In the 1960s, those Mad Men days when women were either invisible or second class citizens in the work force, Walters, who began as a segment producer for “women’s stories”, was visibly rising to new and more authoritative positions on NBC’s Today show, chipping away at conventions that would have kept her in her place.  She eventually became a co-host of the show in 1974.

But it was her ceiling-shattering move to ABC in 1976 to co-host the nightly news that really made young women sit up and take notice.  Those of us aspiring to big careers in journalism were being told by mentors and mothers that we, too, could be “another Barbara Walters.”  Unfortunately, her co-host Harry Reasoner was not happy about having to share desk space with a female partner and the partnership lasted only a short time.  Walters, however, moved on with grace and purpose.  She co-hosted 20/20, moderated presidential debates, set high standards for the emerging art of personality journalism and launched ABC’s The View, a forum for women of different backgrounds, generations and political thought.

No career of 50-plus years is without its missteps and Walters, like most of us, has had a few.  But in the rear view mirror those rocky spots – often lampooned on Saturday Night Live – look pretty smooth.  She is a woman who has done it all, professionally, and now she’s ready to do more, personally.

Walters says there will be no second acts or life reinventions.  She just wants to leave the stage while she’s still vital.  I say let’s give her a standing ovation and let her walk to the wings blowing kisses to the audience.

Photo: Donna Svennevik/ABC/Getty Images

A career journalist who left NBC in 2004 after now-estranged Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California, Shriver says on her website, “I’m passionate about the need to shine a light on women’s evolving roles… the pressures they face and how our society might adapt to support them.”

She says she’ll focus “content and news programming that touches on women’s multi-faceted lives,” which is no surprise to those who have followed her career in both journalism and public life. Soon after she became California’s first lady in 2003 she created The Minerva Awards to honor “remarkable California women” who had changed their communities. At NBC, she says she’ll also profile “people I like to call ‘Architects of Change,’ groundbreaking women and men who are pushing the boundaries of society, technology, media, science, business, faith and politics.”

Shriver’s agreement with the network allows her to work on other projects – books, movies, public appearances and the like – and she says she’ll continue her website, which focuses on inspirational people and social and community issues.

The only daughter of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and R. Sargent Shriver (the second of five children), Maria Shriver has written numerous books, among them spiritual guides, children’s books on death and a comprehensive report on  Alzheimer’s. She also produced a series on Alzheimer’s for HBO. Her father was diagnosed with the disease in 2003 and died in 2011.  Her mother died in 2009.

Shriver and Schwarzenegger separated in 2011 after his admission of an affair with the couple’s housekeeper.

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The young people with whom I spent Saturday and Sunday are part of a volunteer corps in Washington, D.C. (I’m on a board that supports it) and are counseling the jobless, attending to rape crisis hotlines, translating medical forms for Spanish-speaking people who need the services of mobile health clinics and otherwise working to improve the lot of others.  They are from diverse parts of the country — Washington state to North Carolina — and they want to go on to be doctors, clinical psychologists and social workers, to name a few.  As they prepare for graduate programs or more work in their field, they are living simply and taking care of each other.  I know they are not typical.  But then neither are the girls on Girls, and that’s my point.

Dunham’s foursome on the HBO dramedy more and more seems like an occasionally humorous hot mess of a group. I believe they are real because their experiences are universal.  We’ve all fallen for the wrong (between apartments) guy, or been bitingly mean to a man who was our mistake, or failed miserably at socializing  with the ex and his new love, or  even sat in a bathtub with a good friend when she was super sad, all of which happened in Sunday’s episode. But I also believe most young people are emerging into adulthood somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.  They are less self-obsessed and indulgent than the NYC Girls foursome but also less altruistic and focused than my D.C. five. They are probably falling in love, going through bad breakups, struggling with loneliness and homesickness, dealing with difficult bosses in first jobs that may hold little interest for them while figuring out how to pay the bills. They are forming new friendships, finding new mentors and accumulating life lessons as fast as they slurp down bottles of cheap wine. I hope, however, that they also are having the time of their lives because our 20s shape who we are so much more than we know while we are in them.

Lena Dunham’s serial vignettes of millennial life in New York City — however  exaggerated  they may be — are sometimes insightful and occasionally evocative, bringing back memories of my own dumb choices. The fact is, as my colleague Mary Hickey so ably put it last week, life stages don’t change all that much from generation to generation and it can be interesting or amusing to watch the latest interpretation.  The reason I stand ready to walk away, however, is the lack of warmth among the Girls characters. There’s very little kindness, either.

The girls of ‘Girls’ look chummier here than they sometimes are on TV.

