Looking for those great holiday gifts for your friends, family, & co workers?  I just shot this year's Today show/MSNBC.com holiday shopping segments.  Join me as I use the latest power tools at Home Depot, test the newest cell phones at the Wired magazine store, head to Petco with my dog Suki, and go to Toys R US  to find the best holiday toy gifts for kids young and old.  Video link coming soon.  Check out photos of holiday shopping segments here.    

 Vanessa is hosting a pilot called Apocalypse House.  A tongue-in-cheek look at how to survive in a post apocalyptic world, Apocalypse House is a DIY show that is sort of like This Old House meets I Am Legend, with a little Shaun of the Dead thrown into the mix (Yep, that means Zombies!).  

Few students like saying good bye to summer break, but these must-have back to school items make the idea of hitting the books a whole lot sweeter.  Join me as I get dorm room decorating tips from Real Simple magazine's Kate Parker, learn how to use editing software Final Cut Pro and Garage Band, talk to a tech expert about the hottest new electronics on the market, and test the best cell phones for college students in this Today show/MSNBC.com clickable video Back to School shopping guide.  

 Vanessa is hosting a new teenage talk show, click here to check out set photos.

You can now check out Vanessa's environmental reports on the second season of Equator HD's Keep It Green, which premieres Wednesday April 23rd. According to the website, "Correspondent Vanessa Rae travels the country checking out how every day folks are living cleaner and greener. Go to RiverWired.com to learn how you can live a little more greener."  About Keep It Green: Keep it Green returns for a second season on EQUATOR HD with a newly expanded half-hour format and a brand new host: noted green expert Melissa Mansfield. Premieres Wednesday, April 23rd at 8PM EST. Every Wednesday night, we will inspire you to take action on important environmental and social issues impacting us all. From clean air and fresh water to civil liberties and public health, Equator HD will provide you with the tools to make a change. Tune in every Wednesday at 8PM Est on Equator HD. About Equator HD & Voom HD Networks: Equator HD is the first high-definition television network dedicated to world adventure and green living. Part of the VOOM HD Networks suite of HD channels, Equator HD is available in the US on Echostar's DISH Network (Channel 9471) and Cablevision's iO digital cable platform (Channel 728).

You can view some of Vanessa's environmental reports here.

SCI CHANNEL'S NEW TECH BLOG 'DVICE' HOSTED BY VANESSA RAE TOPS 1 MILLION UNIQUE VISITS IN ITS VERY FIRST MONTH New York, NY – January 4, 2008 – In its first full month of existence DVICE , SCI FI Channel’s new Website for the gadget and tech-obsessed, had an amazing bow with traffic already topping 1 million unique visitors (1,043,814). DVICE’s team of reporters and DVICE TV’s Vanessa Rae will provide extensive coverage from CES, the world’s premier consumer electronics show. From Sunday January 5 through Thursday, January 10, DVICE will feature the best, weirdest, sexiest and most expensive electronic offerings on the show floor. DVICE TV host Vanessa Rae will take viewers to the show floor with streamed broadband segments that show the products in action. Visit www.dvice.com for entertaining daily reports on the coming year’s “gotta have” gadgets. DVICE introduces its users to all the great new technology out there and has fun while doing it, using a combination of entertainment and information to feed visitors’ obsession with gadgets. In doing so, the site also produces an original weekly broadband show. In the show, host Vanessa Rae tries out some of the more adventurous gear, such as the speed and height-enhancing Power Risers, plus on-the-street product tests and opinions from unsuspecting passers-by enlisted by Vanessa. The show is produced in conjunction with NBC Universal’s Peacock Productions. DVICE is a division of SCIFI.COM and the SCI FI Channel, the television network where "what if" is what's on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com).

Hi! I hope you are having a great holiday season and that you enjoy a happy, healthy & prosperous New Year!!! Still haven't gotten holiday gifts for your friends and loved ones? You're not alone & you're not out of luck. If you're like me and you did wait until the last minute, you've still got some options.... The nice people at the Today Show and MSNBC gave me a great assignment: to find the best gifts for the holidays. There are gift ideas for kids, gadget gurus, fashionistas, people who like to cook, people who want to be in shape, pet enthusiasts (my dog Suki has a cameo in this one) and even procrastinators like me. You can check it all out by going to Today's Holiday Shopping Guide.  Best wishes and see you in 2008! Vanessa

On a recent extremely cold December day in Manhattan (note the rather large stay puft marshmallow man inspired coat I'm sporting), Jamison Tilnsner and Josh Cohen of Tilzy.TV interviewed me about the shows I'm hosting on the web. Tilzy.TV is a guide to television & entertainment that searches the internet for the best programming available. Jamison & Josh coined me a "Web Host Extraordinaire" and I humbly accept the title. You've gotta love these guys!

