A truly great song can break and warm your heart simultaneously. Despite her age—or perhaps enhanced by it—7-year-old cancer patient Arianna has created just that while in the hospital. The opportunity wasn’t a musical miracle: It was Maryville University’s Kids Rock Cancer.

The first thing you notice about Madison Barker is her shock of red, wavy hair.

Weather conditions and human activities affect the population of monarchs. And according to Dr. Chip Taylor, a continued decline could mean the migration of these butterflies could be lost.

With hit TV show, The Biggest Loser, bestselling books and 1.6 million people visiting her weight loss website each month, Jillian Michaels has become one of the nation’s most popular experts on healthy eating, exercise and leading an exceptional life. Now, she is sharing her success secrets with audiences across the country through her Maximize Your Life tour, a live show coming May 11 to the Fox Theatre. LN recently spoke with Michaels about her personal health journey and her upcoming show, which aims to help people kickstart their life and fitness goals and achieve health and happiness.

The next time you think you’re too smart to be scammed out of money, consider the Ladue businessman who recently lost $3 million in a Jamaican lottery scam.

Well, it’s another B- week at the movies. If you’ve checked all the Oscar nominated films off your list, and you’ve seen Olympus Has Fallen and Oz the Great and Powerful, it might be a good weekend to park on your couch. Here are some options:

Let's face it. Nobody really knows which investments are going to be sure-fire winners. Even the savviest financial gurus tell horror stories about seemingly reasonable ventures that inexplicably went south.

Thank you for the great spread in LN for our Change Begins with Me exhibition opening. You have been wonderfully supportive and we couldn’t be more pleased with the impact. You are the best. (2/8/13 issue, p. 7)

So last week, a show premiered on ABC called Splash—not to be confused with Smash, which has an actual story line. Splash is a reality show where 'celebrities' attempt to dive. That’s it. They dive. Coaches coach them, they hurl themselves off a 10-meter board (please don’t call to correct me about the height of the board because frankly, I just don’t care), and judges score them. So let’s tally it up: We’ve had celebrities dance. We’ve seen them skate, cook, diet, rehabilitate and survive in the wilderness. All I can say is that fame—however it is achieved—must be pretty freaking awesome if people are willing to go through all this to get it--or rather cling to it. And that got me thinking: I wonder what else we could get said fame-seekers to do?

The secret of Best Transportation’s success is out: In the past 10 years, sisters and company co-owners have built Best into the largest limousine/party bus/shuttle service company in St. Louis.

We now have the names for the upcoming Maryville University St. Louis Speakers Series. The 2013-2014 season at Powell Hall begins Oct. 8 with former Greek Prime Minister GEORGE PAPANDREOU. The rest of the lineup includes: A Walk in the Woods author BILL BRYSON, Former U.S. Defense Secretary ROBERT GATES, Apple co-founder STEVE WOZNIAK, historian/author DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN and journalist DAN RATHER, whose March 25, 2014, appearance will be sponsored by LN. For subscription information, visit stlouisspeakersseries.org.

Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer JOHN MELLENCAMP will headline next month’s 25th Annual Bob Costas Benefit for SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. The April 20 event at the Fox Theatre signals Mellencamp’s return to the Costas Benefit stage. His 35 years of music has spawned iconic hits like Jack and Diane and Small Town. The event’s opening act will be announced shortly. For tickets, call 577-5605 or visit glennon.org. More information about the Bob Costas Cancer Center will appear in LN’s March 15 issue.

OK. If your Oscar checklist is complete, and you are nauseated by the options at the cineplex—as well you should be—there is a silver lining. Not Silver Linings Playbook yet, but you have options. There are some great DVDs that came out this week, so if you want to stay in and hunker down with a good movie, these are my suggestions:

I will be brief. The mind reels at the thought of the traumatic high school years Nicholas Sparks must have endured to write the stuff he writes, but here we go again. Katie (Julianne Hough), a frightened young woman with a mysterious past, appears in the tiny hamlet of Southport, N.C., constantly looking over her shoulder. If only there were a handsome bachelor--preferably a widower--in the town to discover her secret, free her from her demons and fall in love with her…If only.

