It has been an up-and-down relationship between Kat Von D and Deadmau5 but at this point, it looks like it is up. Way up. The 31-year-old DJ tweeted a proposal to Von D Saturday night, Dec. 15.

"I can't wait for Christmas so.... Katherine Von Drachenberg, will you marry me?" Deadmau5 tweeted.

He attached a photo of the ring with the words, "Changing the diamond to a black diamond FYI. Sorry for the jpg ... they'll finish the actual ring soon I hope. I love u."

She quickly tweeted, “!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” followed by "Mi corazon! Thank you all for the lovely congratulations! Please excuse me while I go squeeze the hell out of my fiance!"

It's no surprise the engagement happened on Twitter. Just a few months ago, the couple broke up, again sharing their lives on the social media site. At the time, Von D tweeted about the split.

"Man...Can't say I didn't give it my best," she said. "I sure was wrong. But at least he made it a no-brainer to break that off. #lessonlearned"

Deadmau5 also tweeted about the break-up at the time.

"Going to spend a little while screwing my head back on. I guess I'm not cut out for relationships right now," he said. "I'll figure it out. No hard feelings."

But the couple quickly reunited, and Saturday night, things were good for Von D and Deadmau5.

"Holy f**king s**t. I'm engaged and stuff!" Deadmau5 tweeted. "Thanks for the well wishes and support from the horde and everyone else! Brb while i spend the rest of my evening with my future wife."

Von D was previously engaged to Jesse James, Sandra Bullock’s ex-husband. Throughout the years, the 30-year-old has shared much of her love life on her TV shows, including LA Ink.

There is no word on a wedding date yet, but at least we already know what the ring looks like!

Photo courtesy WENN.com

Amanda Seyfried is one lucky girl. She has worked with some of the hottest guys in Hollywood, and her current co-star in Les Miserables, Hugh Jackman, is no exception. He spoke with Jay Leno about giving Seyfried a lap dance for her birthday this year.

"I don't know if you had heard, but I had done one for Barbara Walters all those years ago," he told Leno on The Tonight Show. "Very steamy. It had been a while and I had promised never to do it again, but Amanda's birthday was the night of one of the premieres for the movie in New York, so I was singing her 'Happy Birthday.'"

He said she “looks as sweet as pie,” but that may not actually be the case.

“Really, she's the naughtiest, cheekiest girl," Jackman added.

"Everybody's been asking me about it but I don't really remember it because I was so embarrassed," Seyfried told E! earlier in December. "I hadn't been drinking, sadly. I was really embarrassed, but in a good way. [He's] amazing. I love him so much. He could do anything."

But Seyfried did say that she was able to experience it later.

"I saw a video of it, though,” she said. “It was a nice lap dance."

Jackman told Leno that he started slowly but then "started grinding it out for her."

"She seemed happier, I don't know," he added with a smile.

Seyfried and Jackman will appear together in the much-awaited Les Miserables, which comes out on Christmas Day. Les Mis also stars some big Hollywood names, including Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe.

The SAG and Golden Globe award nominations were both announced this week, and the film is up for some big awards next year. Hathaway and Jackman were nominated in their categories, as well as the film itself earning many of the nominations.

Photo courtesy Dan Jackman/WENN

Glee’s Darren Criss is more than just a pretty face, and he showed it this weekend by performing for a Toys for Tots fundraiser in New York.

"I just flew in like maybe two, three hours ago, and I have to leave in probably less than an hour to get back to LA," Criss told Yahoo. "It's really important to me that I can be a part of it."

The performance marked the third year Criss has performed for the charity. In 2010, he began asking fans to bring toys to his shows to help children in need.

“This year, his appearance was in conjunction with eBay, who's agreed to match every toy donation made to the program through the website for the rest of December,” said Yahoo. “People can go the website or use their smartphones to select a gift for a child in need.”

Criss has played Blaine on Glee since 2010, but has been acting and singing since he was a kid. He got his very first part in Hollywood in 2005, and had appeared on many TV shows before landing the role on Glee. He also performs as a singer-songwriter and said eventually he hopes to release an album full of non-Glee music.

"I'm always writing something and recording, but hopefully whenever we do come out with something it'll be something I'm proud of," Criss told Yahoo. "It's tough when you're a musician and you like to be a big part of your projects, because unfortunately, I can't just go in and sing some songs that other people wrote. I have to be involved in the writing process and the producing process and the arranging, so it takes a bit of time.”

For now, it looks like Glee helps Criss do the things that are more important to him, like providing underprivileged children with toys for the holidays.

Photo courtesy Brian To/WENN.com

Every year, Stevie Wonder holds a concert with some famous musicians for his House Full of Toys charity. But this year was a little different for many reasons.

“This year’s show faced some major obstacles coming in: The host was battling a severe sore throat that forced him to get a shot of antibiotics during the day to even go on, and the next biggest name on the bill, Bruno Mars, was unable to perform due to his own throat problems,” said Rolling Stone magazine. “But being the professional he is, Wonder persevered — with the help of several friends — and delivered another night of musical memories at LA’s Nokia Theater.”

Sickness or not, Wonder came out fully dressed as Santa and put on a show. But after the show, he decided to share some thoughts with Rolling Stone about Friday’s school shooting in Connecticut.

