Last week Oprah gave us a five-point instructional checklist on how to live our best life, and on Monday she gave us a pop quiz to make sure we’d paid attention. First thing’s first, we all know Oprah’s madder than Faith Hill after losing her Grammy for once again falling off the wagon and putting on weight, and clearly, misery loves company. Oprah invited a handful of former weight loss success stories who have recently bulked up again to, as she did, face the truth and get back on track. Her featured guest was Erik Chopin, who lost 214 pounds and won his season of The Biggest Loser. He once told the Oprah camp he wasn’t able to appear on a recent show due to a busy work schedule, but in truth, he was afraid to show the world he’d regained more than half of what he’d lost. But Erik, as well as with various chubbed up Skypers, forgave themselves and began anew, and Oprah sent them running along towards a better year. Oprah also peeked in on our sex lives, and viewers raved about Dr. Laura Berman’s foreplay map, which can of course be downloaded at Oprah.com, although we think hands-on learning may be the more appropriate approach. more ›

There were a few surprises this morning when the Chicago Film Critics announced the winners of their annual awards. Past award slates from the CFC have been known for the occasional maverick choices and this year was no exception. Joan Allen, the pride of Rochelle, IL earned a Best Actress win for her performance in The Upside of Anger while Mickey Rourke was named Best Supporting Actor for Sin City, makeup be damned! Maria Bello’s... more ›