News

Meghan Markle has admitted that she may never restock her sold-out jam. She was interviewed by the US business magazine “Fast Company,” and she discussed her plans to “step back to assess” her As Ever Brand, which, for all intents and purposes, should really be called “As Never.”

Meghan Claims Netflix Wants Her To Have Her Own Store

The Duchess of Sussex discussed juggling motherhood and her business ventures, including her recently concluded podcast, “Confessions of a Female Founder,” which is nearing its conclusion.

Products such as jam, honey, and herbal teas from the first As Ever brand launch in April sold out in less than an hour.

It was speculated that she only had a limited number of items to create interest and give the illusion that she sold all her products quickly.

Meghan Markle now claims she wants to

“take a step back, gather data from the launch,...

Imagine stepping into Shark Tank with a slimy, mushroom-like blob in a jar, only to walk away with powerhouse investors fighting over your business. That’s exactly what happened to Kate Field, the founder of The Kombucha Shop, who appeared on season 10 of the reality show.

Kate Field in Shark Tank | Shark Tank Global / YouTube

So, what exactly happened in the episode? Did the partnership last? And where is The Kombucha Shop today? We’ll answer all your questions and more about the brand that supports home-brewing.

The Kombucha Shop on Shark Tank Kate Field in Shark Tank | Shark Tank Global / YouTube

The Kombucha Shop’s goal was to make home brewing simple, and their popular fermented tea was already doing well in the market before reaching Shark Tank. It had over $3.2 million in lifetime sales and a brewing cost of just 0.25 per bottle, which is very low compared to...

The National Women’s History Museum (Nwhm) announced today details surrounding their annual Women Making History Awards Gala, set to take place on March 20 at The Anthem in Washington D.C.

This year’s event, which celebrates extraordinary, trailblazing women who have made a profound contribution to society, will honor inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Sara Blakely; Dr. Opal Lee, the “Grandmother of Juneteenth;” and advocate for transformative research and education Shirley Welsh Ryan. Mattel, celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, will receive the inaugural Evelyn Y. Davis Women Making History Corporate Changemaker Award, which will be accepted by Mattel EVP and Chief Brand Officer Lisa McKnight. Award-winning actress and icon Meryl Streep will serve as the honorary chair of the evening, and the program will be hosted by CBS News award-winning journalist Norah O’Donnell.

The gala will also feature live entertainment, including the premier of the organization’s inaugural song composed...

Hello Sunshine, a part of Candle Media, proudly kicked off its second annual Shine Away event, an experiential franchise connected by AT&T, on Saturday, October 5 at the state-of-the-art, female-founded, nya studios in Los Angeles. Day one of Hello Sunshine’s two day marquee consumer event brought the Hello Sunshine community together to connect women to greater possibilities through connection, entertainment, and joy.

Following a hilarious stand up set from comedian and actress Heather McMahan, Hello Sunshine founder Reese Witherspoon kicked off the day by welcoming guests to the second annual experience. She also paid special tribute to Reese’s Book Club’s 100th book pick author Margaret Renkl and the entire Rbc author community before sitting down for an empowering panel discussion with Octavia Spencer and Laura Dern moderated by AT&T Chief Marketing & Growth Officer, Kellyn Kenny about how they defied expectations and built a network that fueled their journey to success.

Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine media company held its second annual Shine Away conference on Saturday, featuring plenty of face time with the star and her A-list friends.

After welcoming the 700 guests to Los Angeles’ Nya Studios for the event — comprised of two days of panels, activations and programming aimed at empowering and connecting women — Witherspoon sat down for a conversation with Laura Dern and Octavia Spencer. The trio chatted about their close relationship and how they have supported each other in and outside of the industry, with Dern joking, “Basically I run everything by Reese, from my romantic life all the way to what jobs I should do.”

Witherspoon — who in the last few years has produced a slew of projects including The Morning Show, The Last Thing He Told Me, Tiny Beautiful Things, Truth Be Told and Daisy Jones & The Six — spoke about her early days of producing,...

