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What happens when a whiskey-loving couple goes sober for a month? My boyfriend, Jay, and I met in Manhattan on the night of his best friend’s bachelor party. I was at the Slipper Room with my friends, he accidentally sat in my seat, and we struck up a conversation. We followed the bachelor party to a strip club and a dive bar, and by the end of the night we were drunk enough to think eating pizza in the rain in Union Square was a good idea. That first night set the tone for the first few months of our relationship. Whiskey caused and solved most of our problems—I once started a fight after too many Jack and Cokes and apologized by buying Jay a glass of Macallan 25. We drank less after those first few months, but still there were drinks at brunch, at dinner, drinks with friends, drinks at band practice, etc. Then, at the end of December, Jay said he wanted to take a break from boozing—there was no big, dramatic reason, he just thought it might be a healthy change. I agreed, and it was decided: we wouldn’t drink for the month of January. Friends’ reactions ranged from “WHY?” to “See you in February!” It was as if we’d decided to stop breathing air. And for the first few days, yeah, it felt odd not to drink. It felt odd going out with friends and ordering Cokes. It was still fun, but we noticed that our drunk friends repeated themselves, a lot. And why did people have five drinks and get sloppy when they could have stopped at one or two? After a couple of weeks, not drinking didn’t feel odd, it felt normal. Friends commented that we looked better, younger, less “bloated” even. (What, guys, did we look like fat Elvis before?) We had more energy. We had more money—dinners out are much cheaper without drinks. We didn’t get in fights over nothing at 2 a.m. And not that we’d never done this before, but now that it was happening on a regular basis, I noticed just how awesome it was to have sex sober—without any of your senses dulled. There were downsides, though—it was harder to plan our weekends when we couldn’t grab drinks. (Highlight: We finally went to see the Tim Burton exhibit at MoMA. Lowlight: We went to Barcade and played video games). And little things that annoyed us about our jobs, or apartments, annoyed us more when we were sober—although that may have been why Jay finally moved out of his railroad apartment and I got a new job. We’re back to drinking now, but we drink less, and less often. And we’re happy knowing that we get along just as well when we don’t drink, because we’re still the same people—skinnier people with fatter wallets, but still. Post from: Crushable

Nicole Scherzinger reportedly devised a three-point plan to help rebuild her relationship with Lewis Hamilton. The Pussycat Dolls singer – who rekindled her romance with the Formula One racing driver earlier this month – realized things needed change if they wanted it to work so came up with rules, which include spending quality time together.

Angelina Jolie’s father thinks she and Brad Pitt are “the most amazing, loving parents”. Jon Voight – who reconciled with his daughter earlier this week after several years estrangement – has praised the actress for the tender way she and her partner raise their children and has claimed they are very settled in their relationship.

Jon Voight is quite happy to be spending time with his grandchildren. As we told you the other day, he was on holiday in Venice with Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and their six children. He spoke a little about the trip: “It’s nice to have something that’s positive!” Voight told Us “lovely…the weather wasn’t so bad for the journey. It’s a very beautiful trip. A lot of fun.” Then he talked about Shiloh resembling baby pictures he has. Not sure if he means of himself or maybe of Angelina as a baby? “I have baby pictures that are very resembling of Shiloh,” he noted. “I don’t know about all the resemblances, but obviously there are some because of the genes.” He hopes to spend more time with them: “I love the possibility of spending time with the family. It’s a very beautiful thing.” When he was asked if Angelina and Brad were doing fine, he said: “Of course they are! You can see!” I’m sure Jon will be careful what he shares with the press so he doesn’t put any further strain his relationship with Angelina. Photos by INF

We think this video is pretty interesting: Gary Shirley , one of the young dads from MTV’s Teen Mom , put together an audition tape for The Biggest Loser almost a year ago — although he wasn’t picked for the crazy weight loss show. In the video, 22-year-old Gary, who had a kid with Amber (also featured in the video), admits to being “severely obese” at around 325 pounds. Although reality show participants auditioning for other reality shows is nothing new (hello Meghan from Beauty and the Geek / Rock of Love / Meghan Wants A Millionaire and Big Brother 11 winner Jordan who is now competing on The Amazing Race ) we’re not surprised Gary didn’t make Biggest Loser ’s cut. The show tends to select highly motivated (and good looking) people for its contestants and, frankly, Gary hasn’t really shown intense motivation or drive during his stint on Teen Mom — and he even admits to lacking motivation in his audition tape. Still, it makes us uncomfortable to see him talking about Amber and his daughter Leah on camera, and how him losing weight will be better for their lives as well, especially because his relationship with Amber has been rocky since he shot this last year. As she wrote in a “diary” on MTV.com in December : “I want him to talk to me, love me and help me like I helped him with his homework…I really wish Gary was there for me more…” Watch Gary’s audition tape below: Hat tip to Television Without Pity for the video Post from: Crushable

