Samantha on Dennis Miller

Samantha reports on Plum TV

Barry Manilow- Do you have someone who will go with you to his concert?

I went to see Barry Manilow on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. I know you might think that I am a dork but I love the guy's music. Remember... he "writes the songs that make the young girls cry"... And let me tell you... his lyrics, well I cried several times during the concert.

Being at the concert and doing something I really wanted to do regardless of what people might think or regardless of who wanted to join me made me think about dating and how so many people come to me with agenda's and "must haves." It made me that about how very rarely these days is having fun and laughing on that must have list. For the guys, its always about how "hot" the girl is, how old she is, that she isn't "thick"- (what a terrible expression!) and for the women its about what job he has, how ambitious he is, where he lives and where he vacations. But seeing Barry made me think that what it is really all about is connecting over the little things. I saw so many couples at the concert really having fun together, singing all the words to all of Barry's songs; guys, macho looking ones, wiping tears away when Barry told a very nostalgic story about his grandfather, couples holding hands and kissing because the music is so romantic.
So.. Some advice... Find the person with whom you can go to your version of a Barry Manilow concert, someone who is going to be willing to share those dorky things that you like to do with you, someone who is willing to learn to like what you like without giving you a hard time about it. And you need to want to do the same for them.
And if Barry is actually your secret passion... don't be embarrassed. And keep in mind that a great way of getting your guy to like him is to let him know how great Barry's music is for "setting the mood". You might be surprised about how quickly he will join you at the next concert!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I'm back from vaca in Aspen- no snow but it was warm and sunny everyday, so from my perspective the skiing was amazing! Happy New Year!

So January is an interesting month for matchmaking....January is probably one of the two hottest matchmaking months. It’s freezing in New York (usually), nobody wants to go out, there are very few social events taking place, many people have broken up over Christmas and New Years and many people are very depressed that they are starting a new year alone again. My phone rings off the hook this month.

If you are alone... don't despair- so are alot of other people. And the bonus is that people like to cuddle when its cold so they are on the look-out for their cuddle partner. Additionally, even though most people think the whole "New Year's resolution" thing is foolish, most people do, in fact, make some New Years resolutions. And often times, those resolutions have to do with having better relationships, having some kind of relationship, not being alone, and having someone with whom to share the good and bad. So, at least for the next month or so, you should be able to hit a few people who are trying to live up to their resolutions and get into a relationship. No, they don't wear a shirt or sign that says they are "trying" but I think most people are trying to be good and better right after the first of the year. Grumpiness and negative energy doesn't seem to set in again until Valentine's Day!!

Some advice...
Valentine's Day is 5 weeks away and counting.. It sucks to be alone then so...

1. spend some time this month trying to socialize more and differently than you usually do.

2.Reach out to some old friends, make plans to go out with then and while you are reconnecting, ask them if they know anyone to introduce you to-- since you haven't been in touch for awhile they may just know someone you don't know.

3.Don't be bashful to ask- if you don't ask, you don't get.

4.Revisit some guys or gals you rejected in the past- people change as they get older and people look really good when its really cold outside!

5.Just do it, try online dating, its not so bad, I've tried it, it's just another way to meet some people.

Holiday party madness

So... It's holiday season again. How do we fit in the dating and go to all those parties?? My business is booming- I guess a lot of people don't want to be alone for New Year's but at the same time, no one seems to be available to actually go on a date. I have been hearing "I can see her at 5:15 for 45 minutes" and "What about lunch from 1:15 to 2pm Thursday." NO!!!! Dating is not like business, you don't squeeze in your dates. Dates should be at night, when both people can drink, heavily, if they so choose or at least sip a little vino to calm their dating nerves and to decompress from their stressful day. Moreover, the "squeeze-in" feels crappy for the person you are taking out. Everyone is so busy now, but the successful savvy daters will fit people in without letting them know they are being fit in. You're not stupid, you know the right thing to do and say, SO DO AND SAY IT!

Some tips....

Most of the holiday parties are exactly the same, different venues but same general faces. Hence, you should get comfortable with the fact that if you miss one, you won't miss anything. Honestly.

Most people go from party to party so you really can do a "fly-by" and no one will get mad at you.

If a date sounds good, DON'T put him or her off until after the holidays. Let's say that they meet someone else, they you will be S-H-I-T out of luck and feel like you missed out on someone great.

If you are hosting a holiday party, invite ALL of your crushes and potentials. This will be a good time and place to figure out which ones you really like and which ones are just fillers on your dance card.

If you do invite all your crushes and potentials, make sure you warn each and every one of them BEFORE they arrive to the party, that you are the host/hostess, that you probably won't be able to spend all that much quality time with them but you will do your best.

If you invite all your crushes and potentials, make certain to insist that they each attend with a friend so they will not feel alone during most of the evening when you are pay attention to your other guests and so they won't wind up pissed off at you.

If you invite all your crushes and potentials to your party, make certain that none of them think that they are your specific date for the evening. If even one of them thinks this, a real disaster a'la Paris Hilton/Lindsay Lohan could ensue.

Happy holidays!

Aren't these things supposed to be obvious???

Obvious 1- If you say to a girl that you want her to go away with you for New Year’s, she will think you like her, alot. (So if you don’t, don’t say stupid S-H-I-T like that!)

Obvious 2- If you fool around with a guy you barely know on the first date, he is not going to believe you when you say "you never do this."

Obvious 3- If you text and email someone repeatedly, if they make plans with you and cancel them at the last minute, and if they go MIA and then have a lame excuse, they are not into you. Period. No rationalizations, no excuses, THEY ARE NOT INTO YOU.


Obvious 4- Girls who are in their 20’s more times than not, only choose to date men in their 50’s if they want something from them ,and usually "that something" is money. (If you are in your 50’s and want to date a girl in your 20’s, just admit it to yourself regardless of how young you think you look, that she is a gold-digger in some capacity)


Obvious 5- People fabricate the truth in their online dating profiles. (If it looks like a duck, and acts like a duck, it’s a duck!)

It Can happen to You!

So, yesterday I went to a high school reunion lunch. One of the girls there, told me a story that I thought I should share....

She is divorced, has one child, a son. She lives in Phila. When she got divorced she didn't think she would ever meet a guy. She went on date after date, set-up after set-up, bad party after bad party, but nothing, no one ever clicked. Then she went on Match.com, and she met a guy named Mark. She had this very romantic first date with him- drinks, a basketball game and then dancing.

She thought he was great, with one gigantic red flag.... He was very quick to tell her about "Mark's 3 year plan." His 3 year plan was that he felt strongly that he would never marry a woman until he knew her for 3 full years. He said that he had been in a bad marriage before and he didn't want to do that again. Of course this comment was like an elephant on the table and most girls I know would have run, not walked straight to the door and never to take his phone calls again. And who would blaim them, 3 years is a long "sentence" to live in a relationship.

But this girl, acted unlike most of the girls I know in NY. She decided to not let that comment bother her and she decided to date him. One month later, he said to her, remember my three year plan that I told you about on our first date? Well, I think you are the one for me so I am starting to get over that plan! Three months later, when they had been together 4 months, they got engaged and they are getting married in 10 days, 1 year and 13 days after they met. So much for plans and rules!!!


True story!

Moral of the story- anything is possible and when you meet the right person all your rules, and lists, and must haves and plans fly out the window because when its "it", it's "it"!

Why not make November the month in which you give a chance to a person or to people you would have never given a chance!