Tina Fey is a household word. Amy Poehler isn't a stranger either. Now that they've both left Saturday Night Live, Kristen Wiig is the female headliner - the senior woman in SNL's ensemble cast.

If you don't know her name, you should. She's been compared to Lily Tomlin, and she makes me laugh out loud -- something I rarely do.

The New York Times has a terrific article on this surprisingly shy woman who's developed characters (the Target Lady, Penelope the chronic liar who one-ups everyone in the room, and Aunt Linda) that are every bit as memorable as Gilda Radner's Roseanne Rosannadanna and Baba Wawa. (This coming from a lifelong Gilda fan.)

But that's just my opinion. See what her co-workers and friends have to say, including Amy Poehler who, upon her departure from SNL, passed the "lady-comedy" crown to Wiig.

Related articles:

• Tina Fey and SNL Set the Tone for 2008 Election
• Amy Poehler to Leave SNL After 2008 Election
• Two New Female Cast Members Join SNL

"Barack Obama will be inaugurated two days before the 36th anniversary of Roe v Wade," notes author, activist, and reproductive rights expert Gloria Feldt. She's focusing on the new administration's priorities in the area of women's reproductive healthcare.

Few women are better suited to comment on the state of reproductive rights in this country. And Feldt knows this topic intimately. A teenage mother back in the days when teen pregnancy was hushed up or quickly 'corrected' with a shotgun marriage, she rose to become president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Feldt has spent years on the front lines of choice, tracking every piece of legislation that has eroded what Roe v. Wade brought about in 1973 -- safe, accessible, legal abortion.

For a thorough (albeit whirlwind) tour of the major reproductive issues of the past few decades, read Feldt's piece, "Beyond Roe: Toward Human Rights for Women." Although written as a book review, Feldt concisely touches upon the noteworthy events and reveals Bush's legacy-- a legal system packed with anti-choice judges who don't want Roe to stand. She sets the stage and identifies what an Obama administration will have to repair and set right.

Many of us may be breathing a sigh of relief now that staunchly pro-life George W. Bush is gone. After all, candidate Obama said that if elected he would make preserving a woman's right to choose a priority.

But with a shaky economy, conflict in the Middle East, and many more pressing issues, his attention may be elsewhere.

We have to remind him of his stated priority, and we must support state and federal legislators who are like-minded. Roe may seem safe, but we need to pitch in to make its footing solid once again.

_{A candlelight Roe v. Wade vigil in January 2003
Photo © Alex Wong/Getty Images}

Related articles:

• Roe's 35th Anniversary - What Have Women Gained Over the Years?
• An Overview of the Roe v. Wade Decision
• Background on Roe v. Wade and Legal Arguments
• What if Roe v. Wade Were Overturned?

In a commentary for Women's eNews, Sheila Gibbons wonders if media coverage of the soon-to-be First Lady Michelle Obama (or any other in the future) will ever move past what she wears, how she parents, and what' her favorite comfort food is.

After all, she's an attorney who graduated from Harvard Law School and was a working mother until her husband's presidential campaign took off. She is much more than "First Mom," and as Gibbons notes:

Michelle Obama's impressive life credentials alone ought to inspire inquiry about her capacity to contribute to public life in the special role she will soon have. But conventional media's view of White House occupants--a type of elected royal family--consigns the first lady to a somewhat unreal role akin to a king's consort.

Take a look at the challenges faced by Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama and you'll see -- she is intelligent enough and innovative enough to reshape the role of First Lady into something that more approximates the complex lives of working mothers across the country. We need a role model, and she needs a challenge. It's time for a change.

Related articles:

• Profile of Michelle Obama
• Observing Michelle Obama - Scrutiny as the Candidate's Wife
• Michelle Obama Doesn't Sugar Coat

Here's a disturbing story from the UK about a 23-year-old who looks 12 and has never reached puberty because she's starving herself to retain a childlike appearance.

