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Allison Pearson is a well-known columnist in the UK thanks to her frequent musings on politics, celebrities, and royals, and she's found additional success in her side career as a novelist. Her first book, I Don't Know How She Does It, is being made into a movie starring Sarah Jessica Parker, and her second was just published in the US. I Think I Love You is Allison's fictional story of Petra, a die-hard Welsh fan of David Cassidy in the '60s. The book, in two parts, focuses on Petra's worship of the teen heartthrob from afar during her adolescent years, and later when her path finally crosses David's as an adult. The subject of idolization certainly is one that girls today can relate to thanks to Twilight and Bieber fever. Allison was in NYC recently on a press tour that included a stop by The Today Show, and I was able to chat with her about modern idols like Robert Pattinson, the life of a writer, meeting SJP, and being married to New Yorker film critic Anthony Lane. Here's more:

TrèsSugar: How did you know the story of a teenage David Cassidy fan was the story you needed to write about as a second novel?
Allison Pearson: I didn't want to write another book because I was completely exhausted having written the first one and I'd done a lot of publicity for it. But I was in Norway with a group of women from the publisher and some journalists, and they said, "You have to write another book." And I said, "No way!" And then they said, "Well what would you write about if you were ever to write it?" . . . All the women around the table were chat, chat, chatting about Donny Osmond, this person, that person, and there was one woman who didn't say anything. The Norway women said David Cassidy was huge in Norway, which I didn't know. We were all chatting, and the woman who stayed very silent, I was thinking she thought we were all ridiculous. Then she looked at me and said, "But he was mine." And I thought, OK! That's it! You have to write it.
TS: It's about such a specific time in girls' lives.
AP: You don't want the boy to get out of the poster on the bedroom wall and come down, really. It's about being in love with someone who will never hurt you because you'll never meet them . . . It's quite a brief period — about a year or so. My daughter, who's quite a huge Robert Pattinson fan, would still claim to be. You know in Twilight, you've got camp Jacob and camp Edward. One of her very good friends admitted that she quite liked Taylor Lautner — the treachery! It's like she's defected from East Germany or something!
TS: Sounds like she's a saboteur!
AP: There's also that funny thing where they don't know if they're in love with the actor or the character. So she was team Edward, but then there was Rob . . . My husband [Anthony Lane], who writes about film for The New Yorker, said, "But he's not a good actor!" She's like, "Daddy, how can you say that!?"

To read more from Allison on modern idols like Robert Pattinson and Justin Bieber, as well as on meeting SJP, just read more

Recently I sat down with a group of people to conduct my first-ever sake tasting. The event was hosted by SakeOne, a craft sake brewer that's based out of Oregon and known for producing award-winning and fun-flavored sakes.

The tasting paired 15 sakes with different artisan cheeses also from the beaver state. As I took my first sip of the grassy, smooth, vanilla-ish Momokawa Diamond, I realized that I didn't know very much about sake.

Here are 10 facts that I learned from the experience.

1. Contrary to what I was taught in college, the appropriate way to sip sake is not hot and dunked into a mug of beer, but rather, cold. In Japan, sake is served chilled. Because heating it will mask the flavor, if sake is offered hot, that means it's poor quality, bad-tasting sake.
2. All sake needs a special mold to ferment. It's called the koji mold. At SakeOne, they hand-mix the koji into the rice to help break down the starches.
3. The water that's used to make sake is more important than the rice. Only the purest of water can be employed, as it directly affects the taste and quality of the sake.
4. Although sake is known as rice wine, its production is more similar to beer than wine.
5. To make a batch of sake, the entire process of brewing, fermentation, and maturing takes three weeks.

Keep reading for more things you may not know about sake!

To help curious lovers celebrate Valentine's Day, the California Academy of Sciences museum in San Francisco turned its weekly Wine and Dine event into an evening about sex and science this past Sunday. The night included an hour-long tour about the sex lives of the Academy's most amorous animals, followed by a delicious three-course dinner at the museum's restaurant The Moss Room. I was invited to attend and found it to be a wonderfully nerdy and romantic date! Below, find five things I learned about sex in the animal kingdom, and how it compares to our own mating practices.

Some animals:
Can last longer. Thanks to a penis bone, seen above, certain animals can have sex practically nonstop for days. For example, male lions can mate every 20 minutes with a female in heat. Such frequency raises the chances of pregnancy, and guarantees that the male lion knows the offspring is his. Animals with a penis bone never soften or shrink — so you know humans do not have such bone. But how come? Scientist suspect that a lack of penis bone helps female humans select healthy males, since it takes a level of health to get an erection. Viagra is throwing a wrench in evolution.

Mate for life. Just like us, some animals, like penguins, find a mate for life. When penguins are young, they test out different partners, but once they find the one, they perform a series of rituals to cement the bond (like a wedding, but free). When a mate dies, they will attempt to find another.

Are less picky. Jellyfish, for example, practice "broadcast spawning." The male shoots sperm out into the water, and the female gathers it up not knowing whose it is. The animal version of a sperm bank!

Can change sex. Many creatures under the sea can change sex in order to keep a balance of males to females. So for these hermaphrodite species, there really are always more fish in the sea — because if you can't find any decent males out there, the females will just become male themselves!

Have flings. Creatures like the leafy seahorse mate with an exclusive partner for a breeding season. Just like human Summer lovin'.

