Katie Holmes Dances and LeAnn Rimes Separates

Did you catch Katie Holmes on “So You Think You Can Dance” last night? I did, or should I say I watched the first 30 seconds or so, got bored, and fast forwarded through to the results (thank you DVR!). It wasn’t that she was bad, but as Robert Thompson, the director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture put it, Katie did “a competent job.” He did, however, point out that most of the “real movement” was done by “real dancers.” I mean, I know Katie is or was on Broadway, but she was just okay for … Continue reading

Katie Holmes’ New $43K Makeover and an Unexpected Hollywood Miracle

Recession? What recession? While the rest of the world (or at least us non-Hollywood types) is pinching pennies in these tough economic times, Tom Cruise’s wife is spending like there’s no tomorrow. Then again, maybe, Katie Holmes’ $43,000 makeover is just what the economy needs to help stimulate it. It’s just too bad she couldn’t drop the dough in her home country. According to reports, Holmes new longer do comes courtesy of some talented hair stylists in Japan. The UK’s Daily Mail claims Holmes shelled out £30,000 – which at today’s exchange rate comes out to more than $43,000 – … Continue reading

Gossip and Loyalty in Marriage

Two things recently started me thinking about gossip and loyalty in marriage. One was in the book ‘Take Joy’ by Jane Yolen where she talked of certain ’emotional core truths.’ She went on to mention some core truths about herself. One of these was ‘being loyal’ to those she loved. The other sign recently that tickled my fancy was this. ‘I never repeat gossip, so listen carefully the first time.’ But what has gossip got to do with marriage? Sadly, I thought it related closely to not being loyal to our spouse. Listening to guys talk at times, I hear … Continue reading

Who Needs to Change?

Sometimes I’ve heard young women talking about the guy they’re going to marry and they will make the comment. ‘I’ll soon change him once we’re married.’ Can I suggest such a relationship is heading from trouble from the outset? For ages after we were first married, I tried to convince Mick it was better to get up and let me make him breakfast before he went off to work. But to him another half hour in bed was more valuable than eating breakfast. I had to accept I wasn’t going to change him, even if I did think it was … Continue reading

Playing Santa

There is a lot of Secret Santa’s running around this year but also some not-so-secret. (This photo by Jacob Windham is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License ) If you remember, famous secret Santa Larry Stewart died almost two years ago, but not before giving out an estimated $1.3 million dollars. He used to give out $100 bills on the streets of Kansas City to anyone who looked like they needed it. Ill and knowing his end was near, Stewart told a friend how much he would miss his anonymous giveaways. The friend, whose name has not been revealed, … Continue reading

Tom Cruise: Target of Tall Tales–Is He Really Keeping Kids from Nicole?

Tall Tale #1—Tom Cruise is in Talks to Star in “Top Gun 2” Last week the Internet was a buzz with talk that Cruise had agreed to reprise his role as Maverick in the movie that sent his popularity soaring. Could it be that 22 years after he hit mock speeds on the big screen that Cruise would try to take off again? Not according to a spokesperson for Paramount, who quickly put an end to rumors that the studio was in talks to bring “Top Gun” back for another run at the box office. Not only has the film … Continue reading

TV Stars Returning to the Small Screen

Michael J. Fox and Katie Holmes are retuning to their roots—the good ol’ boob tube. Producers of FX’s “Rescue Me,” say Fox will make his return to series TV with a four-episode guest role on the popular drama. But don’t expect the 47-year-old actor to be running around like his former “Family Ties” and “Spin City” characters. Show producers say on “Rescue Me,” Fox will play a wheelchair bound “very funny, very original character.” Fox’s character is the new boyfriend of Denis Leary’s character Tommy’s estranged wife Janet (Andrea Roth) and will be introduced in the fifth-season premiere next spring. … Continue reading

What Do You Read For?

My mom has been staying with me for the last month recovering from a fall, and with little else to do, has been gobbling up my bookshelves almost faster than I can replenish them. I’m passing along all the books I think she ought to like, but I’m finding something odd. There are some books she just doesn’t like, books I loved. Why is that? After thinking it over for a little while, I came to a very important conclusion. Readers all read for different reasons. Some read to be entertained. Others, to be educated, or uplifted, or distracted, or … Continue reading

Challenges And Habits

In my last blogs we looked at the idea of being challenged to take on a new area of service or ministry or challenged to continue on after failure. But there is another way we could look at challenges. So often we pray the Lord’s Prayer saying, ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,’ Matthew 6:10. How is God’s will done in heaven? Perfectly – always. Do you and I always do God’s will perfectly on earth? No we don’t. I’m sure each of us have areas in our lives we know are not pleasing to … Continue reading

How to Make Good Habits Last

I’ve heard various friends say that it takes three week to turn a behavior into a habit. The stages of forming a habit: Precontemplation. You have a vague sense that you want to make a change. Maybe you’re not sure where or how to start. Maybe you make a lot of excuses why you can’t change. This is a good time for a list of pros and cons. Why do you want to change, and why will it be good for you? What’s holding you back? Contemplation. You have a firmer sense that you want to make a change. You … Continue reading