Lea Thompson Reveals She Missed Out on a Role in Steel Magnolias: ‘That One Hurt’

Check out our quote on the Puzzle poster, an item on People.com from our Luis And The Aliens event.

Lea Thompson might have struck gold as the leading lady in the classic Back to The Future trilogy, but the actress recently revealed her biggest career regret: missing out on a role in 1989’s female-centric drama, Steel Magnolias. That movie went on to star Sally Field and a young Julia Roberts.

“I didn’t get Steel Magnolias,” she said during a “Mamarazzi” event in Los Angeles to promote Thompson’s upcoming role in the animated film, Luis And The Aliens. “That one hurt.”

The actress, 57, who played the titular character in the 1990s NBC sitcom Caroline in The City, has a star-studded family. She tied the knot in 1989 to Pretty In Pink director Howard Deutch — and the two are proud parents to actresses Madelyn, 27, and Zoey Deutch, 23.

Despite not being cast in Steel Magnolias, the actress did get her dream collaboration: working with her family. This past June, Thompson made her directorial debut with the comedy The Year Of Spectacular Men, starring herself along with daughters Madelyn and Zoey.

The three previously co-starred in 2011’s Mayor Cupcake, and Thompson played alongside Zoey in ABC Family’s hit drama, Switched At Birth. The best part about working together? “We can talk about it at dinner,” the actress said.

Prior to her film’s release, the star told ABC News. “By the time you get to be my age, the great parts go to women who have Academy Award nominations. I don’t have one! I have a People’s Choice Award but I don’t have an Academy Award,” she said. “I certainly love acting, but I don’t want to just do the parts I’ve already done before. I keep my options open because I know this business can always surprise you. When you turn one corner, something will happen that you never expected.”

Freaky Friday with The MOMS

Another day, another city, another Mamarazzi. If you could switch places with one of your parents, what would you want to do?

That was one of the best parts of today’s MAMARAZZI with Disney Channel’s FREAKY FRIDAY! What a treat to host Heidi Blickenstaff Cozi Zuehlsdorff and Executive Producer Susan Cartsonis. Heidi’s was to drive, Cozi’s was to eat dessert whenever, mine was to work (shocking, right!) Off to the premiere (I saw it already and LOVED it!) Watch with your kids starting Aug 10th!

Event produced by Geanine Cilenti

Back to School Survival Guide

Don’t look now, but summer is winding down, and kids around the country are getting ready to go back to school. After a summer of lazy beach days, it can be tough to shift gears into school mode. Recently, Melissa, teamed with YourUpdateTV to provide some helpful tips on navigating the stressful back to school season.

Perk Up The Morning:

Going from summer mode to back-to-school is not always an easy transition to make. With super-early wakeups, busy mornings, and packed after-school activity schedules, it’s important to take moments to unwind. A cup of fresh coffee in the morning or an afternoon latte can go a long way in this regard.

The new Keurig® K-Latte™ Single Serve Coffee & Latte Maker allows coffee lovers to enjoy regular, single serve coffee or creamy lattes in the comfort of their own home using any single cup coffee pod including any K-Cup® pod. This is the perfect time-saving and cost effective addition to any back to school routine. Why drive 3 miles when you can enjoy a latte and coffee for under a dollar and in less than 3 minutes? While most specialty coffeemakers can be complicated, time-consuming and messy, the Keurig® K-Latte™ Single Serve Coffee & Latte Maker is simple to use, allowing you to prepare coffee or lattes in minutes. Brew. Froth. Enjoy. This coffeehouse brewer is available exclusively at Walmart.com and in Walmart stores for $99.00.

Creating a ‘Cool’ Environment:

For moms, it’s very important to make sure they are doing everything they can to help their kids, and that starts with the temperature. The first weeks of school can still be really hot! So, when my kids come home, I want to make sure they have a cool, study-friendly environment for them to stay focused. Research has shown that hot temperatures can really impact learning, decreasing both interest and alertness for children.

