Kate Middleton reveals secret scar from her past. What really happened?

Hair extensions: that was the first assumption gossips made when a recent photo of Kate Middleton revealed a three-inch long mark just above her hairline.

If it were any other celebrity, they probably would have been right. But the low-maintenance duchess had a bigger secret that had nothing to do with beauty. The mark on her head is a scar from a "very serious operation" according to the Daily Mail. St. James Palace officials confirmed Kate's scar was from an operation she had as a child, but wouldn't go into further detail.


Specialists have already weighed in on what kind of operation it might have been: “Anything, including a birthmark, trauma, neurosurgery or a benign growth of the skin,” Dr. Roy Geronemus, director of the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York, told ABC News.

As a low-drama princess, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Kate put her traumatic childhood experience far behind her. Since she first became one of the most-watched women in the world, she's kept an impeccably bright smile at every turn. The only recall of childhood trauma were reports that she was bullied in school for being skinny. No health-related issues have ever been excavated by reporters (and you better believe they've tried). Nobody imagined Kate lived anything but a completely charmed life. But William's princess isn't one to complain.

Never a hair out of place, a fashion misstep, or a T.M.I moment, Kate is known for her poise and resilience. The other night, representing the palace on her own for the first time as host of a Clarence House charity event, was no exception. In an Amanda Wakely silver gown and matching diamond tear-drop earrings she graciously welcomed guests who had expected to meet Kate's father-in-law. But when Prince Charles had a last minute trip to Saudi Arabia, Kate stepped in as palace pinch-hitter, welcoming a swarm of high-profile guests. She did it "with absolute professionalism and charm,” according to palace officials.

She knew her appearance, like every one she's made since her wedding, would be in the spotlight, but she probably didn't realize her hairline would be sharing the attention. The fashion police jumped at the chance to find a flaw in her hairstyle—a seam in her natural beauty. But again Middleton proved she's all real, right down to her follicles. She also proved there's more to her than we'll ever know.

A touch of lace

celebrity dresses with lace.. my favorites out of all 11. Which ones are your favorites?

Top dresses of the week....

These are my favorite dresses out of the top 13 dresses of the week... : ) Which one's your favorite?

'Dancing With The Stars' Judge Carrie Ann Inaba Reveals She Met Fiance Online

After many attempts to find love the traditional way, "Dancing With the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba went online to meet the right guy - and it worked!
"I met him on eHarmony!" Carrie Ann told Billy Bush and Kit Hoover on Tuesday's Access Hollywood Live when asked about fiance Jesse Sloan.
"I was dating all these younger guys. I was like, 'Maybe I need to change it up a little,'" the 43-year-old star said.
While creating her online profile, the "DWTS" judge - who got engaged in March - initially kept her identity secret.
"I didn't put up a picture, I didn't put anything about who I was," she explained, adding that she was very forthright about what she wanted from a suitor. "I was like, 'You need to be sexy. I need to be attracted to you.' I really put exactly what I wanted. 'I love cats!'"
After laying eyes on Jesse's profile, Carrie Ann said felt something special.
"He was the one they sent me. It just felt familiar," she told Billy and Kit. "In his picture, I felt like I already knew him. He took a risk because he didn't know what I looked like or anything."
After months of exchanging e-mails - and still not showing Jesse what she looked like or revealing who she was - Carrie Ann took the plunge.
"A few months later, I finally sent a picture. [It was] me in Hawaii with no makeup," she continued. "We finally went out [on] a supervised date. We went over to my friend's house. It was awesome!
"I can't believe I just shared that with you! [It's] because you guys have those warm eyes," she told Billy and Kit.
Though they've been engaged for months, the "DWTS" judge - who appears on the November cover of Natural Health magazine - said an actual wedding ceremony is a bit in limbo.
"I don't know, I'm not a good wedding planner, I suck... I don't want to plan," she said. "I'm doing private... I wanna do backyard and I wanna do beach."
A walk down the aisle might be on the backburner, but expanding her family is not.
"Trying for a baby, absolutely," she said with a smile. "Whichever comes first is fine. We don't have to be married to have the baby. My age at 43, I have to get moving on the baby. The wedding can come later."
Also on Tuesday's show, Carrie Ann weighed in on Chaz Bono's elimination and his claim that he was unfairly judged at times during the competition.
"I commended Chaz on what he was doing, because what he was doing was very important in the larger scope of life, but the scoring has to do with what they're doing dance-wise. We are able to separate the two, we can do that," she said. "We're able to look at the dance and just judge the dance, and not what they're going through personally... I actually thought we were pretty kind in general this year."
Adding, "Sometimes people get offended by what we say, it happens. We have to judge, our job is to judge."
Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Tops shots of the past few weeks... : )

