Chaz Bono's 2013 has gotten off to a healthy start!

The former Dancing with the Stars contestant, 43, has already dropped 43 lbs. since announcing his public mission to lose 50 lbs. beginning in mid-November.

Note: Do not read on if you have not yet seen Season 2, Episode 14 of ABC's "Revenge," titled "Sacrifice."

Since the beginning of "Revenge" Season 2, viewers have been waiting to see who that hand at the bottom of the ocean on The Amanda belonged to and now, they now.

When Amanda (Margerita Levieva) and Jack (Nick Wechsler) sailed off for their honeymoon, they didn't know there was someone else joining them: Nate (Michael Trucco) had snuck onto the boat.

Despite Jack and Amanda's valiant stand against the worse half of the Ryan brother duo -- and despite Emily's (Emily VanCamp) help -- Jack got shot. Though Amanda shot Nate in retaliation, the dying bad guy managed to blow up the boat with a lighter and some propane, leaving Amanda to die in Emily's arm and sending himself down to the bottom of the ocean.

All season long, ABC has been teasing that Emily Thorne would "pay the ultimate price" and considering Amanda and Emily had exchanged identities, she did. "I thought [the promo] was kind of clever, because at the end of the day it proved true," "Revenge" executive producer Mike Kelley, told TV Guide. "We felt that Amanda had achieved a satisfying arc and needed to exit."

Kelley informed Levieva early in the season that her character would die, but the actress explained to TV Guide that she took it pretty well. "I thought she was going to die last season. But in the end they gave me an amazing death -- saving Jack and Emily before dying in her arms. I couldn't have asked for anything better," Levieva explained. "So in a way I was ready for it, but as the time got closer I got really bummed out."

Trucco took Nate's fate quite hard, according to Kelley. "In the premiere, we made sure you could see there was a wedding ring on the corpse," said Kelley. When the EP sent a costumer to fit Trucco for a ring, "His face just fell," Kelley said.

The actor seems to be doing OK now, even joking about Nate's death on Twitter:

OH MY GOD! THEY KILLEDKENNY.... ('s brother, Nate)!#Revenge

— Michael Trucco (@MichaelTrucco) February 18, 2013

@emilyvancamp Em! Think I'm still sore from that fight scene. Good times! Gonna miss everyone! What a "blast" to work with y'all! #Revenge

— Michael Trucco (@MichaelTrucco) February 18, 2013

For more from Levieva and Kelly, click over to TV Guide.

Watch the drama unfold below and find out what happens after these shocking deaths when "Revenge" airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.

"In Living Color" star David Alan Grier will play Principal Carl Gaines in the CBS adaptation of Cameron Diaz's "Bad Teacher," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The single-camera comedy pilot is based on the 2011 movie, which starred Diaz as a gold-digging middle school teacher who slept through classes and cursed at her students in between hunting for a wealthy fiance.

The Principal character, played by John Michael Higgins in the Columbia Pictures film, is described as "sweet and well meaning but clueless."

In other pilot news ...

Ernie Hudson in negotiations for "Reckless." If a deal is struck, Hudson would play "an experienced CIA analyst who is being put out to pasture" in the ABC political thriller from Chris Black and Martin Campbell. [Deadline]

"Reno 911!" star to join NBC's "Happiness." Thomas Lennon will play Sean Hayes' boss in the comedy pilot centered around Hayes' character as he tries to parent a teenage daughter and placate his high-maintenance employer. [TVLine]

"Save the Last Dance" star still part of "The Selection." Sean Patrick Thomas is the only original cast-member still involved in The CW's second attempt at adapting Kiera Cass' YA novel "The Selection," after the network passed on the initial version last season. Thomas retains his role of Sylvan Santos, the royal advisor to the country's next potential queen. [Deadline]

CW pilot casts "Teen Wolf" actress as lead. Gage Golightly will play one of the leads in "Company Town," centered around two 20-something former best friends who find themselves on opposing sides of a divide between the military residents of a Naval base and the civilian occupants of the area following a scandal on the base. [Deadline]

It's tough being Rihanna: The 24-year-old singer was attacked outside of the Box nightclub in London Monday morning, when a heckler threw an energy drink bottle at the star.

British rag The Daily Mail reports that the assailant was a "crazed fan" who "screamed at [Rihanna] about Chris Brown" before hurling a bottle of Lucozade, a type of energy and sports drink, at the star. Rihanna reportedly suffered a scraped right knee from the incident (which can be seen in the photo below), while her bodyguard was also injured and taken to the hospital.

