Actress, comedian and autism activist Jenny McCarthy, a hometown Chicago girl, graces the March 2009 of Michigan Avenue magazine. In her interview, she talks about her love of Bikram yoga and reveals her best beauty secrets. "It's oh-so revealing," Oprah says.

Never one to hold anything back, Jenny opens up about one of Hollywood's most hush-hush treatments—Botox. "People were surprised I was so open about [Botox]," she says. "When people see everyone in Hollywood, they look up to them. I think everyone should be honest about what they're doing."

After some trial and error, Jenny says she's found a way to make the treatments look more natural and avoid the "frozen face" syndrome. She says she gets injections in her forehead, but she asks her doctor to use just a small amount. "I mean a little bit," she says. "I'm not promoting it, but anything that makes you feel good..."

In the interview, Jenny also refers to her longtime love, actor Jim Carrey, as her "husband." Since she's been married before, Jenny says she didn't need the white dress and legal documents.

"We were very honest right from the start and said we don't need that piece of paper to prove our love," she says. "I'm so madly in love with him. To know that I'm with him because I want to is the best secret."

In this day and age, Jenny says marriage licenses should be treated like driver's licenses. "Expires after four years," she says. "Then you look at each other, and you figure out if you want to renew it or let it expire."

Ali Wentworth, another member of Oprah's panel, has been married for almost eight years and says she agrees. "I would like to kind of regroup every four years," she says. "I don't want out. I'm happy. But I'd love to sit down and kind of go, 'Hey, just for the record…maybe not the underwear on the floor every night.'"
Contrary to popular belief, Jenny says she and Jim don't sit around laughing at their own jokes.

"That's the number one question. … We're very spiritual, very serious, very loving," she says. "We don't watch the news. We try to stay away from newspapers. We read a lot of spiritual books."

Jenny says their main focus is growing together spiritually. They also manage to keep the spark alive at the same time. “The sex is still awesome,” she says.
Over the years, Jim has also developed a close bond with Jenny's son, Evan. Jenny says Jim will let out his silly side when he's playing with Evan or telling stories.

"It's the most animated, hilarious thing ever," she says.

On St. Patrick's Day, Jim even dressed up as a leprechaun to entertain Evan. "Evan was out of his mind," Jenny says.

Jenny McCarthy appears on the cover of Michigan Avenue magazine and talks candidly about social networking, plastic surgery and her boyfriend, Jim Carrey. Highlights Below:

Her Beauty Secret: "I love Botox, I absolutely love it. I get it minimally, so I can still move my face. But I really do think it's a savior."

Cyber-Stalking an Ex: "I think a lot about my high school sweetheart, Tony LoBianco, who I dated from the time I was 12 till I was 19. So, he was like, my whole life, and then I posed for Playboy at 20. I've never talked to him since, and I've always wondered what he thought ... And don't think I didn't try to Facebook Tony LoBianco or MySpace him."

Her Own Facebook Status: "I signed up for Facebook a long time ago, but I have no picture. But there are people who are pretending to be me, and they have more stuff about me on there than I do. So I'm the Jenny McCarthy with nothing on there."

Walking Down the Aisle With Jim Carrey: "I don't feel the need at all to wear the white dress again. I did it. I marked that one off the fantasy file."

Jenny McCarthy may have gotten her start in the pages of Playboy, but don't expect her to pose for the mag again.

"I'm 36 - not that means I'm 100, but I just really like my clothes on now," she said in a new interview with Michigan Avenue magazine.

But the star, looking fresh and glamorous in the mag's six-page spread, stays in shape with Bikram yoga (the style of yoga in which the room temperature is heated up) and admits to the occasional touch of Botox.

"I love Botox, I absolutely love it," she said. "I get it minimally, so I can still move my face. But I really do think it's a savior."

And though Jenny McCarthy has spent a happy three years with comedian boyfriend Jim Carrey, another thing she said she wouldn't do again is tie the knot.

"I don't feel the need at all to wear a white dress again," she said. "I did it. I marked that one off the fantasy file."

Adding that she calls him her "husband" anyway, she said that while Jim's been a great father figure to her son, Evan, she wouldn't be trying for children with him.

"I can give all my attention to Evan, and... I can do all the great work that I want to do," she said. "I don't have another little baby to go home to. So I feel like God has a bigger plan for me than to get pregnant again."

She also opened up about Evan, who she said has lost his autism diagnosis after a year of diet and detox.

"He is the most talkative, social 6-year-old little boy, who loves to play with his friends," she told the mag. However, she does have some regrets about making their battle public.

"The hard part is everyone from this day on will know Evan's business," she said. "People say, 'Don't you get worried that you made him the poster child for autism?' And I say, 'He's the poster child for hope.'"

