Celebrities don’t like to limit themselves to just one — or seven — talents. The famous ladies and gentlemen of today have record deals, movie scripts, fashion lines and even children’s books.

When I heard that the Spice Girl known for her dirty jokes, “girl power” shouts and red mane had evidently picked up the writing bug, I was pretty shocked. When I found out it was a children’s book about a brassy, sassy 9-year-old girl, it began to make a little more sense.

Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell always had a reputation as the fame-addict of the Spice pack. For years, she had to be the star of the show, ultimately quitting the band and starting a solo career in 1999. Nearly a decade later, with a Spice Girls reunion tour and a baby girl under her belt, Halliwell has chosen a quieter way to make her buck.

Last week, British book retailer WHSmith hailed her the “most successful celebrity author” in the UK. Not bad for a girl known mostly for her tiny, Union Jack-emblazoned dresses.

Halliwell’s heroine, Ugenia Lavender, is based on Ginger herself, and the series follows Ugenia and her friends through various adventures, generally resulting in the learning of a lesson.

Salma Hayek is one motivated lady. Aside from her work as an actress, activist and mother, Hayek is an executive producer for Emmy-award winning Ugly Betty and is working on not one, but two new television shows.

Hayek's latest feat will be producing a family comedy for Fox called The New McToms, in which a "conservative matriarch" has to deal with her three kids marrying "ethnically diverse" spouses.

Leave it to Hayek to bring diversity to the tired family-comedy format on Fox, which is usually whitewashed (think Married … With Children, Malcolm in the Middle and King of the Hill).

Hayek's production company, Ventanarosa, which has a deal with ABC Studios, is spearheading the project. The show is expected to carry "the trademark ethnic flavor seen in most projects on Hayek's TV slate," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

From the Queen of Mean Regina George, to the saucy 1940’s beauty Allie Hamilton, Rachel McAdams is an actress who can generally get me to watch just about anything — even a Rob Schneider movie.

But when I read about her latest release, The Lucky Ones, I worried it would fall into the slew of weird Iraq War movies popping up recently (with really awful, new-metal soundtracks). After watching the trailer, though (which fortunately features a Sarah McLachlan song rather than Kid Rock), I found myself actually wanting to check it out.

McAdams joins a cast including Tim Robbins and Michael Peña as Colee, an injured Iraq War vet heading to Las Vegas to return her boyfriend’s guitar to his family after he dies in the war. She ends up in an impromptu road trip across the country with two strangers, as they all realize that, despite their injuries and absence, the world has gone on without them.

When I watched Big and Carrie decide to rekindle their dysfunctional relationship on the last episode of Sex and the City in 2004, I wiped the tears from my face and came to terms with the fact that I would no longer know what was going on in the lives of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte.

That did not turn out to be the case.

It seems the Sex and the City phenomenon isn’t going anywhere — especially after the recent news that Sex scribe Candace Bushnell will write a young adult series about Carrie’s teen years, aptly titled The Carrie Diaries.

The closest we’ve come to Carrie’s high school years on the show was the return of her first boyfriend (played by an institutionalized David Duchovny) and her disturbing, yet realistic reference to losing her virginity (“Eleventh grade. Seth Bateman. His smelly rec room. Half a joint, three thrusts, finito.”)

Bushnell’s deal with publisher HarperCollins includes two young adult novels (so far) that will take readers through Carrie’s teenage years, some of which will be spent in a yet-to-be-determined suburb and some, of course, in Manhattan.

Maxim, the magazine known for its stellar political reporting, released its list of the “World's 10 Hottest Politicians” on its website this week. The list does a good job of globetrotting, but tends to stay away from the real issues.

While there were plenty of accomplished, attractive women in the bunch, we at AfterEllen.com tend to look past the tailored pantsuits to the issues at hand. It takes more than winning a beauty pageant to win our hearts.

The ladies in Maxim’s top spots left something to be desired; namely, a general interest in human equality.

Maxim’s #1: Mara Carfagna, Italy

Sure, she is a gorgeous Italian socialist and former actress, but Carfagna, the Italian minister for equal opportunity, apparently doesn't understand what "equal" actually means. As a former showgirl, you would think she would give some credit to women working in the sex industry, but this month she criminalized street prostitution, calling it a ”a shameful phenomenon.”

Carfagna also claimed that gays in Italy shouldn't need a gay pride march, because gay rights were ”no longer a problem.” Obviously, this woman doesn't get out much. She also opposes gay marriage.

The celebs seem to be lining up to get in on Liz Lemon's action — and who can blame them? This week, the media queen herself, Oprah Winfrey, confirmed that she, too, will guest star on 30 Rock this season. Gossip Girl's Blake Lively and Leighton Meester will follow suit.

Oprah is slated to play her very famous self, and is no stranger to guest stardom. In 1997, she played therapist to Ellen's character, Ellen Morgan, on quite possibly the most famous Ellen episode ever, urging her to come out to friends and family. Leave it to Oprah to be on board for such a historical event: Ellen’s coming out was the first time a gay character ever came out to audiences on primetime television.

You go, O.

Oprah’s episode is tentatively scheduled to air Nov. 6, and she reportedly will share a lot of screen time with Tina Fey.