The attack comes just one week after the "Diamonds" singer appeared at the Grammys with on and off-again boyfriend Chris Brown, 23, happily sitting next to him and making clear their status as a reconciled couple. It was the couple's first official appearance together at a major event in nearly four years, when Brown assaulted Rihanna on the eve of the Grammys in 2009.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Rihanna admitted that she understood her decision to take Brown back into her life would upset others. "Even if it's a mistake, it's my mistake," she said. "After being tormented for so many years, being angry and dark, I'd rather just live my truth and take the backlash. I can handle it."

LOS ANGELES — Seth MacFarlane might be the hardest working man in show business.

Right now he's getting ready to host Sunday's Academy Awards, where he's also a nominee for the original song for his hit movie "Ted." He's producing and writing three animated TV shows, plus voicing many of their key characters.

"I'm a little exhausted," the 39-year-old confessed in a recent interview.

The multitalented entertainer talked with The Associated Press about what makes a great Oscar show, juggling multiple jobs and who he thinks will host next year.

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AP: What's been the best part of the Oscar job so far?

MacFarlane: I've enjoyed the writing process. It's really a very different type of production than I've been involved with in the past and it's such an extensive amount of time, and putting it together and having it feel like it has a shape and a consistency has really been a challenge.

AP: How much is with your own writing team?

MacFarlane: My staff has been composed of primarily "Family Guy" writers, but there've been about maybe four folks that have been brought on from other places. But for the most part I've been allowed to assemble my own staff, and we've tried to find a balance of people that I've worked with for a lot of years and that know my rhythms and some new people as well, a few of whom have worked on past Oscar ceremonies.

AP: What are the elements of a great Oscar host?

MacFarlane: It's part classy Master of Ceremonies and part Friars Club roaster.

AP: How hard has it been to find that middle ground?

MacFarlane: It's been a challenge but not an enormous challenge. We are, I hope, smart enough guys to be aware of what the tone is and to work within those parameters. So you won't be seeing any (penis) jokes. It's still Disney, for Christ's sake.

AP: Is a blend of Ricky Gervais and Billy Crystal the best example of what you're going for?

MacFarlane: Certainly Billy Crystal, Johnny Carson and Bob Hope are the three that stand out as the paragons of class and effectiveness and comedic balance in the history of the Oscars. I'm going to go out there and certainly be mindful that that's what works but also try and inject some of what I do into the mix and hopefully come out with something that is fresh and surprising and has an edge but doesn't completely thumb its nose at the Oscars. Change happens incrementally... I think it's safe to say what we're doing is very self-aware of this challenge that everyone keeps asking about.

AP: How long did you continue voicing the characters on your animated shows after taking on the Oscar job?

MacFarlane: That's always the challenge. The shows don't stop for this stuff. They still have to keep moving. And it is a vocal strain. "Family Guy" and "American Dad!" are very vocally taxing shows. There's a lot of high-energy stuff, a lot of screaming, yelling. A lot of vocal contortions. So that becomes really the biggest challenge of all: How to get it all done and keep it all on schedule and not destroy my throat.

AP: So you've essentially had two or three full-time jobs.

MacFarlane: Who knows how this will go. Even if it goes great, I just don't think that I could do this again. It's just too much with everything else that I have to do. I'm happy to be doing it and I will be thrilled to have done it, assuming I get out of there in one piece, but I really think this is a one-time thing for me.

AP: Why?

MacFarlane: I just don't like working 150 hours a week. I do like to have some sort of recharge time. I think it makes everything better. If you're working around the clock, the work starts to suffer. And it hasn't thus far, but I'm glad (the Oscars are) in a week and a half because I'm getting close to the point where I can't do six jobs at the same time. And also, Craig and Neil have been pretty open about the fact that they really want to do this once. They want to put on the best Oscars that they possibly can and call it a day... And I have a feeling whoever produces next year will want to put their own stamp on it. Everybody sort of assumes that Tina (Fey) and Amy (Poehler) will do it next year, and I think that is very likely. So whoever comes in and produces next year I think will want to make their own mark. Even if I wanted to do it again, I think that is a factor. Craig and Neil, I am very much a product of their gamble – and I'm busting my ass to make sure they don't regret it. But we are all sort of looking at this as a one-time thing.

AP: Will you take vacation after this? What are you most looking forward to doing?

MacFarlane: I'll get a little bit of time off. I'll get a week or two off. And I'll probably just do nothing. Even travel sounds exhausting.