Jenny McCarthy is an outspoken fanatic about the cosmetic treatment Botox. She admits in the new issue of Niche Media's Michigan Avenue Magazine:
"I love Botox. I absolutely love it. I think plastic surgery is fun if it makes you feel good. I'm all for looking better, so I plan on doing whatever I want when the time comes." Thought the actress is all about putting her best face forward, she reveals that showing off her body is a different matter.

The one-time Playboy pinup says, "I won't be posing again, I'll tell you that. I'm 36-not that that means I'm 100, but I just really like my clothes on now."

From Playboy bunny to comedian to parenting author, Jenny McCarthy's career has taken some unusual twists and turns. Jenny's new book, Healing and Preventing Autism, hits stores this month and the 36-year-old mom recently chatted to Michigan Avenue magazine about her 6-year-old son Evan, her relationship with Jim Carrey, and why she'll never pose for Playboy again.

On handling her son Evan's autism diagnosis: "I Googled autism and found a community called Generation Rescue, which is a parent-run organization of moms who have been teaching other moms about diet, nutrition, supplements, and detox, and they have done an amazing job of healing their kids. I thought, Well, do I follow this path of moms who are saying their kids got better, or do I follow the path of the medical community who say these kids can't get better? So I followed these parents and I'm so glad I did, because within a year of doing diet and nutrition with Evan, he lost his autism diagnosis."

On how Evan is today: "He is the most talkative, social six-year-old little boy, who loves to play with his friends."

On her deal with God: "I kind of made a deal with God, saying, 'If you help me and you show me how to heal Evan, I promise I will teach the world how I did it.' The hard part is everyone from this day on will know Evan’s business. People say, 'Don't you get worried that you made him the poster child for autism?' And I say, "He's the poster child for hope.'"

HE GOT GAME: Treasured court time

As a basketball player, President Obama has game. And you can take that to the bank.

So says someone who should know — about Obama, basketball and banks: Illinois state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias.

In Niche Media's Michigan Avenue magazine, Giannoulias says, "I have the distinction of being the guy who bruised Barack's ribs before the Indiana primary. People always ask me about his game. I tell them all the same thing. He plays tough but not dirty, and he's a lot stronger than he looks."

"A group of us played together on Election Day. We talked about basketball — no politics. When the game ended, we all realized the gravity of the situation. A basketball player from Chicago was about to change history and become president of the United States."

Got plans yet for St. Valentine's Day? Check out these Valentine packages being offered by some of Chicago's top hotels. Susanna Negovan, editor of Michigan Avenue magazine, takes a look.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/illinois/ValentinePackages

..Jennifer Beals, in town Feb. 9 for a Michigan Avenue magazine bash (she's the February cover girl), next co-stars with Denzel Washington in the futuristic "The Book of Eli."...

Actress and Chicago native Jennifer Beals graces the high-impact cover of Michigan Avenue magazine’s 2009 Love Issue. ChicagoPride.com has an exclusive preview of the issue hitting shelves in February.

In the headline feature, 44-year-old Beals opens up about playing a lesbian on The L Word, and how her views of the GLBT community have changed since taking the role and forever being associated with Flashdance.

Here’s an inside look from the must-read interview:

MA: You could have never predicted the impact you’d have on the gay community, playing a lesbian on The L Word. Were you nervous about taking on the role?
JB: I just thought it was a great part, and I didn’t even think about the love scenes. I was so committed to preparing for the whole work story, because so much of Bette’s life is work. What does it mean to run an art gallery? That was the focus—and then I realized, In two days I’m shooting a love scene and I don’t have a friggin’ clue what I’m doing. I’m going to be outed as such a hetero chump! And then I thought, I just have to relax.

MA: Lesbianism seems to be more culturally accepted these days. Do you think The L Word is partially responsible?
JB: I think in some ways it has shifted, but with Proposition 8 passing it clearly hasn’t shifted enough. I was really disappointed but I also realized it’s a matter of education and exposure. For me it was a lesson in campaign organization—or disorganization, if you will. The opposition was fired up and organized. You can’t wait until you realize your opponent has $15 million in the bank; you have to frame your argument right away. All the numbers show the younger generation supports same-sex marriage, so it is inevitable. Someday people will look back and say, “I can’t believe there was a time all people couldn’t get married.”

MA: You’re quite revered in the gay community. There are websites, blogs, and a Wikipedia entry dedicated to your character. How does your husband feel about being married to a gay icon
JB: We don’t talk about it—it’s just part of my work. I don’t say, “Hey honey, the gay icon is home!”

The full interview and amazing fashion photography will be available in the Love Issue of Michigan Avenue magazine available in February.

Beals will be in Chicago on February 9th to host the new Michigan Avenue magazine February issue event at The Peninsula Chicago. Entertainment Editor Michael Roberts will attend the red carpet event and provide full coverage on ChicagoPride.com