Guests enjoyed a lavish evening under the stars with festivities that included a cocktail reception, silent and live auction and runway show by Los Angeles fashion designer Sue Wong. The evening will also featured a special musical performance by Natalie Cole and Luke James, led by music director, Rickey Minor. The annual event raises funds for those living with autism and Parkinson’s disease. And it was a great night to say the least!

Some honorees for DesignCare included Justin Kanew and Zev Glassenberg (The Amazing Race) who received the HollyRod Champion Award; NBA great Brian Grant who received the Matthew T. Robinson Jr. Award of Courage; and CEO and Chairman, Gerald L. Storch who received the HollyRod Corporate Compassion Award on behalf of Toys“R”Us, Inc.

So HollywoodLifers, To learn more about the HollyRod Foundation please visit their website at www.hollyrod.org.

Russ Weakland

Follow @mrsandwich96

Ali Landry reveals how she and her favorite celebrity pals get together over dinner for mom time! It’s like book club (for Hollywood mothers)!

The beautiful Ali Landry, 37, who is expecting baby number two, is an honorary member of quite a Hollywood crew! Ali and her celebrity mommy friends have come together to support one another by starting their very own Celebrity Mom Supper Club! How cool is that? 

“Alison Sweeney and I started a supper club, and it consists of our celebrity mom friends,” Ali shares with People. “It’s Denise Richards, Brooke Burke, Nancy O’Dell, Holly Robinson Peete and Lisa Rinna. We do a potluck every single month, once a month. We do themes, we do it at each others’ houses and we all pick a dish.”

It is so sweet to hear that these Hollywood moms come together to support one another! Even Denise Richards, whose ex husband Charlie Sheen never makes life easy for her, takes time out to meet with the ladies. These women love sharing their best mommy tips over a delicious meal!

And could Selma Blair, who is also showing a baby bump, be the next mommy to join the gang? Selma and Ali are total BFFs and we wouldn’t be surprised if we heard she was joining in on the fun!

Hey HollyMoms … isn’t this idea just fabulous? Wouldn’t it make for a pretty interesting reality TV series?

-David Ryan

More On Your Fave Celeb Moms!

1. Angelina Jolie Insists She’s Always Home For The Weekend!
2. Bonnie Says: Gwen Stefani You’re A Mom- Cover Up Your Bum!
3. Tori V. Jessica — Bikini Bump Battle! Who Looks Better?

Don’t you love that Sofia Vergara is tired of being bullied because she’s not a scary skinny and is speaking out against it?

“Someone told me I should lose weight,” she confessed to Sharon Osbourne, Julie Chen and Holly Robinson Peete on The Talk show on  Feb. 21. It turns out that before she became infamous for her sexy mama role on Modern Family, she couldn’t borrow a dress for a red carpet event to save her life. They were size zeros and “they’d only come up to there. (she pointed to her hips) It was a nightmare.”

Frustrated stylists advised the 5 ‘ 7 ” Columbian bombshell who only actually weighs 125 pounds to lose weight and they waved photos of other, much skinnier actresses before her eyes. She was tortured with comments like “See, they look great on the red carpet.”

Sofia’s brilliant response — “They might look better in pictures, but I look better naked!”

How true! There’s nothing men like more than a woman’s body that has flesh and curves. Skin and bones do not a sexy body make. Women agree. Both sexes have told us numerous times in Hollywoodlife.com surveys, including our most recent skinny vs. curvy poll, that curvy is hotter.

Now Sofia, I’m so glad that you feel empowered by your enviable figure, and that you didn’t submit to the diet police. You need to know that you have a soul and full-figured sister in Mad Men‘s Christina Hendricks who told us exclusively that “I’m completely happy with my body,” and that I have no plans to do any dieting!

Well guess what ladies – you both look better naked! Agree?

–Bonnie Fuller

CBS launched The Talk today, an  all-female round table that brings very different  women together to discuss news topics and personal items. So, while the ladies of the new talk show stir up controversy with the items of the day, let’s kick it up on the beauty front:  which lady had the Best Beauty Look? Vote now!

First up is Julie Chen, with more of a traditional anchorwoman look (amplified blowout, defined cat-eye makeup) but the look is tousled and softer for this venture, paired with a glossy pink lip. Totally pretty.

Lea Remini was her normal outspoken self with a smoky daytime eye, lots of long lashes and a coral lipstick. Can’t really say I love the lipstick color but Lea looks gorgeous as usual.

