Psycho Therapist Starts Celebrity Parents Organization

A slow news day around here is when there are no new celebrity babies to write about, and those are the days when I go looking for some related stories that I think will be of interest to readers. Well, here’s a great one! (A story, not a reader).

According to Starpulse, a New York psychotherapist has started a special organization for celebrity parents, to help them become better parents. I couldn’t resist a story like that, so I visited the site in question, Celebrity Parents Association.

The site looks like it was built from one of those “website in a box” thingies, and it has really large type in case you are visually-impaired. But hey — this is a good cause, right? Who am I to critique little things like that?

The organization was set up by a person called Blake Le Vine, LMSW, and in the first paragraph we learn that among his other qualifications, he has collected autographs from such luminaries as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Frank Sinatra, Princess Di, and Mother Teresa. Blake’s really got my attention now.

So what’s he selling? Here it is:

“We would like to provide resources and counseling referrals to any celebrity or regular parent looking to better handle their job raising kids”.

Hey, what a great idea! Why didn’t all those other Hollywood therapists think of that?

Now here’s the really funny part — Blake has emailed Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton to ask them to help spread the word, with, say, parents like Britney Spears!

If this all sounds like cheap hucksterism, it is. Because what this is all about is selling a book. Yep, it’s good old p.r. in action.

Blake has co-authored a parenting book with someone named Suzanne Wachtel, LMSW. The book is called Like Mother, Like Son: A Mom’s Guide To Raising Healthy Children. You can read all about it on the book page of their site, but be warned — the font size gets really, really large on that page, to show you how important it is.

So, if you happen to get sucked in by all this talk of celebrity parents, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and the like, but you don’t actually know any celebrity parents who you can refer, well, relax. You can still buy the book.

And if you still need help after you’ve read it, well, Blake does have some limited spots available for private counseling, and I assume that includes an hour or two for what he keeps calling ”regular people” (as opposed to celebrities).

I’m sorry, but I’m naturally suspicious of any website that makes its pitch in really large typeface. It’s up there with “act now before time runs out” as a marketing tactic.

As if to establish his street cred to be pushing this kind of celebrity therapy schtick, Blake has posted some humongously huge pictures of a younger Blake, with assorted celebrities. There’s Blake with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Young Blake standing close to Paul McCartney. “Teen-about-town” Blake meeting President Clinton. A really young Blake with a glazed-looking Cindy Crawford. A super-young Blake with Brad Pitt. And finally, an indeterminate-aged Blake with a bored-looking Jon Stewart.

O.K. We get it. Blake knows some celebs. (Or at least he used to. Where’s the newer pics?) He can do this, he really can.

Here’s the thing. Blake — I think you need help also. You need to see a good web designer, right away!

I finally went to the page where he pitches his new blog, and the typeface there dwarfs the rest of the site! The url is so large, it could double as a billboard on the L.A. freeway. I have to ask — Blake, what is the point of the reallly large type? Don’t you realize your site is SCREAMING AT PEOPLE?

I have to stop now. I’m getting all aesthetically worked-up, and it’s not good for my blood pressure. I should try to remember that it’s my job to review celebrity baby names, not get all worked up about some celebrity parents’ organization website. Maybe I ought to see if Blake has an open appointment in the next month or two — after all, I’m a regular person, too. (I think).

Digg!

Save to del.icio.us

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Baby On The Way For Demi Moore And Ashton Kutcher?

demi moore photorazziThat’s what a lot of celebrity gossip blogs are saying this morning, from Celebrity News Live to The Cooler’s Pregnancy Watch.

I’m happy to float the same rumor, and ask the same question (especially since it’s Friday, and how much more can we really stomach about Angelina Jolie and her newly-adopted Vietnamese boy?) - is Demi Moore, finally, expecting Ashton Kutcher’s baby?

Well, we don’t know. But hope springs eternal. If she is, it should be enough juicy fodder to keep the celebrlty baby blogs and gossip mongers working overtime for months.

Moore is 44 years old, as everyone knows, and Kutcher is 29, also as everyone knows. As if their celebrity lives didn’t provide enough fodder for the gossips, the age difference for the potential parents is a fascinating topic.

What about their child’s high school graduation? If the kid is born this year, Moore would be around 62 years old, and Kutcher would be 47, when junior picks up his/her diploma from Beverly Hills High. It is a little different, you have to admit.

