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As much as I adore New York City, when you combine it with my favorite holiday, Halloween (yes, that’s right, Halloween!) you have one spooktacular night in full effect! Imagine, however, being an actor. You get paid big bucks to dress in costume and assume someone else’s persona day after day!

And when you’re an A-lister like Brad Pitt and have six children, well, dressing up on Halloween is simply a no-brainer. That’s right: the father of six kids, along with partner Angelina Jolie, went trick-or-treating old-style. They went to a residential neighborhood near the Hollywood Hills and were not to be missed!

That’s ’cause he wore a high-octane orange jumpsuit and put beads in his beard in order to impersonate DJ Lance Rock. The DJ is the host of Nick, Jr.’s show, Yo Gabba Gabba!

If imitation is the highest form of flattery, DJ Lance Rock couldn’t have been more thrilled. He told UsMagazine.com, “Brad Pitt looked AWESOME in my costume!” He also invited the Jolie-Pitts to hang in his ‘hood. “If he, Angelina and the kids want to come hang out in Gabba land, they’re welcome anytime!”

Nevertheless, Halloween always seems to be a festive time of year. As fun as it was to see the Pittster in costume, did you have a fave celebrity costume this year? Perhaps someone you know actually dressed up as Jolie or Pitt?

Photo by Vicki Salemi

Ah, Motherhood. As in the movie, not the actual thing. Even though the movie actually resembles the real thing. Okay, as a singlista in Manhattan I can’t honestly say that I could relate to the film but I do know this: every mama I spoke with said it resonated loud and clear.

As this film was released into theaters nationwide yesterday, I couldn’t help but wonder how the blogosphere of mom bloggers would write about the flick. In it, Uma Thurman plays a multi-tasking madre and mom blogger, Anthony Edwards is her hubby, and Minnie Driver is her friend. As an entertainment reporter, I had the fortunate task of attending press day interviews with the celebs! It’s a tough job but someone’s gotta do it. <grin>

What I found interesting about the flick is how Manhattan served as a character. Minnie was super-sweet and dished about how your location can really create additional challenges to being a mother. Sure, women in suburbia have challenges, of course, but in a city like Manhattan there are additional roadblocks. Like the movie shows, buying tons of party paraphernalia for your daughter’s six-year-old b-day bash crammed in a bike as you trek up your fifth-story walk-up in one full swoop.

Another theme of the movie is about your identity. In the flick, it’s clear that Uma was previously a writer in her BK (”before kids”) life. Along the way she loses her craft of writing fiction even though she manages to squeeze in time for quickie blog posts on her blog, The Bjorn Identity (yes, a total play on words from the stroller company). As such, a resonating theme of the flick is a contest she enters defining motherhood. I specifically asked Uma what motherhood means to her and she responded, “It’s the greatest love I’ve ever known. Love is it.”

So, faithful reader, I’ll ask you the same question. What does motherhood mean to you?

I’m gonna rant a bit. And rave, too. Ready?

Let’s go! If you’re a fan of the Real Housewives of New York (heck, even if you’re not), you’ve probably heard of fan favorite Bethenny Frankel. She’s sassy, she’s smart, and she’s certainly not a typical housewife (whatever that is in this day and age). Well, she recently announced her engagement and soon thereafter it sounds like she was forced by celeb blogger Perez Hilton to reveal her pregnancy.

So not cool. Of course, once the news leaked about her two-month pregnancy, she did the classy thing and approached PEOPLE with the exclusive and tweeted about it, others wrote about it, voila! It became public fodder.

When certain things in life are sacred and you don’t even have the chance to tell your in-laws yet, there are lines that must be drawn that you don’t cross as a media hound. Sure, you’re in the public eye but two months pregnant means you’re barely showing and are praying everything is okay since you haven’t even heard the heartbeat yet. Was it truly necessary to force the story? Why not just let things be and allow Bethenny to tell the world on her terms? There are very few things other than a pregnancy or engagement that could be less personal, don’t ya think?

Would love to hear your thoughts. Do you think it’s par for the course by being in the public eye or do you think Perez crossed the line and violated her privacy?

[Photo: Patrick McMullan]

WireImage

Ah, the power of celebrity. Is there a war going on in Iraq? A health care debate here on American soil? The pending World Series at our fingertips? That would be yes, yes, and oh, yeah. And then there’s the world of Tinseltown. Consider it escapism if you will and how refreshing it is to simply hear about celebs instead of life or death serious situations.

Such is the case of Suri Cruise. We haven’t heard about the little offspring of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise now, have we? They’ve managed to keep her somewhat out of the spotlight from time to time though the occasional photo op does not disappoint. I had to wonder though: what happened to his adopted daughter and son, Isabella and Connor?

Do they feel like the ugly stepsisters a la Cinderella since they’re hardly ever photographed or in the news? Or perhaps they prefer to fly under the radar and consider it a blessing since their dad is uber-famous? Hmmm. You gotta wonder why we hardly ever hear about the 17-year-old and 14-year-old kids. Maybe they just like going to soccer practice and studying for the SATs without the photogs snapping away at their every move. Or maybe there’s not as much of a demand since Suri is genetically produced from Katie and Tom (ok, how awkward did that sound? haha) and Isabella and Connor aren’t?

I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem like equal opportunity shine time to me. What do you think: do certain siblings get “star” treatment while others get shafted?

Startraks

I truly love this time of year. There’s a briskness to the morning autumn air as children put on their backpacks (along with their thinking caps). It seems there’s no better time to talk about education than the present so that’s why I was surprised to hear that Erykah Badu said she felt compelled to homeschool her son when he was in kindergarten and first grade.