Sharon Osbourne was rocking her signature look: cropped cherry red hair, pale skin and a glossy lips. Dressed head to foot in black. I adore Sharon Osbourne.

Holly Robinson-Peete worked her signature caramel-brown curly hair, lots of lashes and an extra glossy lip. Looking great, Holly!

Finally, we have what could be the game changer: Sara Gilbert, who looked GORGEOUS on camera today? Fresh makeup, glowing skin – this is a whole new look for the actress and it is WORKING for her.

But it’s your opinion that counts, BFFs! Who had the best hair and makeup look from the new CBS gabfest? Cast your vote now!

– Kristin Booker

The Talk made its premiere on CBS this afternoon. We settled in to watch the ladies dish the dirt on motherhood and parenting, but were left disappointed.

CBS’ new hour-long chat show The Talk (which premiered today) is certainly not The View 2.0. Sure, the show starts with a lot of famous faces as hosts — Julie Chen, Leah Remini, Sharon Osbourne, Holly Robinson Peete and Sara Gilbert — sitting around a table (which is actually distracting because the table is a tad too high so it cuts their bodies off at an unflattering angle and seeing their legs below the table is equally distracting) but that’s where the similarities with Barbara Walters’ show end.

On The View, the women have real chemistry with each other and they’re certainly not afraid to speak their minds or even walk off the set when they disagree with a guest. The women of The Talk are all mothers, but they don’t seem comfortable enough with each other to truly disagree — perhaps that’s only because it was their first show.

Leah Remini admits that she’s a pushover parent.
Find out who else isn’t strict with their kids

Strangely enough the topic that got the most reaction out of the ladies as well as the audience occurred during a discussion on the proper age to start talking to kids about sex. While experts informed their “reporter on the streets” Marissa Jaret Winokur, 37, that she should be using the proper anatomy terms when talking to her son, Zev, 2, she decided that it was just too creepy a conversation to have with her toddler.

Read what Marissa Jaret Winokur has to say about motherhood

Leah, 40, didn’t like the expert’s advice either and admitted that she refers to her 6-year-old daughter Sofia’s privates as her “cupcake.” That’s when the audience went wild. Apparently, it is not OK to refer to a body part as a dessert, yet none of the woman, except Holly, 46, seemed to want to use words like penis and vagina around their offspring.

In fact, Julie said that sex education should be taught in schools so that kids can come home with questions. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it, HollyMoms? Just think about all the fun facts they could pick up on the school bus ride home.

What I also noticed is that the women go through the trouble of getting an expert’s opinion, and then completely disregard their advice. I can’t help but wonder, if the hosts don’t care to listen, why should I?

Will the stars of Teen Mom ever be on The Talk? We hope so!

Former supermodel Christie Brinkley, 56, also stopped by to chat with the women on the couch (after they finally moved away from that horrible table). Besides sharing beauty tips (do squats while blowdrying your hair and eat only organic foods) she discussed the drawbacks that fame has had on her 24-year-old daughter, singer Alexa Ray Joel. “She’s beautiful, gorgeous. Yet she gets picked on because she just doesn’t look like me,” says Christie. I’d like to tell you more about what Christie had to say about Alexa being bullied but Julie, 40, cut her off mid-sentence to go to a commercial break.

Marissa cried every night when she first became a mom

The Talk seems like it should work, but instead, I found that sitting through 60 minutes of their baby babble felt like work – a lot of work. Yes, I took one for the team, HollyMoms. And I suggest that if your kids are down for a nap around the time that The Talk is on, you’ll feel better about yourself if you take a nap yourself instead of tuning into this dull gabfest.

–Amy L. Harper

FilmMagic

The co-host of the new daytime talk show, The Talk, opens up about being a mom and admits “No one tells you how difficult it is! I’m here to tell you it is very, very difficult!” Can you relate, HollyMoms?

She may be best known as a former Dancing With the Stars contestant or as a new co-host on The Talk, a CBS chat fest for moms that premieres today (Oct. 18), but Marissa Jaret Winokur is most proud of her role as mom to son Zev, 2. “It’s the hardest, most gratifying challenge of my life,” confesses Marissa, who admits she had a Mommy Life Crisis when she became a mother (via a surrogate) and thought it was a good day if she managed to change out of her sweats!

Marissa cried every night after becoming a mommy!

