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You may laugh at reality shows and call them stupid, but the stars of these shows are laughing all the way to the bank. And talk about bank! This year, Kim Kardashian is the highest paid reality star, bringing in about $6 million. You may think you know everything about Kim thanks to Keeping Up with the Kardashians, her new book, “Kardashian Konfidential” and of course, her sex tape. (Okay, let’s not go there.)

Well, here are a few factoids you might not know:

1 – Kim Kardashian’s name is searched on Google over 9 million times per month

2 – Kim got married in 2000 and divorced in 2004 (She was only 19 when she got hitched)

3 – Kim was the third contestant sent home during the 2008 season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”

4 – Her dad, who passed away in 2003, was Robert Kardashian, an attorney in the O.J. Simpson trial

5 – Kim’s sisters, Khloe and Kourtney, bring in about $2.5 million each per year

6 – In 2009, Kim released a workout DVD called Fit In Your Jeans by Friday (Am I the only one who finds this to be hilarious!?!)

7 – Kim has a cupcake mix called Va-Va-Va-Nilla

8 – Kim’s zodiac sign is Libra. (She was born on October 21, 1980) Libras are flirtatious, self-indulgent, gullible, charming, elegant and good looking.

9 – In an interview with Matt Lauer, Kim called herself a “loner”

10 – Kim earns as much as $50,00 per appearance. She shows up somewhere, take pictures, has fun and gets paid. For example, she got paid $25k per hour to party at Tao nightclub in Las Vegas in 2009. Not too shabby…

It’s a trio of reality show beauties! Some of your favorite reality stars dish about keeping fit and motherhood in the January issue of REDBOOK, which hits stands on December 21, 2010. My favorite Top Chef judge and hostess, Padma, talks about how she gains 10 pounds during every season of Top Chef. I always wondered if they even ate enough to pack on a little extra poundage. I guess all of those tastings add up!

Bethenny talks about turning 40 and wanting to have another baby. She also discusses how she feels about leaving the Real Housewives of New York City. She seems pretty happy to put all of that Big Apple nonsense behind her. And if you’ve ever cried watching Biggest Loser, you’ll recognize hostess Allison Sweeney, who is also on the cover of REDBOOK.

Here are a few highlights:

Bethenny Frankel

On turning 40: “I would love to have a second child, and it’s not something I have time to wait for. You really experience your biological clock if you’re my age.”

On staying fit: “You shouldn’t dread working out. Exercise is like an old friend: You may not be able to see that friend all the time, but you’re not mad when you see them, you’re happy, and you get right back into it. I do yoga at night with my husband [after] we put the baby down. I say, a family that namastes together stays together.”

On leaving the Real Housewives of New York City: “I’m completely done with women being rewarded for bad behavior. I’m happy, and I love my life. . . It was fun the first season. Then it got not fun, and then it got scary and unhealthy and disgusting.”

Padma Lakshmi

Her biggest surprise about her body post-baby: “That I liked myself at a bigger size. I wanted to lose the weight, but I thought I was doing something more important than tending to my vanity. You look at your body totally differently. It created this life and brought it into the world.”

Alison Sweeney

Her best Biggest Loser weight-loss tip: “I was a really conscientious eater during the day, but then at night I found myself snacking on the worst stuff. [Biggest Loser trainer] Jillian Michaels said I was just tired and craving energy; my body needed more fuel to stay awake. So now, when I crave sugar at night, I go to bed.”

Images: Giles Bensimon for REDBOOK

I’m so excited to see Nancy Travis visit Wisteria Lane as Keith’s outspoken mother on Desperate Housewives this season. I’ve always thought she was a talented actress and quite funny too!  From movies like “Three Men and a Baby” to sitcoms like “The Bill Engvall Show,” Nancy brings us lovable, memorable characters. This summer, I had a chance to sit down and talk with Nancy in person, while she was filming her new movie, “A Walk in My Shoes” in Portland, Oregon. “A Walk in My Shoes” is part of a combined effort by Walmart and P&G to bring back family movie night entertainment. Both companies treated me and other fabulous mom bloggers to a unique behind-the-scenes movie experience.