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen on Twitter: . www.twitter.com/APSandy

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Online:

www.oscars.org

"Les Miserables" star Anne Hathaway and husband Adam Shulman enjoyed some down time as they took out their dog for a walk in Los Angeles. The 30-year-old Hathaway, who is nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her turn as factory worker Fantine, kept it casual in an outfit of jeans, t-shirt and a mesh baseball cap that concealed her short hairdo.

Hathaway and Shulman tied the knot on Sep. 29, 2012, after four years of dating. For more photos of Hathaway and her family, click through to X17.

At B. B. King's on Sunday night, at the Writers Guild of America Award ceremony, amidst a lot of foul-mouthed laughs and sober-minded speeches, writer/director Nora Ephron was remembered. As a young novelist, Meg Wolitzer attested, she received a most important recognition when Nora Ephron called to say she wanted to adapt her book, This is Your Life (1988), for film. Ephron, who died last summer of cancer, was a champion of young talent. When Lena Dunham got up to receive her prize for new series, she too spoke about Ephron seeking her out. The Girls originator and star also told a story when at 15 her mom took her to Caroline's Comedy Club to hear Lisa Lampanelli.

Lampanelli, a Catholic school graduate, had just presented awards for radio news writers: who gives a fuck?, she proclaimed and then pummeled the audience with the most effusive, debasing references to various attendees' body parts, so it was not clear where Dunham's story would go. Her mom told Lampanelli, my daughter wants to be just like you. "What? A cunt?" Dunham quoted Lampanelli.

And so the night went on with presenters Bobby Cannavale, Mike Birbiglia, Gina Gershon who now has her own WGA card. Louis CK won for Louie; SNL's Fred Armisen picked up the statue -- some couldn't decide whether or not it was a vagina or a fancy mango holder -- for his new series Portlandia. David Koepp was pleased he was awarded The Ian Mclellan Hunter Award for career -- not lifetime -- achievement. The screenwriter of Mission Impossible, Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds, Carlito's Way, and Spiderman thought he might have a few more scripts in him. What distinguishes the work of writers, he told the rapt WGA, was, "You don't need permission to write a script."

Richard Kind, who had never M.C.'d before admirably maintained the flow, cajoling this crowd for its anonymity, dressing as the Ayatollah Khomeini and proudly accepting the statue for the movie he is in, Argo, which won for adapted screenplay. Like many writers such as Mark Boal who won Best Original Screenplay for Zero Dark Thirty, and Malik Bendjelloul for Best Documentary Screenplay for Searching for Sugarman, Chris Terrio, who wrote the Argo script from a book by Tony Mendez, was in Los Angeles for a simultaneous awards presentation. On one occasion Kind needed a hook, for the very long, alcohol-infused rant by Bored to Death writer Jonathan Ames, a reprise of one he did at last year's ceremony that got attention on YouTube, proving, yes, writers can achieve fame however dubious.

Ephron would have enjoyed the tribute. In a clip reel of her films Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, Meryl Streep as Julia Child gets the news that her book will be published. "Is it K-N-O-P-F or Noff?," coos the cookbook author. That's a pronunciation everyone in this packed room would know.

A version of this post also appears on Gossip Central.

Five months later and Jon Cryer still can't believe that he won the Best Actor in a Comedy Series award for his role on "Two and a Half Men" at the Emmys last September.

During a visit to "LIVE with Kelly and Michael," Cryer told the duo that due to painkillers from a bike accident (and a little liquid courage) he was more relaxed at the Emmys than he'd ever been, "because I knew I wasn't going to win."

Cryer went on to say "it's almost your worst nightmare when they say your name," because he was convinced that the announcer had made a mistake -- especially when he saw other stars in the audience looking as shocked as he was.

The humble star admitted that he was expecting "The Big Bang Theory's" Jim Parsons to take home the gong, but clearly, the winning the accolade hasn't inflated his ego at all.

"Two and a Half Men" airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. EST on CBS.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Like mother, like daughter: Jessica Simpson stepped out with her budding "Fashion Star" baby, 10-month-old Maxwell Drew Johnson in Toluca Lake. Simpson kept her outfit unusually low-key in a military jacket and black leggings that covered her growing baby bump, while her baby girl wore tiny moccasins and polka-dotted pants.

The 32-year-old singer confirmed that she was expecting her second child with fiancé Eric Johnson in December 2012, shortly after she shed 60 pounds through a reported $4 million deal with Weight Watchers.

For more photos of Simpson, click through to X17.

There's always something electric in the atmosphere when someone dares to assert spiritual convictions in a decidedly secular context. It's almost like, "I can't believe s/he had the courage to say that!" That's why I was so interested when I heard that Jeff Bridges, aka "The Dude," was going to be onThe Daily Show with Jon Stewart last week speaking about his new book, The Dude and the Zen Master, which features a series of conversations between Bridges and his "buddy," Zen master Bernie Glassman.

