Yesterday, two new wax figures were unveiled at Madame Tussauds in London. The next time they visit the U.K., Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz can look into the abyss that is themselves sculpted in wax:

Eeek! Waxworks have always creeped me out, even before I'd seen House of Wax (BTW, the 1953 version is sooo much better than the 2005 remake). But because I sort of like to be creeped out, I considered this an opportunity to peruse some other photos of waxy celebrities.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama:

Those could come in handy when you're just sick of campaigning. Also, doesn't that look like a winning ticket? … continue reading

The 34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards airs tonight at 9 P.M. on CBS. Since I’m not a soap watcher, I’m not sure I can sit through two whole hours of categories such as Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series and Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing for a Drama Series.

Luckily, there are a couple of categories that are of broader interest, namely Outstanding Talk Show and Outstanding Talk Show Host. Nominated in the former class are Dr. Phil, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Rachael Ray, The Tyra Banks Show and The View; the latter nominees are Dr. Phil, Ellen DeGeneres, Rachael Ray, Tyra Banks, Lisa Rinna and Ty Treadway (Soap Talk), and all of the ladies from The View — including the prematurely departed and greatly missed Rosie O’Donnell. (Seriously. I tried to watch she show this week and can confirm that it has reverted to its earlier, unwatchably boring, possibly homophobic, pre-O’Donnell self.)

Rosie has long said she’s not going to attend the Emmys because of a scheduling conflict with one of her kids’ school functions, but it’s just as well, since it would’ve been a conflict of another kind if she and Elisabeth Hasselbeck ever found themselves in a room together again (even one as big as the Kodak Theatre). … continue reading

It’s a big year for not only our favorite lesbian conspiracy theorist and the other gabby ladies of The View (10 nods), but also for female-hosted and -produced shows generally.

Yesterday morning the nominations for the 34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were announced. Our favorite lesbian talk show hosts received a slew of nods, with The Ellen DeGeneres Show raking in 12 nominations (including Outstanding Talk Show and Outstanding Talk Show Host) and The View garnering 10 nominations. New program Rachael Ray, starring the perky Food Network hostess, earned seven nominations, while The Tyra Banks Show, starring our favorite top model, got six (including the uber-important Hairstyling and Makeup categories).

All My Children, lately known for its highly questionable transgender story line, was largely shut out of the daytime drama awards (Lily Ramblin was nominated for Outstanding Younger Actress In A Drama Series, and the show received a few technical nominations).

A minor brouhaha emerged in the press as reporters noted that Live With Regis and Kelly wasn't nominated anywhere (egads!), until they figured out that the Emmy Awards are launching a new category for morning shows such as Today (NBC) and Good Morning America (ABC), and Live has decided to enter that category. Those nominations will be announced in mid-April. I know I'm holding my breath.

Here's a rundown of some of the noms (and my own random commentary):

Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling

THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW — Woohoo! Props to the wardrobe department for all those ties!
SESAME STREET (PBS)
THE VIEW (ABC)

Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling

DR. PHIL — Seriously? Isn't Dr. Phil bald?!
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW — I do like Ellen's 'do.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT — I actually had no idea this show was still on the air.
THE TYRA BANKS SHOW — Tyra, your weaves have never looked so good.
THE VIEW (ABC) — Props to the hair stylists for keeping Rosie's hair in check!

Outstanding Achievement in Makeup

THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW — Just goes to show, you don't have to wear a lot of makeup to look great.
SOAP TALK (SOAPNET)
THE TYRA BANKS SHOW — On the other hand, sometimes wearing a lot of makeup is perfectly fabulous!
THE VIEW — Well, Barbara Walters does look amazingly youthful.

Outstanding Talk Show Host

DR. PHIL MCGRAW (DR. PHIL)
ELLEN DEGENERES (THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW)
RACHAEL RAY (RACHAEL RAY)
LISA RINNA and TY TREADWAY (SOAP TALK)
BARBARA WALTERS, ROSIE O'DONNELL, JOY BEHAR and ELISABETH HASSELBECK (THE VIEW)
TYRA BANKS (THE TYRA BANKS SHOW) — In my opinion, any talk show host who dresses up fat suits or in drag, has a breast exam on-air to prove that her mammaries are real, and re-creates her iconic Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover 10 years later deserves this award. Tyra went above and beyond the call of talk show host duty!

Outstanding Drama Series

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (CBS)
GUIDING LIGHT (CBS)
ONE LIFE TO LIVE (ABC)
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS (CBS)

Outstanding Talk Show

DR. PHIL
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW
RACHAEL RAY
THE TYRA BANKS SHOW
THE VIEW (ABC)

Outstanding Lifestyle Program

BAREFOOT CONTESSA (FOOD) — The Barefoot Contessa is a culinary queen; her recipes are divine.
THE MARTHA STEWART SHOW — We all need a little bit of Type A organizing. Right?
PAULA'S HOME COOKING (FOOD) — Paula Deen's food makes me hungry. Oh man, did you see the one where she fried like a ton of potatoes on a grill on her back deck for a brunch special? There were like three tons of bacon involved too. Ohhh, yum.
SELL THIS HOUSE (A&E)
THIS OLD HOUSE (PBS)

Outstanding Special Class Series

ANIMAL RESCUE
A BABY STORY (TLC)
JUDGE JUDY
MADE (MTV) — I mentioned this category solely for this show, which I admit that I have a sneaking addiction to. I can hardly ever find it on TV, but when it's on I am totally hooked. Typically each hour is about a high school nerd who gets made over into a prom queen or rock star or the lead in the school play. I love a Cinderella story!
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The 34th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy® Awards will be broadcast live on Friday, June 15, 2007 (9:00 PM – 11:00 PM ET/PT), on the CBS Television Network from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. … continue reading

First, a disclaimer: This is strictly gossip. But according to TMZ.com, Rachael Ray has joined the ranks of Celebs Who Were Clearly Out of the Office the Day They Offered Sensitivity Training. At a dinner in L.A. in 2005, Ray apparently had a few too many and said much too much: … continue reading