WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Who can Mike Tyson turn to for a character reference? The mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey, for one, and the leader of Nevada's largest shelter for battered women, for another.

Their letters of support were among those sent last year to New Zealand immigration authorities considering the visa application he made to travel Down Under. They were among hundreds of pages of documents from New Zealand and Australia released last week and earlier to the Associated Press under those countries' public records laws.

In the end, the Australians concluded the former boxing champion and convicted rapist failed their character test – but they decided to let him come tell his story anyway in five November shows. New Zealand denied him a visa.np

In the U.S., Tyson's show "Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth," ended a 10-week tour spring Sunday after a run on Broadway. The show has garnered critical praise for its candor, although Tyson remains a divisive figure in popular culture.

Tyson has traveled abroad extensively, including to Europe and South America. New Zealand had initially decided to let him in as well, but changed its mind when a children's charity that was supposed to benefit from Tyson's visit said it didn't want any money from his tour.

Tyson served six years in prison for a 1991 rape. He said in his New Zealand visa application that he was not guilty of that crime, but was responsible for several subsequent arrests. He wrote that he had abused drugs and alcohol through much of his adult life but had been clean and sober for more than three and a half years.

Included in Tyson's New Zealand visa application was a character reference for him and his wife, Lakiha, written by Marlene Richter, the executive director of Las Vegas-based women's shelter The Shade Tree.

Richter said the shelter's children "loved seeing Mike Tyson" last June when the Tysons rented an ice cream truck and handed out Popsicles and cones to more than 300 women and children.

In an interview last week, Richter said she faced an ethical dilemma about whether to allow Tyson to support the shelter, given his violent criminal past.

She said she was impressed by the way he seemed dedicated to the children and followed through with promises. The Tysons later auctioned fight memorabilia, she said, raising about $20,000 for the shelter.

"I don't know if he's 100 percent changed," Richter said. "But I felt he was trying."

Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford also gave Tyson a character reference, mentioning his notoriety but saying he had helped make the resort city the center for boxing on the East Coast. He wrote that the city was "ever so grateful to him and his dedicated efforts on our behalf."

In Australia, officials concluded Tyson failed that country's character test because of his criminal convictions. They looped in the immigration minister, who let Tom Wodak, the immigration department's principal character decision-maker, have the final say.

"All indications are that Mr. Tyson has rehabilitated," Wodak wrote in an email to staff approving Tyson's visa. Wodak added that the short duration of his trip and the fact his family would be accompanying him "all point to the likelihood of an incident-free visit, and thus to a risk of further offending that is not unacceptable."

During his Australian "Day of the Champions" tour, Tyson appeared in five cities without incident, except for some fans who complained that they had paid extra to meet him in person and had left disappointed.

Chris Evans just dropped over $3.5 million on some new Hollywood Hills digs and after some over-the-top renovations it's now fit for the on-screen superhero.

Michelle Williams brought her understated glamor to the 2013 Met Gala in NYC last night.

She wore a Saint Laurent design as she made her way up the red carpet and into the Metropolitan Museum of Art to launch the Punk: Chaos to Couture exhibit.

E! host and new mother Giuliana Rancic lives on both sides of the entertainment media business — dishing on the latest celebrity gossip and fashion offences, while making a lot of headlines herself.

Rancic and her husband, Bill (the first winner of "The Apprentice") are used to the spotlight. Besides co-writing a book on their marriage, they also star in their own reality TV show, and have been vocal about personal and painful experiences that included infertility treatments and breast cancer.

After having a miscarriage following in vitro fertilization and then being diagnosed with cancer, Rancic was still determined to have a baby. Her son Edward Duke was born through a gestational surrogate last summer, just a few months after Rancic's double mastectomy.

The celebrity TV personality, 38, spoke to The Huffington Post Canada in a telephone interview from New York City about motherhood, making marriage a priority, and the media's fascination with her weight.

This is your first Mother’s Day. What were some other memorable firsts this year with your son?
Duke getting his first tooth was so cute, but the teething wasn’t cute, and the pain that he was going through, but when his two little bottom teeth popped out around the same time, it was adorable, and when he smiles he’s got these two little teeth at the bottom... Also when he reached out for me the first time, that was really special, someone was holding him and he reached out for his mommy and that was really nice.

You’ve referred to your husband as a "baby hog." Who’s getting more me-time with the Duke these days?
He really is, that’s just not stopped. We’re in New York this week and Bill likes to push the stroller in the city and he likes to always hold him and I just look like the lazy wife who doesn’t want to do anything. I just walk alongside Bill and the baby kind of going “OK if anyone needs me, I’ll be over here.” But yes, he’s definitely a baby hog. But you could call your husband worse things than a baby hog. At the end of the day, ultimately, it’s a blessing and it’s great that Bill is so nurturing and loving and wants to be with the baby all the time. In the end, it equals out because Bill travels a lot for work, so when he’s here and at home he wants to make sure that he spends as much time (with the baby as possible) and I respect that and I want him to be with the baby as much as possible.

Interview continues below slideshow:

Your recent comments about putting your husband before your child certainly raised some eyebrows. What did you mean by that?
Our relationship is the first relationship that Duke is exposed to in his life, and if he can see us loving each other and hugging and dancing and laughing and speaking to each other with respect and compassion and love, that can only benefit him in his life...

We use kids as an excuse to say "I’m too tired," "I don’t want to do this," "I can’t do a date night," "I don’t have time for you because I’m home with the kid all day," or "We’re so busy with our kids" and you really have to make sure that once your baby goes to bed you don’t fall victim to that, that instead you can say “OK, we’ve put the baby to bed, now let’s hang out.” Bill and I did that last night. We work super-long days, I was up very early (Monday) morning, worked all day long, worked the Met Gala (on Monday) night in a red-carpet gown and then I left there, changed into leggings and a puffy jacket and we walked around New York for an hour, had a romantic dinner at a cute little spot (The Smith) ... we had wine, and dessert, and had a great date night. It could have been so easy for me to go "You know what I’m tired after the Met Gala, I’m going to bed” but instead I know that it’s important to hold hands and stroll through the city and have a glass of wine together.

