“Writer, broadcaster, dieter and all-round mega star, Oprah Winfrey is enjoying a relaxing break in Portofino, Italy.

Portofino is proving to be very popular with celebrities this summer; Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony are on holiday there at the moment and footballing hearthrob Wayne Rooney wed Coleen McLoughlin at Villa Durazzo last month.

About Portofino:
Portofino is a small Italian fishing village and tourist resort located in Genoa on the Italian Riviera.

According to legend, Portofino was named Portus Delphini - or Port of the Dolphin - by the Romans, due to the large number of dolphins that inhabited the Tigullian Gulf.” (via celebsonholiday.com)

Pointswizard Spin: Click here for Conde Nast Traveler guide to Portofino

“SEATTLE - Guys-only gatherings — from informal poker nights to organized Rat Pack-esque Vegas vacations — are nothing new.

But after years of being out of favor, they’re finding a renewed respectability among younger males and businesses eager to market to them.Travel agencies such as I’m In! and Kayak.com have begun promoting guys-only vacations — or “mancations” — to places such as Mexico and Hawaii. Last summer, a few guys from Avedesian’s poker night took their first all-male vacation together. Now they plan “to make the mancation an annual tradition,” Avedesian says.Last month, a Seattle group called “Guys Night Out” organized a steak-and-scotch dinner for men to raise money for charity. And Spike TV has successfully traded on the appeal of programming designed by guys, for guys.

Even when it seemed that fraternal orders would become extinct as their members died off, the organizations are now drawing a younger generation.Chris Moore, 42, a Seattle businessman, and six male friends recently joined the Ballard chapter of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. One of the many reasons for joining was “a chance to hang out with the guys,” Moore says.Today, all-female groups outnumber all-male groups.

Dr. Warren Farrell, co-author of “Does Feminism Discriminate Against Men?” and one-time professor at the University of California and Georgetown University, says that ratio is as high as 100 female groups to every male group.Given those statistics, it’s not surprising that the social pendulum is beginning to swing back, clearing the way for advertisers and a new generation of men to reclaim the guys night out.

“The mere presence of a woman in a group of heterosexual men changes the entire energy,” says Robert Glover, a Bellevue, Wash.-based therapist and author of “No More Mr. Nice Guy.”That happens for two reasons: First, men are biologically inclined to make themselves attractive to females, even if there is no immediate possibility of mating with her. And second, most men in our society were socialized by women, since most day-care providers and elementary-school teachers are female.When you take out that X-factor — or, rather, the XX-chromosome factor — “there’s suddenly no need to get approval. Men don’t need to censor themselves around other men. It’s freeing.”It’s also therapeutic, said Farrell, who has debated men’s issues on CNN News, ABC’s “20/20″ and “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”" ( via chicagotribune.com)

Pointswizard.com Spin: CLICK to read the whole article

 ”

FANS’ PARADISE | Star’s comfy shop features her passions, gurus

What would it be like to walk into Oprah Winfrey’s consciousness?

You can get close by walking into the new Oprah Store, a mishmash of the star’s sayings, passions, gurus and even her closet, right down the street from Harpo Studios on Chicago’s Near West Side.

Perhaps you’d need to make a purchase and delve deeper into the experience.

In that case, feel stress-free in an Oprah nightgown and baby-soft socks, writing in your “Passion” journal while sipping hot tea from a mug emblazoned with one of Oprah’s favorite quotes. “Live Your Own Dreams” is always a heart-warmer.

It’s all about comfort and self-expression — and lots of attention from hovering salespeople — at the store at 37 N. Carpenter, set off by large acrylic O’s that light up at night on the entry walkway. Inside, bamboo, pastel colors and a brightly lighted loft set the tone.

Oprah fans have had a week to browse the 5,500-square-foot store.

The most popular item? On Thursday morning, 70 shoppers snapped up $13 cosmetics bags decorated with blue, yellow, pink and purple O’s.

The setting ranges from subtle messages — small O’s hardly visible on the pockets of workout shirts and pants — to out-and-out Oprah worship, with photos of Oprah and her favorite causes on the walls, and a TV mounted on a wall rerunning “The Oprah Winfrey Show’s” 20th anniversary special.

” (via suntimes.com)

Pointswizard.com Spin: Click here to read the whole article

Oxygen’s upcoming reality series Tori & Dean: Inn Love with an online contest
to name the B&B owned by Tori Spelling and hubby Dean McDermott.
One lucky winner will be flown to the grand opening gala and awarded a
$2,000 shopping spree. The premiere of Tori & Dean: Inn Love on
Tuesday, March 20 at 10:30 p.m. ET.