Much ado is being made out of Halle Berry’s engagement or wedding-looking ring that she was spotted wearing yesterday when she was out to lunch in LA with friends. It’s the same ring she was seen wearing in mid-May, though, and she denied at the time that it was an engagement ring. There were stories that her gorgeous model boyfriend, Gabriel Aubry, 31, had proposed and that the ring was in his family for generations. Her rep said it was a new ring from a modern designer and she bought it for herself.

If Halle, 42, is engaged and/or already married we may not hear the real story for a while. She’s had little Nahla five months ago and the only glimpse we’ve had of the baby are faraway photos taken when she was in her backyard, which she threatened to sue over.

All that said, Halle looks great and at least ten years younger. I wonder what Tim Gunn would say about her style, though, because it looks pretty comfortable, casual, and simple - kind of like something Jennifer Aniston would wear.

Photo credit: Fame

Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber, and a then 2 week-old Alexander Pete out on 8/10/07. Naomi let the paparazzi get the first photos of Alexander after he was born. Credit: Fame Pictures. Their friends Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fischer also took this same tactic with their newborn.
The gossip world was waiting for the unveiling of the Jolie-Pitt twins this Sunday, which got me thinking about what a paparazzi picture of a celebrity baby might be worth. Turns out, about $5 million. No wonder that paparazzo risked jail to get the first picture of Halle Berry’s daughter.

A PAPARAZZO competing for the first shot of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s baby says the image would be worth up to $5 million.

“A picture like that would be worth four or five million around the world, if you got a nice picture of the baby’s face,” said photographer Peter Carrette, one of the many clamouring to get shots of Kidman when she returns to Sydney with Sunday Rose this weekend.

Kidman is due home to reshoot scenes for Baz Luhrmann’s Australia. Because she is expected to be bringing Sunday Rose to Australia for the first time, teams of photographers have been camped out at Sydney’s private jet base for at least three days.

“I don’t think she wants us to get a picture,” Carrette said. “If they had any sense they’d have a picture taken of her and Keith with the baby … release it and give all the proceeds to the [Sydney] Children’s Hospital at Randwick.”

Carette adds that Nicole could try Cate Blanchett’s strategy.

“Cate did the smart thing - I mean Cate produced her baby [newborn Ignatius] at Parliament House two days after it was born in front of all the international media, for nothing,” he said. “Nobody has doorstepped Cate since - why would you?”

Sydney Morning Herald

I had thought that Nicole Kidman might have released a baby picture for free, as she did of her wedding photos, but not yet! Maybe she’s waiting for the baby to get a little cuter – am I alone in thinking that newborn babies aren’t very pretty? I got into a lot of trouble with family members when I told them that ‘she’s small and red and ugly’ when my last daughter was born.

I know a lot of people have an opinion about pimping out your babies, but I think I’d rather see the money go into the child’s trust fund or to charity than to the paparazzi. Nicole is obviously going to some effort to keep her baby under wraps, so the pap that secures this deal is likely to be invading her privacy.

As Carette says, releasing your baby pictures stopped Cate Blanchett from getting door stopped, Unfortunately I don’t think this tactic will work for the Brangelina Camp, but it might just work for Nicole Kidman.

The article also says that Australian magazine New Idea paid $AUD 750,000 for the pictures of Viv and Knox Jolie-Pitt, so this probably means that while Hello and People have paid the majority of the $15 mil for the baby pictures, smaller magazines have also paid money for the pictures too, adding up the final total.

Another photo of a two week-old Alexander Pete Schreiber on 8/10/07. Credit: Fame.

Halle Berry is flaming mad, and by most accounts sure has reason to be. It turns out those grainy pictures of Halle holding her her 4-month-old daughter Nahla weren’t taken at a resort or “out and about” as written. They were taken from a telephoto lens while Halle was in her backyard – and some while she was in her house. It’s a clear and ridiculous violation of privacy, and pretty damn upsetting. Halle isn’t taking it lying down, and is going after the paparazzi responsible.

… the pics, one of which shows a foliage-covered slope and a patio table in the background while others include glimpses of Berry’s mother, were taken when the X-Men star was in her backyard, constituting a “very blatant and invasive trespass. The paparazzi have gone too far. [Gabriel] and I have always remained that we would never sell baby photos or otherwise exploit her in any way,” Berry said in a statement obtained by E! News.

“I will do everything I can for the sake of her safety and well-being to keep her out of the public eye…I intend to do everything I can to make sure the photographer who illegally intruded into my home is criminally prosecuted.”

A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said that no complaint has been received and that this may solely be a matter for the L.A. Police Department at this time.

[From E! News]

Life & Style and In Touch Weekly magazines went to press with the photographs before they could be removed, but the photo agency removed the images from their website. They did point out that photos are taken of Britney Spears in her backyard quite often, and no one says anything. Which is a good point… except that what it really means is that those photos aren’t appropriate either. Several years ago Jennifer Aniston successfully sued over topless photos taken of her in her backyard.