Vikki Hensley consumes less than 1,000 calories a day and weighs 77 pounds. She says she doesn't want a curvy shape because "I wouldn't feel comfortable attracting men's attention."

Like so many other professional women focused on their careers, attorney Michelle Robinson wasn't going to 'go there' when a coworker insisted that they go out on a date.

A first year associate at the law firm Sidley Austin in Chicago, she resisted the romantic overtures of the first year law student assigned to her. She'd been chosen as his advisor because they had several things in common; both had attended the same law school (Harvard) and were minority students.

Yet Michelle had formed a specific impression of him even before he stepped foot in the office. She'd seen his file and dismissed him as a "very intellectual nerd." She was prepared to be polite -- nothing more.

But when Michelle Robinson actually met Barack Obama, she was pleasantly surprised.

She tells CNN's Suzanne Malveaux, "He was cuter than I thought he'd be."

"I just found him intriguing in every way that you can imagine. He was funny, he was self-deprecating, he didn't take himself too seriously. He could laugh at himself - we clicked right away."

But she didn't date him. She passed him off to friends. Because that's what professional women focused on their careers do. "I was taking my job as an advisor -- I was his advisor -- very seriously. And it was my first responsibility as an associate....I didn't see a relationship coming out of that."

Many women in her situation say that it doesn't feel right to date someone they supervise. Understandably, that's where Michelle was coming from.

But after working with him for a month, they developed a very solid friendship. So when he asked her once again for a date and she responded, "No, it wouldn't be the right thing to do," he said, "Who cares?" She finally agreed to spend the day with him, though she refused to acknowledge it as the 'D' word. But by the end of the day, as Michelle describes it, she was 'sold.'

What was that first date like? You'll have to see the clip on CNN for all the details. In short, he played it safe by covering every base; he mixed up the day's activities with a visit to an art museum and lunch at an outdoor cafe, they took in a showing of a controversial Spike Lee film, and ended the evening with drinks on the 99th floor of a skyscraper overlooking the city lights below.

Every step of the way, he did the right thing to win her heart.

Gentlemen, take note of the President-elect's dating style. After all, Valentine's Day is just over a month away.

_{Barack and Michelle Obama in June 2008
Photo © Scott Olson/Getty Images}

Related articles:

• Profile of Michelle Robinson Obama
• Michelle and Barack Obama Marriage Profile

Making promises to ourselves in the old year that we fail to keep in the new year seems like a lousy way to jump start change.

This year, I was deliberate about not contemplating resolutions until after the holidays were over. (It's like trying to decorate a home or apartment before you've moved in -- you have to inhabit the space to really understand it.) Now that I'm firmly entrenched in 2009, several issues seem much clearer.

Although I know what the word 'resolution' means, for the first time I'm seeing it as 're-solution.' And if a solution is the answer to a thorny problem or tricky question, why not focus on fresh, broad-based solutions at the start of a new year, rather than revisit past resolutions that are too specific and set you up for failure?

Here's my 5 New Year's Solutions For 2009 - a set of flexible guidelines rooted in the hard lessons of 2008:

• Buy what you can easily afford or absolutely need, not necessarily what you want. Picture yourself with your purchase 3 months, 6 months, a year, even five years down the road. Does it have long-term value, or is it an impulse purchase? Is it an essential, or is it just stuff? If it came into your home, is there something you could give up in return to keep the clutter in your life at a minimum?
• If it's too good to be true, it is. Avoid it at all costs. A real 'happily ever after' doesn't come your way without hard work, prolonged effort, and quid pro quo (this for that -- a fair exchange of goods or services). If someone's willing to give you a $350,000 mortgage and you're currently unemployed, that's too good to be true.
• Practice the 48 hour rule -- sleep on it for a couple of nights. If you're contemplating a purchase, trying to make an important decision, or involved in a heated argument, don't do anything for two days. The cooling off period gives you a chance to return to a more rational state before you decide, and it can provide a taste of how it will be to live with -- or without -- what it is that's confronting you.
• Are you doing it for you -- or for the approval/attention of others? If you could buy this thing, take this job, work on this project, or go on this vacation but not tell anyone else about what you're doing, would you still do it? If no one could ever see that expensive handbag on your shoulder or those to-die-for shoes on your feet, would they still make you happy?
• It doesn't need to be new to be new-to-you. Some of the best pieces of clothing in my closet or furniture in my home were previously owned by someone else. It's a way for me to afford enduring, good-quality items on a limited budget and indulge myself. It's also very practical. If the idea of buying used items that are big-ticket or highly personal (such as clothing) scares you, start small. In one of my favorite cookbooks, the author writes of how she's found her most useful kitchen utensils at the Salvation Army or other thrift stores; if you're squeamish about this, she recommends soaking the item in the sink with some bleach.

There are no great revelations above. Just a few simple observations gleaned from my own experiences and the advice and example of others. If you have some of your own solutions, please share your wisdom below.

It's amazing to feel the optimism and hope that 2009 is ushering in, even as many of us face stiff challenges and real problems. These are times that call for solutions, not resolutions. May one or more of the above guide you in the year ahead.

Related article: Frugality is the New Black

Why have all the big-name TV hosts on New Year's Eve traditionally been male? Every year as I click through the channels I can't help but notice that women are conspicuously absent except as musical guests, reporters on location, or arm candy-styled sidekicks.

I can't recall any of these forgettable females, but I can name the men we've seen year after year after year.

In our grandparents' heyday it was Guy Lombardo. Then Dick Clark stepped in in 1972 and for decades seemed ageless; only after his 2004 stroke did USA Today downgrade him to 'the father figure of New Year's Eve.' Now Ryan Seacrest (who's been hosting alongside Clark for the past 3 years) has risen through the ranks to have his name officially added to "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest."

At NBC, Carson Daly is a fixture after five years of hosting. At CNN, Anderson Cooper has been inexplicably paired with Kathy Griffin. (Whoever set that one up clearly isn't a professional matchmaker.)

Only MTV is pushing the envelope and going with a solo female host -- Miley Cyrus -- assisted by co-hosts The Veronicas.

So where's 'the mother figure of New Year's Eve?' If she's anything like me, she's driving around town in the early evening taking her teenagers from one party to another. Then she's fixing snacks and getting drinks and hanging out at home, watching the ball drop in Times Square in her jammies. She's staying up until 1 or 2 to pick up the kids after their parties are over; wearing a long down-filled coat and a pair of Sorel boots, she heads out bleary-eyed into the snowy, frigid night to operate Mom's On-Demand Taxi Service.

Don't we deserve something more?

New Year's Eve used to be associated with the images of an old man with an hourglass and a baby with a top hat. The old man was Father Time, representing the old year drawing to a close. The baby with the top hat was the new year, wearing a sash emblazoned with the year's numerals.

Why not update that image and work a woman in somehow, perhaps starting with the name Eve? New Year's Eve would be a depiction of the first woman -- or Everywoman -- being reborn in the new year; she'd be lush and ripe with possibility and change and hope. Maybe the New Year's Eve female figure -- like her male counterpart -- could wear a sash, except that hers would read "HOPE."

It's not that farfetched. How many TV commercials have you seen in the weeks leading up to tonight that have advertised weight loss programs, health club memberships, smoking cessation hotlines, or any of a number of other businesses built on change? Change is rooted in hope, in the belief that we can be different and evolve into a better version of ourselves in the new year.

My hope in 2009 is that next year at this time a capable woman will be hosting a New Year's Eve program. If a woman can run for president and vice president in 2008, is that too much to ask?

According to People magazine, 18-year-old Bristol Palin, daughter of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, gave birth on Saturday, December 27, 2008, to a baby boy weighing 7 lbs. 7 oz. The Palin family's penchant for odd, unique names is evident in their first grandchild -- Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston -- who takes his last name from his father Levi Johnston.

