One good thing seems to have come out of the Dina Lohan school of parenting: the entire world is now aware of exactly why it’s a bad idea to try to be your kid’s friend instead of their parent. Very pregnant Jessica Alba gave an interview to People magazine in which she talked about the downsides of pregnancy, and what kind of mom she plans on being.

Now I never really saw Jessica Alba as the couchie-coo pushover type filled with sweetness and light, or someone who would really care about getting anyone’s approval of her parenting skills. Certainly not her own kid’s. And it turns out I’m right, because Jessica says she won’t be her daughter’s friend.

Until Jessica Alba and fiancé Cash Warren’s baby girl arrives this summer, the pregnant actress is stopping to smell the roses – though she’s aware of the serious challenges she’ll soon face.

“At the end of the day I am so tired I can’t function or speak and my eyes glaze over,” Alba, 27, tells Fit Pregnancy magazine for its June/July issue, “but this pregnancy has seriously mellowed me out, which is nice. I’ve been going, going, going for so long, it feels nice not to take things so seriously.”

And though she finds herself craving citrus products during her pregnancy, when it comes to what she’ll allow as a mother, she says: “I don’t want to be my child’s best friend; I want to be a mom. But I do want my child to come to me when they have problems and need to talk, so it’s going to be about treading that line.”

[From People]

Thank you, Dina Lohan. Okay to be fair, Jessica Alba never credits/blames Dina for her parenting philosophy, but I’m pretty sure there’s a direct correlation. Most people seem to know that they shouldn’t be their kid’s friend, but the desire for approval (or in Lohan’s case, the desire to act like a moron/reclaim her lost youth/act like a moron) sometimes got in the way.

But now there’s this famous wreck – Lindsay Lohan – that we can all look to as a guide for how we don’t want our kids to be. Anytime anyone has a parenting decision, they can ask themselves, “What would Dina Lohan do?” And then do the exact opposite. As long as Jessica Alba sticks with that, she’ll be a pretty good parent.

Here’s Jessica Alba leaving Champagne restaurant after picking up some take-out food on April 10th. Images thanks to WENN.

In “kids say the darndest things” news, Angelina Jolie gave an interview to GMTV in which she mentioned that daughter Zahara thinks she’s pregnant… with a pig. I could understand if Zahara thought Angelina was pregnant with a pig… not even piglets, but a full-sized pig. Angie is huge right now. But apparently Zahara likes pretending she’s pregnant too, and has decided she’ll be having a pig. Nothing wrong with that. It’s certainly one of the more useful animals.

Angelina Jolie says her adopted daughter Zahara thinks she’s going to give birth to a pig. The 3-year-old is trying to be like her mum, who is expecting twins with partner Brad Pitt, 45.

“The kids are excited and they are starting to understand about me being pregnant,” Ange explains. “We’ve had it before with Shiloh so they know what’s going on. Zahara pretends she’s pregnant too and says she has an animal in her tummy. She says the piggy is making her eat all the chocolate brownies.”

And 4-year-old Pax also reckons he’s pregnant.

“Pax says he’s got a baby monkey inside him.” Ange tells GMTV. “So it’s really fun in our house at the moment.”

[From Now Magazine]

I really like this idea of getting to pick exactly what it is you’re pregnant with. The other day I was watching this special on baby pandas on NPR’s website, and I decided I really wanted one. If only I’d consulted the Jolie-Pitt children first, I would have found out I could birth my own panda. Seriously, I think this is a good idea all around. Though somebody should probably let Zahara know what’s up at some point. Or in about 25 years she’s going to be really disappointed.

Here’s Pax, Angelina, and Zahara in New York in September. Images thanks to WENN.

