A columnist for Britian’s The Guardian discusses Internet commentary on Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt’s odd name.

Shiloh is a hebrew name of course, but it could mean several different things:

“Nouvel,” which means “New” in French, should be spelled “Nouvelle,” its French feminine form, since it’s part of a girl’s name. Brad and Angelina may have made the grammatical error deliberately, though:

This makes sense, since Brad loves architecture and has admitted it’s one of his passions.

Brad is also narrating a show for PBS on environmentally friendly architecture called “Design: E2.” It will air in June.

A commentor on “A Socialite’s Life” noted that Pitt also gave Zahara her middle name, Marley:

Angelina should have let Brad name the baby, since Nouvel is a much prettier name - and much easier to pronounce - than Shiloh.

In related news, Angelina and Brad are showing their gratitude to Namibia by donating $300,000 to benefit the country’s state-run maternity wards. Their newborn has been offered Namibian citizenship from the grateful government.

Here are some pictures courtesy of JustJared that were probably taken at the World Economic Forum with a cameraphone. Until they come back to the states, scrounging for old low-res pictures is probably as good as it gets.

Update: pictures are from the Mr. and Mrs. Smith set during a break from filming.

We took a couple days off, and are technically still on vacation. Babies were born, people died, we got more comment spam - the world went on.

Angelina Jolie’s personal obstetrician has been flown to The Burning Shore resort where the famous family is staying in Namibia. The couple is said to have converted a suite in the hotel where Angelina will give birth. If Angelina doesn’t have the baby by June 3rd, she’ll be induced. Everyone agrees that the birth should be uneventful since she’s super fit:

Jolie is said to be doing yoga in preparation for the birth, and should be well prepared when her time comes.

Meanwhile there’s a good reason why so few pictures of Angelina and Brad have come out lately. Photographers and journalists are really intimidated by the Namibian government and the thuggish Jolie-Pitt security team. Many are threatened with deportation, and one photographer spent a few days in jail before being released without charge:

Someone managed to snap Brad riding his bike with Zahara dangerously strapped on his back without a helmet, so there’s at least one paparazzo around.

The first picture of the baby-to-be has commanded nearly $5 million from an American magazine. You can hardly blame photographers for hoping to secure their retirement with an unlikely shot of the newborn.

Update: Angelina’s brother, James Haven, has been flown to Namibia. Jamie accompanied Angelina to the 2000 Oscars for her best supporting actress win, where Angelina sparked controversy by kissing him on the lips. She is now said to want Jamie by her side for the birth of her first biological child.

Brad Pitt has been criticized for riding his bike with a helpless baby Zahara in a child carrier on his back and without a helmet. Maddox was wearing a helmet, though. Maybe child safety devices are hard to come by in Africa

I have a safety seat for my kid on the back of my bike and he always wears a helmet. The thing is, he hates shoes and sometimes I let him ride barefoot. Maybe if I was famous someone more qualified than my nosy neighbor would point out my mistake.

Celebrities know more about the vaguaries of what’s popular in expensive jeans and giant leather handbags than common things like childcare. Rear-facing child seats, helmets and properly installed seats on bikes - all this seems like common sense to us laypeople.

Maybe celebrities will start hiring baby experts for advice on how to keep their children safe and avoid public relations disasters. This reminds me of an episode of the Simpsons where Homer started a “Wee Care” baby proofing business. There seems to be quite a market for that type of service in Hollywood.

Simpsons pictures [via]
Brad Pitt pictures [via]

“Babel,” directed by “21 Grams” director, Alejandro Gonzalez, stars Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt, and Gael Garcia Bernal and is a multi-layered film about miscommunication in the modern world. It is in the running for the Palme d’Or, the grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival. It is said to be in competition with Sofia Coppola’s film starring Kirsten Dunst, “Marie Antoinette,” and Pedro Almodovar’s “Volver,” starring Penelope Cruz. Pitt could not make it to Cannes due to the impending birth of his first child, but sent his regards.

“Babel” sounds like a rich, thoughtful film and with talent like Blanchett, Pitt and Bernal it’s not surprising that it’s a hit with the critics.

