The Shortlist for Oct. 9

Connie Britton on Single Parenthood: 'I Can Do It'

These days, the terms of motherhood are changing fast, and some of Hollywood's most famous ladies are setting the newest trends. Take "Friday Night Lights" alum Connie Britton, who adopted a nine-month-old son from Ethiopia last fall. "I always knew I wanted a child, and I always assumed I'd be doing it with a man," she tells Redbook. "Then my parents passed away within three years of each other. Right after that, a light bulb went off in my head and I thought, 'What am I waiting for?' I wasn't in a relationship at the time, but I thought, 'This is something I want to do. I can do it.'"

Joking that "me and Angelina and Sandra Bullock and Mary-Louise Parker just get together every weekend, drink rosé, and talk about [adopted] kids," she adds that she plans to get involved with "a community of people who have adopted children from Ethiopia," who are not necessarily celebrities. "It's really important for my son to have a strong sense of that background." (Redbook)