"I think we’re at a very interesting time now where we can use again tragedy such as this, which is a major tragedy, as a way to moving forward to something that we need to confront,” he told the magazine. “I think people can’t think like they’re living in the wild, wild west going into 2013. With guns and their accessibilities, there have to be stronger and stricter gun laws. It’s OK saying no, it’s OK particularly when you know some people are not as mentally stable. So you don’t want them to have a gun or any other kind of weapon at their disposal."

He related his thoughts on gun control due to the shooting on Friday, and the pain caused throughout the country.

"Here we are in this time where we’re all in pain because of the loss of some 18 children and 12 adults — it’s ridiculous," he said. "No matter how you look at it, it’s ridiculous and if you don’t see that there’s a need to think differently, to see things a little differently than you did in the past, then you’re not in touch with today, you’re still lost in yesterday."

The rest of the night was more of a lighthearted event though, and it is likely to be a star-studded event for years to come.

Photo courtesy Seskim / WENN.com

The best diet might just be no diet at all. Here are a few tips to help you shed the pounds going into the new year:

Bump up lean protein

Eating protein may signal your stomach to produce less of the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin, as reported in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also reported greater satisfaction, less hunger and weight loss when subjects' protein was increased to 30 percent of their total calories. Their intake of fat was also reduced to 20 percent of the total calories in their diets and carbohydrates to half of their total daily caloric intakes. The study participants ate 441 fewer calories a day when they followed this high-protein diet and regulated their own calorie intake! How much protein do you need? Divide your body weight in half. Voila! This is the number of grams of protein you should eat to experience positive effects.

More healthy eating tips

5 Food priorities for healthy eating
How to make healthy resolutions a reality
Top 30 diet tips for New Year's resolutions

As yet another year comes to a close in just a few short weeks, this time of year tends to bring in bouts of self-reflection and resolutions. Let SheKnows guide you through the critical stage of your annual reflection process: Your year-end financial review.

Step 1: Get organized with your financial info

It can feel like a daunting task to get this year's financial information organized so you can clearly see where you are on track and identify patterns of mistakes. Luckily, the more organized you are with your financial data the easier it is to keep track of where your money is going throughout the months.

If you use personal accounting software like Mint.com, you'll often find your personal year-end review is just a mouse click away. If you have consistently used personal accounting software, make sure it is updated and then generate the annual review. It will often show you where your money went both in terms of a percentage of your income and how far above or below you were with your budget.

Some people also use a data analysis tool like Microsoft Excel to create and update their budgets. If this is your method, it may just take a bit more work to tally up the numbers from each month. Credit cards will often produce a statement of your yearly spending, and you'll need to pull the totals from each card you used. Unfortunately, most banks do not offer this feature with their checking accounts so loyal debit card users keep in this in mind — step 1 may require sifting through many financial statements.

If you records are scattered, this is your first clue — think of it more like a flashing neon sign — that you probably need to get organized for 2013.

Step 2: Make comparisons and find patterns

This is the step where your past sins will come back to haunt you, but it is the most important stage because it shows the true reality of your financial situation on a day-to-day basis. Did you allot $50 per month for Starbucks only to find you spent, on average, $100 per month? That adds up to $600 per year in unplanned expenses! The point here isn't that it's bad or wrong to enjoy a daily latte, but that it's critical to know where your money is going. When you spot patterns, for example, that you consistently underestimate your budget, it makes it much easier to adjust other categories accordingly. And if you find yourself generally stressed about money, this step will help point you in the right direction to finding peace with financial matters through greater control and awareness.

Step 3: Adjust the budget for 2013

After you make comparisons and spot patterns in your spending habits for 2012, you can adjust your budget for 2013. This might mean you need to reduce your overall spending to compensate for overspending in 2012. Or, it may just mean you need to shift money from certain categories to others to match the reality of your daily financial picture with what is on paper.

Also, you can adjust the budget for 2013 to include any goals you have for the upcoming year. Add categories like "Vacation Allowance" or "Splurges" and set aside monthly income so that you are prepared to spend money on big-ticket items. This way you can still spend money on things you want, but you maintain control over where the money comes from — this prevents you from feeling stressed or blindsided about purchases.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year!

Read more on financial planning

Financial accounts every child should have
Retirement fund vs. college fund — planning for the future
The best reward credit cards

Size matters

If you ask a sales clerk what size TV to buy, she'll probably tell you bigger is better. Obviously a sales pitch, right? Maybe, but it's actually a pretty good rule of thumb — which isn't to say you should march off to the store and return home to mount a 65-incher on your living room wall… 3 feet way from your couch. Size matters, but mostly as it relates to viewing distance, angle and personal preference. It can have a dramatic impact on your viewing experience.

For most people, the ideal viewing distance for a 40-inch screen is somewhere in the range of 5 and 8 feet. Too much farther, and you may need to upgrade to a 46- to 50-inch screen. Also, keep in mind that these distances are given in ranges because people have different preferences. One person may enjoy sitting closer to the screen to really immerse themselves in the HD goodness, while another may prefer a bit more distance if they're bothered by motion-blurring during a football game. Experiment at the store with different distances and TVs to see what you like best.

So, when it comes to size, consider a TV as large as your room and budget will allow, and you may get to skip some serious buyer's remorse. After all, how many people have you heard bitterly complaining they should have bought the TV that was smaller and much less awesome? Exactly.

Plasma, LCD or LED?

