Ella Rae, Mark Wahlberg and Rhea Durham out on 9/13 right before their third child was born. Credit: revolutionpix/Fame Pictures

For all the questionably creative celebrity baby names, there are plenty of celebrities who chose traditional, well-known names for their children. Mark Wahlberg had his third child with his fiance, model Rhea Durham, on September 16. Life and Style has the details of the baby’s name, and he’s simply named Brendan Joseph. Mark’s other two children are Ella Rae, 5, and Michael, two and a half.

According to the cool tool at the Baby Name Wizard, which tracks the most popular 1,000 names according to the US Social Security Administration, the name Brendan was most popular in the 1990s when it peaked at number 123 among popular boy’s names. Last year it was about the 200th most popular name.

Michael remained the most popular boy’s name from the 1960s until around 2000, when it dropped to number two. Ella has been in the top 50 most popular girl’s names for the last decade or so.

I also checked the popularity of a lot of the celebrity child names that are unique, but which might be common enough to fall on this graph, like Apple, Heaven, Brooklyn, Ireland, and Willow. Apple doesn’t fall on the chart, but Heaven, Brooklyn, Ireland, and Willow, which are all semi-decent names, don’t appear until after the 1990s and come up as huge spikes as the names increase in popularity. The name with the tiniest and spikiest spike is - can you guess - Shiloh.

Here’s the applet if you’d like to check some names. It just launches their website when you hit “go.” Here’s a FAQ describing how it works.

Popularity of names starting with BRENDAN

[I got some of the baby name ideas from this article in the Telegraph]

Jennifer Lopez is still working the “I’m a hands-on parent” shtick to death. She claims she didn’t have a nanny until very recently – and by most accounts that’s true. Because they kept quitting on her due to such bad working conditions that $9,000 a month couldn’t hold anyone. J-Lo downplays that little nugget of information in her recent glowing motherhood interview with People. She also claims to be actively involved in the twins’ day, and the nanny is just there to burp them or something.

“I did it for a long time but we started using a nanny a few weeks ago,” says Lopez, 39. “[Most days] I get up early with them. Then when the nanny comes, I can take a shower and give them their breakfast. She’s there to help me get things done.”

As for getting back to work, Lopez says she’ll take it a day at a time. “It’s gonna be a learning experience. How will I do both? I try to take breaks from work,” she tells PEOPLE. “I’ll do a little work with the choreographers and then come back. I try to spend every free moment with the babies.”

The mornings are her favorite time with the twins. “When they see you and have that big smile on their face – I live for that,” she says. “And when I put them to bed at night and they melt in your arms. I give them a bottle and wind it down. I say, ‘It’s time for beddy-bye.’ I hold them and sing a little song. By the time you know it, they are asleep.”

[From People]

Lopez also did a lot of triathlon dropping. That’s like name dropping but with sports. J-Lo was supposedly pretty damn shocked that the media wasn’t covering her training with the same fervor with which they were following Michael Phelps’ gold medals. Which seems to be why she’s still talking about it. If J-Lo wants you to cover her story, you will cover her story. And consider yourself damn lucky to get to talk about her spandex-clad-long-distance-running ass.

Adding to her bliss: Lopez is perfectly happy with her post-baby body. “The triathlon really helped get me in better shape, and snapped me back into my body,” she says, referring to last weekend’s Nautica Malibu Triathlon. “I don’t weigh myself a lot. I still have 10 lbs., or so. [But] I don’t have any problems with it. I never felt I had to get rid of it.”

Asked how she stays so sane about her body image, she laughs: “We like to eat!” On a serious note, she adds, “I think you have to love yourself and indulge when you want to, as well as be happy and just have a healthy attitude towards it.”

Besides, she notes, “Marc loves the way I look!”

[From People]

So basically this is just your standard issue Jennifer Lopez “My life is perfect/I am awesome” story that was part of her deal with People. Lopez also just became an aunt again. Her sister Lynda gave birth to a daughter on August 28th. I’m sorta surprised that J-Lo allowed Lynda to steal some of her baby attention so soon. I expected she’d put some moratorium on all family fertilizations for at least the next two years.

Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez are shown outside his surprise 40th birthday party in NY on 9/14/08. Credit: Janet Mayer / PR Photos

I love the way celebrities vacillate between over sharing every excruciating minute detail of their lives, and then insist on privacy. Case in point: Grey’s Anatomy actress Ellen Pompeo, 38, managed to keep her wedding to husband Chris Ivery totally secret – inviting no guests, not even family.

The only people in attendance were New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and First Deputy Mayor Patti Harris. And I can’t really fault Pompeo for that – I wouldn’t want TMZ showing up at my wedding either. And yet when there’s something to gain from it – like the cover of Allure magazine – suddenly Pompeo is okay with divulging all sorts of details a lot of people wouldn’t even tell their close friends.

Conveniently the topic at hand is babies. And I can think of few other subjects that will get you more attention and press than the starting the rumor mill going that you might be expecting. Though Pompeo doesn’t seem to have immediate pregnancy plans, just mentioning any word that starts with “bab” - it could be “babble” or “Babylon” even just “bubble” - will get the tabloids all atwitter at the thought of a possibly expanding womb.

Ellen Pompeo has babies on the brain.

“It’s a huge lifestyle change, and I take that very seriously,” she tells the October issue of Allure.

“We enjoy our life so much,” she adds. “We go to Europe and sleep in. So when I have the baby, I won’t feel like we’ve missed any fun, reckless times together, like staying up all night drinking champagne and having sex until five in the morning and not having to get up until two in the afternoon. But I’ve got to get on it, because the clock is ticking.”

[From Us Weekly]

This means that from now until whatever point in the future Ellen Pompeo reveals she’s pregnant, the tabloids will write nothing about her that doesn’t speculate about her possible fertilization. And that woman is thin as a rail, so she’s going to start showing within half an hour. The flip side is that because she’s so thin, if she ever eats three quarters of a hamburger all the tabloids are going to assume she’s two months along.

I find it to be sort of a paradox that Ellen Pompeo would go to such lengths to keep her wedding private but be so open about baby thoughts. It seems like maybe she’s wanting a bit more press or something, which makes me wonder what’s really going on.

Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery are shown at a Calvin Klein party during fashion week on 9/7/08. Credit: MLM/Fame Pictures

Actress Minnie Driver, 38, gave birth to her first child on Friday, a boy named Henry Story Driver. Little Henry was large for a newborn, and weighed in at 9 pounds and 12 ounces! Driver has refused to name the father of her baby, and told Jay Leno in an appearance on the Tonight Show in March that she would prefer to keep him out of the spotlight. The only hint she has provided is that he’s English, “sort of in the same business,” and that “he’s really busy, like me.”

People Magazine reminds us that Driver said the father would be involved in their baby’s life, though:

Minnie Driver became a first-time mom to son Henry Story Driver, her rep tells PEOPLE exclusively.

The baby was born Friday in Los Angeles and weighed 9 lbs., 12 oz., rep Jessica Kolstad says.

Driver, 38, who has not revealed the identity of the father, told PEOPLE in June that the dad will be involved in the baby’s life.

“He’s going to be a dad so yeah he’s going to be there for the kid,” she said. “I’m not getting married to this person and I don’t know what’s going to happen but everyone is cool about the situation.”

As the new mom takes on her most important role yet, Driver says she is looking forward to simply observing and spending time with her child. “Babies are endlessly fascinating to look at and I’m obsessed about their complete and utter lack of guile. I’m looking forward to seeing life through the eyes of my own kid.”

[From People.com]

In March, Driver’s costar on The Riches, Eddie Izzard, said she’ll make a great mom and that, “She’ll be a good parent because you need love, and as long as you have one parent giving love then the kid’s going to do great.” Izzard is a British comic and actor and could technically fit all the criteria Driver mentioned for the father, but so could countless other men.

Congratulations to Driver and the unknown father of her new baby.

Jamie Lynn Spears, 17, is said to be fuming at reports that came out in the National Enquirer last week that Casey was cheating on her with multiple other women even after their daughter little Maddie was born in June. After hearing the allegations of his affairs, Jamie Lynn told Casey to get all this crap out of the house they’ve been sharing in Liberty, Mississippi and has called off their planned wedding:

Just a week after The Enquirer’s blockbuster interview with one of her fiance’s lovers, teen mom Jamie Lynn Spears has kicked Casey Aldridge to the curb for good!

