Halle Berry was at the Fifi fragrance awards awards last night in a draped black dress with an asymmetric angular cutout around the side of her stomach. Apart from the bizarre middle of the dress she otherwise looked flawless. I love her stacked gold hoop earrings that match the gold detailing on the dress. Her other accessories, a chunky black ring and clutch, are minimal and just serve to highlight how gorgeous she is. She wore very understated strappy heels and overall she worked that look. If she would have just picked a dress that covered her stomach she would have knocked it out of the park. As it is, I keep staring at her paler stomach and noticing that it doesn’t match the rest of her skin tone. Cutout dresses are all the rage now, but usually the panels aren’t as wide and showy as this one.

Fergie was also there in a jarring yellow flowing gown with a single sequin strap running from the bustline to the neck. It wasn’t her worst outfit, but the color had green undertones that didn’t flatter her. Plus it looks too dressy for this event. Her makeup was pretty and neutral, but her hair looked limp and messy, like it was just air dried.

Kate Walsh wore a burgundy strapless cocktail dress accented with a skinny black belt. She looks really hot here and like she put some thought into it and didn’t try too hard.

Mary J. Blige was in a fitted floor length white sequin gown. I think she overdid it with the accessories, but it’s a pretty dress and I see what she was going for.

Padma Laksmi had on a busy strapless fuschia number with a sweetheart neckline. I don’t like it from far away but when you zoom in it’s actually quite striking.

Photo credit: Fame Pictures

These are the first photos that I’ve seen of Padma Lakshmi’s baby girl Krishna. Krishna was born back in February, under a minor storm of baby daddy drama. Months later, it was revealed that the baby daddy was someone shockingly age-appropriate – entrepreneur Adam Dell, who promptly began litigating his way into his daughter’s life. Anyway, Padma never released any baby photos, and the few times Padma’s been out with the baby, Krishna’s face is usually covered. So now we finally get to see the little girl…

And she’s so cute! Is it conceited for me to say that? Because I look at these photos and I think this baby looks just like I did. I’m half-Indian, half-Anglo, just like Krishna. I have lighter brown skin than my Indian parent (I refer to myself as “brownish”), my hair isn’t the typical jet-black of Indians either, just like Krishna. But my mom never put on her best hot pink sweater dress and swaddled me in fuchsia. So Krishna’s got a leg up on me. Still – adorable brownish baby!

Photos courtesy of Bauer-Griffin.

***This whole post is a SPOILER for last night’s Top Chef finale, as well as previous episodes of Top Chef.

I like to pretend that I don’t watch Top Chef. Like watching it is beneath me, somehow. I don’t know – I’m weird like that about some shows. But this was the first season that I actually made an effort to watch, and I caught maybe two-thirds of the season. I think I started watching because I loved Tiffany so much – she was the rare “top chef” candidate that seemed to be able to cook her ass off while simultaneously being really cool and generally nice (but able to whip her bitch out for the appropriate occasions). Alas, Tiffany was eliminated two weeks ago, and I just wasn’t very excited about the four finalists that got to move on to the final elimination rounds in Singapore. The four finalists were: Ed Cotton, Angelo Sosa, Kevin Sbraga and Kelly.

In their first days in Singapore, they had two challenges (this was last week’s episode) – make Asian food using traditional ingredients found at the Singapore markets. Ed won both challenges, and Kelly was eliminated last week. Honestly, I thought she deserved to go weeks beforehand – and her spot would have been better used by Tiffany, seriously.

So, the actual final episode picked up right after Kelly had been eliminated. Going into it, I guess I was rooting for Ed by default, just because the sweaty, chubby white guy with the bitchy mouth was more appealing to me than Angelo’s passive-aggressive bitch or Kevin’s misanthropic ways. Padma ordered the men back to the judge’s circle, where they were told their challenge: they each had to make a four-course meal – one vegetable course, one fish course, one meat course and one dessert. And they would get their own sous chefs too – former Top Chef winners Ilan Hall, Hung Huynh and Michael Voltaggio.