You can see the Tilzy.TV interview here.

Vanessa Rae is a TV and internet-TV host, an actor, a producer, a painter, and a writer. She's has spent most of her career producing for traditional television, but recently made the switch to hosting internet-TV, and since then, we've seen her all over the internet. So what's Vanessa up to these days...and how does work on internet-TV compare to traditional TV? I had the pleasure of a quick conversation with Vanessa to find out... Vanessa hosts Dvice TV, a tech-gadget show powered by the Sci Fi Channel that's seen a 25% increase in viewership since its recent makeover, which included a sleek new brand-name and Vanessa's arrival as host. She also works regularly on RiverWired, an unpretentious take on green living, and Pandomonium Minute, the show about shows distributed by Pando, a peer-to-peer network that lets users download and share large files quickly and easily. We covered the launch of Pandomonium Minute here In a world with increasingly converged media, it's nice to see a face that can so easily shift between old and new. As Vanessa noted, it's all about 360 degree entertainment.

This Halloween Season Vanessa has a treat for you!

She's hitting the streets for the NBC Today show & MSNBC.com to track down the best Costumes, Make-up, and Healthy Halloween goodies.  So please take a peek-a-Boo at the Halloween Shopping Guide and let her know what you think!  

Pandomonium Minute has received its first review and the feedback is A plus. 

Tilzy.tv, a guide to television on the web , says "Pandomonium Minute does everything right: a cute host and a snack-sized show with quick-cuts." Not bad.

Please check out the full Tilzy.tv  Pandomonium Minute write up here.

Vanessa went to Takashimaya New York to meet up with Interior Lifestyle Designer and candle maker Christopher Ong for That's So New York on NYC TV.  In the segment, Christopher shows Vanessa how to create harmony and balance in the home using eastern influences. Besides Christopher's recently debuted perfume scented candles, the upscale Japanese department store sells clothing, housewares, designer make up, and all kinds of unique gifts. Check out the Takashimaya segment and find out how to integrate eastern design elements into your busy lifestyle.

Vanessa is the host of Pandomonium Minute, a 60-second video update on all things Pando. Get the inside scoop on the latest and greatest Pando Channels, new features and tips, and stories about subscribers and Friends.

What's Pando?   It's free P2P software that makes downloading, streaming and sharing large media files fast, easy and fun. Need to email large attachments, IM a folder, or publish your downloadable videos to the Web? Maybe you'd just like to watch full-screen HD Internet TV?  Pando lets you do it all.  Plus you get super-charged Internet TV shows like Rocketboom, Wallstrip, and E! Online Daily 10's Hollywood Rap-Up free when you subscribe. 

Watch the Pandomonium Minute here.

Actually, Vanessa's already very green.  That's why the good people at Riverwired.com asked her to come on board as the host of "Pulse," the bi-weekly pod cast all about Green living. 

Riverwired is a social networking site that provides people with information, resources and a vibrant community dedicated to a green, environmentally conscious lifestyle.  The mission:  to help make your life and our world greener and better.

RiverWired provides a variety of resources around a single theme: green living and environmental sustainability. If you care about green living in any way, whether it's through news, entertainment, commerce, friendships, professional life, or family, RiverWired is for you.

You can catch Vanessa's reports on the environment  here.

Who let the dogs out?  Vanessa was on hand as a bunch of dogs and their owners got their party on at the first ever Canine Cocktail Paw-ty to benefit the Animal Haven Soho Adoption Center. 

The charity event presented by NYC Shiba Inus club featured drinks, hors d'ouvres for both people and their dogs, off leash play time, and a raffle.  Animal Haven is a no kill animal shelter who's mission is to carefrully place cats and dogs in loving homes, as well as give lifetime care for those who cannot be placed. 

For more information on Animal Haven, please check out www.animalhavenshelter.org.  You can get more information about the Canine Cocktail Pawty at www.caninecocktailpawty.com.  To check out the Vanessa's coverage of the event, stay tuned for the launch of zootoo.com, a new destination website for everything having to do with pets.