Maintaining your family’s comfort as they transition back into school mode is essential. LG just released a new line of smart window air conditioners that deliver advanced cooling and an unprecedented increase in energy efficiency of 40 percent on its best-performing model. LG is the first to use an innovative DUAL Inverter Compressor™, which allows the units to constantly adjust speed precisely to maintain desired temperature levels – unlike typical units that turn on full force and then off to reach the desired temperature, and waste energy in the process. Not only will these the units save energy and you money on your energy bills, they are ultra-quiet – just 44 decibels – which is perfect for when kids need to study – and offer smart connectivity which allows you to adjust temperatures, fan speed, and power, all from your smartphone – no matter where you are, using the LG SmartThinQ app, Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant. For busy moms, this is a lifesaver. It’s not just a lifesaver, but it’s also a money-saver as well. Everyone who has a house will be able to tell you that your energy bills can vary considerably. Most of the time you don’t even bat an eyelid at them, but then you get one and you’re just like how did that become so expensive? Now though, it’s a lot easier to keep your eye on things and make sure that you don’t get left with an expensive energy bill at the end of the month. I remember I once got one energy bill that surprised me, as the amount was a lot more then I was expecting. It surprised me so much that I spent that evening looking up different energy providers like Startex Power, just to see if that would help me. I went onto comparison sites and started to compare energy prices in the hopes that I could find a cheaper energy provider. I even came across this article that talked about how you can save money on your energy bills. Then I realized that my biggest problem was just that I hadn’t been paying attention and that I just needed to be more careful when it came to using electrical things. I realized that my biggest problem was just that I hadn’t been paying attention and that I just needed to be more careful when it came to using electrical things.

Making Time Amidst Busy Schedules:

With school around the corner, parents are thinking about their summer to-do lists. Orthodontic treatments are usually at the top of the list, as parents look to take advantage of the last bit of time off for scheduling appointments.

Invisalign clear aligners take the hassle right out of the process. Do you live in New Jersey? If so, you can get Invisalign aligners fitted at a Dentist in Little Falls. They are the most technically advanced clear aligner system in the world and can fix simple to complex cases for teens. They are removable so kids can still eat and drink whatever they want – simply brush and put back in. With this being said, they aren’t the only clear aligners on the market today with even cheaper options like the Beforedent aligners available. Be sure to do your research and find the option that is best for you. With Invisalign clear aligners, treatments are now up to 2 times faster with weekly aligner changes as opposed to two-week wear (at the discretion of the provider). To learn more and find a provider in your area, visit www.invisalign.com.

Last Days of Summer Mean Last Minute Trips:

Taking advantage of the last days of summer to get away with the whole family before school starts can help ease the pain of adjusting to the daily rigors of the school year. The good news is that the end of summer is a great time to save on last-minute trip ideas.

Megabus.com is a terrific low-cost bus service – with fares as low as $1 – that can take the whole family from city-center to city-center, on an awesome and comfortable double decker bus. Thanks to onboard technology like the megabus Ride App, free WiFi, and power outlets at each seat, the entire family can relax and enjoy the ride. It’s a great alternative to cramped and crowded family car rides OR overpriced airline tickets. Megabus.com serves more than 100 major cities across the U.S., so before you start planning that last-minute trip, make sure you check it out!

Parenting Struggles With Neil Patrick Harris

We jiffed it up with Neil Patrick Harris, a great group of moms and Jif Power Ups! We laughed out loud with Neil as he and a team of actors acted out Parenting Struggles from potty training to snack time to car rides. We can all relate.

We laughed. We laughed a lot! and thanks to Jif, we may laugh more when we find ourselves stealing our kids snacks! They are delicious and a great solution for parents looking to end the snack time struggle! They are made with peanuts as the first ingredient, they are chewy creamy peanut butter granola bars filled with the goodness moms want and the taste kids love, provides 6 grams of protein and 2 grams of dietary fiber per serving, no corn syrup, no hidden ingredients, and are individually wrapped for go-to deliciousness! Who can say no to that?! Mom and kid approved.

#JifPowerUps #JifPartner ❤ #sp

Watch Neil Patrick Harris – Jif Power Ups – The Struggle is Real…Funny HERE.

Also, check out Jif Power Ups

This post was in partnership with Jif.