There are two basic types of flat-screen TVs — plasma and LCD. You've probably also heard of LEDs. While LEDs do perform a bit differently and are often marketed as a distinct television technology, LED televisions are essentially LCDs with a new and improved lighting technology. For the purposes of this article, however, we'll treat them as a third category. Each type of TV has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Down to the numbers — 720p vs. 1080p

In a couple of years, this kind of comparison won't be relevant as the number of manufacturers offering 720 TVs decreases year by year. But for now, you may be able to significantly reduce the cost of a new flat-screen TV.

If you're wondering what these numbers mean, 720p and 1080p are high-definition standards referring to the resolution of the picture your TV is capable of displaying. Those marked 1080p are obviously capable of higher-quality display, meaning you should be able to see greater detail — if the medium you're watching displays it. Head-to-head testing, however, often reveals that on TVs smaller than 50 inches, the benefits of 1080 are negligible.

Additionally, most of today's HD broadcasts are 720p or 1080i, not true 1080p — and won't be for quite awhile — so Ms. Xtina will still look fabulous on a 720p TV.

What about gamers? Most games for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are also native 720p. So, depending on your viewing habits and particular needs, you can go with a 720p TV over a 1080p and save a nice chunk of change in the deal.

That said, 1080p and higher will be the emerging standard. As HDTV hardware and software evolves and as 3D technology grows out of its infancy, you'll be best positioned for significant innovations with a 1080p TV. In fact, we recommend it if you want to use your TV with your computer or maximize your Blu-ray experience.

Once you have your top candidates, compare them on the showroom floor. Don't be afraid to ask for assistance, explore the menus and turn up the sound — make sure you're familiar with everything; it's going to be with you for awhile. And maybe most important, don't be pressured by the sales clerk to buy something you didn't go there to buy. Be comfortable with the sale or walk away to shop another day.

More guides to buying

3 Steps to decide between iPhone and Droid
What to know before buying headphones
4 Gadgets to make traveling easier

www.SheKnows.com
www.SheKnows.co.uk
www.SheKnows.ca
www.SheKnows.com.au
www.FabulousFoods.com
www.FabulousLiving.com
www.FabulousTravel.com
www.LovingYou.com
www.PregnancyandBaby.com
www.AllParenting.com
www.DrinksMixer.com

SheKnows, LLC, an Arizona limited liability company , knows that you care how information about you is used and shared. This Privacy Policy explains what information of yours will be collected by Company when you use the Website and related services , how the information will be used and how you can control the collection, correction and/or deletion of information. We will not use or share your information with anyone except as described in this Privacy Policy.

Information We Collect

User-Provided Information: You provide us information about yourself, such as your name and email address, when you register with the Service. Also, you may provide information when you participate in sweepstakes and contests, message boards and chat rooms and other interactive areas of our Website . If you correspond with us by email, we may retain the content of your email messages, your email address and our responses.

Cookies Information: When you visit the Website, we may send one or more cookies - a small text file containing a string of alphanumeric characters - to your computer that uniquely identifies your browser and allows Company help you log in faster and enhance your navigation through the Website. A cookie does not collect personal information about you from which your individual identity can be established. Company uses both session cookies and persistent cookies. A persistent cookie remains on your hard drive after you close your browser. Persistent cookies may be used by your browser on subsequent visits to the Website. Persistent cookies can be removed by following your web browser's directions. A session cookie is temporary and disappears after you close your browser. You can set your web browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. Therefore, some features of the Service may not function properly or at all if the ability to accept all cookies is disabled. Other cookies collect information about your browsing habits in order to help us and advertisers make suggestions relevant to you and your interests. They remember the websites you have visited and that information is shared with other parties such as advertisers. For example, we use third parties to provide you with more personalized advertisements when visiting other websites. You can change the settings on your browser to prevent cookies being stored on your computer or mobile device without your explicit consent. Your browser “help” section will normally provide details on how to manage the cookie settings.

Log File Information: Log file information is automatically reported by your browser each time you access a web page. When you register with or view our Website, our servers automatically record certain information that your web browser sends whenever you visit any website. These server logs may include information such as your web request, Internet Protocol address, browser type, referring / exit pages and URLs, number of clicks, domain names, landing pages, pages viewed and other such information.

Clear Gifs Information: When you use the Service, we may employ clear gifs which are used to track the online usage patterns of our users anonymously. No personally identifiable information from your Company account is collected using these clear gifs. In addition, we may also use clear gifs in HTML-based emails sent to our users to track which emails are opened by recipients. The information is used to enable more accurate reporting, improve the effectiveness of our marketing and make us better for our users.

New Technology: As we adopt additional technology, we may also gather information through other means and there may be other technologies present that act in a similar way, but are protected by confidentiality.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information you submit to operate, maintain and provide to you the features and functionality of the Service or otherwise in connection with our business in relation to the Service. By using the Service you consent to this use and any other use of information identified in this Privacy Policy.

Any information or content that you voluntarily disclose for posting to the Service becomes available to the public. You should be aware that even if you remove User Content, copies may remain viewable in cached and archived pages or if other users have copied or stored your User Content.

By providing Company your email address, you consent to our using the email address to send you Service-related notices, including any notices required by law, in lieu of communication by postal mail. We may also use your email address to send you other messages, such as newsletters, changes to features of the Service or special offers. If you do not want to receive such email messages, you may opt out by sending an email message to legal@sheknows.com with the word “No email - SheKnows” in the subject field. Opting out may prevent you from receiving email messages regarding updates, improvements or offers.

