StarTraks

I never took acting in college, but wish I had. This is where I insert the appropriate terminology such as Exit Stage Right. So I’ll just pretend.

Natasha Richardson’s tragic accident in Canada can’t help but get you thinking. Life. It’s frail. It’s fragile. Truly, it’s a gift we often take for granted. Immersed in your life one day, enjoying time with your family, within fleeting moments your very same family could be mourning your death.

As much as celebrities are in the public eye, the grieving process should give them some sense of privacy. One would hope, at least. Natasha was at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan prior to her death and I can only hope the paparazzi didn’t camp out in the UES for a shot of Liam and their kids.

That’s just it: Natasha seemed to have it all. A fantabulous career. A wonderful marriage. Adoring sons. After reading her obituary, sadness aside, there was a glimmer of hope. Something refreshing in an otherwise somber moment.

Despite the uberglam Tinseltown life, she seemed down to earth. Like a real mom you’d find anywhere in the ‘burbs. Technically, celebs are real people and sometimes we tend to forget that.

If I were to hold a candle right now, this is where I’d blow it out. Or the curtain would drop.

And the stage lights would fade to black.

Something’s definitely askew. By now you may have heard Kelly Rutherford, Gossip Girl actress, is getting divorced from her husband of two years, Daniel Giersch.

As for the clincher? She’s pregnant and due in June.

This is what makes it hard to grasp. Aside from being a celebrity and having to deal with a very personal, private matter in public, wouldn’t something have to be significantly broken in the marriage to file for divorce while pregnant? The actress cited irreconcilable differences in the paperwork. Rutherford said she had to call the cops a few times as her husband, an avid boxer and kickboxer, cornered her during an argument. And then he allegedly threatened to take their son away to teach her a lesson.

While we know how ugly divorces can get when aired in public (remember the Christie Brinkley divorce trials last summer?), what does this mean for the unborn child? He or she will come into the world without two parents who love each other. Granted, in this day and age single parents are not uncommon but there’s something that seems unsettling about this soon-to-be baby along with its brother who will have two parents battling for custody in court.

The alternative could be worse of course: domestic abuse, verbal abuse, or whatever happened in their relationship behind closed doors. We’re just sayin’, it’s sad when relationships crumble during a pregnancy, future delivery, and all the joy that is typically associated with birth.

What are your thoughts? Should celebs try to stick it out, get counseling, and stay together or walk away when it’s not working regardless of the timing?

Startraks

Does anyone not envy Gwyneth Paltrow? Envy in a good way, darling.

She’s gorgeous, thin, has two adorable kids, and is married to the front man of Coldplay, one of the best-selling bands of our generation (right behind the iconic U2). And yes, she’s a movie star, travels the world, and pals it up with celebs like Madonna and Stella McCartney. It’s hard to believe her daughter, Apple Blythe Alison, is about to turn five years old.

Gwyneth recently talked glowingly about motherhood to a magazine, “My perspective is so much different and the way I spend my day is different.” Keep in mind she is wealthy and has flexibility that “normal” moms don’t; rest assured she likely has a cook, nanny, housekeeper, and more members of a dream team. Nevertheless, as a working mom when she’s on set, she dearly misses her Apple and Moses, her two-year-old son.

The Oscar winner also notes the importance of being a working mom and not losing her identity as a person or artist. She dishes, “It is also nice to acknowledge that I am a woman, I’m an artist, I work, and it’s part of who I am.”

As for the icing on the cake or, in this case, the stem on the Apple (ok, bad joke!), she tries to keep them grounded and remind them how lucky they are. “[I teach them] to be mindful and hopefully it will stick with them.”

This may seem like a no-brainer but is it ok for celebs to spoil their kids rotten because they can or teach them a sense of values when it comes to money, manners, and success?

What’s better than a celeb who uses their publicity for good rather than evil? Okay, not quite sure what I meant by “evil,” but instead of simply posing on red carpets in the latest Marc Jacobs frocks or squabbling in the press for a he said/she said break up, you gotta love what celeb mama Jenny McCarthy is doing to shine a spotlight on autism awareness.

McCarthy’s tackling a serious topic close to home. Jenny’s son, Evan Joseph, is autistic. Check this out: the former Playboy Playmate and Singled Out star on MTV (Remember that show? Gawd, beginning to feel old here. It was on the air after school my senior year of… high school!) served as a spokesperson from July 2007 through October 2008 for Talk About Curing Autism, an organization that provides information, resources, and support to families affected by autism. She participated in online chats, fundraisers, and non-profits to help parents affected by autism disorders.

As if that’s not enough, her book, Louder than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism (Plume, 2008) addresses the journey of a mom dealing with her son’s autism diagnosis and treatment, instilling light, hope, and faith.

It’s particularly interesting how she isn’t really in the news for many projects lately, doesn’t talk extensively about her beau Jim Carrey, but does manage to channel the bright spotlight on autism.

Ms. McCarthy’s been pretty outspoken about vaccinations as she told Oprah her son was developing normally until he got his measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. Although Jenny’s claims that vaccines cause autism lack medical evidence, we give her props for being passionate about giving a voice to a health issue close to her heart.

What do you think of Jenny’s crusade – too outspoken when it comes to vaccinations or just right in terms of shining a bright light on an otherwise hush-hush topic?

Wire Image

Type the name “Suri” into Google and guess what? You’ll get 10,200,000 hits. Not bad for a two-year-old, huh?

When you’re the daughter of an iconic movie star and his fashionista wife (seriously, is it just us or does Katie have an amazing stylist?), there’s pressure to look good. Even as a toddler.