On Tuesday CBS Mornings welcomes musical group Los Lonely Boys, businesswoman and philanthropist Sara Blakely, psychic and TV personality Matt Fraser, and puzzle creator Joel Fagliano to the show. Los Lonely Boys, a musical group from San Angelo, Texas, play a style of music they call “Texican Rock n’ Roll”, combining elements of rock and […]

CBS Mornings: Sara Blakely, Matt Fraser, Joel Fagliano...

Richard Branson's water-throwing antics began with Stephen Colbert, not Mark Cuban. Branson's behavior on talk shows became explosive, including a fire extinguisher incident. Interviews with Branson on talk shows may still be nerve-wracking for hosts like Colbert.

Throughout Shark Tank history, the show has made people who've pitched rich and deals have crashed and burned. Still, Shark Tank's most memorable moments include when the sharks got angry, like when Richard Branson threw water on Mark Cuban.

Similarly, Stephen Colbert has had some bad interviews, even though he has been successful enough to get very rich. Still, it is amazing to learn that Richard actually threw water at Stephen before he did the same thing on Shark Tank.

Richard Branson Threw Water On Stephen Colbert Long Before He Did It To Mark Cuban

According to Forbes, Richard Branson had an estimated net worth of $2.6 billion as of August 2024. For many years,...

The sharks on Shark Tank broke the rules to make a deal with Knife Aid, showing their passion and determination. Even though Knife Aid faced challenges after the show, it enjoyed financial success and garnered a large following. The bidding war over Knife Aid led to a lucrative deal, with the owners negotiating and ultimately sealing a $500,000 investment.

Unfortunately for the people involved in Shark Tank, the show can be scandalous. After all, a huge deal crashed and burned, Kevin O'Leary lost it on a disrespectful pitcher, and Mark Cuban enjoys calling some pitches scams.

Despite all that, going on Shark Tank is a huge opportunity, as evidenced by how rich the most successful person to pitch became. Part of the reason for that is that the sharks can be so passionate about a deal that they even broke the rules to make one.

The Shark Tank Sharks Wanted A...

Mark Cuban, a long-time star of Shark Tank, announced that he will be leaving the show after season 16, citing the desire to spend time with his children before they go off on their own. Despite his departure, Mark expressed gratitude for the show and the impact it has had on inspiring generations of entrepreneurs. He has invested in hundreds of companies throughout his time on Shark Tank. While Mark's departure may come as a shock to viewers, he has been hinting at leaving the show for some time. The official confirmation and handling of the cast shakeup by ABC has yet to be announced.

After starring on the popular ABC reality show for several years, billionaire Mark Cuban announced that he will be leaving after Shark Tank season 16. Shark Tank premiered on the Disney-owned network back in 2009 with Kevin O'Leary, Robert Herjavec, Barbara Corcoran, Daymond John and Kevin Harrington. Two years in,...

Shark Tank casting goop—err, scoop!

Oscar-winning actress (and goop founder) Gwyneth Paltrow is one of two new guest Sharks joining Season 14 of ABC’s Shark Tank, Deadline reports. An airdate for her debut has not yet been disclosed.

More from TVLineStation 19 Season 6 Key Art Hints at Whether Jack Is Really Gone for GoodGrey's Vets Defend Ellen Pompeo's Decision to Go Part-Time in Season 19Grey's Anatomy Star Shares First Look at Season 19's Surgical Rookies

Also new to the Tank is DoorDash CEO and co-founder Tony Xu. Both Paltrow and Xu will appear alongside Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner,...

Billionaires are getting the True Hollywood Story treatment. Tonight's all-new episode of the E! series will delve into the lives and careers of Elon Musk, Jay-Z and Sara Blakely, who have several things in common: They all faced adversity and tragedy, which fueled their ambition to strive for the best. Jay-Z is perhaps the most well-known of the three business magnates, but as this sneak peek clip proves, he had to face an uphill battle to achieve fame, let alone amass billions. Michael Eric Dyson, author of Jay-Z: Made in America, breaks it all down by first taking us back to 1995, when the rapper "uses nearly a million dollars from street sales up and down the Eastern...