Kat Rosenfield answers your burning questions about guys and other problems. Q. I am very, very good at being “One of the Guys.” Growing up without sisters, female cousins, all-boy neighbors, and playing on a co-ed soccer team until I was about 14 really kind of fostered this. I simply relate to men more than I do women. It’s not that I don’t have female friends, because I do. And it’s not that guys aren’t interested in dating me, they are. I just don’t know how to do it! So how do you suggest I go about getting out of that “I’m-super-awkward-and-have-no-earthly-idea-how-to-date-can’t-we-just-be-friends-it’s-so-much-easier” mindset? Whenever a guy shows interest or pays me a compliment I clam up, panic, and usually hide in a corner. A. First, allow me to butter you up with a little bit of good news: You don’t have to “know how to date”. Dating is not a skill set, it’s a state of affairs. And the qualifications for entering said state are as follows: Can you successfully interact with another person without biting, screaming hysterically for no reason, or calling his mother a whore? Yes? Congratulations, lady. You’ve got what it takes! So, to get yourself out of Awkwardville, it’s time to rethink your definition of “dating.” You’ve been viewing it as a totally different species of interaction from your friendships, one that’s unnatural and difficult and requires special skills, when the reality is that dating is friendship. No, really. When two mutually interested people decide to spend time together and get to know each other, they’re friends. Right? That’s friendship. Unless or until they make out, and then they’re dating. Until or unless they decide that the makeout was a big, wet mistake and should not be repeated again, ever, in which case they go back to being friends. So this means that you don’t need to do anything out of the ordinary in order to date an interested dude – particularly because your easygoing, guy-friendly personality is what attracts them in the first place. If you’re one of the guys, a prospective suitor neither expects nor wants you to suddenly turn into Scarlett O’Hara just because he asked you out. And if he does, he’s not right for you. So easy.  And now that you realize you’ve been scaring the pants off of yourself for no reason (you do realize that, right?), you can stop running off into corners like a frightened ferret whenever some guy says that he likes your hair. Instead, relax. Say “thank you”. If you’re interested, talk to him the same way you would anyone else whose company you enjoy. And if the super-awkwardness returns, take a deep breath and remind your panicked brain that this is no big deal. After all, it’s just friendship. …Until or unless you make out. Kat Rosenfield is a freelance writer and advice columnist whose work has appeared in Girls’ Life , Interiors , and Wend magazines, and online at SparkLife, Venus Zine, and MTV.com. She eagerly awaits emails about botched breakups, dating dilemmas, and other relationship-related drama at katrosenfield@gmail.com. Post from: Crushable

After saying that he didn’t need to go to rehab, Charlie Sheen’s rep confirmed that he has indeed entered a rehab facility today. It’s like a rehab merry-go-round! One goes in, one comes out, one goes in… His rep shared: “He will take some time off from his series, ‘Two and a Half Men.’ He has asked that his privacy be honored.” It’s being said that he’s taking this step as a preventative measure. I wonder what this means for Brooke re-entering rehab? I would assume they are at two different places? It might be helpful for their relationship, as they’ll hopefully be on the same page in their treatment, etc. Photos by INF

Khloe Kardashian says she talks too much, enjoys cleaning up after her husband, and compares her relationship to her sister’s. She says she actually likes to clean up after Lamar: “Lamar is just like another Kourtney – he’s a little bit of a slob,” she says. “But in a way I kind of like it because I feel like I’m making his life better by cleaning up after him.” I’m not sure about better – easier maybe. She says that she didn’t intend on making a “sex video” for him, but doesn’t rule out one in the future: “It’s not a sex video,” Khloe clarifies. “It’s called a love tape. I made a collage video of all the things that he loves. He loves candy, so I filled up a whole bathtub of candy while Kourtney taped it. It was just a love note. I put the video in his bag for when he goes on road trips. I don’t do sex tapes! Although, with my husband, I can’t say what I will or will not do in the future. I won’t know until I’m in that moment.” Khloe talks babies: “We’re just being a healthy married young couple … I’m not sitting here staring at an ovulation calendar. I’m not saying to Lamar, ‘Okay, it’s time, let’s go!’ Yes, I’m not on the pill, but people stir my words around. Let’s just say sometimes I talk too much.” She shares that she couldn’t handle a relationship like Kourtney and Scott’s: “Their relationship is definitely very different than mine. Mine is much smoother. I don’t know if it’s because we’re still so new; I can’t really speak on that. But whatever their relationship is, it definitely works for them. They like that. I could never have a relationship like that.” Would you say that you “enjoy” picking up after your significant other?? That one really shocked me. Photos by WENN

Don’t worry, Jessica Simpson isn’t being exploited by another guy she was (rumored to be) romantically involved with. Billy Corgan explained his relationship with Jessica to the Chicago Tribune. “She asked me to help her out on the theme song for her new TV show [VH1's The Price of Beauty],” the Smashing Pumpkins frontman, 42, tells the Chicago Tribune. “[The show] has an interesting concept. She goes around the world to show how different people perceive beauty. In some cultures, bigger is better. In some, smaller is better. It’s interesting.” So did their relationship become more, um, personal in nature? If it did, Billy is being a gentleman and not saying. “The stuff that I’ve seen doesn’t have any bearing to the reality that I’m in,” he tells the paper. “It’s like being in a cartoon. It has nothing to do with what’s really going on or how I feel.” So if something did happen, Billy isn’t going to kiss and tell. Good for him! Photos by INF

Dame Helen Mirren thinks mutual support is the key to a good marriage. The ‘Last Station’ actress – who married director Taylor Hackford in 1997 after dating for 11 years – claims their relationship works so well because they always encourage one another.

Hand in hand. Britney Spears and boyfriend, Jason Trawick , were spotted at Marmalade Cafe in Los Angeles after having a quiet lunch. Well, as quiet as it can get when you are Britney Spears that is! Looks like the pop star has found peace in this relationship. She certainly has quieted down over the past few months and Jason doesn’t really seem like the type to crave attention. Wonder what these two are planning for today? Photos by INF