While we dote on the adorable mini-me’s of celebrities and remind ourselves they just happen to be kids with really famous parents with ridiculous amounts of money, we gotta remember they’re still typical babes. I’ve yet to see this particular one on a “bad” day. Designer patent leather shoes? You got it. Stylin’ little dresses? You bet. OshKosh B’Gosh overalls? No way.

Now, I’m not saying she doesn’t wear a little pair of overalls every now and then (perhaps she does, she’s just not photographed wearing them). It’s one thing to be impeccably dressed as an adult without a hair out of place and with shoes and matching handbag in tow. It’s quite another to see an adorable little child dressed to the nines every single time she’s out and about.

Is it really necessary? Wouldn’t she just love to wear a little pair of Old Navy jeans every now and then to romp around in the sandbox? Perhaps we’re being harsh. After all, this baby is constantly photographed, seemingly more so than others who try to shield their children from the press and rightly so (ahem, Gwyneth Paltrow). It just would be refreshing to see little Suri in a t-shirt and sweats. You know, play clothes.

So, what are your thoughts? Should kids wear designer threads all the time or should they dress it down every now and then for at least some casual Fridays?

OK, call me old-fashioned but I just kinda cringed when I heard Nicole Richie and boyfriend rocker Joel Madden of Good Charlotte fame are pregnant. Again.

The wonderful news is blessed indeed. Pregnancy aside, my gripe is with the whole non-marital thing. As for what really gets me? Keyword: boyfriend.

This is their second child sans nuptials and this new baby will join their 13-month-old daughter Harlow Winter Kate. Everyone’s entitled to do what’s best for them and who am I to judge, but it seems this trend of having babies without having a marriage is becoming more and more common.

So many celebs set the tone in terms of what’s acceptable in society and what’s not. Nicole and Joel aren’t the only ones giving parenthood a go without the wedding vows. Look at singer M.I.A., Matthew McConaughey, or Brangelina and their brood. No wedding bands in sight.

Then look at others who owned the situation: there’s Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz who were pregnant, tied the knot, and poof! When the baby arrived they were already husband and wife.

Like I said, perhaps it’s just the old-fashioned me speaking, but I wonder if this trend of having babies with girlfriend/boyfriend sends a new message to society.

Of course, you can have an unhappy married couple versus a healthy unmarried couple so I suppose each situation is different, but when it comes to setting a trend, it seems lately more and more celebutant singletons are having babies.

Whaddya think? Should celebs tie the knot and make it official or is it OK to raise their children sans wedding vows?

Startracks

So the fact that I’m writing about a former New York Met is quite ironic (die-hard Yankees fan here). But alas, this is not the topic of my blog, sweet pea!

Rather, let’s dish about the lifestyles of the rich and famous retired athletes. Mike Piazza, at the ripe ol’ age of 40, has hung up his catcher’s mitt and baseball bat for diapers and onesies. His schedule allows for free time with his two year-old caughter, Nicoletta Veronica. While he was recently quoted as saying he’s excited to be at home and enjoy moments with his kid (soon to be plural since his wife is expecting), I couldn’t help but ponder.

Do retired athletes with monster bank accounts and idle time channel their sports skill set into child rearing? Their whole life has been groomed toward fitness, competitiveness, staying in shape, and being on top of their mental and physical game. I can only imagine how their life lessons could be translated onto their offspring.

Plus, assuming he has spare time by not working a typical 9-to-6 job, does Piazza shuttle his daughter to playgroups? Will he play a game of catch on the front lawn? Will he become a Little League coach down the road? Hmmmm.

While we can only imagine how the uber-rich athletes raise their children out of the public’s eye, it may depend on the family and how they choose to raise their family. For instance, Piazza always struck me as down-to-earth and focused. Now that his baseball career is over, he seems to be fully committed to his family.

I once heard the talented former Yankees third baseman Scott Brosius say that after he retired from the sport he became involved with car pools, class trips, and his kids’ church groups. After all, he joked he was one of the few fathers in the neighborhood who was “unemployed!”

Could you imagine, if you will, that your daughter is a singing sensation. Check that – a global singing sensation. A line of umbrellas was spawned after a hit song, fashionistas are emulating her style as little kids are nicknaming their dolls “RiRi” in honor of the mademoiselle.

Okay, I totally made up the RiRi part but go with me here, ‘k? So, you have one of the hottest names in music on the front pages. Not for her music at the moment but, sadly, for domestic violence. As you most likely have heard by now, Rihanna and her beau, Chris Brown, got into a spat which turned ugly prior to the Grammy Awards.

We got word that Chris was violent towards Rihanna and some websites even published the horrible pictures. She’s in a difficult, sensitive situation and emerging a stronger woman as a result. She has no choice – the public eye won’t let her escape the photographs or the incident.

Enter Rihanna’s father, a protective father of his child (even if she’s not a toddler or even a kid). Once a daddy’s girl, always a daddy’s girl. While he’s been quoted as saying there is some bruising and she’ll be all right, we can’t help but wonder how helpless it would feel to be a doting dad who hopes his daughter “moves on” from dating Chris Brown as he sees her private photos published and reads about their relationship.

At some point you have to let them fly on their own, but to what point if you see your daughter being abused? We can only hope this gives Rihanna strength to use this horrible experience as a platform to be strong and educate other women. Above all, to realize she does not deserve to be treated like this. Ever. Again.

So, what are your thoughts? Should parents speak out to defend their kids as they’re in the spotlight or should they stay mum no matter what the topic?