Happy Birthday to everyone celebrating today, September 1st, including:

1938 – Alan Dershowitz, attorney
1939 – Lily Tomlin, comedian
1946 – Barry Gibb, singer
1950 – Dr. Phil McGraw, talk show host
1955 – Billy Blanks, physical fitness instructor
1957 – Gloria Estefan, singer
1970 – Padma Lakshmi, TV host
1975 – Scott Speedman, actor
1980 – Sean Stewart, musician
1996 – Zendaya, actress

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Padma Lakshmi is completely fierce in new ads Danskin.  She is one of four women selected to front the activewear company’s Fall 2011 campaign, titled “Move For Change.”

The campaign portrays Hilary Duff, Jenny McCarthy, Christie Brinkley and Padma participating in their favorite form of exercise.  Padma chose boxing, and does she ever bring it.  She explains why this is her sport of choice:

Boxing is extremely gratifying, and the hardest workout you’ll ever love.  It just makes you feel stronger inside and out.

Catch some outtakes from her Danskin photoshoot after the jump.

(Read the article)

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Padma Lakshmi stepped out the the 8th Wayuu Taya Foundation Gala held at Urban Zen in the Stephen Weiss Studios in New York City on Monday, June 13th.

The Wayuu Taya Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 2002 to help improve the lives of Latin-American indigenous communities while maintaining and respecting their traditions, culture and beliefs.

The Top Chef host recently spoke to OK! Magazine about her daughter, Krishna Thea and her healthy eating habits.

“She’s great, She’s growing, she’s eating and talking up a storm.”

“Just the usual. She’s a really good eater, which I’m really happy about. She likes black-eyed peas and kale. Just the normal stuff.”

Well, maybe if you’re mom is Top Chef host, your child will like kale, but I’m not sure about most kids. Hopefully she hangs on to enjoying her greens!

More Padma photos are under.  (Read the article)

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Padma Lakshmi attended BRAVO Media’s 2011 Upfront Presentation at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood earlier in the week.

The Top Chef host wore a gray strapless dress with tulle ruffle overlay detail at the bustline and waist. Lakshmi accesorized with simple drop gold earrings and gold cuff and pulled her back from her face.

The day of the upfront was also the day of the Top Chef All-Stars finale, Wednesday March 30th. Lakshmi tweeted she was glad she would be able to talk about the winner and catch up with her family.

“Here in sunny LA and can’t wait for the finale tonight so I can finally talk about it! And say hi to grandma!!”

More photos of Padma are below including Padma and new Top Chef: Masters host Curtis Stone.  (Read the article)

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Top Chef All-Stars finale was held tonight and the two remaining contestants or cheftestants as BRAVO likes to call them, cooked their hearts out.

Mike Isabella and Richard Blais went head to head and dish to dish in the Bahamas for the $200,000 grand prize.

No quickfire in this episode for Blais and Isabella, but 15 of the previous chefs were back to compete to be their sous-chefs in the last meal of the season.

Through a blind taste test Isabella ended up with “Mikey’s Angels:” Carla Hall, Jamie Lauren and Tiffani Faison.

Blais chose Spike Mendelsohn, Angelo Sosa and the previously eliminated Antonia Lofaso.

To not spoil it for those who haven’t seen it yet, just highlight below for the winning chef.
And the winner was: Richard Blais!

The fan favorite was down to Carla and Fabio Viviani.
And the winner of the $10,000 prize was: Carla Hall!

This was a fantastic season.

Can’t wait for the reunion show next week when Elia Koteas verbally spars with Tom Colicchio.

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Padma Lakshmi attended the 3rd Annual Blossom Ball to benefit the Endometriosis Foundation of America at the New York Public Library in New York City on Friday, March 18th.

Lakshmi and Dr. Tamer Sackin founded the organization to raise awareness and encourage research of the disease that 1 in 10 women suffer from.

The Top Chef host and cookbook author chose a Sabayasachi sari for the event and looked stunning as usual.

Top Chef All-Stars is gearing up to finish the season. A new episode is up on Wednesday March 23rd titled “Last Supper,” where the remaining three cheftestants, Richard Blais, Mike Isabella and Antonia Lofaso cook for Masaharu Morimoto, Wolfgang Puck and Michelle Bernstein, as well as Padma, Tom Colicciho and Gail Simmons.

More photos of Padma are under. (Read the article)

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Adam Dell has engaged the very private Padma Lakshmi in a public battle for their daughter Krishna Thea.

The Top Chef host has been hit with court papers from Dell, a venture capitalist and brother to computer guru Michael Dell, who is suing for full custody of their child. Dell and Lakshmi have had an out of court agreement due to expire on February 20, Krishna’s 1st birthday. In that arrangement, Dell was allowed 9 days with his daughter.

