Best known for policing the fashion world from the red carpet and beyond, Melissa Rivers is now set to keep watch over the Internet’s best deals.

Rivers is editor-in-chief of the newly launched Shoparatti.com, billed as a one-stop destination for the best selections of bargains from hundreds of daily deals sites.

With the number of those websites — like Groupon, Guilt and Buy With Me — increasing each month and shoppers often receiving so many daily deal emails that they may tend to delete them without looking, Rivers said the goal of Shoparatti is to point consumers in the right direction to secure the day’s best bargains.

“We try to sort through them all and pick out the top four each day,” Rivers told BusinessNewsDaily. “It is just simply a time-saver.”

Rivers said she is drawing on her expertise in spotting lifestyle, entertainment and fashion trends to make her selections.

But to catch her eye, she said, the deals need to have good value and offer good-quality products.

“Things that are classics or very of-the-moment,” Rivers said of the deals she favors.

In addition to posting the deals on the website, Rivers’ daily selections are also on newsfeed posts via Facebook and an iPhone app.

The popularity of daily deal sites is undeniable. According to research by Site Jabber, the top six sites alone receive 20 million visitors a month. That number is up 600 percent from just one year ago.

Rivers believes the current economic climate has contributed to the sites’ traffic, as Americans turn to the Internet for ways to save any cash they can.

“We live in a society where commerce is god,” she said. “You always want to get the most bang for your buck.”

In addition to her work with Shoparatti, Rivers is the host of “Fashion Police” on TV’s E! network and stars alongside her legendary mother, Joan, in the reality show “Mother Knows Best,” on the WE Network.

Like many others who work alongside various relatives in a family business, Rivers said balancing the professional and personal relationships can often be tricky.

“The onus is on the parent to not go into parent mode,” Rivers said. “At the same time, (the child) has to know when to defer to the elder.”

In 2009, the two put their professional relationship and business expertise to the test on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” working for billionaire business mogul Donald Trump in a series aimed at raising money for charity.

While she did hear the famous “You’re fired” phrase from Trump, Rivers said she took away some positive business lessons that still stick with her.

“It teaches you how to come up with a business plan,” she said of the TV show, “and how to ask (the right) questions of clients.”

Though she continues to have a host of projects on her plate, Rivers said she is especially excited about the potential of Shoparatti.

“This idea spoke to me,” she said. “It’s practical, and it makes your day easier.”

The new reality show is about you two living together in Melissa’s house in L.A. Do you two clash as housemates?
Joan: I am very formal. I mean, I’ll sit down with finger bowls. I think you should sit down, and a meal should be an event — it should be pretty. Everything should be pretty. Life is very rough, and I think you should make everything around you as lovely as possible. I hate eating over the sink, out of a bucket, or out of a carton — and I get it, everybody’s doing take-out, I understand it. But the napkin should match mats.
Melissa: I have a big counter in my kitchen so we sit there for meals. But to my mother, the idea of sitting down to dinner is sitting at the dining or breakfast-room table. So to her, the idea of sitting at the counter even though the counter’s set, is way too informal. She pours out the ketchup into a silver bowl and puts a spoon in it whereas I will put the ketchup out from the refrigerator in the bottle.

We are thrilled with the return of Fashion Police on E!, by the way. How were you able to do it again in a weekly format?
Joan: Well, I’m not on the red carpet anymore. When you’re on the red carpet, you get word from on high: “Don’t say anything bad about Angelina Jolie because she’s a friend of the network. Don’t say anything bad about Sarah Jessica Parker because she’s a friend of the network.” No one says anything bad [about celebrities] — they’re not going to say, “Your ass is too big, and you shouldn’t be wearing that color, and you look like a fool.” You can’t say that so what’s the point of doing the red carpet? So the Fashion Police, when they came to me, they said let her do it. I don’t have to meet them on the red carpet. I don’t have to deal with Rihanna. Rihanna and I will never meet unless we both go clubbing together, and I don’t think we’ll go to the same clubs.
Melissa: My first thought was there is not enough material because I used to do fashion news once a week on E!, and I always felt like it was a stretch. But over the past couple of years there seems to be more material.

What do you think of the state of celebrity red-carpet dressing today? Do you think the “Joan Rivers effect,” as the Times called it, scared celebrities into playing it too safe?
Joan: That is such nonsense. What they’re starting to do now, which worries me, is they’re all trying to copy Lady Gaga. You want to say to Katy Perry, “You’re beautiful! You’ve got the body, wear a pretty dress.You don’t have to strap electrical stuff on your dress.”
Melissa: They’re all so scared. I think a lot of these younger girls are getting shoved into clothes by designers and are too impressed that it’s that designer, and I think that’s where you get a lot of bad choices. Their gut might say no, but they’re too scared to say no and everyone around them is saying yes.

Speaking of Lady Gaga — thoughts?
Joan: Lady Gaga wants to look crazy — her next outfit I know is going to be surf and turf. It’s the ones that think they look great, and you go, “Are you out of your mind?” Or the ones who have become total fashion victims. I just think Prada should be shut down, and truly I think they hate Americans. I think they’re still angry at us for WWII.
Melissa: Lady Gaga — you can’t even put that in the category of fashion because those are truly costumes, but she sells them and everyone goes berserk.