I always thought that Michael Voltaggio was a major douche, but I really liked seeing him work as Kevin’s sous chef – and Michael really brought it, and helped Kevin out and they worked really well as a team. And I had always liked Ilan, but he totally sucked as Ed’s sous chef – it seemed like Ilan spent most of his time second-guessing Ed. But the award has to go to Hung Huynh, because he pretty much thought up, prepared and cooked Angelo’s entire meal while Angelo lounged around in bed, being “sick”. Granted, Angelo really could have been ill, and there was some talk of throwing up and migraines and dehydration. But he didn’t really look sick, and he didn’t really sound sick, and the whole thing was just kind of weird, right?

At the end of the day, you knew Ed wasn’t going to win because his dessert sucked ass and even he had a sh-tty attitude about it. I think if Ed had really put some time and effort into his dessert rather than sub-contracting to Ilan, Ed would have been a contender (although his duck necks sounded weird, right?). And while the judges seemed to like Angelo’s food (Hung’s food), but you got the feeling that Angelo was out of the running pretty quickly too. And that left Kevin standing – plus, I think the judges were impressed that he had the balls to make a Singapore Sling. So Kevin became the first African-American to win Top Chef, and the glum-bot even showed some emotion, which was nice – his reaction to winning (“I am?” he asked, stunned, when told he was the Top Chef). Hurray? What did you think? I think the judges were only looking at the four-course meal, and not at the whole scope of the season. For which it seems like Kevin should have won, I guess. Whatever. Poor Ed. At least Angelo was very gracious in defeat, right?

Padma Lakshmi will stop at nothing to promote the new season of Top Chef. She will have some random Dell dude’s baby. She will fight publicly with the Dell dude over her baby’s custody. She will romance a 70-something billionaire. She will go on a date with David Spade. What…? David Spade? But he’s not inappropriately old, nor obscenely wealthy. What gives Padma? What happened to Teddy Forstmann (the 70 year old billionaire)? And does David Spade have a Magic Wang or what? How does he date such inappropriately hot women? Maybe he’s a good listener? That’s probably it.

David Spade may have done it again. The funnyman, who throughout his career has had as many (if not more) devastatingly gorgeous girlfriends as he has hit movies/shows, was photographed yesterday with none other than Padma Lakshmi. You know, the painfully sexy ‘Top Chef’ host and food writer? While a few photos together and a ride home certainly doesn’t mean the two are dating or even the slightest bit romantically involved, given Spade’s girlfriend catalog, crazier things could happen. Should they indeed be an item, though … Kudos, Mr. Spade. Kudos.

[From PopEater]

Here’s why I don’t think Padma and David are a couple: because he is not even close to her type. She generally goes for much older men, and they’re always very wealthy and/or important. While I’m sure David is a nice guy (scratch that, I have no idea), I suspect he and Padma are just friends, just like she’s “friends” with someone like Jeremy Piven. Maybe she just goes on “dates” with these dudes for publicity. Stranger things have happened.

Here’s a photo of Padma with Teddy Forstmann:

It was only back a few weeks ago that we finally got any kind of confirmation that Padma Lakshmi’s baby-daddy was in fact the age-appropriate and generally attractive venture capitalist Adam Dell (photos here). Padma didn’t confirm the identity herself – but People Magazine and Page Six did some digging, and it seemed like Dell himself was telling people that he was the father of baby Krishna. Of course, he was generally telling people in the context of “Hey, do you know a good custodial issues lawyer? Because Padma won’t let me see the kid.” Yes, it seems Padma has little to no interest in having Adam in her life, or in Krishna’s life. Now a “source” is telling People the reasoning behind Padma’s decisions:

Since Adam Dell was revealed as the biological father of Padma Lakshmi’s baby daughter Krishna earlier this month, the venture capitalist has been trying to “get back into [Lakshmi's] life,” says a friend.

But the Top Chef host, who gave birth on Feb. 20, is not open to the idea.

“Her relationship with Dell was nothing more than an on-again, off-again fling. She moved on months ago,” the source says. “The only role he will have in her life going forward is as the biological father of her child. She wants nothing more to do with him.”

Ever since Lakshmi, 39, announced her pregnancy in October she has remained mum about the father’s identity. And when stories surfaced naming Dell – whose tycoon brother Michael founded computer-manufacturing company Dell Inc. – as the dad, Lakshmi still wasn’t ready to discuss their relationship.

“I have a newborn,” Lakshmi told PEOPLE at the time. “I just want some peace and privacy.”

Meanwhile, the fact that Dell, 40, hired a publicist raised eyebrows with Lakshmi. Her friend calls the move “a disgrace.”

