Now that I'm fairly certain that I've pretty much fully recovered from the food coma I've been in for the past 18 hours (thanks to David's mother's amazing cooking, I might add) I believe I'm in good shape to get things back on track. It's clear that this time that David and I are spending with the family is meant to be relaxing because I can still hear David snoring in bed as I type this. You gotta love the holidays!!

And so ... let's get to it ... Yesterday, Macy's hosted the 81st annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC which was full of fun balloons, cool celebs and was met with some fairly temperate weather which all conspired together to create a really fun Thanksgiving morn. Here are a few pics from yesterday's parade:


Photo credit: Wireimage
Joel and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte hopped a ride on one of the floats as did American Idol Jordin Sparks (with the Pillsbury Doughboy) and rocker Kay Hanley, frontwoman of the amazing band Letters to Cleo. Despite the fact that the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade kinda looks like an oversized parade of commercials and advertisements, I can appreciate how much fun an event like that can be. Back in the day my cousins would take me out to the Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade to see the balloons and floats in person in the early morning hours on Thanksgiving ... and I used to love going. It was only later on in life when I had to perform with my marching band in the parade that I started hating it ... but that is beside the point. Thanksgiving is a great holiday because it is meant to be shared with family and friends ... [Source]

... and because it's a time for folks to give back to the community in order to help the less fortunate in their time of need. Here are a few pics of a few celebs who donated their time and hard work to serve meals to the needy at the LA Rescue Mission pretty much all day yesterday:


Photo credit: Splash News
Yes, folks, thine eyes do not deceive thee ... that is Spencer Pratt spooning out food and mugging it up for the cameras at the Rescue Mission yesterday. Apparently, his woman Heidi Montag had better things to do than donate her time and effort to the less fortunate at her fiancée’s side. I can't help but doubt the sincerity of Spencer's actions yesterday but in the end, irregardless of whether or not he volunteered for the wrong reasons, he did end up serving food to the needy (alongside Harrison Ford, Callista Flockhart, Kirk Douglas and others) and he should at least get a half karma point for that. [Source]

Britney Spears donated some of her time and energy to a couple of kids in need this Thanksgiving as well ... her own children, Sean Preston and Jayden James. Despite the fact that Brit Brit's time with her children has been limited by the courts, she did her best to make the time spent together as fun as possible (to try and limit the psychological scarring that the custodial tug-o-war is bound to have on the poor young'ns). Here are a few pics of Britney and her boys enjoying a good ol' fashioned Thanksgiving pool party:


Photo credit: X17
I love that Britney decided to teach her children the story about how the first pilgrims to arrive in America gathered together their new Native American friends and threw a kickass pool party. Love it. [Source]

The big news in Britters's life these days is the emergence of a supposed new love interest in her life. Britney has been spending some time with a fairly attractive new guy ... and it turns out that his name is Michael Marchand and he's a waiter at Brit's fave new restaurant Mirabelle ... of course. Here are a few pics of Brit trying to make a quiet exit from the restaurant he works at with her new boy in tow earlier this week:


Photo credit: X17
As Life & Style told you first, Britney Spears has a new man and now they're going public! Brit, wearing black and dark sunglasses, and waiter Michael Marchand, dressed up in a shirt and tie, definitely caused quite a stir when they were spotted out together at Mirabelle restaurant, where Michael works, in LA on Nov. 21! An eyewitness tells Life & Style, "Michael came in a little after midnight, and she came in right after. They were being discreet. Forty-five minutes later, they left the restaurant together. He was charming – he made Britney laugh and looked at her with this secret smile. They left in separate cars." Life & Style reports in its new issue that Brit instantly fell for Michael when she was at Mirabelle in early November. "Their chemistry was immediate. He's very turned on by her," says an insider. Since then, the two had at least one date at Brit's mansion. "They're always texting each other," says the insider. When Life & Style asked him about their romance, he said, smiling, "I can't talk about that right now." Hmmm ... I just gotta know ... what is it about Britney Spears these days that makes Michael "very turned on" by her? Did she get a new weave that we've yet to see? I gotta say ... Mr. Marchand is a step up from the dudes that Britney has been associating with lately, even if he is only a waiter. Here's hoping she can managed to hang on to this one. I give it 2 weeks, tho. [Source]

One last bit of Britness ... here is the official cover artwork for Piece of Me, the next single to be released from Britney's album Blackout:


Oh yes, this single cover artwork gets a resounding POOP SANDWICH!!! They have got to be kidding us by using all of these recycled images as the artwork for her singles and album. Not only are the photos pretty unimpressive but they've already been used so many times over ... it just makes the whole endeavor seem cheap. The album is great and the song could be a big hit but the promo for both has been so shoddy that I'm pretty sure nothing of substance will come of any of it. This album and its singles could be so much more successful ... what a waste :( [Source]

