Spring has sprung and bromance is in the air.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but is there anything hotter than two men who are such good friends they are often confused as lovers? I think not. Maybe it’s because they exhibit the exact characteristics I look for in my own relationships with men. Think about it, guys in bromances are sweet and understanding, they crave intimacy and inside jokes, they use nicknames and share common interests, and they aren’t afraid of affection (even with other men). It’s the perfect relationship – and no need to search for the
right diamond engagement rings or plan a wedding!

Of course I would never get in the way of a bromance. It’s just not my style. But I would have no problem, say, nestling into a bromance sandwich. Why break up the friendship when we can make it a threesome (or in some cases, a bromance orgy starring me)? Unfortunately it may be some time before I end up in the same room as the Apatow hotties, so for now I’ll just have to settle for the hottest bromance gallery of all time. Click on each image to get a full size shot and enjoy!

She is the All American Girl, Goldie Hawn’s daughter and my ultimate girl crush. Who is she? Kate Hudson!

My feelings for Kate began to blossom the first time I saw her in Almost Famous and now it’s a full-blown love affair. She has it all: beauty, talent and that precious boy, Ryder Robinson. She steals the show in every movie she’s in from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days to Fool’s Gold.

You almost want to hate her perfect hair, skin and wardrobe, but you can’t! Kate Hudson is the America’s sweetheart and you can’t help but want to sit on a couch and eat takeout with her.

Hudson is sweet and cheery, and that bubbly personality is what draws us to this peppy blonde. In reality I think we could call her our modern day Barbie. She is the blonde babe that every man is after, luring in Chris Robinson, Owen Wilson, Dax Shepard and Lance Armstrong. And why not? This girl has the hottest bod goin’ and she’s made it abundantly clear that she got it the healthy way.

In January she was voted best dressed by Vogue, just another reason why I love her. Her bohemian-yet-glamourous style is totally her own, and she pulls it off perfectly. And it’s not just Vogue (and me, her biggest fan) that thinks so; her style and beauty have been flaunted for years on the cover of magazines from People to Elle.

But, the best and coolest thing about Kate Hudson is that she isn’t some pampered, spoiled star; she actually gives back to the community. Kate started participating in community service projects before 1997 when she graduated from Santa Monica’s Crossroads School. She’s not just doing good deeds because she’s famous – she’s doing them because she cares.

I heart Kate Hudson. For her beauty, style, soul…and for being the cutest mom around.

Some of my favorite weekends and least regrettable hangovers are courtesy of long nights spent playing traveling drinking games. Forget laid back games involving ping pong balls or a deck of cards – I’m talking about mobile, interactive drinking games that get you drunk quick and keep you there all night.

Plus you’ll have some fantastic photos of your sloppy buddies in novelty costumes…for better or worse.

My two favorites are Le Tour De Franzia and Liquid Golf. Here the rules:

If you look online, the Tour has a few variations. Here’s how we do it where I come from:

1. Assemble two or three teams of 10-12 people each. Prior to the event, give each team a color or tell everyone to come in cycling/fitness clothes. Helmets are encouraged (and may very well be necessary by the end of the night).

2. When the whistle blows, each team starts drinking a box of the best boxed wine around: Franzia. You can keep things tame, or get rid of the box for increased excitement. “Slapping the bag,” is half the fun of drinking boxed wine. Heaven knows it doesn’t taste very good.

3. Now in some variations of the game, the first team to finish the box wins…but what’s the fun in that? It’s a Tour right? When I’ve played, the first team to finish can run/skip/leapfrog/crab walk/etc. to another house to drink another box. If you don’t have another person willing or able to host, each team can travel around the block and come back inside. The traveling is the best part (it provides endless opportunities for hilarious photos) so don’t leave this part out!

4.The team who finishes the second box first earns the yellow jersey…err wins. You can make the event more official and fun by incorporating a Jock Jams CD, some fun fake medals (think Office Olympics), and posters of Lance Armstrong.

