I always forget how attractive Jason Bateman is until I look at photos of him. Did that make sense? I’m writing in a lust-haze. Like, in my general memory of Jason Bateman, I see his vampire face (he’s seriously ageless), and I think “Funny. Sweet. Talented. Good guy.” But then I look at photos of him and I think “OMG, HOT.”

Anyway, last August, Jason and his wife Amanda Anka announced that they were expecting another baby. They are already parents to a 5-year-old girl, Francesca, and when they announced the second pregnancy, they confirmed that they were expecting another girl. Well, Amanda gave birth last Friday! And they named their second daughter… MAPLE.

Double the daughters for Jason Bateman.

The actor and wife Amanda Anka welcomed a baby girl, Maple Sylvie Bateman, on Friday, Feb. 10 in Los Angeles, the Horrible Bosses star’s rep confirms to PEOPLE.

The new addition joins big sister Francesca Nora, 5.

Anka’s pregnancy was announced in August by her father, singer Paul Anka, who said, “I’m going to be a grandfather again!”

Bateman and Anka, both 43, were married in July 2001.

[From People Magazine]

Maple Sylvie. Not even Sylvia. And MAPLE? As in, maple syrup? As in, “What everyone is going to call your daughter for the next 20 years of her life”?? That’s just going to be her name as soon as she gets to school – “Syrup.”

For a second there I was all, “Hey, did they name her Maple because one of them is Canadian?” Because Maple = Canadian, in my mind. But no – they’re both Americans. I have no idea why “Maple”. Much less “Maple Sylvie.” Maple Bateman? It sounds like Maple Bacon. Mmm… bacon.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Beyonce and Jay-Z have shared photos of their adorable one month old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. The photos were posted on Jay Z’s website, Life and Times, along with a new Tumblr site made just for the occasion, Hello Blue Ivy Carter. They included photos of both Jay and Beyonce holding their beautiful baby along with a handwritten note asking for privacy. The note says:

“We welcome you to share in our joy. Thank you for respecting our privacy during this beautiful time in our lives. – The Carter Family.”

It’s nice to see a celebrity couple releasing baby photos online instead of opting for a magazine spread. My first impression is that this baby is very sweet and looks a lot like her dad. I don’t see much Beyonce in her and I’ll leave it at that. Only time will tell and some babies look significantly different within a few short months.

Beyonce just made her first post-baby appearance at an event at Carnegie hall where Jay-Z performed. Her nails were painted blue in honor of Blue Ivy. Beyonce looked incredible for a woman who had just had a baby a month prior. She reportedly achieved such fast weight loss through two two-hour workouts each day and a strict diet of “six tiny high protein meals a day.”

Congratulations to Beyonce and Jay-Z on their new arrival! They look elated and that baby is precious.

Yay! Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey welcomed their first child together yesterday morning. It was a boy, which Robert had already revealed a few months ago. Robert already has a fully grown son, Indio, from his first marriage, but this little boy is Susan’s first baby. So… the name! They named him Exton Elias Downey. Er, Exton? I’m fine with Elias – in fact, I think that would have been a lovely first name, Elias Downey. Eli Downey. Little Eli! But Exton? Little Ex? Or would you abbreviate “Ext”? That’s a one-syllable mouthful.

It’s a boy for Robert Downey Jr.!

Wife Susan delivered son Exton Elias Downey at 7:24 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7 in Los Angeles, his rep confirms to PEOPLE.

“Everyone is healthy and they couldn’t be happier,” a friend of the couple says.
Baby boy weighs in at 7 lbs., 5 oz., is 20 inches long and joins big brother Indio, 18, Downey’s son from his previous marriage.

After announcing the pregnancy in August, the Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows star, 46, revealed the sex of the baby on national television, much to his producer wife’s (feigned) chagrin.

“I could never really stay mad at him, but I can tell you it genuinely wasn’t something we planned to reveal,” Susan, 38, later explained.

Thankfully, her husband — who will next star in The Avengers — did manage to keep quiet about their name choice.

“If I told you the name, then she would lop off my head with a machete,” joked Downey.

[From People]

I imagine the name has some kind of significance to one or both of them, considering it sounds like they had the name all picked out before the baby was born. Maybe it was a family name on Susan’s side…? Whatever, it’s not that important. I’m really glad that Susan had an easy and uncomplicated pregnancy and birth and that everybody is healthy and happy. I swear to God, THIS is the couple that can never split up. I will cry my eyes out if anything ever happens to them. I love them together. I love how smart and sassy Susan is, and how Robert worships her. Sigh… if only.