“Jamie Lynn told Casey to ‘Get out!’ and remove all his belonging from their house,” revealed a source.

The young couple had been living in a three-bedroom home on five acres that Jamie Lynn bought in Liberty, Miss., where she and Casey planned to raise their new baby daughter, Maddie Briann.

“But there’ll be no happily ever after for Jamie Lynn and Casey,” continued the source. “Their planned marriage is now out of the question. Jamie Lynn is determined to raise Maddie Briann by herself.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, September 15, 2008]

That’s pretty much what people expected after hearing that story from the second woman to speak to the tabloids about an affair with Jamie Lynn’s fiance. Casey Aldridge is 18 years old and is obviously not ready to settle down. The first woman who spoke out about an affair may have been doing it for the money or fleeting glimpse at fame, but the second kind of makes it seem like he has a pattern of hound-dogging.

To add an interesting twist to this story is the fact that Casey Aldridge is said to be calling up Kevin Federline and asking for advice. It’s not for a father-to-father chat, though, he wants custody of Maddie and needs to figure out how K-Fed did it with his two kids with Britney, Jamie Lynn’s older sister:

“Casey has been talking with Kevin Federline, seeking his advice and strategy on how he fought and won custody of his two kids with Britney,” said the source.

“Kevin tells Casey to be strong and not let the Spears family cut him off from his child. Unless Jamie Lynn and Casey reconcile at some later time, it is easy to see how this is going to play out - in a huge fight over joint custody.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, September 15, 2008]

Jamie Lynn and Britney’s situations are entirely different and if she does permanently split with Casey he’s not likely to get more than visitation rights with his daughter. Jamie Lynn is now said to be ignoring Casey’s attempts to contact her. The insider is quoted as saying “She’s finally done with him and isn’t taking his calls. She only text messages him if there’s something to tell him about the baby.” That seems like the best course of action in this case, and Jamie Lynn probably would have made a huge mistake if she ended up marrying the guy.

File photo of Angelina Jolie in Iraq on 2/7/08. Credit: Fame
The National Enquirer’s inset cover story about Brad and Angelina’s twins, which reads “Something is wrong with the twins! Medical team called in,” has to do with a common but often scary medical condition in newborns - colic. Both Knox and Vivienne, who turn two months old next week, are said to suffer from colic, in which babies cry for extended periods of time and appear in distress. Colic is often assumed to be caused by digestive trouble in babies, but medically it’s unknown what causes it exactly. Of course two colic-suffering newborns along with four other children at home is said to be causing Angelina countless stress and worry. She has a doctor staying at the family’s villa in France to ensure that everything is ok, and he has his own medical team. She also has another doctor and nurse on 24 hour call. According to the Enquirer she does have nannies, but she insists on caring for the twins herself.

“Both twins are suffering from colic, and Angelina is an absolute wreck from not getting enough sleep. Even though she’s raised four other children, the twins’ seemingly constant discomfort is stressing her out.

“She’s called in a doctor, who’s brought along his own medical team, and she has another doctor and nurse on 24-hour call.”

According to sources, the medical problems began shortly after the couple brought the twins home…

“Immediately after feedings, both babies start howling in pain, and Angelina has been running ragged trying to get them to sleep…

“She’s either trying to lull them to sleep in a rocking chair or pacing the floor with either Knox or Vivienne.

“Sometimes she puts the babies in their swings and sits nearby until they fall asleep. But when she gets them into their cribs, they’ll often wake up and start screaming all over again!

“Angelina says she can’t remember the last time she slept more than two hours straight.

“And even though she has a staff of nannies and assistants to help, the only other people she allows to handle the colicky babies are a doctor or nurse.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, September 15, 2008]

My son had colic for a few weeks after he was born, and I found that if I cut out all milk and bread/gluten from my diet he was much calmer and the colic went away. I limited my diet to just rice, turkey, chicken and only a few non-citrus fruits and non-gassy vegetables. It was difficult, but the improvement in his well being seemed worth it to me. That is just anecdotal evidence, and most doctors and even La Leche League will tell you that maternal diet has no effect on nursing babies, citing other cultures where mothers eat spicy foods. Some of my friends who nursed also told me that their babies were much calmer once they went on an elimination diet.

