Does it matter to female shoppers if a brand leans Red or Blue? The Daily Beast's Rebecca Dana argues that "the consequences of political engagement are particularly significant for women's brands" this year. While that may be true, there doesn't actually seem to be much of a competition regarding whom to support.

Is there any culture on earth whose food culture we fetishize as abjectly as we do the French? Like, oooooooh my god! The French! Did you know that in France, veal calves weep with pride and moo "La Marseillaise" as they're being slaughtered? Did you know that in France, they're so committed to freshness that they bury…

Hiring a celebrity spokesperson can be a boon for weight loss companies since they don't even have to pay entertainment magazines and websites to run their "before and after" photos. However, hiring celebrities is also a big risk for diet programs, because like all humans, they're likely to gain the weight back — and…

Sara Rue seems pretty happy about losing 50 pounds in 35 weeks on the Jenny Craig program. So why does her latest commercial seem so sad?

We've just learned that women should exercise an hour a day, seven days a week. Seems tough, but it's easy! Just follow the lead of the ladies featured in today's New York Times: Hire a trainer who makes house calls.

• Despite their pleas to help "poor Haitian children," a Vegas crowd booed party-crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi, reports People. "We're sick of it," says Tareq. "We were invited to the White House and that will come out." •

• Ashton Kutcher elaborately pranked CNN and Ted Turner:

• Claire Danes and her boyfriend, actor Hugh Dancy, are engaged to be married. Both Jordan Catalano and Brian Krakow are extremely bummed right now. No word yet on how Tino feels about all this, though.[People]

• Tara Reid looks like she has no longer been ridden hard and put away wet! The former winner of Miss Hot Mess 2002-2007 is dating fashion executive Julien Jarmoune and apparently fending off marriage rumors. A pal of the couple says, "It looks like she's finally gotten her act together!" [E! Online, AHN]
• Someone who has…