Liquid Golf is also tons of fun. Here’s the breakdown:

1. Liquid Golf involves a bit of set-up. You’ll need a headcount of who’s playing, people to host/bars to go to, and you’ll need to make a score sheet. You can find a few of those online. You’ll also need a little bit of knowledge in golf scoring. Encourage everyone attending to dress in golf apparel. The end results of this are very funny as some people show up looking like extras from The Legend of Bagger Vance, while others wear actual Nike Golf polos. Either way, hilarity ensues. (Editor’s Note: FACEBOOK PIC!!)

2. Once you know who’s playing, pair people up. I like to keep the teams co-ed, or at least combine strong drinkers with weak ones.

3. The game works like this: Each pair is required to take down the drink/s listed at each house or bar. The drinking responsibility doesn’t have to be even, meaning one person can drink the entire hole if they so choose, but they probably wouldn’t be able to keep up the pace for long. If the drink/drinks are consumed within the pre-approved time-limit, the team makes par. The team that finishes first gets to subtract two points. The team that finishes last or any team that doesn’t consume their drinks in the pre-approved time-limit has to add two points to the par.

4. When the time limit is up, teams travel to the next house or bar for a new hole. Game play continues until all the holes are completed (a true rarity) or if they’re the last team to throw-up (much more likely).

Here are our holes from the last time we played: Four beers, two vodka lemonades, a bottle of champagne, three Tequila shots, two screwdrivers and two vodka gimlets. No, this is not 18 holes. Yes, that is still ok; even the strongest teams were brought down after the tequila shots. I don’t even think we made it to the house serving gimlets. 18 holes would have killed someone.

Be advised that neither of these games is for the faint of heart, literally and figuratively. If you’re hosting, encourage challenge by choice, and serve water and a few snacks. If you’re concerned about safety, you can also make the teams larger, as the events are still fun and everyone consumes less booze. It’s also a good idea to have a Sober Referee. Not only does he or she keep things fair, but they can help people navigating streets and let people know when it’s time to call it a night.

Anyone else have any awesome drinking games? I’ve heard of a great one called Beer-A-Thon but can’t find the rules? Any idea ladies?

[Photo: sizzup.com]

So here is a little gossip to keep your blues at bay until the weekend finally comes!

• Ashley Olsen was spotted sucking face with Lance Armstrong at an NYC Hotel Bar on Monday. Apparently, they left together around 2 am. This Sunday, Lance will be partying down with his foundation at the restaurant where I work and if Ashley Olsen shows up, I might just pee my pants. (NY Post)

• Roberto Cavalli confirmed to the press that J.Lo is prego and he has been designing clothes for her as she grows. All this took place at the launch of his new Vodka. Yes, Vodka. Now we all knew J.Lo was preggers but what I want to know is why Roberto Cavalli is selling vodka. Last time I checked, fashion designers and disterllies had little in common. (People)

• The Catholics are fired up at Britney for pictures appearing in her new CD. In one, Britney is confessing, in the next she’s sitting on the priests lap. It’s about the only press she is getting from her new album since Jive has totally given up on her doing any promo for Blackout. And the courts agree she is still a bad mom. Oh, Britney. (ET Online, NY Daily News)

• J. Simp and Owen Wilson went on a date last Sunday out in LA. Shouldn’t he be worrying more about his recovery and less about Jessica Simpson’s breasts? Just saying… (http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/bwiddicombe/2007/10/31/2007-10-31_for_owen_wilson_jessica_simpsons_just_wh.html”>Gatecrasher)

• Mischa’s little sister Hania has already got the troubled teen routine down. She arrived at a fashion show last week wasted and the designer wouldn’t let her walk. Apparently she already has one rehab stint under her belt. Bring on the next! (Page Six)

Frightening, right?

According to the ever-scandalous Page Six, Ashley Olsen and Lance Armstrong were seen together at the Gramercy Park Hotel’s bar on Monday night “making out” while Ashley “sat on Lance’s lap”.

The pair, 21 and 36, have a 15-year age difference between them and about a billion Ex’s. Armstrong was recently linked to Sheryl Crow and designer Tory Burch, while Ashley seems to have dated pretty much any guy who thinks she’s cool.