Jessica Alba Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer Interview on Togatv.com

Vanessa got personal with the cast of Fantastic Four:  Rise of the Silver Surfer during a set visit in Vancouver, B.C. and now you can see the first interview!

Go to Togatv.com to see Jessica Alba (who plays Susan Storm/The Invisible Woman) and Ioan Gruffudd (who plays Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic) sound off on how they stay fit enough to fit into their skin tight costumes.   Do they wear padding?  Ms. Alba also talks about her ugly duckling phase and reveals what she looks for in a man.   So all you single guys out there, get ready to take some notes!

TO SEE THE INTERVIEW:

Go to

http://www.togatv.com/?bcpid=896794&bclid=528084&bctid=686937724

or

On the Togatv.com home page, click on the Comedy Academy icon (lower right hand corner) and on the next page, click on the icon with Jessica Alba's face (first column, second row).   Hit play and let the interview begin!

For more of Vanessa's interviews with the Fantastic Four cast, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, & Julian McMahon, and for behind the scenes footage of the sequel being filmed, please check back at Togatv.com. 

Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer hits theaters nationwide June 15, 2007.

Vanessa is the web host of Focus IPTV.com.

Focus IPTV is home to a variety of videos with a "focus" on short, instructional 'how-to' videos.  These videos can be viewed anywhere (including on your i pod, cell phone, computer, or television) and are produced specifically to be viewed on portable digital media players. 

This way you can follow along with the video while you learn to do something new, whether it's how to make a new dish or how to go deep sea diving.  Actually, if you're going to go deep sea diving, please make sure you watch the video first. 

Go to www.focusiptv.com to check it out.

Marching Band. Cheerleaders. Free hot dogs & pizza. Nope, they weren't tailgating, it was all film fanfare at the Los Angeles premiere of We Are Marshall where Matthew McConaughey, Mathew Fox, and the rest of the cast came out to walk the green carpet at the historic Grauman's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. We are Matthew? Matthew Fox's was once voted one of People's 50 most beautiful people but last year Matthew McConaughey snagged the sexiest man alive title...so, was there any on set rivalry? And speaking of sexy, it's no secret that McConaughey likes to exercise with his shirt off... but was he able to keep it on while shooting the film? You want answers? Vanessa got to the bottom of it and you can check it out on the Mobile Fix on Sprint Power View.

Vanessa was on set in Vancouver, B.C. as Jessica Alba filmed a scene from her upcoming film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Vanessa got personal with Jessica & the rest of the sequel's cast Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, & Julian McMahon. Want to find out what Jessica looks for in a guy, what goes down with cast memebers behind the scenes, who calls his costume "the human condom," and which super hero gave the thumbs up to an on screen romance with Vanessa in the next Fantastic Four film? All this and so much more from the Vancouver set visit is coming up soon at www.togatv.com. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer opens in theaters nationwide June 15, 2007.

Vanessa is currently working as a Show Producer for Daily 10, a daily program in the News division of E! Entertainment television.

It’s time to put on your dancing shoes!!!  Vanessa learns some new moves at the 18th annual Midsummer Night Swing at LincolnCenter, one of New York City’s most anticipated summer festivals. You can check out this That’s So New York segment on NYC TV Channel 25.

Open from Tuesday, June 20, through Saturday, July 22, Swing 2006 will offer 25 nights of dancing under the stars on Josie Robertson Plaza, next to Lincoln Center’s famous fountain.  Go to Lincolncenter.org for more information.

Vanessa caught up with Ashlee Simpson back stage before she performed her latest hits at the World’s Largest Pajama Party thrown by Victoria’s Secret PINK at New York Hudson’s River Park.  Ashlee remembers enjoying pajama parties back in the day and she still does…While on the road, she and all the girls on her tour put on their pajamas and watch DVD’s in the back of their bus.

Launched nationwide in July 2004, Victoria’s Secret PINK is a lifestyle loungewear collection designed for young women.  Ashlee’s fav PINK item to wear with boyfriend Braxton Olita?  Booty shorts.

Vanessa interviews Lostprophets frontman, Ian Watkins and guitarist, Mike Lewis at Sony Music for NY 360.  The Welsh group’s recently completed third album Liberation Transmission features catchy pop songs with metal/rock influences and an uplifting message.  To check out the interview, watch NY 360 on NYC TV.    For more on Lostprophets, visit www.lostprophets.com, www.myspace.com/lostprophets, and www.columbiarecords.com.

