Marcia Cross has always struck me as one of those very careful mothers – not quite as Stepford Wife as her character on Desperate Housewives, but she dresses Eden and Savannah, her two-year-old twins, in matching outfits and always seems put together. In an interview with People, she says that it’s a little scary how articulate her girls are, and that she has taught them to be very vocal.

“They are big talkers,” Cross told PEOPLE at Mott’s and Feeding America charity event in New York Monday. “They happen to be very verbal girls and I think that comes from me. Their mom is pretty verbal.”

Now that her girls, who turned 2 last month, can express themselves, Cross, 46, enjoys every minute engaging them in conversation. “It’s wonderful that they can tell me what’s going on with them and have conversations. I just love it,” said the Desperate Housewives star. “When we go to the park one of my daughters will say, ‘The dog scares me mamma.’ Or after their birthday party a few weeks ago, one of them said, ‘Too many people mamma.’ ”

In fact, they seem to have inherited their mother’s tendency to talk things over. “Recently both my daughters were sitting on the steps in our home, and one of them said, ‘Let’s talk about it mamma,’ ” recalled the Emmy-nominated actress. “I thought, where did they learn that? Then I realized it was from me. I thought, Oh my God, what have I done to them at 2 years old?”

[From People]

She also talks about only feeding her daughters organic, healthy food, and the fact that her girls don’t know what cookies are – though they got a bite of an organic cupcake at their birthday.

At home, making sure her own children eat healthy foods is a high priority for Cross. “I keep them away from junk food. They don’t know about cookies yet so everything they eat is healthy,” she said. “They’ve had a bite of an organic cupcake for their birthday but it’s always healthy foods – especially now before they find out about junk food.”

[From People]

It’s important to feed your kids the right kind of food, but you can’t keep them away from junk food forever. It’s critical to instill a love of healthy foods, so that they won’t binge on ice cream and chips, but will reach for nutritious things when they want a snack. Denying your kids unhealthy food completely isn’t the answer because eventually they’ll rebel. Still, we’re talking about 2-year-olds here, and at that age they don’t have much say over their food intake anyway. The girls sound (and look) absolutely adorable, and it’s nice to hear someone talk about their kids in a realistic way, unlike Jennifer Lopez, whose publicist fed her some lines to tell the press.

Sadly, though Marcia finds a lot of joy in her children, her husband has been diagnosed with what may be terminal cancer. Our thoughts go out to her and her family.

Here’s Marcia taking Savannah and Eden to the Santa Monica Pier to play with the games in the amusement park on March 7th. Images thanks to Fame.com.

How much of a celebrity-obsessive do you have to be to watch 9 hours of Creative Arts Emmys, Emmy pre-show and Primetime Emmys?  About as much as I am, I suppose.

The Creative Arts Emmy broadcast was Saturday night on E! and it was more entertaining than the main broadcast Sunday night.  Sarah Silverman was uncharacteristically adorable, and Neil Patrick Harris and Sarah Chalke were far superior hosts. 

With a total of four straight hours of pre-show on E!, then a three hour show, anyone addicted to celebrities, high fashion and ridiculously expensive accessories, can overdose on any awards night, but for some reason, the Emmys can actually give you a hangover before the show is even over.

“Who are you wearing?”, the most overused phrase on E!, is also the most important question of the night for those that tune in for the dresses, jewels, and shoes (and some of the suits).  The Hills’ Lauren Conrad was, not surprisingly, the first “celebrity” on the red carpet and set the fashion tone for a night: bare shoulders, floor length gowns, and strong colors (aside from Marcia Cross’ flesh colored tutu and Eva Longoria’s keep-the-baby-talk fueled flapper dress).

No one’s hair was bigger than Patrick Dempsey’s, but that’s usually how it is anywhere McDreamy is on the guest list.  Most of the Hollywood women wore their hair down, flowing and wavy, so Tina Fey looked very anti-Palin, but, she said she would be happy to have a drink with the Alaska Governor if she’s free in late November.

Ryan Seacrest gets a lot of grief for his too casual hosting of American Idol, and his questionable production partnerships (Denise Richards?  Paris Hilton?) but he’s in his element in the pre-show kind of atmosphere and does a pretty seamless job.  Plus, he knows exactly what it is that he does.  When Kathy Griffin asked him if it bothered him that Josh Grobin got more tail than him, he told her ”He’s a singer. He’s got talent.  I do nothing but fill time.” 

Less impressive was his turn at an opening bit for the main broadcast.  Helping him, or helping him to hurt the rest of us, in hosting the main show were Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst, and Tom Bergeron, all co-hosting and all the first time ever nominees for Best Host of a Reality or Reality-Competition Program.  The show was sometimes painful and at one point Josh Grobin ruined every TV theme song with a vocal montage that anyone ever loved… ever.  Except South Park, he nailed that one.