But lots of people say date nights are overhyped.
Well, they’re redefined. I think you have to redefine it and take the pressure out of date night and realize that a date night doesn’t have to mean getting dressed up and doing your hair, that it could just mean throwing on sweat pants and getting carry-out or just going to a hole in the wall in your neighborhood, just for 45 minutes and having a glass of wine and an appetizer.

The media scrutinizes your weight a lot, recently voicing “worry” about how thin you are. Does that get to you?
No, it doesn’t bother me, honestly, it really doesn’t. It’s kind of like how I do "Fashion Police" with the fashion. That would be like that bothering a celebrity, whether we put them on the best-dressed list or worst-dressed list, it’s the entertainment industry. You know, headlines sell and that’s fine. I totally get it, being on both sides of the business I get it, so honestly none of that stuff bothers me at all because I know the real story, I know who I am. I think it’s actually rather amusing.

What does your current diet and fitness routine consist of?
It’s been a lot less lately, having a baby now. We actually put a little home gym in our house, nothing fancy, a treadmill and some weights, so I’ve been spending some more time working out at home but I used to work out like five days a week and now I’m kind of down to two. Just because it’s a busy time right now and that hour in the morning that I used to spend working out, I’d rather just be at home with the baby and so I’ve been missing a lot of workouts... (I eat) honestly everything. Like last night I had a pretty reasonable dinner, salmon and vegetables. But then we had two desserts. We had a hot fudge sundae and a sticky toffee pudding, it was amazing. And then the guy gave us cookies to go and we ate the cookies on the way home. So no, I wish I could say I’m so healthy, I never eat junk food... I wish I could say everything in moderation, but there’s no moderation about it, I’ve just got to be honest, it’s just what I feel and some days are definitely healthier than others. I have to eat constantly all day though just because I’m always on the go, so I’m always snacking. Like right now, I’m eating a bar, and I’m always snacking and almonds on nuts and stuff like that.

You’re around Joan Rivers all day for Fashion Police and she’s a pretty crazy mom. Has she shared any wisdom on motherhood with you?
Oh God, everything she says is a joke, but she has in a sense that she and (daughter) Melissa are so close. Joan and Melissa don’t do anything apart and I love that, they have an incredible bond. I’ve just learned by observing the two of them in their relationship and Melissa is an executive producer on "Fashion Police" and she’s on set every week and she’s right there behind the cameras with her headset and she’s running the show there on the floor, on stage. And it’s funny to see anything Melissa says Joan trusts and it’s incredible, and that’s obviously a bond that Joan doesn’t have with anyone. It’s really nice to see them and their relationship. It’s a great example of how anyone would hope to have a relationship with their child.

What advice do you have for other women who are struggling to have a baby? Would you recommend IVF or surrogacy, or adoption?
I think the most important thing is you can’t give up hope. When you’re going through something like that, you’re going through infertility issues, you feel like "It’s never going to happen for me, it’s never going to happen, I’ve done IVF and they’re not working," but it’s a numbers game, that’s what I was told. Your number eventually will come up. If you roll the die enough times, the numbers will come up, so that’s what I always hung onto and thought about, and then the number came up eventually which was fantastic news, so I’d say … do the research, do what’s right for you, and for us the path we took was the right path for us and we’re so happy it all worked out.

You were also really open about your double mastectomy and inspiring to other women with your positive attitude about it. What did you learn about yourself through that experience?
I think the thing I’ve learned most about myself is how strong I really was. I don’t think I ever realized I was that strong. If you told me this was going to happen to you next year, I would think “No, I could never survive that, I’m not strong enough.” So finding out how strong I was was a good thing and it’s helped me in everything post-diagnosis, which is great. My advice to anyone going through it is to stay strong. It gets better and time does heal all wounds.

Britney Spears is back in a bikini and on the cover of Shape magazine's June issue.

It's hard to believe it has been 14 years since the singer caused a controversy by appearing in her bra and underwear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, since now at age of 31, the mother of two young boys doesn't look all that different from when she was clutching a purple Teletubby and causing moral outrage.

Today, Spears dons a white bikini, showing off her toned body and the trademark belly ring she doesn't want to seem to give up.

The "Baby One More Time" singer was once known for her incredibly ripped abs, but like most of us, she's found that staying in shape is much harder as we age.

"I like it, then again, I hate it. I'm in my 30s now, so I have to work harder to keep it up," Spears said of the effort she has to put in to keep her equally famous backside toned, as well.

And while Spears says that "dieting is tough," it's clear she's found a balence when it comes to her nutritional needs, since she was photographed picking up Kentucky Fried Chicken right after she finished the photo shoot for Shape in March.

NEW YORK — There's no business like small business.

Mix the high stakes of running a small business with a dash of family drama and throw in a camera crew and you get hit reality television shows such as "Pawn Stars," "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" and "Duck Dynasty."

Turning small business owners into stars has become a winning formula for television producers, but some businesses featured in them are cashing in, too. Sales explode after just a few episodes air, transforming these nearly unknown small businesses into household names. In addition to earning a salary from starring in the shows, some small business owners are benefiting financially from opening gift shops that sell souvenirs or getting involved in other ventures that spawn from their new-found fame.

Sales at Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas are five times higher than they were before "Pawn Stars" first aired in 2009. More people are pouring into the St. Louis restaurant featured in "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" to eat its jumbo-sized fried chicken wings and six-cheese macaroni and cheese. And Duck Commander, seen in "Duck Dynasty," is having trouble controlling the crowds in front of its headquarters in the small city of West Monroe, La.

