UPCOMING AIRDATES & APPEARANCES:  I'm available to speak to your group as a Motivational Speaker! For details and topics, email me at speaker@barbaraniven.com   Upcoming Speaking Engagements & Appearances Michigan:  Sept. 8, 9 & 10 I spoke to over 2,000 students in three days on "Eating Disorders & Pressures to be Perfect". It was a huge success!  Thank you to ValueOptions, CIGNA and Atty. Richard Bernstein for sponsoring this speaking and media tour!  Los Angeles:  Sept. 14  Our Dancing with the Dogs at the Bow Wow Meow Adoption & Pet Expo helped get lots of dogs adopted!  Thank you everyone.  Visit  www.flff.org for details. Los Angeles:  Sept. 24 I'll be speaking on "The Law of Attraction to Build your Business" at The Wealthy Bag Lady's "Fill Your Purse Event" for Citibank 8am - noon in Glendale.   Check here for details. Los Angeles:  Sept. 25 I'll be a VIP Mentor at Schmoozefest, which is a show biz industry networking event.  Check it out at www.indieproducer.net. Check your local listings for airtimes below: - Moonlight & Mistletoe airing Thanksgiving   weekend on Hallmark Channel (a fabulous   Christmas movie!) - Murder in my House Oct 11 on  Lifetime - Dark Beauty Oct 13 on Lifetime - NCIS  Oct 14 on USA Network - Double Cross  Sept 15 on LMN - Redline Sept 15, 16, 19 & 20 on STARZ - Charmed: Generation Hex Sept 19 on TNT - Perfect Neighbor Sept. 21 on Lifetime, now out on DVD - Alone With a Stranger  Sept 24 on Lifetime - Dead at 17 Sept 28 on Lifetime - The Perfect Neighbor now out on DVD - Blood Stains now out on DVD - Redline now out on DVD - Short Track now out on DVD - The Rival now out on DVD Things in the works - Dream Jobs  Host, Exec. Producer - new reality pilot - The Alpha Geek a romantic comedy (in post) - Never Enough a comedy (in post) - Doesn't Texas Ever End (in production) - Roney's Point a supernatural thriller (attached) - 51 a sci-fi movie and series about the people and   secrets in Area 51 (producer, actor) - I'm profiled in a new book: "Feeding The Fame:   Celebrities Tell Their Real-Life Stories of Eating   Disorders and Recovery" by Gary Stromberg and   Jane Mitchell.  Click here for more info and to   order! - Click here for my latest radio interview, on my   Success Story of living my Hollywood Dream!!

I'm currently shooting an indie horror film with the working title "Summer".  I play a demented mother who is abused and does some abusing herself.  Very weird and delicious character. I just finished two more films!  They are currently in post-production...I'll let you know when they are set to air.  One is a disaster movie called "Heat Wave"  I play the governor of California who is fighting to save Los Angeles, and my love interest is Greg Evigan.  Also in the cast are Jamie Luner and Bobby Ray Shafer.  I also just shot a Christmas movie for Hallmark Channel called "Moonlight and Mistletoe."  We had a blast shooting in Vermont.  My love interest (and new favorite Santa) is Tom Arnold.  Candace Cameron Bure (from "Full House") is the young female lead.  Watch it with your whole family this holiday season! Watch for me in two new infomercials too!  One is for JENNY CRAIG (I love their program and have been eating it for four months now - love the new me!) and the other is for Jack Canfield's "Dream Big: The Secret to Living the Law of Attraction".  Both will be airing soon!

"SHORT TRACK"  has a distributor now and is also releasing a great new soundtrack.  It's about a family of stock car drivers racing for their dreams, with lots of heart & lots of racing.  Click here for the trailer: "SHORT TRACK" Now out on DVD!

Here I am on The Dr. Keith Ablow Show talking about "Celebrities & Eating Disorders in Hollywood".  Click here to read my original poem "Perfect".  I am proof that you can overcome an eating disorder and learn to love yourself!  If you are suffering, please make the phone call and get help. You deserve to live your most amazing life! 

Check out my two Internet Radio Shows!  Listen online 24/7 at Big Media USA or download the mp3s!   It's like Tivo for radio.  If you have a show idea, email me at barbara@barbaraniven.com.  Click on the links below to check them out:
"ANIMAL RESCUE: Where to go, What to do, How to help!" and
"SHOW BUSINESS 101: How to turn your Hollywood Dream into a Career!" 

Online Chat  next one to be announced, also teleconferences coming soon!

:: This is a shot of Engelbert Humperdinck and me while we were on the set hosting a special for Hallmark called “From the Heart – Favorite Commercials From Hallmark Cards.” It aired during halftime at the Super Bowl on Hallmark Channel.  Watch for reruns, but make sure you have tissues ready.  Those Hallmark commercials always make me cry.  And these are the best of the best, including last year's Commercial Emmy winner!