But then there was Don Rickles!  Don Rickles stole the show!  The guy is abrasive, but he punched some laughs into a dying show, and left Kathy Griffin speechless.  Anyone who can do that deserves an award!  And he was aptly rewarded a few minutes later with his first Emmy for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project

My personal picks this year went mostly unrealized, with the happy exceptions of the seven 30 Rock and one each Colbert Report and Daily Show wins.   HBO production John Adams won the year with thirteen statuettes and Mad Men came in one behind 30 Rock with six wins. 

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
JEREMY PIVEN as Ari Gold Entourage HBO

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
JEAN SMART as Regina Newly Samantha Who? ABC

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
ŽELJKO IVANEK as Ray Fiske Damages FX NETWORKS

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
DIANNE WIEST as Dr. Gina Toll In Treatment HBO

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY PROGRAM
The Colbert Report COMEDY CENTRAL

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
LAURA LINNEY as Abigail Adams John Adams HBO

OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES
THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART COMEDY CENTRAL

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
TINA FEY 30 Rock Cooter NBC

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
TOM WILKINSON as Benjamin Franklin John Adams HBO

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
DAME EILEEN ATKINS as Miss Deborah Jenkyns Cranford (Masterpiece) PBS

OUTSTANDING REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
THE AMAZING RACE CBS

OUTSTANDING MINISERIES
JOHN ADAMS HBO

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
PAUL GIAMATTI as John Adams John Adams HBO

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
ALEC BALDWIN as Jack Donaghy 30 Rock NBC

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
GLENN CLOSE as Patty Hewes Damages FX NETWORKS

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
BRYAN CRANSTON as Walt White Breaking Bad AMC

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
TINA FEY as Liz Lemon 30 Rock NBC

OUTSTANDING HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
JEFF PROBST Survivor CBS

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
30 ROCK NBC

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
MAD MEN AMC

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 60^th Primetime Emmy® Awards Winners Press Release

Picture note by Celebitchy: Here are some photos from red carpet at the Emmys. Shown in order are: Heidi Klum, Eva Longoria, Lauren Conrad, America Ferrerra, Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, Mary Louise Parker, Nicollette Sheridan, Mariska Hargitay, Brooke Shields, Tina Fey, Christina Applegate, Cynthia Nixon, Evangeline Lilly, Felicity Huffman, Patrick Dempsey, Debra Messing, Holly Hunter, Jenna Fischer, Kathy Griffin, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lara Dern, and Glenn Close.

Marcia Cross sure knows how to plan a romantic getaway – she and husband Tom Mahoney skipped their honeymoon in the summer of 2006 in favor of IVF treatments, as Marcia was 44 and knew her clock was ticking:

She said: “We decided to skip our honeymoon and try in vitro after the wedding. I had already been through infertility treatments.

“It’s very, very difficult to get pregnant in your 40s. It’s costly and tough on your body and your relationship.”

The 45-year-old actress – who gave birth to fraternal twin girls Eden and Savannah last year – is considering adoption because she doesn’t want to put her body through another IVF procedure.

She said: “”I don’t think I’ll have any more kids, but I’m not 100 per cent sure we won’t adopt.”

Marcia – who tied the knot in June 2006 – also revealed she wishes she had become a mother earlier in her life, because she wants to spend as much time with her girls as possible.

She added to Health magazine: “I wish that I’d had my girls in my 30s. Then I could be around longer for them. But they’re an incentive for me to stay healthy, take care of myself, and live as long as possible.”

Sydney Morning Herald

I suspect that many busy working people have skipped their holidays to spend time injecting themselves with hormones in an attempt to have a baby, and it’s probably the best way to attempt IVF, because you’d be more relaxed than if you were balancing doctors appointments and work. Also, it makes a great honeymoon because it gives your new husband the chance to see you at your hormonal worst – apparently IVF really messes with your mood like nothing else. PMS in hyper-drive!

I’m glad that Marcia mentions the cost of IVF treatment and the havoc it causes to your body – it is a really hard process to go through. Marcia is lucky to have two beautiful girls as a result, many couples never have a baby as a result of fertility treatments.

Soon, Marcia’s little girls will be old enough to play with a replica of their mommy – a range of Desperate Housewives dolls are available. And an Ugly Betty doll. Who would buy these for their kids? Although I guess it’s for adult fans of the show, as it’s not children’s viewing. At least I hope kids aren’t watching it!

