Shakira Comforts Footballer Boyfriend | "Don't be sad" You Have ME! | Gerard Pique After His Team Loses To Bitter Rivals

Look of love: Shakira looked heartbroken as her Barcelona footballer boyfriend Gerard Pique headed to the stands to see her after his defeat against Real Madrid last night


As a professional footballer, there's nothing more crushing than losing a cup final.

And if you play for Barcelona, defeat at the hands of your bitterest rivals Real Madrid only heightens the disappointment.

Luckily, for one player, there was a fine consolation prize waiting in the stands at Madrid.

Gerard Pique, 24 , was the lucky man in question, and his commiseration came at the hands of his stunning girlfriend Shakira, 34, who also just happens to be a pop superstar.

Fit of Pique: Gerard rushes straight to Shakira's arms after his team lost the game in a 1-0 defeat


Pique was dejected after Barcelona were narrowly beaten to the Copa Del Rey, the King's Cup, in last night's game, which was played in Valencia.

It was a tight match, with Christian Ronaldo's extra-time goal being enough to separate the two rivals.

Downcast faces peered over the famous burgundy and blue strip as the result started to sink in, but lucky Pique headed to the stands.

There he climbed through fans and headed straight towards the pop sensation, who looked devastated for her boyfriend.

Comfort: It was some consolation for Pique to have his girlfriend on hand


Hundreds watched, obviously warmed by the sight, as he ran towards the beauty.

They shared a look of understanding and sympathy, before Shakira stretched her arms towards her toy-boy.

She the clasped him to her, holding his neck as she stroked his face.

They didn't care who was watching, but the crowd looked on fondly.

Columbian singer Shakira only revealed she was dating the soccer ace last month, but they have proved how close they are on a number of occasions since then.

She confirmed her relationship with Pique last month when she posted a picture of the two of them on her Twitter account with the caption, 'I present to you my sunshine'.

Loser: Pique in action against Madrid's Sami Khedira in the game that Real won in extra time


Real Madrid's goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas celebrates with the trophy after winning the Spanish Cup final against fierce rivals Barcelona

Christmas Albums | Christmas Albums Range From Naughty To Nice

Calvin Coolidge, of all people, once astutely noted that Christmas is not a date. It is a state of mind.

It is that state of mind in all its many shadings - joyous, blue, reverent, sassy, loving, somber, playful, warm and thankful - that successful holiday music strives to express in art.

This year brings a somewhat smaller bundle of new Christmas discs, but there's still a diverse selection of albums from artists of varying sensibilities and generations.

Here are some of the most notable new entries to the Christmas music catalog.

"Midwinter Graces" by Tori Amos (Universal Republic)

Amos is part feminist, part pagan pixie and part creative loon. She's also the slightly wayward daughter of a Methodist minister. On "Midwinter Graces," Amos strives to reconcile that bumptious mix in a coherent blend.

The album honors the ancient pagan traditions that celebrate the natural cycle of death and renewal, winter and spring. Indeed, Amos divides the album into the four elements of air, earth, fire and water. She gives voice to her mystic heart on original songs such as "Winter's Carol" and "Snow Angel." Yet she also respectfully updates traditional carols honoring the Christ child, including "What Child Is This," "Coventry Carol"

Sean Payton Approval Rating | Latest Updates

This was something I wanted to do last week at the halfway mark of the season but never got around to it. I thought it would be interesting to take the temperature of fan sentiment regarding head coach Sean Payton and try to get a quantifiable answer as to how fans feel he is doing in his job as head coach this season.

Personally, Payton gets an "A" from me. Pretty hard to find fault with the coach of a 9-0 football team. In fact, my initial hesitation with writing this post was that I thought his excellent work this season was too obvious and evident and that it would just be a waste of time.

But just for funsies, let's do it anyway! Cast your vote below and grade Payton's performance so far. Of course, your greater take on the subject can be expressed below in the comment section.

"Gloria Allred" | Awkward Moments | "Hall of Famer"

Gloria Allred gives really good news conference, and her latest

Gloria Allred

Embattled nightclub executive Rachel Uchitel left her home in New York City' Meatpacking District (which strangely and I kid-you-not was the home of Alex, the character played by Glen Close in Fatal Attraction) at 5:45 AM only to be greeted by media representing TMZ.com and the New York Daily News. They peppered her with questions from "So you're seeing Gloria Allred", to "How do you feel about Tiger Wood's wife", and also "You know, you're pretty."

But who is Gloria Allred?

Allred's is a founding partner of Allred, Maroko & Goldberg, and a self-described "Feminist Lawyer" who built her career by taking up legal cases for seemingly defenseless women against male-dominated organizations. The legal battle that made her name was a lawsuit agaist the then-all-male Friars Club in Beverly Hills, where she became its first female member. Later she represented Paula Jones in the sexual harassment case she lost to Bill Clinton.

Allred is known as a very outspoken, combative, liberal counselor, who's a much sought-after media pundit, appearing regularly on shows like Larry King Live. In short, Allred's someone you hire when you feel you're rights as a woman or minority have been violated at a high-profile level.

By hiring Allred, Rachel Uchitel is sending a powerful message that she means business in defending her name in the Tiger Woods scandal. I can't help but think her ultimate target is The National Enquirer, but given that publications love for big spotlight battles to protect its stories, this could be a heck of a war.

I can clearly see Rachel Uchitel's concern because she works with a large number of high-profile high rollers and does not want her professional reputation compromised.