Is there something in the water? It feels like pregnancy is everywhere and a baby bump has become the new must-have accessory. It used to be those tiny dogs that fit effortlessly into handbags, but now baby bumps are "it." Maybe it’s because Ashlee Simpson, Jennifer Garner and Minnie Driver are all on the cusp of giving birth, or because recent mom Jamie Lynn Spears (17-year-old sister of Britney) has been on every cover of every magazine in the checkout line since last September.

Pregnancy has even been a topic in our presidential election. In case you’ve missed it, Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s daughter is 17 and pregnant. The news of this has brought to the table a debate on the glamorization of pregnancy in Hollywood.

I admit, I’ve never had to walk into a pharmacy for a pregnancy kit (mainly because I’m, you know, totally gay), so the idea of being pregnant was never a real fear of mine. I can say with certitude, however, that I have seen movies about pregnant women and (regardless of the biological impossibility that I could ever unintentionally or intentionally get pregnant by my girlfriend) none of them made me hanker for a baby belly or think that what I really wanted in my closet was a pair of maternity jeans all because the movie Juno was so darnn funny.

Whether the character had an unplanned pregnancy or was aching to become “with child,” I looked at the recent boom of pregnancy-themed films like Juno with the more optimistic attitude that Hollywood isn’t glamorizing the characters’ pregnancy but empowering the characters that are pregnant. Women in these movies take charge of what is happening in their lives, and along the way we have a few laughs while they do so.

Reality television hasn’t entered the realm of popular culture without making its fair share of waves. Shows like The Moment of Truth, Who Wants to Marry My Dad and The Swan have all tested our moral fibers and led us into many a heated squabble the likes of which the cast of The Hills would envy.

MTV is about to add another name to the list of controversial unscripted television shows — one that will surely be mentioned in the ongoing water cooler debate that asks, “Does reality TV go too far?” Currently the cable station is casting women for its new series Model Makers, a show that will take 15 wannabe models that are on the plus side of the scale and drastically slim them down so they may be welcomed into the world of high fashion.

We have all seen weight-loss makeover shows before and, of course, we all know that Tyra Banks rules the roost in making ordinary gals into model hopefuls on America’s Next Top Model. Armed with that knowledge, consider, then, Model Makers a hybrid of these two breeds of show. It is this pairing of weight loss and beauty that is fueling the controversy surrounding the new reality television series.

The chosen women on Model Makers will have only 12 weeks to lose a minimum of 30-80 pounds — or the mass equivalent of a miniature poodle or small child. (No pressure there. That’ll be a piece of low-fat cake.) The prize — if the girls are consistent in losing weight each week — will be $100,000, along with the window of exposure on MTV (and maybe, if they are really lucky, an opportunity to compete in The Inferno with all the other MTV reality show alums). The demand for these young women to lose such an extreme amount of weight in such a short amount of time has caused quite a fury among critics concerning the show’s unsafe concept.

Certain things in this world are timeless and never-changing: the evergreen, the diamond, and, of course, the cartoon character. The cartoon character never ages. We don’t follow Rainbow Bright to prom or head to the retirement home with Fred and Wilma. Cartoons don’t grow up with us; they exist as they are for new generations of youngsters eventually to grow up and grow out of them. Well, Nickelodeon would like to change all that. Realizing that they have found huge success with their animated series Dora The Explorer they are refusing to let Dora’s fans grow out of her. Instead, they are opting to revamp her image so that a new version of Dora can appeal to an older group of girls.

Nickelodeon is redesigning an older version of Dora to make her appear “more feminine” in an attempt to hang on to Dora’s fans as they grow out of their diapers. The cable network’s reps did not specify what “feminizing” Dora will entail, but you can certainly surmise that her pink cotton T-shirt and ruffle socks will no longer pass muster. Nickelodeon is faced with the competition from such teen juggernauts as Hannah Montana and High School Musical and have reported in a press release that they are “eager to find ways to retain Dora’s preschool fans as they mature.” It looks as though that will mean that Dora will be trading in her map for mascara.

Attention voters of America: Sheryl Crow will sing to you for free — if you can get your voting-resistant friends to register. Well OK, she won’t be performing a private concert in your living room or anything, but she will be giving away her new album, Detours, to the first 50,000 people who register three friends at Rock the Vote.