Putting her big girl panties on—literally. Spanx founder Sara Blakely hit more than a few speed bumps on her way to becoming a shapewear mogul, and an exclusive sneak peek at E!'s True Hollywood Story special, Billionaires: Fierce, Fearless And Filthy Rich, premiering tonight, Nov. 15, gives fresh insight into Sara's tenacity to succeed. "After being rejected by every hosiery manufacturer in North Carolina, Sara went home to re-group," the voiceover says in the clip. "But her father's early lesson of embracing failure as a learning tool made her determined not to give up on her idea." Stephanie Wetzel, author of The Spanx Story, explains...

Kevin Hart will take a dip in Shark-infested waters this fall.

The actor/investor/entrepreneur is one of four new guest Sharks joining Season 13 of ABC’s Shark Tank (premiering Friday, Oct. 8 at 8/7c), the network announced Thursday. He’ll appear in various episodes throughout the 2021-22 season, alongside Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John and Kevin O’Leary.

More from TVLineThe Conners Sets Live Premiere for Season 4, Unveils Puzzling New PosterDancing With the Stars Season 30 to Include First-Ever Same-Sex CoupleDancing With the Stars Adds JoJo Siwa, Suni Lee As Season 30 Contestants

The three other guest Sharks include Peter Jones,...

Spanx founder Sara Blakely said “You’re The One That I Want” to Olivia Newton-John‘s famed black satin pants from Grease.

On Tuesday’s episode of CBS This Morning, the 48-year-old businesswoman revealed herself as the anonymous buyer of the iconic outfit, dropping $162,000 to become the proud owner of the pants.

“I have been the biggest fan of Olivia since I was a little girl and since Grease came out,” Blakely admitted, adding that the actress even sang at her wedding.

“My friends called me two days before the auction and I didn’t know it was happening. She...

Female leaders in the world of Wall Street and private investment firms have been few and far between for as long as stock tickers have been humming in lower Manhattan.

But female-led hedge fund launches and other prominent startup ventures during the past 18 months are making big waves across one of the oldest of old-boy networks. The rising stars of high finance are increasingly women who have paid their dues at established firms. Female-driven investment ventures are in high demand amid the national focus on gender equality issues and the ongoing parade of #MeToo revelations.

Prominent startups this year alone include activist investment vehicle Impactive Capital, headed by Lauren Taylor-Wolfe, an alum of the $3 billion Blue Harbour Group fund; Snowcat Capital, run by Rebecca Pacholder, late of Omega Advisors; and Martlet Asset Management, led by former Paamco Prisma co-ceo Jane Buchan.

Erin Bellissimo, a 30-year financial industry veteran who is...

Hello Sunshine, a media brand launched by Reese Witherspoon that focuses on female storytelling, is launching a VOD channel in partnership with At&T. The first series will be an interview show starring Witherspoon.

The series, called Shine On with Reese, premieres on July 17. In it, Witherspoon will speak to successful women, learning what inspires them, how they’ve accomplished their goals, and their plans for the future. Guests will include Dolly Parton, Pink, America Ferrara, Sara Blakely (founder of Spanx), and author/activist Glennon Doyle. You can find the full list of guests appearing in the first season’s nine episodes on Hello Sunshine’s website.

“I am so excited for the world to experience the stories from our partnership with At&T, which are set to be equal parts entertaining, inspiring, thought-provoking and unabashedly real," Witherspoon said in a statement.

In addition to Shine On with Reese, the Hello...

Reese Witherspoon will show her personal side in “Shine On with Reese” — the actress-entrepreneur’s first unscripted TV show in which she visits with female celebs and other trailblazing women.

The half-hour series is set to debut next week exclusively on At&T’s DirecTV and U-verse platforms on Witherspoon’s new Hello Sunshine channel. For the telco, the new programming initiative is aimed at attracting — and retaining — subscribers to its video services with a slate of content showcasing women’s stories and perspectives.