Company may use certain information about you and/or your User Content without identifying you as an individual to third parties. We do this for purposes such as analyzing how the Service is used, diagnosing service or technical problems, maintaining security and personalizing advertisements and promotions.

Company reserves the right, but has no obligation, to monitor the User Content you post on the Website. Company has the right to remove any such User Content for any reason or no reason, including, without limitation, if in its sole opinion, such User Content violates, or may violate, any applicable law or our Terms of Use or to protect or defend Company’s rights or property or those of any third party. Company also reserves the right to remove User Content upon the request of any third party.

We use cookies, clear gifs and log file information to: remember information so that you will not have to re-enter it during your visit or the next time you visit the Website; provide custom, personalized content and information; monitor the effectiveness of the Service; monitor aggregate metrics such as total number of visitors and traffic; diagnose or fix technology problems reported by our users or engineers that are associated with the IP addresses controlled by a specific web company or ISP; and help you efficiently access your information after you sign in to the Website.

How We Share Your Information

Personally Identifiable Information: Except as described in this Privacy Policy, Company will not rent or sell your personally identifiable information to others.

Company may share your personally identifiable information with our affiliates and third parties solely for the purpose of providing services to you. We may store personal information in locations outside the direct control of Company .

As we develop our business, we may buy or sell assets or business offerings. Customer, email and visitor information is generally one of the transferred business assets in these types of transactions. We may also transfer such information in the course of corporate divestitures, mergers or dissolution.

Except as otherwise described in this privacy statement, Company will not disclose personal information to any third party unless required to do so by law, regulation or subpoena or if we believe that such action is necessary to: conform to the law, comply with legal process served on us or our affiliates or investigate, prevent or take action regarding suspected or actual illegal activities; to enforce our Terms of Use, take precautions against liability, to investigate and defend ourselves against any third-party claims or allegations, to assist government enforcement agencies or to protect the security or integrity of our Website; and to exercise or protect the rights, property or personal safety of Company, our users or others. Please note we may not provide notice prior to disclosure in such cases.

Non-Personally Identifiable Information: We may share non-personally identifiable information with interested third parties to help them understand the usage patterns for certain Company services.

Company allows other companies, called third-party ad servers or ad networks, to serve advertisements on the Website. These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to send, directly to your browser, the advertisements and links that appear on the Website. They automatically receive your IP address when this happens. They may also use other technologies to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and to personalize the advertising content.

Company does not provide any personally identifiable information to these third-party ad servers or ad networks without your consent. However, please note that if an advertiser asks Company to show an advertisement to a certain audience and you respond to that advertisement, the advertiser or ad-server may conclude that you fit the description of the audience they are trying to reach.

You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers or ad networks. The Company privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such advertisers.

How We Protect Your Information

Company uses commercially reasonable physical, managerial and technical safeguards to preserve the integrity and security of your personal information. We cannot, however, ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to Company and you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your transmission of information, Company makes commercially reasonable efforts to ensure the security of our systems. However, please note that this is not a guarantee that such information may not be accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed by breach of any of our physical, technical or managerial safeguards.

To protect your privacy and security, we take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting you access to your account. You are responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your unique password and account information, and for controlling access to your email communications from Company, at all times.

Compromise of Personal Information

In the event that personal information is compromised as a result of a breach of security, Company will promptly notify those persons whose personal information has been compromised, in accordance with the notification procedures set forth in this Privacy Policy or as otherwise required by applicable law.

Your Choices About Your Personal Information

You may, of course, decline to submit personally identifiable information to Company, in which case Company may not be able to provide certain services to you.

Children's Privacy

Protecting the privacy of young children is especially important. For that reason, Company does not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from anyone under the age of 13 or knowingly allow such persons to register. If you are under 13, please do not send any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number or email address. No one under age 13 is allowed to provide any personal information to Company. In the event that we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under age 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe that we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us at legal@sheknows.com.

Third Parties

Company expects its partners, advertisers and affiliates to respect the privacy of our users. Be aware, however, that third parties, including our partners, advertisers, affiliates and other content providers accessible through our Website, may have their own privacy and data collection policies and practices.

You should also be aware that if you voluntarily disclose information on message boards or in chat areas, that information can be viewed publicly and can be collected and used by third parties without our knowledge and may result in unsolicited messages from other individuals or third parties. Such activities are beyond our control and outside the scope of this document.

Company is not responsible for the practices employed by websites linked to or from the Website nor the information or content contained therein. It follows that the Company accepts no responsibility for events experienced by you if you visit a third party site by clicking through from the Website. Please remember that when you use a link to go from the Website to another website, this Privacy Policy is no longer in effect. User browsing and interaction on any other website, including those that have a link on our Website, is subject to that other website's own rules and policies. Please read over those rules and policies before proceeding.

Third Party Advertisements and Technologies:

We use third-party advertising companies to serve advertisements when you visit the Website as is explained in detail in the Website's Terms of Use. In the course of advertisements being served to you, a unique third-party cookie or other advertising technology may be placed on your browser. This advertising technology uses information derived from your visits to the Website to target advertising within this Website. This information is used for many purposes, for example, it helps us try to ensure that you do not see the same advertisements over and over again. We also use this information to help select and display targeted advertisements that we believe may be of interest to you . We also use web beacons, provided by third-party advertising companies, to help manage and optimize our online advertising. Web beacons enable us to recognize a browser's cookie when a browser visits this Website, to learn which banner ads bring users to our Website and to deliver more relevant advertising.