But on balance, you’ve got to admire them for charting their own course. And if, as we’re told, 40 is the new 30, then they’ve got all the time in the world. And by 2025, when today’s babies will be graduating high school, 60 may be the new 40. And Demi Moore might still be thinking about having another baby.

Digg!

Save to del.icio.us

photo by Photorazzi

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

What Comes After Shiloh?

angelina jolie photorazziThe word is out that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are planning on adopting a Vietnamese boy, a process that should be completed in a few months.

The adoptee, who will likely be three or four years old, will join siblings Maddox, Zahara, and of course Shiloh, in the Jolie-Pitt household.

And, according to sources close to the pair, this latest adoption may not be the last, as Angelina Jolie vies to become the new Mia Farrow.

The big question, of course, is what will the little boy’s name be? Will he come with one ready-made, or can we all spend the next three months speculating? Heck, let’s speculate!

Jolie named her first daughter Zahara, an Arabic name meaning “bright,” which is in keeping with her daughter’s Ethiopian heritage. But she named her Cambodian-born son Maddox, which is a Welsh name, probably meaning “fortunate,” and while Maddox Jolie-Pitt certainly is fortunate, he is not Welsh. Shiloh, by contrast, is a Hebrew name.

So far, then, we’ve got Arabic, Hebrew, and Welsh names. If they are striving for a balance in their family, and the Arabic name balances the Hebrew name, what would balance a Welsh name? Irish of course! It’s a foregone conclusion. I believe Pitt and Jolie will choose an Irish name for their newest child.

I’m not a gambler by nature, but I’m going to go out on a limb on this one. I think they will name him Patrick. It just sounds right. Plus, it will be easier for Jon Voight to remember.

Digg!

Save to del.icio.us

photo by Photorazzi 

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

What Will Naomi Watts Name Her Baby?

naomi watts photorazziNo new celebrity babies seem to have popped out in the last 24 hours, so it’s time to ask: what will Naomi Watts (King Kong) name her upcoming baby?

You didn’t know that the English/Australian actress was expecting? Oh yes.

And while the New York Post dished about it last week, there was no official confirmation, until a rep for Escada, who is now presumably looking for a new job, let the cat out of the bag (or the bun out of the oven) in a press release.

I haven’t seen the release, but People reports that the rep, who was touting the Escada gown worn by Watts at last night’s Oscars, wrote:

“The ESCADA gown set off her most precious new asset – the baby she is expecting with longtime boyfriend Liev Schreiber.”

Well, it doesn’t get much more official than that. I wonder if Escada is starting a new line of maternity gowns?

So, back to my original question — What will Naomi Watts name her new baby? I hope to have some sort of poll widget soon, to make name guessing a regular feature, but in the meantime, just use the comments button.

Trivia: Did you know? Naomi Watts’s father, who died when she was a young child, was a sound engineer with Pink Floyd. His manic laugh can be heard on the classic Dark Side of the Moon.

Digg!

Save to del.icio.us

photo by Photorazzi

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Where Are All The New Celebrity Babies?

This is getting serious. It’s a drought.

OK, the wife of Dr. Sanjay Gupta (he’s the house doc on CNN, who is an expert on everything from arthritis to anthrax attacks) had a baby in late January, but he’s not really a celebrity, is he? I don’t think so. Anyway, the baby’s name hasn’t been released yet, so I don’t really have the angle I need for a compelling blog post.

I hate to write uncompelling posts, but where are all the new babies? Writing a blog like this every day makes me realize that celebrity babies really come in a boom and bust cycle. We’ll have droughts like the one we’re in right now, and then boom, all of a sudden, there’ll be a celebrity baby boom for a week or so, when it seems like every celeb worth the name is popping one out.

I guess I could dig deep and announce the births and baby names of Australian soap opera stars, but where’s the fun in that? I always say, if you’re going to do filler, make it fun filler, not junk.

So, about that Australian tiddlywinks champion who just had twins…

Digg!

Save to del.icio.us

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , ,

Sandra Bullock Reinforces Hollywood Baby Drought

Let’s face it, there have been no truly notable celebrity babies born since Patrick Dempsey’s twins arrived almost two weeks ago. In the world of celebrity babies, that’s a lifetime.