Your talk show, The Talk (with co-hosts Sharon Osbourne, Leah Remini, Sara Gilbert, Holly Robinson Peete and Julie Chen) is like The View for moms.
Yes, and I hope it’s as successful too! Being a mom really affects how you see the world. I may be an actress, but I’m still going through play dates and doing diaper changes in my car’s trunk. What’s really great about the show is that it’s true and honest about what it’s like to be a parent. I always heard before I had a child how great it was going to be. But no one told me how hard it was going to be. The first few months, OK nine. The first nine months of motherhood suck. On the show, we won’t be sugarcoating anything — believe me!

Who would be your dream guest for the show?
I know Leah is friends with Jennifer Lopez and I’m a huge fan so I would love to have her on the show [Ed. -- J. Lo is a guest on Tuesday's show]. I’d also love to have a dear friend of mine, Matthew Morrison, who is the teacher Mr. Schuster on Glee. I have to try to figure out a way I can use him on the show even though he’s not a dad.

Watch out ladies of The View–there’s a new show in town!

Would you ever want to return the favor and guest on Glee?
Of course I would! Everyone’s like, “Are you campaigning to be on Glee?” and I’m like, “I don’t even think it’s worth campaigning — everyone wants to be on Glee.” Any smart actor would want to be on that show.

You were on DWTS right before your son was born. Did any of your DWTS co-stars give you good parenting advice?
They all gave me great advice, but my mom gave me the best. She basically told me to keep my sense of humor about me. When things are just a mess, try to find a way to laugh about it, otherwise you’re going to cry about it (which I did plenty of too!). But other people had said to me, the minute you pick up your son, you’re going to fall in love and you’re just going to know what to do. Truly, I didn’t know what to do. I was a total mess. I thank God I had a wonderful husband who kept me in check because I cried so much that first six months. I was so overwhelmed.

DWTS host Brooke Burke went cold turkey to potty train her son!

How did your life change when you became a mom?
It changed completely. My schedule is all about him. I have no control over my days anymore. My wardrobe changed quite a bit. My uniform has become a sweatshirt. If it’s clean, great. If it’s not, I don’t really care. I definitely shower less.
I still love my career, but the minute I had my son, I became less focused on conquering the world the way I used to be. Now I just want to conquer sleep training.

Do you see yourself in your son yet?
Oh, yes. He doesn’t shut up! And if he doesn’t have anything to say, he’ll just be like, “Mama, mama, mama” to the point where I stop responding because then he’d do it all day long. He’s exactly like me. His inner voice is his outer voice. Everything he sees, he says.

You’ve been very open about using a surrogate to have Zev because of your past cervical cancer. Do you plan on having more kids?
I am one of four and my siblings are my closest friends, so I definitely want Zev to have a brother or sister. I don’t know if we’ll use a surrogate again or adopt — we’re discussing every option right now and trying to figure out what will work best for our family. I’m excited to have another 2-year-old, but I’m not excited to have another infant!

Couple pushed surrogate to abort their fetus because it had down syndrome

You’ve said that you went through a Mommy Life Crisis a few months back. What was that like?
About six months ago, I looked at myself and thought, I’ve had the same haircut for 30 years. I was at a point where I wasn’t taking care of myself. Every second was for my son. I was the woman who turned her tank top inside out and then said, “It’s clean!” and put it back on. I was so tired and had such sleep deprivation that I wasn’t taking care of myself. One day I went to the salon and said, “Let’s go blond!” Everybody thought I was crazy but I just needed to do something drastic for myself so I could feel pretty again. It had nothing to do with being a blond. It had more to do with wanting to look polished and grown up. It changed the way I dressed even for Mommy and Me classes. I thought, I could put on mascara and look pretty. I can wear clean clothes. I don’t just have to go in my pajama bottoms!

—Patty Adams Martinez

Every single year the powers-that-be at ABC make the same announcement (albeit with a different cast of characters) and every single year we wish WE had been allowed to choose which celebrities break out their sparkly shapewear and dance their butts off on Dancing with the Stars. Well, this time around WE are choosing the new crew – and even though we know there’s no way you’ll see President Barack Obama OR Sarah Palin ripping it up on the ABC dance floor — you may just find that some of our dream dancers actually become a reality! Read on, BFFs…

• MIKE ‘THE SITUATION’ SORRENTINO According to RadarOnline, our fave Jersey Shore alum is confirmed to be DWTS‘ latest reality buff to light up the dance floor with his slick moves…how excited are you?

