I still love Kyra Sedgwick. I still miss The Closer, although I have to admit… Major Crimes is not bad at all. It’s much better than what I was expecting, and I like how they’re broadening the supporting cast. Still, I miss Kyra/Brenda’s Georgia accent and I miss her interrogations. Sigh… anyway, Kyra covers the new issue of Good Housekeeping, and she’s talking about her marriage to Kevin Bacon. I love Kyra and The Bacon. I want to believe that they’re in this for forever. They’ve already made it 24 years!!!! And Kyra tells Good Housekeeping how they’ve made it work – basically, she’s still hot for The Bacon and he still tells her she’s beautiful:

Ever wonder what Kyra Sedgwick finds sexy? Her husband of 24 years, Kevin Bacon, has it all figured out.

“He is so honorable. He is so ethically true. He has high moral standards, and he doesn’t lie and he doesn’t cheat – and I find that sexy!” the actress, 47, says in the January issue of Good Housekeeping.

“I don’t know how he does it, but he always makes me feel like I’m the most beautiful woman in the room – the only girl in the room,” she says of her relationship with Bacon, 54, whom she married in 1988.

“He says ‘Honey, you look beautiful. You are sexy!’ Always, always, always!”

While their love has lasted over decades – an eternity in Hollywood – the couple is experiencing a kind of “second-honeymoon” now that their children Travis, 23, and Sosie, 20, have left the nest.

“There’s a lot more walking around the house naked,” Sedgwick says.

But it’s clearly more than occasional nudity that keeps their love alive.

“I am constantly in awe of Kevin’s levelheadedness and his lack of ‘crazy,’ ” she says.

[From People]

I’ll admit it – if this was any other married couple and the wife was telling a magazine that her husband is “so honorable. He is so ethically true. He has high moral standards, and he doesn’t lie and he doesn’t cheat,” I would be rolling my eyes and asking what she had to prove. But since it’s Kyra and The Bacon… I think I believe her. I think The Bacon only has eyes for his wife and he would never fool around. And I think she would do absolutely anything to make him happy. Could it be that Kyra and Kevin are the absolute perfect couple?!?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Mild spoilers for the new season of “The Closer” are below
This interview with Kyra Sedgwick made me squeal. God, do you know how much I love The Closer? SO MUCH. A ridiculous amount. I can’t believe the series is closing down this summer. It sucks because… there really was so much more to do with these characters. They could have done another four seasons and the series still would have managed to be fresh and wonderful. Anyway, there are only six episodes left of the final season of The Closer. The first of the final six airs this coming Monday at 9 pm on TNT. In these final six episodes, “the mole” will finally be revealed. Brenda will also face off with “the rapist/murderer/psychopath who got away,” Philip Stroh, played by a deliciously creepy Billy Burke (Bella Swan’s dad for all of the Twihards out there). In this interview, Kyra also says that Brenda loses someone close to her. OMG, her dad? HER MOM? JOEL THE CAT?!?!? GAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

On not everyone surviving the final episodes.
“I think Brenda realizes how deeply she loves her squad and the inherent loss of making a choice, or having to leave. And there is another loss that happens that I can’t reveal. But there’s a major personal loss for Brenda.”

Like a recurring character passing away?
“Yes, yes.”

On the mole’s reveal.
“Oh absolutely [people will be surprised]! I think we’ve been thrown off the scent. I look at my Twitter and everyone has a different idea.”

On the final episodes being themed around love and loss.
“The themes are loss and love and I think there are clearly some ripple effects that occur after the mole is revealed that are challenging for everybody. I think in some ways, the last six episodes are about coming to terms with who we are as people and not being pleased with who we see, including Brenda. She has to come to terms with the choices she’s made in her life and the ramifications of her choices. She has always put her career first and she suddenly has to deal with the ramifications of that.”

On the return of Philip Stroh, the one suspect who got away.
“He’s her nemesis and someone she felt really got away. She really thinks she’s got him and then she doesn’t so that creates some turmoil in her.