The dolls actually look like they all have the same head, just with different colored hair and eyes. I guess the plastic parts of the actresses match the dolls, but that is about as close as it gets. My husband is convinced that Teri Hatcher’s pregnancy storyline in the show is the result of a breast enlargement, although I’m not so sure. I am pretty sure he shouldn’t be looking at another woman’s breasts that closely!

Note by Celebitchy: I think Marcia Cross’ conception was also with donor eggs, as she told USA Today that “I don’t like the average woman being misled into thinking that fertility is something that goes on forever. When a woman gets older, they get donor eggs, which doesn’t make the baby any less beautiful or perfect. One’s own eggs only last so long, and sometimes at 43 or 44 you can have your own baby, but statistically it’s very difficult and expensive. You don’t want to wait that long.”

Marcia Cross is shown out on 2/10/08 with twin daughters Eden and Savannah, thanks to WENN. She is also shown on 2/7/08 with daughter Savannah, thanks to Splash News.

It’s interesting to hear what different actors decide to do with their time off during the writer’s guild strike. I have a feeling there’s a lot of kicking back and vacationing going on. But some of the more civic-minded celebs have been volunteering or championing social causes. Desperate Housewives actress Marcia Cross has jumped on board the women’s advocacy bandwagon and joined several prominent congresswomen (and a few men) to lobby for the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2007. The bill mandates that women have the right to spend at least 48 hours in the hospital after having a mastectomy. Currently many women are forced by their insurance providers to be sent home the very same day. The bill has been languishing in congress for almost a dozen years.

One in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime,” Cross said. “I’ve seen it up close and personally. I’m sorry to say I don’t have a friend, but friends who’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, and when I first heard about drive-by mastectomies I was shocked.”

Cross said for her part, she would like Hollywood to get more involved with the issue. She said roughly 20 million people a week watch ABC’s Desperate Housewives, the same number who signed the petition, and television can be a powerful medium. Her show already has a character with a different kind of cancer, but she said she’d suggest other shows, such as Grey’s Anatomy, dedicate an episode to drive-by mastectomies.

“I don’t want this to be a one-hit day,” she said after the news conference. “I really want to raise awareness and get this done after 12 years. I don’t want it to go another five or 10.”

[From the Baltimore Sun]

The Lifetime network has been pushing the bill for quite some time, and has a petition you can sign on their website. Marcia Cross is one of those actresses that always seems to have her act together. She has a master’s degree in psychology – not something a whole lot of celebrities can claim. It’s great that she’s using her celebrity to bring attention to important issues.

Picture note by Jaybird: Marcia Cross at a news conference to raise awareness of the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act. Cross delivered 20 million signatures collected online that urge Congress to pass legislation to stop “drive-through” mastectomies yesterday. Images thanks to WENN.

If you’re a celebrity you better have a shredder and use it. A garbageman hired to take out Marsha Cross’ trash came across 200 completely intact photos of her naked. He also got ahold of her tax return.

He says she’s a real redhead, and that the law says that it’s finders keepers when something is in the garbage. He tried to extort a bunch of money from her in exchange for the sexy pictures, which are said to have been taken by her husband before she was pregnant, but she has understandably hired a lawyer and is fighting to get them back:

“There are some pictures of her showering outside,” Schmidt tells us. “She looks absolutely gorgeous. And yes, the carpet does match the curtains.”

Schmidt is representing the owner of a carting firm hired to remove trash from Cross’ home in L.A. According to Schmidt, one of the firm’s employees discovered the photos when he got to the dump.

Cross is demanding their return. Her lawyers argue that no matter where the photos were found, they are the copyrighted property of Cross and her husband, Tom Mahoney, who may have taken some of them. Cross’ attorneys maintain the photos were thrown out by mistake.

“The pictures were not stolen,” says Schmidt. “When you throw something away, you forfeit that property.

“We recognize the copyright issue, but U.S. copyright law stops at the border,” he adds. Schmidt won’t say whether he’s ready to shop the shots abroad.

Just as he did earlier this year, when he offered to sell Paris Hilton the embarrassing contents of a rent-due storage locker that went up for public auction, Schmidt has invited Cross to buy back her trash.

“I’m not looking to mortify Ms. Cross,” says Schmidt. “I just want the most money for my client.”

He says that Cross’ representatives have so far balked at his price, which he won’t name.

Schmidt says his client also has Cross’ tax returns. “I know how much she made, but out of respect for Ms. Cross, I won’t discuss it,” he says.

Cross is pregnant with twins due in April, and doesn’t need the stress from a lawsuit. She’s sure to look gorgeous in the nude photos and how damaging can it be if they get out? I don’t understand the big deal over some nude pictures, but I live in Europe and am used to seeing a bunch of naked hairy fat guys when I take a sauna at the gym.

Pictures and story via The Blemish.