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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, June 29, 2012 2 coverstory By Kyla Brewer TV Media ustom luxury cars, glare-inducing dia- monds and sun-soaked summer homes might be nice, but wealthy people are some- times as generous with others as they are with themselves. Most people who've imag- ined winning the lottery have envisioned helping a favorite charity or cause, but what about real-life philanthro- pists? C Hilary Decasare will be featured in next week's "Secret Millionaire" who's ever wondered how rich people decide who's de- serving of a piece of their wealth. ABC has a show for anyone Self-made multimillionaire and author Steve Kaplan lets cameras tag along as he en- gages in a unique experience in "Secret Millionaire," airing Sunday, July 1, on ABC. He leaves behind his privileged, posh life to find out how the other half truly lives as he takes Chicago's famous L- train into a poverty-stricken neighborhood to find a group or organization to donate to. Not to be confused with the comedian of the same name, Kaplan owns several businesses and has written the best-selling book "Bag the Elephant: How to Win and Keep Big Customers," among others. In "Secret Million- aire," he'll have a limited time to make his decision, and it won't be as simple as just walking into the community and throwing around his money. The catch is he'll be mas- querading as a man who's down on his luck himself. Re- quired to subsist on the equivalent of welfare assis- tance, Kaplan spends a week in a community in Chicago's south side, an area rife with gang violence and poverty. There, he meets people who are struggling to make a dif- ference with such projects as an after-school program to keep kids off the streets, a low-income senior citizens community, and a charity that provides everyday items to those in need. Kaplan intends to dole out thousands of dollars from his own bank account to those he deems worthy. Wealthy people go undercover in 'Secret Millionaire' Worthy TV Helping people is nothing new to the the best-selling author. For years, he's been helping others achieve suc- cess, and, in fact, has been credited with making at least 100 others into millionaires, in addition to inspiring count- less others to follow their pas- sions. Narrated by actor Blair Un- derwood, who joined the show at the beginning of this season, ABC's "Secret Mil- lionaire" is actually based on a U.K. version that first aired on Channel 4 in 2006. Across the pond, the show is still go- ing strong with 10 seasons under its belt. The first season of the U.S. version actually started on Fox but moved to ABC in Season 2. The American edition of the show follows the format of its predecessor quite closely. As in the U.K. series, the benefac- tors are required to hide their true identities from those in the community. Locals are told the cameras are present simply to film a documentary. At the end of the week, the wealthy participants reveal who they really are and make sizeable donations to those they believe are deserving. Al- though "Secret Millionaire" hasn't exactly spawned the kind of worldwide phenome- non as other U.K. imports such as "Pop Idol" ("Ameri- can Idol") and "Britain's Got Talent" ("America's Got Tal- ent"), the feel-good series has been picked up in Austra- lia and Ireland, and recently it was announced Rogers Me- dia may be considering a Ca- nadian version of the show. It isn't surprising "Secret Millionaire" has struck a chord with viewers. It shines a spotlight on those who really want to make a difference, and Kaplan is just one of the remarkable people to sign on for the unique series. The first season of the show attracted such entrepreneurs as Todd Graves of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, Myles Kovacs of "DUB Magazine" and Gregory Haerr of Century Software. Season 2 standouts included self-made million- aires James Malinchak and John Ferber. In the second season, Curves founders Gary and Diane Heavin gave away more than $400,000, the big- gest "Secret Millionaire" do- nation to date. This season kicked off as world-renowned artist Scott Jacobs took his teenage daughter Alexa to Newark, N.J., away from their shel- tered, wealthy life in search of those needing help. Chuck Runyon and Dave Mortensen, the brains behind Anytime Fit- ness, have also heeded the call. Kids' Internet safety expert Hilary Decesare is up at bat after Kaplan, with her episode set to premiere July 8. She, too, will leave behind her lux- urious lifestyle to volunteer for those in need. She'll travel to Long Beach, Calif., where she'll live on welfare-level wages in a rundown apart- ment, while also learning about people and organiza- tions who help homeless peo- ple and even neglected ani- mals. Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Some might say true wealth is the giving of your- self. If that's true, it's the peo- ple these millionaires encoun- ter who are truly wealthy. Their stories are often as com- pelling as their affluent coun- terparts, and cameras capture small snippets of their daily lives, making for uplifting or, at least, interesting television. In a sea of back-stabbing reality TV villains, violence- laden prime-time dramas and cynical comedies, "Secret Mil- lionaire" stands out from the pack. While participation in the show is no doubt an act of altruism for the benefactors, it isn't a one-sided exchange. For them, it is the wealth of the experience that enriches their lives, something no amount of money can buy. Watch it all unfold, for both the wealthy and the less for- tunate, in ABC's "Secret Mil- lionaire." Q: What's the tattoo on Howard Stern's hand? Actually, there are two. Popular satellite radio personality Howard Stern has a collection of tattoos, including two on his hands. One -- on the ring finger of his left hand -- is the letter B, for his wife Beth Ostrosky. The couple got each other's initials instead of wearing wedding rings. The other, on his right-hand pinky finger, is the Om sym- bol -- a sacred symbol for a number of religions including Hinduism and Buddhism -- which Stern said is pretty much meaningless to him. Back in February, however, he and Beth got matching tat- toos on their forearms in honor of their bulldog, Bianca. On the Oct. 25, 2011, episode of his show, in a conversa- tion about his various tattoos, he said he was at a tattoo shop and saw the Om symbol on the finger of one of the art- ists, and he just asked for it on a whim. Indeed, he admitted that few of his tattoos mean any- thing to him. He just picked them all pretty much at random, "like an idiot." It started with his astrological symbol -- Capricorn -- on his shoulder, which he almost instantly regretted and had covered up with a dragon. However he admitted, "I don't care about either one of them. It's an idiotic tattoo." Q: I caught part of a kids show the other day that my daughter really liked, but I don't know what it's called. It had simplistic animation, and it was about a girl with pink hair who made up stories for her little brother to teach him lessons. They would sit inside a "story box" while she told her tales. Do you know what it's called? A: The show you're looking for is called "Pinky Dinky Doo," which has a pretty strong kids-show pedigree. It was created by Jim Jinkins, based on his own books of the same name. Jinkins is probably best known for creating the popular Nickelodeon kids series "Doug" in the early '90s. As if that weren't enough, "Pinky Dinky Doo" was pro- duced by none other than Sesame Workshop, which you may know from a little show it does called "Sesame Street." Unfortunately, "Pinky Dinky Doo" never caught on like these two predecessors, and only two seasons were pro- duced. The second premiered way back in 2008. However, they were long seasons, and the episodes were only 15 minutes long, which has made the show a popular choice for syndication. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com.

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