The nine-episode “Shine On with Reese” comes from Hello Sunshine, Witherspoon’s production company formed under a pact with At&T and Chernin Group’s Otter Media in November 2016.

The first three “Shine On with Reese” episodes debut July 17, featuring Dolly Parton, Ava DuVernay and P!nk. According to Witherspoon, Hello Sunshine’s content is intended to be “entertaining, inspiring, thought-provoking and unabashedly real.”

“I am thrilled to have such like-minded,...

Kim Kardashian and the rest of the fam might have added a few million bucks to Spanx's revenue, and its billionaire founder, Sara Blakely, couldn't be more grateful. We got Sara at Lax and our guy wanted to know just how much value the Kardashians have pumped into the brand. The sisters are Not shy about letting it be known they rock Spanx every chance they get. Kim even blogged about doubling up on the footless tights.

TheSkimm, a digital-media company built on a daily newsletter aimed at millennial women, has closed out a $12 million Series C funding round with a group of mostly female investors, including Shonda Rhimes and Tyra Banks.

Other backers who participated in the round include Willow Bay, a former TV journalist who’s now dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism; Jesse Draper, founding partner of Halogen Ventures; Linnea Roberts, founder and CEO of GingerBread Capital; and Hope Taitz, CEO of Ely Capital.

Also joining the round as new investors are Goldman Sachs and Michael Karsch, chairman of juice-bar chain Juice Press. Other prior Series C investors are Gv (formerly Google Ventures), Spanx founder Sara Blakely and former lead investors 21st Century Fox, Rre Ventures and Homebrew Ventures.

“We wanted to use this moment in time to curate a really impressive group of female investors, to make sure we...

This week’s Shark Tank sees Sara Blakely, the billionaire founder of Spanx, joining the show as a guest investor. But did you know her amazing backstory? At 46, Blakely is America’s youngest female self-made billionaire — but her huge success came only after she previously worked selling fax machines door-to-door and as a ride assistant at Walt Disney World. Born in 1971 in Clearwater, Florida, she studied a communications degree at Florida State University and initially planned to be an attorney but changed her mind after getting a low score on the LSATs — the Law School Admission Test. That’s...read more...

Kevin Costner is moving into Yellowstone.

The film actor will star in Paramount Network’s sweeping family drama series, written and directed by Oscar nominee Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water, Sicario).

RelatedMTV’s Shannara Chronicles Moving to Spike TV for Upcoming Season 2

Costner — who previously graced the small screen in the History miniseries Hatfields & McCoys — will play John Dutton, who controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States, an area constantly under attack by its neighbors: land developers, an Indian reservation and America’s first national park.

Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…

* Jessica Meraz...

Bethenny Frankel and Alex Rodriguez will be hopping in the Shark Tank this fall!

On Monday, the Bravolebrity, 46, announced she will be serve as a guest judge on next season of ABC’s hit reality show for budding entrepreneurs.

“I guess I am a shark after all. Watch out @ABCSharkTank – comin’ for u this fall,” she posted on Twitter. “Are you as excited as I am? #sharktank.”

The Real Housewives of New York star is founder of Skinnygirl, which includes products like cocktails, candies and daily bars and shakes. She launched another extension of her brand, 5-calorie sparkling waters called Skinnygirl Sparklers,...

2017-04-18T06:31:01-07:00Spanx Founder Might Join 'Shark Tank' Panel

Insiders tell us Spanx billionaire Sara Blakely is in talks to jump into the pool of “guest sharks” on “Shark Tank.”

Guest sharks on the ABC hit, which features a panel of investor judges entertaining pitches from entrepreneurs, have included Ashton Kutcher and Troy Carter.

Regulars are Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John and Kevin O’Leary.

Read the rest of this article at Page Six.

Ashton Kutcher has most recently appeared in the NEtflix original sitcom The Ranch.

Spanx founder Sara Blakely came up with the idea for The Belly Art Project — a photo book featuring pregnant bellies made into works of art — when she was pregnant with her first son.