Nicole Richie has also touted the benefits of limiting her diet when nursing a newborn, saying after Harlow was born that “There’s just so much I can’t eat because she’s sensitive… I eat really bland [food].” Usually a newborn’s sensitivity to foods the mother eats goes away after a few months.

If Shiloh was a calm baby and wasn’t affected by Angelina’s diet maybe she’s not aware that the twins may be sensitive to the proteins from food that pass through into her milk. It’s also possible that something else is causing the twin’s colic and that it has nothing to do with what Angelina is eating. The babies are supposedly fussing right after they feed, though, which suggests that it has something to do with it.

The article also says that Angelina is upset that Brad had to go to the Venice and later the Toronto Film Festivals. It is said that she “resents that Brad pretty much comes and goes as he pleases,” but that she understands that he has work obligations and has to make appearances. They end with a funny story about how Brad called Angelina to tell her he loved her and she had to go because the babies were crying.

“On the festival’s final night [Brad] called in late just to tell Angie how much he missed her and to say, ‘You are the love of my life.’

“Angie was deeply touched and said she felt the same way. But a second later, she whimpered, ‘I’ve got to go - the babies are crying!’”

Brad and Angelina are shown below at the Beowulf Premiere on 11/5/07. Credit: Juan Rico/Fame Pictures

David Spade, 44, has confirmed that he’s the father to a baby girl, born on August 26 to an ex girlfriend, Playboy Playmate Jillian Grace, 22. It seems it took so long to make the confirmation to the press because they were waiting for the DNA results to come back, at least that’s what I’m reading into it. E! Online titled their story “DNA IDs Daughter for David Spade,” although there’s nothing about a paternity test in the article itself:

It turns out that David Spade did, in fact, produce an heir.

A baby girl born last week to former Playboy Playmate Jillian Grace is the 45-year-old funnyman’s biological daughter, a rep for Spade has confirmed.

“David and Jillian have been in close contact throughout her pregnancy and he plans to go see the baby during his first break from shooting Rules of Engagement,” publicist Meredith O’Sullivan told People.

[From E! Online]

Spade reluctantly admitted the possibility that the baby was his in a statement released after the news broke of Jillian’s pregnancy. He seemed to suggest he only had a fling with her, saying, “I had a brief relationship with Jillian Grace. If it is true that I am the father of her child, then I will accept responsibility.”

Reports came out in the tabloids shortly afterwards that Spade led the young model on, telling her he did want a baby and flying her out to LA from Missouri several times. He supposedly consciously had unprotected sex with her. When she broke the news that she was pregnant, he turned cold and broke it off, according to reports. Grace stayed in Missouri, pregnant and brokenhearted.

Spade strikes me as one of those guys who is not into monogamy at all and isn’t about to let a baby get in his way. At least Grace will get some child support.

It’s possible Spade and Grace have some kind of friendly relationship, though. Spade was seen out with a woman identified as Grace on 7/8/08. Credit: Fame.

Matthew McConaughey has really impressed me with his family skills so far. Though he hasn’t gone the traditional route of engagement/marriage, he seems just as committed as anyone who had. And it’s clear he’s not only in love with his baby son Levi but with Levi’s mom Camila. This past weekend Matthew ran the Nike + Human Race in Austin, Texas (finishing the 10k run a minute less than his goal of 45 minutes), and told People that Camila is the love of his life.

“I always wanted to be a father and thought it would be great, but it just took the right woman and the right time to make it all happen,” he told PEOPLE as he unwound after running Sunday’s Nike + Human Race in Austin, Texas. “[Camila] is the love of my life,” he said after crossing the finish line in under 44 minutes (beating his goal of 45). “Everything is right. It’s all good.”

Post run, he and Alves – a model and handbag designer who gave birth to their son in early July – brought baby Levi to check out the Ben Harper concert. (Little McConaughey was wearing tiny jeans and – yes – a white tee shirt.)

“We’re a family now,” said the Surfer, Dude star. “I see the future and it’s clearer to me now. Walking around with this cool responsibility all the time, it’s a wonderful thing… We have a little bit more prep-time put into going places and doing things, getting him ready and everything,” he said while relaxing in the VIP area. “But it’s amazing.”