Crow has been involved with Rock the Vote since its inception 18 years ago. Her new album fits perfectly with this giveaway because the songs are about the war in Iraq, the environment and Hurricane Katrina. Crow hopes it will promote awareness of these matters and at the same time hopes her gratis contribution will tempt people into registering.

Sheryl has made the process of winning her album very simple. Go to the Rock the Vote’s website, log in and rat out invite three people whom you know are not rocking their rights at the polls to sign up to vote. If all three of them accept your invite and register, then you are the price of a CD richer. Don’t you just love democracy?

So right now you might be saying, Reese, I don’t know anybody that’s over the age of 18 and not registered to vote — can I get some free Sheryl Crow music anyway? And I say to you, yes! Those already registered can head to the website and sign in to get a free download of Sheryl’s new politically-inspired song, Gasoline. You can add it to your Election Day playlist and listen to it while you are claiming your political voice and voting for our next president.

Avril Lavigne is a threat to the youth of Malaysia. The 23-year-old pop singer is so smoking hot that members of a Malaysian Islamic opposition party do not want any of their impressionable youth seeing her in concert. Lavigne will have to shake her moneymaker in front of some other country’s young pliable minds because this opposition party isn’t having any of it. The Malaysian conservative group is convinced that her moves are “too sexy” for their teenagers, and they believe her August performance must be stopped.

The group appealed to the Malaysian Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Heritage to cancel the concert and the Ministry agreed. "It is not timely. It's not in the good spirit of our National Day. If we go ahead with the concert, it is contrary to what we are preparing for," said a senior official from the Ministry. Apparently, National Day is a countrywide day set aside to prepare against the evils of wristbands and tube socks.

Malaysia has a history of strict guidelines, which have led many female performers to cancel their shows. The Malaysian government’s rules require that all female performers wear conservative clothing that do not bear any “obscene” images. Additionally, all clothing must cover you from the chest to the knee. (Why am I getting flashbacks of "dress-down days" at my Catholic elementary school?) Beyonce moved her scheduled concert to Indonesia as a result of these mandates, and Christina Aguilera opted to not perform there at all. Gwen Stefani decided to perform, agreeing to cover up her trademark washboard stomach. She called her decision to wear a bit more clothing on stage “a major sacrifice” (and I will add, a terrible loss to that nation).

Dear Joss Stone,

Joss, I feel we never talk. True, the burden of that lies squarely on my shoulders because you don't know me and I am the one with your CDs, a television and a subscription to People, so I know all about you. I admit the main thing keeping me from introducing myself to you is that I am totally nervous because you are this amazing soul singer and though I do have a soul, I doubt it translates into melodic crooning in any capacity.

Even if we were best friends acquaintances, I realize that you probably wouldn't have much time to talk to me because you are a busy singer-songwriter. These days you are even busier because you are the new face of Coco Mademoiselle; you just wrapped the movie Snappers, where you play a lesbian (I have already reserved my ticket on Fandango, so in case you were thinking about it, I cannot attend the premiere with you); and now I hear that Barack Obama has asked you to sing his campaign song for the presidential election. Wow, that is an honor.

Are you nervous? I mean, that is a huge. You would be joining a prestigious list of such great artists who have lent their voices to presidential campaigns, like Fleetwood Mac who let Bill Clinton use their song "Don't Stop" for the 1992 election. John Fogerty voiced the song for George W. Bush's campaign with "Fortunate Son." (Were truer words ever sung, Joss? I suppose only if a song titled "Nepotism Is Awesome" existed.) And more recently, John McCain has been using ABBA's hit song "Take a Chance on Me" (although between me and you, I'd rather not).

Move over Dark Knight, step aside Iron Man: Ladies, it’s our turn to save the world. Coming this summer winter to theaters DVD is the new live-action animated feature film, Wonder Woman. Sure, this version of Wonder Woman won’t be breaking any weekend records at the box office, but judging by this movie poster, it could have if only given the chance.

Despite its straight to DVD status, the cast behind this new animated flick appears to have all the benchmarks of a could-be-blockbuster: Keri Russell is the voice of Wonder Woman, Virginia Madsen is Wonder Woman's mother, Queen Hippolyta; Rosario Dawson is Diana's Amazon rival Artemis; and Alfred Molina is Ares, Wonder Woman’s nemesis.

Comic book fans can take heart in knowing that this version stays true to the original story. The movie will tell the story of how Wonder Woman came to be, beginning with her origin as an Amazon princess. Keri Russell said of her character: "She's a true, strong warrior, but she's also right at the break of being a young woman standing on her own and fighting out in the world.” I hear you sister — who among us hasn’t been there? (Sans the whole warrior thing.)

