I was stunned to receive a phone call today that the man who decided to give me a chance and put me on TV with my own talk show, Jim Paratore, died today. We worked closely together for the entire twelve-year run of the Jenny Jones Show. And we just had lunch a few months ago to catch up. Jim was with Warner Bros. for almost 20 years. Some of the many shows he was involved with include Extra, Judge Mathis, The People’s Court, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, The Tyra Banks Show, and TMZ. Jim was well known and very well respected in the television industry. I was told he was on a biking vacation in France with his wife and had a heart attack. He was only 58 years old. This is such a shock and so sad, especially for his wife and daughter.

R.I.P., my friend.