As a writer, as you can imagine I spend countless hours in front of my laptop. And by that, I mean my laptop and my television. I’ve gotten so accustomed to having the TV on as background noise over the years that it’s automatically on. All. The. Time.

Sure, if it’s not baseball as my numero uno choice, it’s usually the news or an entertainment news program so of course, I may stay on the pulse of the scene for all of my blogs! (Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself <grin>!) So you can imagine what I ended up watching on Sunday night when I didn’t feel like changing the channel from E! Yes, that’s right: I watched Kendra!

I’ve seen her a few times on The Girls Next Door, the previous show with the Playboy Bunnies and Hugh Hefner. Apparently it looks like this is a spin-off. Cackle intact, Kendra’s show highlights her life and, in turn, her nuptials to a professional football player. I must admit, it was somewhat entertaining as far as background noise goes and while I only wish I was at the gym because it went by pretty quickly (why do workouts always go faster while watching E!?), the mother-daughter interaction was interesting to say the least.

Instantly, her mother and grandmother are thrust into the spotlight as the bridal shower (yes, this was the *second* episode I watched, a two-parter no less!) was the culmination of all things in a reality show. Suspense. Drama. And the one-liner! Twenty-three-year-old Kendra told her family right then and there she was unable to drink because she is pregnant. Da-da-dum! (insert ominous music here!)

Her mother’s reaction was not supportive and it made me realize from that perspective, do you ever truly stop being a mother even when your grown daughter is about to walk down the aisle in front of the spotlight? Do relationships get put on a pedestal and people no longer have squabbles just because the woman and man are celebrities? Methinks not. As it turns out, her mother only wanted the best for Kendra as she, too gave birth at an early age and saw her husband walk out on her. Of course, she doesn’t want her daughter to experience the same thing.

In the end, they patched things up and all things are a-go for their big wedding (yes, an hour-long episode will air on Sunday night though the real thing already took place!) and we’ll see if her mother is truly getting accustomed to the idea of being called “Grandma.”

It’s time to weigh in: do you think Kendra’s mother had a point by being completely unsupportive or perhaps was just initially shocked by the stork news before it set in?

{Photo: Reuters}

Wire Image

Whaddya’ do when your daughter earns a cool $2 million per flick? Put her money in a trust fund? Hire some snappy accountants? Lock up the money til she’s 18?

Well, if you’re cutie Abigail Breslin’s parents, you ensure she works hard for that money. And by that we mean pay her an allowance but don’t overdo it. Seriously: How do you instill the value of the good ol’ American dollar while keeping things real?

According to People.com, the Oscar-nominated actress for Little Miss Sunshine has officially been given a raise. By 100 pennies. Yes, that’s right: a whole buck! The 13-year-old dished to a reporter that she gets $13 each week because of her age. With each passing year, more responsibilities are added to reflect the pay increase.

Do we totally love the fact that this show-stopper does chores? You bet! Reminds me of some good ol’ fashioned First Lady-mothering a la Michelle.  For instance, now Abigail feeds the cat, apparently an all-day-long chore since her pet is said to eat a lot.

All we can say is props, kudos, snaps, all of the above to her parents for ensuring she does chores and doesn’t let fame go to her head, assuming their parenting prowess extends beyond the allowance/chore arena. Something tells us, and we hope we’re right, she’ll be grounded for a very long time in this business.

But enough about what we think. What are your thoughts? With all that money in the bank should Abigail still have to work for it at home? Yay or nay on the chorskies?

Okay, okay, I so know what you’re thinking. “Teen Queen” as in oh-my-gosh has that Jamie Lynn Spears given birth again? Well, when I think of a movie teen queen I think of none other than Molly Ringwald who seems ageless even though the 40-year-old officially made her mark two decades ago.

To those of us who grew up in the ’80s, it wouldn’t have been our generation without Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, or hey, even The Facts of Life. So when Molly made headlines recently by giving birth to twins, Adele Georgiana and Roman Stylianos, one can’t help but reflect on the star’s career and how she’s managed to keep five-year-old daughter Mathilda out of the spotlight as well.

In case you didn’t know, Ringwald is currently on ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager playing – you guessed it – the mother of a pregnant teen. In any event, we wish Molly and her family well upon the arrival of their daughter and son!

Which begs the question: who do you think is the consummate teen queen of today’s movies?

{Photo: Wire Image}

It’s hard to believe we lost John F. Kennedy, Jr. 10 years ago this month. Can you remember where you were 10 years ago and what you were doing when you heard the horrible news that his plane was MIA? If you’re from the NYC area, you’ll recall that Friday night had a mysterious haze to it, one which you can’t even imagine flying a plane by visual cues.

So, as I think about celebs in the news there’s nothing bigger than our nation’s royalty as it relates to Camelot. Although times were certainly different when he and his sister Caroline grew up under the microscope, their mother Jacqueline certainly made their privacy a priority.  I can’t imagine how many magazines in this day and age would try to snap their photos if they only had the opportunity. Better yet – one can surmise the cash amounts associated with snagging a private photo of them.

Anyway, John-John would have been 48-years-old at the present time and who knows what type of political ambitions he may have seen to fruition. As our nation collectively mourned his loss, I remember watching news programs which indicated our country lost “a son.” Now, since I wasn’t even born when JFK was assassinated to see that monumental salute by his son, to my generation John F. Kennedy, Jr. was more of an icon, perhaps a cool prince, a devastatingly handsome and successful guy.

In any case, let’s not forget him nor his wife, Carolyn and her sister. R.I.P.

What do you think? Since John’s tragic death, has anyone perhaps taken the “throne” of being America’s prince – not in a Hollywood-type way but rather in a classic, regal American way?