“I woke up in the middle of the night with an incredible urge to turn my big belly into a canvas, and I wanted to capture the moment in a fun and playful way,” Blakely, 45, tells People. “The Belly Art Project was born, and has been a true labor of love for the past seven years.”

Over the years the project has featured more than 100 women’s bellies,...

Michelle Obama totally understands the struggles of being a woman — mostly because she is one, and has two daughters of her own. But it’s not just the hard hitting topics like girls’ education and wage equality that she’s here for. According to Spanx founder Sara Blakely, Obama sympathizes with the pure torture that comes with wearing high heels, and has made it clear that no one has to suffer in her own home — which just happens to he White House.

Blakely tells Footwear News of her visit with Obama, â€.I stood in line at an event, and...

If you are a woman, love a woman, are raising a woman-in-the-making or teaching them, tonight’s American Masters: The Women’s List on PBS is can’t-miss TV. The latest of filmmaker/photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ List documentary series (The Boomer List, The Black List, The Latino List, The Out List), The Women’s List features intimate and inspiring interviews with Madeleine Albright, Gloria Allred, Laurie Anderson, Sara Blakely, Nia Wordlaw Margaret Cho, Edie Falco, Betsey Johnson, Alicia Keys, Aimee Mullins, Nancy Pelosi, Rosie Perez, Shonda Rhimes and Wendy Williams — all of whom share their own experiences and advice on making it big as a woman in what remains a … Continue reading →

The post American Masters: The Women’s List on PBS is an uplifting celebration of women appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

This story first appeared in the Dec. 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Ted Turner might still be Jane Fonda's favorite ex-husband, but the busy actress wasn't able to attend Turner's big 75th birthday bash in Atlanta on Nov. 23 -- where Al Gore, Turner Broadcasting CEO Phil Kent, Colorado environmentalist and Turner date Sally Ranney, Spanx founder Sara Blakely and 600 other guests (including Turner's five children and 13 grandchildren) were entertained by Jay Leno and got framed shots of them with Ted as parting gifts. Photo: Ted Turner's Birthday Save-the-Dates Are Snow Globes — of

read more...

Bring up the topic of Spanx around a group of women, and you're sure to hear a pretty heated debate. The polarizing shapewear has pit two camps firmly against one another: one in support of Spanx and the other against the slimming undergarments.

It's safe to say that Jennifer Coolidge is in the latter camp. The actress talked Spanx with the New York Post at a Cinema Society and Alice + Olivia screening of "Austenland" this week, and she had a few choice words about the skintight shapewear:

"I hate Spanx because even though they look so good under your clothes, sometimes mid-wedding I'll be like, 'I feel so nauseous.' They’re so tight, who knows what you're cutting off?"

Not us, that's for sure. But we do know that Hollywood is pretty supportive when it comes to Spanx. Stars like Katy Perry, Oprah and Adele swear by Sara Blakely's cellulite-smoothing invention.

Tags: Afternoon DelightRooney MaraThe HeatForbesEllen DeGeneresPortia de RossiEmma RobertsAmerican Horror Story: CovenIMDbLea Michele

Good afternoon everyone!

Happy birthday to Guinevere Turner, Joan Collins, Jewel, Lea DeLaria and Laurel Holloman!

Tony award winner Lea DeLaria posing with "Grey’s Anatomy" star Sara Ramirez

Photo by Bruce Glikas/Getty Images

Forbes has released its 2013 "World’s Most Powerful Women" list. Who ranked where? Spanx founder Sara Blakely came in at # 90 (she’s #1 on my list), Ellen DeGeneres placed at #51, Lady Gaga took #45, Angelina Jolie claimed the #37 spot and Hillary ‘My Dream Girl’ Clinton ranked at # 5.

Congratulations to DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi for making Forbes' 2013 "World’s Most Powerful Couples" list!

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Speaking of Forbes, J Crew’s Creative Director Jenna Lyons and out New York politician Christine Quinn were featured in the magazine’s "10 Power Women In-The-Making: Women To Watch."

Glee’s Lea Michele...