Not only did he reveal his favorite aphrodisiacs, but handsome chef David Bazirgan, of the Fifth Floor Restaurant, also shared his recipe for oyster chowder! With its creamy, velvety broth and chunks of plump oysters and soft potatoes, this chowder is to die for. At Fifth Floor, the chef serves it in a shot glass as part of an appetizer that features oysters five ways. When offering it at home as a seductive starter or entrée, I recommend reducing the amount of half and half. His recipe calls for a soup base that's entirely half and half, but that's a bit rich, so I cut it with chicken broth. The resulting chowder is briny, bacony, and brilliantly delicious. For easy-shucking, soak the oysters in water. Ready for the recipe? Read on.

As a Bachelor fan who looks forward to the ridiculous drama every Monday night, I've always found it impressive that alumni Trista and Ryan Sutter have maintained a healthy relationship. Then I found out that the pair, who have been married for seven years (an eternity in reality-TV relationships), work hard on their marriage. Putting bashfulness aside, the couple signed up for The K-Y Brand Intimacy Experiment, a 10-day relationship boot camp meant to help couples reignite the spark both inside and outside the bedroom. Some of the challenges are less risqué than you'd think. For example, couples are encouraged to turn their bedroom into a "love nest" by removing clutter or anything else that can cause stress or distraction.

I chatted with Trista and Ryan about the experiment and much more — including their thoughts on this season's Bachelor Brad and villain Michelle. Keep reading for their thoughts!

TrèsSugar: Why did you get involved in the Intimacy Experiment?
Trista: We wanted to help spread the word that it's not a bad thing to work on your relationship. We thought it was a good way to reconnect in our marriage and refocus our priorities.

TS: Is it paying off?
Ryan: The biggest help has been being conscious about what your bedroom looks like, or how you can help to convey a more positive message through your interactions with your partner. Day-to-day stuff like more hugging, or more compliments, or spending time together in the kitchen cooking. Things that are not directly sexual encounters, but they lead to better opportunities later. As a guy you don't realize what you can do to help stimulate a healthy relationship or what detracts from a healthy relationship.

TS: So, are you guys still watching the show?
Trista: I am!

TS: Who do you think Brad will choose?
Trista: I think Chantal and Emily are up there. I don't know that Emily is ready quite yet; I think there's a lot of pain still there, and rightly so. I think he and Chantal have great chemistry.

TS: What do you make of crazy Michelle. Is it editing?
Trista: I've always subscribed to the fact that they cannot make you say something. They can't put words in your mouth. I think it's a little bit of both, but more skewed toward her actions. Yes, they're playing psycho music when she's on, which I think is hysterical. But she did say on her 30th birthday, "It's my birthday!" "It's my birthday!" "It's my birthday!" "It's my birthday!" "It's my birthday!" "It's my birthday!" — and you're like seriously, we know it's your birthday! Yes, it's editing, and it made a lot of people aggravated because they used her thing so many times. But if you're on a show, don't say something if you don't want it to be used.

TS: Here's a reader question. What do you regret from your season of The Bachelorette? Get the answer after the jump!

Do women really love red roses? How much should you spend on a gift? Do single people plan on hooking up on Valentine's Day? We got the answers to those questions and more when we teamed up with Ask Men and polled thousands of men and women about Feb. 14. We wanted to find out just how much men and women agree, or disagree, on the specifics of the lovers' holiday. The results are in! Take a peek into the collective mind of each gender just in time for Valentine's Day with our handy infograph!

Want to know more? Read all the results here.

Seasoned fashion journalist Kate Betts already gave us a preview of her new book Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style, by selecting eight iconic Michelle Obama outfits and telling us why they matter. After speeding through the book — a definite must read of February — I asked Kate a few questions about how our current first lady combines style and substance. Read our conversation below:

TrèsSugar: In the book you discuss how Michelle Obama's stylish example has impacted young women, especially those who are African American. How does Michelle show style and fashion can empower women, considering we hear about how the fashion industry can have a negative impact on a young woman's self-image?

Kate Betts: For young African American women, she's obviously an amazing role model. She's probably the first style icon that they've known in their lifetime that's not in the entertainment or sports business. That's a powerful thing. She got where nobody thought she could with her intellectual power, and she used her style to carry her on this amazing trajectory. And what I think she's trying to show, without talking about it, is how feeling good about yourself, dressing well, taking care of yourself can empower you. And I think she's speaking directly to young African Americans who strive to emulate her. But I think it's a message for all women.

In Michelle's case, she traveled through unfamiliar territories like Princeton or corporate law firms, and I think her style was totemic for her. It was part of herself that she was holding onto. In those foreign environments it's easy to feel pressure to fit in and to become something else, and I think the White House is the biggest example of that. The pressure to dress for the job and "become" the first lady is intense. But she often says, I'm a better first lady when I'm Michelle Obama than when I'm "The First Lady of the United States."

TS: How come Michelle Obama's "be yourself" message comes off as more authentic than when it's written in women's magazines?

KB: We see Michelle as this authentic person. It feels like her public persona is her private self also. So we really believe her and have faith in her. It's easier than with a magazine that may seem inauthentic because they use models or because there's somehow commerce behind it.

TS: How much of Michelle Obama's regular mom, J.Crew-wearing style is calculated for political reasons? Get the answer, as well as a peek into Michelle's stylish college days, after the jump!