On TV
Video
Games
Style
Entertainment
Health
Photo Fun
Quizzes
Blogs
Astrology
Sweeps
Shop
Community
More+

CONTEST TODAY!!! Lorraine's giving one RCC a copy of her terrif new book, "Between the Devil and Desire!" Rules here.
From Michelle: Whether we're talkin' her much-worshipped western-set historicals or her veddy British ones, one thing rocks through all of Lorraine Heath's romances: the entertainment of her storytelling and the sexy fun of watching her wicked hot heroes fall for her delightful heroines. Please do check out her cool new Scoundrels of St. James series and give her your warmest, "Who knew Charles Dickens was so twisty?" Bella buongiorno...
From Lorraine: Thank you, Michelle, for inviting me to join you and the Bellas today! I'm so thrilled and excited about being here.
I was born in England to a British beauty and a Texan who was stationed at Bovingdon Air Force Base shortly after World War II-but I got to Texas as fast as I could. But leaving my doting grandparents, aunts, and uncles behind made things just a little lonely, because we had no family who lived close enough to us that we could see them every day, and my mom found the US to be a lovely but intimidating place.
So at a very early age, I was creating imaginary friends. My mom often told the tale of when we were crossing a street in Houston, got to the other side, and I threw a fit because she'd left my friend on the other corner. I couldn't be consoled until we went back across the street to retrieve him-someone only I could see. Bless my mom for indulging me and letting my imagination flourish.
I grew up in a small Texas town near Houston, population at the time was around 8,000. We had no movie theater so it was a real treat when we saw a movie in another town. I fondly remember the few movies we went to see: "Zulu," "Sound of Music," "Mary Poppins," "My Fair Lady," and "Oliver!" (Notice that my mom was partial to those with an Englishness about them.) And while I thought Oliver played by Mark Lester was precious, the Artful Dodger-played by Jack Wild-stole my heart.
When the idea of writing a series of stories with the premise that the characters were the people on whom Charles Dickens based "Oliver Twist," I knew that Jack Dodger-who represents the Artful Dodger-would be intriguing. His story is actually a bit "Oliver Twist", a bit "Great Expectations" as he has an anonymous benefactor who provides him with the funds to open his own gambling establishment.
While I originally envisioned his story involving his gambling establishment, characters tend to have their own opinions regarding how their stories should be told. In "Between the Devil and Desire," one of Jack's patrons-the Duke of Lovingdon-bequeaths Jack his London residence in exchange for which Jack is to serve as guardian of the duke's 5-year-old son. Olivia, the duke's young widow, is outraged that this scoundrel is charged with leading her son into manhood. And Jack, who trusts no good fortune, is working hard to discover why the duke would want him to be guardian.
From the outset, however, he and Olivia are at odds regarding the best way to manage the upbringing of her son and fighting a sexual attraction that both know can only lead to disaster. Jack knows that Olivia is far too good for the likes of him, and she-who has never even fantasized about doing anything improper-suddenly wants to be very improper indeed.
So my question to you is: what kind of hero do you like to be improper with? The scoundrel, the bad boy, the gentleman, the charmer? Do you like your heroes brooding or funny, easy-going or controlling?
Ain't It (A) Grand! -- There's more fun to be had (wink, wink) when you sign up for my NEW Newsletter List here (NOT in the myLifetime sidebar). That way you'll be able to keep utd on the RBTB dl when RBTB moves from myLifetime Jan 31.
***
Check out this RBTB 2008 Year's Best Awards list to see if we agree,
then let me know your recs. New categories and industry/readers awards. :)
***
Posted in: sex, love, romance: b(u)y the..., heroes, guestblogs, lorraine heath, historicals, between the devil...
Posted in: babies, children, farm, cute kids, animal antics, pigs, petting zoo
Posted in: pets, dogs, funny videos, animal antics, golden retriever, hamsters, hiccups, porcupines, rottweiler
Another celebrity marriage bites the dust. “Medium” star Patricia Arquette filed for divorce from actor Thomas Jane on January 5, citing “irreconcilable differences.” The couple got married in 2006.
The Emmy-winning actress is seeking custody of the couple’s daughter, Harlow, who turns six years old on February 20. Last September, Jane was put on a one-year probation after pleading no contest to drunk driving.
Arquette was married to Nicolas Cage from 1995 to 2001, and she has a 20-year-old son named Enzo from a previous relationship.
You can catch reruns of “Medium” on Lifetime.
Photo source: Jason Merritt/FilmMagic
Posted in: divorce, marriage, celebrities, medium, patricia arquette, entertainment news, celebrity showdowns, thomas jane
We’re sure lots of men will be thrilled to hear this news: Jennifer Love Hewitt is on the market again. Her publicist tells People.com that the “Ghost Whisperer” star ended her relationship with Scottish actor Ross McCall over the Christmas holidays.
The couple got engaged in November 2007.
Not that we’re psychic or anything, but we saw this split coming. We heard reports that the couple hadn’t been getting along for quite some time. And check out this photo of Hewitt and McCall at the 2008 Primetime Emmy Awards. He looks like he really doesn’t want to be there with her.
Tell us what you think about other celebrity relationships at Celebrity Romance Rater.
Photo source: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
Congrats to supermodel-turned-actress Rebecca Romijn and actor Jerry O’Connell on the birth of their twin daughters Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip. Romijn’s publicist said that the actress gave birth on December 28, 2008.