Will she lose the plot a little bit because of him?
“I think she’s completely unreasonable when it comes to him and sees red. She can’t put her best foot forward. She lets her emotions get in her way and they certainly do get in the way and make it more difficult to do her job.”

On whether the last episodes will set the viewers up for the show’s spin-off Major Crimes.
“I don’t think so. I mean, in some ways it does in terms of logistics and who is in what position. But I think that is sort of going to be a different animal. I don’t think I can necessarily speak to that because I haven’t seen any of the scripts but it’s going to be more about prosecuting instead of getting the confession.”

On Brenda’s final goodbye.
“I had a lot invested in doing it the right way. We really needed to honor her journey and I think we really did. Honor everything we did before and not pull out any false notes or anything uncharacteristic. Her deepest flaws are what makes her human and relatable and we wanted to have those be something that she has to deal with. To deal with the consequences of her actions. I think that is important and real and honest. I just felt like there was a wrong way to do it and we didn’t do it that way. I think we did it the right way, I really do. I think we really honored everything that went before and yet set her on another path. I think the audience will be sad it’s over but pleased and understanding of why she is leaving. It’s not a fly-by-night reason. The seeds have been sown for her departure. It’ll be sad, but they’ll be pleased. We set her on another path.”

Will Brenda be focusing on her personal life now?
“Yes, yes. I think that’s a big part of it.”

On who Brenda is at the end of the season.
“Older and wiser. I think that she’s less self-centered. Because I think she’s kind of a self-centered, single-minded, ‘what I want at all costs’ kind of person. She starts to take in the effects of her actions and takes in more of the people around her and their needs. It’s not just about her needs all the time and I love that. I love that she’s kind of grown up.”

[From Parade]

Can I admit something? Although I’m a die-hard Closer-loonie, there were parts of “the mole/federal lawsuit” storyline that I found kind of dumb. Like, I liked how close Brenda and Captain Rader became, and I appreciated that Brenda consistently plays favorites with David Gabriel and that the only time she really lost it is when it looked like Gabriel would be putting his career on the line for her. But the “resolution” to the federal lawsuit in the last episode was… weird. I really though Brenda had come to a point where she was willing to admit she made a mistake, and then she threw a hissy fit and accused Captain Rader and Chief Pope of conspiring against her. I thought Brenda was behaving immaturely, considering her journey to get to that point. But I do want to see how else that story gets resolved. Who is The Mole? I guess we’re supposed to think it’s Taylor. He’s the obvious choice, right? But what if it’s Flynn? Or Buzz? Or Sanchez? God, I would go crazy if it’s Sanchez. I would go crazy if Sanchez is the character who dies too. I love Sanchez. I love all of them, really. GAH!!! Long Live Brenda Leigh Johnson.

Photos courtesy of WENN, IMDB.

Julianne Hough fared much better last night at the CFDAs than in the midriff-bearing black number she wore to the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday evening. Here she looked both boobtastic and sophisticated in a fire-engine red Kaufmanfranco stretch-crepe gown. It’s rather unusual for Julianne to show so much skin in the upper-body area, but she looks sexy enough here without coming off as trashy. Julianne also went low key in the accessory department with only diamond drop earrings and a gold clutch to mix things up and not draw too much attention from the main attraction. She looks great here with the smoky eyes and slightly messy updo. This is a fashion win for Julianne.

Selita Ebanks fared slightly worse in the gown department, and I’m not really sure what she was going for other than a Vegas red carpet vibe. Her white and gold dress is both matronly and boob squishing, and this reminds me of something that Ivana Trump might wear. Seleta is so, so pretty though, and that makes this dress even more unfortunate. Perhaps an updo might have helped? Oh who am I kidding — not much could disguise the existence of this gown.