Marnie, in a bad place after a breakup and layoff, tells Hannah she needs her friendship right now and Hannah responds with a litany of her own work and writing and blah, blah needs. Hannah’s gay roommate/former boyfriend has sex, sort of, with Marnie (it’s complicated) and no one cares about Hannah’s feelings, only whether she might walk in, or, in the latest episode, find out.  Marnie’s all depressed and goes to old beau Charlie because she doesn’t want to sleep alone. But it is without regard for his feelings or those of his new girlfriend, albeit a cold meanie.  Even Marnie’s mom is snarky and self-concerned.

Every episode is more of the same. Hannah breaks up with her new boyfriend because he’s Republican and doesn’t appreciate her work and calls the police on the former weirdo boyfriend, who now wants her when she doesn’t want him. Everyone dismisses Marnie’s angst about career and agrees she should get a “pretty person job.”

Girls, which won two Golden Globes this month, is no Sex in the City or Seinfeld or Friends, nor would I want it to be. But I’m not even sure that Girls, like those 90s series, is about friendship. Regardless of their raunch or cynicism or fluff, those earlier shows had warmth.  And warmth can go a long way to keeping me committed on a cold Sunday night.  How about you?  Tell us below what you think of the girls on Girls — all of them or any of them — and how you view what they are going through.

This is a guest post by Anna Huddleston, reporter for the event newspaper Life@50+ Today.

Resilience, care and giving were the main themes of Friday’s opening show in New Orleans. Many event  attendees had helped rebuild and revitalize others’ lives through “New Orleans Reimagined” service activities on Thursday.  On Friday, celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse and Hoda Kotb of NBC’s  Today also saluted the city’s recovery after Hurricane Katrina seven years ago and shared their own stories of New Orleans.

“I fell in love with the people, with the music and with the culture,” said Emeril, a Massachusetts native who succeeded Paul Prudhomme as executive chef at famed restaurant Commander’s Palace. Emeril later opened his own first restaurant, Emeril’s, in the Warehouse District. “Dollar for dollar, this city still has some of the best food in the world.”

Now in his 50s and at the peak of culinary fame, Emeril lives the “50 is the new 30” mantra and still remembers his roots. “My mom was my first inspiration for food,” he said. “She inspired me to make my first dish – vegetable soup from our garden. My dad taught me about soil.” His parents, who live in New Orleans, may not have been thrilled when Emeril turned down a college scholarship as a percussionist but were supportive once they realized food was his passion. His dad said, “If this is what you want to do, follow your dream.”

As a three-year cancer survivor and a best-selling book author, Hoda also had a strong message for event attendees.  “Joy is when you open your eyes in the morning and you are happy with who you are and what you have,” she said. “After surviving a tragedy, I realized that nothing can scare me. I can do this.”

AARP’s history and mission were outlined by Rob Romasco, AARP’s national volunteer president.  He said recent achievements made possible by the collective efforts of staff and volunteers include $841 million in utility savings, 13 million meals for hungry adults through Drive to End Hunger and $1.3 billion in refunds for the 2.5 million tax filers assisted for free by AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteers.

Barry Rand, AARP’s chief executive officer, introduced attendees to a new idea called Life Reimagined. “Empowering people to adapt and thrive in this new life stage requires a concerted effort on two fronts. It means we have to help society adapt to the millions of people entering this new life stage – and we have to empower individuals to adapt, as well.”

He said leading the fight for better health and financial security is essential to helping society meet the needs of the 50+ population. Barry urged members to share their views on Social Security and Medicare through AARP’s You’ve Earned a Say effort.

Karen Mills, who heads the U.S. Small Business Administration, saluted its teamwork with AARP to put at least 100,000 people age 50+ in touch with SBA’s vast resources to help them succeed as “encore” entrepreneurs.

James “JB” Brown giving back at #lifeat50

AARP’s annual Life@50+ National Event & Expo is off to a great start this morning with volunteer efforts throughout a sunny New Orleans, the city so devastated by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago that it is still in need of rebuilding help.

Hundreds of  AARP members are visible all around the city as they arrive for the fun of the next three days, but today’s kick-off is all about volunteering.  Among the hundreds going out to a variety of sites are AARP President Rob Romasco and, AARP’s Community Ambassador James “JB” Brown and AARP Fitness Ambassador Dan Marino, who are rebuilding homes with Habitat for Humanity; others are landscaping, constructing community gardens and working in an edible school yard,  and taking part in many efforts that will leave a lasting physical impact on the beautiful Big Easy.

While they are working outside, hundreds more AARP volunteers are  packing supplies, working in hunger programs, art projects and senior activities, as well as mentoring those in need.

All the volunteers will have  a chance to reward themselves for a hard day’s work when the expo floor in Morial Convention Center opens from 3 to 9 p.m.  today for all attendees. There will be music, informational booths and tons of freebies — a good beginning to the next two days full of inspiring celebrity speakers, a Movies for Grownups filmfest, and a Saturday night concert featuring Stevie Nicks, Gladys Knight and Melissa Etheridge.

Painting houses at #liefat50

Follow the day activities on Twitter using hashtag #lifeat50.