In addition, our advertisers or other third parties may use other third-party advertising technology to target advertising on the Website and other websites. We do not control the data collection and use practices of these other third parties. You should read the privacy notices of the websites you visit in order to determine what companies may be collecting information on those websites.

OBA Opt Out

If you would like to “opt-out” of being served OBA on the Website by our third-party advertising companies, click on the AdChoices icon below and select the companies whose OBA technology you would like to block on the Website.

You may also “opt-out” of other third party programs using OBA technology on your web browser: for users targeted in the United States by visiting http://www.aboutads.info/choices; for users targeted in Europe by visiting www.youronlinechoices.com, selecting the country where you are located; and for users targeted in Australia by visiting http://youronlinechoices.com.au, and selecting “Your Ad Choices” or “Your Choices” as applicable.

For more information about online advertising, please visit: www.aboutads.info/consumers regarding United States online choices; www.youronlinechoices.com regarding European online choices; and/or www.youronlinechoices.com.au regarding Australian online choices.

Notification Procedures

It is our policy to provide notifications, whether such notifications are required by law or are for marketing or other business related purposes, to you via email notice, written or hard copy notice or through conspicuous posting of such notice on the Website, as determined by Company in its sole discretion. We reserve the right to determine the form and means of providing notifications to you, provided that you may opt out of certain means of notification as described in this Privacy Policy.

Changes to Our Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to change this policy at any time. Please check this page periodically for changes. Your continued use of the Website following the posting of changes to this Privacy Policy will constitute acceptance of those changes. Information collected prior to the time any change is posted will be used according to the rules and law that applied at the time the information was collected.

How to Contact the Company

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of the Website or your dealings with the Website , please contact us at legal@sheknows.com, or send mail to:

SheKnows, LLC
16101 N. 82^nd St., Suite A-9

Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Attn:  Corporate Counsel

Kwanzaa, which means first fruits of the harvest in the African language Kiswahili, is a time to honor and focus on traditional African values of family, community responsibility and self-improvement. The holiday week includes a Karamu or African feast, which is held on Dec. 31.

Sweet potato peanut soup recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups chopped tomatoes, seeded
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups natural smooth peanut butter
• 2 sweet potatoes, baked until tender, peeled, cut into large chunks
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup coconut milk
• Finely chopped peanuts

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add curry and cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add onions and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and tomatoes and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Season with salt and peppers.
2. Stir in peanut butter until incorporated. Add sweet potatoes, broth and coconut milk. Bring to a vigorous simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Remove stockpot from heat and, using an immersion blender, puree soup . Transfer to bowls and serve garnished with finely chopped peanuts, if desired.

Chicken tagine recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 small chicken breast halves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 onion, halved, sliced
• 1 cup pitted prunes, chopped  
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Pinch of turmeric
• 6 cups cooked couscous
• Chopped green onions

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Brown chicken on both sides, about 2 minutes each.
2. Add onions, prunes and broth, moving chicken around to evenly distribute. Sprinkle with remaining spices and cover saucepan. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
3. Stir chicken mixture and allow to cook, uncovered, for 2 to 3 more minutes or until liquid has slightly thickened.
4. Serve with couscous garnished with green onions.

Sauteed collard greens recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds collard greens, stems and ribs removed, sliced thinly crosswise
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Juice of half a lemon

Directions:

1. Cook greens in a large pot of boiling water. Drain in a colander and press to remove excess liquid.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in greens and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle lemon juice over greens, toss, and serve.

More recipes for Kwanzaa

Fried sweet potatoes, sweet potato banana bake and more
Crispy fried chicken recipes
Black-eyed peas

OWN premiered a brand-new show and relatively new family on Saturday. Six Little McGhees follows the daily lives of laid-back, lovable and loving parents Mia and Rozonno McGhee as they work to raise happy, healthy sextuplets in Columbus, Ohio.

Each morning the duo wakes up at the crack of dawn to shower and dress before beginning to wake the kids. What follows are six noses to suction, six diapers to change and six wiggling, cranky, not-quite-2-year-olds to dress. After they're all decked out for their day, Mommy and Daddy serve breakfast. The kids sit at a special table with six seats built in and Mom and/or Dad feeds the kiddos from one bowl and one spoon. After all, it's much easier that way.

After breakfast, all six McGhees are taken to day care, then Mom and Dad head to work together. That's right. Mia and Rozonno are basically inseparable because they own and run a carpet-cleaning business together. The McGhee parents may have started off in a tiny two-bedroom, but they're doing okay these days... as long as their business stays afloat.

Working isn't the only thing the McGhees do together. During the first episode, they head to the grocery store with all six baby McGhees in tow. That's:

Rozonno Jr.
Josiah
Madison
Olivia
Isaac
Elijah

As the McGhee parents navigate life with six headstrong toddlers, they won't make all the right choices. But, they make them all together and with the help of a tight-knit group of friends and family. Neither Mia's nor Rozonno's stories began all that happily, but these close, hardworking parents are working their butts off to provide a better life for their kids.

Check out the most adorable family on television, the McGhees. Six Little McGhees airs Saturday on OWN at 9/8c.

