The NY Daily News reports on a new study in the Journal of Family Psychology that shows that couples are happier and more satisfied in their marriages when the man is less attractive than the woman. This could be partially due to the fact that men, the ones who are traditionally more likely to cheat, are less interested in other women when their wives are hot.

“Both spouses tended to behave more positively when wives were more attractive than their husbands and more negatively when husbands were more attractive than their wives,” said the study by UCLA’s Benjamin Karney.

Karney also found that it doesn’t matter how much better looking the wife is than the husband - just that there is a discrepancy.

From Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller to Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, beautiful women have been marrying less attractive men through the ages.

Consider Howard Stern and his fiancée, Beth Ostrosky; Christina Aguilera and her geeky husband, Jordan Bratman, or Sienna Miller’s latest fling with homely actor Rhys Ifans.

According to the study, it is evolution that dictates that physical attractiveness of long-term mates is more important to men than to women.

Men are looking for a way to carry on their genes and see physical attractiveness as an indicator of strong genetics.

“Because physical attractiveness is less important to women, in contrast, relative attractiveness may only affect them through its effect on their husbands,” the study says.

[From The NY Daily News]

This is interesting, because I thought I learned in psychology class that couples who were matched in levels of attractiveness were the ones who lasted. This story made me think of Cate Blanchett’s husband and I feel bad for using them as an example, but they’re the first ones who came to mind. Cate, 38, has been married to screenwriter and playwright Andrew Upton, 41, for just over 10 years and they are expecting their third child together next month. Cate is one of Hollywood’s most beautiful actresses and her husband looks refreshingly plain.

The Daily News quotes people explaining the ugly guy = happy marriage phenomenon by saying that “When a woman looks better in a relationship she feels like she has nothing to worry about,” and “the men try harder so it makes for a better marriage.”

And I thought it had more to do with shared interests and communication. It would seem to help if the less attractive man was incredibly rich and kind too.

Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman are shown on 9/29/07. Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton are shown on 11/4/07 and 6/14/07, thanks to Splash News.

Christina Aguilera made her first public appearance yesterday after the birth of her son Max. Christina stopped by her polling place to vote in the Super Tuesday primaries, then went to a Best to sign copies of her new DVD set “Back to Basics: Live and Down Under.” Xtina said she’s been going a little stir crazy and was glad to get out of the house.

In a radio interview prior to the appearance, she gushed about her “incredible” son and said she is already inspired to write a new album.

“This whole incredible thing that’s taken part in my life, between the pregnancy and the birth, I’ve got so much to be inspired about and so much in my life to write about. I’ve been brain-storming for the last nine months, actually. This next album will have a whole new me, so there’s a lot to look forward to.”

The 27-year-old says she and husband Jordan Bratman reveling in parenthood: “It’s still the first couple of weeks, every week something new happens. It’s constant changing and he’s constantly changing and doing these incredibly cute things - and stinky things.”

[From the Daily Mail]

Christina also said she wasn’t mad at Paris Hilton for announcing her pregnancy for her. She said that Paris did “kind of jump the gun a little on it,” but that she didn’t do it with malice so everything was good. The Daily Mail, which is normally really critical of people’s appearances, complimented Christina’s “slimmed down” appearance. I have a strict policy about not making fun of people for their weight, but while Christina looks good, I don’t think she looks “slimmed down.” Aside from the fact that there’s no longer another person living in her stomach, which helps. She looks healthy and normal and generally how I’d expect a mother to look after giving birth less than a month ago. When you see those celebrities out in public a week or two after they’ve given birth looking slimmer than ever, that sets an unreasonable expectation. Christina looks good, healthy, and like she grabbed the wrong tube of lipstick.

Here’s video of Christina voting and signing CDs at Best Buy. Images thanks to Splash. Header image thanks to the Daily Mail.

Christina Aguilera can’t wait for the arrival of her new baby - so she’s scheduled a cesarean section for January 10.

The singer - who is expecting her first child with her music executive husband Jordan Bratman - has allegedly decided to go for the operation to avoid the pain of natural childbirth.

A source close to the star said: “Christina has a C-section scheduled for January 10 but she might need to push the date of the delivery up.”

Despite having a baby shower earlier this month, Christina - who turned 27 on Tuesday - is planning another event for her family and close friends.

