Matt Bomer, the star of White Collar, spoke publicly about being gay for the first time this Saturday while accepting an award. The 34-year-old actor thanked his partner Simon Halls and their three children after being presented with the New Generation Arts and Activism Award at Saturday's Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards.

"I'd really especially like to thank my beautiful family: Simon, Kit, Walker, Henry," said Bomer at the end of his emotional speech. "Thank you for teaching me what unconditional love is. You will always be my proudest accomplishment."

Bomer, a Texas-born actor who got his start on soap operas, has been coy about discussing his sexuality since rising to fame with USA's White Collar in 2009. In a Details interview from 2010, Bomer was asked directly about speculation that he was gay, and refused to confirm or deny it.

"I don't care about that at all," said the actor. "I'm completely happy and fulfilled in my personal life."

When pressed by the interviewer, Bomer said that he was worried about being "too trusting" now that he had "a network and a show riding on my shoulders."

Likewise, during a guest-hosting gig on the Today show with Hoda Kotbe last March, Bomer was asked how he juggles his career with three young children -- and his careful answer made no mention of his partner. (Watch the video below; it's at the 4:35 mark.)

On the other hand, Bomer's sexuality has never exactly been a secret. Curious fans needed to look no further than Bomer's Wikipedia page, which identifies his partner by name. Bomer also frequently brings Simon Halls, a Hollywood publicist, as his date to events like the Golden Globes -- at which, you might have noticed, there are tons of cameras.

Even though Bomer opened up at the Steve Chase Awards (where he was being honored for his efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS), it's too soon to tell if he's ready to share his personal life with his many fans. Jodie Foster had a similar "coming out" at an awards show in 2007, thanking her then-partner Cydney Bernard in her acceptance speech -- but she remains fiercely private about her personal life. It could be that both Foster and Bomer are just trying to protect their families from media scrutiny which, in the case of young children, makes perfect sense. But it's nice to see Bomer finally acknowledge the man he loves, without pausing to worry about his pronouns.

How do you present the music industry's most respected and star-studded awards ceremony just one night after the shocking death of one of its biggest icons? You send out a smooth-tongued, well-respected host, and let him strike the right tone. LL Cool J did just that on Sunday night at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, relaying both grief for a fallen friend and a call to celebrate music and the artists who've achieved nominations this year.

Dressed in a spiffy, black velvet Giorgio Armani double-breasted evening jacket and his signature newsboy cap, the rapper and star of CBS's NCIS: Los Angeles, who was the first Grammy host in seven years, welcomed the crowd and addressed the tragedy from the start.

"There's no way around it," he said. "We've had a death in our family. For me, the only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman who we love, for our fallen sister, Whitney Houston." Then the camera panned the packed audience of flamboyant pop stars, from the white-maned Nicki Minaj to the fish-net-veiled Lady Gaga, and row upon row of heads bowed for LL's benediction. Watch the benediction here: 

"Heavenly father, we thank you for sharing our sister Whitney with us," he said. "Today our thoughts are with her mother, her daughter and all of her loved ones. And although she is gone too soon, we remain truly blessed to have been touched by her beautiful spirit, and to have the legacy of her music to cherish and share forever. Amen."

It was an unusual way to begin the Grammy Awards, but it felt right under the circumstances. "We were up all night, and we just wanted to figure out [and] show Whitney Houston the love, the appreciation, and the respect she deserves based on her as a human being and the career that she had, and make sure that people know we care," LL told MTV News on the red carpet before the show. "And we are connected to her in that way."

Before the ceremony, LL had told Grammy producers that he'd like to publicly pray for Houston. "And we thought, if that’s what you would do and that's the words that would come out of your mouth, no need to write that, just do it from your heart," Recording Academy president Neil Portnow told The Hollywood Reporter after the show.

But LL was also careful to keep the ceremony from turning into a huge memorial service. "There are so many other artists here that are nominated," he told MTV. "This is a new Grammy experience for some of them, some are back again, and they deserve to have a good time and enjoy themselves and not be weighed down by the burden."

LL's introductions and segues were respectful, and a far cry from the snarky witticisms that usually characterize award-show hosts these days. He was just what the Grammys needed in the wake of a tragedy. This was a lucky turn for the show's producers. Imagine if they'd booked Ricky Gervais!

Sunday night's Grammy Awards truly were a celebration of music. The lengthy show (three-and-a-half hours -- and that's not including the pre-televised portion) took plenty of time to honor both its nominees and the recently deceased members of the music community, especially Whitney Houston (who passed away Saturday). Here's a rundown of the night's top performances.

Bruce Springsteen: Little did producers realize how appropriate The Boss' opening number would be. Springsteen and the E Street Band performed their new single, "We Take Care of Our Own," with the help of an orchestra, and it was hard not to be moved by the song's titular sentiment, which was echoed by host LL Cool J moments later. "There is no way around this. We've had a death in our family," he said. "And so at least for me, for me, the only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman we loved -- for our fallen sister, Whitney Houston."

Stars from Katy Perry to Blake Shelton bowed their heads in participation.

Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt: When the duo took to the stage to pay tribute to another dearly departed R&B singer Etta James, they also made sure to honor Houston. "We love Whitney Houston," Keys said before she started playing the piano. She and Raitt went on to perform "A Sunday Kind of Love," one of James' classics.

Rihanna: The sexy singer took to the stage for a fiery performance of her No. 1 hit "We Found Love." She and her troupe of backup dancers tapped into the mood of the night by asking the audience, "With me, for Whitney!" Then she and Chris Martin of Coldplay united on a duet of their new single "Princess of China," after which Coldplay went solo and performed their own single "Paradise."

The Beach Boys: In honor of their 50th anniversay, the original goup reunited at the Grammys for their first live performance in more than 20 years. Maroon 5 "opened" for the Boys with a rendition of "Surfer Girl" and Foster the People followed that with a charming take on "Wouldn't It Be Nice." But of course neither band could compare to the moment we'd all been waiting for when the Beach Boys took to the stage and performed their classic "Good Vibrations."