"Sometimes it's hard getting from the truck to the front door," says Willie Robertson, who owns Duck Commander with his father and stars in the A&E series with his extended family.

It's a big change for a company that sells duck calls out of a part-brick, part-cinder block warehouse on a dry, dead-end country road. Duck hunters use the whistles, which mimic duck sounds, to attract their prey.

Since "Duck Dynasty" began airing in March 2012, Robertson finds at least 70 people waiting in front of the warehouse every morning asking for autographs and photos. Neighbors have complained about the mobs and the police have been called.

Despite the trouble, the show has been good for the family business. Sales of the company's duck calls, which range from $20 to $175, have skyrocketed. In 2011, the company sold 60,000 duck calls. In 2012, the year the show began airing, the company sold 300,000. "We saw a big difference as the Nielsen ratings went up," says Robertson.

Their income from doing the show may be going up along with the ratings. "Duck Dynasty" is the most watched documentary-style reality series on TV right now, according to Nielsen, which provides information and insight into what consumers watch and buy. April's one-hour season three finale was watched by 9.6 million people, making it the most watched program in A&E's 29-year history. The Hollywood Reporter reported that the cast of the show is demanding a raise to $200,000 an episode to do a fourth season. Both the network and Robertson had no comment on the report.

Cameras follow Robertson and his family as they make duck calls, hunt or go camping. One episode showed Robertson trying to prove to his dad, brother and uncle that he could spend a night in a tent during a camping trip. (Robertson ends up bringing a big recreational vehicle and is ridiculed for it. "Once you bring something with wheels that's enclosed, you're no longer camping. You're parking," says Robertson's brother, Jace Robertson, in the episode.)

To keep up with rising sales, Duck Commander hired five more people. Every duck call has to be put together by hand. "It's like a musical instrument," says Robertson. "Each one needs to be blown into it to make sure it works."

To stop the crowds from disrupting business, and to make extra cash, Robertson opened a gift shop inside the Duck Commander warehouse. "It keeps the people out of my lobby," says Robertson. The shop sells duck calls, Duck Commander T-shirts and bobblehead dolls that look like Robertson, his dad, uncle and brother, complete with their long beards.

Rick Harrison, star of "Pawn Stars," opened a gift shop, too. He sells mugs, T-shirts, bobbleheads and refrigerator magnets, in the back of his Las Vegas pawn store.

Harrison says the souvenirs bring in about $5 million in revenue a year. The pawn business brings in about $20 million a year, up from the $4 million before "Pawn Stars" aired.

The show, which follows people as try to sell or pawn items ranging from gold coins to classic cars, also stars Harrison's son, his father and an employee named Austin "Chumlee" Russell.

People have been lining up outside the pawn shop since the reality show began airing on History in 2009. The store installed misters above the line to keep fans cool under the hot, Las Vegas sun.

Fame has disadvantages. Harrison says he wears a hat and sunglasses to disguise himself, even on visits to IHOP for pancakes with his kids. During an overseas vacation, he was swarmed by fans at the Tower of London

"It amazes me," says Harrison. "I'm just a fat middle-aged bald guy, but people still want to meet me."

Harrison is cashing in on his celebrity. He was hired as a spokesman for Procter & Gamble Inc.'s Swiffer cleaning wipes and he wrote a book, called "License to Pawn," about his life and business. (Harrison declined to say how much he made on those deals.) He also rents out a 1,300-square-foot area in the back of the pawn shop's building for private parties. The fee can range anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000, depending on the number of people invited and whether Harrison or one of the shows stars to drops by.

Despite his fame, and busy 40-week-a-year filming schedule, Harrison says that his pawn business comes first.

"I do realize that television shows end," he says, even though the show is coming back for a new season May 30. "I want to make sure I have a business when people are saying, `Hey, do you remember that show about four fat guys in a pawn shop'"

A show may end, but it's not quickly forgotten. Hair stylist Elgin Charles, whose salon was featured on VH1's "Beverly Hills Fabulous," says he is still benefiting from the show even though it hasn't been on the air for nearly two years.

Fans of the show still stop into Elgin Charles Beverly Hills to get their hair done, some from as far away as Australia and Nigeria. "The phone didn't stop ringing for eight months after the show aired," says Charles, who has owned the salon for 15 years.

Charles was recently cornered by fans at a Dallas nightclub trying to get a picture of him on their smartphones. "I can't even walk the streets of New York without being approached," he says. (Charles is hard to miss. He often wears shiny, dark, straight shoulder-length hair.) He has been paid to make appearances at hair shows and conventions. "Many doors have opened," says Charles.

"The whole reason I did it was to make Elgin Charles Beverly Hills a household name," says Charles. He's says he's putting his name on a school, called the Elgin Charles Universal Beauty College, which is expected to open this summer in downtown Los Angeles.

Reality TV has been good to Duff Goldman, too. Food Network's "Ace of Cakes" filmed Goldman and his employees at Charm City Cakes bakery as they made lavish cakes. (In one episode, they made a cake for a "Harry Potter" movie premiere party that looked like Hogwarts Castle, the boy wizard's school.) "Ace of Cakes" ended in 2011, but Goldman and his bakery are still in high demand.

His name is on a line of cake mixes, kits and pans sold at Michaels, the arts and crafts store. His face is on cartons of Blue Bunny ice cream that have pieces of cakes mixed in. He teamed up with Godiva, the chocolate maker, to create limited edition cake truffles. In January, Goldman designed a nine-tiered cake for President Barack Obama's inauguration.

Last year he opened a bakery in Los Angeles, called Charm City Cakes West. He says he is "strongly" considering a return to reality TV.

The publicity is hard to give up. The shows are essentially a free weekly national commercial for a small business. "There's no better way to increase exposure," says Jai Manselle, the founder of Manselle Media, a brand development and public relations company that has clients in the entertainment industry.

