Blog Posts by Sarah Beston, Shine Staff

The fate of same-sex marriage in California has been determined...at least for now.

U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker has struck down California's Proposition 8 today. "California is able to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, as it has already issued 18,000 marriage licenses to same-sex couples and has not suffered any demonstrated harm as a result" wrote Walker in a 136-page ruling. He also wrote: "Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples."

Prop 8 amended the California Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage, overturning a May 2008 state Supreme Court ruling that extended marital rights to gays and lesbians. The initiative was approved by 52 percent of voters in November 2008 and defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman. The definition of union has been redefined yet again, this time ruling that bans on such unions have violated

Chris Salgardo, President, Kiehl's USAWhat do hogs, biker dudes, and skincare have in common? On the surface, not much, but when you get beneath the skin you realize that they are a perfect match in supporting a great cause.

Today, I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural kick-off party for Kiehl's Liferide for amfAR, a six-day philanthropic motorcycle ride up the California coast to benefit amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research and one of the world's leading nonprofits dedicated to the support of AIDS research and HIV prevention.

This August 2 to 7, celebrities including Peter Fonda, William H. Macy, Josh Homme, Fred Durst, Ben Younger, Timothy White, Tricia Helfer, Katee Sackhoff, Teddy Sears, and many more are participating in this ride, which make pit stops at Kiehl's stores in California towns and cities including San Diego, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Canoga Park, Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Berkeley, in an effort to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS.

I caught up with some of the riders at stop number

With the anticipation of the new movie "Cats and Dogs", we decided to put together a photo gallery of our favorite K9 and kitty movie stars ever. What are your favorites?

I will never turn down good ice cream. I will especially never turn down good ice cream when the company that makes it donates 25% ($50,000 minimum annually) of its post-tax profits to a great cause, Special Olympics.

Tim and Maria Shriver, Angelo Moratti and Dan Samson, launched an ice cream company called Lovin' Scoopful in 2008 with the intent of offering a high quality, fun and health conscious product that would also serve as an ongoing source of revenue for worthy causes…Lovin' Scoopful - "Loves you as much as you love it!" And, I loved it!

As much as I loved Mad about Mud Pie and Rockin' Raspberry Cheesecake, I loved it even more when I found out that Lovin' Scoopful's gourmet light ice cream has 1/2 the fat and 1/3 fewer calories than other premium ice creams. The figure-friendly treat is made with an all-natural base that comes from the milk and cream of cows not treated with the cow growth hormone, rBST.

As the company's creative director, Maria Shriver has

Maria Shriver has been many things: first lady, journalist, writer, business woman, philanthropist, mom. But when asked who inspires her in all these endeavors, she's quick to point to a woman who she calls her "ultimate role model" and her "ultimate champion:" her mom, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

"I was just saying to a friend this morning that she passed away almost a year ago and I find that I miss her more right now then ever because I always passed everything by her. I always talked about every big decision in my life, every transition in my life and now I am coming up on a really big transition in my life, and I find her voice missing."

Even with all her many causes and roles in life, mother Eunice was first and foremost a mom, something that Maria feels to this day. "She raised five kids and I think they would all say we are best friends today….We talk about everything: what we can work on together, what we are each doing, how we can help each other, how we can support each other,

Photo by Juergen Teller/New York Magazine

What is sexier than a woman feeling comfortable in her own skin? Answer: A woman feeling comfortable in her own skin at any age. Just weeks before her 65th birthday, actress Helen Mirren posed topless in a bathtub for New York Magazine.

The self-proclaimed "good girl who wants to be the bad girl" bared her breasts for the Juergen Teller shoot to publicize her latest role as a brothel madam of a 1970's Reno w----house in the upcoming movie "Love Ranch", a film directed by her husband Taylor Hackford.

The Oscar-winning star has certainly defied odds in an industry where women are eaten up and spit out as soon as the "next best thing" comes along. Mirren has proven to be the next best thing for more than 40 years and may have just become the "bad girl" she wanted to be.

In the New York Magazine interview, Mirren was asked about using her sexuality to advance her early career, and responded: "The Playboy Mansion, coke, and the rise of all that - Guccione and Hefner

We're stepping up our Facebook and Twitter efforts and want to know what you love.

We would like to share great Love & Sex content from other sites with our audience in addition to the content that we have posted on Shine. We could all use some great Love & Sex advice and chances are, if you love it, other Shine users will love it as well!

Please let us know your favorite Twitter feeds and Love & Sex sites in the comments.

Mama always said: "Don't leave the house without a clean pair of underwear just in case you get into a car accident and have to go to the hospital. Mama never said: "Leave the house without undies and make sure you exit the vehicle in an unladylike fashion as a way to promote yourself."

We are continuing our weekly "Don't Do That" feature on current news that has Shine staffers shaking our heads.

This week's "Don't Do That" is one of our biggest pet peeves and begs the question: What is it with celebs that go out sans skivvies and think it is okay to flash their nether regions to the paparazzi, seemingly for publicity (think Paris, Britney, and Lindsay)? Come on ladies, there are better ways to make headlines! And has it gotten so out of line that celeb gossip sites feel the need to pretend people aren't wearing underwear when they really are?

Such was the case with Miley Cyrus.

Celeb gossip blogger, Perez Hilton, recently posted a picture on his Twitter account