I am a total dog lover. I know I’m about to make a lot of cat owners angry, but I think that dogs make the best pets. (I’m also allergic to cats, so maybe I’m unfairly biased.) Dogs are sweet, fun and loyal. To your dog, you’re the center of the universe, which means they’re the best friends you could possibly ask for. And celebrities agree! Check out these priceless photos of celebs with their dogs. Stars seem to favor tiny lapdogs, but there are a few big, cuddly dogs in here, too.

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The perils of Winter fashion!

It’s not easy being gay. In a world where heterosexuality is the norm and homosexuality has often been seen as more than just a religious taboo throughout history—you know, when legitimately recognized at all, that is—the LGBT community has worked tirelessly to declare that sexual preference is not a “preference” at all; instead, the nature vs. nurture arguments now lean more toward a “I’m on the right track, baby, I was born this way” mantra. However, is it necessarily a winner-takes-all conclusion in the homosexuality debate? According to Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon, maybe there’s more than one way to be gay. And ton of people are pissed off about it.

I’m pissed off too, to be honest. I’m pissed off at the people who are pissed off about it. In this week’s Hot Button Issue, I invite you to read the following carefully, because a lot of vocal opinions on the Internet are getting it all just a little bit twisted…in my opinion.

Actress Cynthia Nixon, whom we know as Miranda Hobbes on Sex and the City, has always been a peculiar case study for the LGBT community: she was happily in a relationship with a man for 15 years (they even had two kids together), but she’s been dating a woman since 2004. Though her sexual orientation seemed to have made a switch, she has said in the past that she didn’t feel like she was necessarily lying to herself or hiding anything. ”I’d been with men all my life, and I’d never fallen in love with a woman,” she told The Daily Telegraph in 2007. ”But when I did, it didn’t seem so strange. I’m just a woman in love with another woman.”

Many gay activists call her midlife switch in sexual orientation disingenuous, and Nixon chose to defend her relationship by controversially stating that for her, homosexuality is a choice. She explained to the New York Times Magazine:

“I gave a speech recently, an empowerment speech to a gay audience, and it included the line ‘I’ve been straight and I’ve been gay, and gay is better.’ And they tried to get me to change it, because they said it implies that homosexuality can be a choice. And for me, it is a choice. I understand that for many people it’s not, but for me it’s a choice, and you don’t get to define my gayness for me. A certain section of our community is very concerned that it not be seen as a choice, because if it’s a choice, then we could opt out. I say it doesn’t matter if we flew here or we swam here, it matters that we are here and we are one group and let us stop trying to make a litmus test for who is considered gay and who is not.”

Opponents argue that defining Nixon’s gayness isn’t about Nixon at all; it’s about how she’s abusing her elevated platform as a celebrity with comments that can not only further confuse young people who are struggling with their sexuality in silence, but also give conservatives some free ammunition to use against the LGBT community as they continue to fight for equal civil rights. Unfortunately, this is partly true, as people who are famous for something seem to automatically become spokespeople and advocates for something else (Demi Lovato fighting eating disorders, Rihanna speaking up against domestic violence, etc.). Cynthia Nixon just wants to worry about Cynthia Nixon, but she may have given up that right when she signed on for her first big acting role.

The thing about Nixon is that she refuses to call herself bisexual; she genuinely states that she was straight before, but she’s gay now. Political blogger and gay activist John Aravosis called her out on the supposed misnomer of her sexual orientation: “It’s not a ‘choice,’ unless you consider my opting to date a guy with brown hair versus a guy with blonde hair a ‘choice.’ It’s only a choice among flavors I already like.  And if you like both flavors, men and women, you’re bisexual, you’re not gay, so please don’t tell people that you are gay, and that gay people can ‘choose’ their sexual orientation, i.e., will it out of nowhere.  Because they can’t.”

Supporters of Nixon’s views say that whether people of the LGBT community say their sexual orientation is rooted in nature or nurture, it won’t actually make a positive difference in fighting the good fight. “Ask African Americans if they think being ‘born that way’ helped during the hundreds of years they fought for equal rights, or ask women about being born that way and how that helped get the right to vote or other rights,” wrote Windy City Times editor Tracy Baim in The Huffington Post. She also pointed out that religion is also a ‘choice’ that right-wing opponents seem to recognize, but ignore that of gender or sexuality. “If they hate us, they hate us, and how we got this way just doesn’t compute in their narrow minds.”

And after seeing both sides of the Hot Button Issue and agreeing with all the good intentions on the table, I feel like these members of the LGBT community are simply arguing over technicalities at this point. If being gay means something different to Cynthia Nixon than it does to John Aravosis, then can’t both definitions exist? She isn’t attacking anyone else’s sexuality; she’s only speaking out about her own. Why attack a fellow soldier whose sword isn’t even threatening you at all? Like Tracy says, there’s a different enemy that the community might be losing sight of, because of this.