Manselle says that entrepreneurs considering reality TV should make sure the show will portray the business in a positive light. "If the show makes you look unprofessional, that may not be good," he says. Manselle turned down an offer to turn his marketing business into a reality show last year because it didn't feel right, but he is still open to the idea.

"If it's not going to benefit the brand, don't do it," says Manselle. "The whole reason you're doing this is to make money."

Lynnae Schneller is hoping her family-run pickle business gets the green light. Schneller was approached by a production company to film a five-minute pilot that is being pitched to networks.

"I've never had a desire to be on reality TV, but from a business standpoint I can't turn it down," says Schneller, who started Lynnae's Gourmet Pickles in Tacoma, Wash. in 2011. "We could never afford that kind of exposure."

But reality-TV fame has a price. Charles says that he had to close his salon for two months while filming "Beverly Hills Fabulous." He only had Sundays and one other weekday to style hair for clients. "They came in like a storm and took over," says Charles. The producers set up storyboards that mapped out the episodes. "I didn't have much control," he says.

Editing can create misconceptions about the business. "Ace of Cakes" never showed the bakers washing their hands. Many viewers assumed that they didn't. Goldman still gets emails and letters from viewers saying that they should be washing their hands. They did, it just never made it on the screen. "A show about people washing their hands would be a boring show," Goldman says.

Another downside: Being bossed around. "I'm 47 and I've never worked for anybody in my life," says Harrison of "Pawn Stars." "Now you have somebody else telling you what to do." Producers tell him what time to come to work and he has to make appearances to promote the show. He has to take direction while filming. "They'll say, `Rick, raise your voice you're not talking loud enough,' and it's a 27-year-old director telling me these things," says Harrison.

Not every small business makes good TV. Producers say they are most interested in family-run companies. "That's the Holy Grail," says Darryl Silver, the owner of The Idea Factory, the production company pitching Schneller's pickle-business reality show. They do well because viewers are able to relate to the characters.

That's true for the stars of "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's." Owner Robbie Montgomery says fans come to her restaurants featured in the show and liken her to their own grandmothers.

The show, which airs on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, follows Montgomery as she and her son run two restaurants in St. Louis and struggle to open a third. Montgomery has been filmed scolding her nephew when he shows up late for work. In another episode, she pushes her grandson to get better grades in school.

The show has brought more people to her restaurants. "There was a line around the block after the third or fourth episode," says Montgomery. Sales have jumped 70 percent at the restaurants, which serve Southern dishes such as pork steak smothered in gravy and candied yams. It debuted in 2011. A fourth season began filming in March.

Montgomery began selling $20 T-shirts in the restaurants after the show started. The shirts feature Montgomery's quotes from the show.

One of the quotes could serve as advice for small businesses wanting to get into reality TV.

"If it don't make money," the shirt reads, "it don't make sense."

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ONLINE:

"Ace of Cakes" http://www.foodnetwork.com/ace-of-cakes/index.html

"Beverly Hills Fabulous" http://www.vh1.com/shows/beverly_hills_fabulous/series.jhtml

"Duck Dynasty" http://www.aetv.com/duck-dynasty/

"Pawn Stars" http://www.history.com/shows/pawn-stars

"Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" http://www.oprah.com/own-sweetie-pies/Welcome-to-Sweetie-Pies

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Follow Joseph Pisani at http://twitter.com/josephpisani

Food Informants is a week-in-the-life series profiling fascinating people in the food world. We hope it will give you a first-hand look at the many different corners of the food industry. Know someone who would make a great Food Informant? Tell us why.

Actress Debi Mazar and her Tuscan-born husband, Gabriele Corcos host "Extra Virgin" on the Cooking Channel. They recently participated in the Live Below The Line Challenge, a campaign that encourages people to think about poverty in new ways. They each had $1.50 per day to spend on food -- the U.S. equivalent of the extreme poverty line. As a family of four, their weekly budget was $30 for five days of meals.

Read Gabriele's diary below to see how his food-focused family fared.

Monday, April 22: A little groceries, a little thinking

So here we are, the campaign has finally started. Our dear friend Robert has decided to move in for the week, so we now have a budget of $37.50 for five people, for five days.

Breakfast: The day started off with one cup of thin coffee with no sugar. We decided to invest in milk and renounce the extra 2-3 morning cups of espresso. Just a half mug to get your day going. Kids had a slice of bread with jam (no butter) and a glass of 2/3 milk and 1/3 water.

Lunch: We forced our kids to eat their public school hot lunch or ask for help from friends. If we were in fact living Below the Line our daughters would qualify for free lunch at school, so for this week I cut a check. Debi, Robert and I had one thin slice of bread with one slice of mortadella and drank water.

4pm: Our stomachs are finally starting to growl.

Pre-dinner: I will still be baking about 1.5 pounds of unsalted bread, but instead of one big loaf I will bake two smaller ones: they will last longer and slice smaller. I will cook a lentil soup, revised for the occasion. I will use less than half of the regular amount of soffritto, I will fry it in vegetable oil (no olive oil this week). I will dilute one pound of lentils in 10 cups of water, and only use a crust of cheese to flavor the soup. No shaved parmesan or fancy drizzles once the soup is ready and served. I will shrink the size of the plates, and serve dinner into cereal bowls instead of regular soup bowls... so it will feel great to get seconds. Last but not least I hope (expect) to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

These are the groceries I have used so far today: I already have spent over $10 but many of the ingredients will last me for five days (coffee, sugar, oil, flour), some of them will end up in lunch boxes or in other meals (carrots, celery, mortadella)... the chicken bones are for a broth with noodles. Today I shopped in three different places, I had to walk a bit but I managed to find cheap items within a 20 block radius from my home. It took time but my improvised pantry for this week feels manageable for the moment.