The twins are the first children for the couple, who married in 1997. Romijn was previously married to John Stamos.
Check out other celebs who twins or are parents to twins.
Photo source: Fernando Allende/Splash News
Posted in: twins, celebrities, entertainment news, rebecca romijn, jerry o'connell, celebrity kids

|
|
|
Congratulations to the myLifetime.com member who won the previous Fekkai giveaway! Now for your chance to win... One lucky HTS readers will be gifted with a basket full of luxurious haircare products from L’Oreal Professionnel. Included in the prize:
Vitamino Color Shampoo
Vitamino Color Masque
Age Densiforce Shampoo
Age Densiforce Masque
Infinium
Elasticite
Fixatif
Spirale Extreme
Sculpt Paste
Smooth Ultime For a chance to win this wonderful L’Oreal Professionnel prize package (valued at over $225), simply leave a comment on ANY post on this blog. The contest closes at 11:59 pm EST on February 2nd 2009, with one lucky winner chosen at random from the eligible entries. Click here for a full list of rules & regulations. |
Posted in: haircare products, giveaways, l'oreal...
|
|
|
Jennifer Connelly showcased an intricate updo at the Tokyo premiere of "The Day The Earth Stood Still." |
Posted in: jennifer connelly, brunette, updo, braids, look of the day
Disgusted by the Scale
My initial reaction upon hearing the number 232 was disgust. The number disgusted me. On the scale, I could not bring myself to even look at it. I had previously worked really hard to reach a reasonable weight, and while my clothing size had been steadily increasing, I was never aware of exactly how far I had strayed. Not only did I once make my living from physical fitness, I never really had trouble losing weight. I knew the major differences even a minuscule change in my habits would make. So it was even more disappointing that I let myself reach that point. That realization was only made worse when the therapist, Stacy Kaiser, made us say our weights out loud. Attaching a number to a name still allows for a certain level of detachment. Saying it out loud forces you to actually admit to the world just how badly you failed.
Ready to Run
After the weigh-in, where we discovered our starting weights, Jessie led all five of us outside to a track for our fitness evaluation. There we then discovered our starting fitness levels. We were all nervous to run a track. I personally couldn’t remember the last time I had really been running, let alone put my body to the test. I had no idea what my current level of fitness was, and after the jarring disappointment of the weigh-in, I was not looking forward to another demoralizing revelation of my shortcomings. Before long we were running well, jogging. Upon reflection, I saw quite a bit of similarities in our approach to that test as our general approach to exercise at that time, for everyone. I ran the track at a comfortable pace, then pushing the last of my energy in the final sprint. I didn’t know what to make of my results. Staring down that track, I really didn’t think I would make it all the way around without walking, but then the exact opposite happened. I ran the whole way, had the quickest time and wasn’t really that tired afterward. It left a lot of food for thought.
Therapy Time
In our first group therapy session with Stacy Kaiser, she stated her theories on the excuses we as overweight individuals use in our lives. I do agree that people make excuses and justifications to continue to keep harmful things in their lives. And it’s important to know what is motivating those excuses and what in your life you are compensating for by making a particular excuse. The biggest lesson I got from that session was to question myself more deeply about what it was I was actually doing to myself and why ... and what crutch being overweight represented in my life.
Fighting With Jessie
Not long into the process, the trainer and I bumped heads. In an ill-worded attempt to motivate, the trainer, Jessie, challenged my workout integrity. He cited my enthusiasm during the workouts in comparison to the other girls and what his expectations of my capabilities were. He stated that he considered me to be a natural athlete and considerably more capable than the other girls. So therefore, while I was already lifting the heaviest weights, doing the most reps of any given exercise and running the fastest on the treadmill, he still felt that I was not trying during my workouts. I did not appreciate his accusation that I don’t give 100 percent, and I was frustrated that I was held to a higher standard. Naturally, I was more than upset. Amidst harsh words and tears, we argued about the duties of a trainer to explain their expectations, the expectations I as a person have in regard to how I am spoken to, and the responsibilities of either party to make a workout challenging.
Facing the Scale Again
Then the first weigh-in rolled around sooner than I wanted. And the moment of truth was upon us. It was a moment carrying with it a lot of pressure. It was a moment that would determine the momentum of the entire program how steep this uphill battle would really be. Not to mention the additional question to answer: Had the doubt on my commitment really been warranted? Again I was faced with staring at a number that, no matter how rewarding a representation of my hard work, would be a number I never wanted to see attached to my name. As I was so far away from any weight I thought reasonable, nothing that followed the laws of physics would manifest a number that I wanted to see. But despite all that, I was rewarded with a number that did in fact represent my hard work. The scale showed me and everyone the truth of the previous weeks.
I lost seven pounds not the most nor the least. I had in fact been working hard; I could have worked harder, but I was putting forth a very good effort. It was a somewhat motivating result. It gave me a good gauge on the work involved in the coming weeks. Once you can attach a number to the effort you are putting forth, the reward becomes tangible. And reaching that 30 pounds at the end of the 90 days suddenly seems possible.
I’d love to hear from you as you watch me try to reach that 30-pound mark.
Posted in: diet, fitness, jessie pavelka, stacy kaiser, shawna mcclellan