I?m not much of a celebrity gossip hound. On the whole I couldn?t care less about, you know, what brand of diapers Julia Roberts uses on her babies or who the new recipient of Brad Pitt?s beard burn is, or which reality show contestant got a rose from The Donald or whatever (and when did ?reality? show contestants start to get coverage in the media, anyway? Wasn?t the point originally that these shows were about regular (ie not on the cover of People magazine) folks?). All I care about in actors is their work, not their damn shoe size or dishwasher. They can sleep with whomever they wish and keep it to themselves, thank you very much.

That said, I came across a rather cool bit of celebrity-related news yesterday that I just have to mention. A newspaper article was brought to my attention about mega-superstar Hollywood couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith in which (and I really hope this is true and not fabricated) the pair disclosed that they have an open marriage!

I know, ?open marriage? is a loaded term for many people, along the lines of how some think ?bisexual? is code for ?actually gay? or ?just confused.? How can, some wonder, a devoted, connected couple have sex with other people without their relationship dissolving into a wreck of deceit and jealousy?

Well, it?s certainly not for everyone, but non-monogamous or polyamorous relationships, with strong communication and agreed-upon boundaries are successful for lots of couples. (Some couples make rules or write contracts detailing what?s acceptable and expected: are any acts off-limits? Is group sex or individual encounters acceptable? Can new friends spend the night?). They certainly take lots of checking in, honesty, and dealing with those feelings of jealousy, but for many the benefits of maintaining a deeply-connected, functional primary relationship while being available to new, rewarding sexual experiences is completely worth the work.