Kyra Sedgwick walked the red carpet like a pro in this black pantsuit that might have had the likes of Tilda Swinton drooling in envy. Of course, Kyra doesn’t quite have the fashion presence of Tilda, but Kyra is also no slouch in the poise department. She looks classy and lovely here too. Love the silver, peep-toe sandals.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN

There are few people that I love more than Kyra Sedgwick. Well, let me be honest: there are few people I love more than The Closer’s Brenda Leigh Johnson. She’s incredible. She’s one of my favorite characters on television right now, if not my very favorite. And I love the way Kyra plays her too. As for Kyra in real life… well, in interviews, she sometimes comes across as kind of vapid, but I still find reasons to admire her. She keeps a great deal of her personal life locked down, she and Kevin Bacon have managed to have a successful marriage for going on 23 years, and if I can just be superficial, I think Kyra looks awesome for a woman of 46. Her body is incredible. Her face sometimes looks slightly Botoxy, but she doesn’t look excessively “worked on” or jacked. Anyway, Kyra covers the new issue of Rebook, and she’s got sweet things to say about The Bacon and being an empty-nester:

On The Bacon: “The essence of it hasn’t really changed. When he walks into a room, I’m still… I mean, my heart gets a little fluttery and I think, Oh! He’s so cute. He’s so hot. That’s literally the first thing I think. You can ask people on the set-it’s palpable. He’s still a mystery to me. And getting older together is scary and exciting.”

On kids Travis, 22, and Sosie, 20 and the empty nest: “My son is still living with us, but yeah, he won’t be here for long…. Life will never be the same. I know [my kids] will need me, but in a totally different way. Suddenly I’m supposed to think about myself first? What is that? That’s weird. But there’s joy in that too-we’re responsible for our own happiness. It’s not about them making me happy. You know, the best sound in the world to me is the door opening in the apartment and one of the kids walking in. That won’t change. I mean, I’m very happy when Kevin comes home too, don’t get me wrong [laughs]. But they light up my life.”

On being a victim of the Bernie Madoff scheme: “There are so many people in this country who have been more betrayed than we were. We gave our money to a mentally ill person. We’re responsible for that. It’s not our fault; I don’t blame us, but we’re responsible. Betrayal is something that happens when someone is a friend or a loved one; that’s such a personal feeling. At the time, it felt personal because we’d worked really, really hard for that money- especially Kevin, who has been working since he was 17 in New York-and it was mostly his money, because I hadn’t made a lot. So that was our pension. We thought it was in a safe place. But betrayed? I don’t think that’s the right word.”

[From The Daily Stab]

I’ve heard Kyra talk about how she and Kevin didn’t have much of honeymoon period in their marriage because she got pregnant so quickly. They’ve spent the bulk of their marriage raising their two kids, and the kids seem very well-adjusted and normal. Sosie had a character arc on The Closer a few seasons ago, and she’s a very talented young actress too – I wouldn’t mind if she followed in her parents’ footsteps. As for Kyra still getting “fluttery” – I think it’s sweet. Kyra and The Bacon really do adore each other.

Photos courtesy of Redbook, WENN.

These are just some extra ladies from the Screen Actors Guild Awards that I wanted to cover. Does it matter that they’re all over 40? Does it matter that they all look kind of Botoxy? Does it matter that they’re all very talented and really hot? Does it matter that they were all up for awards for work they did in television? Television: Where over-40 actresses go to do great work once Hollywood thinks they’re “over.” Let’s start with one of my favorites, Kyra Sedgwick, BRENDA LEIGH (!!) from The Closer. Kyra wore this cut-out Emilio Pucci gown that for whatever reason really works on her. I’m mystified as to why I like her in this revealing, sexy gown, in this odd color (in these photos it looks red, but it was more orange on television), with her hair down and everything. I think it’s because she just looks so sexy, right? It just works on her, and her body looks so, so good. The Bacon looks good too!

Next up: Diane Lane and Josh Brolin. Diane was nominated for her TV movie role in Cinema Verite. Diane wore this beautiful David Meister gown, which was a great color for her. She also did her (too long) hair in a ponytail, which was one of the bigger hair trends last night – so many girls did ponytails, it was weird. For Diane, I’m not a big fan of the ponytail, but overall, I thought she looked really good. Plus, I like it when Josh comes out to support her rather than vice versa.