The creepiest part about this pairing is the fact that Lance Armstrong always struck me as a super-responsible, super cool guy. Something about winning 7 Tour de Frances and beating cancer made him seem laid back and experienced, a dude who sought out cool, traveled friends and mature women. To see him making out with Ashley Olsen crushes everything I (we?) previously thought.

Plus…ew.

The girl doesn’t seem like she could keep up with a sloth walking down the street, let alone a world famous cyclist who apparently doesn’t understand the word tired.

I mean, what is the attraction?

Guess this is a lesson in the dangers of idolization; let the media make you believe someone is more than human, and your heart has that much farther to fall when you see them making out with a 21-year-old multimillion dollar bag-lady wannabe.

Ugh. Where’s my remote? I gotta find a scary movie to take the terrifying image of an Ashley Olsen make-out sesh from my mind.

Politically it is unfavorable, socially unacceptable and statistically unbelievable, but many American heroes wore the scarlet letter. Some people claim that the founding fathers of our nation were nearly all infidels including Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Adams, Jackson and even Abraham Lincoln, stating that they had no direct belief in Christianity.

It wasn’t until the late 1950’s that “In God We Trust” became our national motto and was printed on paper currency to counteract “Godless“ communism. So if America wasn’t founded on Judeo Christian beliefs, where did these strong religious undertones come from, and why the hell is there a bible in every seedy motel in America…right beside the vibrating bed?

Next time you are on vacation open up that bible in your hotel and notice where it comes from. All bibles are distributed throughout American hotels by one specific organization. An evangelical society over a hundred years old founded by two traveling salesmen, Gideons International now makes sure 112 bibles per minute are distributed across the country. But it wasn’t until 1908 that numerous copies found their way into hotels, nursing homes and firehouses. Around the same time, “In God We Trust” was implemented on to our paper currency and “one nation under God” was put into the Pledge Of Allegiance. Originally, the piece contained no reference to any deity but when the threat of communism was plaguing America Eisenhower felt the need to instill religious values as a moral compass and symbol of national unity. Thus, blurring the lines of church and state.

Perhaps you have heard the saying: “There are no atheists in a foxhole”, but there are quite a few soldiers who beg to differ. As a result of Katie Couric recently evoking the statement on NBC’s Today, atheist civil rights groups are up in arms and after viewing The FX network’s “reality” docu-series 30 Days: An Atheist Among Christians, I learned a few important facts about America’s most oppressed non-religion:

Statistically, America is 75% Christian and as “one nation under God”, only 5% of our country is considered atheist. Shockingly, their approval and acceptance is lower than all other minorities, actually making the bottom of the list. When asked via survey, it has been discovered that American parents would rather their children marry any minority over someone with no faith in God or a supernatural power. When voting for president, women, homosexuals, and other minority groups had a higher approval rating than a candidate that was a non-believer.

The question is: Why are we so intimidated by non-believers and can we eliminate the great divide?

Atheists are not moral deviants nor does their belief give them an ethical carte blanche to wreak havoc on society. They are simply defined as people who hold no belief in a higher power, people who believe that in death existence is terminated. For some reason, the most scientific way of seeking truth in the world is tossed aside for supernatural mythology. There is nothing wrong with committing to a religion, but you would think something faith based would be more taboo than the rationalization of science.

Many people maintain that politics and religion are personal topics to steer clear of in passing conversation. But an open social dialogue is what keeps people informed and can be an open door to different points of view. Yes, saying “I am an atheist” is a dicey move, you may even get a blank stare from the crowd across the room, but it is important not to compromise your beliefs for acceptance. Angelina Jolie, Julianne Moore, Bjork, Roseanne, Bill Maher, Howard Stern, Lance Armstrong, Kathy Griffin, Ray Romano and Billy Joel have all professed their disbelief in organized religion and proclaimed themselves members of this highly controversial system of thinking.

Woody Allen, a devout atheist once said; “Not only is God dead but try getting a plumber on weekends.”

Amen to that…or woman for that matter.