Back in skinny jeans

Moment of prayer for Virginia Tech

There's been plenty of news about what has happened at Virginia Tech. It's been overwhelming for all. Today, I am going to take a moment of silence and prayer for all those who have lost their loved ones. Peace and blessings.

In effort to get Indian truckers to use rubbers, Richard Gere gets burned effigies

Note to celebrity self: When in India, it is bad to sweep Bollywood actress into your arms and kiss her repeatedly on cheek like you've just won the lottery. Protestors retaliate by burning effigies of you.

Richard Gere was in India on Monday at an AIDS Awareness event where he was emphasizing to a bunch of truckers, "No condom. No sex." Apparently, the "on-the-roaders" are the highest at risk to catch and spread AIDS because of frequent pit stops with ladies of the evening.

Gere was so excited to have Shilpa Shetty, recent winner of "Celebrity Big Brother" in Britain as his co-host at the AIDS Awareness function that he kissed her in glee on the cheek a la "Shall We Dance" style as he felt it most communicative since he does not utter a word in Hindi. Big No-No Mr. American Gigolo. That's offending her modesty and honor in her home country. So up you go in a flame of shame.

Shilpa later told everyone to chill out and not be so "regressive." Gere apologized to Shilpa, and all is good with them. Is burning effigies of Gere a bit much?

I can see how Gere's moves could have been seen as a bit aggressive but come on guys, there was no tongue, no booty grabbing, or even boob fondling, things worth torching Gere's image Medieval style. Simple booing and hissing might have sufficed, or send Richard to sensitivity training.

See the lot of photos of Gere's "offense" here at Yahoo News Photos, and you decide.

[Yahoo News]

Inspiring quote on greatness

Celebrities picking their nose

Yup! Time for the gross second grader in me to come out to play. It's celebrity booger time! Woo-hoo!

Join me in juvenile fun as we take a gander at a bunch of famous celebrities picking the bats out of their cave. TMZ has created this awesome gallery of famous booger pickers with the likes of George Clooney, Kate Hudson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Marcia Cross, Lindsay Lohan, and Sienna Miller just to name a few.

Check out the gallery plus find out who's picking her splendid schnoz in Malibu

Yummy kid treats for adults too and other munchies around the skinny-sphere

• Here's a list of some yummy kid treats that we adults can enjoy too. On the list, my 19-month old nieces eat these Gerber Finger Foods for snacks, and I must say that Auntie Steph enjoys them too. The Banana one is the best. You can eat like 80 pieces for 20 calories. It's like eating crunchy air. Dee-lishy! [Yahoo Food]

• Rest in Peace Don Ho, "Tiny Bubbles" [AP]

• Bruce Willis and Demi Moore's 13 year old daughter Tallulah Belle is legally changing her name to Lula, just Lula, because she no-likey the name mom and dad gave her at birth. Guess Junior High is hard enough without the crazy celeb name. Bruce was named after Bruce Wayne, Batman's day time persona. [SF Gate]

• The Nielsen ratings are going to follow us outside of the living room. The folks who let all the advertisers know what the most watched programs are on TV will start releasing stats on TV watched in bars, gyms, hotels and offices. Makes sense to me. I can watch 4 channels at the same time on the big screens while on the treadmill at my gym. It's multi-watching. [NYTimes]

• If you want to help save the environment, here are 10 things to avoid using. My favorite plastic spoons and forks are on the list. Guess I'll have to wash more utensils. [Buy Organic]

Cargo for the plane: make-up not luggage

As long as it can fit in a sandwhich ziploc, you can still bring make-up on the plane. Thank goodness the beauty companies are making smaller container sizes for us road warriors. Here's some very cool airplane friendly make-up from Cargo.

CARGO DailyGloss™ 1: This is a 30-day supply of tear away lipgloss dabbles. There are three shades that come with each box. I think these little packets are also cool to slip into your jeans when you go out dancing so you don't have to carry a full tube of gloss. Very clever packaging.

CARGO ColorCards™ : Here's eye shadow in a credit card slim packet. You could even slip one of these shadows in your wallet. Each box comes with 28 shades of sheer shimmering shadows to make your lids pop.

Of COURSE, Prince William's break up with girlfriend was "amicable"

Prince William is a nice kid, and future king of England so of course when he breaks up with his girlfriend it's going to be "amicable." Duh! The palace is a place of perfection so even if his break-up was nasty and Kleenex stocked the non-official, official comments will always be, "Wills and Kate remain good friends."