Paul McCartney: The former Beatle performed his appropriately titled single "My Valentine." Stevie Wonder introduced him, making sure to include a mention of Houston. "I just want to say to Whitney up in heaven, we all love you Whitney," he said.

Taylor Swift: Proving that her ridiculed 2010 performance with Stevie Nicks was just a fluke, a banjo-playing Swift took to the stage for a very country -- and very good -- performance of her Grammy-winning hit "Mean." Fortunately there were no cutaways to John Mayer to be seen.

Katy Perry: After being introduced as potentially the only woman who has successfully shot fireworks out of her breasts, the recently single singer opened her act with a shortened version of "E.T." The song ended in a faux mechanical malfunction, and when the lights came back up Perry launched into the debut of her new single "Part of Me." With lyrics like "Keep your diamond ring/In fact, you can keep everything... except for me," it's hard not to imagine Russell Brand sitting at home imagining she was singing that one just for him.

Adele: The Brit siren is back, baby -- and better than ever! In her first performance since her recent vocal surgery, Sunday night's big winner (she won six Grammys including album, song and record of the year) sent the crowd into a hand-clapping frenzy with "Rolling in the Deep." Paul McCartney's fist pump to the sky after Adele's set wrapped pretty much summarized how we felt.

Jennifer Hudson: Even with Adele's big comeback and the Beach Boys reunion, it was J-Hud's Whitney Houston tribute that offered up the most moving moment of the night. With Houston's picture hovering on the screen behind her, Hudson belted out a heartbreaking rendition of Whitney's mega-hit "I Will Always Love You" -- and we genuinely think Houston would have been proud.

In a moving tribute to Whitney Houston, who died just one day before the 2012 Grammy Awards, Jennifer Hudson sang the late pop diva's larger than life hit, "I Will Always Love You."

At the end of the Grammys' annual memorial montage, which finished with a clip of a young Houston singing "Saving All My Love," Hudson appeared on stage in complete silhouette, crooning the first notes of the song a cappella. Dressed in black, the emotional Hudson performed a stripped down version of Houston's No. 1 ballad, with the piano accompaniment starting during the first chorus. Watch it below.
 

Houston's signature song from The Bodyguard soundtrack (an R&B remake of a 1974 Dolly Parton track) is notoriously difficult to perform, but Hudson's homage was flawless and filled with obvious feeling.

Houston was found dead in her Beverly Hills Hotel room's bathtub the afternoon of Feb. 11, a few hours before the 48-year-old Grammy winner was scheduled to appear at her friend and mentor Clive Davis' annual party.

As host LL Cool J said at the beginning of the Grammy Awards broadcast, the music industry had lost one of its own.

"There's no way around it," the rapper told the crowd. "We've had a death in our family... For me, the only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman who we love, for our fallen sister, Whitney Houston."

At the end of Hudson's tribute, immediately after she hit that memorably climactic note, she ended the song with an extra line: "Whitney, we love you."

The 2012 Grammy Awards show was equal parts memorial service for the late Whitney Houston and a sweeping victory for Adele, who won all six of her nominated awards.

Although Jennifer Hudson was responsible for the official tribute to Houston -- singing "I Will Always Love You" -- many performers and presenters mentioned the pop diva, whose death at age 48 shocked the world on the eve of the music industry's biggest night.

After Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off the show with a raucous rendition of their new single "We Take Care of Our Own," host LL Cool J welcomed everyone at the Staples Center by acknowledging the loss of one of their own and saying a prayer wishing Houston's family comfort.

Bonnie Raitt and Alicia Keys took the stage together to pay tribute to the late Etta James. They performed a piano and guitar rendition of "Sunday Kind of Love" before presenting the first Grammy of the night -- best pop solo performance -- to Adele for her emotional single "Someone Like You."

"My life changed when I wrote this song, and I felt it before anyone even heard it. I just felt it," Adele said in her first acceptance speech. "Seeing as it's a vocal performance I need to thank my doctors I suppose who brought my voice back."

The 23-year-old singer, who had vocal chord surgery in November, earned a standing ovation after her comeback performance of "Rolling in the Deep" and graced the stage again and again for her six wins. Adele swept record of the year and song of the year (presented to songwriters) for "Rolling in the Deep," as well as album of the year for 21. In the pre-telecast awards, Adele had also picked up awards for best pop vocal album for 21 and short-form video for "Rolling In the Deep."

"It's been the most life-changing year," Adele said accepting album of the year.

One of the awards show's most surprising wins was the coveted best new artist award, which went to indie folk rockers Bon Iver.

"It's really hard to accept this award, when there's so much talent out here on this stage and so much talent that's not here tonight," said the group's frontman Justin Vernon. "It's also hard to accept, because when I started to make songs I did it for the inherent reward of making songs, so I'm a little bit uncomfortable up here. But with that discomfort comes a lot of gratitude."

To introduce Paul McCartney, the producers recruited none other than 22-time Grammy winner Stevie Wonder, who played strains from "Love Me Do" on his harmonica before welcoming his "Ebony and Ivory" partner to the stage.

"I'm one of the world's biggest fans of our next performer. I think he's incredibly fabulous yesterday and today... or put another way, today and 'Yesterday-ay'" he said, singing the last note.

The night's other notable performances included the return of Chris Brown, who sang "Turn Up the Music" and "Beautiful People" while performing elaborate choreography. Grammy veterans Foo Fighters performed "Walk" for the fans outside the Staples Center. Both artists went on to win Grammys.

The Civil Wars were able to "open" for their friend Taylor Swift by singing 60 seconds of their hit single "Barton Hollow" before a banjo-playing Swift took aim at her critics with her single "Mean." After a difficult start to 2012, Katy Perry was back to herself, performing for the first time since her split from Russell Brand.