A source close to Dell said he is merely “seeking more liberal visitation rights with his child,” and denied that he is trying to be back in Lakshmi’s life.

“Adam … signed an agreement spelling out visitation and should live by it,” Lakshmi’s friend says. “Padma is.”

[From People]

Oh, meow! This is some good gossip, and I believe every word of it. It’s People Mag after all – this is Padma’s version of events. Now, do I believe that Padma is so super-organized that she already got Adam to sign away custody? Kind of. I’m not up on all of the technicalities of custody issues, but if Padma and Adam weren’t married, and she went through the pregnancy and birth totally on her own, I don’t think Adam has a lot of room to try to push through any kind of joint custody or anything like that. Correct me if I’m wrong, lawyers!

Oh, I really want these jeans that she’s wearing. Perfect wash.

People Magazine has just confirmed that Padma Lakshmi’s mystery baby-daddy is… Adam Dell (photos here). Padma gave birth to her daughter Krishna back in February, and Padma had seriously kept the baby-daddy a secret for months and months. She hasn’t even really confirmed it at this point, but since People is reporting it, I’m going with it. Adam Dell is shockingly not an old dude, not weird and not somehow insanely inappropriate for Padma, so I have no idea why she was so hellbent on keeping his identity a secret. Dell is a 39 years old venture capitalist and brother of Michael Dell, of Dell Computers (CB wants me to mention that Dell Computers SUCK ASS). Anyway, now that we know the baby-daddy, there’s a new layer of drama:

The identity of Padma Lakshmi’s daughter has finally been revealed: Adam Dell, a venture capitalist who splits his time between Austin and New York City, fathered baby Krishna, a source confirms to PEOPLE.

Though the Top Chef host announced her pregnancy in October, she was mum about the father’s identity.

According to the source, Lakshmi, 39, and Dell, 40, are trying to work out visitation rights with their daughter, who will be a month old March 20. Dell would like “more time and involvement with the child,” says the source. “It’s all in negotiations. They are trying to work it out. They are trying to avoid anything messy.”

Lakshmi, meanwhile, has been spotted recently with Krishna. On March 11, the two were photographed together on a New York City bench.

The baby’s father was first reported by the New York Post.

[From People]

Yes, People is quoting from yesterday’s Page Six. Here’s the original piece:

Adam Dell is a proud papa with photographs of his daughter, Krishna, all over his house in Austin, Texas — and he wants a larger role in his child’s life. The venture capitalist is said to be negotiating with Padma Lakshmi for visitation rights, weekends and vacations with the little girl.

A source said Dell told guests at a barbecue at his home “how excited he was to raise her, but that Padma wasn’t being entirely accommodating.”

A friend of Lakshmi snips back, “An agreement was made with the biological father that was very fair. It’s unfortunate if anything inappropriate is being said.” Her rep could not be reached. Dell’s spokes man, Howard Rubenstein, had no comment.

[From Page Six]

Oh, drama! I wonder what the hell happened between Padma and Adam that she’s all “not without my daughter”. It sounds like Adam really wants to be involved, and he sounds like a pretty decent guy. But I don’t know the backstory. Padma and Adam don’t seem to be together, and they haven’t been together for a while, I guess. Maybe he dumped her when she got pregnant? But that doesn’t make sense either, because I was under the impression that she was very open about wanting to get pregnant and really trying for it for a while. Eh. I give up.

Padma on March 17, 2010. Credit: INFphoto.com

Padma Lakshmi has given birth to a baby girl. Us Weekly’s sources claim that Padma named her daughter Krishna, which is traditionally a boy’s name in India, but whatever. My name is traditionally a boy’s name in India too. According to reports, mother and child are doing well, which is wonderful. Padma was very open about her pregnancy once she announced it last October, and she spoke about how it was a “miracle” that she got pregnant. In fact, Padma was open about everything except for the mystery of the baby-daddy.

Padma Lakshmi has welcomed a baby girl, her rep tells UsMagazine.com.

The girl was born late Saturday in New York City, the rep adds.

A source tells Us the girl’s name is Krishna. The Top Chef star, 39, has not revealed the baby’s father.

UsMagazine.com first broke news that Lakshmi was expecting last October. The pregnancy was considered “a medical miracle,” her rep told Us, because Lakshmi has struggled with endometriosis, a painful uterine condition that can lead to infertility.