Now, I’ve grown to love Julianna Margulies. I’ve recently gotten into The Good Wife, and she’s doing really wonderful work on that show. In the first two seasons, Julianna looks great – AND like a woman in her 40s. But nowadays, she looks odd to me. At the Globes, she looked like a Botox-Monster, and she’s still looking “off” to me in these photos too. Her gown was Calvin Klein, by the way – it looked almost identical to Katrina Bowen’s, who was on E! right before Julianna. Rough. Oh, and what was with the earrings?!?! Damn it, Julianna. At least her husband is super-cute.

Photos courtesy of Fame.

There are few couples that I love as much as Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon. Kevin and Kyra have been together for 23 years! And they’re still going strong, through thick and thin, through career ups and downs, through financial disasters (they invested with Bernie Madoff), through parenthood and so much more. These are photos of the Sedgwick-Bacon clan in Hawaii over the holidays, where they were vacationing with their kids, Sosi (19) and Travis (22).

Can we talk about Kevin and Kyra’s bodies for a second? Kevin still has it, doesn’t he? He looks fit and sexy, and he’s 53 years old! He must be a vampire! That’s what I kept thinking when I saw him in X-Men: First Class – how does he still look so young?!?!? Incidentally, I’ve seen a lot of movies this year, and X-Men: First Class is still one of my favorites, one of my top films of the year. Kevin was really good in it – an unexpectedly delicious villain.

As for Kyra – she’s 46 years old, and I hope to look this good at her age. You can tell that she takes care of herself, and I like that she doesn’t look starved or ropey. She looks like she enjoys eating, and she works out. Incidentally, whenever I’m reading “Best of” lists, I’m always surprised that The Closer doesn’t make it onto more critics’ “Best of” lists. TNT just aired the final episodes of 2011, and I have to wait until next summer for this season to end. This last season of The Closer has been awesome, and there have been a lot of payoffs for long-term fans of the show. Kyra doesn’t get enough credit for being the center of this amazing show. Gah! What will I do without The Closer? What will SHE do without The Closer?

Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News.

These are new photos of Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon on holiday in Miami on Tuesday. They went for a walk on the beach together. I find both of them adorable – they’ve been married 22 YEARS. For the love of God. And you know what else I love? That Kyra isn’t all tricked out in jeggings for this little outing. She’s got an incredible figure, as I learned from watching The Closer. She has an exceptionally cute butt, but you wouldn’t know it from how she doesn’t trick herself out for casual outings. I love that.

Kevin recently sat down with PopEater to discuss his favorite Christmas memory, and of course it involved his bride. They are just too cute together:

Kevin Bacon has a lot to be thankful for this holiday season.

A critically acclaimed career, a charity that connects people with over one million philanthropic organizations and a much admired marriage to actress Kyra Sedgwick are just a few of the accomplishments Bacon can boast.

After almost 20 years of marriage and two children, Bacon recounts his favorite Christmas memory and it’s nothing short of romantic.

“I proposed to my wife on Christmas Eve and I put the ring in the toe of the stocking. Shockingly, she said yes,” the actor laughed.

[From PopEater]

So sweet. Also, for all of us Closer-loonies (what up, bitches?), sadly, Kyra leaving the series next year. Since the show is built on her (she is “the closer”), I think that means the end of the show. Truly unfortunate, because it’s one of the best cop shows out there, if not one of the best ever. Great writing, great acting, great crimes. I really wish Kyra wasn’t quitting this bitch, but I hope other networks and cable stations take note of The Closer’s success and try for more female-driven cop shows.

Photos courtesy of Fame.

I know all of the cool kids are talking about the return of True Blood, but all of the uncool cop-show geeks can meet me over here in the corner. How excited are you that The Closer is coming back in a few weeks? I can hardly wait! It feels like it’s been forever, but really they had new episodes back in November and December, right? I am in love with The Closer, and with Kyra Sedgwick. I had always been a fan of Kyra, but she’s found her iconic character with Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, head of Major Crimes of the LAPD. I also love the team – Lt. Flynn especially. No… Det. Gabriel. No, Chief Pope. I can’t choose. They’re all my favorite. Anyway, Kyra is starting her promotion for The Closer’s new season, and she’s the July cover girl for More Magazine. She sounds way more neurotic than I was expecting:

You wouldn’t think a beauty like Kyra Sedgwick ever struggled with body-image issues, but in the July/August issue of MORE, on newsstands June 22, she reveals that she’s no different from many other women.