The big reunion of the evening belonged to The Beach Boys, featuring Maroon 5 singing "Surfer Girl" and Foster the People covering "Wouldn't It Be Nice" before the California bandmates got together to sing "Good Vibrations."

Country stars The Band Perry and Blake Shelton paid tribute to Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Glenn Campbell singing a medley of his hits before Campbell, who still sounds impressively in top-notch form, performed his signature single, "Rhinestone Cowboy."

McCartney closed out the night at the piano, singing the poignant Beatles lullaby "Golden Slumbers." Joining him for the "Carry the Weight" half of the Abbey Road medley were Springsteen, Dave Grohl, and Joe Walsh.

See below for a partial list of Grammy winners, or head to the official Grammys site for the full list!

Album of the Year: 21, Adele

Record of the Year: "Rolling In The Deep," Adele

Best New Artist: Bon Iver

Best Country Album: Own The Night, Lady Antebellum

Song of the Year: "Rolling In The Deep," Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth, songwriters (Adele)

Best R&B Album: F.A.M.E., Chris Brown

Best Rock Performance: "Walk," Foo Fighters

Best Rap Performance: "Otis," Jay-Z and Kayne West

Best Pop Solo Performance: "Someone Like You,: Adele

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: "Body and Soul," Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse

Best Pop Instrumental Album: The Road from Memphis, Booker T. Jones

Best Pop Vocal Album: 21, Adele

Best Dance Recording: "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites," Skrillex

Best Dance/Electronica Album: Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, Skrillex

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Duets II, Tony Bennett & Various Artists

Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance: "White Limo," Foo Fighters

Best Rock Song: "Walk," Foo Fighters

Best Rock Album: Wasting Light, Foo Fighters

Best Alternative Music Album: Bon Iver, Bon Iver

Best R&B Performance: "Is This Love," Corinne Bailey Rae

Best Traditional R&B Performance: "Fool For You," Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona

Best R&B Song: "Fool For You," Cee Lo Green, Melanie Hallim, Jack Splash

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: "All Of The Lights," Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie

Best Rap Song: "All Of the Lights," Jeff Bhasker, Stacy Ferguson, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter & Kanye West

Best Rap Album: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West

Best Country Solo Performance: "Mean," Taylor Swift

Best Country Duo/Group Performance: "Barton Hollow," The Civil Wars

Best Country Song: "Mean," Taylor Swift

Let's give LeAnn Rimes some credit for agreeing to be a guest on Chelsea Lately, despite the fact that host Chelsea Handler vociferously criticized the country star during her highly publicized divorce. (Handler took aim at Rimes for having an extramarital affair with Eddie Cibrian, whom she's since married.)

However, the big topic of conversation during their interview on Thursday night was the public's fascination with Rimes' skinny body. But, as the 29-year-old singer sees it, she simply used to be fat -- and now she's not. (Watch the interview below.)
 

"People are giving you a lot of crap about your body, saying that you're like anorexic or something," Handler, 36, pointed out, kicking off the discussion. "Why are you so much thinner than you were?"

"Well, I was a baby," Rimes replied. "I mean, (the public has) known me since I was 13. I was fat. No, I'm just saying I had baby fat! I was chubby. And I grew up. That's it. Like, I work out."

And when Handler asked Rimes why she's always being photographed in skimpy bikinis, LeAnn -- who's cleavage-baring ensemble showed that she has clearly embraced her sex appeal -- had her answer at the ready.

"I am on the damn beach, for God's sake," she said. "I'm not going shopping or to the grocery store in a bikini." Touche, Ms. Rimes!

As for the trash-talking Handler did during Rimes' divorce, the pair certainly addressed that.

"I know that you've seen me talking s*** about you," Handler said.

"Absolutely. I have, which is more why I wanted to come on," Rimes replied. "And I was watching your show thinking I could get a laugh out of it, instead I was laughing at you laughing at me."

But Rimes doesn't seem to hold a grudge -- she admitted that watching Chelsea Lately was the "first time I could laugh and cry at the same time."

"Well, your divorce was great memories for me, too," quipped Handler. Zing!

We know what NBC Sports and the NFL had to say about M.I.A. flipping the bird during the Super Bowl halftime show. (Basically: "Yeah, it was wrong, and we're sorry our delay system caught it too late.") But what does Madonna, who headlined the halftime festivities, think of her co-performer's little stunt?

On Friday morning, Madge, 54, called in to On Air with Ryan Seacrest and offered her own take on the obscene gesture, which overshadowed an otherwise well-liked performance.

"I was really surprised," she told Ryan Seacrest. "I didn't know anything about it. I wasn't happy about it. I understand it's punk rock and everything, but to me there was such a feeling of love and good energy, and positivity. It seemed negative. It's such a teenager… irrelevant thing to do… There was such a feeling of love and unity there. What was the point? It was just out of place."

Of course, the British rapper isn't a teenager, but a 36-year-old woman. Though she's usually a regular tweeter, she's remained quiet about the incident. But Britain's The Sun believes that M.I.A.'s controversial flip of her middle finger in front of a captive 100-million-person audence has benefited her enormously. Calling M.I.A. "the most talented and hard-working British star you've only just heard of," The Sun's reporter relishes the fact that "she has suddenly become a lot more famous."

And, let's be honest, Madonna's not exactly in a position to poo-poo a little controversy!

As American Idol's 11th season ramps up, we're sure about one thing -- Hollywood Week always brings drama. On Wednesday night's episode, the FOX show (Wednesdays and Thursdays, at 8 p.m. ET) closed out with a contestant, Symone Black, fainting and falling off the stage. The credits rolled as crew members (and Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson) gathered around the prone 16-year-old, calling for a medic and ruminating about whether she'd hit her head. Viewers were left wondering if she was all right. Watch the clip here: 

 
Fortunately, Black turned out to be fine, though required treatment for dehydration. Allowing the show to end as a cliffhanger was a tacky move at best. But if she had been seriously hurt, would the producers have used her fall to ratings-boosting effect? Let's hope not.