“I actually can’t button my jeans anymore,” Lakshmi joked to Us last fall when asked how her pregnancy was going. “Up until about a week ago, I could. There’s just too much pressure, so I’ve had to put them away for now.”

During her pregnancy, Lakshmi said she hadn’t “really had any cravings. There was about a week-and-a- half when I was really craving a cinnamon donut. Then I had the cinnamon donut, and it was like, ‘Eh.’ I mean, it was OK, but that was it. And then it was over.”

[From Us Weekly]

Congratulations to Padma and baby Krishna. It’s nice that Padma got a happy ending and carried her baby to term despite her health concerns. Padma really grew on me during her pregnancy, and I’m sure little Krishna will end up a major foodie like her mom!

Padma Laksmi on January 9, 2010. Credit: WENN.

This is Padma Lakshmi’s sexy cover shot for the winter issue of Page Six Magazine. I think she looks amazing here, and I love that she’s showing some skin, but in a cool, interesting way – but I’m pretty sure they made her skin look darker, yes? I’m sure they just wanted some sexy, faux-gritty lighting to make Padma look extra exotic, but the result is that her skin looks about two shades darker than normal. The complete interview hasn’t been released yet, but there are some interesting excerpts floating around. Unfortunately, 39-year-old Padma’s still not telling who her baby-daddy is (cough cough Jude Law cough), but she is still very open with talking about the changes in her diet and her body:

Padma on being naked: “I like me better naked. I don’t mean that in a vain way . . . When you put clothes on, you immediately put a character on. Clothes are adjectives, they are indicators. When you don’t have any clothes on, it’s just you, raw, and you can’t hide.”

On her pregnancy weight gain: “One of the reasons I think I’ve gained weight pretty quickly during my pregnancy is that I’m not exercising as much as I do normally … I can’t. I’m feeling tired, and I have this business to run.”

On aging: “You hope that with age, what you pay for in gravity, you gain in gravitas. I’m sure my thighs looked better when I was 25, but I think my mind is better today.”

On being a celebrity: “I went to a bar mitzvah on the Upper East Side last year, and not to toot my own horn, but I might as well have been Michael Jackson to these 13-year-old boys and girls. There were something like 30 children around me, and they were all practically hyperventilating. I had this swarm of little kids going, ‘Oh, my god! Oh, my god!’ Kids are so authentic, so pure, and they’d be telling me, ‘My sister and I had an amuse-bouche contest, and we need you to tell us who should have won.’ I think that’s really cool.”

On her divorce from Salman Rushdie: “I [have been] reconstructing my life and putting it back together in a way that looked more appropriate to who I was. At this point in my career, I’m still growing. Jewels, spices and teas – I sound like Magellan.”

[From assorted sources - People, Page Six and I’m Not Obsessed]

Padma is growing on me more and more. I used to not care for her in the least, but I’ve begun to watch Top Chef and I’ve started to read her interviews, and she comes across as a refreshingly professional, self-aware, intelligent woman. She’s not girlish or silly or playing dumb, which I appreciate. She’s a real woman, and there aren’t enough real women on television. Oh, but she was absolutely horrible on 30 Rock. That woman cannot act for sh-t, not even when she’s playing a version of herself. That was embarrassing. So, Padma, just stick to Top Chef and writing and giving interviews – those are your strong points.

Page Six Magazine cover shot and additional magazine photo courtesy of I’m Not Obsessed.

Since Padma Lakshmi announced her “miracle” pregnancy in early October, she’s been flashing her proud baby bump all over the place. These pictures are from Padma’s red carpet appearance at Keep A Child Alive’s 6th Annual Black Ball in New York last week. I love the dress, but I absolutely hate Padma’s hair. Still, she looks gorgeous and boob-tastic.

Padma still hasn’t said a word about the baby daddy, though. At one point, CB was thinking that Padma and Jeremy Piven might have something going on, based on the fact that they were eating together and put pictures of each other up on their Twitter. I kind of think Padma and Jeremy are just friends considering they’re not really each other’s type. Jeremy likes them really young, and Padma likes them really old. I think the best guess for baby-daddy is her former (or current?) boyfriend Ted Forstmann, who is like 70 years old. Anyway, Padma was telling OK! Magazine about her pregnancy, and she lamented having to leave behind parts of her workout:

Many celebrity moms-to-be already have a plan in place to shed the weight gained during pregnancy before they’ve even gotten the result on the pregnancy test. But for pregnant Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi, she’s not only not worrying that far ahead, she’s expecting that the birth of her first child will change her figure forever.