Oh, and I wonder how the baby is going to do with his cat brothers, Monty and Dart! RDJ loves those cats. He would lay down in traffic for those cats.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Beyonce and Jay-Z have gone quiet for the most part since the birth of little Blue Ivy. I mean, they released a statement and Jay released a song, and he also partied all night at a club opening, but other than that… relatively quiet. What does this selective silence mean? Does it mean that they are quietly enjoying the first months of little Blue’s life? Or does it mean that something big is coming – like some kind of craziness for the Grammys? I don’t know. But I do tend to believe this In Touch Weekly report, just because I don’t have a reason to disbelieve it:

Beyonce isn’t leaving anything to chance when it comes to the welfare of her firthborn child. According to a friend, the new mom has two nannies on call at all times, which makes for a total of six nannies for little Blue Ivy Carter.

“Beyonce wanted to make sure that her daughter has the best of care,” a friend of the singer tells In Touch. “Her diaper is changed every hour.”

And proud papa Jay-Z, 42, is also lavishing attention on the newborn – by way of bling.

“Jay-Z bought her diamond earrings and a platinum baby bracelet,” reveals the friend. “Even her bottle has pink sapphires on it.”

A little over the top perhaps, but what can you expect from the couple who reportedly spent $1.3 million to bullet-proof the delivery room!

[From In Touch Weekly, print edition]

“Her diaper is changed every hour” – not “Beyonce changes her diaper.” But isn’t that weird – is that a thing? Changing a baby’s diaper hourly instead of just waiting for a more occasion-appropriate time to change the kid’s diaper? As for the all of blinged-out baby stuff – babies just shove everything into their mouths, right? And that’s why you don’t give them jewelry and stuff? Those six nannies better keep an eye on things, but Blue’s parents are idiots.

By the way, these are all photos from Beyonce’s (phantom, pillowy) pregnancy – various pics from July to September of last year, which was Bey’s second trimester. The one where Bey is in black – that’s from Glastonbury, where Gwyneth Paltrow claims Bey was “barfing” in between songs because of morning sickness. Hm…

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

Jessica Alba is all over the place promoting her new line of organic baby care products, called The Honest Company. Their model is a kind of monthly “personal shopper” experience for biodegradable diapers and home care products like laundry detergent and cleaning supplies. It costs $79.95 a month for the “diaper bundle,” $35.95 for “family essentials,” and $115.90 for both. The amount of diapers you get depends on the size of your baby, and the price doesn’t sound exorbitant for that type of product. I guess Alba has to find another way to supplement her income now that her career in B movies is on the wane. It seems like she really cares about making products that are both safe for babies and good for the environment, I’ll give her that.

Anyway in a new interview on CNN’s HLN, (video below) Alba admits that she earned good money for the first photos of her daughter Honor, now three and a half, and that she banked it for Honor’s future. She didn’t reveal the exact amount she was paid, but reports have it at $1.5 million. Alba had her second baby, daughter Haven, about five months ago. I doubt she got paid anything for Haven’s photos, but I could be wrong.

Alba, who is mom to daughters Honor and Haven, told CNN she thinks Beyonce and Jay-Z should take control of the public’s thirst for the first glimpse of baby Blue and sell the photos.

The 30-year-old actress and husband Cash Warren made the decision to sell the first photos of Honor to OK! magazine for a reported $1.5 million.

“For our family, we just wanted to control the experience. We put the money that the picture made into a bank account for Honor to do whatever she wants to do with,” she explained. “It’s her picture, it’s her birth, and we didn’t want it to be like a weird thing when we were walking out of the house with her for the first time.”

Alba believes that selling the first photos will stop the paparazzi from going to dangerous lengths to nab the first look at a celebrity’s offspring.

“If there’s a price tag on your child — which is so bizarre — people will go to crazy lengths. We wanted to avoid the hysteria,” she said, adding that they had a great experience with OK! magazine using a photographer they were friends with.

[From Huffington Post]

At least she’s honest about the fact that she saved the baby photo money, unlike Jennifer Lopez who kept a reported $6 million for the first photos of her twins and didn’t say a peep about it. Alba is talking about the climate three and a half years ago for celebrity baby photos, though. The amount that celebrities can make for baby photos has gone significantly down since, and the trend is just to release a photo to the press in order to control the paparazzi, not to try and negotiate for the highest amount of money. Unless the money is going to charity, it seems gauche to get paid for baby photos. I love how at the end of this clip Alba says “You can just give the money to charity and to your baby and that’s it,” as if her baby is a charity. As for her advice to Beyonce, which was solicited by the interviewer and not just volunteered, I doubt we’ll be seeing photos of Blue Ivy for some time and I’ll leave it at that.