Why the name Tripp? Who knows? Here's a couple of thoughts:

• For many teens, Tripp brings to mind the clothing manufacturer Tripp NYC, which describes itself as "specializing in goth, punk, industrial, new wave, and club fashion." How does the company feel about sharing its name with a scion of the Palin family? Tripp founder/designer Daang Goodman replied, "I just hope he will grow up to be a Dark Street Goth-Punk Rebel against war and become a person who bears no arms, loves peace, art, music and Tripp NYC fashion." (Since neither Bristol nor Levi seem particularly into club fashion, that's probably not the basis for the name.)
• Perhaps the politically-minded Palins named Tripp after Herman T. Tripp, a prominent Alaska politician and Republican member of the First Alaska Territorial Senate from 1913-1914. Like Sarah Palin, he too started out as mayor; Tripp was mayor of Juneau, Alaska from 1906-1907.

Does Tripp's name indicate Governor Palin's interest in a US Senate seat? Did she even have a say in the selection?

UPDATE (December 31, 2008): Reader jcdevildog offers other possibilities for naming the baby Tripp:

"Tripp" is a common upper-class nickname (at least in the South)for someone who is the third of his name, e.g. James Howard Blassengill III. There are a lot of preppies who go by "Tripp": maybe the baby's parents thought that was a classy name, not knowing that no prep would actually NAME their yuppy-puppy "Tripp". Or maybe the Palin-Johnston offspring is named after Matthew McConaghy's character in "Failure to Launch" or Donald Sutherland's in "Dirty Sexy Money". Pretty sure it's not for Linda Tripp: I doubt even Gov. Grandma remembers who she is!

Related article: What's the Meaning Behind the Palin's Kids' Names?

Imagine a child working up to 20 hours a day, mopping, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning, doing laundry...with no breaks and no days off. Picture her at age 10 with red, chapped hands covered with hardened dead skin, sleeping in a dark unheated garage, washing her clothes in a bucket...while the wealthy family that enslaves her is living steps away in a Tuscan villa-styled 5-bedroom, two-story home.

This could never happen in the US, right?

It did, in a gated community in California, where for nearly two years Shyima -- a victim of child maid trafficking -- was kept by a wealthy Egyptian couple who had five children, one a girl the same age as Shyima.

In many cases, girls like Shyima are leased by their parents to earn money for their impoverished families. According to an Associated Press article, the practice is common in Africa:

Tens of thousands of children in Africa, some as young as 3, are recruited every year to work as domestic servants. They are on call 24 hours a day and are often beaten if they make a mistake. Children are in demand because they earn less than adults and are less likely to complain. In just one city — Casablanca — a 2001 survey by the Moroccan government found more than 15,000 girls under 15 working as maids.

The U.S. State Department found that over the past year, children have been trafficked to work as servants in at least 33 of Africa's 53 countries. Children from at least 10 African countries were sent as maids to the U.S. and Europe. But the problem is so well hidden that authorities — including the U.N., Interpol and the State Department — have no idea how many child maids now work in the West.

The article is heartbreaking to read.

Thanks to an anonymous tip, the California Department of Social Services learned of Shyima's plight. The couple involved pleaded guilty to forced labor and slavery; they were fined, jailed in federal prison, and deported. The story has a happy ending for Shyima, but if you read until the end, you'll see that this isn't the case for another little girl somewhere in Cairo.

Actually, it's the Top 12 Most Influential Women of 2008. And if we're going to split hairs, it's the Top 8 Most Influential Women with four groups of women that I count as individual 'entities.'

And if you need bragging rights and haven't sent out your holiday newsletter yet, you'll be happy to know that I've named you in the Top 10...or 12...or 8 plus four groups...you get the drift.

Before you click through, grab a piece of paper, make your list, and see how many we agree on.