Her line of shapewear may smooth your lines, but Yummie Tummie founder Heather Thomson has no plans to smooth things over with Spanx founder Sara Blakely. The Real Housewives of New York star is accusing Blakely — who Forbes calls "the world's youngest self-made female billionaire — of infringing on her patents for Yummie Tummie's control tops. Thomson was first made aware of the issue, she told Wwd, when a package arrived at her offices bearing a Spanx control tank top and an anonymous note saying they [...]...

Los Angeles, May 11: Singer Beyonce Knowles and actress Angelina Jolie feature on 2012's 'most powerful moms' list, which is topped by American businesswoman Sara Blakely.

The list is complied by Working Mother magazine after a poll.

Conducted ahead of Mother's Day Sunday, editors compiled a top 10 list of females who are leading the way in their chosen careers, reports contactmusic.com.

"They are just a few of the mums making a major impact right now. All of the power women on our list have at least one child 18 or younger, and all are based in the Us," said Jennifer.

We need to sit down and have a little chat with Tyra Banks and her makeup artist. It’s obvious that they’ve had some sort of falling out and Tyra’s face has become some sort of payback. Because this look can only be attributed to a makeup artist’s revenge. Or some kind of joke. Thumb rule, ladies: don’t go big on both the eyes and the lips, unless it’s for a fashion editorial. Tyra’s expressions don’t exactly help her case here. She’s doing that thing with her eyes that she did at the Time 100 Gala that made us scream “Wtf!“I t’s almost like she thinks she’s being … sexy? This is not sexy, Tyra and Ms. or Mister Makeup Artist. This is two-tone foundation, bright pink-purple lips and some weird form of black-gold smoky eye (which normally, looks great), that...

Time magazine celebrated their 100 Most Influential People last night with a huge bash held inside Jazz at Lincoln Center. Honorees like Kristen Wiig, Chelsea Handler, Claire Danes, Hillary Clinton, Tilda Swinton, and Rihanna all turned out for the mingling and partying. Stephen Colbert, who also made the list, gave opening remarks. He gave shoutouts to Kristen Wiig and Spanx creator Sara Blakely. Stephen joked, "Kristen, congratulations on the Time 100. Lovely to see you. Her movie, Bridesmaids, huge success, and proved once and for all to the Hollywood boys club that women can have explosive diarrhea, too - you are a feminist icon. Brava, madam. But perhaps the most influential person on the list is here, Sara Blakely, the inventor of the Spanx . . . No one, no one has done more to control women's bodies, except maybe [Catholic] Cardinal Dolan." It seems the jokes and good times continued for the honorees, who happily posed for photos together.

Perhaps Tyra Banks shouldn’t have fired her Antm team of Miss J, Nigel Barker and Jay Manuel. Because they would have kept her in check and told her to take it easy on the crazy eyes. Tyra was at the Time 100 Gala last night in New York and while her gown was stunning, we can’t get over what was happening with her face. That’s not even crazy eyes. That’s insane eyes. We get that she loves the whole “smile with your eyes” deal, but this isn’t a smile, Tyra. That’s called grimacing with your eyes.

Another Wtf moment that occured at the gala came courtesy Sara Blakely, the creator of Spanx. All hail the creator! We just didn’t expect to see her Spanx. But that’s what we got because Sara hitched up her blue gown — which wasn’t form-fitting at all, Fyi — to show them off.

Moguls, comedians and actors came out on Tuesday night to celebrate the annual 2012 Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world at the 2012 Time 100 gala.

All in all, the red carpet style was subdued but fun, as most ladies opted for classic shades of white, red and black. Fashion powerhouses who turned out included Georgina Chapman from Marchesa, Tyra Banks, Sara Blakely of Spanx fame (who made the Time 100 list) and Lauren Bush Lauren, who were all smiles on the red carpet. (Blakely even good-naturedly showed off her Spanx for the camera -- we're sure she gets that A Lot.)

Several people added fun touches to their looks. Kristen Wiig donned a lace Stella McCartney jumpsuit and Gucci sandals, while Claire Danes wore a crinkly red Lanvin dress and a pompadour updo. Our own Arianna Huffington looked radiant in a bright blue lacy dress.

