Why No Makeup Today? - Fox News Fake Free Friday?

Okay so after now 50 emails and tweets about the makeup thing I promised to explain in the next couple of hours, and here it is. Last minute decision so no explanation ahead of time. I've sent this to a few fox anchor buddies too - hoping you will join me in a Fox fake-free Friday after you read this! We will do a lot of young women and girls a great service.

When you do a lot of TV spots you get all sorts of email - from wacky to a bit convoluted to incredibly kind to downright rude (particularly if you appear on Hannity's show LOL). But I've been noticing a trend, particularly from women and teens/college kids, and mostly in the past 2 months (maybe as summer approaches and women scrutinize their bodies more? We can thank the lighting in swimsuit stores for that!)

If a viewer wants to know "how did you land your first TV spot" or "what is it like on TV", they usually begin by asking that simple question. I've noticed most of the men tend to drop it once they have the answer they wanted that will help them, but many times (my guestimate would be more than 75%) if a female writes (particularly a young female), there is a comment like "I always wanted to do that too but I am not pretty enough" that leads to several follow up emails.

I remember growing up being the kid that looked so skinny people thought I had anorexia, the kid that had the oddball family that ate Pop Tarts for dinner and had a messy house, and the hard core tech nerd with bad teeth and thick glasses that paid for the family car when she was 10. Those images can create a feeling of NEVER being hot enough, pretty enough or any other word you want to choose to describe that feeling of inadequacy women feel when they don't feel like a knockout.

Quite frankly those emails kill me inside because trust me, if you were walking down the hall or sitting at the desk at Fox, CNN or any other network you'd see that there is nothing special about even the hottest of people on TV. For some people the camera makes them look worse - but believe it or not, for most they look far better.

Worse though is the dismissal, particularly for females, of their capabilities simply because they "aren't pretty enough" (or whatever synonym that individual used for pretty) for television. I think we need less pretty on TV and more intelligence, and if you have both fine - but intelligence and articulation should matter more. Men don't have that issue. I haven't heard one man complain he wasn't pretty enough for TV. Women need to follow this model.

The idea today behind wearing no makeup (sans lipgloss, the lighest shade I could find out of purely a need for something to be able to talk for 2 hours and not have the lips dry out) was to show people that without the makeup, we're all exactly the same and looks aren't an obstacle. The intent was to show these young women and teens what you look like refusing studio make up, and doing none yourself either (my partner had more makeup on than I did.. sorry John LOL - he knew I'd give him shit for that one! LOL). The fact is, that is the norm. Male or female, they cake it on you. At CNN this week, a makeup artist tried to make me "tanless". Huh? Men in studios are basically drenched in powder and thick concealer (and one quite popular host that gets great ratings told me he can't "wait to scrub this crap off" it is THAT much "stuff"; so trust me, their skin isn't flawless either. In person you can see the caked on stuff - on the television? It just looks like flawless skin. It isn't! The most imperfect skin can look flawless with the right camera lighting and makeup person.

So ladies take this seriously - I don't think (maybe I'm an idiot) that not wearing makeup today took away from anything I said. If you think so, you are a shallow bastard and so really you need to go away anyway (but I'd like to hear your comments). You aren't any less valuable if you aren't pretty. You aren't any less capable of getting on television if your style isn't cutting edge or your lips as big as Angelina's. I work with these people - I can think of maybe 1 or 2 that is attractive without make up, and that might be a stretch.

So far the comments I've had today (note this is from FRIENDS and FAMILY plus randomers! LOL) include:

1. Your skin and your body are two different colors (eek who wants that)
2. Your eyes look tired (I dont sleep much, so no kidding - they are!)
3. Your face has uneven complexion (duh)
4. Nice shirt (in otherwords, you didnt look good but your shirt did LOL) (oh and nice hair LOL)
5. You have big lips in person, but they were invisible on the TV
And my favorite from my family
6. You looked ugly today (no Im not joking - yes it was that blunt!)

The only nice comments were from random people and my Gramps, who never has anything mean to say (arent grandfathers the best?) :)

LOL - I laugh, quite seriously, because I don't care! These 6 comments made my point, which is that people will say things even with the best intentions if you don't look like what they think you should look like. But, it doesn't make you any less capable of going on air for 2 hours, doing your thing and giving people important information that will make their lives better. (I forgot my notes too, so I was a bit freaked for 5 minutes)

I say we need a full week of every Fox anchor getting on board and banning makeup (but that won't happen I'm sure) - let people see that you don't have to be gorgeous to help other people on a mass scale.

Fox Anchors and other guests- please join me.. at least one day, a Fox fake free Friday. Let's help young girls and women see that not being flawless doesnt stop them from a career they love.