The source added: “Christina will be having a second baby shower at the Hotel Bel-Air over Christmas with just her friends.”

New Zealand Herald

How you can even schedule a cesarean section? Doesn’t there have to be a medical reason for you to have one, not just fear of childbirth? Personally, I am by far more in fear of being cut in half.

Celebrities seem to have an awful lot of c-sections, apparently because it reduces the chances of getting stretch marks (important when your looks influence your career) and also for time and convenience. Which is ridiculous as anyone who knows anything about babies knows that they have no grasp of the concepts of time and convenience. I guess having a nanny might help with that.

Actually, I wonder if it has to do with the indignity of giving birth, and the risk of someone who has to be present selling your birth story to a tabloid magazine. Lying on a hospital bed with your feet in stirrups while a group of medical personnel look at your private parts is embarrassing enough without having to risk sharing it with the whole world.

Christina and husband Jordan are considering baby names for their baby boy, and top contenders are apparently Max or Jackson. Which are actually the two most popular baby names in Australia in 2007. Apparently the couple want to see the baby first and decide what name best fits his personality, which is what I did with my children. Also because there was no way my husband was going to say no to my baby name choice ten minutes after I gave birth.

Unfortunately, it seems that Christina and Jordan won’t be choosing a crazy name like Apple or Peaches or Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily for their baby, which is a shame but probably best for all concerned.

Christina Aguilera is seen out on her 27th birthday earlier this week.

Neither Christina or Jennifer Lopez has actually confirmed their pregnancy rumors. It is painfully obvious that they both are packing some fierce baby bumps. Privacy is hot commodity in Hollywood and runs in short supply. But the rumor mill spares no one. The latest on Baby-Watch ‘07 is that they are both carrying twins.

“Damien Fahey told Us that her condition was obvious. “I’ve been around a lot of pregnant women. She walked around like a pregnant woman, sat like a pregnant woman and stood like a pregnant woman,” he says. “If I were a betting man, I’d definitely bet she was pregnant.” Indeed, Us has confirmed from multiple sources that Lopez is about four months pregnant with her first child. Or children – a source tells Us Lopez’s mother, Guadalupe, 61, “is proudly telling people she’s having twins.”

[US Magazine]

I hardly believe any of the twin theory. Being that we have no idea how far along they are it is difficult to make a judgment when it comes to the size of the bump in relation to carrying twins. It is also unlikely that J.Lo’s momma would be dim enough to go around announcing the pregnancy status.

The NY Daily News made a brief blurb stating that:

“Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman could be doubling their family. A reliable source says she’s expecting twins.”

It is one of those things that appear to be coaxing the stars to clear up the confusion. Or maybe they are taking a shot in the dark and hoping it is true. Then again, I could state that I was a size 4 with a killer rack and I can spit gold, but it doesn’t make it true.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s Christina Aguilera out shopping at ‘Design Within Reach’ with her very prominent baby bump accentuated by her horizontal striped dress on October 17th. Image thanks to WENN. Header with Jennifer Lopez at MTV’s TRL on October 8th. Image thanks to PR Photos.

Christina Aguilera is quite vexing to me. Yes I went there, she is vexing. The blond bombshell has never announced her pregnancy – though Paris Hilton did kind of do it for her - yet she’s now registered for gifts for her baby shower. She is the worst secret-keeper ever. First off, letting Paris Hilton know that you’re pregnant is the same thing as calling up Liz Smith. Though I’m pretty sure Paris has Liz Smith on speed dial. So one could argue that if Christina has the tiniest amount of intelligence, she knew what would happen by telling Paris. But who in the world would want that skank announcing that you’re bringing new, (theoretically) pure life into the world? That’s like blessing the baby with Chlamydia. I don’t know if Christina thought that Paris’s announcement was tantamount to sending out frilly little “We’re expecting” cards, or if Christina’s just lazy, or if she somehow just doesn’t want to bother with telling the public – but clearly she’s not hiding it anymore, as registering for a bunch of baby stuff is a pretty clear indication that you’ve got a bun in the oven. I bun that’s been warming for like 4 or 5 months, right?