Here is Cate Blanchett with cutie Gael Garcia Bernal at the photocall for “Babel” in Cannes today. Her dress is a bit wild, but I really think it’s lovely and suits her.

Angelina was supposedly in labor on Friday, and this story may explain that rumor, or it could be total b.s. like a lot of the stories about the Jolie-Pitts. Life and Style is reporting that Angelina is having early contractions:

A friend of mine also had early contractions in her pregnancy, and everything turned out fine, so if it’s true it’s probably not much to worry about.

The couple’s 16 month-old adopted baby, Zahara, is said to be suffering from a mystery illness that also has Brad and Angelina worried. Zahara has rickets, a bone disorder caused by a vitamin D deficiency, but this sounds like something else:

Zahara’s symptoms incredibly worrying and we hope the baby gets well soon! Hopefully she will get proper treatment and they will figure out what’s wrong with her.

The Namibian government has been giving baby gifts as a thank you to Angelina, and has sent a representative to teach her about local birth customs. They seem to be going out of their way for Angelina and Brad, and it seems like Angelina picked a country with a very accommodating government.

Our thoughts go out to baby Zahara. Hopefully she will be fine and Angelina will have an uneventful labor and birth.

Header picture [via]

Reader Millie needs to start writing for the site, because she said a while ago that Angelina was farther along than she admitted, and it looks like she was right!

The latest news from Africa is that Angelina is in labor with the world’s most anticipated baby.

No wonder they secured a picture deal for the first photographs so “early.”

At this point Angelina could have already had the baby!

Congratulations to the couple and we can’t wait to see the pictures.

Update: That report seems premature and follow-up news has the baby arriving in the next 48 hours, which means that Angelina is probably due in two days. My son arrived nearly two weeks after his due date, and first babies are usually late, so it could be a while.

A deal has been struck for the first pictures of the anticipated Jolie-Pitt baby. Britian’s Daily Mirror is set to report that an unnamed publication has agreed to pay £2.6million for the pictures, with the proceeds to go to UNICEF. £2.6million pounds is $4.89 million dollars USD. That’s incredible.

Meanwhile Pitt’s family says there’s no hard feelings about Angelina deciding to give birth in Africa, and that they honestly like her. If these quotes from Brad’s brother are geniune, the family does admit that Brad’s Mom still talks to his sore loser of an ex, Jennifer Aniston:

That’s a phenomenal sum for some baby pictures, but it will be the most famous baby in the world.

The picture above is of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt impersonators and was run in NY Magazine. It must have sold plenty of copies even without the real thing.

Little Suri Cruise still hasn’t been seen by the press. Her pictures are worth a healthy sum, but surely not as much as the Jolie-Pitt baby.

Life and Style Weekly is reporting that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were “married” in a wedding ceremony following Namibian custom. The ceremony may have sentimental value, but it is not recognized by US law and is not legally binding.

It sounds like someone made this up, like most of the non-stories about the Jolie-Pitts. They’re also supposed to be starting their own housewear line using local Namibian crafts.

Meanwhile Angelina is supposedly causing Brad to fear for their unborn baby’s health by running off and picking fruits and berries with the women in the village. I sincerely doubt they’re hanging out with the locals except for pre-approved photo opportunities.

If they did get “married” in Namibia, why aren’t there stories about it in an African newspaper? It just doesn’t seem like they could keep it a secret to only be leaked by one source, even with the crackdown on the paparrazi.

Until the baby comes, there’s probably not much real news about the Jolie-Pitts and someone is making this crap up.

Update: Pictures of Angelina and Maddox in Swakopmond, Namibia [via]

Thanks to reader Millie for sending us this People article debunking basically everything we’ve gleefully reported about the worlds most famous couple. Almost nothing, except the fact that Brad and Angelina are in Africa (or Angelina is, at this point) is true:

Damn! That just about blows every stupid thing we’ve written about them out of the water. My faith in the gossip industry is just about nil. They even make up quotes from people I actually know, and I’m not that connected.

Angelina did give a few real quotes in her Dateline interview that the press is blowing out of proportion. She said she can’t quite believe that she’s pregnant and is in denial about it, and that she plans on adopting more children.

She also supposely said that’s she’s not morbid, but that’s not from her Dateline interview and is just some random quote so who knows if it’s true?