Dell is also reported to still be bitter about the baby’s name:

Sources tell us Adam is still furious over the name Padma chose for the baby.  We’re told two days after Krishna was born, Adam went to the hospital and launched into a 4-hour tirade over the name.

Lakshmi, who has never publicly confirmed the paternity of her child, is upset about the publicity this generates and wanted to handle the disagreement privately.

The former model and wife of author Salman Rushdie is currently involved with billionaire Theodore “Teddy” Forstmann.

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Padma Lakshmi reclines in a crisp white dress for the cover of Vogue India’s January 2011 issue. Lakshmi is a stunningly beautiful woman and while she looks good on this cover, it’s fairly boring.

The Top Chef host spoke to the magazine about her body, what it was like for her when she was married to author Salman Rushdie and the birth of her daughter:

On her body, flaws and all: Padma Lakshmi clearly states that she has never looked or felt better than what she is today. She believes that what you lose in youth, you gain in sex appeal; what gravity takes away, you gain in wisdom. “My body is a blueprint of my life, of every tragedy — emotional or physical”. Whether it’s the stitches she got from a handsome doctor when she sliced herself while cutting a potato in Corsica, or the impossible-to-miss seven-inch-long scar on her arm, the result of a car accident in Malibu when she was 14. She wears it proudly now, a badge of survival.”

On people’s perception of her during her marriage to Rushdie: “I do think that as a beautiful woman, people don’t want you to be smart. The way I looked may have distracted people. So I had to negate the way I looked. But compared to what I gained, it was a microscopic struggle.”

On daughter Krishna Thea: “I wasn’t trying to get pregnant, I was told I couldn’t,” says Lakshmi, referring to her endometriosis, a cause she now campaigns for fervently. “It’s been such a profound experience. Words seem silly to use. I’m trying to think of something illuminating, but all I can say is that it is by miles the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I am amazed by this ability to produce life, to sustain it. I was so afraid I’d lose her, but she really wanted to be here.”

Follow Padma on her twitter and catch her on Bravo’s Top Chef All-Stars Wednesday nights at 10pm ET.

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Top Chef All-Stars turns the heat up on Wednesday nights and the gorgeous host Padma Lakshmi and judge Tom Colicchio grabbed TV Guide’s cover out December 2nd.

The guide ran into a bit of hot water as it was accused by online blog PopEater of lightening Lakshmi’s skin tone for the cover. TV Guide denies this and the original story is removed from the website.

“If her skin appears lighter, it’s because we shot her in a brightly lit diner as part of the cover concept. We did our normal color correcting, which is standard for printing,” the magazine said.

The statement continued, “Padma’s skin tone is beautiful, and we did nothing to adjust it.”

Padma looks great as always, Tom is wonderful – I see nothing out of the ordinary on this cover. Her skin tone does not look lightened. Both Padma and Tom look slightly washed out as the lighting was a bit overzealous, but that is not uncommon on magazine covers.

What do you think?

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The Cheftestants are back and ready to kick culinary booty.

Top Chef season 8 is a departure for the previous years. This time around former contenders to the title are taking each other on to prove that their elimination the first time around was wrong.
This years cast of 18 chefs with brilliant knife skills include:

Season 1: Tiffani Faison and Stephen Asprinio
Season 2: Elia Aboumrad and Marcel Vigneron
Season 3: Dale Levitski, Casey Thompson and Tre Wilcox
Season 4: Richard Blais, Antonia Lofaso, Spike Mendelsohn and Dale Talde
Season 5: Carla Hall, Jamie Lauren and Fabio Viviani
Season 6: Jennifer Carroll and Mike Isabella
Season 7: Tiffany Derry and Angelo Sosa

Now that is a pretty great set up for this battle of the almost winners.

Who’s missing? Stefan Richter (season 5) – the Stefan/Fabio bromance was fab – and a Stefan/Jamie round 2 – Stefan would be so over her by now! Sam Talbot (season 2)  and Bryan Voltaggio (season 6) great chefs, hot guys – what else do you need? Ed Cotton (season 7) – wearing Tiffany’s dress around the TC penthouse was funny stuff – and he was getting under Angelo’s skin in the end – now that rematch could be epic (and get him out of the ho-hum Iron Chef kitchen as Cat Cora’s sous chef.) Lea Ann Wong (season 1) she was a great counter balance to Tiffani D and I think Lea Ann and Carla would be all kinds of hilarious and talented Girl Power!

The beautiful Padma Lakshmi and Gail Simmons return and Big Poppa Tom Colicchio is taking his place at the judge’s table. The formidable (and always good with a sharp verbal sting) Anthony Bourdain pops in to make the contestants quake in their sensible shoes and black chef jackets.

The first elimination is going to be rough. Be ready.

Top Chef All-Stars premieres on Bravo Wednesday December 1st at 10pm ET.

[image: Bravo TV]

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