Chris "The Dutchess" Walton shows off her record breaking fingernails in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011. The Dutchess holds the world's record for the longest fingernails on a pair of female hands, according to the new Guiness World Records 2012 book. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Photographer Kent Smith said he snapped this photo of merging oceans from the deck of a ship. “If you are looking at a map of Alaska and Canada, it is just off shore where the eastern part of Alaska descends down below the Yukon Territory,” he said after posting it to his Flickr account. (Photo: Kent Smith)
A model waits backstage before the Alternative Hair Show in Moscow?s Kremlin, September 28, 2011. (Photos: REUTERS/Denis Sinyakov)
In an unusual role reversal, a fox was spotted trailing a beagle in a forest near Montreal, Canada. The odd fox behavior was an effort to protect four newborn fox cubs nearby. The photographer noted that the fox outwitted the dog and saved the family. “It was the first time in my life when I saw foxes so brave, who managed to fight back in front of a hunting dog.” (Photo: Mircea Costina / Caters News )
Two dogs dressed as police officers look on during a protest defending animal rights in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/William Fernando Martinez)

Ask a Tenor – Clifton Answers 10/21/2011

While you may have thought we’d forgotten about the Ask a Tenor segment, we really didn’t. You see, in between winning a couple of Gemini Awards and performing at the Emmy Awards, making special appearances at special charity events, and fine tuning their upcoming CD, Clifton Murray has been working diligently on crafting the answers to these questions. More than that, he’s been living the answers to these questions. Some things in life are just worth the wait.
One of the things the Tenors hear most often is that their music is uplifting and inspiring. Carolynne Ciceri, a fellow Canuck, wrote, “When I’m feeling blue, I listen to the Canadian Tenors. But what I’d like to know is, what do the Tenors listen to when they are in need of a little pick-me-up?”
Here’s what Clifton had to say: “We’re happy to hear our music brings you respite from the storm, Carolynne. Thank you. And I agree with you. Music is an escape and a way out of the grind and the pressures of the day. It’s no different for us Tenors. Those long flights and plane rides are made a whole lot easier with good music to listen to.
I enjoy a wide range of music. As of late I have Lady Antebellum on my iPod. I love their soothing harmonies and strong melody.”
Clifton went on to mention that each of the Tenors has their own inspirations, which might be found in some of the songs written and arranged by the four-some on their upcoming album. For Clifton, some of his inspirations include Lady Antebellum, Ray Charles, John Mayer, Blue Rodeo, Donny Hathaway, Bob Dylan, U2, Sam Cook and James Morrison.
And he added, “I was recently home for Thanksgiving and my father had Stan Rogers cranked the entire weekend. He is an incredible songwriter and his music is timeless. I love the songs Mary Ellen Carter and Northwest Passage.”
As 2011 starts to draw to a close, people will begin thinking of New Year’s resolutions, or things to add to their “bucket list.” Janet Long, Houston, Texas, asked, “What is one thing on your bucket list? Has this been accomplished yet?”
Clifton was quick to point out that he is living his bucket list every single day.

