An internationally lauded singing star is most at home with her couches and her dolls.

I like the bold new world of social media. I really do enjoy “talking” to people I’ve never met, and most likely will never meet. It’s liberating to strike up conversational threads with people who live across the country and even on the other side of the world.

Espionage has long fascinated many of us. History is filled with acts of treachery and betrayal, and even MAD magazine chronicled the often disastrous exploits of “Spy vs. Spy” for more than three decades. People love the intrigue of cloak-and-dagger, and the world of duplicity and danger seems a far cry from the realm of dolls. Or does it?

Dolls that grab you by the heart . . . and won’t let go!   

I have a unique work situation: It’s me alone in a room, with just voices and thoughts in my head. (Call it the “Joan of Arc” setup, without the unfortunate stake burning.) My office is at home, and I spend most of my 10-hour workdays behind closed doors, seeing nary another person for much of that time.

Witches and radicals: political dolls are very surprising.

One of my favorite parts of being a mom is getting to eavesdrop on the banter of my children. When my son and daughter get going—he’s 7 and she’s 5—the conversation twists and turns more than a 1971 “Malibu Barbie’s” waist!

This is a very special week for me, not just because it marks the return of two of my most favorite not-so-guilty pleasures: both “Dancing with the Stars” and “Glee” hit the airwaves again. No, this week is definitely more exciting than Carrie Ann Inaba stridently spotting an “illegal lift,” and Jane Lynch stoically humiliating a new crew of Gleek wannabes. This is my birthday week, and as such, I always treat myself to something fabulous and unique.

A recent poll has revealed that most people meet their future spouses by the time they are 16. I don’t know the validity of that research, but I can tell you that I met my lifelong love before I was even 7 years old. This was an affection that began as a crush, an innocent, unrequited puppy love devotion. Once I was able to actually interact and use my hands, it became a full-fledged passion. I’m talking about puppetry, of course.