Jerry Seinfeld To Save Marriages

Do you miss your Seinfeld time on TV? The wait for his return is almost over. NBC just announced that Jerry Seinfeld will return as the creator and executive producer of a new show called The Marriage Ref. According to the release, the show will feature "opinionated" celebrities, comedians and sports stars who will candidly comment, judge and offer different strategies for real-life couples in the midst of a classic marital dispute. Seinfeld dds, "This is not a therapy show, it's a comedy show. After nine years of marriage, I have discovered that the comedic potential of this subject is quite rich." Six one-hour episodes have been ordered for a planned fall release. Hopefully Seinfeld himself will make an appearance on camera, but there's no information of that yet. From somebody else this type of show could come off as cheap drivel, but in the hands of a comic legend, The Marriage Ref has big laugh potential.

Love After Layoff

When one spouse loses their job, it's not just a financial strain on the marriage, but also an emotional one. A British study released late last year by the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex found that couples who experience job loss are more likely to divorce within a year than their employed counterparts. This flies counter to other studies that have said the financial crunch slows divorces because people can't afford them--if nothing else. In this article from MSNBC, Nicholas Yrizarry, a financial planner from Reston, Va., says he sees two types of couples: the ones who are obsessed with money and material things and allow a layoff to destroy their marriage; and the ones who have a mature relationship and adversity only brings them closer. "They are the types that can live in a phone booth together and still be OK," he said.

This is a good reminder of what really matters in life. That doesn't mean that money troubles aren't real. Yrizarry offers the following steps couples should take:

1. Sit down "calmly" and discuss what your assets are.

2. Come up with a financial plan to deal with the loss of income and strategies to get a new job--or have a non-working spouse get a job. Assess your options for taking on temporary work or retraining if your skills are not marketable anymore.

3. Implement the plan.

On the emotional front, he recommends being respectful and supportive of each other and making sure not to play the "blame game." It's a time to be constructive and supportive, especially in troubled times.

What Kills Sex in a Marriage?

Two recent books address this issue, "The Sex-Starved Wife" by Michele Weiner Davis (which we excerpt here), and "He's Just Not Up for It Anymore," by Bob Berkowitz and Susan Yager-Berkowitz and the authors were interviewed by USA Today. Here's what they said:

Q: You surveyed more than 4,000 men and women online who identified themselves as currently or in the past being in a sexless marriage (sex 10 times a year or less). What findings surprised you the most?
Berkowitz: It shocked me that 68% of men said the reason for their slumping sex drive is that "she's not sexually adventurous enough." That's a lot of finger-pointing. So many used "not adventurous" as an excuse.

Yager-Berkowitz: A number of men in our survey said the wife had gained too much weight — 38% of men said she "gained a significant amount of weight." Also, it surprised me that 30% of men admitted they had ED (erectile dysfunction). Even 15 years ago, I don't think that would have happened. Now that there are some solutions and some hope, that's allowed a conversation to open up.

Q: You and Redbook magazine surveyed 1,004 women online about their husbands' low sexual desire; you say that low desire is often mistaken for erectile dysfunction. Why?

Weiner Davis: So many people in the general public think low sexual desire is synonymous with ED. He doesn't want sex because he can't have sex. There is some truth to that, in that ED can turn into a problem of low sexual desire, but it is vastly overrated as the only reason men turn off to sex. A man who has erectile dysfunction does not always have low sexual desire. In fact, he will only get low sexual desire if he can't find some effective way or means to remedy the situation because then it becomes an ordeal rather than pleasure. But if a man learns how to manage and overcome it, he might have very high sexual desire.

Click here to read the complete interview.

Husband Wakes from Coma After Wife Pulls Plug

Some stories are almost to miraculous to be believed. If it were written into a movie you'd probably think it was cheesy, but this story is real. Mike Connolly's heart stopped beating and his wife called 911. The paramedics worked for 35 minutes to get his heart working again and doctors say his brain stopped receiving oxygen for at least 10 minutes (more than four minutes is supposed to cause brain damage). Mike lay in a coma for 96 hours and every time doctors attempted to bring him out of a coma Mike suffered seizures. The family finally decided to disconnect life support. Then Mike woke up! To this point, there doesn't seem to be any major complications with his condition and Mike seems to be on his way to recovery. Click here to read the complete, amazing, story.

Top 5 Videos Games for Couples

The old days of video games are for boys are long gone. Recent data shows that women play games just as much as guys. So what are the best games that the two of you can play together? MSNBC has put together a list of their top five. Coming in at No. 5 is a remake of a classic racing game, Mario Kart. The newest version can be played on the Nintendo Wii. No. 4 is recent phenomenon Guitar Hero, available for all major consoles. No. 3 may be a controversial pick single it's only a single player game in which the player is an attorney out to solve crimes in Phoenix Wright (for Nintendo DS). At No. 2 is another surprise pick, the horror survival game Resident Evil, available on all major consoles. Lastly, again for the Nintendo Wii is WarioWare: Smooth Moves, where players can compete in over 200 mini games. This list definitely has some surprises. What games would be on your list?