Rather than fret about getting back to pre-baby weight, Padma says she’s more concerned about having a healthy, beautiful baby.

“I don’t expect my body to be exactly how it was before pregnancy,” she explained at Thursday night’s 6th Annual Keep a Child Alive Black Ball at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC.

“If it doesn’t, it’s okay. It’s a really small price to pay for me. I really want to be a mother. I’m really happy! I don’t care if I go up a size!”

Because of the pregnancy, Padma admits she’s “working out less. I’m on the treadmill or lame dumbbells! I can’t box! I can’t jump rope!”

One thing that is helping keep her in shape is the fact that she’s not yet begun craving any high-calorie snacks. “It’s so boring… I’m not having any cravings,” she reveals. “I’m eating really well. I always ate well. I’m eating everything. The only thing I’m not eating is sushi or any raw food.”

So what’s the one thing she’s looking most forward to about being a mom? Answers Padma, “Just to see my baby’s face!”

[From OK! Magazine]

Considering her age (39) and her own admission of struggles with endometriosis, I’d think that Padma is probably being very, very careful with her pregnancy. Her doctors are probably telling her not to take any kind of risk on anything. I hope she just takes it easy and gives in to every food craving she has. Maybe she could force Tom Colicchio to make her food every day. He’d probably be happy to.

Padma is seen on the red carpet for Keep A Child Alive’s 6th Annual Black Ball at Hammerstein Ballroom on October 15, 2009 in New York City. Photo credit: Getty/PicApp.

Top Chef hostess Padma Lakshmi is pregnant! Oh, my mother will be thrilled. Padma’s rep announced Padma’s happy news to Us Weekly, also explaining how this pregnancy is a “miracle” because of her years-long struggle with endometriosis. The official statement makes it seem very miraculous, and I’m very happy for Padma – she seems like a nice enough person. What’s interesting is that the official statement is so busy talking about Padma’s fertility issues that there’s totally no mention of a baby-daddy. Scandal!

Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi is pregnant, her rep confirms to Usmagazine.com exclusively.

“Model, author, and Emmy-nominated Padma Lakshmi confirms that she is carrying her first child after years of struggling with endometriosis, a cause for which she has co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America,” the rep tells Us of Lakshmi, 39.

“As a result of her condition, this pregnancy has been referred to by her physician as nothing short of a medical miracle, and due to its delicate nature, we ask/implore the press to respect Ms. Lakshmi’s privacy at this time,” the rep continues.

Endometriosis is a medical condition in which the uterus’ lining grows in other areas of the body, causing pain, irregular bleeding and possible infertility.

The baby’s father has not been revealed. Online reports have falsely named Manu Nathan as the dad, but her rep says he’s Lakshmi’s cousin.

Lakshmi split from novelist Salman Rushdie in 2007 after three years of marriage. She won the Best First Book award for her first cookbook, Easy Exotic, at the 1999 World Cookbook Awards in Versailles, France. Her second cook book, Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet, was released in October 2007.

She hosted the Food Network series, Padma’s Passport, in 2001. She’s also guest hosted on British show Planet Food.

[From Us Weekly]

I was all prepared to start a rumor that the baby-daddy could be Padma’s ex Salman Rushdie. But I did some extensive research (I googled “Padma Lakshmi boyfriend”) and found that she’s had a couple of boyfriends since divorcing Salman, and either of them could be an interesting guess for baby-daddy. This past January, I’m Not Obsessed had photos of Padma and 69-year-old Ted Forstmann, billionaire CEO of IMG – apparently, they began dating as soon as the ink was dry on her divorce papers (spring of 2008) and may have ended their relationship sometime this spring. Maybe? Ace Showbiz and Just Jared have her “current boyfriend” as Manu Nathanan, described as “an attorney at talent agency IMG”. Manu is also 27 years old to Padma’s 39. Manu is my guess, actually. One thing’s for sure – that baby will eat well!

UPDATE: Whoops, I missed the part about Manu being her cousin. Guess the baby-daddy is still in the air, then!

Here’s Padma at the Emmys on September 20th. Images thanks to Fame Pictures and WENN.com .