On the other hand, no one made the girl faint -- producers merely captured the moment, which was a legitimate part of the show. Black's fainting spell demonstrated how stressful these auditions can be for the real people who come in off the street and step in front of TV cameras, and that's part of what makes this show so dramatic. Still, was the moment exploitative? Producers would no doubt deny it.

Throughout the years, American Idol has certainly been accused of being mean. Some critics have long complained about its practice of giving a spotlight to embarrassingly tone-deaf auditioners, especially in the show's early years. These people had no business being on stage -- except to be ridiculed by "mean" judge Simon Cowell and his carefully crafted zingers. 

There's a lot less of that on Idol these days, and obviously, Cowell has since brought his snark over to The X Factor. Last season, new judges Steven Tyler and Lopez were actually accused of being too nice.

It just goes to show that there's a fine line between drama and exploitation, and Idol doesn't always get it right.

Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom's fertility frustrations have been well-documented, particularly on the first season of Khloe and Lamar. But that was before NBA player Lamar was unexpectedly traded from the L.A. Lakers to the Dallas Mavericks. For now, the youngest Kardashian sister says she's thankful to be baby-free.

"I think, 'Gosh, what if I did get pregnant last season or a few months ago?'" Kardashian, 27, tells People. "Or what if I had a newborn baby and all this (NBA) trade stuff happened? I don't think I could have dealt with everything at one time. Doing this trade and my husband's emotions and going through all that is so stressful."

Nonetheless, Khloe and Lamar are still trying in earnest to start a family -- and Khloe says she's feeling optimistic that "maybe Dallas will bring a baby."

"Everything will happen when it's meant to be," she declares. "Last season, we were much more documenting, 'OK, when am I ovulating, when am I doing this?' And it was very stressful to do it that way, so we've stopped. Lamar and I definitely are letting nature take its course."

Kardashian admits that they have one unique problem when it comes to conceiving: the cameras that document their every move. While Khloe has zero inhibitions about being affectionate in front of the camera crew ("We've had our same film crew since the first season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians," she explains), Lamar is a different story.

"He's still getting used to filming," she explains. "There are standard cameras that are just placed in rooms. There's no film crew in those rooms. You see the black and white footage because Lamar's like, 'I can't get my freak on with people here.'"

Wow -- have we finally found something a Kardashian family member won't do on camera? Shocking!

The new season of Khloe and Lamar premieres Feb. 19 on E!.

House fans, it's time to begin the mourning process. The producers of Fox's critically acclaimed medical drama announced Wednesday that the series is entering its final chapter.

Rumors had been swirling that the long-running primetime drama's star Hugh Laurie, 52, was ready to call it quits, but now the news is official. So when will the show end?

According to E! News, the show's 8th season, which is currently airing, will be its last -- and the season finale in May will also serve as the series finale.

"After much deliberation, the producers of House M.D. have decided that this season of the show, the 8th, should be the last. By April this year they will have completed 177 episodes, which is about 175 more than anyone expected back in 2004," the producers say in the statement.

"The decision to end the show now, or ever, is a painful one, as it risks putting asunder hundreds of close friendships that have developed over the last eight years—but also because the show itself has been a source of great pride to everyone involved."

In case you're wondering why a hit show with a cult following has decided to shut down production, Fox president Kevin Reilly would like to clarify that this is not a cancellation or a network decision. It's Laurie and the rest of the producers who have decided to make this the final season of the series.

"While it's with much regret, and a lump in our throats, we respect the decision Hugh, David [Shore] and Katie [Jacobs] have made. A true original on the page and amazingly brought to life by Hugh Laurie, there is only one Dr. House," Reilly says in a statement.

"For eight seasons, the entire House team has given us -- and fans around the world -- some of the most compelling characters and affecting stories ever seen on television. They have been creatively tenacious and collaborative throughout this incredible run, and they are amongst the most superior talents in the business. For all the above, we wholeheartedly thank them, and the fans who have supported the show."

For those who tuned in week after week to see what the genius, curmudgeonly diagnostician was up to, this announcement must come as a loss.

What do you hope happens in the final months of the show?

Jake Pavelka has graduated from a mansion full of women to a stage full of naked men! The former Bachelor star has announced that he'll be hosting the world-famous male-stripper Chippendales stage show in Las Vegas four four weeks, beginning Feb. 23 and ending March 18. But will he be taking it all off?

Sorry, ladies -- the airline pilot turned reality star says he's going to stay modest.

"As for not stripping, I am the guest host for the run of those weeks, so I'm leaving it to the professionals who have kept this brand thriving since the 1970s," Pavelka, 28, tells The Hollywood Reporter.

On the other hand, he may not be able to resist showing off his abs -- and his Dancing with the Stars moves!

"At this time, he's not officially stripping, but you never know what can happen," a source close to Pavelka tells Us Weekly. "It's a live show and the audience always plays a big factor."

According to the press release, Pavelka "will use his charm, sex appeal and hosting skills to keep the women entertained" in between dance numbers. For Pavelka, the job is a welcome change from performing for TV cameras.

"You know, I've always loved the idea of a live audience," he tells The Hollywood Reporter. "Hosting in front of an unpredictable crowd forces you to draw from the energy of the crowd. It's challenging but also exciting to work off that kind of adrenaline, knowing no two shows will be the same."

Recent Chippendales guest hosts have included Ronnie Ortiz-Magro from Jersey Shore and Jeff Timmons from the band 98 Degrees.

Before he flies to Vegas, Pavelka will be filming the next few webisodes of his Bachelor recap series, Jake Means War. Watch the latest installment below.

Pavelka split from his Bachelor winner fiancee Vienna Girardi in June 2010. He is now reportedly dating model and Sweet Home Alabama contestant Ashley Ann Vickers. Bet she'll enjoy the show!