Nancy was funny, personable, sincere and totally grounded. For someone who has been acting since high school and even married former President of Savoy Pictures, Robert N. Fried in 1994, she shows no signs of being affected by the Hollywood scene. We discussed why she took the role in this made-for-TV movie, how she balances being a mom and an actress, how being a mom has impacted her acting and she listed some of her favorite actresses.

Why she liked this role: The role Nancy plays in “A Walk in in My Shoes” is a stressed-out high school teacher, Trish. Nancy’s character can’t understand her students’ lack of effort in the classroom and why their parents don’t seem to care. Without giving away the whole movie, let’s just say a little bit of magic happens, giving Trish the chance to take a walk in one of the mom’s shoes and experience a new perspective. Nancy said she wanted to work on this movie because she was happy to work on a project that not only brought family-friendly programming to television, but addressed special life lessons.

Life as an actress and a mommy: Nancy spoke about her life as a mom and working actress. She said of a work/life balance, “You can have it all, but not at the same time. You have to figure out your priorities to make it all work.” She said motherhood has helped her become a better actress because, “every part of acting is drawing on your life experiences.” Nancy said she’s very picky about the roles she accepts because she must always take her family and community into consideration. “Nothing shameful or embarrassing,” she smiled.

Thoughts about the biz: When I asked her how she’d feel if her children wanted to pursue acting she said, “They should if they come by it naturally and decide they want to do it by themselves. Then I’ll support them as best as I can. It’s tricky as a parent, because for a child, there’s a lot happening in the business they aren’t ready to fully understand.”

Which actresses inspire Nancy? She named Helen Mirren, Cate Blanchett, Bonnie Bedelia and Vivien Leigh. In fact, Nancy laughed and said of Leigh, “I wanted to be Scarlett!”

You can see “A Walk in My Shoes’ on Friday, December 3rd at 8/7C on NBC. The movie will also feature a soundtrack produced by music mogul Randy Jackson that will be available at Walmart starting December 4, 2010. For more information visit the website!

Once in a while I wish I were a more adventurous dresser. You know, like a rock star. I look in the mirror and think, “Would Avril Lavigne or Pink or Courtney Love wear this?” The answer is always the same. Lots of laughter followed by, “Nope, not a gazillion years.” I don’t even have the guts to get a tattoo. I’m so tough. Ha!

Have you ever wondered if you can find shoes with lots of attitude, but they are actually functional? Well, there are quite a few brands that give you a rocker-esque look with crazy studs and chains, but the shoes actually look comfy. Weird? UES doesn’t think so.

Avril Lavigne was photographed wearing the UES Forsyth Wedge in Snakeskin ($335), while shopping at The Grove with her boyfriend Brody Jenner, on November 7th, 2010.The founder of UES, Seth Campbell, sought to bring a unique concept to the casual footwear market. With his introductory line of “shoewelry”, a collection that fused hardware jewelry embellishments with comfortable sneakers, this young designer proved himself as a pioneer in the industry.

Is that an “ah-ha” moment or what? So that’s how you strut around town if you have pink hair. Of course. Take a look at a few other wild options.

How about a studded clog/boot from Sam Edelman for $249 or, my favorite, the studded sensation in the boot world by Guiseppe Zanotti for a cool $1,580.

If you haven’t heard, because your issue of Teen Beat hasn’t arrived in the mail yet, the Teen Choice Awards were on recently. Not sure what time or when, because I didn’t watch it. I’m a bit too old, a tad too busy and mostly, too uninterested. I did look at the Red Carpet outfits and I was expecting typical teenage-like controversy in the form of skimpy, leather and angry. Oddly enough, I was happily surprised.