“Food has never been easy for me,” she tells writer Meryl Gordon, adding that the catalyst was a role in the 1985 film War and Love, for which she was required to lose 20 pounds to play a Holocaust survivor.

“I came back from that, and it triggered something,” she says. “I ate everything in sight. My weight went up and then too far down.” She admits she struggled with food and body-image issues for years, finally throwing out her scale, tired of the mood swings and her self-judgmental reaction. “I’m so grateful that I don’t get on a scale because it’s never going to be the right number.”

Having made peace with her body, Sedgwick, who starts her sixth season as the Golden Globe–winning star of The Closer on July 12, is now bracing herself for the imminent departure of her daughter, 18-year-old Sosie, for college. (Son Travis, 21, will enter his senior year this fall.)

“It’s like, you’ve had this job forever, it’s the job you always wanted to do, and you were pretty good at it. Then you get fired for no reason!” she says of her empty-nest status. Sedgwick asked that the filming of the new season of The Closer be pushed back several weeks so she could enjoy more time in New York with Sosie. Laughing, she says that she’s been literally scheming for spare moments with her daughter. “

I set my alarm to wake up so I can see her. I don’t make plans on weekday evenings in case I can spend time with her. It’s pathetic; I don’t care.”

Sedgwick reveals that she and her husband, actor Kevin Bacon, “have had very little time alone. This is going to be a whole new phase. With all my weeping, I’m counting on that.” The reason? On their honeymoon in 1988, the couple, who had discussed their desire for children, made a spur-of-the-moment romantic gesture. “We were like, Let’s just not use birth control,” she says. “I didn’t think it was going to happen so fast. I got pregnant in two weeks.”

After Sosie, now 18, was born, Sedgwick entered therapy. (She is also mom to Travis, now 20.)

“I used to be so serious. My life was weighty, and my heart was heavy,” she says. “When the kids were little, any joke made at my expense, I couldn’t handle it. I’ve done a lot of interior work, embracing my mortality and knowing I’d better have a good time because I’m not going to go this way again.”

She saw her therapist for nine years. But now, “I embrace my flaws and quirks and can laugh at myself. Having children, you’re got to face your sh-t or be ruled by it,” she explains. Sedgwick doesn’t want her children to follow in her and Bacon’s footsteps.

“I don’t want my kids to have all the rejection and pain and insecurity of this crazy business,” she says.

She spends six months of the year away from home filming The Closer.

“Kevin has to share me with more of the world now than he signed up for. He did sign up for an actress, but my life has become bigger, and I’ve become more independent… he’s been home a lot with the kids,” she says. “I go to work, and sometimes at the end of the day, I’m too tired to have a really long conversation…To be able to count on someone like that, it moves me.”

With a long-running marriage in which both partners have enjoyed great professional success, there has been only one sour note in the couple’s household: their finances. On the advice of a family member, they invested for some 10 years with client-bilking financier Bernie Madoff. When she was told that their Madoff investments had all vanished, “I laughed. I just couldn’t believe it,” Sedgwick says. “It’s awful, and it’s really sad and infuriating. And there are a lot of people who are so much worse off than we are. He’s a sick man. . . . You know what it’s shattered my trust in? The government taking care of us. The S.E.C. knew—they knew.”

[From More (additional quotes via Us Weekly)]

She and Kevin Bacon are so awesome together. He’s even directed a few episodes of The Closer, and Sosie came on for a wonder character arc as Brenda’s wild-child niece (she was a good little actress too – and she has Kevin’s coloring!). Sigh… I know Kyra isn’t in fact Brenda Leigh, but I want her to be. I love her.

More Mag photos courtesy of More & Us Weekly.

Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon are one of Hollywood’s most stable and likable couples. You hardly hear anything about them because there’s not much to gossip about – they seem to have a loving relationship and a happy family. They’ve been married for over 20 years and have two children, Travis, 19, and Sosie, 17.

