In honor of The Cute Kid’s Halloween photo contest extension to 11/19/09 (get with it — you can win $500), here’s one more fun, albeit a little sad Halloween post…

If you were like most Americans, you watched the news reports with shock and disbelief. Could a homemade balloon really have taken off with a six-year-old on board? And then, of course, came the real news story. The hoax!

As the horrific saga began unraveling, one can’t help but look toward the parents with a huge sense of shame. “Tsk, tsk, tsk!” Are you really that desperate to get on TV? Why would you want a reality TV show to dish about the bizarre details and unethical ways you raise your sons? That’s right, boys, let’s lie to the authorities. Oh, and while you’re at it, curse a little as well and we’ll post that video on YouTube. Sheesh!

Words cannot express my outrage toward the irresponsible Heene’s. But… as you can imagine, at least there’s a sense of humor to it all. That’s right… I’m talkin’ about what proved to be a popular costume this past Halloween season. In addition to Bernie Madoff costume for adults, the buzz here in Manhattan was a Balloon Boy Halloween get-up for kids! Some kids went dressed in a little box (as in, let’s pretend to hide in the attic the entire time concerned public officials are trying to track me down and ensure I’m alive). Others walked around with a basket around their waist.

All we know is this: the more creative they were, the better. Which brings me to a reminder to enter the CuteKid Halloween Contest no matter what your kid’s costume. Check it: It’s free and the grand prize is $500: http://www.thecutekid.com/halloween2009/

Since Halloween is my all-time fave holiday ever (behind my birthday, of course), I simply must ask: What did your kids dress up as?

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Alright, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard the story revolving around David Letterman and an extortion plot. He revealed on Thursday’s edition of The Late Show that he was a victim of an alleged plot by a producer at CBS News. Apparently there was a demand of $2 million or else!  As such, Letterman confessed on-air about sexual liaisons with members of his staff.

Aside from the latest headline, in the past Letterman was stalked and his son was a target for kidnapping and he’s also had heart health issues. So, what happens when you’re just a little kid with a famous mom or dad (or, in some cases, both)? You’re trying to grow up into a normal life consisting of play dates, nap time, and piano lessons.

Well, Harry Joseph Letterman will turn six years old this November. How do you try to shield a child from the headlines especially assuming he’s already in kindergarten? When celebrities are in the news, in particular for something less-than-flattering, you have to wonder how can they effectively shield their child? I commend Letterman for addressing the issue on-air to his audience but you have to contemplate how the situation can impact his son. Hopefully he’s too young to truly understand what’s going on despite the buzz that may be going on among his classmates’ parents proverbial water cooler.

Nevertheless, it’s always a shame when celebs are dealing with their own demons and need to add a significant consideration of what to tell their kid, if anything.

How do you think celebrity parents can shield their kid from the news?

Move over, Gosselins. There’s a new family with multiple births in town and boy, have they been busy. Okay, I admit I didn’t watch 18 Kids & Counting earlier in the week, but I saw the promos. And then I heard the parents, Michelle and Jim Bob, are expecting their 19th child next March. NINETEEN! That is technically two entire baseball teams with one relief pitcher! That’s essentially bigger than some homeroom classes in high school!  Stop me any time now…

But wait, it gets better. Their oldest son’s wife will also give birth this fall. So technically the newborn next spring will become the aunt or uncle to Michelle and Jim Bob’s first grandchild, approximately five months its elder.

What is going on here? I had a hard time just keeping up with all of their names and ages as indicated on the TLC website. Is that perhaps it; the shock factor for reality television? Are parents of multiples pimping out their kids via reality TV to earn some money? Better yet, is that such a bad thing; after all could you imagine what college tuition will cost?

That said, who can truly afford that many kids? And how about the health of the mother? If I did the math right, this means that Michelle has been pregnant approximately 14 plus years of her 42-year-old life. Considering she started procreating at the age of 21, factoring 14 years out of 21, she’s been pregnant more than 50 percent of her adulthood!

Ok, I’ll stop blogging now. I suppose if they can handle raising that many children by instilling house rules along with home-schooling schedules, you know what? More power to ‘em.

So, what do you think? Enough already with the multiples on reality TV? And do you think the Duggar family is way too big?

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There’s a little jingle on one of the news programs here in New York by a consumer reporter: shame, shame, shame… shame on you!

So yes, this New Yorker is pointing a finger in a tsk tsk formation (yes, I said a finger, not “the” finger – get your mind outta the gutter! Ha ha). For real. If you watched the Teen Choice Awards earlier last month, you may have noticed Miley Cyrus was on stage. No surprise there. But what you may have shaken your head at and had to look twice in disbelief was the fact that she appeared on stage. With a pole.

And no, this isn’t any old pole. A subway pole? Nope. A fireman’s pole? Um, not exactly. More like a stripper’s pole! Now although there was buzz around her provocative Vanity Fair photos several months ago, it appears she’s definitely trying yet again to shed that good girl image and venture into vamp and vixen. You know what though? Last time I checked, Hilary Duff made the transition just fine. Did she go on stage with a pole? Not exactly. She forged ahead with her career, dignity and integrity intact.

Ed Norwick, general manager of SCORES, a gentlemen’s night club in New York City, had this to say: “It was just inappropriate for a 16-year-old with that fan base. What’s the message she’s sending?” Seriously. Although it’s related to Ed’s industry, he points out there is a clear distinction between what’s geared toward adults versus what’s appropriate for kids.