Image courtesy of OWN

One of the most affable presidents of the last 30 years is getting the official Hollywood treatment by Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese. President Bill Clinton will be the subject of a documentary that Scorsese will produce and direct for HBO.

HBO chief executive Richard Plepler and programming president Michael Lombardo released a joint statement on Monday: “President Clinton is one of the most compelling figures of our time, whose world view and perspective, combined with his uncommon intelligence, make him a singular voice on the world stage. This documentary, under Marty’s gifted direction, creates a unique opportunity for the President to reflect on myriad issues that have consumed his attention and passion throughout both his Presidency and post-Presidency.” 

The documentary has the full cooperation of the 42nd president and will reflect upon his time in the White House office and his return to private life.

President Clinton seems pretty happy with the star treatment. He said in a statement, “I am pleased that legendary director Martin Scorsese and HBO have agreed to do this film. I look forward to sharing my perspective on my years as President, and my work in the years since, with HBO’s audience.”

Scorsese is ready to tackle Clinton's legacy both in and out of office. His statement promised a more intimate look at the former president. Scorsese said the president is a "towering figure who remains a major voice in world issues. Through intimate conversations, I hope to provide greater insight into this transcendent figure.”

This documentary continues Scorsese's work with the cable channel. Besides the Clinton documentary, the director is also the executive producer of the network's critically acclaimed show Boardwalk Empire, and he's created documentaries on subjects including former Beatle George Harrison and author Fran Lebowitz.

No official premiere date has been announced yet.

Image courtesy of Craig Harris/WENN.com

This is why he's an award-winning actor: Leonardo DiCaprio cut his hand open so badly that it required stitches on the set of Django Unchained, but never yelled, "Cut," to attend to his bloody injury.

In an intense scene with co-star Samuel L. Jackson, Leo pounds a table, where a shot glass is sitting. "But what happened was the shot glass somehow slid over underneath where he was always slamming his hand down. And in one take, he slams his hand down and the shot glass goes through his hand," co-star Jamie Foxx explained during the press conference for Quentin Tarantino's newest movie in NYC. "And now blood is shooting out [of] his hand and I'm like 'Does everyone else see this? This is crazy!' and he keeps going. And I almost turned into a girl looking at it! But what was amazing is he was so into his character that even when they finally said 'Cut,' he was still this guy... people almost gave him a mini ovation. It was amazing to see that."

Playing Calvin Candie — the evil plantation and slave owner in Tarantino's movie — was a real departure for DiCaprio, who's well-known for playing hunky heroes. "There was absolutely nothing about this man I could identify with," Leo told reporters, "I hated him and it was the one of the most narcissistic, self-indulgent, racist, horrible characters I've read in my entire life... and I had to play him. It was too good of a character not to do, in that sense."

Leo said the cast, which includes Kerry Washington and Christoph Waltz, helped support one another throughout shooting the most brutal scenes. "It honestly felt like we were cheerleaders for one another," he shared, "Like 'Damn, that sh*t was good. Keep going! Be even worse to me the next day.'"

Jamie Foxx, in the title role of Django, personally pitched himself for the project and had no qualms about playing a slave. "I wasn't asked to play [the part]," he shared, "I actually saw that the movie was already going and someone else was supposed to play it and I thought 'Wow, here's another project I haven't heard about'. And actually I had a management change and my acting hustle was like, 'First of all, I don't care what it is. It's Quentin Tarantino and all these people on this stage and I feel that the people here on this stage can tackle absolutely any subject matter'."

Jamie, who's on horseback throughout much of the movie, landed his horse Cheetah a role in the film too. "I got a horse about five or six years ago for my birthday... my horse is actually in the film," he told us. "And what's interesting about my horse and Django is they sort of learned together. As my horse is learning tricks, Django is sort of evolving as a person and a superhero all the way until the end of the movie. The only thing that was scary was riding bareback!"

Despite the sensitive subject matter of slavery, the all-star cast turned in a stellar performance and said they all feel grateful to be a part of Tarantino's latest movie, which hits theaters Dec. 25. "We're all lucky bastards up here," Leo said. "I love acting. It's what I always wanted to do my entire life and I hope to continue doing this for a long time to come. It's the greatest job in the world."

With anticipation soaring as high as Starscream, it's easy to understand why some people latched onto the news of an alleged Transformers 4 script leak earlier today. The news was blasting through websites left and right but Michael Bay stepped in to clarify.

We almost wish he hadn't... Paramount issued this statement from Bay to make sure our imaginations didn't run too far.

"Some Internet sites this morning reported that some document recovery guy has found a legitimate 120 page script of Transformers 4. I can absolutely 100 percent say this is completely false. The only two people in the world that have our unfinished script are Kruger and myself. Also we are only up to page 70 in our T4 script. Maybe this guy has a cartoon or something else – but definitely not our movie!"

So what if we don't know what twists and turns the Autobots will get themselves into next? It doesn't change the fact we do knowMark Wahlberg is starring in the fourth installment.

And hey — if they're only up to page 70 — perhaps there's still time to squeeze Megan Fox back into the plot.

Transformers 4 is set to hit theaters June 27, 2014 so be sure to check back at SheKnows for all the exciting news leading up to the big date like this artwork and more!

Photo Credit: WENN.com

Is Bette Midler stumping for a television role or is the rumor about her appearance on Glee true? Well, it seems to be a little bit of both.

The Parental Guidance star was asked to appear on the show by its creator, Ryan Murphy, while they were both attending an event for fashion designer Michael Kors.