Herbs: 1 celery, 1 red onion, 2 carrots, 1 bunch of parsley (wilted, I negotiated on this one) $3.79
Meat: 10 thin slices of mortadella, 1lb chicken bones $2.66
Various: 1 package coffee, 1 lb. Lentils, 1 jar strawberry jam, 5 lb. flour, 250 ml vegetable oil, 1/4 whole milk (probably hormone saturated) $10.01
TOTAL EXPENSES: $16.46 REMAINING BUDGET $21.04

Tuesday, April 23: It is already a waiting game!

Afternoon: We are all hungry here. Waiting patiently for our only real meal of the day. Evelina skipped lunch at school (she did not like their pizza) so she had a slice of bread and mortadella... the mortadella is already finished! Giulia, my youngest is zoning out in front of the TV, she asked for a snack. Guess what, "Here's a slice of bread! Cannot afford really vegetables or fruit." I have not spent a cent on processed food so far. I miss my calories. Yes I would eat a Twix or a Mars bar to be able to carry on with the rest of my day. Business to wrap up, kids to bathe, homework to finish. On top of that Evelina is having her school tests this week, she needs to focus and to work hard, but her diet is not really a "performing one."

Tonight I am cooking with ingredients I purchased yesterday, with the exception of the eggs, which I found today for $1.99; they are white, small, light... I hate it. But I'll use it.

Dinner: Chicken breast bone broth with homemade noodles. I stretched the dough with some water, so I was able to use three eggs instead of four. I am also baking a 1.5 pound loaf of bread. I hope that when the broth is ready I will be able to scrape some meat off those bones.

Our family budget for the rest of the week is now $19.05. Tomorrow I will have to buy new stuff for the lunch boxes, maybe a couple of apples, and possibly some dirt cheap meat. I also need rice and beans.

Wednesday, April 24: Feeling the effects

I will be short. I am tired. I am hungry. It's dull. Very different from all the other times in life I usually say "I am hungry." This is like an anesthesia that is progressively conquering me. Monday was the euphoria of the beginning. Tuesday was the "look, we are not doing so badly" day. This morning I kept active and committed.

Lunch: One slice of bread and one slice of mortadella, one glass of leftover broth from last night with an egg scrambled in it.

3pm: Yawning.

Dinner: I am now finally cooking one pound of dry pasta with one can of peeled tomatoes, half onion, one carrot and two celery ribs. The bread is almost out of the oven, I am listening to The Black Keys while the sauce is simmering. The dog is looking at me waiting for his dinner... it just hit me. My dog and I are on the same food budget this week. Crap.

Today's Groceries: 1 can peeled tomatoes $0.99, 1 box generic dry pasta $1.29, 1 lb. dry beans $0.99, 1 lb. ground turkey $3.69, 1 lb. of rice $2.59, 1 jar peanut butter $3.25.

WE HAVE LEFT $6.25 FOR FOOD THIS WEEK. I think I have all ingredients to make meatballs tomorrow. On Friday if everything goes well I will be able to buy some fresh basil for my Pappa al Pomodoro.

Thursday, April 25: An Apple A Day (by Debi)

Breakfast: Coffee for Gabriele and I, a slice of homemade fresh bread, with butter for all. For the kids: a glass of diluted milk (to stretch it). Packed the kids off to school with their mortadella sandwiches. We have chosen mortadella, since we like it, and it's cheap. I gave each child my extra slice, so that they would have some protein to help focus at school. My older daughter has her NY state school tests this week. She has been nervous, and I feel bad that I chose this week to do the campaign. Children need a balanced diet to perform well in school, and even if I have to eat less, I refuse to allow her grades to suffer from being hungry. I'm giving her my share of food. I sat on the subway today, and the lady next to me had a big bag of KFC, which permeated the air. The man across from me was chatting with a friend about how fabulous his breakfast was with lox, from Russ & Daughters. Normally, I'd get off the train and grab something if I wanted, but not on $1.50 for the entire day.

Many on social media have been cruel and ignorant to the cause. Acted as if we were abusive to our kids because we included them. I find that ridiculous. Poverty isn't selective. I only hoped to share awareness, and hope that those in the position can share their food, and resources with those in need. Thank you to all who have supported us. One more day to go. When I finally have my greens and fruit, or a nice cut of some meat I'll be looking at it much differently, thanking God that I am able to eat well, and pray we can always have choices.

Friday, April 26: But what if today...

Our family Below The Line experience has come to an end. We survived for five days with a $37.50 budget for food, for five people. But I almost feel it does not count; it is easy to "sacrifice" a week of your lifestyle if you can see the finish line approaching from day one. Yes indeed knowing that this experience was going to have a very short and minimal impact in our lives helped us stay on track during this very odd week. We had a little over $6 left yesterday morning for our final grocery. We managed to buy garlic, fresh basil, a small head of broccoli for the kids, and a partially wilted head of lettuce (which the Korean lady did not allow me to negotiate for). We cooked a fantastic Pappa al Pomodoro, we used all the stale bread we managed to save during the week; I still had to make my soffritto with vegetable oil and resisted stoically to the temptation of just reaching into my cabinet for just a little drizzle of olive oil.

All went well. The week is over, my 10-year-old has finished her state tests at school, and my seven-year-old only cheated once accepting an ice cream cone off a truck in front of her school... one of her friends' fathers paid for it.

We are a bit tired but extremely proud. Our stomachs shrunk a bit.

Saturday, April 27

We are officially out of the "Below The Line Zone," but nobody had breakfast yet... the dull headache I had for the past three days already kicked in. It is very strange, I know that it is a symptom of hunger, but my stomach it is not recognizing it as such. My guts are making all kinds of funny noises, I know that I need to eat, but I am borderline nauseous. The only way I can describe the overall feeling is a mild hangover: you know, when you feel your body needs energy but you are afraid of testing your stomach because of what you did the night before... so you wait, you suffer a bit, and eventually you know that it will pass.