“A shopping spree in West Hollywood is nothing unusual for Christina Aguilera. But this early Saturday evening’s excursion was a first for the singer. With her husband Jordan Bratman, her mother-in-law and her sister-in-law in tow, Aguilera spent two hours picking out items for her baby registry at the posh Robertson Boulevard boutique Bel Bambini. ‘She looked beautiful,’ says store sales employee Crysta Smith about the singer, who wore a long black skirt and a cotton jacket. ‘She had a little bump. She said she was so excited [to have a baby].’

“Aguilera, who has never officially confirmed her pregnancy, told the staff that she was expecting – and revealed the gender of her baby, but asked to keep it private. With the help of her in-laws, the couple picked out a selection of items for her upcoming baby shower, including blankets, diaper bags, bottles and clothing. ‘They registered for all the accessories,’ says Smith. ‘They were both picking out things together.’’

[From People]

This is normally where I’d say “Awww” and start making those embarrassing baby kissy noises I wish I didn’t make. But I’m not going to give Christina Aguilera the benefit of my baby kissy noises until she gives me the dignity of acknowledging that she’s going to have one.

I think she may be doing this out of principle. Something like, “Jane Doe doesn’t have to announce to the world when she’s pregnant, why should I?” Now I’m arguing with a hypothetical Christina Aguilera, and I acknowledge that – but my retort to said hypothetical singer is that you’re famous, and you announced when you were engaged and married and when you were going on tour, so I think you could do your (possibly) adoring public the courtesy of letting us know that you’re knocked up. There’s a snuggly little stuffed duck in it for you.

Picture Note by Jaybird: Header image of Christina Aguilera shopping for baby bottles and clothing at a trendy baby store in Los Angeles yesterday. Image thanks to Splash Photos.

There was a wedding in Auckland a few years ago on the same night as a Ricky Martin concert. The connection? Ricky did two shows that night, one of which was at the wedding. Ricky was rumoured to have caught a helicopter into the island wedding, swivelled his hips for a song or two, and then hopped back away on his helicopter.

How much do you think this would cost? Not as much as having the Eagles sing.

The ageing rockers earned just under £4million singing Hotel California at a private party in New York in 2003.

The Rolling Stones, in second place, made £3.5million for an hour’s work when they appeared at the 60th birthday party of Texas tycoon David Bonderman in Las Vegas in 2002.

Celine Dion, at number three with a £2.5million fee, gives private party performances two or three times a year.

Number four, Elton John, made £2million when he sang at the wedding of London pub supremo Peter Shalson in 2002.

And in fifth place is Christina Aguilera, who was paid £1.8million to sing at the wedding of Russian banker and industrialist Andrei Melnichenko to Miss Yugoslavia, Aleksandra Kokotovic, two years ago.

The Daily Mail

I think it might be kind of cool to have a band appear at my birthday, but not at my wedding. I drank nothing but diet water leading up to my wedding, and the dress cost a fortune, I wanted to be the biggest star there! Unless you‘re a big star yourself it’s probably best not to have a real one turn up.

Rounding out the top ten of the most expensive performing fees for private parties, were George Michael (£1.75m), Destiny’s Child (£750,000), Jennifer Lopez (£700,000), and Paul McCartney and Aerosmith tied for tenth place at £500,000.

I think I’ll just buy some new albums for my next birthday party, and a really nice cake. Then people will say “What a delicious cake” instead of “How much do ya reckon she paid for the Spice Girls?”

The worst kept secret in Hollywood has been conformed. Nicole Richie is pregnant. She tells Diane Sawyer that yes, she is pregnant, “I’m almost four months.”

In the interview she adds this about her drunken driving conviction.

“I have a responsibility and it’s something that I did wrong, and if I could personally apologize to every single person who has lost a loved one from drunk driving, I would. Unfortunately, I can’t, but this is my way of paying my dues and taking responsibility and being an adult.”

She adds to OK! magazine.

“I was watching CNN about a month ago, and they happened to be talking about young people driving under the influence. They were flashing little kids (on the screen) who were killed by drunk drivers, and it broke my heart. It was a big wake-up call.”

All quotes taken from USA Today.

Well, she only had to get caught twice to work it out!! That jail sentence is a good idea, she might forget.

Nicole is looking really cute – maybe what Gwyneth says about pregnancy vitamins is true. Boyfriend Joel Madden appears with her for the interview, looking less cute.