Do you think red-carpet stylists help or hurt the cause?
Joan: Well, stylists are bad people sometimes.
Melissa: I just wish that I had started a stylist management company and was taking 10 percent because I think we put a lot of stylists to work over the last ten years. I think a lot of them are becoming stars, and I think a lot of them have exhibited a lot of bad behavior and caused a lot of drama behind the scenes, and that bums me out. The truth is more of them dress more people than anyone realizes and are quiet and just do beautiful work. You know, don’t tell me someone doesn’t pack for Angelina Jolie when she’s going to Cannes, but you would never know who this person is.

You both use the same stylist, Cary Fetman, who does a lot of shopping for you. How would you describe your personal styles?
Joan: My personal style, I think, is over-the-top dowager. Because I do love the feathers this year, I love the lace, I love all that stuff. The old days they said get dressed and take one thing off, I say get dressed and put one thing on.
Melissa: I’m significantly more casual. And my mom’s always like, “Ugh, it’s L.A. versus New York,” and I’m like, “No it’s more of a generational thing.”

How do L.A. and New York style compare, in your views?
Joan: I think New York women have such style, and it’s not about money, it’s just the look and the pace and the activity. And in L.A., they’re very beautiful and they all look exactly alike, which is good because if we go to war they’re all in uniform. They’ve got the same bag, the same jeans, they’re exactly alike. New York women, they look like they’re going to an art opening. They look smart.
Melissa: New York is just more formal, but the women in L.A. are just as pulled together. It’s a totally different look, it just doesn’t have as much of an edge to it. It’s less severe.

Where do you shop?
Joan: I shop my closet a lot. I’ve taken a lot of jackets and added things. I work with my stylist on it. Before you cut into a vintage Yves Saint Laurent, you better fucking know what you’re doing. Every time I get together with Melissa we go to Barneys and we go to Bergdorf’s. And also the ten-dollar-and-under stores in the airport, where I buy scarves and cheap jewelry that’s going to break, but you can wear it once. And in London, the only place you go is Topshop. I buy anything that sparkles. Topshop is just amazing because you run in, you come out, you look like a whore. It’s great.
Melissa: Elise Walker in Pacific Palisades. In New York, Barneys. I get stuff from Intermix. I mix stuff up — I’m just as likely to be wearing something from Old Navy or Gap with Louboutin shoes and a J.Crew jacket.

Who are your favorite designers?
Joan: Valentino, Gaultier because he’s very showbiz, good ol’ Armani — I don’t pick it that way, that’s just what works. Escada.
Melissa: For dressy, I love Dolce & Gabbana, I love Calvin Klein, I love Donna Karan, I love Michael Kors. I’ve got some great Stella McCartney stuff, really cute Chloé. I have a lot of Theory. I’m kind of all over the map but it’s always things that are pretty non-fussy. My favorite dresses this year were a little black dress from Prada and a little black dress from Miu Miu. I wore the dress in front of my mom and she loved it and didn’t know it was Prada.

Heels or flats?
Joan: I wear heels every day — that’s my generation. I like the high heel, but I don’t like it with a platform. You start getting up on the platforms, nine inches — no, no, no, my circus days are over. I have a couple of Chanels with pearls on them and they’re just so beautiful, but I always wear a high heel and usually it’s a Manolo or Stuart Weitzman.
Melissa: At work I’m a heel, in real life I’m a flat. My mom does have Uggs for Connecticut, which I, by the way, bought her. And she only wears then around the house in Connecticut, not in public.

What was the first designer item you bought?
Joan: There was a place called Martha’s, and she had all the great designers, and it was an Yves Saint Laurent velvet jacket piped in grosgrain — a little Hansel and Gretel, but it was so beautiful. I had just hit The Ed Sullivan Show, and I went into Martha’s, and I remember buying it and thinking, “Oh my God, this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever had in my life.”
Melissa: I didn’t buy it but the first designer item I ever had was a Calvin Klein sweater dress that was a gift. Calvin gave it to my mom to give to me when I was leaving for college.

What trends do you love right now?
Joan: Oh, I love the femininity, I love the lace, I love the sparkle, I love the faux fur or the real fur. Women are looking feminine. When they’re saying to you that everything can have sparkle and glitter and fur, it’s a great year to be a woman.
Melissa: I’m really liking the statement shoes. I’m a big layering fan. I loved all the metallics. I’m a big textile person — I’m all about the feel of the fabric and workmanship.

What trends do you wish would die?
Joan: I don’t like the man suits. Enough with that man tailoring. Enough — unless it’s Judge Judy.
Melissa: I don’t like the open-toe booties — there’s just something about them that gives me the willies.

How is your holiday shopping going?
Joan: Oh, don’t even go there — if I get one more coffee-table book I’m going to kill myself. I haven’t got enough coffee tables! Just send me a candle. No, it’s been going great — I’ve been giving everyone a coffee-table book.
Melissa: So far so good. I still have a couple more people to go. I feel like I can pick things out for my mom. I’m definitely a better gift giver than her.