What actually transpired in the five-minute interview was, I suppose in retrospect, both predictable and disappointing. You can watch it below:

Bridges is obviously a man with deep spiritual convictions. Convictions so deep that he's been compelled to write a book with his spiritual teacher and appear in dozens of interviews in print, radio, and television, including NPR, The New York Times, Charlie Rose, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and The View.

"I only wish we could find a way in this day and age not to be so easily embarrassed to admit the felt presence of our uniquely human desire for meaning and purpose."

But as you can see if you watch the accompanying interview, Bridges seems an extremely reluctant prophet. Indeed, Stewart, with apparent sincerity, invited Bridges three times to speak directly about what Zen actually is. He seemed to want to know and understand what this mysterious Eastern metaphysical path to Enlightenment was all about. But each and every time, Bridges would shift uncomfortably in his chair and resort to making a joke out of it all. It was almost as if he refused to be serious about his own passion.

That refusal was supposed to be the whole point of his Dude-like philosophy: stop taking things so seriously, man! But the effect of Bridges' seeming reticence during the interview ironically nullified the powerful Zen message of both his compelling book and all true liberation teachings, which boldly and unapologetically declare: there is a higher truth, the discovery of which frees one at the deepest level.

"It's past time that we stop being so easily 'duped' by the prevailing cultural narrative that tells us that the big question of meaning is just a relative and personal matter, and doesn't necessarily have any ultimate or universal value."

This kind of simple honesty seemed almost anathema to Bridges. Indeed, he was enacting a cultural attitude that is common among postmodern people, one that media theorist Thomas de Zengotita calls "the fear of being duped" -- of daring to publicly state a belief in anything higher or deeper or of ultimate meaning. To quote de Zengotita, "Believing in anything with great conviction, sets you up for making a fool of yourself."

So I was disappointed.

That being said, the very fact that Bridges is "coming out" so publicly about the deeper truths that he apparently feels so passionately about in our overly secularized and often frustratingly shallow culture is in and of itself an admirable act of conscience, courage, and conviction.

I only wish we could find a way in this day and age not to be so easily embarrassed to admit the felt presence of our uniquely human desire for meaning and purpose. In fact, it is that existential need for meaning, maybe more than anything else, that makes us truly human. It's past time that we stop being so easily "duped" by the prevailing cultural narrative that tells us, in so many different ways, that the big question of meaning is just a relative and personal matter, and doesn't necessarily have any ultimate or universal value.

I believe that it does. And I'm not alone. The majority of history's greatest philosophers, spiritual geniuses, and cultural visionaries would all agree. So maybe it's time that we all stopped pretending that those moments when we experience a deep and heartfelt desire for existential clarity and fulfillment are not very important. Maybe it's time for more of us, like Bridges, to come out of the closet.

This article was initially published on Andrew's BigThink Blog, The Evolution of Enlightenment.

Download a free chapter from Andrew Cohen's book, Evolutionary Enlightenment: A New Path to Spiritual Awakening. Click here to download now.

In his State of the Union address, President Obama confirmed the support of his administration for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), aka the Transatlantic Free Trade Agreement, between the U.S. and Europe. For those who believe that there is no alternative to the transatlantic relationship, this is the long-awaited signal. There is much euphoria on both sides of the Atlantic. Optimism is warranted, but euphoria is not. The hard work begins now. The challenges ahead are formidable. The two sides will have to agree on issues that have divided them for decades. Parochial interests will have to be put aside. Theological warfare will have to give way to religious tolerance.

In this process, personalities as well as very diverse institutions of the European Union and the United States will play a role. It has been said (and it must be said again) that the two sides will soon discover how little they know about each other. In Europe there is little understanding of how the different branches and institutions of American power interact. In this the understanding of Congress is especially important. We see a huge deficit in the understanding of both the formal and informal processes. The personal relationships that depend on experience, friendship and empathy, and the ability to network and build alliances, will be key.

I have been dealing with the U.S. government for more than 25 years. It took me forever to understand the complicated relationship between the president's administration and Congress, and the intricate clockwork of Washington, where every little screw, cogwheel or spring has an important role to play. And I am still learning every day. A subtle message to my European colleagues: How difficult it is.

