Gene Simmons proposes to Shannon Tweed

The longtime couple got into a tiff so nasty on "The Joy Behar Show" in mid-June that it won a spot on our list of the top 10 best interview "walk-offs." You see, Simmons, lothario that he's rumored to be, joined in a joke about his philandering ways, ticking Tweed off so much that she stormed off the set.

It looks like Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed have managed to smooth things over.But in an upcoming episode of "Gene Simmons Family Jewels," the KISS star is trying to put a ring on his love of 28 years.

He tells her, "I come with so much baggage, but you're the only friend I've got, you're the only one I've ever loved...I've never said those words to anybody. It's funny, I used to watch movies where they say I can't live without you, but for me it's true."As seen in a clip of the show, Simmons sets up a romantic scene with Tweed by heading to Belize.

And then Simmons drops down on one knee as Tweed gives a gasp of surprise. Although she looks like she's about to shed tears of what we hope is joy, the clip ends before we get to see her answer. We've got an idea on how it all plays out, but you'd have to watch the episode tonight on A&E at 10 p.m. to find out.

New Senate Debt Plan

Barack Obama on Tuesday backed a $3.7 trillion deficit-reduction plan after it gained fresh momentum from a bipartisan group in the Senate.

Mr. Obama said the proposal, which was designed by a group of lawmakers known as the "Gang of Six," represents a balanced approach to cutting the deficit that he has pushed for all along. 

Mr. Obama, speaking at a White House press briefing, praised the deficit-reduction proposal as "a very significant step" and said there's been progress generally in the protracted deficit discussions. He asked congressional leaders to begin crafting a final plan Wednesday.

The plan is sweeping in its scope but was thought for months to be both overly ambitious and slightly ambiguous, which nearly led the effort to collapse in recent weeks. But the plan was revived, in part by its lead authors—Sens. Mark Warner (D., Va.) and Saxby Chambliss (R., Ga.)—and the flood of bipartisan support coming out of the meeting surprised them both, the lawmakers told.

"I think the vibe in the room was very positive," said Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R., N.H.), who attended the meeting. "My first impression is that this is a very credible plan."

The plan to slow the deficit by $3.7 trillion over 10 years would come from roughly 74% spending cuts and 26% new taxes, Mr. Conrad said.

Central parts of the plan would:

• Impose immediate spending cuts and caps that reduce the deficit by $500 billion over 10 years.

• Make changes to Social Security to make the program solvent over 75 years.

• Direct key congressional committees to find specific levels of deficit-reduction within their areas of jurisdiction. If the committees fail, then five Democratic and five Republican senators would be able to offer their own deficit-reduction plan as a replacement.

Meantime, House Republicans are embarking on a largely symbolic political mission, pushing for legislation that would cut spending by $5.8 trillion over 10 years, cap future spending and require Congress to approve a constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget before raising the debt ceiling by $2.4 trillion. 

The White House issued a written statement Monday saying Mr. Obama would veto such a bill, although it is unlikely to reach his desk.