Things to like about 2009 already: In 360 days we won’t have to call the decade the aughts anymore, in two weeks new tenants move into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and in a few days time, Salma Hayek and Tina Fey will finally be together — well, on television that is.

Salma makes her multi-episode debut Thursday on 30 Rock as an in-home nurse for Jack Donaghy’s (Alec Baldwin) mother. Her character and Jack’s later become involved. See their first meeting here, while I dream about Salma’s red dress some more. … continue reading

Feeling naughty? So is comedian Sandra Valls. She has a reputation for causing trouble with her risqué comedy stylings, and she lives up to her legend this week on Brunch.

Bridget talks to Sandra about how she got her start in comedy, her role models, and how to remove a woman's bra in three seconds or less. Sandra is even kind enough to give a demonstration, so take notes because there will be a quiz after the show!

You can keep up with Sandra by visiting her website here. Watch new episodes of Brunch With Bridget Friday nights at 2 a.m. on LOGO, and watch previous episodes of Brunch here.

Andrea Meyerson interviews actress Michelle Bonilla about her recurring role as “Harms,” the sexy Latina paramedic on ER, her new actors studio, and being out in Hollywood.

Michelle also shares some of her other talents, outside of acting.

Go to www.michellecbonilla.com to learn more about Michelle. For information on her upcoming workshops, go to www.synergyactorsstudio.com. For more information about Andrea go to www.alloutfilms.com or www.womenonaroll.com.

It’s been three months, to the day, since our last Betty Suarez pratfall. Three months, to the day, since our last Wilhelmina Slater cocked eyebrow. Three months, to the day, since our last Mandy and Marc madness. I think it’s safe to say, we’re all ready for Betty, wouldn’t you? Ugly Betty returns to the air tonight with its first post-strike episodes, and not a moment too soon.

All photos courtesty of ABC/Vivian Zink

The campiest show on television is back for five all new episodes. The series will pick up on Betty’s 24th birthday. What can we expect? Well, since this season has already seen a death, near-death, near-wedding, baby mama drama, baby daddy drama, artificial insemination, amnesia and Posh Spice, I’d say just more of the same old, same old.

In honor the return of America Ferrera and company, the terrible twosome of Becki Newton and Michael Urie (aka Mandy and Marc) have recorded the show’s first-ever video podcast. Yes they call it a “video podcast” and not the shorter, more succinct “vlog.” Gosh, is The L (Wrong) Word-iness contagious? Regardless the terminology, the clip is fun and now I cannot stop singing “Ready For Betty.” I really can’t. I’ve tried everything. … continue reading

Generally, I see Fashion Week and events like it as nothing more than overpaid stick-people walking around in clothes I wouldn't want to be buried in. So the likelihood of me paying attention to anything related to the fashion industry is somewhere in the area of slim and none. (Sorry, Project Runway addicts; I've tried.)

However, thanks to Dorothy Snarker, about this time last year I stumbled across a fashion event I could learn to love. For the past five years, New York's Fashion Week has kicked off with the Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection. The event is designed to raise awareness about heart disease among women. And it involves beautiful ladies strutting their stuff in fabulous red dresses by some of the industry's top designers. Last year's celebs included a coy Kelly Ripa.

Kristin Chenoweth was there, with her little dog too.

This year's event, which took place on Feb. 1, included an equally stunning list of beautiful ladies. The group included some talented Latinas, a few singers you might have heard of, one L Word connection, a runway veteran in a skimpy little dress that came in a bag and a First Lady who can't tell red from white.

  … continue reading

Last year, globalgrrl called the perfection that is casting Zoë Saldana as Uhura in the new Star Trek movie.

This year, Saldana spoke with blackfilm.com about the role, as well as her indie film, Blackout, which is released on DVD today. I'd heard a little bit about that project, and the IMDb.com synopsis promises as much drama and tragedy as the day the lights went out in Brooklyn back in 2003: “It examines the nature of man to take advantage of his own fellow man outside of normal conditions, in times of weakness and vulnerability.” You can catch clips from the film here, but here's a taste.