The latest fad on U.S. television is online video service Netflix's own production of the American remake of House of Cards. (It's not available yet in Europe.) I must confess that I have not yet seen the whole series, as cognoscenti call it heresy to watch more than one episode a night. Still, I dare to suggest that it's probably the best political series I have ever seen. Perhaps it's the times we live in, or perhaps it's Kevin Spacey. He has always been one of my favorite actors and does an amazing job portraying "evil" congressman Frank Underwood. It's truly fascinating. Of course, it's just fiction, right? Bad politicians like him don't exist, do they?

It is fun to recognize the familiar streets, the buildings and the corridors where my workday as a Washingtonian diplomat played out. However, the true joy lies in recognizing the workings of the system, and the characters: president and veep, senators and members of the House, speakers and whips and the rest. It's a credible and smart explanation of the importance of staffers and aids, secretaries and drivers. It is good education in the art of figuring out how to recognize real influence and real power. It's good schooling in the complicated relationship between Washington politics and the media. House of Cards shows the clockwork in motion, as it should, with great precision.

In the U.S. capital, you can spend your time at meetings 24/7 and see that at the end of the day, like Sisyphus, you are back at square one, having made no progress in furthering your objectives or getting closer to your goals, or you can work the same hours and have the good feeling that you have made progress or at least opened new avenues that will bring you closer to success. What's the secret to the latter? It is understanding the system, and that is exactly why House of Cards should be watched (and enjoyed) and analyzed in Brussels and in capitals throughout the EU in preparation of the difficult talks ahead of us, because although it is fiction, it gives the perfect guide to Washington power, the understanding of which will be key to the success of the FTA negotiations.

In return, I hope there is a director in Brussels making a TV series about a member of the European Parliament who is passed over for the job of EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs (the full title is way too long) by the President of the Council and the President of the Commission (two presidents?!), so that Americans can chew their nails in suspense while getting immersed in the amazingly complicated institutional arrangements, the infighting, the delicate relationship between the European Parliament (the legislative branch) and the Commission (the executive branch) and the rest. I hope that the director adds a little spice by revealing a plot where 27 heads of state and government all introduce their own candidate.

It will be fun. In the meanwhile I can't wait to watch the next episode of House of Cards, strictly one at a time. I hope there is a happy ending!

HEBER SPRINGS, Ark. — Mindy McCready threatened suicide after losing custody of her sons earlier this month, yet she was allowed to leave a court-ordered drug rehabilitation program just days before she apparently killed herself at her Arkansas home, her ex-boyfriend said Monday.

Billy McKnight, who was in a long, stormy relationship with McCready and is the father of her oldest child, Zander, said the 37-year-old mother of two stayed in the substance abuse treatment center for about 18 hours before she was allowed to walk free.

McCready died Sunday at her home in Heber Springs, a vacation community about 65 miles north of Little Rock. She was found dead on the front porch, where her longtime boyfriend, musician David Wilson, died last month of a gunshot wound to the head. Authorities are investigating both deaths as suicides but haven't determined an official cause of death.

McKnight told The Associated Press during a phone interview from Tampa, Fla., that McCready and Wilson, the father of her youngest son, were recently engaged. He wondered how she was allowed to go free, given all the turmoil in her life.

"That was a big mistake on the part of whoever released her," McKnight said. "She was in a terrible state of mind. She doesn't perform any more. She wasn't working. She has two kids and her fiance was just killed. There's no way she should be out by herself in a lonely house with nothing but booze and pills. That was a really, really bad mistake, and the end result is tragic."

Arkansas courts were closed for the holiday Monday, so local case documents weren't immediately available.

Neighbors reported hearing two shots Sunday afternoon when they called the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office. Authorities found Wilson's dog dead next to McCready's body at the home, where yellow crime-scene tape looped through a grove of pine trees and around the one-story brick house Monday afternoon.

"Based on what we have found at the scene at this time, we do believe that she took the life of the dog that we are being told by family members belonged to Mr. Wilson before she took her own life," Sheriff Marty Moss said.

The sheriff said McCready's two sons were safe. McKnight said the boys remained in foster care, where they were at the time of their mother's death. McKnight said he was trying to get custody of his son, Zander, but that he was not privy to what was happening with her other son, Zayne, who was born last year.

McCready's sons were put in foster care and she was ordered into rehab earlier this month after McCready's father expressed concern. He told a judge his daughter had stopped taking care of her children and herself after Wilson's death, and that she was abusing alcohol and prescription drugs.

Moss said McCready's cause of death would be released soon, but that "all indicators" point to suicide. Her body has been sent to the state crime lab for autopsy.

