Hollywood film star Gwyneth Paltrow is to serve as a guest panelist on the relationship reality series “The Marriage Ref,” NBC announced. The Oscar-winning star of “Shakespeare in Love,” “Emma,” “Sliding Doors” and “Iron Man” is to appear on the May 6 edition of “Ref,” alongside fellow marriage “experts” Jerry Seinfeld and Greg Giraldo.

Source: UPI.

Jason Alexander (“Seinfeld”) is going to guest star on “The Marriage Ref,” 9 p.m. Thursday on NBC, along with Martha Stewart and Cedric the Entertainer.

On tonight’s show Jerry Seinfeld, 30 Rock’s Tina Fey and Desperate Housewives’ Eva Longoria-Parker make up the celebrity panel and each add his own hilarious comments to judge the couple’s disputes.

The Issue: Primp and Pamper

First up are Joe and Paula who constantly have arguments that one of them spends too much time primping and pampering, leaving the other to take over the majority of the household duties.

The panel agrees that he is doing a little too much. He keeps lip-gloss in the garage and would rather get eyebrow waxes than go to his kids’ sports games.

Joe wins.

The Issue: Formal Rooms Off Limits

Next, are Florida couple Luis and Dalia. They have two arguments that the panel must vote on.

Argument I: Dalia loves her perfectly decorated dining room table that stands immaculately set all year long. She uses it only for Thanksgiving dinner and restricts her husband Luis from ever using the dining room except for that one occasion. He would like to use the room more often for card parties or family dinners, but Dalia is against it.

Argument II: Dalia bought a “do-it-yourself” screened porch that she asked Luis to assemble. However, as a man he just can’t seem to figure out the instructions.

The call: Tina votes for husband Luis on both arguments. Jerry is for Luis on the first argument and for Dalia on the second. Eva is for Dalia on both issues. So it is Dalia who wins the dining room table argument and Luis who wins the “do-it-yourself” porch argument.

The Issue: Flossing in Bed

Mark Wizas is annoyed that his wife Martha continues to floss her teeth in bed. He thinks it is disgusting that food particles fly from her teeth and into the bed. But Martha refuses to see any thing wrong with it.

When asked if flossing is a bathroom activity that should not leave the bathroom, all three panelists respond with a resounding, YES!! Case closed.

Tom makes the call. He tells Martha that flossing in bed is just gross and it should stay in the bathroom. He declares Mark the winner.

The Issue: Removing the Wedding Ring

Christine is upset that her husband Howard removes his wedding ring when he plays basketball and keeps it off when he goes out with his friends. Howard claims having the ring off improves his game.

The panel agrees with Christine. There is no reason why Howard should have to remove his ring, because his game will not improve.

Read the full episode details on Reality Wanted

Despite personal sentiments to the contrary, Alec Baldwin has to vote on the side of practicality.

Mr. Seinfeld spoke with The New York Times about “The Marriage Ref” , here are some of the highlights:
Q.
You’ve just started taping the earliest episodes of your first new television series in more than a decade. How does it feel so far?

A.
That aspect of television is a lot of fun for me. We think of something, and then a week later it’s in front of an audience. There’s a complexity in solving the basic problem of “What is this show?” But having solved that, there’s a simplicity now to doing it that I’m really enjoying. My body was like “You’re making another television show?” All those sensations of doing it from 12 years ago and the previous nine come back. But because it’s all in such a different way, it’s fun.

Q.
You weren’t necessarily angling to get back onto television, but you got swept up in the idea for “The Marriage Ref”?

A.
Yeah. If an idea’s good, you become its servant. If you’re pushing it, working it, fixing it, whipping it like a racehorse that’s going too slow, it’s probably not that good an idea. A good idea has a — what’s the word? — a draft suction, that you get pulled into it. It took years for the American public to get into our universe when I did “Seinfeld.” It was like “Oh, now I understand what they’re doing.” This has none of those aspects. This universe is known already. There’s still a strong flavor of misanthropy here, that you will not mistake. Even in this most important institution, this most romantic subject, you’ll feel the flavor.

Q.
Who are some of the people you’re planning to have as celebrity panelists?

A.
Of course my pal Larry David. Matthew Broderick. Alec Baldwin was my No. 1 get, because to me, he’s just such a funny thinker. Last night, there was this issue, and Kelly Ripa had to decide, whose side are you on? You’ve seen her on talk shows, you can watch her every day on her show. You’re not going to see her face a dilemma like this and watch her sort it out. So you learn a little bit about her. It’s interesting.

Jerry Seinfeld goes over The Facts with Natalie Morales, in preparation for The Marriage Ref.

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