Angelina Jolie is doing press in Cannes for her upcoming animated film Kung Fu Panda. Somehow all of her co-stars are leaking the details of her pregnancy. Yesterday Jack Black let it slip in an interview that Angelina and Brad “would have as many as Brady Bunch when you have these” and Angelina laughed, got a little embarrassed and first said “we’ve confirmed it already [twins],” which may have been an attempt to make Jack Black feel better because he got all wide-mouthed after he realized it was news to the reporter. Then she added, smiling “well, Jack’s just confirmed it actually.”

Angelina said that all of her kids have seen Kung Fu Panda except her “little one, because she wouldn’t sit still” and that they loved it. It is out in theaters on June 6th.

The interviewer, Natalie Morales from The Today Show, mentioned to Matt Lauer that “we were told in a separate interview with Dustin Hoffman that she is due on August 19.”

Jack Black is expecting his second child any day now. Morales also said that Angelina told Black that “a good way to introduce their siblings to the newborn is to throw them all a sibling celebration to make sure that the whole family feels involved.”

If I was Angelina I would be pissed that my due date was out in the open like that. It’s hard enough when you have friends and family waiting for your baby to arrive and bugging you about it. I can’t imagine having the entire world interested and getting all eager for pictures and details. Brad and Angelina never even confirmed the pregnancy and were probably hoping to have at least some mystery about it. When she was pregnant with Shiloh she went all the way to Namibia, rented an entire hotel, had a big tent erected outside, and had her bodyguards threatening photographers hanging around. Now she’s in France where she’s frequently photographed, and we all know supposedly when she’s due along with the fact that she’s having twins. Look for Brad and Angelina to move on again in the next few weeks in order to get some privacy before she has the babies.

Thanks to WENN for these photos from the photocall of Kung Fu Panda at Cannes today and to People for this video and story.

Today Angelina Jolie put all the speculation and rumors to rest and announced that she is indeed having twins. Twins seem to be the “it” baby right now. I’m not sure if it’s possible to special order them, but it seems like a lot of celebs are popping them out lately. Though if Angie did indeed conceived through IVF as has been speculated, it would increase her chance of having multiples.

It’s twins for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt! In an interview that took place in Cannes on Wednesday with the “Today” show’s Natalie Morales, airing Wednesday night on Access Hollywood and in full on Thursday on “Today,” Angelina confirmed the baby news that has been rumored for months.

The twins will be the couple’s 5th & 6th children. Angelina confirmed the news in a side-by-side interview with Jack Black — they are promoting their new Dreamworks animated film, “Kung Fu Panda.” Jack was the first to let the news slip, and then Angelina followed up with her own confirmation.

“You’re gonna have as many as (the) ‘Brady Bunch’ when you have these,” Jack joked.

“It’s confirmed? Is it two?”, Natalie asked.

“Yeah, yeah, we’ve confirmed that already,” Angelina responded. “Well, Jack’s just confirmed it actually.”

“Is that true?”, Jack said jokingly.

“Yeah, you did,” Angelina replied.

“Sorry,” Jack concluded.

[From Access Hollywood]

Angelina said that she and Brad know the sex of the babies, but that they’re keeping that private. Natalie Morales asks if she’s giving birth here or in France, Angelina replied, “Possibly.” Which technically didn’t answer the question – Morales asked if it was one or the other, and Jolie gave that response. So maybe here, maybe there, and maybe on the surface of the moon. Who knows. That’s six kids, collected in a VERY short period of time. Congrats to Brad and Angelina.

In another desperate attempt to win back some of the public good will he gained when baby Suri was born, then lost when his non-stop Scientology blabfest culminated with a video of him singing and dancing like a doofus on a cruise ship, Tom Cruise is dropping hints all over the place that he and his programmed automaton wife, Katie “Her Name is Kate, Bitches!” Holmes are working on a sequel. Apparently he’s been wanting to plant yet another Scientoloseed in his young bride’s womb for quite some time, but she hasn’t been ready until now. Must have been that new software upgrade.

Do Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have a joint production in the works?

We don’t mean the movie kind, either: We hear they want to have another a baby.

According to friends who schmoozed with the Cruises in New York earlier this week, Katie wants to have another baby soon, and she has been hinting as much to her husband.