For all the highs McCready had early in her career, thanks to the spunky anti-chauvinist hit "Guys Do It All The time," and her first album, "Ten Thousand Angels," which has sold more than 2 million copies, there were many more lows. She previously attempted suicide at least three times, and her fragile state of mindwas always a concern to family and friends. She acknowledged in a 2010 interview that her life was turbulent at times, sometimes self-inflicted.

Over the years her relationships often made the biggest headlines. McKnight was charged with attempted murder after being arrested for beating and choking her. She claimed to be in a long relationship with baseball great Roger Clemens that started when she was 15 and he was 28 and married, but Clemens denied the relationship. She was once engaged to actor Dean Cain.

She also was arrested several times on drug charges, probation violations and a misdemeanor assault charge against her mother.

But there was a period in her life where McCready thought she might be able to escape that pattern. She reluctantly joined the "Celebrity Rehab 3" cast with Dr. Drew Pinsky, and left the show believing she might be able to change.

"She was doing great," Bob Forrest, a chemical dependency counselor who frequently works with Pinsky and appeared on the show, told the AP on Monday. "She would go through these periods of three to six months where she didn't want to drink, didn't have an interest in drinking. And if she didn't drink, she didn't do drugs."

Just months after her appearance on the show in early 2010, McCready told the AP about the release of a new album, "I'm Still Here," her new love in Wilson and plans to reunite with her son, who was in her mother's custody at the time. But the progress seemed to unravel by late 2011. Her album debuted at No. 71 on the country albums chart and failed to gain significant radio airplay, and plans for a book and reality show failed to materialize.

She also was unable to immediately regain custody of Zander. McCready then took the boy from her mother, his legal guardian, and fled to Arkansas over what she said were child abuse fears. She was later found hiding in a home without permission.

McCready is the fifth participant in Pinsky's "Celebrity Rehab" shows to pass away since appearing on the show, and the third from Season 3. Pinsky has been criticized for the deaths and for showing such personal struggles on television.

In a statement, Pinsky said he had recently reached out to the singer after hearing about Wilson's death.

"She was devastated," Pinsky wrote. "Although she was fearful of stigma and ridicule she agreed with me that she needed to make her health and safety a priority. Unfortunately it seems that Mindy did not sustain her treatment."

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AP writer Jeannie Nuss in Arkansas contributed to this report. Music Writer Chris Talbott wrote from Nashville, Tenn.

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Follow AP Music Writer Chris Talbott: . http://twitter.com/Chris_Talbott

NEW YORK -- Her hump, her hump, her lovely lady lump: Fergie is pregnant with her first child.

A representative for the Black Eyed Peas singer confirmed the news Monday. Fergie's actor husband Josh Duhamel tweeted about the news with joy, saying: "Fergie and Me and BABY makes three."

The 37-year-old Fergie and 40-year-old Duhamel married in 2009. She joined the Black Eyed Peas when the group released its third album, "Elephunk," in 2003. The foursome is known for its pop-inspired hip-hop tunes like "My Humps," "I Gotta Feeling" and "Boom Boom Pow."

Fergie launched her solo debut, "The Duchess," to much success in 2006. It featured five Top 5 hits, including "Fergalicious" and "Big Girls Don't Cry."

Duhamel has appeared in the "Transformer" films and most recently in "Safe Haven."

It seems like an open season on liars these days, with so many of them shot down and exposed by the media -- and often by postings on the social media. This got me wondering: Why do people keep lying, given the high likelihood of being exposed by the relentless 24-7 coverage by just about anyone who might suspect someone for anything or is out for revenge or glory by exposing a lie? We live in a fishbowl today, where there is little privacy, so it's easier than ever to expose a lie. As a result, if the liar or victim of the lie is well-known or the lie is big, bold, or unique enough, it will soon be national news. So why do people keep lying given the threat of being exposed in a lie and the danger of lying -- because ultimately lies undermine trust in a relationship and they break down the glue that holds society together? And what can we as a society do about the problem of lyng -- a problem that has gotten far more pervasive since I first wrote about this in The Truth About Lying 15 years ago...

The story that got me thinking about this situation was what started out as a local lie when a masked robber, 33-year old David Randall Lacey, was about to rob a Papa John's pizza place in Helena, Montana. But when he saw there was only $25 in the register and the waitress began to hand it to him, he broke down crying and gave the waitress a sob story about how he resorted to crime so he could feed his wife and hungry kids. So the waitress felt sorry for him and gave him a free pizza. But later when the police arrested him for felony robbery, the whole story about a wife and kids turned out to be a lie, and the story of the lie and his arrest went national. Apparently, Lacey was discovered by the police after he talked about the incident, and the waitress picked him out of a police line-up. After admitting the crime, he explained he committed the robbery to feed himself.