Jessica Alba and Honor are shown out on 1-10-12. Honor is a little star. Credit: R2D2/FameFlynet Pictures. She’s also shown with Cash at Van Nuys Airport on 1-20-12 and at the Weinstein Company’s 2012 Golden Globe party on 1-15-12. Credit: WENN.com

Beyonce and Jay-Z’s name choice for their little princess caused some of us consternation yesterday, when the birth and the baby name was announced. Sources claimed the baby girl was named either Blue Ivy or Ivy Blue Carter. At this point, it’s pretty much confirmed that the name is Blue Ivy… which… okay, I understand why people are rolling their eyes about it, but just think for a minute about how bad the name could have been. When compared to my guess of Princess BeyJay Déjà Vu Knowles-Carter, Blue Ivy sounds rather nice, right? So, what significance does the name have? Allegedly, it’s all about Bey and Jay and what’s significant to them. Unless you believe that Jay named his baby after an ex-girlfriend. He dated Blu Cantrell before Beyonce! But that’s not the official story.

Beyonce and Jay-Z’s baby girl Blue Ivy Carter arrived Saturday, and while little girls are customarily pretty in pink, this baby is also being surrounded by touches of blue.

This was the case over the holidays, when, in anticipation of the baby’s birth, the parents-to-be sent pals blue Christmas gifts, a source tells PEOPLE.

Sources and fans suggest the couple chose the name “Ivy” because of the number 4 or Roman numeral IV, which is significant in Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s relationship.

Beyoncé’s birthday is Sept. 4, while Jay-Z’s is Dec. 4; the two married on April 4 in 2008; they reportedly have matching “IV” tattoos on their wedding fingers; and Beyoncé named her latest album 4.

And the significance of the baby’s first name, Blue? Well, Jay-Z has three albums with the word “blueprint” in their titles: The Blueprint was released in 2001; The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse, in 2002; and The Blueprint 3, in 2009.

In lyrics, Jay-Z has rarely been coy about proclaiming himself the best rapper ever. “I’m the Blueprint, I’m like the map for ‘em,” he said in “A Star Is Born,” from The Blueprint 3.

Fans have also chimed in on the name. “Blueprint was the hottest album ever sold by Jay-Z! their child’s name makes a lot of sense!” Tweeted @kisssmyDIAMONDS

And Tweeted @omgitsralph: “There’s a meaning in Ivy Blue. IVy = a roman numeral for 4 which is Beyoncé’s favorite number and BLUE for Jay-Z’s Blueprint albums. Wow.”

Perhaps at some point the parents will make clear why they chose the name.

Until then, there’s one thing the family is clear about, as proud aunt Solange declared on Twitter on Sunday. Blue Ivy, she said, is “the most beautiful girl in the world.”

[From People]

Once again… I don’t hate the rationale for naming the kid Blue Ivy. I almost get it, if they really did name their baby after a color that has had significance to Jay, and after “IV” for “four”. At least they have an actual argument based on their shared history for the baby name. Unlike, say, Apple Martin or Pilot Inspektor or Kal-el Cage/Coppola. I’m just saying, there’s a lot of be critical of regarding this whole “birth” thing, so I’m not spending any of my eye-rolls on the baby name.

Meanwhile, Solange totally tweeted about her new niece, “the most beautiful girl in the world.” It will definitely be interesting to see who the baby takes after, Jay or… the surrogate? A “family friend” tells Media Takeout that the baby has Jay’s nose, ears and mouth.” Aw, that’s kind of cute. Dame Gwyneth Paltrow also deigned to tweet about her BFF’s baby, writing, “Welcome to the world, Blue. We love you already!” Us Weekly also reports that Jay was seen walking the halls of Lenox Hill Hospital looking “happy.” And Bey’s parents Tina and Mathew were seen at the hospital as well, holding “flowers with pink balloons and silver and black ribbons.” My Conspiracy Radar is still in overdrive. Anyone else? This one chick claims that Beyonce’s surrogate had the baby last month. Fascinating.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

I kind of forgot that Robert DeNiro is actually married. I thought Bob and Grace Hightower were simply “longterm partners.” They’ve been together for a really long time, so why don’t I have any memory of them actually getting hitched? Was it hush-hush? Or is it common-law? Anyway, Grace and Bob have just welcomed their second child together – via surrogate. Grace gave birth to their son Elliot in the 1990s, and now they are parents to newborn Helen Grace. This is Robert’s sixth child overall:

Robert De Niro and his wife, Grace Hightower De Niro, have welcomed a daughter, his rep tells PEOPLE.