People should definitely have the right to privacy in their yards and especially inside their homes. It seems completely unfair that if a celebrity parent refuses to sell photos of their new baby – or give them away for free – that the paparazzi will do whatever it takes to get a shot.

The extreme lengths they’ll go to are absolutely appalling – like the paps who called in a fake fire to Maggie Gyllenhaal’s building so she’d run out with her 5-day-old baby at five in the morning. Halle has kept her baby unusually hidden, but that’s certainly her right, and it’s good that she won’t be pressured into releasing photos.

Note by Celebitchy: The owner of the photo agency who took the pictures has issued a very good response to this and owns up to their error, saying “It was a poor decision to put those pictures out in the first place because they were taken on private property. I think she’s completely in the right to protect her child.”

We do business with the agency, Fame pictures, and they’re a very good company to deal with, especially when compared to some of the other photo agencies. Of course I’m biased in how I view this, but how many times have you viewed photos that should have been private? Think of how much money these photos are worth, and how often Britney is photographed in her backyard, and you can see how there will be people camped out trying to get pictures. In their celebrity-skewed view of the world, this seems like a decent idea with a good payoff. We can vilify the paparazzi all we want, but we’re the ones keeping them in business and egging them on. These are not the same guys in camo fighting with Brangelina’s security and it would be unfair to lump them all together.

We had yet to subscribe to Fame when these Halle Berry photos came out, but these photos along with other exclusives prompted me to contact them and I definitely would have published them at the time without questioning their origin. It would be hypocritical of me to act like I wouldn’t.

Maybe this incident, coupled with the paparazzi problems Brad and Angelina are having, will deter photographers from taking photos of celebrities on private property. There’s definitely a demand for it, but the celebrities aren’t taking it lying down and are working to secure their hard-earned privacy.

Here’s Halle Berry leaving a dentist’s office in Los Angeles on July 14th. Images thanks to WENN.

Star Magazine has an original interview with new mom Halle Berry, and the way the Oscar-winning actress talks about motherhood you can tell she’s cherishing every moment with her newborn daughter. Halle had Nahla Ariela two months ago and has yet to command millions for a photo spread with the newborn or even release a picture. 41-year-old Halle says she’s cherishing being a mother and it’s something she waited a long time for.

Halle talks about a period in her life when she almost burnt out from working too hard. She says she’s looking forward to easing up on her work schedule now so that she can focus on being a mom. As for getting her body back, she says she works out an hour a day five times a week with a personal trainer.

Are you enjoying becomina mother at last?
This is the most beautiful time of my life. Having a baby has made me so happy and fulfilled, I just can’t express in words how I really feel. To be able to nurse and bond with my daughter is such a joy. It’s been a long, long wait!

Did you know you were going to have a girl?
Gabriel and I both agreed that we would rather not know and let it be a wonderful surprise. I just felt a lot more comfortable not knowing.

Has Nahla brought the two of you closer together?
From the beginning, Gabriel was someone I felt I could feel very close and loving to, and I also knew from early on that he was the kind of man who would love a cihld as much as me. I’m happy just being with a man who loves me unconditionally and is looking forward to the future with me.

Has being a mom changed your approach to your acting career?
I’m definitely going to work less. I used to put so much pressure on myself to succeed that it often made me very unhappy in my personal life, and I felt on the verge of burning out three or four years ago. Also, I feel having a baby will open up a whole new world for me. I think I’ll actually find better roles, because I’ve gotten past being the ingenue and sex symbol.

But you look as gorgeous as ever! Was it tough getting back into shape?
It’s been kind of tough. But I have a great trainer [LA-based trainer Ramona Braganza] and we’ve been working out an hour a day, five days a week, for the past month. I didn’t want it to take five months to get back my figure. It was something I wanted to take care of now and just not worry about. I feel really good.

Have you been able to fit in any other time for yourself?
Well, Nahla is keeping me pretty busy with feedings, but it’s always a pleasure to oblige. Gabriel and I also plan to sleep again in a few months, as soon as Nahla’s nighttime feeding schedule allows!

[From Star Magazine, print edition, June 9, 2008]

Halle really sounds like she’s so happy to finally be a mom and that it means a lot to her to be there for her newborn daughter. I like how she explains that she’s going to continue working but that won’t push herself as much. She has three movies that start filming later in the year, according to Star. IMDB lists five upcoming films for her.

Halle was seen out shopping this weekend, and she looks great. Her workout schedule sounds pretty reasonable too.

Halle Berry is shown out shopping with her mom on 5/31/08, thanks to WENN.