But all I can think of is: what if today was going to be like yesterday? What if tomorrow I still had to count quarters to figure out what I was going to feed my family with? What if I was a single father (or mother)? What if this was just the way, the Live Below the Line way that my life unfolded on a daily basis? It would really SUCK!

My heart and prayers are today for any single soul that struggles for food, anywhere in this world. I did a week. I think I have learned much and understood a bit. But today I am planning in grilling some pork ribs and finally share a beer with friends. And I feel guilty!!! I feel more guilt about exiting the tunnel and falling back into my "privileged" way, than happiness because I am going to see my friends and their kids.

I am proud of my family, especially my daughters that never complained and managed to stick with the program for the whole five-day run.

See more Food Informants below:

We've been documenting Selena Gomez's ever-maturing style, watching the star go from punchy teen frocks to sophisticated peplums and and even belly windows.

The singer's latest mature style move? Donning a chic Stella McCartney jumpsuit on the cover of June InStyle. As soon as we saw the look, however, we got a sudden sense of déjà vu -- we'd definitely seen it before.

And we had. Jennifer Lawrence wore it to the Santa Barbara Film Festival before the Oscars in February. Aside from Selena's bright accessories and pink lipstick, both ladies didn't mix up the ensemble too much. That said, J-Law is a pretty tough act to follow.

We're honestly having trouble deciding which lady wore it better, but what about you?

Selena on InStyle's cover...

Jennifer at the Santa Barbara Film Festival...

Because one is never enough:

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Chris Hemsworth is one lucky guy.

The "Thor" star's wife, Elsa Pataky, wowed on the red carpet last night at the U.K. premiere of "Fast & Furious 6," held at the Empire Leicester Square in London. Pataky wore a sexy, sheer, sequined gown, which featured a low-cut back.

You would never know the 36-year-old Spanish model and actress gave birth to her daughter India Rose a year ago -- she looks incredible.

Pataky, who will soon be Miley Cyrus' sister-in-law, recently shared her take on the 20-year-old's relationship with her husband's brother, Liam Hemsworth.

"We're very excited," Pataky recently told E! News of the pair's wedding, with Hemsworth adding, "We just want them to live a happy life. We don't want to get too much into their personal life; we just want them to be happy."

See Elsa's look below:

On the May 8 episode of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," (10 p.m. ET on CBS) the team investigates the death of a ghost hunter, which leads to some spooky encounters in a slaughterhouse potentially involving the ghosts of young boys.

The team suspects a fellow ghost hunter committed the crime, and Greg (Eric Szmanda) remains skeptical of any paranormal activity, until one of the hunters, Carrie (Erica Dasher), seems to discern a special gift in him that makes him decidedly uncomfortable ... Could Greg be psychic?

Check out HuffPost TV's exclusive clip above, and tune in to find out whether something supernatural could be behind the murder on Wed., May 8 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

Small businesses are getting a lot of the reality TV spotlight – for good reason: A starring role on a reality TV show can dramatically boost a small company's sales. The shows get big national exposure, turning a tiny restaurant or hair salon into a household name.

Below is a sampling of reality TV shows that feature small businesses and the average number of people that are watching. The numbers are from Nielsen, which provides information and insight into what consumers watch and buy, and are an average of the show's most recent or current season.

"DUCK DYNASTY"

Viewers: 8.3 million

"Duck Dynasty" revolves around the Robertson family as they hunt, camp and make duck calls for Duck Commander, the West Monroe, La.-based business that the family's bearded patriarch Phil Robertson founded in 1972. The shows season 3 finale was the most watched program in A&E's history.

"PAWN STARS"

Viewers: 4.9 million

Cameras follow people as they bring in everything from gold coins to classic cars to pawn or sell at Las Vegas' Gold & Silver Pawn Shop on this History reality show. Viewers watch as owner Rick Harrison, his father, son and an employee tell customers how much their stuff is worth.

"AMERICAN PICKERS"

Viewers: 3.8 million

Mike Wolfe and business partner Frank Fritz drive around the country looking for antiques and collectibles to buy and then resell at their store Antique Archeology. The show has aired on History since 2010.

"COUNTING CARS"

Viewers: 2.7 million

Danny Koker restores and sells classic cars in his Las Vegas-based garage, Count's Kustoms. "Counting Cars" is a spinoff of History's "Pawn Stars," where Koker made several appearances before getting his own show on the network.

"HARDCORE PAWN"

Viewers: 2.4 million

TruTV's answer to "Pawn Stars" focuses on American Jewelry and Loan, a family-owned pawn shop in Detroit. "Hardcore Pawn" has been on the air since 2010.

"BLACK INK CREW"

Viewers: 1.6 million

Debuting earlier this year, this VH1 reality takes viewers inside the lives of tattoo artists from Black Ink Tattoo Studio in New York's Harlem neighborhood.

"VANDERPUMP RULES"

Viewers: 1.6 million

"Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Lisa Vanderpump lets cameras into Sur, her West Hollywood, Calif. restaurant, to document the salacious lives of the restaurant's employees. Bravo renewed the show for a second season.

"WELCOME TO SWEETIE PIE'S"

Viewers: 783,000

The show, which airs on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, follows Robbie Montgomery as she and her son run two restaurants in St. Louis and work to open a third. A fourth season of "Welcome To Sweetie Pie's" is currently being filmed.

"JERSEYLICIOUS"

Viewers: 355,000

Style's "Jerseylicious" gives viewers a peek into the lives and drama of employees that work at The Gatsby Salon, in Green Brook, N.J.,

The Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy -- or Blood and Ice-Cream trilogy -- isn't as well known as something like "Star Wars" or Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, but for a certain sect of film fans it's even more exciting than those blockbusters. That's the official term for the three films director Edgar Wright made with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost: 2004's "Shaun of the Dead," 2007's "Hot Fuzz" and this year's "The World's End."