Lesbians are popping up in the darndest places. Twenty years ago you would need a magnifying glass and the best gaydar detector money could buy to find an out lesbian actress on television, never mind a show that depicted one. Nowadays we have our very own series that is based solely on the lives of gay women loving, laughing, lying, lamenting and other L-related activities; we have cable stations like Logo that give us all gay programming all the time; and more and more networks television shows are incorporating bi/lesbian characters into their programs (hat tip, Grey’s). To further our quest to conquer the world, celesbians and actresses that play some of our favorite gay women are infiltrating another frontier — television ads.

The other night while watching some reality show I can't get enough of I was treated to not one, not two, but three commercials featuring some of my most beloved ladies in entertainment today. Yes, the commercial break — that universal time when millions of people choose to get up, stretch, refill that satisfying beverage, or tend to nature’s call — is now featuring ads staring our favorite ladies trying selling us things that we may not even want. (But the point is they are there and visibility matters.)

I’m sure we have all seen Ellen’s American Express commercials by now. Her ads are as widely known as her sexuality. Ellen has built her career on knocking down barriers and starring in this ad campaign is another accomplishment to add to that list. What other out celebrity of this magnitude would be signed on by such a huge company to sell its product? Kudos to Ellen, a card carrying lesbian and our favorite American Express card member.

And this commercial is "I-wish-I-was-that-dollop-of –yogurt-on-the-end-of-that-spoon good." No, no, this commercial is "I-don’t-want-anyone-else–to-ever-sell-me-yogurt-but-Leisha good." We all heard about how yogurt is the definitive product for women, but now thanks to Leisha, Yoplait can be the definitive product for women who love women.

Keira Knightley is standing up for women with small boobs everywhere. The actress is taking a stand against having images from her new film altered in order to form a more ideal (read: intangible) composition of perfection. Knightley is refusing digital enhancement of her breasts in publicity photos for her upcoming movie The Duchess.

Knightley is no stranger to criticisms of her body. Her weight has often been a topic of debate among the media because some believe her to be far too skinny. More recently, Knightley received criticism of photographs from her previous film King Arthur. The actress had given studio executives the green light to give her pictures a photographic boob job. Take a look at the before and after:

Hmm, looks like there is definitely more than just a couple of graphic Kleenexes stuffed beneath those leather straps. Knightley does admit that at the time when the studio approached her for permission to do this she replied, “OK fine, I honestly don’t give a s---.’" The back lash that followed proved to have been a learning experience for Knightley who is currently well, giving a s---.

Elizabeth Berkley is back in the spotlight. I don’t know how exactly this all happened — all I know is that I went to bed one night and the next day I woke up to find out that Berkley will be guest starring opposite Jennifer Beals in the final season of The L Word; then after another night’s rest, I woke up to find that she has signed on to get her own reality show on MTV based on the self-esteem workshops for teen girls that Berkley has developed.

That’s right: Elizabeth Berkley is an adviser to young women everywhere. Should we be nervous?

Amy Bailey, the Vice President of Development at MTV, said Berkley approached them with the idea for the reality series. Bailey said, "She does these workshops around the country with teen girls and gets them to really open up about their issues, like self-esteem and body issues. We had been looking for a program that tackled the same issues, so it seemed like a perfect match."

It’s not surprising that of all the singers to pick from, Feist was chosen to be on Sesame Street to help kick off their 39th season, which premieres August 11th. Her monster hit single “1,2,3,4” has been reworked into “1,2,3,4 Monsters Crawling Across The Floor” in order to help teach the kiddies learn to count to four. I mean, who cares about learning to count from five to infinitive when Feist is singing to you?

So are you ready to see the cutest thing in the world? There is happy music, singing chickens and penguins, so consider yourself warned. You may want to find someone’s cheeks to grab onto because you are going to want to squeeze the heck out of them once you are done watching the video.

Has counting to four ever been so joyful? Watching that makes me want to buy the world a coke, hug each and every one of you and maybe even adopt four dancing penguins. I love counting to four.

In the past the linster has given us good reason to tune into NBC’s Chuck, now here is another: Jordana Brewster has signed on to the series as the former flame of the show’s title character and will be appearing for at least three episodes.