I'm only a casual fan of the Star Trek beast, but I found it interesting to hear from Saldana about stepping into a role practically trademarked by another actor, and her career to come. … continue reading

I don't frequent Victoria's Secret stores. I don't watch those lame Victoria's Secret TV specials. I don't peruse the Victoria's Secret catalog and never have, not even when one of my college friends insisted it was the perfect study break.

So, fine; I didn't really expect to like the 2008 What Is Sexy? list, which was released by Victoria's Secret earlier today. But nor did I expect to be thoroughly confused by it. You've probably seen headlines about the most ridiculous one: Ryan Seacrest made the list for "sexiest smile." Ryan Seacrest? I think they must have accidentally copied and pasted from their What Is Icky? list.

But let's talk about the women on the list, starting with the one that really made me say "Whaaaaat?" in a Jill Bennett–esque way:

Sexiest Mom: Victoria Beckham

Uh. Did they mean Sexiest Person You Always Forget Is a Mom, Because, Really, Since When Can Mannequins Reproduce? I can think of many better candidates. Salma Hayek, for one.

Sexiest Actress: Eva Mendes … continue reading

Julie chats with former Top Chef contestant Josie Smith-Malave about what animals she won't cook, and presents her with a Quickfire Challenge composed of items from Julie's refrigerator, which Julie ultimately pronounces "actually not terrible."

Alas, Julie's sidekick Kate McKinnon is MIA in this one. No doubt she got absorbed doing computer searches somewhere and lost track of time.

Check back tomorrow for another Celesbian Interview, and watch previous episodes here.

Annie Leibovitz could photograph a rock or, more challenging still, The Rock and make it look fascinating. So watching her turn famous faces into iconic Disney characters for the theme park’s Year of a Million Dreams campaign has been a real treat. Now that I’ve seen the third round of images, I’ve upgraded the experience from treat to gourmet meal. On the menu are Tina Fey, Gisele Bundchen, Jessica Biel, Whoopi Goldberg and Jennifer Lopez. Seriously, who has a fork?

The Peter Pan scene features Gisele as Wendy Darling with dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov as Peter Pan and Tina flitting about as Tinker Bell. Tina as Tink? I’ve just died and gone to Neverland.

Jessica Biel gets in touch with nature in her shot as Pocahontas. Hmm, while Jessica looks great in her buckskin togs, I’m not really feeling her as the Native American princess. Somehow, when I look at her, I just don’t think about the rich culture of the Powhatan Indians. … continue reading

They may not be well-known in the States, but British girl group the Sugababes have been one of my favorite musical acts for about seven years now. Indeed, they’re a big hit in the U.K. generally, having notched up six No. 1 singles as well as a Brit award (our equivalent of the Grammys). This despite persistent rumors of infighting, and multiple lineup changes that perhaps make them the U.K. equivalent of Destiny’s Child.

They burst on the scene in their first incarnation in 2000:

Baby-faced Keisha Buchanan (left) and feisty Mutya Buena (right) were already friends from school, while the enigmatic-looking redhead Siobhan Donaghy (center) was added by Buena’s manager. Their first big hit single, when they were still in their mid-teens, was "Overload." It made use of the girls’ sweet, throaty, pop-soul harmonies (reminiscent of the group En Vogue) and their barbed-wire attitude, as well as their multiracial look (Buchanan’s background is Jamaican; Buena’s is Filipina, Irish, Spanish and Chinese; and Donaghy’s is Irish):
… continue reading

It's hard for me not to get excited when Salma Hayek's name gets connected to a project. The reasons are too numerous to count, but like many AfterEllen.com readers, I can resist neither her business savvy (lately earning Ugly Betty a new batch of nominations) nor her stunning presence (lately earning us photos like the one below).

For these reasons, I'm trying to imagine how this casting news will turn out to be good casting news: Hayek is set to play a bearded lady alongside vampire John C. Reilly in Cirque du Freak, a movie adaptation of the children's book series by Darren Shan. Paul Weitz will direct, which indicates it could go in the direction of American Pie (yikes!) or About a Boy (cheers!). That said, I don't know how Cirque's plot — centered on a battle between bloodsuckers and their rivals, the "Vampanese" — will fit the model of understated humor set by the latter Weitz picture. … continue reading