By Cindy Clark, USA TODAY
Like most people, Kelly Ripa has often dreamt of coming up with that one genius, money-making invention.
Obviously, it hasn't worked out that way.
She has, however, been the recipient of many a product hoping for prime placement on her morning show Live With Regis & Kelly. It was from that her latest TV venture was born.
"People send me so many things a week," says Ripa, calling to chat post-show from her Live dressing room. "People will say, 'My husband is in Iraq and I created this product, and if you could hold it up on the air, maybe I could sell some.' "
Ripa found that with each product came a "compelling story. It was always something created at home by the person sending it to me, and usually it was the only one that they had created."
"In general, women have been very good to me in supporting my career," says Ripa, 40. Now with her three children with husband Mark Consuelos all in school, Ripa "found that there were a couple hours in the day where I was looking for things to do."
So, with the help of Milojo, the production company she owns with Consuelos, Ripa turned her idea into Homemade Millionaire. The reality competition show, which premieres tonight at 10 ET/PT on TLC, gives women the chance to pitch their products and land a deal with the mega multichannel retailer HSN.
"I constantly am going, 'Gosh, why didn't I think of that?!' " says Ripa, who is just as fun and talkative and personable as she is on morning television. "And my mom is constantly inventing things that already exist."
And yes, Ripa says she has spent time at home watching the network and even "bought a pair of pants from HSN back when they were the Home Shopping Network. It's great for a myriad of reasons," Ripa explains of the at-home-shopping aspect. "This is the original way of getting something without having to schlep out to the mall. And by the way, it is like a mall on television. It's everything — makeup, jewelry, houseware."
The inventions by the women are just as varied, and each week there are three competitors and one is declared a winner.
Why an all-female cast of competitors? "That's just because the majority of people sending things are women. ... Initially, it was just going to be mothers, but there are a lot of women who don't have kids who have great ideas."
The timing seemed especially ripe. "More and more people are having to stretch the dollar and come up with more ways to make money," says Ripa. "These women stand to really turn their inventions into brands. They stand to make a lot of money."
As for her own good fortune, Ripa says she and her family are looking forward to spending Thanksgiving this year in Las Vegas, where Live is filming — which for Ripa means no cooking and no cleanup.
"Forget slot machines, I hit the jackpot!"
Usatoday.com
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