Helen Grace, born via surrogate, weighed in at 7 lbs., 2 oz.

She is the second child for the couple, who first met back in 1987 in London and are already parents to son Elliot, 13. 


The Academy Award winning actor, 68, also has four other children: daughter Drena, 40, and son Raphael, 35, with former wife Diahnne Abbott, as well as 16-year-old twin sons Julian and Aaron, born via surrogate with ex-girlfriend Toukie Smith.

[From People]

God, Robert’s twin sons are already 16? I remember seeing photos of the twins when they were toddlers!! Jesus, I’m old. As is Bob DeNiro. He’s 68 years old!!! And Grace is 56 years old!! I mean, loving parents are loving parents, at any age. But… really? SIXTY-EIGHT. I don’t even know. Congratulations to the happy couple and welcome to the world, baby Helen Grace.

Photos courtesy of Fame.

OK! Magazine has a story about Angelina Jolie’s womb this week. Yes, the awards season has begun! When was it… 2008, right? Angelina was nominated for several awards for A Mighty Heart. Angelina showed up at the 2008 SAGs in that horrible vintage sack, and everyone was like “OMG, she’s wearing a sack because she’s preggo!” And then came the Independent Spirit Awards, and the big reveal of the bump that held twins Vivienne and Knox. So what will this year’s Brangelina-filled awards season bring? Another bump debut? That’s what OK! Magazine is hinting at:

Brad Pitt lifted a glass of sparkling wine and toasted Angelina Jolie, as the couple’s friends and family looked on at Hollywood’s Magnolia restaurant. The pair was there Dec. 8 to salute Angelina’s directorial debut, but Brad and Angie also appeared to delight in their own much more private news: They want a new baby in 2012.

Now that the youngest of their brood of six children, twins Knox and Vivienne, are 3, Angelina, 36, is ready to expand her family.

“She jokes about triplets constantly. And she’s not a big joker, really,” says a confidante. “She and Brad have talked at length. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that she’ll have another child.”

Although the couple is playing coy with the media, it’s difficult not to see their delight.

“Nothing is planned…. I could end up pregnant,” Angie recently said. Brad, too, also let slip about the family’s desire for more children.

“I don’t know that we’re finished. I don’t know,” he said on 60 Minutes.

Certainly, the Jolie-Pitts are in a unique position to be able to afford as many children as they want, but the confidante says that though money isn’t an issue, Angie may be taking a risk with her health: “It’s very serious. She’s had two very high-risk pregnancies. Both times, her blood pressure shot up, and she developed gestational diabetes. I don’t know if she could survive a third round.”

But Brad, 47, is caught up in the thrill of becoming a dad again, and Angelina, who is used to getting exactly what she wants, plans to become pregnant despite any potential problems.

“Angelina is determined,” says another insider. “She is dead set on giving the kids a baby brother or sister as soon as possible.”

[From OK! Magazine]

As I’ve said before, I wouldn’t be surprised if Brad and Angelina had more kids. I keep expecting them to adopt another baby, but I could totally see them having another biological kid too. I’m actually kind of impressed that they’ve waited this long to add to their family – I think they might have gotten overwhelmed when the twins came, and despite their claims that they were open to more babies, they decided to stay at six kids for a while.

So, is Angelina already knocked up? Will she be debuting a bump at a future red carpet? Probably not. Even if she’s already getting knocked up right now, she’ll wait to announce it.

In other Brangelina news, Angie has a new interview with MTV News. Video is below, but here‘s the big quote, re: In the Land of Blood and Honey: “I hope for the audience watching that it isn’t just a history lesson, it isn’t just a political film, it isn’t just Bosnia. We tried to tell a dramatic story, we tried to make a good film with great actors, we tried to just give traditional dramatic storytelling, and somehow in that, we also layered all these other things and it’s a part of it. Even if you’re not particularly interested in history, which I can’t imagine because it’s important, but if [you want to see something] just for filmmaking or just to see performances or just to see a story, an emotional relationship story, that’s this film.”