In her first blog for the iVillage blog series CelebVillage, actress and mom Felicity Huffman writes about about how sharing family dinners with actor husband William H. Macy and daughters Sophia, 11, and Georgia, 9 (pictured below looking at the camera) has "relieved me of carrying around old baggage from the past."

Before our daughters were born, my husband and I were used to a nomadic, gypsy lifestyle. We were always traveling for work or if we were in the same city at the same time, we would be on different schedules. I remember one morning when Bill woke me up at 5 a.m. because I had an early set call. He had been shooting all night and was just going to bed. He had a cup of coffee in one hand for me and a glass of scotch in the other hand for himself.

But when our first child was born, something changed in him. No more sitting at the kitchen counter drinking beer and eating day-old Chinese food. He wanted family dinners, a proper sitdown family dinner. He had his family history and I had mine. The lack of family unity had created a vacuum in his life, but it had created an aversion in mine. I hated family dinners. They were something to be endured growing up: the boring conversations, my mother overwhelmed and grumpy, my father just sitting there and not helping, my sisters always on some weird diet and not being able to eat the food. I found them depressing. And now with a new baby in the house they felt like more than I could take.

Now I have to admit, I think I was a little depressed anyway after my daughter was born. There were many episodes of me standing in the shower sobbing hysterically while my husband stood outside the glass door holding the baby, telling me everything was going to be alright and would I please now get out of the shower. That passed, thankfully, but not Bill’s desire to start having family dinners. So, dutifully, like taking medicine that tastes awful, we started having FAMILY DINNERS. I don’t know why they filled me with existential despair, but they did. I knew they were supposed to be good for you. They give your children a firm foundation, a sense of safety, and supposedly do all sorts of wonderful things like keep them off drugs, raise their test scores and help them avoid teen pregnancy.

So, we established the Macy/Huffman or the Muffman (as we call ourselves) family dinner. When the children were little we endured the unappetizing toddler food -- plain broccoli, fish sticks, pasta or whatever we could find the time to cook. Even when the dinners lasted 15 minutes (because that is about how long a toddler can sit), we stuck to the ritual because it takes commitment.

I found that over the years family dinners did give us what was promised: Rituals remind us of what is important and provide a sense of stability and continuity in our lives. It gives our family a solid meeting ground every night; the structure does give a sense of safety and unity.

Here is what I didn’t expect: They are actually, truly, surprisingly fun. Not like medicine at all. Wonderful watershed events have happened at our family table. When our youngest was two, she finally said her sister’s name out loud for the first time, which made her sister do a dance of joy around our kitchen. When our oldest was nine, she suddenly threw her arms in the air and shouted, “I can’t wait to grow boobs and get my period!” Bill fell off his chair.

I have actually learned to cook a little and enjoy it. I am now in love with writers of cookbooks and not just writers of novels. I have a crush on Jamie Oliver and feel like Gwyneth Paltrow is a personal friend. I want to write them a thank-you note when a recipe works out. I found Laurie David’s cookbook The Family Dinner to be a lifeline. I love it! It’s not only filled with great recipes, it’s got wonderful ideas for dinnertime conversations and inventive ways to get your kids talking and the whole family to start sharing ideas, dreams or just silliness. We go around the table and take turns saying what our happiest moment of the day was, or we play “high/low” or I get to learn about everyone’s day and I practice just listening, which I hope will come in handy when my girls are teenagers.

I love dinnertime now. We have created our own family ritual and it has relieved me of carrying around old baggage from the past. I don’t know if it will keep my daughters off drugs, or give them the backbone to stand up to pushy boyfriends, or raise their test scores, but in shooting for a long-term benefit I have gained a short-term blessing. At least four nights a week, my family sits down together, says a prayer of gratitude, and enjoys each other’s company.

Now if anyone has an idea on how to get the kids to do the dishes, I’ll make you dinner and you can tell me the happiest moment of your day.

Follow Felicity Huffman on Twitter at @FelicityHuffman and check out her official Facebook page. And her new site for women and moms, WhatTheFlicka.com, is coming soon! And click here to read more exclusive posts in the CelebVillage series.

Ellen DeGeneres is thrilled about the news that a federal appeals court ruled Prop 8 unconstitutional on Tuesday, and she took time out of her monologue on Wednesday's The Ellen DeGeneres Show to share her thoughts about it. Calling the move a step in the right direction, DeGeneres, 54, said the court ruling inspired her to address the controversy surrounding her recent naming as the new spokesperson for J.C. Penney.

One Million Moms, a conservative group and American Family Association affiliate, immediately called for J.C. Penney to "replace Ellen DeGeneres" because she is gay, and said they were launching a campaign against the clothing retailer for not remaining "neutral on the culture war."

In the end, J.C. Penney -- with the support of GLAAD -- chose to keep DeGeneres on board as their spokeswoman. "(One Million Moms) wanted to get me fired and I am proud and happy to say that J.C. Penney stuck by their decision to make me their spokesperson," Ellen said to thunderous applause. And while DeGeneres insisted that she's not one to call out those who speak out negatively against her, she made an exception in this case because "my haters are my motivators." See Ellen's monologue in the video below.
 

In a message against DeGeneres on their Facebook page, One Million Moms attacks Ellen's values, writing: "DeGeneres is not a true representation of the type of families that shop at their store. The majority of JC Penney shoppers will be offended and choose to no longer shop there."

The Facebook page only has 40,000 followers, but more than 4,500 people have commented on that post, many in support of DeGeneres. The talk-show host read some of those comments and seemed quite moved by them.

One Million Moms also referred to J.C. Penney's decision to bring on DeGeneres as "jumping on the pro-gay bandwagon," a concept which DeGeneres doesn't believe exists.

"Being gay or pro-gay is not a bandwagon," she said. "You don't get a free ride anywhere. There's no music, and occasionally we will sing 'We Are Family,' but that's about it."