:: These photos were taken on the set of A Valentine Carol airing again Sun. Feb 10 on Lifetime.  Emma Caulfield (on the left) stars with me.  We were shooting in a record snow storm.  The shot on the right is me with my red dress pinned up in back so it wouldn't drag in the snow and mud, in my lovely warm Ugg boots and down coat.  Glamorous, huh?

:: The Alpha Geek is almost ready for screening.  It's a great little comedy with wonderful characters...sort of a modern day "Swingers" meets "The Graduate".  I play an older woman who falls in love with a much younger man, played by Kurt Larson.  He also wrote this script, and he's wonderful in the part.  (This definitely is my Mrs. Robinson role!)  That's our director, John Walcutt, in the photo. You might recognize him from "Ghost Whisperer" and many other things.  We're having a blast, despite shooting outside in a record 115 degree heat wave!

:: Redline is now out on DVD.  If you liked "The Fast & The Furious" you'll like this!   Lots of exotic cars, stunts and racing. 
I own Nat's Auto Body Shop, and I play a sexy grease monkey with an attitude!  (And a very young boy toy - tee hee.)  We had a red carpet premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood! Wyclef did original songs for the film. 

On the left is our director, Andy Cheng & Nadia Bjorlin.  Click here for the trailer!   See y'all at the movies...


:: "Murder In My House" has been released on DVD under the title "Blood Stains". I star as a "good" girl this time (I still think playing "bad" girls is way too fun though), and Daniel J. Travanti plays my father.  Boy do I still have a crush on him from his "Hill Street Blues" days.  (And yes, he's still hot!) 

We shot with the same crew from "The Perfect Neighbor" and "The Rival" so we all got to work together again!  It's a wonderful family - thank you, Pierre David! 

 

:: Click below for my latest radio interview:
"Television & Film Star Barbara Niven shares her success secrets for living her Hollywood dream!"

With me in the photo is Marsh Engle, host of R.A.W. talk, Real Amazing Women Speak.   What a great broad (which you know is my highest compliment)!  I'm excited that I am going to be hosting a couple of radio shows on BigMediaUSA.com as well....I'll fill you in soon!

:: I was at a Celebrity StarPaws event and got a chance to try a new product called H2Om, "water with intention". The guys behind it are working hard to bring good things and their dreams to the world. Visit them at http://www.h2omwater.com!  And if you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend watching "What The Bleep Do We Know?"  You can rent it or do what I did...buy it and give it out to all your friends! 

And also...make sure you've watched "The Secret".   The people behind it have now been interviewed on Larry King and Ellen DeGeneres.   Check it out at www.thesecret.tv.  It is about the Law of Attraction.  What we think, we create.  I am using what I learned every day, and it is changing my life!

:: Are you a NASCAR fan?  We went to South Carolina recently to shoot race footage for "Short Track", a film about a family of three generations of NASCAR race car drivers going after their dreams.  We have southern accents, fast cars, great new country music, plus a cast of characters that will melt your heart.  The writer/director is Marie Hopkins of the Hopkins family of race car drivers, so she knows her stuff.  It's always been her dream to get this movie made.  What an honor to be part of it.  We'll be ready for festivals soon!   I think it's make a terrific TV series!  Keep your fingers crossed...

Me, Pepper Sweeney and Patrick Gorman in "Short Track"

Celebrating winning the Hickory Motor Speedway championship trophy in a scene from "Short Track"

David Starzyk plays my husband & fellow assassin. We had a blast!  (He's cute, huh?)

:: I've been recurring as the mother of Kaley Cuoco, who plays the newest witch "Billie" on "Charmed" for the WB.  It's a great dual role:  I play a meek, Midwestern wallflower Mom until a spell turns me into a sexy assassin ala "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," complete with stiletto heels, fishnet stockings & garters with daggers in them.

This is Jim Conway, Exec. Producer and director of this episode called "Mr. & Mrs. Witch"

:: Yippee!  I got to film a Western!  It's called "Mystery Woman: Wild West Mystery" and it repeats often on Hallmark Channel.  When it premiered it got the second highest mystery movie ratings they've ever gotten!  My leading man & favorite cowboy is played by Bruce Boxleitner. I slap him, kiss him & leave him chasing after me!  Plus I get to ride horses. And wear cowboy boots & hats. I even get to play Annie Oakley in the Wild West show itself!  It's a dream come true job for me -- thank you Hallmark!  And thank you for watching! See a behind the scenes video clip (that's me shooting bad guys from the racing stage coach!)!

Love Kellie Martin!  She's a doll to work with, and knits while she's waiting on the set!

News & Updates Archive  (Check out what I've been up to!)

"When you are not
practicing, remember
somewhere, someone
is practicing...and when
you meet him, he will win."

-- Anonymous