“She said she’s got the itch,” said a friend close to the pair. “Now that Suri is more toddler than baby, she said she misses having an infant in the house. And, of course, she thinks Suri would make a great big sister.”

And what does Tom think? Read on for what our source told us…

Tom seems totally into the idea.

“He said if Katie wants to make another baby, she doesn’t have to ask twice,” said the pal of the power couple. “He always wanted more. It was Katie who has been holding off. Until now.”

[From E! News]

Well, since Katie pretty much wrecked her movie career by dropping out of the Batman franchise in order to star in a crappy bank heist chick flick with Queen Latifah, what else does she have to do these days, besides shop and have her hard drive swapped out every few months? A note to Katie: you might want to work on getting two-year-old Suri off the bottle before putting another bun in your oven. Maybe Rachael Ray can stop by Casa Crazy after she’s done weaning Leah Remini’s monster toddler.

Thanks to WENN for these photos from the Costume Institute Gala on 5/5/08.

Nicole Richie, Joel Madden and their baby Harlow, who will be four months old in a few days, appear in a new photo spread in Harper’s Bazaar. It features Joel and Nicole in couture looking privileged along with Harlow in her own cute clothing. Nicole’s dad pop singer Lionel Richie also appears, looking very much the proud Grandfather. The shoot reminds me of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony’s first baby spread in People with more focus on the newborn and less haughty expressions.

Extra TV has details of the accompanying interview with Nicole, and she’s outspoken about her love for her daughter and the way Harlow has changed her life and her circle of friends. She says that Joel is very helpful with the baby and changes more diapers than she does:

Richie tells “Extra” that she is the first in her circle of friends to have a baby. She elaborated, “I feel like my group of five to ten friends, they really love her, like she’s theirs… my friends never go outside for smoke breaks anymore, they don’t curse, they are definitely more demure. It’s actually been really interesting.”

As for how new dad and fiancé Joel Madden handles diaper duty, Richie admitted, “Joel actually changes more diapers than I do… It’s his time with her. He sings to her… he laughs with her, plays with her. It’s amazing.” Richie revealed that her father, Lionel, hasn’t offered her any parenting advice, but that “he comes from a father standpoint. He gives Joel a lot of advice.”

[From ExtraTV.com]

Nicole also says that she finds the paparazzi scary and doesn’t want that kind of circus around her daughter. She calls herself “the luckiest girl alive” and says she has “nothing to complain about.”

Nicole and Joel got some slight heat for making appearances at events and parties in the month after their daughter’s birth. That was during the Grammy events, though, and it was important that Joel attend some parties for his job. They seemed to have reigned it in though, and although they still go out it’s not like they’re partying it up every weekend. We reported a story from Star earlier in the week that speculated that “Nicole is torn between being a mommy and being a party girl” and wanted some freedom but didn’t want to leave her baby.

Nicole certainly seems like a great mom. Compare her actions to the way that Jennifer Lopez is behaving - talking about competing in a triathalon to make her babies proud and heading out to every event to show the world how well her fitness program is working.

Doesn’t Harlow look like she has so much personality already? I love her expressions, she’s a little weisenheimer you can tell.

These photos are from Harper’s Bazaar’s website, where there are many more.

According to Star magazine, Nicole Richie’s life is getting REALLY hard to balance. Before daughter Harlow was born, all Nicole had to balance was shopping and partying. I’m not being sarcastic, according to the mag, that really was about all she did. I guess she occasionally dodged Paris Hilton and randomly recorded a terrible pop song here and there, but that was about it. Now Nicole has a baby – but she still wants to have her old life too. And no matter where she is or what she’s doing, she feels like she should be doing something else. The life of a socialite is sooooooo hard.

Though she says life’s been “beyond amazing” since giving birth to her daughter in January, the diaper-duty demands of motherhood leave Nicole Richie pining for her old party days, according to Star magazine.

