Blog Posts by The_Stir

new hollywood glamour dress blue floor lengthSo you're not up for an Academy Award (this year). That doesn't mean you can't put together a stunning red carpet look for Oscar night. Maybe you're heading out to an Oscar party with friends or to another formal event for the evening. You need to look stellar on the cheap, and we're here to help you make it happen.

We've put together an A-list of glamorous dresses -- at inexpensive D-lister prices -- that are perfect for any red carpet event you choose to cruise this Oscar night. Here are 10 glitzy gowns that will beckon your favorite celebrity style -- all for under $190 each and some as low as $40 and $50.

More from The Stir: Golden Globes 2011: The 5 most awkward moments

10 Inexpensive Red Carpet Worthy Gowns

If you loved the navy blue Oscar de la Renta gown that Lea Michele of Glee wore to the 2010 Emmy Awards, then check out the New Hollywood Glamour Dress ($169.99) from ModCloth (shown at right). This version is much simpler and, obviously, much easier on

It's Super Bowl time! And that means something almost more important than the big game: it's Super Bowl food time.

If you're not tailgating, chances are good you are entertaining at home. You could go the traditional route: seven-layer dip, deviled eggs, and all that crap. Boring, boring, boooooring.

More from The Stir: 5 most memorable Super Bowl halftime shows

Or you could opt to travel the route of really awesome food. Food that thrills the tastebuds but doesn't leave you sweating in your Steelers jersey. We're talking seriously easy and low-maintenance food that still kicks ass.

Ready for kickoff?

Taco Cups -- Buy a bag or two of those Tostitos Scoops -- the ones shaped like little cups. Add to each cup some refried beans, cheese, salsa, even a little seasoned beef if you want. Top them with a slice of green chile and some sour cream. Voila! Single-bite layered dip with no pan to clean.

Crudité -- Skip the prepackaged veggie tray and slice your own

While the economy is, allegedly, improving, many people have found themselves downsizing. Sometimes it's a necessity. Their income has declined and they have to adjust to the new normal, but other times it's something they do because they want to simplify and scale back the consumerism.

More from The Stir: How to save hundreds on groceries

There are people following this all over the Internet to the point that it's something of a movement. Buy Nothing Day on the day after Thanksgiving, a San Francisco group who made a promise to buy nothing new for one whole year, and a New York City blogger who pledged to not eat out for one full year. Which, if you live in New York, would be like going on a fast in the middle of a posh buffet.

The latest is a guy named David Hochman, who pledged, along with his wife and young son, to go a month without spending any more than $100.

They excepted their mortgage, utilities, and their son's preschool tuition, but everything else, and I

whitney houstonIs Whitney Houston pregnant? Some photos began circulating this weekend that have made the public go, hmmm. Then made us go, eeew.

More from The Stir: Biggest celebrity pregnancy surprises

For starters, Houston is 47 years old -- it would be unlikely that she could conceive naturally. Secondly, she's been battling drug and alcohol addiction for decades -- she's not exactly a model of health. And thirdly, while the singer has generally been very svelte, if not extremely thin, maybe the bulge is just a little weight-gain in the midsection. And when one's trying to quit smoking or drinking, one sometimes finds comfort in a sixer of donuts.

So is Houston's bump a human baby, a food baby, or ... a medical condition?

One of the other rumors out there is that Houston is taking steroid injections for a respiratory infection, which can cause weight-gain.

I doubt she's with child. I bet it's just a little belly caused by steak frit and buttered rolls. I would be a little

Can I ask you a personal question? Do you masturbate? If you don't, you should. Masturbation can relax and de-stress you. It can also improve sexual relations with your partner by showing them what turns you on. And masturbation can satisfy you when your partner is at another one of those late dinner meetings or out of town.

More from The Stir: 5 Oh! Oh! Orgasmic Valentine's Day Gifts

But perhaps you don't tickle your taco or beat your beaver because you think it's gross. Or maybe you don't think that you have the time for it. If so, you should reconsider it because I think masturbating is part of taking care of yourself, like wearing sunscreen or eating quinoa.

Here's a how-to guide to help you help pleasure yourself, whether you've never done it or have done it a thousand times before:

Step 1: Set yourself up in a relaxing environment. Like in your bedroom with your eyes closed so that you can't see the piles of clean laundry waiting to be folded and put away. Or

No matter how much effort car seat technicians and organizations like Safe Kids try to get good information out there, study results come out saying things like "at least 80 percent of car seats are used incorrectly."

More from The Stir: 7 rules for buying & installing a car seat

The biggest problems are usually the straps being too loose, an incorrect installation, or the child is in the wrong seat for their age and/or size. But car seats are serious business and it's the ONLY piece of baby equipment that you absolutely are required by law to have to save your baby's life. So we have to be serious about using them correctly. Anyone who has a child should read this because there are some really big car seat mistakes parents don't realize they are making. I'm going to address those mistakes and share a solution.

Problem 1: Grandma placed baby in infant seat, and the seatbelt was fastened over the child and seat. The harness was not used.

Solution: You can't trust

plastic surgeryWe've read the story of Lindsay Ann Hawker's murderer, Tatsuya Ichihashi, and the controversial book he wrote from his prison cell, Until the Arrest, in which he details the two years he spent hiding from the feds in Japan.

Ichihashi was so determined to avoid being recognized that he performed his own nose job, mole removal, and lip thinning (pics here). He used a box cutter and scissors and covered his scars with surgical masks, which are commonly used in Japan for people suffering from pollen allergies.

More from The Stir: Lindsay Ann Hawker deserved more than a book from murderer

It's a gruesome and very sad story, but it raises an interesting question: Only we know our flaws intimately; could we do a better job than a plastic surgeon?

With the right tools and some local anesthesia, maybe. I've never gone under the knife, but only I really know what I would want changed about my lips. Not too much filler, just a smidgen, and only on the top in the middle with less

The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Green Bay Packers at the Super Bowl on February 6. You know what that means: It's time to throw a Super Bowl party!

More from The Stir: 5 most memorable Super Bowl halftime shows

If you're anything like me and have been a Steelers fan for as long as you can remember, then this is the perfect time to host a Steelers-themed bash for all your Pittsburghese-loving friends and family. We've rounded up the best food and drink ideas, straight from a fellow Pittsburgher (um, me), to make planning your party menu stress-free. That way no one will inquire: "Hauscome yinz guys din't throw da Stillers party lassnite?"

Don't ask. Just keep reading.

The Appetizers

Pierogies: Mrs. T's Pierogies, the largest producers of pierogies in the US, says that Pittsburgh consumes 11 times more pierogies than any other city in the country. This is due to the city's large community of Polish people, but many non-Poles embrace the pierogi as well. Check