The kitschy trilogy title comes from the fact that each film features one of the characters eating a theme-appropriate flavor of Cornetto ice cream. In "Shaun of the Dead" it was red strawberry (the film is a gory take on zombies), in "Hot Fuzz" it was blue (it's a buddy-cop comedy) and, reportedly, in "The World's End" it's green mint. Why the color green? Perhaps it has something to do with those menacing people with alien-like blue lights glowing out of their eyes and mouths in the just released "The World's End" trailer.

The film's very Earth-bound plot: Years after attempting and failing to complete a pub crawl by reaching a bar called "The World's End," a group of five guys (Pegg, Frost, Paddy Constantine, Martin Freeman and Eddie Marsan) try again, but with some pretty dangerous results. At least judging by those aforementioned alien-like humans. The trailer is brisk and funny, leaning heavily on the great chemistry between Pegg, Frost and Wright and Pegg's snappy dialogue. Focus Features is set to release "The World's End" in the U.S. on Aug. 23 (the film is out in the UK in July).

[via Indiewire/The Playlist]

It's all coming to an end on "The Office," but not without some more awkward situations in "A.A.R.M.," the penultimate episode.

Angela (Angela Kinsey) and her son have moved in with Oscar (Oscar Nunez) -- yes, it's perfectly fine if you hear "The Odd Couple" theme song in your head at this point -- and Oscar is finding irony in the situation: Now Angela is living in his closet.

Read NBC's official description of the episode below.

JIM HOLDS TRYOUTS FOR THE ASSISTANT TO THE ASSISTANT TO THE REGIONAL MANAGER -- As the office readies for the premiere of the documentary that night, Jim (John Krasinski) convinces Dwight (Rainn Wilson), who is planning to propose to Esther (Nora Kirkpatrick), that he needs an Assistant to the Assistant Regional Manager, and holds tryouts to find the best candidate. Angela (Angela Kinsey) brings her baby to work after her daycare turns her away. Meanwhile, Andy (Ed Helms) attends auditions for "The Next Great A Cappella Sensation."

"The Office" airs Thursdays, 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

If you're going to kill eight minutes of time on your show, there are worse ways to do it than a lip-sync off between Jimmy Fallon and John Krasinski. We'll probably watch Krasinski throwing down to "Teenage Dream" a few times today.

"American Idol" is reportedly getting new judges and a big makeover for Season 13.

According to TheWrap, current judges -- Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban -- will likely get the boot as part of a makeover to save the former ratings champ. "All four are gone," an insider told TheWrap. "They feel they've lost their core audience and they want it back."

Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe will also reportedly be shown the door as part of an effort to reinvigorate the series that's struggling in the ratings department. The rumored makeover also includes getting rid of dated themed-nights -- sorry, Burt Bacharach -- in an effort to attract a younger audience. The dated themes and stale format have been complaints of current "Idol" critics this season as the show has fallen to new ratings lows and is often bested by "The Big Bang Theory" and "Modern Family." NBC's "The Voice" has also dethroned the series in the singing competition category.

The dismissal of current judges has been rumored over the last couple of weeks. There was a report that "Idol" had attempted to replace Carey with former judge Jennifer Lopez and soon after, another report stating Minaj will likely be shown the door. Carey's husband Nick Cannon also hinted at Carey's future exit.

“In the book of Mariah Carey, 'American Idol' will be a footnote," Cannon said.

Fox declined to comment on the report.

Click over to TheWrap for more on the "Idol" makeover.

"American Idol" airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.

Audrina Patridge got her start on reality television, opposite Lauren Conrad on "The Hills." Since her days of having profound conversations with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Justin Bobby and talking about her feelings with her friends, the California native has tried her hand at acting and even secured a spot on "Dancing With The Stars."

Though she'll forever be known as LC's sidekick, there will always be a way you can get your Audrina fix (the brunette beauty has been modeling and starring in commercials as of late).

If she didn't win you over with her blank stares on camera, then her words of wisdom must have done the trick. In celebration of Patridge's 28th birthday (on May 9), we are taking a look at some of the most insightful things she has said on television over the years-- we think a few of these have bumper sticker potential.

Check out Audrina's style evolution:

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Carly Rae Jepsen is now a redhead!

The "Call Me Maybe" singer shared the big news on Twitter Tuesday along with a sassy photo of her new fiery red locks, where she's staring at the camera seductively over her shoulder.

The formerly brunette star didn't compromise her signature blunt bangs though, and those too are now a sultry shade of red.

Jepsen, 27, captioned her photo with "I've always wanted to go red!" which made People magazine remember this Instagram photo from back in November, when the singer posed with a redhead fan and wrote "Loving her red hair.... Might have to dye mine someday soon?????!!!!"

The Canadian pop star joined a long line of Hollywood beauties who've recently gone red, among them Rachel McAdams, Megan Fox, "Glee" star Dianna Agron and Michelle Trachtenberg.

I've always wanted to go red! twitter.com/carlyraejepsen…

— Carly Rae Jepsen (@carlyraejepsen) May 7, 2013

What is a surefire way to sell movie tickets? Feature a spandex-clad Megan Fox jumping on a trampoline, of course.

On Wednesday, the 26-year-old actress was spotted jumping over and over again on a mini-trampoline as she filmed a scene for the new "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie.

Fox, who dyed her hair red to play Channel 6 reporter April O'Neil, appeared to be filming a news segment for the movie. She was dressed in a cleavage-baring purple tank top, skin-tight black leggings, and a black sweatshirt.

Fans of the original cartoon may be happy to learn that while Fox won't wear O'Neil's signature yellow jumpsuit, she was later spotted filming a scene in a yellow leather jacket, a happy compromise that definitely modernizes the costume.

The film is being produced by Michael Bay, whom Fox famously feuded with after appearing in two of the "Transformers" movies for the director. (She compared Bay to Hitler and Napoleon.) The two have since made up.

