Carol ' life is the storybook tale of the young girl with a dream and the ambition to make it. At the age of 14 with a $10 loan from her parents, she launched her singing career. One of her classmates was a young man named Phil Spector (now considered one of the geniuses of rock music), who had fallen in love with Carol's voice. As lead singer of The Teddy Bears, she recorded "To Know Him Is To Love Him," which went on to become the number one song of its time. After hearing it, a young Elvis Presley said he wanted to meet the girl who had sung it. That is how Elvis became Carol's first boyfriend. Carol was destined to be more than just a one-hit wonder; her passion for music and her indisputable gifts have made a career out of what she loves most. From that first hit at the age of 14 to co-writing the Rocky theme ("Gonna Fly Now"), her life has been a whirlwind of success and hard work, but Carol has never given up, and her various gold records, awards, and nominations are proof of that. The real success, however, lays in the millions of people who listen to and enjoy her beautiful lyrics and music. Whether it is the American car song classic "Hey Little Cobra" or the love song "With You I'm Born Again," Carol's music has been her greatest joy. She has had the distinction of having her songs performed by some of the world's most celebrated singers, including Placido Domingo, Dionne Warwick, and Lorna Luft, and most recently Justin Guarini and Tamyra Gray, on American Idol. Carol has been nominated for over 10 major awards (including two Oscars and five Emmys). A long way from slowing down, Carol has such a joie de vivre that she seems like a character out of a Maurice Chevalier movie. She will be the 2003 recipient of the Israel Cancer Research Fund's "Woman of the Year" award. One of her songs will be used in the film The Pianist, by Roman Polanski, which is about the life of Waldyslaw Szpilman, and she has been offered the role of a society lady in the film "Hot Rod," which is in pre-production. During a trip to Key Largo a little while ago, Carol was called by her pet nanny, Susan Jones, who always takes excellent care of her kitties, to say that her cat M, (always billed as M, The Wonder Cat) was bumping into furniture and having a very difficult time getting around. (Her home was being remodeled and redecorated at the time.) Carol found that odd and took M to her vets when she returned to her Beverly Hills home. Drs. Winters and LaPuz both confirmed that M had gone blind as a result of his advanced age (nearly 17 years old) and was disoriented with the changes around the house. No sooner was that said than every piece of furniture was put back in its former location.   As sorry as she was to know she was losing him, she was determined to make M comfortable during his last days. Having seen M suffer from urinary tract infections very often, Carol found Petecology kitty litter very helpful, specially because it is designed to detect infection by changing color and notifying that there is a problem. M finally passed away when his urinary tract completely shut down. Carol was devastated at losing her terrific companion. A friend had sent along a poem titled "Rainbow Bridge," which speaks about a dream land where all our pets live happy and healthy lives, free from the ailments and troubles that plagued them during their physical life. Carol found a lot of solace in that poem and has since shared it with three friends who have lost their pets, including actress Deanna Lund, who recently lost her dog Zoe. A friend of hers offered to buy her a new kitten, as Carol knew it was very important that her other kitty have a companion as he had never been alone. So along came N'lyrics, a beautiful Abyssinian from NightMist Cattery in Canada, who soon became the whirling dervish of Carol's home. He has begun to settle down, but not before breaking trinkets and household items, including some of Carol's precious awards! He has quickly become a showbiz kitty (as if the name weren't an indication that he'd gone Hollywood-literally!) and has even made appearances with Carol. Carol has been an animal lover ever since she can recall, with a particular love of cats. Her love for animals has led to her involvement with countless charities that improve animal welfare. She recently became involved with an organization called The Pet Orphan Fund, which helps find homes for abandoned animals and promotes neutering and spaying. They have even established a voucher program where pet owners can have their animals altered. She participated in an event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles where she joined other celebrities including Sinbad, Coolio and the Playboy models to promote pet adoption. She performed the song "Unconditional Love, Unconditionally," (proceeds from the song will benefit the Pet Orphan Fund and the Moonridge Zoo) which she co-wrote with Dr. Mark Siegel and for which she composed the music. The song was written a few years ago as a dedication to M. Not her first animal-inspired song, she also wrote the tune "Love Without Strings" for the television special "Love Without Strings: Bob Hope Presents-Morris the Cat Salutes America's Pets" for which she received an Emmy nomination. Her philanthropic work has led her to become involved with the Moonridge Zoo in Big Bear Lake, California. The zoo houses animals that can no longer return to the wild due to injury or dependence on humans. The zoo's 50 year land lease is up. It is desperately trying to raise the funds needed to move to a new location in protected land. Carol became involved when her friends Shirley Jones and Marty Ingels, who had a home in Big Bear, spoke to her about the plight of the zoo and the animals that would be rendered homeless. Carol soon became involved and has helped bring the situation to the attention of many of her celebrity friends who have donated their time and money to help the zoo. For her efforts on behalf of Moonridge, Carol received the "Wild Cat Award," which was given to her in memory of her loving kitty M. Feeling most at home in the water, Carol has been an avid scuba diver for years. She first dove with magazine publisher Bob Petersen off the coast of California's Catalina Island in the 1960s. Now she travels the world in search of beautiful and exciting ocean adventures. Her voyages have led her most recently to Fiji where she dove with Jean Michelle Cousteau and Barbi Benton at the Wakaya Club. She has fond memories of diving in Pennekamp Park in Key Largo, at the Widowmaker in Sandals in Jamaica, and at the sandfall in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where she experienced her deepest and most dangerous dive of 189 feet. She went into nitrogen narcosis (a dangerous and euphoric mental state which leads divers to want to go deeper and deeper), but was saved by a team of diving companions. Carol has a big interest in ocean conservation and urges people to protect our most precious gift. "Stop polluting, stop overfishing," she says. "We must be aware that if we abuse our oceans as we do, there will be no more oceans." She reminds divers not to touch any of the coral (once you touch it, it dies) or to disturb the ecology. Her love of sea life brings her to Florida often to visit the Dolphin Research Center in Key Largo and swim with these fascinating mammals. "They are without a doubt the most kind, beautiful, and intuitive mammals on Earth," Carol declares. Her high-paced life often has her traveling around the world, but she is always happy to know that her loving cats will be waiting for her to return home. "Animals try and keep us focused. They keep us grounded. They are an enormous source of comfort and of love," she admits. Carol can claim a long list of accolades and accomplishments. There are enough adjectives to accurately describe her that one could fill a book, but I think "animal lover" gives the best indication of what kind of a lady she is. -Kareem Tabsch is a freelance writer who specializes in celebrity interviews. He has interviewed celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Bob Hope, Joan Rivers, Julio Iglesias, and Barbara Mandrell, among others. He writes frequently on animal-related issues as well as on the entertainment industry.