“Nicole is torn between being a mommy and being a party girl,” an insider told the publication. “She wants to go out and have fun, but when she does, she’s like, ‘Uh-oh, Harlow needs me.’”

The dramatic lifestyle change is catching to the new mom, said another source. “Nicole really misses her carefree life. Before Harlow came along, Nicole never had to worry about anything. All she did was party with her friends and go shopping. Now she’s totally overwhelmed by her new responsibility, even though she adores her daughter. Nicole still can’t figure out if she’s happier when she’s home with the baby or hitting the town with her friends!”

[From MSNBC]

Okay sarcasm aside, being a new mom is obviously incredibly overwhelming. I doubt anyone thinks, “Wow, I am really kicking ass at this.” But complaining because you have to stay home with your kid instead of going shopping and partying makes it pretty hard to be sympathetic. It doesn’t matter if Nicole can’t “figure out if she’s happier when she’s home with the baby or hitting the town with her friends!” (by the way, that quote makes me ill). When you’re debating over spending every night club hopping or staying home and taking care of your new baby now and then, there’s no debate. It isn’t about figuring out which one is more fun.

Every parent needs some time away, and deserves to go out and have some fun. But it needs to be a rational amount. Nicole is “totally overwhelmed by her new responsibility” because she’s never had any responsibilities before. So of course she doesn’t know how to handle it. If you haven’t learned how to juggle the different commitments in your life, it’s going to be hard to figure out how to prioritize. Now would be a great to figure that out.

Here’s Nicole Richie and Joel Madden outside their shop DCMA on Melrose Avenue on April 29th. Images thanks to WENN.

Unlike a lot of celebrities of late, R&B singer Usher actually has some integrity – at least when it comes to selling his kid. Usher says he won’t be “pimping” out his son to magazines for some quick cash. Lately seeing how much you can get for your baby has become quite the high priced, obsessive competition amongst celebrities. Diva Christina Aguilera was said to be pissed that her kid didn’t fetch as much as Nicole Richie’s.

Usher says that he doesn’t view his son that way, and won’t be selling him to the tabloids.

Finally, there’s one celebrity who refuses to cash in on parenthood by selling baby pictures to a magazine. “In no way would I ever pimp out my child for money,” Usher told Page Six. The pop singer - upset by rumors he was trying to sell photos of his infant son, Usher Raymond V, and eager to defend his wife, Tameka, and his upcoming album, “Here I Stand” - wants to set the record straight.

“I am livid that people talk about my child,” Usher told us. In fact, he has posed - for free - with his son for an “incredible” Father’s Day cover for Essence magazine.

“What makes you a man more than being a father to your child? I recognize I gave anonymity away when I became an artist, but to have people try to paint a horrible picture of what’s so beautiful - it’s obvious someone is trying to stop something so beautiful.”

[From Page Six]

Good for him. Last week Diane Clehane, a writer for the Huffington Post, wrote a very persuasive article blasting celebrities for looking at their new babies as paydays. She criticized J-Lo, Aguilera, and Richie for making exorbitant demands for the exclusive rights to photographs their infant.

Clehane noted that some couples conducted themselves with a great deal of dignity. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, Julia Roberts and Daniel Moder, and Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes all either offered photo ops for free, or donated the entire proceeds to charities. Hopefully Usher’s comments might sway other celebs to behave in a more dignified manner.

Here’s Usher and Tameka Foster leaving a party thrown by the Beckhams at Via Veneto restaurant in Santa Monica on April 20th. Images thanks to WENN.

While pregnant teen actress Jamie Lynn Spears may have it easier than most teen moms-to-be in the financial department, her pregnancy has not been without stress and drama - and some of it even revolves around her money. First, there’s the fact that her older sister is a basket case and her parents are so caught up in taking care of her that poor Jamie Lynn seems to be on her own much of the time. Then there’s the father of her child, Casey Aldridge, who is pretty much a backwoods redneck who likes to pull guns on the paparazzi and bring the mother of his unborn child to barf parties. Now, as Jamie Lynn enters the final months of her pregnancy, she is attending therapy and taking parenting classes, while Casey is refusing to sign a prenup, as demanded by stage mom Lynne Spears.