After that, I started thinking about all of the other liars whose stories were recently blazed in national headlines. One was the American Idol hopeful, 26-year old Matt Farmer, who claimed he was injured in Iraq from an IED explosion, which resulted in a traumatic brain injury, and the medication he was given was supposed to make him sterile. Six months later, his daughter was born, and he described her as a "miracle baby." However, he never was injured in an explosion. The truth came out when his roommate came forward and reported that Farmer was med-evacuated from Iraq, because he got drunk while taking accutane, an acne medication, and he was never involved in a single direct fire engagement and was never wounded. Several other former comrades wrote to the veterans website claiming Farmer was a liar, too.

Then, there's Manti Te'o story, in which the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football player developed feelings for a girlfriend he met online and engaged in long phone conversations with her for about a year. But after she supposedly died, Deadspin an online media site, broke the story that his girlfriend wasn't real. Instead, Ronaiah Tuiasaopo was revealed to have created the alternate persona Lennay Kekua, which allowed him to live an alternative reality, because he wanted to escape from real life since he was molested as a child, as he told Dr. Phil McGraw on the Dr. Phil Show.. And to perpetrate the hoax, he used the picture of a woman Diana O'Meara he found online on her Facebook account to represent Lennay. But eventually, the whole story came out, with mea culpas from everyone involved, from the hoaxer to the hoaxed to the school and the journalists who originally bought the story.

Then there's the story of how Lance Armstrong kept a lie about his doping going for about a decade, until he was ultimately found out and confessed the whole sorry story on Oprah. Or did he really confess? There was some debate after his two-part confession as to whether he was really being sincere or faking much of the interview.

In short, this seems like the day and age of exposing liars, given the ease of global communication and the ability to find out about people who have little privacy anymore should anyone come looking for anything. Yet, people continue to lie, perhaps thinking that somehow, they will get away with it and the increasingly likely exposé won't happen to them. But it often does, upsetting everyone affected by the lie and playing out in the media, like the Scarlet Letter, exposing the liar to national and international shame, commonly followed by the liar's search for forgiveness through the global media confessional. It's like today's repeated morality play, reminding us that lying is wrong, even as people continue to lie, and more and more people are exposed for doing so.

So what should we as a society do about this? It seems to me that we need another re-commitment to truth and honesty, and potential liars need to realize that in this time of instant media exposure and infamy, they are increasingly likely to be caught by someone who can turn their private act into a very public one on the international stage. Then, just maybe, there will be less lying - or perhaps the liars may become even more sophisticated in hiding their lies.

Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D. is the author of over 50 books with major publishers and has published 30 books through her own company Changemakers Publishing and Writing. She writes books and proposals for clients, and has written and produced over 50 short videos through her company Changemakers Productions Her latest books include: The Very Next New Thing: Commentaries on the Latest Developments that Will Be Changing Your Life and Living in Limbo: From the End to New Beginnings

Morrissey, former frontman for rock band The Smiths, is making history at the Staples Center in Los Angeles by holding the first ever all vegetarian concert on March 1. The rocker is a long-time vegetarian and animal rights activist and was granted his request to make sure all venders in and around the Center would be fully vegetarian.

E Online reports that the singer asked the venue to shut down the McDonald's restaurants within the space, a request Sir Paul McCartney had previously been denied. This time, however, the Staples Center agreed to close the fast food outlets for the show.

In a press release, Morrissey stated, "I don't look upon it as a victory for me, but a victory for the animals." In a 1985 interview, the singer described his switch to vegetarianism at a young age:

"I became a vegetarian when I was about 11 or 12 years old. My mother was a staunch vegetarian as long as I can remember. We were very poor and I thought that meat was a good source of nutrition. Then I learned the truth. I guess you could say I repent for those years now."

Morrissey's tour was put on hold in January after he was hospitalized with a suspected infection. He plans to kick it off again later this month with an appearance on "Live with Jimmy Kimmel."

Former Disney stars dominated the worst-dressed list this week. Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus both made questionable style decisions -- Miley Cyrus looked like she was headed to the Scottish highlands in a pair of tartan pants and Selena Gomez' underboob was just a distraction from a weird suit.

The worst-dressed celebrities were also plagued by dresses that were bizarre from the back: Rita Ora looked like she was wearing a droopy diaper, while Lilly Collins' bow-tied dress was just plain silly. Check out those over-the-top looks, as well as more celebrities who made our week's worst-dressed list. Let us know if you agree or disagree with us, then head over to our best-dressed gallery to rest your eyes on this week's style winners.