LN first reported months ago that Chef LOU ROOK of Annie Gunn's is releasing his first-ever cookbook, Rook Cooks; Simplicity At Its Finest. Well, it’s finally here! The tome is available at the restaurant, as well as such area stores as Left Bank Books and Kitchen Conservatory, for $35.

Catherine Hanaway has been throwing her weight around for a long time. After all, she was the first woman ever to serve as Missouri’s Speaker of the House; she won the Republican nomination for Secretary of State; and was named by President George W. Bush as the U.S. Attorney for Eastern Missouri. Today, she’s a top attorney in John Ashcroft’s law firm, the Ashcroft Group.

Story: Ten-year-old Joe Shostak has a problem with anger management. His Little League baseball manager tells him so after seeing him get in a fight with a loud-mouthed player from another team. There are problems at home, too, as Joe’s parents have separated over money issues.

The American Sleep Association estimates that about 12 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing stops for short periods multiple times during the night. Sleep apnea doesn’t only cause excessive daytime sleepiness, its most noticeable effect; it also increases risk for heart attack and stroke, making it a serious medical condition for the millions who don’t know they have it.

More than 80 kids put on new complimentary school uniforms each year through the help of Manasseh Ministries. “It helps their self-esteem and  motivates them--and lets them know someone cares,” notes Rev. Richard Jackson.

Weighing in at more than 300 pounds, Eric Morff was very unhappy. He couldn’t sleep in the same bed as his wife because his weight-induced snoring kept her up at night. He always found an excuse to not exercise, and spent the weekend sleeping because he was so tired. And he never had the energy to chase his 4-year-old son or 2-year-old daughter around the house. Morff’s weight was disrupting many parts of his life, and through the encouragement of his wife and mother, he finally decided to seek help. Recalling information about weight-loss coach Charles D’Angelo from a previous Ladue News article, he made the call in September 2011 that would change his life. “Charles helped me understand that I was ready to lose the weight, why I was ready and what was important to me: my wife, my children and myself,” Morff says. “I needed to make this change for them and for myself.”

For thousands of low-income or jobless individuals who are homeless or on the brink of losing the roof over their heads, local nonprofit shelters and organizations provide a bridge to a brighter future. “Many families view us as their home,” notes Scott Gee, executive director of Haven of Grace.

Planning for your future can be a daunting and obscure task, but Wells Fargo Advisors is trying to make the process a little easier. With the use of the company’s Envision tool, financial advisors can help clients prepare for whatever unknowns life holds, says Kevin Whitehead, St. Louis market manager for Wells Fargo Advisors. “When you’re talking about money and things that may happen based on probability, it’s difficult because it’s not tangible. The Envision plan helps our clients see what they’re trying to accomplish, and we can make sure their investment plans are in place to achieve those goals.”

If there’s one thing almost everyone wishes for in the new year, it’s good health. And almost everyone has room for improvement when it comes to the lifestyle choices that support our health and well-being. We turned to several local experts for their top tips to help make 2013 a healthy new year.

From tailored suits to custom-made shirts and accessories, today’s local businessmen really are dressing up again. And that means a strong spike in sales for men's specialty shops like Savile Row Custom Clothiers in Clayton. 

From marketing your property, to researching communities and negotiating on your behalf, Coldwell Banker Gundaker will be with you every step of the way. During the home buying and selling process, and even after your transaction has closed, their agents will give you the utmost attention, provided by caring experts and backed by a company with outstanding resources, decades of experience and exceptional market strength. Coldwell Banker Gundaker operates 20 offices with nearly 2,000 sales associates serving metropolitan St. Louis and east-central Missouri.