Blog Posts by Erin Flaherty, Shine staff

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Ashlee and Pete may have surprised everyone this weekend with what some Hollywood insiders are calling a shotgun wedding (hey, if Ashlee actually is pregnant, then at the ripe old age of 23, she's practically an old hag compared to Jamie Lynn Spears!), but Ellen has her own news to share: She wants to make an honest woman out of Portia de Rossi.

According to Jossip: "A spy in the audience of this afternoon's taping of the Ellen DeGeneres Show tells us that after Ellen mentioned today's California Supreme Court ruling striking down the state's ban on gay marriage, she surprised everyone and announced that she was going to tie the knot with longtime girlfriend, actress Portia de Rossi. Portia was in the crowd and after she made the announcement, the studio audience went wild, giving the two a huge standing O."

We reported last week that California says "AOK" to gay marriage, so get ready for Hollywood heavyweights like Jody Foster, Cynthia Nixon and um, Lindsay Lohan and Samantha

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I was having this conversation with a friend of mine who's currently suffering the often confusing throes of dating, and since I'm a love and sex writer and all that, she assumed I had the answer to this seemingly simple question. Sadly not even this love guru (ha) could think of an easy answer.

My first thought was, "Do it when you're ready," then my mind wandered toward that tired old three date rule, then I got mad at myself for pondering the latter. I mean, do you think guys stress this question nearly as much as us ladies seem to? Stereotypically, yeah the guy is a "stud" if he gets laid and the woman is a "slut" if she doesn't hold off, and blah, blah, blah, but I don't think it's that different for men and women after all--especially when the stakes are raised and you don't want sex to complicate a blooming relationship. (See one of our boy bloggers Joe Hottie's sex dilemma with his new girl...)

So anyway, clearly it can be an emotionally complicating issue. I turn to you for

DEAR MARGO: For more than a year, I have been dating an emergency room doctor who works with her ex-fiance. She knew he was not right for her and left him over two years ago. He admitted many infidelities throughout his life and even now is dating another person in the practice. I am not the jealous type, but recently she admitted that a few months ago they spent time together at his house around his pool and in his bedroom "watching movies," though I was told she picked up an extra shift. He was supposedly going through a hard time and of course wanted her back. She tells me nothing happened, but admits lying to me. She promised to take a lie detector test, but now has backed out and says I should believe her without a test. We do love each other and had planned to marry, but we are now in a standoff. She's hurt that I don't believe her, and I am hurt that she ever saw him and not totally convinced of her fidelity. Where do you see this going?

--- TEXAS GUY

DEAR TEX: I have

DEAR MARGO: My husband of a year, "Michael," is everything a partner should be: generous, caring, supportive, intelligent, easygoing and optimistic. My ex-boyfriend, "George," is none of those things. He's controlling, obsessive-compulsive, inflexible and unhappy. Don't get me wrong, George has his good points; otherwise, we wouldn't have dated for four years. But while Michael fills my days with happiness and laughter, George was more the tear-inducing type. My problem is that when it comes to the bedroom, George really rang my bell. Sex with Michael is very pleasant and usually fulfilling, but George could set me on fire. Please know that I wouldn't touch George with a 10-foot pole. We broke up for valid reasons, and my husband is my one true love (forgive the cliche). I just wish that Michael and I could have the level of intensity that I had with George. How do I get back into that mindset?

--- LONG ON LOVE, SHORT ON SPARK IN THE U.K.

DEAR LONG: It sounds as though you're

Love Honey
I can't decide if this is kinda fun or ridiculously corny. UK sex shop Love Honey is offering a special on the just launched in time for Sex and the City Mr. Big edition of The Rabbit, also known as the vibrator made famous by those oh so sassy, self pleasure happy gals on the show. If you text the store a copy of your movie ticket stub, you can get it for half off. Eh, if you're gonna see the movie anyway and you're in the market for a new vibe, I guess that's a pretty good deal. Whatever... Wonder if they sent Chris Noth one?

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What would you do if your two year old little boy informed you that he wanted to be a girl? What if, no matter what you did to dissuade such behavior, he continued to insist through the years? Where do you draw the line between being a loving, supportive parent who wants their child's happiness above all other things, and one who is responsible (and why not be both?)? Some families are currently dealing with the dilemmas that accompany what experts call "Gender Identity Disorder."

In fact, it seems like parents of transgender children are suddenly coming out of the woodwork. NPR just did a two-part series about the subject, and this weekend, it was reported that Pennsylvania elementary school officials "angered parents by giving them one-day's notice of planned counseling sessions with 100 third-grade students to explain that one of their male classmates would soon begin wearing girls' clothing and taking a female name and to ask that they accept him as a girl and not make unkind

All To Thunder
How's this for an adorable munchkin? This green-hued puppy was just born in New Orleans to a Golden Retriever mom. No, she isn't green too, but veterinarians say this sometimes happens when the mother's amniotic fluid mixes with the placenta during birth and dyes the coat of the puppy.This tiny one won't be green forever, (in a few weeks, the green should fade away and the dog will be a light brown or white color), and don't worry he's not sick or anything. Let's just hope his siblings go easy on him.

In other adorable cute animal news, my local shelter just got hit with a batch of lab/pit bull mixes sent in from an Ohio shelter that has trouble finding folks who'll take a pit. (I can't imagine why, as all those old myths that they're dangerous are total crap: Pits are not only very sweet and affectionate, they make GREAT family dogs because they love kids. They're hands down my favorite breed!!! I think I might adopt one, and while not everyone can take home a new pup, you can

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Online dating is an amazing tool for those of us looking for the big one. Personally, I can attest to the fact that many of my pals have embraced it despite outdated stigmas (remember, just a couple years back one was considered a "loser" for searching for mates online), and while not everyone finds true love, sometimes you can meet some pretty cool people. I even met my partner via a guy who asked me out on Myspace (they were friends, and turns out I liked the non-Myspace guy better than him, but I would never have met him sans the online connection!), so... In these crazy old times, why not take a risk, right?

So it goes without saying that to properly get one's game on, one must adhere to the new strategies the online dating community inevitably demands. For example, according to a recent survey by Harris Interactive, "nearly 75 percent of people struggle with establishing chemistry online. The survey also found only 17% of Americans value sense of humor and a shocking 9% value