Okay, getting back on the Thanksgiving vibe ... Lindsay Lohan spent her Thanksgiving with her family (sans Dad) in NYC. Here are a few pics of Lindsay steppin' out on the town with her mother (desperate to be her best friend) Dina Lohan yesterday afternoon:


Photo credit: Splash News
I understand that folks who orchestrate the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade attempted to get Linds to enter her newly inflated lips in the parade to float down 5th avenue along with the other megaballoons but Lindsay opted out. See, I think it would've been a great idea for Lindsay's lips to appear in the parade ... it would've been a great PR move on her part, I think. [Source]

Hayden Panettiere and her new male friend Ne-Yo were spotted together gettin' cozy under the guise of volunteering at the New York Ronald McDonald House this past Tuesday. Ne-Yo has gone on the record to say that he thinks that Hayden is "cool people" but that they are not dating. Um, right. Here is a pic of Ha-Yo doing the volunteering thing at the Ronald McDonald House:


Ne-Yo admits it: He was holding Hayden Panettiere's hand Monday night as the two hit a New York City nightclub, but the two are not dating. He swears. "Hayden and I just met yesterday. We've only known each other for one day," Ne-Yo told PEOPLE at the Ronald McDonald House Charity's World Children's Day event Tuesday, where Panettiere, 18, also made an appearance. "She was hanging out with some friends and invited me to come out." As for the hand holding, "I was helping her out of the car!" says the singer, 28. "She had these shoes – they were cute – but they were torture devices, so I had to help her." The duo only spent 48-hours together as they toured Ronald McDonald Houses in Dallas, Detroit, Philadelphia, and New York, but they definitely hit it off. "I'm a fan of Hayden's show Heroes, so I was excited to know she was going to do this with me," the singer continued. "Hayden is cool people. She's a little silly. But silly is good." Having gotten along so well, there may be a business collaboration in their future. "We talked about me possibly writing a song or two," for Panettiere's long-delayed album, says Ne-Yo, who is also working on the upcoming Michael Jackson album. "I'd do it if she needed me to." Hmmm ... Don't you just love when celebs use philanthropy to mask their burgeoning new romantic relationships? Something tells me that this is not the last we'll be seeing of Ha-Yo. [Source]

David Beckham and about 120 kids from Kent in the UK got together to pose for a few pics in celebration of the 2 year anniversary of the David Beckham Academy. Here are a few really cute pics of Becks with the kiddies in London yesterday afternoon:


See ... Becks isn't only a superhot guy but he's also a supercaring guy as well. The David Beckham Academy (London campus) is the largest sporting facility of its kind in Europe. It was built on the Greenwich Peninsula next door to The O2 Arena (formerly The Millennium Dome), it houses two full-sized, indoor pitches and state-of-the-art educational and medical facilities. So basically, it's a huge-ass playground for kids to play soccer either with their schools (for free) or individually (for a fee). Congrats to the DBA for making it to the 2-year mark ... here's to many more. Oh, and I think it's time for Becks to wrap up his biz over in the UK and come back to LA where he belongs. Thanks. [Source]

In unhappy news, Amy Winehouse paid a little visit to the jailhouse where her husband Blake Civil-Fielder is incarcerated on the charge of attempting to pervert justice yesterday and then attended a hearing to determine when he would be able to be released from jail. You can tell from the look on Amy's face that the hearing did not go well for her darling hubby. Unfortch for him, he's gonna be spending both Xmas and the New Year in jail:


Photo credit: Splash News
Amy Winehouse wiped away tears as her incarcerated husband Blake Fielder-Civil was denied bail today. Fielder-Civil, 25 – who is charged with conspiracy involving alleged witness tampering in his upcoming assault trial – will spend Christmas in jail awaiting a Jan. 18 hearing. Should his case go to trial, Judge David Robson said he was "penciling in early June." As he was led away, Fielder-Civil held his hand to his ear like a telephone and mouthed, "I'll call you," through the glass of the defendant's box. Winehouse waved and blew him two kisses. The troubled singer, 24, arrived at Snaresbrook Crown Court at 10:40 a.m., wearing a long-sleeved black minidress and a yellow scarf around her trademark beehive. Outside the court, police ushered away a crowd of about 30 women all dressed as the Winehouse. Inside, Winehouse sat in the court's front row, next to Fielder-Civil's younger brother and one seat down from his mother Georgette. She was accompanied – and shielded from reporters' view – by a burly man who identified himself only as "a family friend" ... "I love you," he mouthed to his wife, asking, "Are you all right?" She nodded. Winehouse, who clutched the thick gold heart-and-anchor charms she wore around her neck as if they were a rosary, watched wide-eyed as the judge agreed to hear Fielder-Civil's argument for bail in chambers because of the "intense scrutiny from the press." The rest of the nearly two-hour hearing continued in private. When the proceeding wrapped, at 12:30 p.m., a grim-looking Winehouse refused to speak to the press as she hopped into a car with blacked-out windows. She is scheduled to appear in concert at London's Brixton Academy tonight. Aww ... poor Amy. Yeah, she hasn't been having a great time of it lately, has she? It's unfortunate that her hubby wasn't more famous cuz he'd prolly be out of jail by now. At least Miss Winehouse has her loyal fans to rely on ... click HERE to watch disturbing video of her amassed fans showing their support at the courthouse yesterday. [Source]

Kylie Minogue is getting in as much promo work as she can ahead of the release of her 10th album titled X which hits stores next week. Here are a few gorge pics of Kylie at a photocall for her new album at the Hotel de Rome in Berlin, Germany yesterday afternoon:


Photo credit: Wireimage
Fans don't have to wait until next week to hear the album, I am happy to report. Pink reader Jennifer sends in THIS link where you can stream online X in its entirety ... or you can purchase a digital version of the album right now from the Nokia Music Store HERE. I've been able to preview that album for some time now and I love it. I am so excited for the album to be officially released so that I can start hunting down all the various versions so I can collect all of the bonus songs that I've yet to hear. Wee! [Source]

Kristen Bell paid a visit to MTV's TRL earlier this week where she played judge to a Most Sexiest vegetable contest ... or something like that ... here are a few pics:


Photo credit: Wireimage
Um, yeah. Sooo, Hayden is hanging out with Ne-Yo and Kristen is hanging out with zucchini. Hayden 1, Kristen 0 ... let's move on. [Source]

Ben Thigpen, Lance Bass's new mancandy, has updated his Facebook profile with a few new pics ... a couple that include Lance and a couple that don't include much clothing ... check 'em out:


While these pics aren't quite as racy as the pics that Reichen Lehmkuhl posted to his My Space profile (specifically, the pics of Reichen suckin' face with his hot boyfriend Ryan Barry), it's nice that Ben is comfortable posting pics with Lance. Honestly, I'm more interested in the pics that Ben posts of himself in various states of undress ... until he starts posting racier pics with Lance, I'll just have to focus on the semi-nekkid pics instead. [Source]

And speaking of semi-nekkid pics and Ryan Barry ... Armani Exchange wants to know who YOU think should be America's next, hottest A|X Underwear Model in a special online contest. The poll is down to 3 finalists and, lo and behold, Ryan Barry is one of the final 3:


Ryan is in the lead but if you want to ensure that he wins the prize, click HERE to register and vote for him. You can only vote once per day but I'm pretty sure that we can help Ryan Barry become the new A|X Underwear Model ... just think of all the hot pics that are sure to come from his ad campaigns! Vote now, bitches!! [Source]

And finally ... here is one more thing to be thankful for this year ... here are a bunch of insanely hawt screencaps of Milo Ventimiglia nekkid, in the shower, in a short film that I've never heard of called Nice Guys Finish last:


Here is a quick synopsis of the film from the IMDB: A universal comment on suffering the typical frustrations of adolescence, "Nice Guys Finish Last" is an engaging look at the timeless problem that every guy must face... de-virginazation. "Nice Guys Finish Last" explores the dysfunctional world of one teenage kid, Billy, and the obstacles set forth by an under-sexed track coach, "confused" parents, and a best friend that seems to "get" it all. "Nice Guys Finish Last" is an intellectual and humorous coming of age look at the challenges of today's teens, that from the outside looking in, proves that nice guys DO finish last. Click HERE to watch a short clip from the film which, unfortch, does not include any of the shower scenes. If anyone has a clip to share of the actual shower scene, I'd be much obliged. Le sigh. [Source]

Sorry y'all, No Newslinks today.
Yesterday with the Hauslaibs was really very fun ... we pretty much just hung out and ate all day/night long and then went to sleep. The fam is downstairs playing board games right now (and from the sounds of all the yelling, either Mother Hauslaib is winning the game or the family is strangling her to death). I'm not sure what is going on for the rest of the day since I don't think this place runs on an agenda but I'm sure we'll be able to come up with something fun.

I sincerely hope y'all are having a great day ... and will have a great weekend! I am out.

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