Want more? Be sure to check out HuffPost Style on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram at @HuffPostStyle.
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Make those flowers out to Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose, who just hours ago welcomed son Sebastian Taylor to the world!

At around 3 p.m. EST Thursday (Feb. 21), Wiz tweeted this photo of him in scrubs and captioned it "Daddy time":

Two hours later, the proud papa tweeted the joyous news, writing "Happy Birthday Sebastian 'The Bash' Taylor Thomaz [Wiz was born Cameron Thomaz]!!! Everyone welcome this perfect young man into the world."

Happy Birthday Sebastian "The Bash" Taylor Thomaz!!! 👏🎉🙌 Everyone welcome this perfect young man into the world

— Wiz Khalifa (@wizkhalifa) February 21, 2013

Last month, the two parents-to-be stopped by the radio show "Big Boy's Neighborhood" and played the baby name game without really revealing what they chose. "It's a total boss name for a boy," Rose said at the time. "It's funny because I came up with the name for our boy and immediately he came up with a rapper [nickname] for him.”

We're guessing that's where "The Bash" comes from.

The happy couple announced they were expecting last September, and Rose kept updating her many fans on Twitter and Instagram on her growing belly and their plans for the labor and the newborn.

We wish Wiz, Rose and baby Sebastian all the best.

Are Michael Strahan and fiancée Nicole Murphy headed for blended family bliss? It sure looks that way!

The "Live with Kelly and Michael" host, who proposed to Murphy in June 2009, took his twin girls and two of Murphy's daughters to Disney World's Fantasyland earlier this week.

While there, the former New York Giants star referred to all the girls as his "princesses," before taking them around the park for some rides, lunch and even to meet Disney royalty, Belle and Ariel.

Strahan was has been married twice before -- first to Wanda Hutchins, with whom he has a son and a daughter, and then to Jean Muggli, with whom he has twin daughters. His second divorce was an acrimonious one, with Muggli accusing Strahan of abuse and infidelity and Strahan claiming that his ex had a major overspending problem.

Murphy was previously married to Eddie Murphy for 12 years before she filed for divorce in 2005. The ex-couple has five children. After Strahan and Murphy tie the knot, they will boast one of the largest Tinseltown broods with a whopping nine children between the two of them.

Watch the adorable video above for more on their trip. Then, click through the slides below to see five other big Hollywood blended families.

Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Divorce on Facebook and Twitter.

Sassy mother-daughter duo Joan and Melissa Rivers are back with season three of their show "Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?" and they joined HuffPost Live Thursday to talk about the show, working together and, of course, to dish on all the Hollywood gossip.

As part of their appearance, Alicia Menendez hosted a game of "Who Would You Rather Be On A Desert Island With?" during which Joan and Melissa are given two celebrities and are forced to choose. Their answers -- including Joan's shocking love for Ke$ha -- might surprise you.

Watch the Full Interview With Joan and Melissa Rivers on HuffPost Live.

Vanessa Hudgens learned what it's like to be at the center of a scandal at a very early age.

The former Disney star is perhaps better known for the nude photos that leaked in 2007, when she was just 18, than any of her legitimate projects. Today, the actress tells Paper magazine that the nude photo leak was "by far the worst moment of my career."

Hudgens clearly was never forced to sit through her 2011 movie "Beastly," if she considers the photo leak to be her worst moment professionally, but we'll admit having private photos passed around online isn't anyone's idea of a good time.

"That was just a really shitty situation that sucked," Hudgens told the magazine of the photos that required her to issue an apology in order to keep Disney from dropping her from "High School Musical 3."

Now, at the age of 24, Hudgens has left all pretenses of a family-friendly image behind her and stars alongside Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine and James Franco in "Spring Breakers," due in theaters March 22. The film follows four bikini-clad girls as they rob a fast-food restaurant in order to finance their spring break trip to Florida, and end up entangled with a drug dealer named Alien.

While promoting the film, Hudgens has already revealed that shooting a threesome scene with Benson and Franco was "too much for [her] to handle," and that she had to watch topless girls make out on the beach, which provided an ultra-realistic background canvas to film against.

The film has garnered tons of buzz, mostly because its young stars can be seen doing things that would otherwise land them in the pages of every tabloid and gossip website in the world, but Hudgens sees it as the next step in her career.

"It's always been hard for actors to cross that bridge," she told Paper magazine of her Disney past. "But honestly, you have to hold out and do what you think is right for yourself."

For more with Vanessa Hudgens, click over to Paper magazine.