Unfortunately Kyra and Kevin got quite a bit of press late last year when the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme came to light. They were among thousands of other high net worth individuals who were bilked in Madoff’s massive investment scam.

In January, Kevin talked about losing his investments in general terms, and seemed to suggest that he and Kyra were financially wiped out. He said “There are a lot of things I’m grateful for: my health, my family, my career, my family’s health. Things could be worse.” He added that he was looking for a job and needed “to work, for obvious reasons.” It was known that he and Kyra had some real estate, but it was thought that they weren’t left with much.

Now Kyra has broken her silence on the issue, and she maintains that they weren’t financially ruined, but admits they did lose “hard earned money”:

Kyra Sedgwick and her actor-husband, Kevin Bacon, managed to stay out of the gossip pages until they were among the many victims of the massive Ponzi scheme run by financier Bernard Madoff.

“I think the interesting thing about it was that I always thought, `We’re so boring. We should be in the tabloids more. C’mon honey, let’s have a scandal,’” the 43-year-old actress said.

“Well, it wasn’t the truth that we were destroyed,” Sedgwick said in a recent conference call from New York. “And I think when you say `no comment,’ that’s, of course, where they’re going to go, because it’s fun and it grabs headlines and people will be more interested.”

“It’s been really unpleasant and makes you feel really vulnerable. But the fact of the matter is that we did not lose everything,” she said. “We lost hard-earned money that we worked very hard for that was what we thought in a safe place. It’s painful but a lot of people lost a lot more. And we have a lot of things to be grateful for in our life, and we never ever forget that.”

[From AP via Huffington Post]

I like how Kevin and Kyra put things in perspective and seem genuinely grateful for the good things they’ve received in life. They seem like good people who deserve to have a comfortable and happy life. It looks like they’ve found it, even as they lost some material things along the way.

Kyra Sedgwick is shown getting her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 6/8/09. Credit: WENN.com

Kevin Bacon is on promotional duties for Taking Chance, an HBO film based on a true story of a military escort officer bringing a fallen soldier home. Casting Kevin Bacon was a smart choice – he’s played military characters several times before, and the role offers the kind of profound drama that a great, under-rated actor like Bacon will do well with. In this OK!intervew, Kevin also talks about his love of his wife Kyra and their 20-year marriage:

On the latest Bacon Brothers CD, New Year’s Day, Kevin Bacon sings the praises of his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, 43.

“I took the inspirational things she’s said to me that are her life’s mottos and wrote them into song,” the father of two, 50, told OK! at the Feb. 24 Musicians On Call event in NYC. The result was “Kikko’s Song.”

The couple, who have been happily married for 20 years (amazing by Hollywood’s standards) tells OK! that the secret to their wedded bliss is “We like each other’s company,” Kevin says.

Meanwhile, Bacon has taken on a new role in HBO’s Taking Chance. Based on real-life events, the actor plays Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, a volunteer military escort officer who accompanies the body of 19-year old Marine Chance Phelps back to his home. It’s something the actor recently says hit home.

“You know, I’ve got a son of my own and it’s – it’s almost kind of unthinkable (to deal with that kind of loss), and yet they have a certain, a real strength and a grace and kind of elegance about them that’s really inspirational,” he says.

From OK! Magazine

I saw the original “version” of Taking Chance when it was part of the PBS documentary series America at a Crossroads: Operation Homecoming, Writing the Wartime Experience. In its original form it was a short (under 20 minutes, if I remember correctly) vignette written by Lt. Col. Strobl. Taking Chance was one of the most beautiful and moving stories in a excellent group of real stories, poetry and short films of the war and home front, as told by the soldiers. Lt. Col. Strobl told of delivering the body of Chance Phelps to the small town of Riverton, Wyoming. Strobl’s description of the quiet dignity of the town, the grief of the family, and the effect of one fallen soldier’s funeral in one community is devastating. I’ve linked to the PBS transcripts, and if you need a good cry, read any or all of the stories.

Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon are shown on 3/8/09. Credit: PRPhotos