Not surprisingly, DeGeneres turned to her token good nature to make light of the whole situation. "If (One Million Moms) have a problem with spokespeople, what about the Pillsbury dough boy? I mean, he runs around without any pants on, basically begging for people to poke his belly. What kind of message is that, you know?" she joked.

She did, however, get serious for a moment. "I usually don't talk about this stuff on my show, but I really want to thank everyone who's supporting me," DeGeneres said in closing. "Here are the values that I stand for. I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated, and helping those in need. To me, those are traditional values. That's what I stand for."

Turns out DeGeneres has supporters in the most unlikely places. Notorious right-winger and Fox News authority Bill O'Reilly spoke out in defense of DeGeneres on his show, The O'Reilly Factor, Wednesday night -- going so far as to say that the hostility against her is not in "the spirit of America."

"If you remember with the McCarthy era of the 1950s and they were trying to hunt down communist sympathizers and not let them work and put them on a blacklist… what is the difference between the McCarthy era of the '50s and the Million Moms saying, 'Hey, J.C. Penney and all you other stores, don't you hire gay people. Don't you dare.' What's the difference?" he said. "This J.C. Penney thing is a witchhunt and shouldn't happen."
 

Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Let the spin-offs begin! Jersey Shore (Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET, on MTV) may be wrapping up its fifth season on March 15th, but fans won't be left hanging. 

During an interview with FOX News, Snooki and J-WOWW (who recently sat down with iVillage and gave their spin-off a "likes"!) started hustling their own, upcoming series, which J-Woww sums up as a modern-day Laverne & Shirley. Well, minus the day jobs on the factory assembly line, we're sure.

"It’s more of our boyfriends, crazy families and other friends that are even more psychotic than the ones on the show," said J-WOWW about the as-yet-untitled show. "[It’s just] us being us, like Laverne & Shirley for 2012."

While we're fairly certain the Jersey girls, who MTV described as "always inseperable and ready to get the party started," won't be moving to Milwaukee anytime soon, where the show will take place is still up in the air. Their first choice -- Hoboken, N.J., which is just across the Hudson River from Manhattan -- is off the table now that its mayor, Dawn Zimmer, denied a request from MTV to film there "based on protecting public safety and quality of life concerns for Hoboken residents."

This well-worded defense was a much more diplomatic approach than stating the obvious. (Zimmer doesn't want a trashy show to sully her city's cool rep.) J-Woww has taken the rejection in stride, though she feels for the residents of Hoboken, whose mayor is depriving them of "more press, more profit, more revenue for the small business owners." As for Snooki, she's also not taking Zimmer's stance personally -- "Whatever, I'm not mad at her," she said.

While the girls are settling into their spin-off, the Shore's favorite DJ already has one in place. Pauly D's new MTV show, The Pauly D Project, will premiere on March 29th at 10:30 p.m., just two weeks after Jersey Shore's current season ends. 

Pauly D's 12-episode series will follow him around as he furthers his DJ career (because he aims to be more famous) by signing a contract with 50 Cent's label G-Note Records and going on tour as an opening act for Britney Spears. While other housemates will likely not be on the show, some of Pauly's boys from back home in Rhode Island will also make an appearance on the show.

No word yet on how much GTL will factor in, since this show seems set on showing his "working" side. But then again, no self-respecting Jersey Shore cast member would be caught dead looking pale. Maybe he'll travel with a tanning bed?

Take a look as Snooki & J-WOWW sit down with iVillage to discuss doing reality TV forever and, what else, pickle-juice shots!

When news broke last week that judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger and host Steve Jones would not be returning for season 2 of The X Factor, the only big surprise was the firing of Abdul. After all, she and show creator Simon Cowell have been good friends since their time together on American Idol.

Needless to say, Cowell is a bit disappointed by the way things turned out.

"I would've liked to have kept (Paula)," Cowell, 52, tells Extra in a two-part interview that began airing Wednesday night. "She was very gracious, and I said that to her. She understands it's business; it's never personal."

He says Scherzinger also took the job loss pretty well, adding: "I don't think she's mad. I think she's disappointed." Sources have since said that the former Pussycat Dolls frontwoman is going to focus on her music career.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Cowell's interview is who he blames for the firing on the three X Factor cast members: himself.

"It's only because I opened my big mouth and said we were going to get 20 million (viewers)," he admits. "If I hadn't said that, everybody would be saying the show was a huge success."

In an effort to make The X Factor the 20-million viewer success he wants it to be, Cowell is looking for some new blood to sit next to him and the show's only other returning judge, record exec L.A. Reid. So who is he going after?

If you were putting stock in those reports that Simon had offered Beyonce $100 million a season to come on board, don't hold your breath.

"I have no clue where that came from. I read that online that I offered her $100 million a year. The budget for the show is $100 million. That would never, ever happen. It's absolute nonsense," he insists. "Even if you had that kind of money, I wouldn't spend $100 million on one person."

Cowell goes on to say that Madonna would be "great" but "expensive," and that Katy Perry would be "fun -- she's feisty." He also says that he would "love" to have Mariah Carey as a judge, "but you can't expect someone who's just had two kids to make the kind of commitment you would need on this show."

In fact, Cowell says he doesn't feel the pressure to replace his big-name former judges with more celebs.

"I'm not playing this game where we have to compete on the level of A-lister stars," he says, subtly referencing competing show The Voice. "You can lose focus on what the show is all about, and at the end of the day the most important thing is the contestants."

In an effort to promote first lady Michelle Obama's national Let's Move! campaign to get kids more physically active, Jimmy Fallon took her up on an offer to "make a complete fool" of herself for the cause.

In the Feb. 7 episode of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, the late-night funnyman, 37, explains how a comment Obama made at a press conference made him think she would welcome a visit from him.

"I'm willing to make a complete fool out of myself to get our kids moving," Obama said in a statement Fallon showed the audience.

Apparently, that was all the encouragement Fallon needed to make a trip down to Washington D.C. to help the first lady. In a pre-recorded segment, Fallon is shown walking in the White House ready to see Mrs. Obama...if he can get past security.

