INTERVIEW - Leslie Bibb Finds Herself On the Winning Team

When interviewing someone, I never know what I have on my hands until they're already full. I'd watched a couple of Leslie Bibb's television interviews to prepare for our talk, but I still was really bowled over by her effortless ability to talk with intelligence and humor on virtually any subject -- and we covered quite a lot of them, even though it was before ten AM (her time, at least) and we were still both in our pajamas.

In addition to her thoughts on her recent horror projects The Midnight Meat Train and Trick 'r Treat, Leslie told me about the charity that she has helped organize called Friends of El Faro, which supports an orphanage in Mexico. This past weekend she led a kickball team to victory and won a $15,000 donation to this charity from French Connection -- but her interest in this cause is far deeper than the occasional gala event. She told me about her trips to El Faro. "I know it sounds a little Sally Struthers," said Leslie, "But I sponsor two kids, and our group is the main provider for the orphanage. I say to everyone, they may not have parents, but they have us. They have food, and they have education, and they now know that an adult can love you and touch you and it doesn't have to be a terrible thing." Wow. I told her that if she'd simply said all that to the opposing team, they probably would've defaulted on the spot.