Dani

The Banks I couldn't remember on Fox Business Network today

Hi everyone.. thanks for your patience! Sucks to forget your notes! OK, the "banks" (in quotes because they aren't really banks but facilitators) that I promised to get to you today after Your Questions Your Money. (Please check out the forum for thread on my web site at www.thebabbgroup.com and go to Forums, then Entrepreneurs to see what others have to say too)

Mercantile Commercial Capital in Altamote Springs, Florida - $500k to $7mn.. they work on the SBA 504 program, 10% collateral only needed, 5% interest for up to 25 years.. specializing in healthcare/day cares, restaurants, hotels, warehouses. They will look to see that you make about $1.20 for each $1.00 in debt.

Also California Bank and Trust which is setting records in lending.

Check them out!

Skewed Foreclosure Data

Skewed Data Creating Fear - Haven't We Had Enough of That?

The latest data released by Realtytrac, the leading online provider of foreclosure information (and darn accurate, which is more than I can say for various indexes that shall remain nameless -- for now...) shows that the month of April 2009 hit an all time high in foreclosure numbers.

Foreclosure filings, notice of defaults, auction sales and bank repos were reported as 342,038 in the US during the month of April - a 32% increase over April of 2008. The mainstream media (nawh, not them!) skewed this information and didn't explain WHY to the public.

Homes are selling at accelerated paces and the banks are (finally) helping most troubled homeowners (unless you are a "rich" jumbo borrower) - Condo Vultures recently reported on a news hit on Fox Business we did together that 2/3 of the inventory has been sold in the last year looking at number of homes on the market.

This is good news - so why does the data look so bad? For reasons the media won't tell you. The bad news is that one in 374 US housing units (note I didn't say primary owners, but UNITS - meaning investors are included here - something else the media won't tell you - far less actual FAMILIES are being affected by foreclosure than homes IN foreclosure) are in a state of default.

This number, 1:374 - is the highest since Realtytrac has collected data. So yes, that's bad. But there is more to this story.

Much of the activity in the foreclosure area right now is at the initial stages - bank repos are down - at their lowest levels actually since March 2008. The wonderful administration we've come to know and love decided that they'd institute a moratorium on foreclosure that is now lifted - which means banks are now allowed to process foreclosures again - and so as a survival mechanism (and contractual obligation) they have. THAT is why the number looks so bad but doesn't tell the entire story. They are artificially inflated.

The inserted heat map shows you the worst of the worst - the more red, the worse the foreclosure problem (source: Realtytrac)

So where is the getting good (if you're a buyer) and the market sucking (if you're a seller?)

Forget what the media tells you about that too. It isn't Florida. I am so tired of hearing Florida it is ridiculous! It's Nevada. 1 in 68 housing UNITS (see that word again? Remember I said investors? Yes this was the heaviest investor driven market in the nation) is in some state of foreclosure - 5 times the national average. Note though this is a 44% drop in bank repos from the previous month but default notices ALSO decreased! Yes, this is GOOD news. Is it up from last year? Yep, 111%. That's to be expected.

More investors are realizing they will be dead before the homes they own are worth what they owe (I'm one of them, I'm just foolish enough to wait it out anyway hoping I won't get hit by a bus tomorrow - oh and then there's the whole "I signed the paper" thing), and banks won't work with you unless it's your primary residence. Expect to see this happen even more in towns where lots of investors moved in. (By the way, anyone want to buy my homes in Bullhead City? Ill give you a good deal, I promise.) :-)

OK now onto Florida - it's 2nd highest -- not the highest -- in the nation. 1 in 135 UNITS is in foreclosure, about 2.7 times the national average and about half of what Nevada is dealing with. Repos are down 7% in Florida.. this is good. Total foreclosure activity though is up 75% from April of 08.

Foreclosure activity in California decreased 10 percent from March, but the state still has the nation’s third highest state foreclosure rate in April, with one in every 138 housing units receiving a foreclosure filing during the month. Total foreclosure activity in California was up 42 percent from April 2008.

After that is Arizona and Idaho - yep Idaho making news for the first time in awhile. I still recall a lady about six months ago trying to sell me 20 "units" there. I wonder where those "units" would be today. Probably on someone's default list. ;)

Here is another noteworthy fact you won't read about in the media. The top 10 states? Yeah, they make upa full 75% of the nation's foreclosure activity! The highest total is Cali (96,000), then Florida (64,000), Nevada (16,000) and Arizona (16,000).

What about metro areas? My "friends" over at a certain index fund seem to think they are all that matters, so let's take a look. Las Vegas is tops on the list BUT has a 20% decrease from the previous month. Not all bad news. 1 in every 56 units in Vegas is in foreclosure right now. If you are an investor, it might be time to arrange a short sale or get out of dodge.