Even though Halle Berry once said that she would never get married again, it looks like her hunky boyfriend and father of her baby girl, Gabriel Aubry, might be the man who changes her mind. Twice married and twice divorced (hey! just like me! Call me, Halle- let’s dish) Berry said, after her split from cheating jazz singer husband Eric Benet, that marriage was not for her- but she may have re-thought that statement recently. Reportedly, Aubriel proposed by offering her his grandmother’s diamond ring, and the actress accepted.

New mom Halle Berry is engaged to her boyfriend Gabriel Aubry after he gave her his grandmother’s ring.

“Gabriel felt the time was right to propose. He gave her the family heirloom because he wanted to show her how much she means to him, and how she will be accepted into the Aubry family,” a source close to the couple said.

“The ring belonged to Gabriel’s grandmother – it was her engagement ring.”

The ‘X Men’ actress, 41, was snapped flashing the diamond ring in Hollywood this past weekend.

Berry gave birth to the couple’s first daughter, Nahla Ariela, in March.

Halle and Gabriel, 32, started dating in November 2005.

[From Showbiz Spy]

Congrats to the happy couple. And much credit to Halle for giving love a try again after two failed marriages. I know how that feels- and what I’ve learned is, you cannot write off an entire gender or the concept of marriage just because two men weren’t right for you. Figure out what went wrong, learn from your mistakes, and keep trying. It looks like Halle did that, and now she gets a gorgeous man and a beautiful baby. Hooray!

Note by Celebitchy: People claims she’s not engaged
It doesn’t sound like it’s time to celebrate on Halle’s behalf just yet. People Magazine cites a source who says “t’s not an engagement ring. Halle just saw it and thought it was beautiful so she bought it for herself.” They say the ring is designed by Amrapali, which has been manufacturing rings since 1978, according to their website. That would mean that it’s not likely a heirloom ring from Gabriel’s family, but it could still be some sort of engagement ring. As of now there is no official denial and we just have rumors suggesting it could go either way.

I think it’s an engagement they’re trying to downplay. Halle put her hands up to her face an awful lot at the Revlon run/walk for women over the weekend, so it really looked like she was trying to give us a hint. It wasn’t an accident that she wore the ring on the her left hand and not her right.

Halle Berry looked gorgeous and sporty at the Revlon Run/Walk for Women yesterday. The event was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with proceeds to benefit breast and ovarian cancer causes. Berry has been a spokesperson for Revlon since 1996.

Berry had baby Nahla Ariela Aubry seven weeks ago and the newborn has yet to be photographed by the paparazzi or make a high-paid appearance in a magazine. Good for Halle for not taking part in the ever-escalating bid for baby pictures by the celebrity glossies. She could make millions for sitting for photos for one day and talking about how great her life is post-baby, but she’s deliberately keeping little Nahla out of the spotlight. Halle hasn’t openly courted the press in some time, so it’s not like she’s doing a 180 like Tom and Katie did after Suri arrived. I’d love to see what Nahla looks like, though.

Thanks to PRPhotos for these pictures.

Oscar winner and new mom Halle Berry is reportedly taking her time following the “selling photos of your baby to magazines” trend. Berry and her babydaddy, model Gabriel Aubry, have been approached by several magazines, but nothing has been settled. Speculation has it that Berry is waiting until she loses her baby weight before appearing on a magazine cover with her little one, but MSNBC seems to think that the actress is going to debut Nahla at her upcoming charity golf event.

It looks like we’ll be seeing pictures of Halle Berry’s post-baby body before we see pictures of the baby. Berry and Gabriel Aubry’s baby, Nahla, was born March 16 and has yet to make an appearance in the pages of any celebrity weekly.

One magazine editor said that “photos are being shopped, but nothing’s been settled,” so we’re left to wonder if Berry will bring Nahla to the Halle Berry Celebrity Golf Classic on April 27. At the very least, the actress will be revealing her post-baby body.

According to Us Weekly, Berry wants to be back in fit form for the tournament. “She’s thrilled to start exercising again,” the source added of the star, whose dialed-back pregnancy fitness regimen includes yoga, swimming and light weights.

[From MSNBC.com]

I’d like to see Halle do what Salma Hayek did, and just release a simple, non-airbrushed pic to the AP News Service and be done with it. I am getting sick of these highly stylized magazine pictorials of newborns and their famous parents. The J-Lo and Marc Anthony one in People was just over the top with the airbrushing and special lighting. Those twins could be wolf cubs for all we really know. I am sure Halle’s daughter has been blessed with good looks - how could she not be, with parents like that? I’m actually way more interested in Halle and Gabriel’s relationship than their offspring. Do they live together or what? Are they going to do the deed and get married? Does he hang around the house in his underwear? That’s more interesting than another pictorial of a newborn. Details!

Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry are shown in the header shopping on 3/10/08, thanks to WENN.