• WILLIAM SHATNER We want to see Captain Kirk “boldly go where no USS Enterprise captain has gone before” — on to win Dancing with the Stars, of course. Plus, he’s clearly used to wearing spandex.

• MC HAMMER He will show us why no other dancers “can touch this” — and his balloon pants would make an awesome alternative to the second-skin Lycra Shatner will be parading around in!

• LANDON DONOVAN Can he kick it? Yes, he can! Unfortunately, we bet this World Cup hero won’t be allowed to perform shirtless. Insert sad face here.

• KARA DIOGUARDI Who needs American Idol? After getting fired (but learning about receiving her pink slip second hand) the former Idol judge would be only too happy to change allegiances to Fox’s rival network ABC.

• • HOLLY ROBINSON-PEETE This do-gooder lost to Bret Michaels this year on Celebrity Apprentice, and she obviously didn’t get a fair shake. Who can compete with a guy that’s just had a brain hemorrhage? Holly needs a second shot at glory!
  • ELIN NORDEGREN No better way to show ex-husband Tiger Woods that she’s ALSO got seductive moves to than by shaking her lambada on the dance floor!
  • DAVID ARCHULETA Someone’s got to represent the tween vote, right? Perhaps this American Idol alum will even sing a few tunes while he’s fox-trotting!
  • CHELSEA CLINTON America’s former First Daughter could easily show off a waltz worthy of royalty – especially now that she’s had the advantage of taking dance lessons from DWTS hottie Maksim Chmerkovskiy!
  • BRANDY NORWOOD It’s time to turn the tables on this former America’s Got Talent judge — and let someone else judge HER dancing skills for a change! HollywoodLife.com actually hears that Brandy has been made an offer by DWTS producers!
  • BILL O’REILLY He’s dissed Jennifer Aniston, Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber in recent weeks. Not-so-secretly we want the O’Reilly Factor host to suck so badly that all of America insults him instead!
  • AUDRINA PATRIDGE If she wins, she won’t have to play second fiddle to Hills co-stars Lauren Conrad OR Kristin Cavallari — plus, maybe we’ll get to see Justin Bobby (our secret crush) watching her with angst-filled blue eyes in the audience. Bonus!
  • ALI FEDOTOWSKY & ROBERTO MARTINEZ We put the newly engaged Bachelorette couple together because they are starting to become one person. Both are close to inking deals to appear on the show – which should make for some interesting conversations at home. Roberto: “What did you do today, honey?” Ali: “Oh, you know — completely slaughtered you on the dance floor. Can you pass the butter please?”

Guess you’ll have to wait to see if our dreams become reality! Dancing with the Stars’ season 11 cast will be announced after the Bachelor Pad on August 30 — so tune in!

Laura Schreffler

The Tony Award-winning co-host of this fall’s new CBS show, The Talk, opens up about the struggles she faced during her first year of motherhood.

Marissa Jaret Winokur is a good actress, but when she adopted her son, Zev Isaac, two years ago, she was convinced that she was a lousy mom.

“My first year with my son was really, really difficult and really, really hard,” she said at the Television Critics Association press tour presentation of her new CBS talk show, The Talk. “And it’s not a popular thing to be, like — you know what? That first year, like, I was so overwhelmed. I sat in my bathroom, and I cried every night.”

Just like Mary Lynn Rajskub, who wrote and stars in a one-woman show about the challenges of being a new mom, Marissa plans to talk about it on her new show, which also features Julie Chen, Sharon Osbourne, Holly Robinson Peete, Leah Remini and Sara Gilbert, who is also one of the show’s executive producers.

“I feel like other moms hearing that are sitting home going, ‘This is so hard,’” Marissa, 37, said. “It’s not popular to be, like, ‘I was overwhelmed, and I needed help.’  But I think other moms, sitting home, feeling that same way, can go, ‘Wait a second. There’s someone saying that. That’s what I feel like. And do you know what? Maybe there’s nothing wrong with me, and I’m going to come out of this.’”

It’s definitely a good thing that more and more women, especially those in the public eye, speak out about something that most people don’t like to talk about. So we have a question for all you new moms out there, have you had times where you felt the same way Marissa did?

1. Look Out, “View” Ladies! You’ve Got Some Mommy Competition!