Brewster's character Jill is Chuck’s old girlfriend from college that broke his heart. Executive producer of the show, Josh Schwartz said this about her character’s relationship with Chuck:

He always has imagined seeing her again, and being able to impress her with all he's accomplished. Unfortunately, when he does meet her, he's doing a computer install and she's a brilliant, successful, beautiful doctor working to create antibodies to horrible diseases.

Ouch. Poor Chuck. That moment gets filed under: P for Painfully embarrassing life instance that will haunt you forever.

Cannes, Toronto, and Tribeca are all home to famous film festivals. Thanks to Tilda Swinton, we can now add her hometown of Nairn to that list. You know Nairn — the adorable seaside town in northeast Scotland? Not ringing any bells? Well now you may know it as the new home of the Swinton’s film festival: The Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dreams. The festival is her attempt to “re-inject some romance into the film festival circuit."

Swinton’s style of festival is very simple and much different than all the other festivals out there: no red carpets, no hordes of paparazzi, and no blockbuster movie premieres.

Tickets to attend the festival (which runs August 15-23) will cost a moviegoer three pounds ($6) OR a tray of baked goods. That’s right: in place of currency Tilda will take your cupcakes. And she wants it homemade folks, no Entenmann’s or Little Debbie’s will be garner you admittance. Tilda wants your baking sweat and tears in exchange for cinema. Try showing up with a Duncan Hines to Robert Dinero’s Tribeca Film Festival and you may get more than just, "Are you looking at me with that strudel?" (I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.)

To add to this casual theme, movie viewings in the ballroom will take place on (are you ready for this?) cushy beanbags! Tilda has eliminated the need to worry about someone stealing your armrest or your beverage holder. Have I died and gone to movie theater heaven? I hope the Lowes theater people are taking notes.

Have you ever wondered which TV shows came thisclose to getting an Emmy nomination and never did? No? Well regardless, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (aka the people that give out the Emmy awards) are now letting us know who those losers shows will be.

Recently they announced the official Top Ten Finalists for both Outstanding Drama Series as well as Outstanding Comedy Series — with no official mention of the actors or actresses, supporting or otherwise, that may be in contention. Who knew Emmy could be such a tease?

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Academy released this information: “In an unprecedented move designed to head off the kind of cyberspace leaks that have played havoc with the nomination process the past two years.”

Really? There has been internet “havoc”? And by "havoc" do they mean public speculation? Forums on discussion? Emmy buzz? I thought these were all good things that would inevitably lead to getting people to actually sit through three hours of Emmy award distribution. Clearly I know nothing about award shows.

Here is a peak at the nominees that may get nominated, or may not get nominated (in case you are a "glass half-empty" kind of person.)

Top 10 Comedy Series Semi-Finalists

Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
Family Guy
Flight of the Conchords
The Office
Pushing Daisies
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty
Weeds

Out of this list, only five will go on the hopes of becoming America’s Next Top Emmy Finalist — or something like that. If I had to guess who those lucky final five would be, my money would be on 30 Rock (because Tina Fey is amazing and deserves all the Emmy gold they can dish out), The Office, Weeds, Ugly Betty and Two and Half Men (because they always seem to nominate this show. Does anyone out there watch this? Seriously, I’m asking.)

Is there an actress that you would see in any film, no matter what it’s about? Like literally no matter what — aliens could be attacking earth in search of the galaxy’s next pop star and you would see this movie just because insert actress name was in the movie. This is exactly how I feel about Anna Faris. I would watch her in anything.

Most of us got our first introduction to Faris in the Scary Movie films — if there was any reason at all to keep coming back for second and thirds of this trilogy, she was more than likely that reason. Faris can take the most mundane line in a movie and make it hilarious through her delivery and facial expressions. Now she is starring in the new comedy, The House Bunny, which premieres in August. Here is a peak at the trailer:

Faris plays a Playboy Playmate that has gone out to pasture at the ripe old age of 27. She is evicted from the Playboy Mansion and heads out into the world armed with only her talents as a Playboy Centerfold, which is not exactly an arsenal. Somewhere along the line she ends up finding her place as den mother to a gaggle of geeky sorority girls that could use her expertise to make them cool. (I smell makeover montage.) How do we know they are not cool? Well let’s take a look:

Before Playmate intervention (as seen in the trailer):

Glasses? Check.
Clothing that is not sewed onto their bodies? T-shirts and flannel, check.
No detection of any roused cheeks or glossy lips? None at all.
Back brace? Uh, sure.