Here are a few of my favorite looks. Plus, find out who rocked the cool ugly cute odd pumps pictured above:

Ashley Greene in Valentino
I have no clue who she is, but she looks amazing. I love the dress, the color, the fit, etc. A++ for lil’ Miss Ashley

Kourtney Kardashian in Sass & Bide
Kourt looks stunning. She puts the MILF in MILF, for sure. I love that she isn’t wearing black because her dark features look great in lighter shades. Kudos to the hot mama!

Kristen Bell in Stella McCartney
The sheer top and pattern in the dress is sophisticated and stylish. As Heidi Klum might say, it’s unexpected. The nude accents really make the dress pop. I want one.

Leighton Meester in Pucci
The dress is cute and it looks great with her dark hair and extremely l-o-n-g legs. I’m a fan of short skirts, so I certainly won’t knock her for that. But what about these shoes?
Winner, winner, chicken dinner?
OR
Uhm, eww?

I’m unable to make a firm decision, so I need your help. Do I love ‘em or hate ‘em?

Images: UsMagazine.com

Miley Cyrus is going through her bodysuit phase – just like Madonna, Britney, Beyonce, Gaga, Pink and Rihanna. Who really cares! I understand, she’s only 17 years old and maybe it’s not appropriate for a girl that age to dress so seductively. Plus, she’s a role model to a young generation of girls.

All of this in incredibly legit, but what people fail to realize is if you’re a superstar, you don’t have to wear pants. That’s pretty much the point. Pants are optional when you make a gazillion dollars. When female celebrities stop wearing pants, they are sending out a sign of success. As soon as you see MommyQ strutting around without pants, you’ll know I’ve made it big.

Is there more to debate here? Is Miley a teen dynamo who wants to shed her Disney-created, squeaky clean image? Of course. She wants the world to know she’s an independent tween.  It’s her party and she’ll cry if she wants to.  Is she making bad choices? Absolutely. Will the public forgive her? Minus the moms of impressionable young girls, uhm, yes. Until all of that happens, she’ll keep strutting her stuff in a form-fitting garment that covers the torso and not much more. Let’s talk about something just a tad more important now, okay?

According to the May 31st issue of US Weekly, Sandra Bullock spent some time in the Music Capital of the World – Austin, TX – and did some shopping for baby Louis. On Friday, May 14th, Sandra & friends popped in Austin’s Izzy And Ash, a hip baby and kid’s boutique in Westlake, and picked up some cute finds.

The store owner, Jennifer Mazuelos, said Sandra was an easygoing mom and really seemed to enjoy shopping for baby stuff. Her fave items were baby hats and tees. (Sandra happened to be wearing a hat that day too!) Jennifer said Louis was a big baby, so Sandra was buying 18-24 month clothes. Okay, let’s cut to the good stuff. Here are some items she bought:

Chaser Tees Peace American Flag, Vintage Black Tee
Retails for $25 at Izzy and Ash.

City Threads Striped Blue Polo Shirt
Retails for $20.25 at Izzy and Ash

City Threads Charcoal Plaid Jersey Shorts
Retail for $23.25 at Izzy and Ash.

Want to see more items she bought, including the most adorable plaid baby cap you’ve ever seen? Check out this blog post on Droolicious for more of Louie’s goodies!

It’s a  rainy, muddy, dreary day for the running of the Kentucky Derby. The track is wet & sloppy and there is a brisk rain and a cold wind. Yuck! I feel so bad for all of my friends who are there right now. Hopefully they are enjoying plenty of Mint Juleps and feeling no pain. Maybe they’ll win a few bucks too. That would help.

As you know, the Derby Hat Parade is practically more thrilling than the race. You can see all of the magnificent hats by clicking here. It’s like Carnival for your head! Want to see some of the celebrities who have graced Churchill Downs for the “Run for the Roses” – Brooke Shields, Kim Kardashian, Danica Patrick and many more!

I came across this hat last week on Etsy and just had to blog about it. I was reading about all of the women looking for that PERFECT Kentucky Derby hat and I thought this was a great fit. What a lovely hat for baby girl! I’m just amazed at the yarny goodness. You can read more about this beauty on Droolicious.