (1 episode, 2008)
- Episode dated 19 February 2008 (2008) TV episode .... Herself
5. All Star Holiday Dishes (2007) (TV) .... Herself
6. "Weekend Today" .... Herself (1 episode, 2007)
- Episode dated 17 November 2007 (2007) TV episode .... Herself
7. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" .... Herself (1 episode, 2007)
... aka "Oprah" (USA: short title)
- Episode dated 13 November 2007 (2007) TV episode .... Herself
8. All Star Grill-Fest: South Beach (2007) (TV) .... Herself
9. "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" .... Herself (1 episode, 2007)
- Episode dated 10 January 2007 (2007) TV episode .... Herself
10. "Giada's Weekend Getaways" (2007) TV series .... Host (unknown episodes)
11. "Iron Chef America: The Series" .... Herself (1 episode, 2006)
- Flay/DeLaurentiis vs. Batali/Ray: Cranberries (2006) TV episode .... Herself
12. "The Tony Danza Show" .... Herself (2 episodes, 2005)
- Episode #2.43 (2005) TV episode .... Herself
- Episode #1.119 (2005) TV episode .... Herself
13. Giada's Italian Holiday (2005) (TV) .... Herself
14. "Behind the Bash" (2005) TV series .... Herself (unknown episodes)
15. An Italian Christmas with Mario and Giada (2004) (TV) .... Herself
16. "Everyday Italian" .... Herself (1 episode)
- Pilot (????) TV episode .... Herself

Pamela Denise Anderson

Born July 1, 1967
Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-born actress, sex symbol, glamour model, producer, author, and celebrity

"There's no way I set out to be a certain kind of symbol -- the way I dress is the way I am, the way I live my life."
- Pamela Anderson

After her move to Los Angeles, Anderson bleached her brunette hair blonde and underwent breast augmentation. In 1991, she landed a minor role as the original "Tool Time girl" on the hit television sitcom, Home Improvement. She left the show after two seasons and landed the role of C. J. Parker on Baywatch. Anderson was still modeling for Outdoor Life and appearing on the cover of the magazine each year. Her role as C.J. Parker gave her more popularity and gained her attention from international viewers. She returned to Baywatch for the 2003 reunion movie, Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding. She also made appearances on The Nanny as Fran's rival, Heather Biblow.

In April 1997, she guest-hosted Saturday Night Live. During the beginning of the show, Anderson said, "You know, if you're nervous on stage, you actually should be naked!" She then began a striptease. Her breasts, however, were covered by a small flesh-colored bra and she also wore a crotch patch that was also flesh colored (though they were still blurred out for the sake of the joke). The segment became fodder for late-night comedians for the following weeks. She also appeared on one of two covers for the September issue of Playboy; the other cover pictured Jenny McCarthy.

Pamela Anderson is the epitome of sexiness. As a world-famous sex symbol, she sets the standard for the "blonde bombshell." We could point out specific moments when Pamela Anderson has been particularly sexy (i.e. running down the beach in that fire-engine red bathing suit in slow motion as C.J. Parker on Baywatch), but we'd run out of space for describing other aspects of her being. Check out anything she has appeared in if there's any doubt.

In September 1998, Anderson starred in her produced series V.I.P. It was very poorly received and a critical bomb. However, with many people tuning in just to see her, the show lasted four seasons before being canceled in 2002. Anderson stated that she needed to dedicate her time to raising her children, but many believed that she was retiring.

In January 2005, Anderson confessed that she had new bigger breast implants, claiming not to feel like herself without them.

Anderson is a vegetarian, an advocate for animal rights, and an active member of the animal protection organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), taking part in several campaigns for animal rights. She became a vegetarian in her early teens when she saw her father slaughtering an animal he had hunted.

One of Anderson's campaigns as a member of PETA has been against the use of fur. In 1999, Anderson received the first Linda McCartney Memorial Award for animal rights protectors, in recognition of her campaign against fur. In 2003, Anderson stripped down for PETA's "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" advertising campaign. On June 28, 2006, Anderson posed naked with other protesters on a window display of the Stella McCartney boutique in London, England. It was a PETA gala event before the PETA Humanitarian Awards. Anderson went inside the boutique and said she would take her clothes off if the event raised enough money for PETA, which it did .

She has also actively campaigned against Kentucky Fried Chicken. In 2001, Anderson released a letter in support of PETA's campaign against Kentucky Fried Chicken, stating "What KFC does to 750 million chickens each year is not civilized or acceptable." She later made a video about KFC's treatment of chickens.

Anderson's Playboy career spans approximately two decades (1989-2007). During that time, she has graced twelve of Playboy's covers--more than anyone else. She has also made appearances in the publication's newsstand specials:
* Playboy's Playmate Review Vol. 7 June 1991 - cover.
* Playboy's Nudes December 1991 - cover.
* Playboy's International Playmates January 1992.
* Playboy's Girls of Summer '92 June 1992.
* Playboy's Calendar Playmates November 1992 - cover.
* Playboy's Girls of Summer '93 June 1993 - pages 6-7, 44.
* Playboy's Wet & Wild Women July 1993.
* Playboy's Video Playmates September 1993.
* Playboy's Book of Lingerie Vol. 33 September/October 1993.
* Playboy's Book of Lingerie Vol. 34 November/December 1993.
* Playboy's Book of Lingerie Vol. 35 January 1994.
* Playboy's Book of Lingerie Vol. 36 March 1994.
* Playboy's Playmates in Paradise March 1994 - pages 38-43.
* Playboy's Book of Lingerie Vol. 37 May 1994.
* Playboy's Girls of Summer '94 June 1994.
* Playboy's Book of Lingerie Vol. 38 July 1994.
* Playboy's Nudes November 1994.
* Playboy's Hot Denim Daze May 1995 - page 15.
* Playboy's Nude Celebrities July 1995 - cover.
* Playboy's Pamela Anderson May 1996 - cover.
* Playboy's Nude Celebrities March 1997 - cover.
* Playboy's Sexy 100 February 2003 - cover.


Filmography

* The Taking of Beverly Hills (1991)
* Snapdragon (1993)
* Raw Justice (1994)
* Naked Souls (1995)
* Barb Wire (1996)
* The Making of Bret Michaels (2002) (documentary)
* Scooby-Doo (2002)
* Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003)
* Scary Movie 3 (2003)
* No Rules (2005)
* Blonde and Blonder (2008)
* Superhero Movie (2008)
* Hollywood & Wine (2009)



Preceded by Peggy McIntaggart
Succeeded by Deborah Driggs
Measurements Bust: 36DDD in (91DDD cm)
Waist: 22 in (56 cm)
Hips: 34 in (86 cm)
Natural bust No
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight 105 lb (48 kg/7.5 st)