Vanessa interviews Irish singer songwriter Lee Rogers for NY 360. The UK sensation, who is passing through New York for the first time, shares his thoughts on the Big Apple, his writing process, and how he got signed to the Zenith Café label.  Stay tuned to NYC TV for this segment on NY 360.   For more about Lee and his latest album, Drawing Clocks, go to www.leerogersmusic.com or www.myspace.com/leerogersmusic.  

Vanessa is on hand to cover the New York leg of Beyonce’s nationwide search for an all female band at Sony Music Studios on June 12th.

Vanessa interviews Garrison Keillor, Lily Tomlin, Virginia Madsen, & Kevin Kline about the comic backstage fable A Prairie Home Companion for Comedy Academy.   To see when this segment airs, check in at http://togatv.com or www.nationallampoonnetworks.com   You can learn more about the film at http://www.aprairiehomecompanion.com/ and http://www.picturehouse.com/.

Vanessa is currently producing episodes of Elements of Style for Video Fashion, the world’s largest producer and distributor of fashion, beauty, and lifestyle programs.  For more information on where to see Vanessa’s Elements of Style programs, including Fashion Goes Glossy, please visit www.videofashion.com.

Fashion Stylist to the stars, Felix Mercado, gives Vanessa an insider’s tour of Showroom 7.  Vanessa gets great fashion tips from Felix as he pulls clothes for one of his celebrity clients.  

Vanessa caught up with Edie Falco, Steve Schirripa, Jason Patrick, Whoopi Goldberg, Gilbert Gottfried, Helena Christiansen, Elizabeth Berkley, and others at the 2006 Kids for Kids Family Carnival benefiting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.  The 2006 Kids for Kids Family Carnival raised $1.7 million.   Think cobblestone streets, New-York-City-chic. For one special afternoon in late May, the Foundation transformed the streets of the West Village and the halls of Industria Superstudio into a carnival playground for “kids” of all ages. This wasn’t your mother’s carnival, unless your mother’s carnival included tastings from 50 of New York’s finest restaurants, the opportunity to do arts and crafts with world-famous artists, hob-nobbing with stars from The Sopranos, and cutting-edge interactive activities, all for over 2,000 guests. A team of "Heroes", celebrities from sports, fashion, TV, film, and the NYC social scene, hosted old-fashioned carnival games and a great time was had by all.   For more information about the event and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS foundation, please go to http://www.pedaids.org.

Time Out New York On The Roof Top Event at BED   Vanessa learns the essential elements to any great summer party during the kick off for the Time Out New York On The Rooftop series at BED.  Which drink was most popular amongst party goers?  The labor intensive mojito!  Who do they hope to find in their beds this summer?  For that answer you’ll have to Watch The City that Never Sleeps on NYC TV.   To catch the next On The Rooftop party, go to http://www.db-tcs.com.

Check Vanessa out on the new Cool in Your Code Best of Music episode hosting the Cash Code segment, where one lucky viewer gets a $200 Bank of New York debit card with cash to drop on whatever her heart desires.

Cool in Your Code is like a travel show for New York City, exploring what’s cool, new, different, & undiscovered in all of the city’s 200 plus zip codes.  Each episode gets thorough in a new borough, covering the best the city has to offer in art, shopping, fashion, food, culture, music, entertainment, and nightlife.  It's the City, from the inside out.   

Cool in Your Code:  Best of Music

Channel: WNYC 25

Airing Time: Tue 5/2, 8:30 PM (30 minutes)

Future airings of Cool in Your Code:

• Wed 5/3          10:00 PM          25 NYC TV (WNYE)

• Thu 5/4           4:00 AM            25 NYC TV (WNYE)

• Thu 5/4            11:30 PM          25 NYC TV (WNYE)

• Fri 5/5            5:30 AM            25 NYC TV (WNYE)

Tuesday April 25 at 8:30 PM on Ch. 25 NYCTV

Cool in Your Code:  Park Slope, Brooklyn

Channel: WNYC 25

Airing Time: Tue 4/25, 8:30 PM (30 minutes)

Future airings of Cool in Your Code:

• Wed 4/26        2:30 AM            25 NYC TV (WNYE)