“I feel so blessed to be on this journey and living my dreams, I really can’t ask for anything more. Perhaps as I get older I’ll start thinking of specific things to tick off the list but right now every trip is a new adventure, and I get to experience things I didn’t think were possible. We have so much to be thankful for, and we owe so much to the fans and friends of the Tenors who keep us touring and traveling and sharing our voices. So, thank you for allowing me to live my dreams everyday. We would hope our music is a way of saying thank you for your support and dedication to the group.”
When Clifton, Victor, Remigio and Fraser walk out on stage, they appear so calm, cool, collected, and the audience is left to believe that they rolled out of bed looking as pressed and handsome as they are at that moment. Surely their entire day was smooth sailing, right? Jennifer Lewis, who hails from Canada, wanted to know if that was the case, and if not, “What is the strangest or funniest thing that has happened on tour?”
Remember that part about them “living the answers?” Well, we weren’t kidding. Here’s Clifton’s version of one crazy 24-hours with the Canadian Tenors.
“We recently performed on the Emmys, which were held in LA, and our schedule was pretty chaotic. We performed in Omaha on the Friday of that weekend, had sound check for the Emmys on Saturday morning in LA, then an event in Victoria for the David Foster Foundation that same night. Following David's event in Victoria, we flew back to LA to sleep there in order to be at the Emmys for dress rehearsal on Sunday morning and to perform Sunday night. It was a crazy schedule, and the only way it was going to work logistically was if we booked a private plane.
Now, we can’t afford private jets quite yet, so we had to call on some ‘friends in high places’ to help us out. He will remain nameless, but you all know him.
Anyway, we did the Omaha gig and the Emmys sound check on that Saturday with no problems. We were leaving LA at 4pm to be at a private event in downtown Victoria at 7 pm so there was really no room for error. The traffic from LA Live (the venue where we were performing for the Emmys) to the airport was pretty bad, as usual. When we got to the airport the plane experienced some engine trouble, and we were delayed for 30 minutes, so time was very tight. We finally got in the air with no time to spare. Of course, this is the time when things usually go awry, and they did. As we started our descent, we noticed on the video screen that our destination indicated Vancouver. We thought this to be a bit odd as our event was in Victoria. Jeffrey (our manager) went to the cockpit to inquire. Sure enough, someone had given the pilots “Vancouver” as our destination instead of “Victoria.” Because of immigration laws, the pilots were required to land in Vancouver before they could re-route to Victoria. We literally landed on the tarmac, did a 180, and took off again! Thankfully, immigration didn’t come out and check our passports or we would have missed the show for sure.
As we took off from Vancouver, it was already 6:30. That meant had 30 minutes to fly to Victoria and drive to the event. There was no time to dress or warm up or prepare. So during our flight, we were all getting ready. Victor was in the bathroom doing vocal warm-ups and getting dressed while the rest of us were getting changed into our suits in the cabin. We were tumbling and bumping into each other from the turbulence as we were humming, doing scales and tying ties. It was the funniest scene with clothes everywhere. We had just buttoned up the last button as we touched down in Victoria, and were singing in the van on the way (and I'm sure the driver was going bonkers). We arrived at the event at 7:20. The organizers had been stalling for 20 minutes. We sang three songs, mingled for 20 minutes, drove right back to the jet and flew back to LA. Thankfully we LANDED in LA. We arrived at 1am, were in bed by 2 and sang on the Emmy’s the next day. Phew!!”
What a story! And with the performance they gave, they looked and sounded as if nothing had gone awry! Who would have ever known!
The Tenors have recently added some new tour dates to their web site. Be sure to keep checking as new dates are continually being added. Clifton said he is especially excited about two shows at the Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto and four dates at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
“Hey, I guess those are two more venues I can tick off the bucket list!”
And check back here soon for your chance to submit questions for our next Ask a Tenor segment where Fraser will be sharing his answers to your burning inquiries!