Next? Oh boy, do I even go here? I got beat up pretty badly by Ft. Myers residents who weren't happy with me after a CNN hit, but yep -- Cape Coral/Ft. Myers is second in the nation - 1 in 57. They were #1, so congrats - you are now in the #2 spot. Again deals abound. Also in Florida? Miami at Number 9, and Orlando at Number 10.

California is still getting slammed too; Merced posted the third highest metro rate at 1:65; then Modesto at #4, Riverside-San Bernardino (where I grew up) at #5, Bakersfield at 6, Vallejo-Fairfield at #7 and Stockton at #8. Congrats Stockton, you also moved up the food chain. The message here? Unless you are buying in Cali where the jobs are (LA/OC), just please say no.

Below is a chart from Realtytrac showing more info than you might like to know about each state. These are the real facts folks - forget the networks -- this is the real stuff.

U.S. Foreclosure Market Data by State – April 2009

		Properties with Foreclosure Filings
Rate Rank	State Name	NOD	LIS	NTS	NFS	REO	Total						%Change from Apr 08
--	U.S.	65,456	76,608	100,559	35,512	63,903	342,038						32.25
29	Alabama	0	0	1,763	0	545	2,308						269.28*
32	Alaska	1	0	190	0	45	236						61.64
4	Arizona	4	0	12,595	0	3,646	16,245						39.77
21	Arkansas	168	0	1,295	0	401	1,864						45.06
3	California	52,909	0	30,441	0	13,210	96,560						42.13
9	Colorado	31	0	4,213	0	1,251	5,495						-9.29
19	Connecticut	0	1,695	0	119	360	2,174						25.01
39	Delaware	0	0	0	95	91	186						33.81
	District of Columbia	129	0	191	0	78	398						42.14
2	Florida	0	41,674	0	16,800	6,114	64,588						75.41
7	Georgia	0	0	7,809	0	3,712	11,521						21.68
23	Hawaii	117	0	497	0	70	684						216.67
5	Idaho	1,040	0	1,399	0	39	2,478						220.98*
8	Illinois	0	6,407	0	3,942	3,298	13,647						54.40
15	Indiana	0	1,682	1	2,215	1,121	5,019						-0.57
40	Iowa	0	0	287	0	344	631						9.36
37	Kansas	0	214	0	392	181	787						5.64
41	Kentucky	0	296	0	392	203	891						80.73*
38	Louisiana	0	1	0	896	228	1,125						78.57
43	Maine	0	99	0	125	24	248						-20.77
17	Maryland	0	2,351	0	601	661	3,613						-39.89
13	Massachusetts	0	3,790	0	759	706	5,255						-23.59
11	Michigan	0	0	7,270	0	3,560	10,830						-11.77
18	Minnesota	62	0	2,280	0	1,205	3,547						82.84
44	Mississippi	0	0	323	0	12	335						98.22
30	Missouri	1	0	1,672	0	1,025	2,698						-21.06†
47	Montana	0	0	12	0	49	61						-43.52
46	Nebraska	0	106	0	3	9	118						-79.86
1	Nevada	8,657	0	5,131	0	2,478	16,266						111.25
16	New Hampshire	0	0	678	0	357	1,035						62.23
22	New Jersey	0	3,349	0	1,041	644	5,034						-3.51
33	New Mexico	0	380	0	238	95	713						100.28*
36	New York	0	4,256	0	872	463	5,591						-1.01
34	North Carolina	648	0	1,371	0	1,063	3,082						-14.91
48	North Dakota	0	0	0	22	15	37						85.00*
10	Ohio	0	5,107	0	3,890	3,327	12,324						-4.69
35	Oklahoma	431	0	553	0	193	1,177						-30.76
12	Oregon	124	0	3,109	0	604	3,837						127.04
31	Pennsylvania	0	1,928	0	1,806	1,315	5,049						54.55*
25	Rhode Island	13	0	310	0	233	556						-4.63
28	South Carolina	0	1,111	0	501	697	2,309						180.56*
49	South Dakota	0	0	0	15	2	17						-50.00
24	Tennessee	0	0	2,090	0	1,380	3,470						-25.68††
27	Texas	12	0	7,153	0	4,149	11,314						-9.02
6	Utah	1,104	0	1,162	0	703	2,969						120.25
50	Vermont	0	0	0	0	2	2						100.00*
14	Virginia	5	0	4,214	0	2,035	6,254						5.16†
26	Washington	0	0	2,352	0	1,007	3,359						33.88
45	West Virginia	0	0	137	0	8	145						95.95
20	Wisconsin	0	2,162	0	788	911	3,861						71.98*
42	Wyoming	0	0	61	0	34	95						196.88

*Actual increase may not be as high due to data collection changes or improvements
† Collection of some records previously classified as NOD in this state was discontinued starting in January 2009
†† Collection of some records previously classified as NOD in this state was discontinued starting in September 2008