What’s the hot topic that politicians in Washington are fighting about these days? Yup. Birth control. Margaret Sanger, bless you, you thought your work was done. But no….

Meanwhile, in Hollywood, a silent movie (well, almost), The Artist, is the frontrunner in the bid for this year’s Academy Award for Best Picture. (Poor silent film star Barbara Kent, who died last October at age 103, should have hung on a bit longer—she might have had a second act.)

Meanwhile, if you walk along West 46th Street in Manhattan, you will conclude that the hot musical-theatre team on Broadway in 2012 is that of George and Ira Gershwin. At the Richard Rodgers Theatre, you’ll find The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, a reworking of the duo’s 1935 show. Next door at the Imperial, things are revving up for a jukebox musical featuring Gershwin songs called Nice Work If You Can Get It. Set in the 1920s, the show uses a story that draws on material from Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse.

Recently, I’ve even heard people in their twenties speak approvingly of something as “the bee’s knees.”

My mother has had a life-long fear of birds, inspired by the fact that when she was a child on my grandparents’ farm back in the late 1920s some scary chickens used to roost at night in the privy. Were things truly so lovely back in the days when indoor plumbing was still seen as a luxury in some households?

As Ira Gershwin would put it: “It ain’t necessarily so.”

This time Cohen would be taking on the persona of the protagonist of his upcoming film The Dictator. HR describes the Dictator character as “a sex-crazed Gaddafi-meets-Hussein ruler who fights to stop democracy from coming to his country.”

Cohen plays a supporting role in Best Picture nominee Hugo—which is why he was invited to the ceremony in the first place.

An Academy source reportedly denied that the Awards show’s producers have been informed that Cohen will appear as the Dictator. But if the rumor is true—watch out! Cohen at the Oscars will make Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes look like Donny Osmond at a pancake breakfast for the Provo, Utah Rotary Club.

Matt Prokop and Sarah Hyland

Phil Dunphy

I can already imagine the shock and awe Phil will be going thorough now that Haley will be officially moving on to a new BF.

Fans will clearly remember how smitten Phil was with Dylan — especially in the episode where he took him out for ice cream wearing a girl’s sweater.

For non-viewers, Phil is the straight one.

WTH?!

Ellen DeGeneres knows how to made someone’s day. Not only did this lucky viewer win a car, but a f**kton of other free stuff. And just in case she really lost her shit, an EMT was standing by.

Check it out…

Drew Barrymore & Will Kopelman

The queer duck says Drew was holding a sonogram and Drew’s rep said “no comment” when asked if Barrymore was preggers. So, when translated to normal people speak this means… “YES!”

“I definitely feel the beginnings of a tick-tock,” she told PEOPLE in 2006. “Whether I have children or adopt, whatever form a family comes in, I would absolutely love to have it.”

CONGRATS!

DWTS hottie Derek Hough and unknown companion splish-slash in Hawaii.

“She had everything, beauty, a magnificent voice. How sad her gifts could not bring her the same happiness they brought us.” — Barbra Streisand, February 12, 2012

Whitney Houston, 'One Voice' guest

Filmed September 6, 1986, and hosted by “up-and-comer” (sorta-kinda) Robin Williams, the concert was star-studded — but they were all star-struck to get to see Barbra. Even the Divine Ms. M, Bette Midler — who would later poke fun at Streisand’s concerts many years later — looked as happy as a school girl.

Guests include Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg (long before ‘The View’ was even a twinkle in Walters’ eye), a very young Whitney Houston (the entire reason I’m uploading this), Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell, Chevy Chase, Penny Marshall, Sheena Easton (‘member her?), Sydney Pollack, Jack Nicholson (who had a bit part in Streisand’s ‘On A Clear Day You Can See Forever’) and many more…

They were all so young back then…

Related: Whitney rockin’ out to Madonna during the half-time show at the Superbowl.

As Abraham Lincoln once said, “People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like.” That about sums up Midnight in Paris. It’s not that this is a bad movie–some things here are quite enjoyable–it’s just that one fears the audience it’s most intended to please (middle- and high-brow intellectuals and all English majors) will think more of it than they should. It’s frothy, delightful, well-acted for the most part, and has some delicious humor.  As a made-for-TV-movie on cable, it would have been a delight.  But nominated for an Academy Award as Best Picture? Really?

Part romantic fantasy, part Meet the Parents, the film is beautiful in a kind of travelogue way and contains every known cliché such as that the city is more beautiful in the rain.  I just loved Rachel as the self-absorbed Inez who doesn’t know whether to give Gil his walking papers or go for a midnight walk with him. Really, some men are just so impossible, especially when they claim to have met literary giants like F. Scott Fitzgerald and artists like Picasso on their nightly jaunts. And where the aitch are her earrings that she brought along, and why won’t Gil make plans to go out dancing?  Writers!!!

Alas, in the cold eye of morning it looks very much like Woody Allen has made a film for the dreamer, the adolescent in all of us–a film that he thinks contains great truths, the operative word being “thinks.” Like we often aren’t happy where we are cause we think the grass is greener somewhere else. With astounding insights like that, can we hope to hear from Woody that it’s best not to buy retail but wait for a sale? After 41 films, maybe it’s time the Woodster (at 75) got informed that what he thinks he just discovered, most of us knew if not back in kindergarten, at least by the time we changed our major three times and discovered ramen noddles could be enhanced by adding all sorts of leftovers our roommate left in the fridge.

A solid “B” but I wouldn’t take two buses and a train to see this. Unless you’re curious to see what sexy Carla Bruni (Sarkozy’s wife) looks like as a tour guide. One big exception: The sound track is yum. Some great Cole Porter. And of course, monsieur, there are cancan dancers! Oh la la!

Sofia posted this. Isn’t it fab?

Seriously Grammy's? Please don't encourage him.

Sorry, still can’t let this go. Here’s why. Of course people can change, people can make horrible mistakes and learn from them. But by his own conduct, now three years after the disgusting fact, Chris Brown has refused to truly grow up and get past what he’s done.

Case in point – his twitter feud with Miranda Lambert, a vocal opponent of domestic violence, and the clASSy way he’s been responding to critics of his Grammy wins and performances.

However, I’ll at least throw him this one bone (but only if I can hit him over the head with it first; sorry, violence isn’t the answer, I know, I know, jeez). Brown has issued an official statement via TMZ regarding an incredibly nasty and disrespectful pickup line he allegedly tried to use at a Grammys gifting suite.

So here you go, Chris, your denial, fully printed:

“That is absurd and absolutely not true. I did not say that nor would I joke about that.”

 Maybe you wouldn’t joke about it… maybe… but you’d do it… so whatever.