Check out more photos of Megan Fox on set:

We have complicated feelings about Guy Fieri around here. Of course we find his enthusiasm to be grating (we are human), his hair to be ridiculous and his fratty portmanteau-heavy slang is frequently the bane of our existence. Where things get tricky is that we actually have a ton of respect for the original motivation behind his now ubiquitous show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." In case you have been living under a blissfully quiet rock where hydrogen peroxide does not exist, "DDD" is Fieri's Food Network show -- a countrywide road trip, stopping in regionally heralded mom and pop shops along the way to highlight their best dishes.

As you guys probably already know, we have a special love for and commitment to American regional foods here at HuffPost Taste. Our editors are all from opposite corners of the country, and we all have our own regional favorites to rave about. We live in a huge country and celebrating everyone's food is an important job that we admire. But does that cartoon character have to be the one to do it? It's as though every time we wanted to enjoy a Philly cheesesteak, a Cuban sandwich or green chile enchiladas, the Kool-Aid man had to OH YEAH! through the wall to serve them to us. This is why providing a rational critique of Guy Fieri's new cookbook Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: The Funky Finds in Flavortown is proving to be especially difficult for us.

When we pick up a Guy Fieri cookbook, our immediate instinct is to make fun of it. Something Fieri has, recently, become all too aware of. The flaming spectacle (I mean, really there are a lot of neon flames on it) of Guy's American Kitchen & Bar opening in New York City to a critical tarring and feathering in the center of town was pretty impossible to look away from. And Fieri's subsequent, flabbergasted, entirely too earnest assertion that Pete Wells had "another agenda" in panning the restaurant was one of the most brutally captivating things we've ever watched him do.

It appears that Fieri and Wells have not worked it out. In the introduction to the Flavortown cookbook, Fieri says the following:

DDD is about celebrating the good in food. We don't review food. We root for it. I get asked over and over, "Is there anything you won't eat? Is there anything you don't like? Do you just automatically give everything a thumbs up?" Of course I don't love everything. Of course there are all sorts of things on any given menu that I wouldn't order. But that's not what we're all about. We're here to show you what you might want to eat out there -- not what you shouldn't! Food is fun. Or at least we think it is.

It doesn't feel like too big an intellectual leap to think that drawing this stark comparison between "the critic" and the "the supporter" is to sort of ask America whose side they are on. We visited Guy's American Kitchen & Bar for its opening party with other members of the press. The representative dishes passed around inspired a similar reaction in us as it did in Wells. We, also, are not critics, but we did want to shake Fieri by the shoulders and ask just whose cuisine he was trying to celebrate with that stuff (with the exception of the pepperoni mozzarella sticks, because, come on). The diners, drive-ins and dives Fieri celebrates on his show make honest, lovingly prepared food that makes lifelong customers. Lauding those establishments, shining a light on them, those are the major successes of Guy Fieri as a personality. We wish he would just stick to doing that.

This cookbook, the third in the "DDD" series is totally un-mess-with-able in terms of recipe content. Why? Well, they're not Fieri's recipes. They're the specials of the house in 34 of the nation's beloved local restaurants. These recipes have been tested thousands of times in kitchens, by chefs, line cooks, new guys, etc. They are water-tight, and actually pretty exciting to have around. But the book is not without its puzzling and forehead-slapping components. Fieri's show has had 13 seasons. It's one of the most popular shows on the Food Network, and ostensibly, makes them a lot of money. Which has us scratching our heads at the black and white, often blurry photos and generally low production value of the book itself.

There are, as ever, many photos of Fieri, sunglasses strapped to the back of his luminescent head, jaw hinged wide open in the attack position on a sandwich. If we think of him as the bro-y, overly excitable brother-in-law of America, it's almost endearing. But, were he actually our excited puppy brother-in-law, we would probably buy him a beer, pat him on the shoulder, tell him to let bygones-be-bygones, learn from the experience and stick to what he's good at. Which, Guy, if you are reading this, the things you are good at are being an avid, passionate supporter of this country's amazing regional food producers and making pepperoni mozzarella sticks.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: The Funky Finds In Flavortown will be available May 14th, 2013.

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Never known for its temperance, humility or logic, the Catholic League is at it again. This time, the U.S.-based religious group is taking David Bowie to task for the singer's new music video for the "The Next Day," calling him a "switch-hitting bisexual senior citizen from London." (Oooh, the old London burn!)

In a 1997 email forward blog post titled "BOWIE'S 'JESUS' VIDEO IS A MESS," Catholic League President Bill Donahue unfurls his rage and sizes up the Floria Sigismondi-directed video as such:

"David Bowie is back, but hopefully not for long. The switch-hitting, bisexual, senior citizen from London has resurfaced, this time playing a Jesus-like character who hangs out in a nightclub dump frequented by priests, cardinals and half-naked women."

Donahue takes issue with the music video's "characteristic excess" and notes that Bowie has long said he has complicated feelings about religion. "Not sure what he believes in today (anyone who is “not quite an atheist” is not an atheist), but it’s a sure bet he can’t stop thinking about the Cadillac of all religions, namely Roman Catholicism," Donahue writes. "There is hope for him yet."

In the video for "The Next Day," Bowie is joined by Marion Cotillard and Gary Oldman in a brothel of sorts that's run by members of the clergy. Cotillard plays a prostitute suffering from stigmata, and Oldman plays a bishop who's enamored by the debauchery he sees. Donahue says Bowie plays a Jesus figure, which is half true and half not -- Bowie actually appears to just be the hired entertainment for the evening.

YouTube initially removed the video due to its "graphic" material, but has since reinstated it and admitted it make a "mistake" in taking it down.

It's perhaps unsurprising that the Catholic League would use the word "bisexual" as a slur, but it's entertaining to see them equate what they believe to be a sin with being old and/or British. Donahue himself is only six months younger than Bowie, so maybe he too should start repenting before it's too late. (Unless, of course, it's Donahue's passport that keeps him safe.)