The 'Housewives' has helped me find my voice. I was always a people-pleaser, and coming into a show like this, you end up losing that.

Growing up as a child actress, I was tutored on movie and TV sets.

Growing up, cancer was one of those things that I heard other people talk about. The word scared me, but I always thought, 'Thank goodness I don't have to worry about that.' Then, in 1998, I lost my father to cancer.

Growing up in Beverly Hills, everyone was Jewish, and I always secretly wanted to be.

Blues and jazz pulled me away from what was left of my family.

Being an only child, my mother reared me very carefully.

When you're around somebody all the time, you butt heads every now and then. That's what happens in every family.

When I became majority leader in Washington, I was interviewed constantly. I was always happy to talk to the press, but I drew the line at the Sunday morning talk shows on television. After a full work week consisting of long days and frequent late evenings, I insisted on keeping my weekends free for my family and friends.