In an interview with Babble, Badu mentions that she wanted to give her son, Seven Sirius, special attention to give him an advantage. And it seems she’s super-thankful she did: through their efforts, she mentions he learned how to “solve problems in non-traditional ways.” Now that the 11-year-old is in school, Erykah mentions he developed an edge in his schoolwork.

I’m not an expert in homeschooling and certainly don’t pretend to be, but you know what? Props to the singer for getting involved in parenting full on. Snaps to her for instilling values in him which he apparently holds on to today, like not wanting to miss school or not have things in order.

She notes, “I don’t think it matters what school you go to, but I think it’s important for parents to be involved. And to know that when school stops, learning continues, and to continue teaching at home.”

Would love to hear you weigh in: Do you give homeschooling an A?

Ok, so we know by now as an A-lister in Tinseltown you get photographed. A lot.

As in when your hair is in a bun as you run to Starbucks after yoga class. Or when you’re wearing something that is oh-my-gosh, so last season! Or how about when you’re in an oversized, loose-fitting, stylish dress?

Well, that recently happened to True Blood star Anna Paquin. Could you imagine for a sec that you’re seen in this pretty dress and poof! Rumors start circulating. Is she or is she not pregnant? The whole world waits to find out…

But alas, the 27-year-old actress’ rep indicated that she is not pregnant. It must be interesting and almost surreal to have something that personal be swirling among blogs and the ‘net. And you know what? What if she was pregnant? What an interesting way to break the news, huh?

As for the interesting back story? Her fiance and co-star, Stephen Moyer, has an eight-year-old son and five-year-old daughter. So, technically, Ms. Paquin will be somewhat of a stepmom. Other than that, a dress is merely a dress.

What do you think? Have people gone too far making assumptions based on a simple outfit?

{Photo: Pacific Coast News}

Startraks

Ah, Nannyhood. Nannyville. Nannydom. Whatever you call it, make no mistake about it: celebrities hire help. Sure, they may want you to think they’re a stay at home mom but when it comes to behind the scenes work, there are lots of extra hands helping out.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

But there seems to be something entirely right about going nannyless. As in, let’s do it ourselves, let’s drive our own children, feed them, bathe them, be with them 24/7, and raise them like the good ol’ days.

Enter Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck. Maybe I’m partial because I interviewed Ben a few years ago and thought he was cool, sincere, and smart, but this couple seems to be on to something. Perhaps they could start a new Hollywood trend without even knowing it?

Do they have the money? You bet. Do they have the resources? Most likely. Do they have the impetus to say the heck with the nanny world and just raise Violet and Seraphina on their very own? Yes, yes, yes!

Lovin’ it. Just because there’s an unwritten nanny rule in Hollywood doesn’t mean all the celebs follow it. And, we can only imagine by what we have seen of sweet Violet in photos there seems to be a grounded, adorable, well-disciplined, very much adored little girl. Just sayin’.

What are your thoughts? Do you think celebs should always have a nanny considering they can afford it or is it not at all about the money and instead about the time and good ol’ TLC spent on your very own kid instead?

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?

CNN

Every now and then we need a reality check here at Paparazzi Parenting. Sure, it’s fun checking out the glossy mags and seeing who’s a new mom or dad or hearing about their parenting prowess (or in some instances, lack thereof).

But you know what’s also super fun? Why not extend the celeb factor and shine the light brightly on those who aren’t on the big screen or runway? Like when federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor, a Bronx native, was selected by President Obama to serve on the nation’s highest court, we must pause. And applaud. And then wonder why intellects like Nobel Peace Prize winners, Supreme Court Judges, nominees like Sotomayor, you name it, aren’t praised and covered in the mainstream celebrity news.

When Judge Sotomayor instantly became a household name, there was one thing that stood out in her speech: accolades to her mother. Talk about parenting prowess! The mother raised Sonia and her brother, now a doctor, on a modest salary. Could you imagine being the beaming mother on that day to hear that your daughter was selected for such a prestigious honor? That’s a parenting story, a success story, an all around feel-good story that should most definitely make headlines.

Now that you know what we think, what do YOU think? Should celeb stuff be limited to only glam actors and actresses, musicians, and models or should it spread beyond the superficial and into the land of smarts?

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Gotta love a celeb that’s true to her words. Seriously, though.

When asked if she’ll be a mother at some point, uber-talented Beyonce Knowles indicated yes… but just not now. It’s always good when a celeb speaks from the heart. After all, her recent role as a mother in the new flick Obsessed probably had something to do with it. And the fact that she’s been a newlywed for only one year, well, perhaps the 27-year-old figures there’s time and the clock has not even begun to chime just yet.

While the singer, dancer, actress, all of the above indicates she most definitely wants to be a mom someday, she’s just not sure when. Her role in Obsessed reminded me of what happens when you’re in the seventh grade and you have to take care of a hard-boiled egg for an entire week as if it’s a baby and have someone watch it, take it to dance class with you, etc. (Okay, was that just me and the ‘burbs of New Jersey?) Ultimately, the seventh-graders realized how much we cherished our freedom and how fragile that little ol’ egg really was! (Yes, that means I dropped mine and it cracked and broke, reproductive game over. <sigh>)

As I was saying, instead of infusing the pitter-patter of little feet, Beyonce’s role of mother completely deterred her from the thought for now. Beyonce mentioned it reminded her how much work it will be to become a mom!

I give Beyonce props for speaking her mind and knowing when the time isn’t right to bring a child into the world. How many celebs can you think of who have had babies just ‘cuz they wanted it (cough-Britney Spears-cough, cough) and didn’t realize it perhaps wasn’t the best circumstances to raise a child or two or, let’s say, eight? (Octomom, anyone?)