Midler told Access Hollywood that Murphy, who was also honored that evening, publicly asked her in his speech, "If Bette Midler's in the house I want to invite her onto 'Glee,'" she recounted. "And I went, 'OK!'"

Who wouldn't say yes? The Fox show has become a stomping ground for some of television's best cameos. Everyone in film, TV and Broadway has been itching to be on the show. The series has hosted Hollywood A-listers like Gwyneth Paltrow, Britney Spears and Kate Hudson.

When will this big cameo happen? Well, that remains to be seen. The Divine Miss M told the entertainment show, "He mentioned it, but... I'm still waiting for the call. But, it's fine!"

The best part is that Midler already has her eyes on a storyline where she could be the "evil sister" of Coach Sue Sylvester, played by Emmy-winner Jane Lynch.

Whatever role the actress does play, it is guaranteed that a Midler sighting on the hit show would be the perfect casting for the next television sweeps period.

In the meantime, fans can catch Midler on the big screen beginning Dec. 25 in the family comedy Parental Guidance with Billy Crystal and Marisa Tomei.

Image courtesy of Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com

Stuffing is a staple at all holiday dinners, but we changed things up a bit here with some unique ingredients. Sweet cornbread, dried figs soaked in brandy and tart pomegranate arils pair wonderfully with the salty flavor of the bacon.

Bacon-cornbread stuffing with dried figs and pomegranate arils recipe

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 6 cups crumbled cornbread
• 6 strips bacon, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup chopped shallots
• 1/2 cup chopped leeks
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped dried figs
• 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
• 1 tablespoon brandy or cognac
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
• Salt
• Pepper
• Chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan .
3. In a small bowl, combine chopped figs and brandy. Toss well.
4. Spread cornbread on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and reserve.
5. Cook bacon over medium heat until brown but not crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in pan. Add celery, shallots and leeks to pan, sauteing until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add bacon, figs and pine nuts to pan. Toss well.
6. Remove pan from heat. Fold in cornbread, cheese and pomegranate arils. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.
7. Pour 1 cup of chicken broth evenly over stuffing. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Uncover, dot with butter, then bake for 15-20 minutes or until top is browned.
8. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

Tip: To make this dish ahead, prepare through step 6. Let cool and refrigerate. When ready to cook, remove from refrigerator about 1 hour ahead, then proceed with step 7.

More holiday recipes

Peppermint stick frozen yogurt
Rustic winter rice pilaf
12 Days of Christmas cocktails

When Miley Cyrus tweeted news of her dog Lila's death last week, she failed to elaborate on what caused her beloved pet to pass away, and the fact that the incident meant another one of her four-legged friends would be removed from the family home permanently.

Her mother, Tish Cyrus, has let fans in on the heartbreak the singer has been going through, revealing that Lila died after being attacked by one of the star's other dogs, Ziggy.

Miley Cyrus' wild night with strippers>>

"As for Miley, its been a really tough week. As you all know her beloved baby girl Lila passed away," Tish Cyrus wrote in a note on her personal blog.

"Everyone has been so precious and so supportive of her and I love you all so much for that. Miley loved Lila more than anyone can imagine. I know some people were saying its JUST a dog, but to Miley she was so much more."

Revealing what happened to the pooch, she went on, "The way that Lila was taken from [Miley] was beyond terrible. Sometimes things happen that we just can't understand. Miley still isn't ready to talk about it, but I thought you guys should know what happened. For some unknown reason, Ziggy... grabbed Lila."

"Not really sure if she was playing or what? She grabbed her in just the wrong spot and Lila didn't survive," Tish Cyrus added.

PETA gives Miley Cyrus a pig for her birthday >> 

Speaking of Ziggy, pictured above with Miley and fiancé Liam Hemsworth in July, she pleaded, "Please understand that Miley isn't ready to talk about this and we dont think Ziggy is a mean dog. We took Ziggy to SPOT dog rescue and they found her a new home with no other pets or children just in case it wasn't a fluke. So not only did Miley lose Lila, she feels she lost Ziggy as well."

While Miley Cyrus has yet to speak a single word about Ziggy in regard to the incident, she did Tweet Sunday, "Feeling connected to my baby girl Lila after tonight. i know she's up in doggy heaven proud of her mommy for staying strong."

Do you think it was right of Tish Cyrus to reveal how Miley's dog died?

Image via WENN

Ricky Gervais has been a lot of things: an actor, a hit show creator, an awards show host. But he may be setting out to do something that will be new territory to him, as a muppet. According to TheHollywood Reporter, Gervais is in talks to play the lead character in the sequel to 2011’s The Muppets.

However, as much of a character as he already is, Gervais wouldn’t actually be a muppet in the movie . He will, however, be the human lead character.

"The follow-up movie to the 2011 hit, which starts production in January, is a European-centric adventure," said TheHollywood Reporter. "And while the film will be populated by a slew of cameos, there are three main human roles."

One of the other actors who has signed on to the film, as a human, is Ty Burrell. According to THR, he will be playing a "lazy Interpol inspector."

Gervais was actually supposed to appear in the first film, but his cameo didn’t make the final cut. It looks like he impressed producers enough with that film to have them look at him as the main character this time around.