"Sir, this is a restricted area, I've told you before," a security officer tells Fallon, who holds up a not-quite official looking badge. "Right. That's your NBC employee ID taped to a Dave & Buster's gift card."

"It's OK Harry, he's with me," Obama shows up, rescuing Jimmy. "Thanks so much for coming... to raise awareness for the Let's Move initiative. Are you ready for a little competition?"

Then the fun part begins. At first Fallon dons an old-school spandex unitard that the first lady nixes right away. "No way, Jimmy" she tells him.

After he's properly dressed, Fallon and Obama go toe-to-toe in a series of schoolyard competitions, from push-ups and tug of war to dodgeball and hula-hooping. With the score tied, the two enter the final competition: a potato sack race.

"Good luck. You're gonna need it!" Michelle taunts. With the Chariots of Fire theme playing in the background, Jimmy gives it his all against the impressively fit first lady. Watch the video below to see who won!

You never know what to expect from a Real Housewives reunion -- tawdry moments, catty barbs, over-the-top name calling and sometimes even physical fights (Teresa Giudice, we're looking at you).

During the second installment of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion show, which aired on Feb. 6, there were plenty of hostile moments and you could definitely feel the tension between the ladies on host Andy Cohen's left and the ladies on his right. Among the bickering, some surprising information did come out -- Taylor Armstrong speculated that her husband Russell Armstrong -- who was found dead on Aug. 15, and was believed to have committed suicide -- had been murdered. (Click here to watch the clip from last night's show!)   

"(Russell) had a lot of things going on that I didn't know about, " she revealed. "I hate to say it, but it would give me great solace to think that this was at the hands of someone else as opposed to my husband being in such despair that he took his own life." Taylor also brought up the fact that she found a locked briefcase along with Russell's body, which held info on ten different bank accounts, an office in Rio de Janeiro and "flash drives that I have yet to open because I'm afraid they may contain documents that once I touch them I'll be sued for."

When Andy Cohen outright asked Armstrong, "Oh, so you think there's a possibility this could be a murder?" In response, Taylor gave Cohen a knowing glance that spoke a thousand words.

Want to know more details? You'll have to buy her memoir, Hiding from Reality: My Story of Love, Loss and Finding the Courage Within, which conveniently hits shelves today (click here for an excerpt).

Of course, someone involved in this bicker fest was going to accuse Taylor of profiting off of Russell's death. Her friend Kyle Richards was too busy supporting her, but her frenemy Brandi Glanville rose to the occasion.

As Cohen mediated a heated debate between Glanville and Armstrong, he asked Brandi, "Do you think that it's inappropriate that she wrote a book?" Without missing a beat, she replied, "Uh, it's been like a hot minute, yeah."

The comment sets off Armstrong, who is in financial debt and being sued thanks to Russell's business dealings. "Three women die every single day from domestic violence!" she shrieks. "Do you want me to wait another month, so a hundred more women will be dead? How about six months? And so six hundred more women are dead?"

Glanville is kind (or dim) enough not to point out the obvious: It's a bit presumptuous to declare that one's book is going to save women's lives. But who knows? Maybe it will. And Glanville might not be the best judge of ethical behavior, since she also gleefully admits to slashing the motorcycle tires of her ex, Eddie Cibrian.

After quickly and proudly owning up to what she did, Glanville said, "I just took the tires and I put the knife into his motorcycles. Then I told him, 'Don't ride them, because you're probably going to get hurt.'"

We can't wait to see what else crops up next week when The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion concludes on Monday, Feb. 13th, at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo. From this very short tease, we know that Kim Richards finally makes an appearance and talks to Andy Cohen about going into rehab. Bravo may not have given up many more details about next week's episode, but one thing is for certain -- we'll be watching! 

Jersey girls Kim Gambale and Chrissy Scali are back with season 2 of their reality show, Jersey Couture, and this time there's more drama (and sequins!) than ever before.

With the help of their mother Diane Scali, the two style-savvy sisters design blinged-out gowns and run their Jersey dress boutique, Diane & Co. But working with family isn't always easy -- and in this iVillage exclusive sneak peek, it's clear that the acrylic claws are coming out!

Watch below as the ladies hire a hot assistant, style a surprise soap star and wage an all-out screaming match. Let the drama begin!

Tune into Oxygen to watch Jersey Couture on Tuesdays at 10 p.m.

Maria Menounos is a woman of her word -- and men everywhere are glad of it. The self-professed New England Patriots fan was so confident her team would win Sunday's Super Bowl that she promised to host Extra in her bikini if the New York Giants won the big game.

Well, the Giants did win, and Menounos's Extra cohosts Mario Lopez and A.J. Calloway didn't let her off the hook. The 33-year-old television presenter ended up stuck in New York's Times Square in the middle of winter wearing naught but a Giants-colored bikini. Watch below!
 

While Menounos was a good sport about the whole thing, she wasn't exactly psyched to make good on the wager. "I hate bets," she said as she disrobed. "I'm never doing this again."

Calloway, meanwhile, decreeed that "God is a Giants fan." And Menounos agreed, saying that Sunday's loss "still hurts, but I love my Pats."

Trying to give the ladies watching Extra a good show, Menounos suggested that Mario Lopez was wearing far too many clothes -- and should join her in stripping down.

"Mario, I say you do the show with your shirt off too. It's only fair!" she teased.

"No, no, no, no, no," he quickly replied with a laugh. "I didn't make any bet."

So what was the worst part about hosting Extra in a bikini? That Menounos honestly thought the Patriots were going to win.

"I was so confident that every day I ate like I was never going to eat again, and now..." she lamented, waving her hand at her svelte bikini bod. And now what? You look fabulous, woman!

Oh, Ricky Martin, you're so fine. You're so fine that Glee's producers have cast you as a suave Spanish teacher who threatens Mr. Schue's (Matthew Morrison) standing as the most popular teacher at McKinley High.

