Valerie Bertinelli Newest Spokeswoman for Jenny Craig

Kirstie Alley, move over. There's a new weight-loss star in town. Valerie Bertinelli, the cutie that is most remembered from the 70's sitcom, One Day At a Time, is Jenny Craig's newest celebrity spokeswoman.

Valerie describes herself as a "Hollywood Hermit" for the past few years. She's been a stay-at-home mom who hasn't had a big tv role since 2003 when she did a stint on Touched By An Angel. So this turn as a representative for Jenny Craig is a big leap into the public again.

Bertinelli will be turning 47 this year and vows to lose 30 lbs by September. Is she afraid of doing it in front of millions of people? Maybe, but she also feels it is the motivation she needs "so I can't mess up," she says.

Let's hope she doesn't mess up. Kirstie Alley, Jenny Craig's latest celebrity before Bertinelli advised Valerie to not give in and go to an "In-and-Out Burger" even if her 16-year-old son, Wolfie, really wants to go, "because the paparazzi will photograph you."

As a 42-year-old woman who grew up watching Valerie Bertinelli, I am wishing her a lot of luck with this weight loss goal. I think she's being responsible about her weight. She has no unrealistic goals of being a size 2 or 3. At her 5'2" stature, she says she'd be happy with being a size 8.

Good for her! Hollywood needs to comprehend that women are no longer going to starve themselves to become skin hangers. We're going to have a little bit of fluff. We want to be healthy, not skeletal. And we want to see healthy celebrities.

When I watch a movie, I don't want to feel like I wish I could feed the star. "Gee, if she'd just stop by, I'd give her some potatoes or something."

Sometimes I see stars from the early 80s and wonder if they'd make it as leading women today. Demi Moore was chunky in "About Last Night" if you compare it to her roles today. Beautiful either way, a little meat on the bones adds to the sex appeal if you ask me.

People may not need so much collagen if they'd leave a little fat in there where Mother Nature is trying to put it. It's amazing what weight gain can do for wrinkles.

But I digress. I am happy to see Valerie Bertinelli. I had missed her. I hope that after she drops the 30 lbs she will feel comfortable auditioning and we can see her more often.

Kirstie Alley dropped a mammoth 75 lbs. and is maintaining it. I think she really should be commended.

Jenny Craig makes me happy because it's a realistic way of losing weight. It's not about just getting skinny. It's about adopting a new, healthier lifestyle. It's about making better food choices and exercising.

I like that we can watch the celebrities as they lose and have a realistic view of how the weight comes off. Jenny's not claiming to be a miracle worker. There is no deceptive claim of instant weight loss. We're not seeing one before and one after picture.

We can actually watch the progress, which I would think would be very helpful to someone following the program. If Valerie Bertinelli didn't lose 20 lbs. the first week, maybe it doesn't seem so unreasonable that "you" didn't either.

I think Valerie, Kirstie and Jenny Craig deserve a generous round of applause.

Be sure to keep your eye on Valerie. Hopefully she will be showing up again and again in television, for many years to come.