Actually, both sides seem to still have a common goal in mind: so many say that these comments will confuse young kids who are currently debating and simply trying to figure their way around what they’re feeling, but what seems to be more confusing to me, a straight person in shock of all this controversy, is how these people of the LGBT community seem to be attacking each other’s worth. Does this environment seem like a safer place than the world where one is held against a harsh heterosexual standard, a place where you won’t be judged by your sexual orientation? Even more so, maybe Nixon’s controversial comments will actually help those young people out there who actually hope to choose to be gay but didn’t know they could! Can people still explore their sexuality after being in a heterosexual relationship or two? Yes, says Cynthia Nixon, you can, and it doesn’t necessarily negate the love you had for those of the opposite sex at the time.

And if we’re gonna get technical about timelines and titles, is a virgin who has never been in a relationship still straight, even if she’s never found a man she’s been attracted to? Just a thought.

I know it’s an important conversation, but it’s not that important and worth fighting over to the point where people forget what is actually worth fighting FOR. And sadly, that greater fight is still far from over. Whether “born this way” or bred into another, Cynthia Nixon is simply saying that we are who we are, right here, right now, and that’s all that matters. That’s all that needs to be accepted, at any point. “Why can’t it be a choice? Why is that any less legitimate?” Nixon asked in the NYT interview. “It seems we’re just ceding this point to bigots who are demanding it, and I don’t think that they should define the terms of the debate.”

Who is to say who we’ll be attracted to tomorrow, and who is to blame for who you were attracted to yesterday? Whether straight, gay, bisexual, or still figuring it out, your sexual orientation is yours and yours alone, and the only person who could ever have any kind of definition on the matter is the one you love, because that person’s gender—not their opinion—might change that label.

Can homosexuality be a choice for some people? Are Cynthia Nixon’s comments completely out of line, or are John Aravosis’ blogs overstepping personal boundaries?

Ashley is a UC San Diego grad who is holding on way too tightly to a potential career in magazines and goes to Vegas all too often. She’s fascinated with celebrities and strawberry beer and doubles as a pathological texter/emailer/blogger. Feed the addiction with tweets @cashleelee. Thanks in advance.

This morning, TMZ reported that K-Fed was rushed to the hospital after his heart “showed signs of distress.”  He was in Australia filming a reality show called “Excess Baggage” – not exactly sure what that is, but it sounds terrible enough to cause a serious heart problem.

And take a look at this picture. K-Fed is definitely in a regular car, not an ambulance. So how did he get that oxygen mask? Does he have a medical team on hand? Are his body guards trained in CPR? Does K-Fed even need body guards? At first glance, I was especially confused because it looks like K-Fed drove himself to the hospital. Why was he driving with that oxygen mask on? And then I remembered. He was in Australia. The driver’s seat is on the other side of the car over there. Oops.

In all seriousness, K-Fed, we here at CC wish you a speedy recovery. If your heart is still broken over Britney, don’t worry. Love will find a way.

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Did you watch the Golden Globes last night? I did, and it really made me wish that I was a celebrity. A bunch of really beautiful people got together in gorgeous evening wear, drank champagne and gave out shiny little statues. Sounds great, right? Luckily the celebs had their phones out and were tweeting the night away!

Click through the gallery to check out some of the best celebrity tweets and twitpics from the show. Maybe if I think hard enough, I can imagine that it was me sitting at that table next to Zooey Deschanel…

Ever feel like everyone around you is suddenly coupling up and you’re the only single person left? Well, that’s how Demi Moore and Katy Perry must feel around Hollywood right about now, because waaaay too many people got engagement rings for Christmas this past year. Was there some kind of amazing sale on diamonds or something? Did everyone just completely blank out on original gift ideas and just decided to go for the gift that keeps on giving—as in once you give someone that particular piece of jewelry, you also have to give them a wedding, a honeymoon, and the rest of your life?!?

Here are all the celebrities who got engaged over the holiday season. In other words, people who seriously thought the world would end once 2012 began, wanted to make some amazing love before their last days on earth, and knew that popping the question to their significant other would seal the deal. And now they have to follow through and actually get married.

initiating the gallery...

What’d you get for Christmas that’s better than an engagement ring?? I’m more than happy with my iPad, thanks.

Ashley is a UC San Diego grad who is holding on way too tightly to a potential career in magazines and goes to Vegas all too often. She’s fascinated with celebrities and strawberry beer and doubles as a pathological texter/emailer/blogger. Feed the addiction with tweets @cashleelee. Thanks in advance.

It’s no secret that James Franco is Hollywood’s modern day Renaissance man. Aside from being incredibly sexy, he’s an actor, screenwriter, producer, director, artist, author, PhD student, and professor. Homeboy does everything. Is he neurotic? Yes. Does that make him any less awesome? No way. I firmly believe that with all of the activities James is doing, he is in need of a personal assistant. James, if you’re reading, I will take on that burden for you. Seriously.

Most celebrities have “people” to update their Twitter and Facebook accounts, but not James Franco. He updates his own stuff. Man likes to be in control, hence why he decided to go on General Hospital and get a million different degrees at various schools. He just can. So please enjoy the pictures that Mr. Franco has uploaded himself on Facebook.