"He came onto the show because my [character’s] Spanish speaking skills were coming into question, so I started attending night school and he was my teacher," Morrison told AccessHollywood.com. "He comes in and I bring him into the Glee Club and people like, really love him…So my job is kind of on the line now because the kids really love him."

That love is pretty evident in this clip, when the New Directions boogie down with Martin to the LMFAO song, "Sexy and I Know It" -- watch the clip here:  

Of course this will lead to a sing-off between the two men, with Mr. Schue taking on a Spanish version of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation."

Martin's guest appearance gives Glee (Tuesdays, 8 p.m. ET, on FOX) an opportunity to shape a whole episode around Spanish-language and Spanish-tinged music. For even more Latin flare, it's also been reported that Gloria Estefan is heading to McKinley High to play Santana's (Naya Rivera) mom!

Aside from Rivera, who is half-Puerto Rican, Glee's cast doesn't exactly look like they would come naturally to Latin music (please see Finn dancing in the Ricky Martin clip). But in yet another testament to the hardest-working cast on TV, the episode is chock-full of Spanish-language songs.

The ultra-Anglo-looking Sam (Chord Overstreet) will sing to Mercedes (Amber Riley) with a Spanish mash-up of Gypsy Kings' "Bamboleo" and Enrique Iglesias' "Hero."  And even Canadian-born Corey Monteith will be rolling some R's with an episode-opening ditty in Spanish.

Will Mr. Schue win back his glee club's affections? Oh, of course he will. Let's not forget, this guy knows how to shake his bon-bon, too.

With the release of Taylor Armstrong's new book, Hiding From Reality: My Story of Love, Loss and Finding the Courage Within, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star is looking for a new start. Ever since her husband Russell Armstrong committed suicide in August, she's been on a journey of healing to come to terms with what his death and the abuse he inflicted on her mean to her and her family.

"I love him to this day and miss him terribly," she said in an interview with the Today show Monday morning. "The good times were the best I've ever had, and the worst times were the worst I've ever had." (Watch the interview below.)
 

Taylor even admitted to Today that her abusive relationship with Russell was a big motivating factor in her decision to sign on for Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. "I thought the cameras would provide some protection," she explained.

Now that her husband is gone, however, Taylor and her 5-year-old daughter Kennedy are facing new challenges. The 40-year-old reality star discusses these in the prologue to her new book, which hits stores today.

"Disturbingly, I had found something comforting about having someone tell me who to talk to, how to behave, what to wear, and what to do," she writes. "Now there was no one controlling the outcomes, or anything else in my life, and I found that making my own decisions was a burden I wasn't prepared for. Then, in the depths of my despair, I discovered a strength I wasn't aware I had."

Armstrong made similar comments to iVillage when we spoke to her in December.

"The book is, just like New Year's Eve, a new beginning for me. I'm really looking forward in my life right now, but I think it's important for people to understand the back story," she said at the time. "That's the point of the book: to try and help other people, not to get involved in something that might be dangerous for them or unhealthy in any way."

Madonna's Super Bowl XLVI halftime show may not have included a nipple flash or any other wardrobe malfunctions -- but thanks to M.I.A. it did feature a universally recognizable vulgarity: the middle finger.

The English rapper, who joined Madonna on stage along with Nicki Minaj to perform their new single "Give Me All Your Luvin'," flipped audiences the bird during her segment of the song. Television audiences may not have caught it because NBC cut away from the offending gesture. But those with a recording of the Giants vs. Patriots Super Bowl game can plainly see M.I.A., 36, giving the proverbial one-finger salute.

NBC Sports released the following statement: "We apologize for the inappropriate gesture that aired during halftime. It was a spontaneous gesture that our delay system caught late."

The NFL was also quick to apologize for the mishap, which has managed to overshadow the rest of Madonna's elaborate performance. "There was a failure in NBC's delay system. The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate, very disappointing, and we apologize to our fans."

As for the rapper herself, she has yet to explain her actions, but considering she's a rather controversial artist, there may not be any reason at all for the finger.

What do you think -- is M.I.A.'s middle finger as note-worthy as Janet Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction?

Madonna's much-anticipated halftime show at Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis was a spectacle of elaborate costumes, star guest appearances and greatest hits. But was it everything her fans had hoped it would be?

Dressed in a Gladiator-like outfit topped with a huge crown, Madonna, 53, was carried out by muscle-bound men in legionnaire getups. The legendary pop diva performed a 12-minute mini-concert of her hits including "Vogue," "Like a Prayer," "Music" and her latest single "Give Me All Your Luvin."

The Material Girl shared her halftime spotlight with LMFAO, who sang "Party Rock Anthem" and "Sexy And I Know It" with her as acrobatic dancers and a tightrope walker performed around them. Madonna also impressed with some gymnastic moves of her own, including cartwheels and push-ups.

Then similarly clad rappers Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. joined Madonna for their single "Give Me All Your Luvin." Holding pom-poms, the two younger artists sang their verses atop separate platforms. (And M.I.A. got so caught up in the performance that she gave the crowd the middle finger, which NBC later apologized for.)

For the grand finale, Cee Lo Green (dressed as a drum major) led a marching band on stage to sing parts of "Open Your Heart," "Express Yourself," and then "Like a Prayer," during which the Voice judge stole the show with his vocalizing -- not to mention his black sequined choir robe. The two harmonized with a gospel choir that belted out the No. 1 hit's memorable chorus.

After the song's final line, Madonna vanished from the platform in a blur of smoke as the words "World Peace" appeared on the field. (And as she promised, there were no wardrobe malfunctions during the show)

Reactions on Twitter were divided between those who thought it was spectacular and those who were disappointed -- either by the performances or the fact that Madonna didn't kiss Nicki or M.I.A. But we want to know what you thought! Vote in our poll to share your thoughts.

Watch the halftime performance below!