As her June due date draws near, the pregnant 17-year-old is seeking the advice of a life coach near her Kentwood, La. home to deal with her difficult situation. It isn’t just an ordinary fear of childbirth, says in insider. Jamie Lynn is also afraid that the depression that seems to run in her family will overshadow her baby joy…

The pregnant teen is also losing sleep over her relationship with fiance Casey Aldridge. Though she and Casey are engaged, family friends doubt they will ever get married. “He doesn’t seem to be as committed,” the friend explained.

Another family friend added, “Casey and Jamie Lynn might not have the maturity level to get married. At this stage, it’s probably not a good idea.”

Although Jamie Lynn loves Casey, she may be having second thoughts herself. “An engagement is easier to end than a marriage,” says a pal. “Reality is setting in, and she’s freaking out.”

Does Casey want more money? Jamie Lynn is wearing Casey’s ring, but her 19-year-old fiance still hasn’t signed the prenuptial agreement- a document her parents have demanded he agree to before they can wed.

“Casey has had the prenup for a while,” says a Spears family insider. “It’s a sign there could be something wrong.”

Casey could be waiting for a bigger share of Jamie Lynn’s fortune if they divorce - or the teenager may just have cold feet about getting married.

[From In Touch Weekly print version, May 5, 2008]

The article also made a big deal out of the fact that Jamie Lynn has been spending a lot of time by herself, leaving Casey at home while she does errands and shops for the baby, but it’s more likely that the kid just doesn’t like being hounded by photographers. As for the prenup, given what happened to her sister, Jamie Lynn would be nuts to move forward on the wedding without one. She may not be worth as much as Britney yet, but she’s worked hard to earn that money and it would be a shame if this kid somehow could lay claim to it. Hopefully these issues will be resolved so she can relax and focus on the birth, but something tells me this situation is only beginning to get out of hand.

Jamie Lynn and Casey are shown on 4/4/08, thanks to Splash News.

Jason Lee and his girlfriend Ceren Alkac are expected a baby together. Lee has a four-year-old son, who he famously (or infamously, depending on your view) named Pilot Inspektor. Yes that’s the real name, and the proper spelling. I’m guessing there’s a 50/50 he’s going to name the kid something like Audio Mekanik. Because nothing’s funnier than messing your kid up right from the start.

My Name Is Earl star Jason Lee and his girlfriend, Ceren Alkac, are expecting a baby, the actor’s rep confirms exclusively to PEOPLE.

The child, who is due in the fall, will be the first for the couple.

Lee, 38, also has a 4-year-old son, Pilot Inspektor, with his ex, actress Beth Riesgraf.

[From People]

Jason Lee is a Scientologist (though certainly one of the quieter ones), and presumably Ceren Alkac is as well, since they don’t seem to date outside their religion much. If they’re still active in the church, it seems like there’s a pretty good chance Alkac will have one of those famous Scientology silent births. This means there would be no moaning, screaming, or threatening to kill anyone – which sounds downright barbaric to me. One of the only good things about giving birth (aside from the resulting baby) is that you’re allowed to yell all sorts of horrible things at the baby’s father, and he can’t fault you for it. In fact I think he’s supposed to love you more for it. Or at least that’s how it’s going to work for me.

Aside from no death threats, there would be no encouraging doctor chants of “Push!” and absolutely no painkillers. I forgot, that’s one of the other good parts of giving birth. It sounds positively inhuman to me. But congrats to the happy couple, nonetheless.

Here’s Jason Lee and Ceren Alkac at the Alvin and the Chipmunks “Get Munk’d Tour 2008″ and DVD Release in Los Angeles on March 27th, 2008. Images thanks to PR Photos.