And now actress sandra bullock photorazziSandra Bullock is reinforcing this sorry state of affairs by lashing out at the gossip media merely for inquiring about when she’ll be in the family way. 

The popular star (The Lake House; Miss Congeniality) trashed reports that she, along with biker-husband Jesse James, who hosts the Discovery Channel’s Monster Garage, are expecting a baby.

Bullock said she feels like saying “can I slap you now?” when journalists ask her whether she’s pregnant. Hmm. I’d say either she is pregant, or else she’s hanging around in the garage too much.

Digg!

Save to del.icio.us

photo by Photorazzi

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Oyez. Oyez. Lord and Lady Courtenay Welcome A Daughter

Mentioned in the aptly-named Popcandy Blog over at USA Today — My So-Called Life star AJ Langer is a new mom, not to mention a “Lady,” since she is now married to Lord Charles Courtenay, future Earl of Devon.

According to an annoucement pinned to the portcullis at Powderham Castle, Lord and Lady Charles Peregrine Courtenay welcomed Joscelyn Skye into a silver-spooned world on January 31 in Los Angeles.

I know what you’re thinking. They don’t have castles in Los Angeles. (Well, not too many). Certainly not Powderham Castle. But hey. It’s freezing cold in Devon right now. Where would you rather be if you were a future Earl?

Digg!

Save to del.icio.us

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Is Jennifer Aniston Planning To Adopt An American Baby?

Here’s a nice change from all the coverage of the Golden Globes and American Idol: there’s a rumor floating around that Jennifer Aniston is planning to adopt an American baby.

Britain’s Grazia Magazine is reporting that Anniston is finally ready to adopt. The Grazia website is not showing the full story, but another source that has apparently read a copy of the British gossip weekly says that Aniston, after being advised by Oprah to adopt an African baby, has instead decided to adopt an American child.  According to the source, Aniston’s lawyers are making the rounds of Los Angeles adoption agencies.

So what might Aniston name her new baby, when she gets him or her? I guess we can cross Brad, Vince, and Angelina off the list, for starters… 

Digg!

Save to del.icio.us

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , ,

Lizzie Grubman Welcomes A Baby Boy

Lizzie Grubman, the New York publicist who narrowly avoided serious jail time for driving her S.U.V. into a crowd of people outside a nightclub in July, 2001, is a new mom. The wealthy heiress (daddy is multi-millionaire entertainment lawyer Allen Grubman) lizzie grubman photorazziand her husband Chris Stern welcomed their baby boy in New York on December 12. The little guy’s name is Harrison Irving, “Harry” for short.

Grubman has been on the receiving end of scorching satire from gossip sites ever since she ploughed into the crowd at the Southampton, NY nightclub in 2001. Her conduct after the incident was not particularly remorseful, starting with her fleeing the scene. She was charged in a 26-count felony indictment, but escaped the slammer (except for a short stay) in a plea deal that included five years probation. According to CNN she pleaded guilty to hit-and-run and criminally negligent assault.

In the finest tradition of American celebrity comebacks, Grubman, who apparently is still on probation, is back in the public eye. In 2005 she appeared on MTV in her reality show PoweRGirls, about young, hungry, New York publicists at her p.r. firm. The short-lived series, sadly, did not include any episodes about driving lessons.

Digg!

Save to del.icio.us

Photo by Photorazzi

Technorati Tags: , , ,, ,

Baby Names That Melanie Brown Should Cross Off Her List

As everyone now knows, Eddie Murphy has broken up with former Spice Girl, and mom-to-be, Melanie Brown, and he is now dating music executive Tracey Edmonds. The breakup leaves one big question unanswered: who’s the Daddy?

eddie murphy photorazziMurphy reportedly is questioning paternity and may insist on a blood test if Brown points the finger at him.

Meanwhile, here are six celebrity baby names that Melanie B. may want to avoid as she’s mulling over her choices — they are the names of Murphy’s six children to date, five with ex-wife Nicole Mitchell, and one with Tamara Moore — daughters Bria, Shayne Audra, Zola Ivy, Bella Zahra, and sons Christian and Miles.

Digg!

 Save to del.icio.us

Photo by Photorazzi

Technorati Tags: , , ,, , , , , ,

Next Page »