And at the party,...

The Time 100 Gala celebrating its “100 Most Influential People of 2011″ went down in the very sedate setting of the Frederick P. Rose Hall at Lincoln Center in New York last night. This instagram gallery of the event made us very happy, for some strange reason. Of course we had our own take of who the top 22 on that list of 100 stars are. We’re also concerned with what a number of those top 100 women wore yesterday, and we’re happy to say that it was a very colorful carpet. Amy Poehler decided to wear a black dress and bring it back to monotone, but it was so hot that she’s totally forgiven. Check out the low neckline and flounced skirt. Her buddy Kristen Wiig also wore a black lace jumpsuit but it had nude lining underneath, and she had a white jacket on, so it doesn’t count. We just...

Every year, Time does a pretty decent job combining pop culture personalities with businesspeople and super important political types for their 100 Most Influential People list, and this year is no exception. We’ll let you read about Hillary Clinton and Anthony Kennedy on your own time. We’re going to recap the people on the list who have some pretty hefty influence on these very blog pages. Here’s how they rank — in our expert opinion of ourselves — and why:

22. Tim Cook: For being Steve Jobs’ successor as CEO of Apple, from whom we will be buying lots of things until the end of time, even though we are still PC people.

21. Marc Andreessen: For being the co-creator of the first widely used web browser (Mosaic), who now owns part of, like every social media platform we use. So, thanks!

20. Walter Isaacson: One more geeky entry here for the Steve Jobs biography,...

Forbes magazine just released its Billionaires List, and with more than 1,200 people who made the cut, 104 were women, including Spanx creator Sara Blakely.

Click here to see the complete list of all 1,200 billionaires.

Here are our three favorite women on the list!

The Extra List: 3 Women on Forbes Billionaire List#1,153 Sara Blakely

Age: 41Company: SpanxNet Worth: $1 BillionForbes magazine writes, "In recent months, four Wall Street investment banks separately valued Spanx at an average $1 billion, a...

Before she made the Forbes World's Billionaires List, Sara Blakely -- who started her Spanx business with $5,000 -- talked with "Extra" about her inspiration.

"I cut the feet out of my control top pantyhose to wear under these white pants and that was the ah-ha moment that started Spanx," Blakely said. She added, laughing, "My own butt was my own inspiration!"

Watch the interview!

video platform video management video solutions video player...

Courtesy of Rosie Pope

As if her super chic maternity line and MomPrep classes weren’t enough, London-born Rosie Pope is starring in her very own reality series, Pregnant in Heels, which debuts on Bravo at the end of this year.

Now the trusted maternity style guru can share all her fashion knowledge with moms-to-be everywhere.

Before Pope embarked on a career helping pregnant women stay well-dressed, she was a ballet dancer and successful fashion model, gracing the pages of Italian Vogue and posing for photographer Steven Miesel.

She even studied neuroscience at Columbia University.

But it wasn’t until...

Courtesy of Assets by Sara Blakely

Having the right shapewear is just as important when you’re pregnant. That’s why we love the Assets Marvelous Mama collection from Spanx.

Each piece (Unbelievable Underwear, Perfect Pantyhose, Terrific Tights, Lucky Leggings) is designed to keep you looking smooth under all your favorite dresses and skirts.

They also provide much-needed underbelly support.

Want to try them out? The company is giving away all four styles — in the color of your choice — to five lucky Moms & Babies readers.

Hurry up and enter for your chance to win! Online entries must be received between 12:01 a.

Yep! It was only a matter of time, right? The guys are getting in on the shapewear action, with Spanx for Men. (Which have been nicknamed Manx! Lol!) The company, which makes more than 200 products for women, is a red carpet staple and the Spanx celeb fan list is long, long, long and includes everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Jessica Alba to Gwyneth Paltrow. Hey - why should the ladies be the only ones with a secret weapon to look slim and trim without hitting the gym?

Sara Blakely, founder of the company with retail sales of more ...

Copyright 2010 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.