We're not going to hear, "William really in love with Victoria Beckham" "William busted with stripper as Kate waits at home." "Kate goes back to high school sweetheart." or "Kate dumps Wills for George Clooney."

The handsome and do-gooder Prince William broke up with his girlfriend of five years, Kate Middleton, this weekend. William is 24 and is doing his military thing in Dorset, a town 125 miles away from London where Kate lives. Wills feels too young to settle down. I do feel for Kate and William as break-ups are painful and sad. Who knows maybe one day he'll call her up out of the blue.

[The Sun]

Forbes lists highest celebrity divorces and other payouts around the skinny-sphere

• Forbes has come out with a list of the most expensive divorces in Hollywood history. Coming out at number one is Micheal Jordan who will end up paying out ex-wife Juanita over $150 million in their divorce settlement. Michael is going to have sell a whole lotta sneakers to make up for that payola [Forbes]

• Now, it's not just the guys who have had to pay out big in divorce. Forbes also has a list of the top female celebrities who had to pay mucho mullah for their divorces. That list includes the likes of Janet Jackson, J-Lo, Elizabeth Taylor, and Kirstie Alley. Love actually does cost a thing or two. [Forbes]

• Eva Air gets that Hello Kitty is mega popular, so they have incorporated the pink wonder into some of their planes. Oh yes! It's Hello Kitty Air. The outside of the plane even has Hello Kitty painted all over it. There's Hello Kitty themed in-flight meals, boarding passes, and flight attendant attire. It's pink overload people, but Awwww! how darn cute. [Rojaks Daily via City Rag]

• Guess who tops The 100 Unsexiest men off 2007? Of course it has to be the man with the worst come over in the history of hair, Donald Trump. Mind you, it's not just the bad 'do that makes The Donald unsexy. How do I put it into words? hmmm... He's as sexy as Paris Hilton is to sexy. Make sensing? [The Phoenix]

Girls Inc: Inspiring all girls to be Strong, Smart, and Bold

Girls Inc. Online is a social network place for girls ages 9-17 which is a safe, fun, and inspiring place or girls to hang out, meet other girls, engage in fun games & activities, and get tips on how to be successful in life. One of the things about the Girls Inc program that I think is exceptionally impressive is that they have a specific channel called Girlonomic$ where they educate girls about money. Here the girls can start beefing up their financial literacy, and let me tell you, I think this is one of the smartest things to do, teach girls about managing, growing, and being involved with their own money. Bravo Girls Inc!

On Wednesday (4/11), I had the honor of being a guest for "career night" to speak about professional blogging. It was a live online discussion where I spoke to the girls, and answered questions about what it's like being a professional blogger. Since I blog about beauty & body image issues, we also talked about the pressures that young girls today experience from the media to be thin and pretty. To the fashion world, those of you who do not think that your industry has any affect on what girls think about their bodies, looks, and self esteem, you are so wrong. You need to start talking and listening to the young girls in an honest way. Even they think the models in the ads are way too skinny.

I was very impressed by the young ladies that joined in the discussion. I really enjoyed hanging out with them! They are bright, intuitive, and proactive. The girls are hungry to learn, grow, and expand their horizons beyond focusing on just hair, makeup, and clothes. Those are fun girls things too, but Girls Inc gives these girls a place to really think beyond the physical. They get the girls thinking about how they can create a life of significance and meaning. Girls Inc online really is fantastic especially given that there are so many online places where young girls can easily get caught up in excess and superficiality.

If you have a daughter, niece, or know any girls ages 9-17, definitely have them check out Girls Inc.Online. Parents are also welcome to participate with their children.

Shar Jackson and her plastic surgery photos

Shar Jackson, the mother of Kevin Federline's two older children before the two he's had with Britney Spears, spent about $15k for a a tummy tuck and breast lift to get her body back in shape. She's given birth to four children, and the pregnancies have taken a toll on her body which is natural.

Shar let people get a peek into her surgery, and that included some graphic pictures. One of the pictures was literally of the excess fat and skin  that was removed during her tummy tuck laying on a surgical table. Another picture was of her on the table showing the breast and tummy incisions. I'm not that squeamish when it comes to body stuff, but these pictures for me was a poster example for the gruesomeness of plastic surgery. You are literally butchering the body in order to mold it into something thinner.

I get why people will go to extremes in order to be pretty and feel better about their bodies, but when you see the pictures of actual surgeries, the whole appeal goes right out the window for me.

See pictures of Shar Jackson and her plastic surgery at Spalsh News Online.