"Gervais… would play the lead — as much as one can be a lead opposite Kermit, Fozzie and Miss Piggy — with his stature being compared to the role played by Jason Segel in the 2011 movie," said THR. "But the nature of Gervais' character is unknown because the script is being kept secret. Also unclear is whether the part calls for singing, a requirement for the first movie ."

It looks like Segel will not be back for the new film either, but the director of the first film, James Bobin, will be returning. The original producers, David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, have signed on to produce this one as well.

As busy as he is, Gervais has not appeared as a lead in a role since 2009’s The Invention of Lying.

Photo courtesy WENN.com

It has been more than a week since singer Jenni Rivera’s plane crashed in Mexico, killing all on board. The family has announced a memorial service for the singer in the Los Angeles area.

The service will be held Wednesday, Dec. 19 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Los Angeles Gibson Amphitheater. According to Billboard, the singer’s brother, Pedro Rivera Jr, will be leading the ceremony. While the memorial will be more of a public event, the family has said that the burial services for Jenni Rivera will be held privately.

"The Rivera family appreciates all the love given to our beloved Jenni Rivera," the family said in a statement to Billboard.

Rivera was born in the Long Beach, California area and became a star in the "regional Mexican genre" according to Billboard. She died at the age of 43 on Dec. 9. The plane that crashed was also carrying six members of her entourage.

"The Federal Drug Enforcement Administration, according to published reports, has been investigating the Las Vegas-based Starwood Management," said Billboard, "who owned the plane that crashed in Mexico and which had two planes seized by the agency in Arizona and Texas this year."

And Rivera wasn’t just a singer. She also had a reality show, radio show and created a line of beauty products.

"Most recently, Billboard reported that Rivera's album sales rose 334% to 6,000 copies," said the music industry magazine. "Joyas Prestadas: Pop nearly quadrupled, going 28-2 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart while sales for Joyas Prestadas: Banda went 39-4 on the chart. Rivera's downloads also increased 1,096% to 12,000, with 11 debuts or re-entries on the Regional Mexican Digital Songs chart."

Rivera left behind many family members, including five children. Many of her siblings are also singers and her father is singer and composer Pedro Rivera.

Photo courtesy Adriana M. Barraza/WENN.com

Over the past three years, the soap world has been rocked by cancellations. Daytime dramas have been dropping like flies, with the latest casualties coming from ABC. The network discontinued All My Children in 2011, followed by One Life to Live in early 2012.

Prior to their exits, a production company called Prospect Park approached the network with an offer. They would relaunch the shows and keep them alive — online. Unfortunately, the deal fell through and neither drama was revived.

Prospect Park kills All My Children reboot>>

Just when the pain of the bait and switch began to fade, Prospect Park has returned. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the company has reached a deal with SAG-AFTRA and is in talks with the DGA and WGA.

Prospect hasn't given a statement regarding their AMC and OLTL plans, but production is rumored to start as early as January. Apparently they're already in touch with actors from both shows.

If they're able to get One Life to Live up and running, they'll have a huge dilemma. The show's former head writer and producer are currently employed at ABC's remaining soap,General Hospital. Not only that, but several of One Life's major stars have contract roles on said show.

Hot new promo: One Life To Live cast invades Port Charles>>

Thus far, Kassie DePaiva , Roger Howarth , Michael Easton , Kristen Alderson and Florencia Lozano are all part of the GH canvas.

Fingers crossed they find a way to work things out.

Photo credit: Judy Eddy/WENN

A Florida man learned today that naked pictures of celebrities are not worth it. Christopher Chaney admitted to hacking into the email accounts of Mila Kunis, Scarlett Johansson and Christina Aguilera, and on Monday was given 10 years in prison for his crimes.

"U.S. District Court Judge S. James Otero sentenced Christopher Chaney, 35, of Jacksonville, Fla., after hearing how he intruded into the lives of dozens of celebrities and others and in some cases passed naked images along on the Internet," according to the LA Times.

Those celebrities included some big names, such as Kunis, Johansson and Aguilera, but also many others. However, Chaney said he never made any money off the photos.

"Chaney… had already pleaded guilty in Los Angeles federal court to nine counts of computer hacking and wiretapping for the unauthorized access of email accounts belonging to 50 people in the entertainment industry," said the LA Times. "Once Chaney got photos of the celebrities and other information, he forwarded the material to another hacker and two celebrity websites that made them public, according to a plea agreement."

Chaney said he hacked their accounts by "taking their email addresses, clicking on the 'Forgot your password?' feature and then resetting the passwords by correctly answering their security questions using publicly available information he found by searching the Internet," said the LA Times.

According to reports, he also used those email addresses to find other "targets" to hack. He also rigged most of their accounts so that their messages would be forwarded to him, and most of the victims didn’t notice.

"Chaney obtained numerous private communications, private photographs and confidential documents from the victims' email accounts, according to the indictment," said the LA Times. "The confidential documents included business contracts, scripts, letters, driver's license information and Social Security information, the indictment said."

Those photographs included nude photos of Johansson, which were reportedly meant for her then-husband Ryan Reynolds.

"The sentencing occurred after the court watched a videotaped statement from an emotional Johansson," said Gawker. "'I have been truly humiliated and embarrassed,' she said, apparently crying. 'I find Christopher Chaney's actions to be perverted and reprehensible.'"

They also said he used the email accounts to contact friends of the victims, asking for personal information, including photographs. Even though Chaney was given a 10-year sentence, he could have been sentenced to up to 60 years.

Photo courtesy WENN.com