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Fantasia Barrino has given birth to a baby boy! She gave birth yesterday, December 13, in North Carolina. ‘Tasia named the baby Dallas Xavier Barrino, which is interesting. Why didn’t she give the kid his father’s name? The baby-daddy is Antwaun Cook, Fantasia’s long-time married lover. By the last reports – earlier this year – Antwaun is still technically married to his wife Paula, and Paula is super-pissed that Antwaun knocked up Fantasia. Again. Because Antwaun got Fantastia pregnant last year too, and in the midst of the drama of their affair becoming public and Fantasia’s “suicide attempt,” Fantasia had an abortion – which she admitted to in open court, during one of the hearings for Paula and Antwaun’s divorce. Yes, this whole thing is a horrible mess. And now there’s an innocent, newborn baby in the mix.

Fantasia Barrino has a new little backup singer. The American Idol season 3 winner gave birth to a baby boy, Dallas Xavier Barrino, her rep tells PEOPLE. Baby Dallas made his debut on Tuesday in North Carolina at 7 lbs., 9 oz. and 21 inches long. He joins big sister Zion, 10.

“I feel so blessed that my son Dallas Xavier was born healthy, and is a wonderful new addition to our family,” Barrino, 27, tells PEOPLE. “I thank all my fans for their well wishes and continued support.”

The singer expressed her joy about the new baby when she revealed in August she was pregnant, telling the audience at a charity concert in Florida: “So, this child that I carry – God has given me this child. And I don’t have to hide it from none of y’all.”

In October, she announced she was having a boy, and shared that she’d been placed on bed rest as she came into the home stretch of the pregnancy.

Barrino has not spoken about the baby’s father, but the singer has been romantically linked to Antwaun Cook since summer 2010.

[From People]

She was with Antwaun longer than “since summer 2010.” Their affair began in 2009 or before, I’m pretty sure. I wonder if there’s some new scandal involving Antwaun and ‘Tasia? Are they still together? Bossip’s sources say that Antwaun was allegedly at the NC hospital when Fantasia gave birth, so I guess they are still together. So… I guess baby Dallas didn’t get his daddy’s name just because Antwaun is still married. HOT MESS.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

A few weeks ago, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and his baby-mama Hilarie Burton walked their first red carpet together in months. Hilarie gave birth to JDM’s son last year, although the whole thing was very hush-hush, and most people didn’t even know Hilarie was pregnant (much less “pregnant with Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s baby”) at the time. The whole thing seems to be a sketchy situation, and I was honestly surprised that JDM and Hilarie were still together, two years after their relationship “overlapped” with JDM’s relationship with Mary-Louise Parker. Anyway, just to add an extra dash of weirdness, JDM and Hilarie refused to even confirm the gender of their baby for more than a year. But now that the kid is 20 months old, Jeffrey is finally talking about him:

It looks like actors Hilarie Burton and Jeffrey Dean Morgan aren’t the only ones who can put on a good show. The parents of son Gus, 20 months, admit their “rowdy” baby boy is already giving them a run for their money.

“He learned how to say, ‘No.’ He used to say, ‘I’m done,’ and now he looks at you and says, ‘No!’” Morgan, 45, told PEOPLE during the Twilight: Breaking Dawn premiere on Nov. 14 in Los Angeles.

“It’s like, ‘Gus, can you come here?’ He’s like, ‘No!’”

But, for now, Burton, 29, adds that Gus’s newfound defiance is all fun and games. “He says it with a laugh, like it’s hilarious,” the White Collar star says.

The tight trio recently spent time in Miami Beach as Morgan filmed his new show Magic City and, despite the constant juggling of job and baby, the couple coped — mostly — on their own.

“It’s hard. Between the two of us, we’ve had our hands full. But we’ve managed to do it without any help,” the actor reveals. “We have babysitters now and again, but we don’t have nannies. We wing it, man.”

However, their no-nanny stance hasn’t come without the occasional sacrifice. “This is our second pseudo adult-night out,” he laughs.

“I’m going to say pseudo because I’m not sure if Twilight is an adult night. It’s a night out.”

[From People Magazine]

LMAO at a baby saying “I’m done.” Hey, bad parents – teach your babies how to say “I quit this bitch” next. And then maybe “Kiss my ass.” Anyway, the baby’s name is Gus and Hilarie and Jeffrey are still together and they’re raising the kid together without any nannies, apparently. Do you think this is the truth? I don’t even know. There’s so much weirdness with this couple.

Photos courtesy of WENN.