Beware of Cute e-Cards

Hackers are using Valentine's e-Cards to sneak malicious software onto unprotected computers. According to this article from MSNBC it works like this, "they want you to click on the link in the e-mail or instant message to retrieve your e-card. That will send you to their web site which has malware waiting to be downloaded." The code will then access a user's e-mail address book and send replications of the e-card message to them. One of the scams offers a free development kit that supposedly lets you create your own Valentine e-card. The message features a pair of Shih Tzu puppies (see image of what bogus e-mail looks like). Click on the link to get the kit and you've just infected your computer.

So to stay safe, if you don't recognize the recipient don't open the e-mail. If you're searching for an e-Card to send to your spouse, be sure the card is coming from a reputable source or look within your own e-mail system for a template you can use without using a third party. Have a safe V-Day.

VDay on the Cheap

Consulting firm Brand Keys found that Americans will spend an average of 15 percent less this Valentine's Day than they did last year. BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation, found that consumers plan to spend an average of $102.50 on Valentine's Day this year, down from $122.98 last year. This article from MSNBC says this is the first dip in spending in eight years. The article says individuals should expect just a card instead of a gift card. The beauty of this drop is that it will help many couples refocus the importance of the holiday to love, not money or gifts. Do you plan on cutting back? Are you going to visit a cheaper restaurant instead of your usual favorite? If you have any cheap ideas, please share.

Best Romantic Comedies

If you're thinking of staying in this Valentine's Day or if you are just looking to find a movie compromise to snuggle up to while the weather continues to chill the outdoors Moviefone has put together a list of the 25 Best Romantic Comedies. Starting the list at No. 25 is "My Best Friend's Wedding" starring Julia Roberts. At No. 20 is "Harold & Maude," No. 15 is "Muriel's Wedding," No. 10 is "Bridget Jones's Diary," and No. 5 is "Pretty Woman" another Julia Roberts flick. We won't give you the rundown of the top 5, but we will hint at No. 1. It's a Meg Ryan film and it's not "Sleepless in Seattle," "You've Got Mail," or "French Kiss." Check out the list and tell what your top 5 list looks like.

Scientific Facts About Love

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, we thought this article on the science of love was timely and interesting. It's from Happen magazine and it offers 10 "crazy" facts. For example, being in love drops the serotonin levels in the brain, which can lead people to obsess about their lover. Another items suggests that their may be a "right" way to kiss. People are more likely to tilt their heads to the right when kissing instead of left, says a report published recently in the journal Nature. A scientist from Ruhr University in Germany analyzed 124 pairs of smoochers and found that 65 percent go toward the right. Perhaps most interesting is a study from the Twin Research Unit at St. Thomas' Hospital, London. The study says that if one twin exhibits infidelity, the other twin strays 55% of the time. In the general population, the number is 23%. Click here to read the full article.

Economy Good for Therapists Bad for Mental Health

USA Today is reporting that as the economy unravels, so is the mental health of U.S. citizens. "I've never seen this level of anxiety and depression in 22 years of practice," says Nancy Molitor, a psychologist in Wilmette, Ill. "The mental health fallout has been far worse than after 9/11." The article reports a staggering 40% jump in the demand for therapists from June to December. So what are we supposed to do? Unfortunately there are no easy answers and if professional help may be the best option. Psychologist Salvatore Maddi of University of California, Irvine suggests there are three qualities of those who are able to maintain their emotional health in these tough times. Maddi says these "hardy people" stayed committed to what they were doing; they didn't back off or become alienated. They also sought control, trying to influence what happened to them, looking at every avenue for solutions. They saw stressful changes as inevitable and took them as a challenge, an opportunity to grow.

HUD To the Rescue

If you're facing foreclosure and are located in any of the cities of Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York or Phoenix then the U.S. Housing and Urban Development government agency would like to offer free mortgage delinquency and default resolution counseling. The program was developed to help those who face losing their home. Their may be other options, the first is to call your local HUD agency at (877) HUD-1515 or visit www.hud.gov. So does their counseling work? A recent HUD study noted a 55 percent increase in the number of clients receiving foreclosure prevention counseling between 2006 and 2007. Of the approximately 136,000 families that completed this counseling during 2007, 45 percent were able to remain in their homes while 14 percent ultimately lost their home through foreclosure. That's a pretty good success rate and definitely worth a phone call. To read the complete release, click here.