This week, Bridget welcomes Linda Villarosa, out journalist and author of the steamy new novel Passing For Black.

Linda talks with Bridget about her career as a writer, including her days at Essence magazine, when she shocked the readership by coming out in print. She also tells us all about her adventures in motherhood, the biggest fish she ever caught, and who she thinks should play the leads in the cinematic version of her new book. (Here's a hint: It's Halle Berry and Angelina Jolie.)

Finally, Linda teaches Bridget how to fish using a chopstick, which is pretty much just as ridiculous as it sounds.

Buy Passing for Black from Logo or Amazon.com.

Dana and Helen of Mombian.com remind us of the long-lost parenting storyline on Jackie Warner's Work Out. They also commemorate tax week with a rant on their own filings, and on a more positive note, discuss various approaches to children's allowances and why they don't have any answers.

Plus: What were those weird pipes in their living room that you may have glimpsed in last week's vlog?

Over the weekend, not one, but two celebrities welcomed wee packages of joy into their lives. No, not that kind of wee package of joy, Lindsay Lohan. Geez, I thought you got that straightened out. Still, as word got out that Nicole Richie and Christina Aguilera had given birth, I braced for the inevitable. The inevitable being whatever wacky, weird thing they decided to name their kids. Like, say, Tundra or Unicorn or Suri.

Luckily, both Richie and Aguilera decided to go relatively restrained, with Harlow Winter Kate Madden (for Nicole’s little girl) and Max Liron Bratman (for Christina’s little boy).

But other celebrities have been considerably less, shall we say, discreet when naming their offspring. Pilot Inspektor? Fifi Trixibelle? Sage Moonblood? Moxie Crimefighter? (The bad parents being, respectively, Jason Lee, Bob Geldof, Sylvester Stallone and Penn Jillette.) Dudes, do you not love your children? … continue reading

The Internet is a double-edged sword. For every wonderful bit of information you discover, you find something else you wish you didn't know. "Reborns" fall squarely in the latter category. Frankly, I'm a bit freaked out by the whole concept. And what better reason to share it with you?

Meet Noel.

Noel was born on November 21, 2007, 20 inches long and weighing 5 pounds, 10 ounces. Adorable? All babies are adorable. Only Noel isn't a baby. Noel is a "reborn," a doll painstakingly created to look and feel like a real baby. Some have heartbeats and warm skin and appear to breathe. Some burp and cry and wiggle. They can be customized with birthmarks, milk spots and even scratches. And women are buying them like crazy on eBay or through professional reborners and then spending thousands of dollars on baby clothes and accessories. Including strollers to take their babies around town.

Several such women are featured in My Fake Baby, a documentary that recently aired on British Channel 4. You can watch the whole thing in 10-minute segments here and, theoretically, on Channel 4's website. (I couldn't get it to play, so it may be restricted to the U.K.) If you can't watch video, Midnight Celebrity has a summary. … continue reading