(Photo: USA Today)

Getty

If there’s one cliche about parenting, it’s the one my grandfather used to say all the time: “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” So true, so true.

When it comes to celebs like Lindsay Lohan, we wonder where she went wrong? Or, in this case, where her parents went wrong? Look at celebs who seem grounded and have their act together. It’s no surprise their parents were a pivotal role in keeping them focused, keeping them clean, and staying the course. Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, and even entertainment powerhouse Justin Timberlake seem to have their feet on the ground as they keep grasping their stars and keep in close contact with their parents.

And then, of course, there’s Lindsay Lohan. When you take a talented actress and mix drugs into the swirl along with late nights, tabloid fodder for parties and paparazzi, it’s a shame. Just a few weekends ago, it was reported she broke down in tears in the wee hours of the morning and then was recently linked to missing jewels over in Scotland.

Granted, once you hit a certain age and become an adult, you should start acting like one and your parents kind of fade into the background, but it’s a shame when a starlet with talent is known most for her gallivanting off-screen rather than on. Is this a direct result of perhaps her parents’ divorce or lack of parenting or maybe her mom trying to be too much of a friend instead of an authority figure?  Just callin’ it like I see it….

Do you think Lindsay Lohan’s erratic behavior is a result of poor parenting? Reaching success at too early of an age? Pressures of Tinseltown to keep your name in the headlines? All of the above? Discuss.

BARM/Fame Pictures, Kristian Dowling/Getty Image

You may recall we blogged about the blockage of Madonna’s effort to adopt a little girl a few months ago. Well, Madge has persevered and officially added a daughter to her family through adoption.

Chifundo “Mercy” James left Malawi in South Africa on Friday and jetted (literally, as in a private jet) to meet her mama in London. The four-year-old joins another child, David, who was adopted by the Material Girl in Malawi last year, as well as sister Lourdes, 12, and brother Rocco, 10, Madonna’s biological daughter and son.

Here’s how the adoption went through: Madonna appealed to courts after a lower court had originally denied her adoption request. The judge referred to Madonna’s charity, Raising Malawi. The diva’s charity provides orphans with food, education, and medical care.

In a statement Madonna indicated, “I am ecstatic.”

While congrats are certainly due, this begs the question: do celebs get special treatment when it comes to adoption? Did she leverage her big name and big bucks to create a charity that regular folks couldn’t even dream about? Or is it so philanthropic that the judge made the correct call in approving the adoption?

The King of Pop. Michael Jackson. The man, the myth, the legend. As I concoct this blog while watching the memorial ceremony being held at the Staples Center, of course you gotta’ think about his kids. The custody battle. The estate. And ah yes, where his former significant other fits into all of this.

Thrust into the spotlight once again, Debbie Rowe, the mother of his two oldest children is being HOUNDED (and I do mean hounded) by the press. You gotta wonder where she fits into the puzzle of his estate pie? Where she fits into the parenting conundrum? Did she know what she was getting into by giving birth to two of his children in terms of the glaring media spotlight?

In any event, you gotta have some compassion for this woman in terms of privacy. Or in this case, lack thereof. While her attorney indicated she will not be present at the memorial, there’s good reason: she’ll mourn his loss in private. Same holds true for Elizabeth Taylor as she was quoted as saying she, too, had planned to grieve in private.

In any event, what are your thoughts? Feeling like Debbie Rowe deserves an ounce of privacy or perhaps no – when she “signed on” as his baby mama she knew what type of paparazzi hounding she was getting herself into?

(AP Photo)

Splash News

Who’s one of my favorite American Idol alums? Jennifer Hudson! Seriously, she wasn’t even a finalist and yet she represents the quintessential American dream. Academy Award? Check. Grammy Award? Check. Gracefully enduring three tragic losses in the public eye? Check, check, check.

So imagine my delight when I got to interview Miss Hudson last year for her role in Sex and the City: the Movie! It just keeps getting better as you hope her down-to-earth persona could be shared among other celebs. But alas, I digress.

Anytime I hear about good news related to J. Hud I get pretty darn psyched. First was the engagement to her Harvard-educated lawyer-now-wrestler David Otunga. Next was her Superbowl performance of our country’s national anthem a few short months ago.

I’m typing this during the Michael Jackson memorial service (although I think the coverage is OD’d, oh my the performances are quite moving!) in anticipation of seeing J. Hud perform Will You Be There with a choir and the Michael Jackson tour dancers. Naturally, I’m doing some J. Hud research: she’s due in approximately two months! Yay Jennifer!

One can only look toward her resiliency to bounce back from loss and see what type of musical talents her little one will possess!

Do you think her baby will be a musician or actor or both?

John Wilcox

She’s beautiful. He’s beautiful. She’s ridiculously wealthy. He’s over-the-top rich. See a pattern here? Meet Gisele Bundchen, international supermodel and Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots.

Now meet her little baby bump! Gisele’s baby is due early next year and we can only wonder, will her infant be a glam baby model? Child model? Teen model? Hmmm. With those gorgeous genes, whether their tot is a boy or a girl, it matters not. The question is, will they be stage parents and push their cute kid into cute kid baby contests? Gerber baby contests? Dare we say it: pageantry?

Lest us not speculate, time will tell how they end up parenting their child. It’s interesting when you think about it, truly. When international superstars are photographed everywhere they go, a flashbulb here, there, and everywhere, how challenging it becomes to leave the house with a child especially when paparazzi craves the cute kid photo?

But in the celeb world the newlyweds seem to be tickled pink. Or light blue.

Do you think super-glamicious stars should push their beautiful children into the spotlight or let them take a back seat and attempt to enjoy private life?