Do you have any tips for navigating all that holiday food?
Joan: Oh, yeah right — I definitely believe in bulimia. The trick is have a big dinner, sing two carols, and get upstairs to the bathroom. It’s so hard — there’s so much food, and every third package is food. I was invited to Kathy Griffin’s for lunch, I go to her house, and I think we’re going to sit in the kitchen and eat a piece of lettuce. How do you say, “Kathy, I don’t want a piece of chicken with cheese on top of it”?
Melissa: Moderation, moderation, moderation. If I know I’m going to a party where I know I’m going to be tempted, I make sure I eat something healthy before I leave my house. And if there’s something I want to try, take a bite. If it’s fantastic, take another bite. If it’s just okay, walk away.

And we would be remiss if we didn’t ask your thoughts on Kate Middleton.
Joan: I think she’s going to be smarter than all of us put together. She’s got the body, she’s very thin, she’s got a great style to her. The hats are the terrible Treacy hats — half of them I swear look like IUDs. But she knows what she’s doing, she’s smart, she’s older — it’s not like Princess Diana at 19. I think she’s looked gorgeous so far.
Melissa: Central Casting could not have sent over anyone more perfect. And people I know in the circle of both Prince Charles and Prince William say she is absolutely a hole in one. I think the clothes are perfect. The next thing is eventually she’ll cut her hair, and that will start a whole other trend. It’s that whole thing where she’s really pretty, but not where she’s intimidating to other women.

To read more visit nymag.com 

The show, set to premiere later this year, will follow the comedienne as she moves in with her daughter, her grandson, and Melissa’s boyfriend in Los Angeles.

Hilarity and hijinks are sure to ensue when two women with faces only a plastic surgeon could love invite a camera crew into their home to chronicle their daily lives.

Home

Edition,” “Bridezillas,” or “The Bachelor”.
The names and faces may be different but the experience of each season
is essentially the same. The same goes for “The Celebrity Apprentice”
and if you garnered guilty pleasure thrills from last season, it’s hard
to believe that’s going to change this year.

As Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice”
had begun to scrape the bottom of the barrel when it came to actually
talented applicants, producer Mark Burnett realized that it was time to
change the game and merge the concept with something
more like what was making VH1 millions with
their B- or C-list celebrity programs like “Rock of Love” or “The
Surreal Life”. It was an incredibly smart decision as anyone can tell
you that watching celebrities screw up for charity is far more
entertaining than watching no-name businessmen make baffling decisions
in the pursuit of fattening their own pocketbook.

Red Carpet Ready: Secrets for Making the Most of Any Moment You’re in the Spotlight

BARNES AND NOBLES

The Grove at Farmers Market

189 Grove Drive  (Corner of 3rd & Fairfax)

Los Angeles, CA 90036

(323) 525-0270

Starts at 7:00 PM

Validated Parking

“This book is about moving forward. It’s about learning, evolving and improving ourselves,” says Gigi Garner, author and daughter of actor James Garner.

Gigi Garner interviewed as many savvy women as she could and asked them a variety of questions, such as, “What little secrets do you have locked away inside of you that make your life better?” What she ended up with was a slew of interesting answers and a fascinating book filled with inspiring, uplifting examples of how today’s women survive the pressures of a busy 21st century lifestyle.

The secrets include makeup tips, shopping and cleaning tricks, friendship and career advice, parenting suggestions, travel tips, home-decorating ideas, fashion advice and so much more. The secrets are short, helpful tidbits that can make any woman’s life a little happier and a little easier.

Girl Talk: Celebrities and other Extraordinary Women Share Their Secrets (Five Star Publications) includes contributions from famous female friends, such as Shari Belafonte, Kim Alexis, Naomi Judd, Lucie Arnaz, Sally Struthers, Rona Barrett, Joan Rivers and her daughter, Melissa.

It also includes many secrets that come straight from real women just like you.  Women are known for being voracious communicators. When women get together, whether they are strangers or friends, they are compelled to share ideas and knowledge. Girl Talk is a celebration of that sisterhood.

“There’s something in this book for every woman,” says Garner. It’s the perfect hostess gift for the next time you attend a party. It’s also perfect for every birthday, holiday or any special occasion.

Girl Talk: Celebrities and other Extraordinary Women Share Their Secrets (ISBN 1-58985-051-3 / ISBN: 978-1-58985-052-1), nonfiction, paperback, is published by Five Star Publications, P.O. Box 6698, Chandler, AZ 85246-6698. Girl Talk is distributed by Ingram and Baker & Taylor. To request a review copy and/or to schedule an interview with the author, please contact the publisher.

Please visit WWW.GIRLTALKBOOK.COM, and share your own helpful tips with all of your “sisters.”

Now, we can confirm that Melissa Rivers (pictured), Samantha Potter, Alan Thicke and Jim J. Bullock will all appear as part of the storyline. Are you psyched for a fashion face-off on The Bold and the Beautiful?…” ~ Read the entire news article here.

A-listers such as Melissa Rivers, Valerie Bertinelli, and Charlie Sheen came out to support and shop. The next event is a luncheon at the Beverly Hilton in October. Come support or donate to help save lives.