• Wed 4/26        10:00 PM          25 NYC TV (WNYE)

• Thu 4/27         4:00 AM            25 NYC TV (WNYE)

• Fri 4/28           8:00 PM            25 NYC TV (WNYE)

• Sun 4/30         2:00 AM            25 NYC TV (WNYE)

In this episode of Cool in Your Code, Vanessa Rae and co-host Christopher Kromer unzip Park Slope, Brooklyn.  Watch as Vanessa goes back stage to pull some strings at the non profit puppet theater Puppetworks, samples the house brew at Bierkraft, gets down and dirty with the animals at the Prospect Park Zoo, and has her fortune told at Magickal Wonders Psychic Café.  The cards say tune in for much much more.   

Cool in Your Code is like a travel show for New York City, exploring what’s cool, new, different, & undiscovered in all of the city’s 200 plus zip codes.  Each episode gets thorough in a new borough, covering the best the city has to offer in art, shopping, fashion, food, culture, music, entertainment, and nightlife.  It's the City, from the inside out.   

For more on the show, go to http://www.coolinyourcode.com/

Vanessa interviews Benicio Del Toro and documentary film directors at the 2nd annual UN Film Festival “Stories from the Field” for NYC TV’s That’s So New York.    For more information about the festival go to http://www.mcainy.org.

What makes Antonio Banderas so irresistible as an actor?  Can guys get more “play” by being polite to women?  Vanessa discovered the answers to these and other questions when she sat down with Mr. Banderas at the Take the Lead movie junket.  Vanessa also interviewed Alfre Woodard, Rob Brown, Yaya DaCosta, director Liz Friedlander, and the man who inspired the film, Pierre Dulaine.  Check in at http://togatv.com or www.nationallampoonnetworks.com to see when this Comedy Academy segment airs.   Take the Lead is a drama inspired by the true story of Pierre Dulaine, an inspirational Manhattan dance teacher and competitor who volunteers his time to teach ballroom dancing to a diverse group of New York inner-city high school students serving detention.  Although they are initially skeptical of Dulaine, he becomes a mentor for his students, many of whom haven’t had much to strive for in their lives.  He inspires them to hone their craft for a prestigious city ballroom competition, and in return they share with each other valuable lessons about pride, respect and honor.   http://www.taketheleadmovie.com/

How does Josh Hartnett “keep it up?” How much did he have to work out to get in shape for his half naked towel scenes? Vanessa went to the Lucky Number Slevin Junket and got the 411 from Mr. Hartnett and Lucy Liu on their quirky love scenes and on working with an all star cast comprised of some of the industry’s most well respected actors. Lucky Number Slevin is a witty and cleverly written thriller that twists and turns its way through an underworld of crime and revenge. Set in New York, a case of mistaken identity lands Slevin (Josh Hartnett) into the middle of a war being plotted by two of the city’s most rival crimes bosses: Slevin is under constant surveillance by relentless Detective Brikowski (Stanley Tucci) as well as the infamous assassin Goodkat (Bruce Willis) and finds himself having to hatch his own ingenious plot to get them…before they get him. The film is directed by Paul McGuigan and written by Jason Smilovic. Check in at http://togatv.com

Vanessa is currently developing a reality show with hip hop legends The Sugar Hill Gang through her production company.

Does love at first sight exist? According to the new Movie Imagine Me & You, it does… The film tells the story of a young woman (Piper Perabo, Coyote Ugly) who falls in love on her wedding day…but not with her husband to be (Matthew Goode, Match Point). Instead, she catches the eye of an unexpected guest during the wedding ceremony (Lena Headey) and becomes transfixed under love’s spell. The Movie opens in select theaters on January 27th Vanessa recently sat down with the stars of the film Imagine Me & You, Piper Perabo, Lena Headey, & Matthew Goode to get the low down on love at first sight, preparing for a same sex on screen kiss, & the often odiferous downfalls of becoming just a little too comfortable in a romantic relationship. Oh, and for all you ladies out there, Matthew does have a serious girlfriend…for now. Look out for clips from the interviews coming soon to National Lampoon at www.nationallampoonnetworks.com & www.togatv.com.

For those of you who’ve been asking where you can see Vanessa in action, this just in…..National Lampoon has launched its new broadband channel, Toga, as a complement to its cable network already seen on college campuses. Go to http://www.togatv.com to check out some of Vanessa’s Comedy Academy hosting clips.