[From People]

Matthew and Camila also took Levi to a John Mellencamp concert a few weeks ago. I’m not expert, but that makes me worry about the baby’s hearing loss. But at least the kid’s developing a taste for good music. And I’m sure the VIP area is some sort of sound proofed booth. Or it would need to be for me to let my kid anywhere near it.

Despite some early engagement rumors, it doesn’t appear that the pair have made anything official. They seem exceptionally happy with where they are in their lives and their family right now

Here’s Matthew McConaughey training for the 10K on August 20, 2008. Images thanks to Fame.

Halle Berry’s adorable five month old daughter, Nahla Ariela Aubry, was photographed for the first time in public yesterday. Halle was seen out at the LA Zoo with her mom, Judith, and a security guard. Little Nahla is the daughter of the Oscar-winning actress and her boyfriend, Canadian model Gabriel Aubry, 31.

In June, Halle said that being a mother was “the most beautiful time of my life,” and that Nahla has left her “so happy and fulfilled.”

Halle made a deliberate decision not to pose for a high-paid photo spread with her infant. Last month Halle threatened action over faraway photos of her with Nahla in her backyard that were taken with a telephoto lens. She issued a statement, which read in part “[Gabriel] and I have always remained that we would never sell baby photos or otherwise exploit her in any way…. I will do everything I can for the sake of her safety and well-being to keep her out of the public eye.”

Berry eventually gave in and went out with baby Nahla. She invited the paparazzi and clearly didn’t broker a deal for exclusive photos, because several agencies have these.

Nahla is so cute and you can see that she’s Gabriel’s daughter. She’s going to be beautiful when she grows up.

Credit: ODuran/ Fame Pictures. Photo of Gabriel Aubry credit: WENN

The latest edition of Star Magazine, that bastion of truth in journalism, is reporting that 7 months pregnant Ashlee Simpson is devastated by her doctor’s assessment that she’s gained too much weight during her pregnancy. The singer burst into tears after her latest checkup and reportedly stocked up on size zero jeans as motivation to help her lose the weight after the baby is born.

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz is looking for inspiration to adopt healthier dieting practices after the pregnant singer was told that she has gained too much weight during a recent prenatal visit.

“Ashlee broke down in tears at a doctor’s appointment in early August when she found out she’s gained more weight than is considered in the healthy range,” a Star source says.

A long-faced Ashlee immediately took a trip to Malibu’s Planet Blue and stocked up on six pairs of size zero jeans to motivate her to curtail her eating:

“She can’t wear them now, but she hopes it will give her the incentive to watch what she eats.”

Ashlee will welcome her first child with husband Pete Wentz in October.

[From Star Magazine print version, Sept. 5, 2008]

Give me a break. I’ve seen recent photos of Ashlee and she looks absolutely fine- well within the suggested 25-35 pounds most doctors recommend. This article makes it sound like she’s the size of a whale or something, when anyone with eyes can tell she looks good. She’s been seen attending pregnancy yoga and even has a trainer and nutritionist. And furthermore, while she was thin, I don’t think Ashlee was a size zero before the pregnancy.

Meanwhile, Ashlee told People that she and husband Pete Wentz will spend the next two months getting the nursery ready.

The singer, who confirmed the pregnancy back in May, says she and husband Pete Wentz have been knee-deep in baby-proofing their Hollywood home.

“We’re getting the nursery ready,” said Simpson. “I can’t wait to be a mom and he can’t wait to be a dad, so it’s fun.”

“I have the greatest husband,” she said. “He’s so awesome. It’s fun to have somebody that I love to do this with.”

Having her family around has been comforting too. “My mom and my grandmother [have] given me good motherly advice,” said Simpson, “but it’s one of those things where your mother instincts kind of kick in right away.”

Other things on their to-do list? Picking a baby name. But Simpson says they haven’t settled on one yet.

After joking about calling their kid “Orange,” Simpson said, “I don’t think it’s something we’ll decide until the baby comes.”

[From People]

Yeah, that sounds like a woman devastated.

Ashlee Simpson is shown out to eat at The Ivy on 8/18/08. Credit: Ghost/Fame Pictures