The star of TNT's Southland on pecan pie, positive thinking, and how to declutter your house and head.
Best Book I've Read Recently
I'm finishing Gregory Boyle's Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, about his experience as a Jesuit priest working with gangs in Los Angeles. It's a book that celebrates humanity and what's right with the world.

Best Shower Song
When I sing Jamiroquai's "Blow Your Mind" with the great shower acoustics, I feel like Ella Fitzgerald.

Best Decluttering Strategy
If things start to pile up, I put them in a box, write the date, and tape it up. If I haven't opened it in a year and a half, I donate the whole box. I don't even sort through it first.

Best Indulgence
A bottle of California Cabernet and a good steak. And some sides—potatoes and sugar snap peas. Top it off with a slice of pecan pie and I'm happy.

Best Style Staple
I have a beautiful, soft, yummy Coach bag to carry scripts and my iPad to work; it's a light coffee color, so I can wear it year-round in Los Angeles. And I like that it's not covered with branding—no Gs or LVs.

Best Way to Clear Mental Cobwebs
Cardio ballet class! It moves so fast that there's no time to think about anything else. My heart rate goes up, oxygen pumps to my brain, and by the end of the hour, I'm lying flat on the floor with my palms up, just staring at the ceiling.

Best Forgotten Tradition
My family blesses our food before we eat. Whatever god you pray to, or even if you don't believe in a god, it's nice to show that you're grateful to the universe for sustaining you.

Best Mistake
Marrying my ex-husband, because otherwise I wouldn't have my son.

Live Your Best Life:
Published 02/16/2011

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