In other pregnancy news, Christina Aguilera is finishing her world tour this week, after being given the all-clear by doctors. Still no word on her pregnancy from the singer, although her illness is being said than more than just a simple case of singing-impeding sniffles, she actually collapsed backstage. Two more nights, Chrissie, then a long haul flight back home, and you can put your feet up. And your swollen ankles.

Note by Celebitchy: Can I please gloat again for calling her pregnant back when I saw the “potbelly” pictures, before the Enquirer was even saying it?

Adding fuel to the pregnancy rumor fire, Christina Aguilera has cancelled two shows on her Back To Basics world tour. Her promoter Michael Gudinski of Frontier touring had this to say.

“Doctors have confirmed Christina has a viral upper respiratory tract infection with a high fever and abnormal coughing,” Gudinski said in a statement.

“They have prescribed complete bed rest for the next few days.”

In the same statement, Aguilera apologised to her fans.

“Unfortunately, I have fallen ill with a bad flu virus. This is one of the best cities in the world to perform in and I am truly disappointed that I won’t be able to share my show with you all,” she said.

“Thank you for all of the continued love and support and I hope to perform for you all again next time.”

Sydney Morning Herald

Chrissie makes no mention of her alleged pregnancy, although she looks like she’s sporting a definite bump. Hopefully she is pregnant, because she must feel really bad being called fat otherwise. Maybe she’s trying to get pregnant and is letting herself go early?

Christina and her husband Jordan Bratman argue about her workload, according to Star Magazine.

“I think Jordan is concerned and has said so,” an insider told Star Magazine. “But Christina has shown no sign of lightening her workload and fully intends to finish her tour [ending Aug. 3]. If she’s feeling exhausted, she’s hiding it. She’s almost overcompensating, saying how great she feels to ease his worries, because the most important thing to Jordan is a healthy mama and baby.”

“Christina told Jordan that the doctor says it’s totally possible for her to keep working and have a healthy, happy baby. But that doesn’t mean Jordan is happy about it. Christina is the center of Jordan’s world. He’s naturally worried and overprotective. He’s trying not to get angry with her, but he’s probably frustrated that she can’t see his point of view and at least cut back on her commitments a bit.”

Hollyscoop

It’s so sweet in that newlywed phase when your husband worries about you taking it easy. Then when the honeymoon is over, he just walks in the door and demands you get off your fat ass and make him some dinner.

Header image from Splash News.

Christina Aguilera was seen at a recent event looking decidedly less buoyant. Lucky for us, she still retained her signature orange hue and ruby red lipstick-smeared teeth or it we would have been hard-pressed to recognize her.

It must be the season for celebrity plastic surgery. All of the people who don’t soak up the snow and swag at Sundance can take advantage of some winter downtime to get work done. Jennifer Aniston recently “corrected” a former nosejob, while Katie Holmes decided to go cookie-cutter too. With Christina Aguilera downsizing, it seems like more tapered looks are in.

Here’s a link to some comparison shots of Christina in a see-through top last July.

And here she is at the 2007 NRJ music awards. Thanks to Saving Face for these pictures and the news that she’s smaller on top. It could just be the dress, but it looks to me like she has less to fill it out.

Madame Tussaud’s wax museum in London seems to have outdone themselves with a new glamorous Christina Aguilera figure posing in a luxe 1920s-style bathroom. They even feature a studded hairbrush microphone that lets you sing along with your favorite XTina tunes:

Greeting her fans with a smouldering over-the-shoulder look, The Ain’t No Other Man singer is featured in her very own glamorous, 1920s-style, interactive powder room, lit up by vanity mirrors and shimmer curtains. Madame Tussauds visitors will have the chance to power through one of Christina’s classic hits by picking up a diamante hairbrush microphone that will activate a sing-a-long video playing from inside her mirror.

According to Ben Lovett, spokesperson: “Christina is dressed in a shimmering, vintage, floor-length gown in keeping with her sensational blonde bombshell image. With legions of fans across so many genres of music, our visitors have been keen to get up close and sing with Christina for a while. She is the only female singer to be unveiled at Madame Tussauds in 2006.”

Thanks to XTinaweb for these pictures. I love the bathroom!