Here’s a quick update on currently pregnant celebrities.

Halle Berry is due any second! I think she is going to have the cutest baby with her model boyfriend Gabriel Aubrey, but will she sell the pictures?

Jamie Lynn Spears – some sources are saying she is due very, very soon, but just doesn’t seem to have a big enough bump to be close to popping. Must be those 16 year old abs of steel.

Cate Blanchett is expecting her third with husband Andrew Upton, and I’m hoping for a girl because she already has two boys. Girls clothes are so much cuter.

Nicole Kidman is still pregnant, definitely not drinking alcohol, and is due around June where the baby will be born in Australia.

Are Brangelina having twins? What’s the due date? These two haven’t confirmed or denied reports, but it’s all too obvious they’re having a fifth and maybe a sixth.

Jessica Alba is still flying to promote her film, so she must have quite a few weeks to go. She has declined to confirm a due date.

Matthew McConaughey is expecting a boy with model Camila, and he wants him to like beer. Enough to name the boy after Budweiser. He probably won’t wear a shirt either.

Gwen Stefani is expecting her next child with hubby Gavin Rossdale, and had a great time practicing baby making.

These babies will start popping out (if only it was that easy) in September

Kimora Lee Simmons just announced her pregnancy. A little sibling for her older children from her previous relationship, Ming and Aoki.

Alessandra Ambrosio has also just announced on her official blog that she is expecting, saying “This is a dream come true.”

Matt Damon and his wife Luciana, who have nine year old Alexia from her previous relationship, and Isabella, 20 months, are expecting another.

Lisa-Marie Presley confirmed her pregnancy this week, but don’t you dare suggest she’s carrying some pregnancy weight, you pack of coyotes.

Hopefully the celebrity weeklies have their checkbooks ready, these new additions are going to cost a fortune.

Picture note by Celebitchy: stock photos from Morguefile users Prisonbreak and © P. Winberg. Header image thanks to PRPhotos.

Halle Berry was seen out shopping yesterday with her boyfriend, Gabriel Aubry. In early September she confirmed that she was three month’s pregnant, so that would make her due sometime this month. Halle looks fabulous and casual, and I like her hair a lot better in that straight style. She was seen out with a new curly hairstyle in January and while it was cute it didn’t seem to suit her.

We’ve heard a lot about how Nicole Richie, Christina Aguilera, and soon Jennifer Lopez cashed in with multi-page magazine spreads introducing their new babies. Salma Hayek chose to premiere her daughter, Valentina Paloma, with a simple AP photo that was most likely unpaid. Naomi Watts never released a photo of her son, Alexander, and just allowed the paparazzi to get the first pictures.

Halle Berry strikes me as the type who won’t sell the photos for a huge spread like Nicole or Christina. She might hide her bundle for a few weeks, though. We’ll have to see.

Berry has lent her support to presidential candidate Barack Obama. Berry donated $2,300 to Obama’s campaign, which is the maximum allowed for an individual, and is quoted as saying “We are really going to need a president who has the ability to think big, and Barack Obama is that president.”

In other recent Halle Berry news, she will soon be developing a fragrance with Coty perfumes.

Thanks to WENN for these pictures.

Pregnant Halle Berry and the father of her baby, Gabriel Aubry, haven’t been seen out together in some time. Star Magazine reports that it’s because they’re not even living on the same coast. Gabriel is all the way over in NY trying to promote his modeling career while Halle is saying in Malibu. Gabriel owns a restaurant in NY and presumably has to keep track of the business there along with his job requiring him to stay on the East coast.

Star says he’s all too willing to keep his distance because he wants to marry the mother of his baby who refuses to tie the knot and is admittedly marriage-averse after two failed attempts. They could be jumping to conclusions, and hopefully these two will be able to make it work and stay in the same place once the baby comes:

[Halle’s] boyfriend of two years, and the father of her unborn child, Gabriel Aubry, has been pushing to tie the know, and with Halle dragging her feet, it’s only driving him away.

And far! A source close to Halle confirms to Star that Gabriel has been living in Manhattan, while Halle is at her home, 3,000 miles away, in Malibu. And while the couple was spotted shopping for furniture together in LA on January 7, it was their first public outing in more than two months…

Gabriel, a model who also owns a Cuban restaurant in NYC, “still wants to work and build a successful career for himself,” says the source. “It really pulls him away from Halle. He seems to have no firm plans to move west, and it kills her.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, January 21, 2008]

The article then says that Gabriel doesn’t plan to leave Halle though, and that he hopes to be a good father to his child. It seems to be a good sign that these two were seen out shopping for furniture as it might mean that they’re trying to set up house for their child. Halle is reportedly due on February 14.

Halle Berry is shown out with her bodyguard yesterday. You know the tabloids are going to have a field day with their relationship next week. Thanks to Splash News.