What Was And Is To Come

By: Theresia Whitfield
Deep green hues on the leaves are turning to bold red, bright orange, and rich rust colors, all blending together making a rainbow signifying that summer has come to an end. Soon, those leaves will be on the ground, and as snow covers the branches where they once bristled in the breeze, The Canadian Tenors will be warming the hearts of thousands of new fans with spectacular holiday songs. But how did we get to this time of year? Didn’t we just start summer?
If you blinked, you might have missed all of the amazing things Fraser, Remigio, Victor and Clifton did in the summer of 2011. Most of their efforts were in putting the fine and finishing touches on their upcoming and much anticipated CD, which is expected to be released in early spring 2012. In keeping with their philanthropic traditions, they performed numerous private concerts benefiting various charities often partnering with David Foster and his Foundation, which provides support to the families of a child waiting for organ transplant. They performed at the two-day extravaganza in conjunction with the annual summer Napa Valley Festival Del Sol at the luxurious Robert Mondavi Winery. They also made a surprise appearance when Foster announced his Miracle Concert at next year’s grand opening of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel in his hometown of Victoria, BC. The event is expected to raise $1 million for his Foundation.
For the second year in a row, the Tenors performed at the Life Changing Lives event. The organization recognizes individuals and organizations who have had a positive effect – by inspiration or by action – on the lives of those who have struggled with disease, loss or adverse situations. The event was held on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and honored a group of New York Fire Department heroes who endured the events of that tragic day. Proceeds went to the Wounded Warrior Project and other charities.
A major highlight for the Tenors was in being honored with two Gemini Awards. They received the award for Best Performance in a Performing Arts Program or Series (Individual or Ensemble) for Season of Song: The Canadian Tenors and Friends (CBC) and the award for Best Production Design or Art Direction in a Non-Fiction Program for Series for Season of Song: The Canadian Tenors and Friends (CBC) – Callum MacLachlan. MacLachlan was the programs artistic director and set designer.
Another highlight came when they were invited to perform at this year’s Emmy Awards. The widely seen television event afforded them tremendous exposure. Following the broadcast, sales of The Canadian Tenors' self-titled debut album soared over 2500%, landing them on the Top 10 of Amazon.com, while downloads of their single, "Hallelujah" jumped an amazing 15,000%.
The Tenors have just returned from their first ever visit to China and are already making plans for a return trip. This month will feature a special, private event with the Tenors performing alongside John Legend. This is a sold-out event. And now they’re working on making the holidays as memorable and special as possible through their music. Holiday concert schedules are posted on the web site. A US & Canada tour schedule for 2012 will be posted as soon as dates are confirmed.
It’s hard to believe that the last three months of 2011 could be any more exciting than the three months they just experienced. But with The Canadian Tenors, expect the unexpected. Come along for the ride. It promises to be beautiful and adventurous.

Martha Stewart's Perfect Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Martha Stewart's Macaroni and Cheese

Adapted slightly from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics (Clarkson Potter, 2007)

Serves 12, but easily halved

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn or diced into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 18 ounces)
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces) or 1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 5 ounces)
1 pound elbow macaroni (or other small pasta shape)

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter (alternately, melt butter in the microwave). Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside. Pull out 1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar, and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and reserve.

2. Fill a large pot with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. In the same pot you used for boiling the pasta, melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.

4. While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

5. Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Pecorino Romano. Stir reserved macaroni into the cheese sauce.

6. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. If after 30 minutes, it's not browned to your liking, broil the topping rather than leaving it in the oven, which may cause the pasta to overcook and sauce to dry out. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot.

Sexist royal succession rules? Tradition favoring boys could change for Will and Kate.

In England, women have the same rights as men—that is, unless they're royalty. The old-school rules of the British monarchy state that gender, not age, dictate lineage to the throne. So if Kate and Will had a girl, she'd only become queen if she didn't have a younger brother.

But the royal era of gender inequality is on the precipice of change, and not a moment too soon. Prime Minister David Cameron has proposed sweeping bans against the monarch's discriminatory, outdated laws.

Under his new proposal, Kate and Will's firstborn girl would have the same rights as their firstborn boy. And, on a larger scale, the rules would no longer favor kings over queens.

"We espouse gender equality in all other aspects of life, and it is an anomaly that in the rules relating to the highest public officer we continue to enshrine male superiority," Cameron wrote in his letter to the monarchy's commonwealth leaders.

Cameron also wants to toss out another dusty rule that bans royals who marry Catholics from succeeding the throne. This law was created during the tumultuous period of church and state upheaval in the late 1600's and Cmeron doesn't believe there's any justification for it in modern day times.

Palace officials haven't weighed in on the proposal officially, neither have Will and Kate. But the fact that the proposal has been raised now, only months into their game-changing marriage, probably isn't coincidental.

Kate and Will have already ushered in a new chapter for the royal family: they lived together long before they were wed, they're actually good friends, and nobody agreed to "obey" anybody else during their wedding vows. Although Will has the royal blood, Kate holds the proverbial conch with the public. This is not your "Sleeping Beauty" fairytale and it seems like a no-brainer that their union would be the perfect time to spark some change in the old-world sexism of the monarchy.

Still, Cameron's proposal isn't a done deal. In order for the changes to take place, he'll need approval from the 16 commonwealth countries under the rule of Queen Elizabeth. He'll also have to contend with the kind of royal-watching purists who are still reeling from Kate and Will's "unorthodox" wedding. Yes, they're out there.

Also surfacing are speculations as to the timing of Cameron's proposal: why now? Could there be a future queen already on board? Consider royal bump-watch officially on high alert.