Furthermore, as Ed mentions, “What’s the message she’s sending to teenage girls? And how about teenage boys?”

For real. Miley, please clean up your act.

What are your thoughts? Totally uncool of Miss Miley or kinda acceptable since other stars aren’t shy about flaunting their wares on stage?

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Carrie Prejean, a.k.a. Miss California, is keeping her crown. Sure, we heard countless headlines in recent weeks over the controversy. You know, the skin pics, the homophobic statements. While it kinda reminded me of Miss Congeniality just because of the whole pageant thing (love that flick!), when it comes to pageantry and its pomp and circumstance, the culture is fierce.

My friend participated in a pageant when she was in high school. Did she win some scholarship money for college? Yes. She also provided the inside scoop like how young women put Vaseline on their teeth (note I said teeth, not lips) to keep them bright and you guessed it – shiny. Her mom was cool about it. She supported my friend since it was her choice to do it but didn’t exactly push her into it. Aly ended up not going further as a one-time gig in the pageant world was the charm for her, but it makes ya think: what if her mom *did* push her? What if she shoved her literally into the glitz and glam, spending a family nest egg on costumes and traveling costs and had her constantly sizing herself up against other contestants?

Okay, we’re a little off-topic from paparazzi parenting but look at the late JonBenet Ramsey. She was what, all of six years old, wearing make-up and looking way beyond her childish years? You wonder at that age how much the child truly wants to be part of the pageant versus the parent. In a world where we’re constantly judged on how we look, why instill a sense of insecurity in girls especially at an early age?

Would you let your kid enter a pageant?

Huge fans here at Paparazzi Parenting! If you grew up watching Kelly, Donna, Dylan, and Brandon, join the par-tay! So any time we hear about one of the crew in the news, our ears perk up and we simply soak it all in. (And by we I mean I. Yes, I’m such a 90210 junkie!)

Tori Spelling and her mom, Candy, are apparently in the no-talking zone. Still. As in do not pass go, do not collect $200. Okay, that so did not fit. But you know what I’m sayin’. We can’t speculate, we truly can’t, as to why they’re not speaking or who is at fault, but come on now.

We only get one chance at this lifetime, it is not a round-trip but rather a one-way destination. (OK, how grim does that sound!) Candy has reportedly never met her newest grandchild Stella and though she previously saw Liam, Tori’s first child, she hasn’t seen him in a while.

Candy’s new book, Stories from Candyland, is in stores right now telling her side of the story. Her husband, Aaron Spelling, who died in 2007, was a mastermind of all the shows we grew up watching like 90210, Melrose Place, and, ah yes, The Love Boat! (”Exciting and new, come aboard, we’re expecting you!”) In fact, Candy is selling the $150 million mansion where she’s lived since 1991.

The 63-year-old is downsizing to a condo and has stated she hasn’t given up hope yet and has a playroom in case Liam and Stella ever visit her.

While we don’t know the whole story as to why they’re estranged, we do know this: life is short.

Do you think Tori and Candy should let bygones be bygones and kiss and make-up? Seriously. Everyone loses out in this situation. Their kids don’t know their grandmother. They certainly will never know their grandfather. Kinda heartbreaking, yes?

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I used to make time to watch the news on tv. Now I surf CNN.com instead. Nevertheless, there used to be a segment on one of the NYC-based news programs  called, “Shame On You!” Yes, it had a jingle and it went something like this: “Shame, shame, shame. Shame on you!”  In fact, it may still exist today I just wouldn’t know.

While you can’t hear me humming it aloud as I type this (this is probably a good thing, haha), you can appreciate this story and why I’m associating it with shame. In the I-hope-this-isn’t-true file, unfortunately it is indeed vrai. (That’s the translation in French for the word ‘true’ just for kicks.)

Slumdog, say it ain’t so! Rafiq Qureshi, the father of the Slumdog Millionaire star, Rubina Ali tried selling her. That’s right — selling her for $300,000. Well, he’s been arrested. Her mother heard about the “adoption” with a pricetag and filed a complaint with the cops. Rubina’s parents split back in ‘01 and the rumor mills say that her papa wanted to sell her to a Dubai sheikh. O.M.G.

Apparently the sheikh contacted Rubina’s dad after the Academy Awards. Since his wife was no longer able to have children, he expressed interest in adopting the actress. Reports continue to say that her dad politely declined by saying they’re happy together, yada yada.

All we know is there were undercover reports (and by that we mean a video) whereby reporters met with  Qureshi and communicated about illegally adopting his adorable daughter. This entire story just doesn’t sit well with us. It’s quite disturbing all around. The father of course denies the claims but it still ranks right up there in the shame files!

Do you think he tried selling Rubina or do you think his denial is true?

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I stopped watching “The Bachelor” several seasons ago. Something didn’t sit right with all the women vying for the attention, the rose, and ah yes – love – from a bachelor they barely know. But, when it came to “The Bachelorette,” let’s face it: I didn’t have any problems watching a woman calling the shots and the men getting competitive (unlike the cattiness from the women). Go girl!

It’s always fun to hear about the one couple who survived a real relationship beyond the show. After giving birth to their second child, a girl, Trista and Ryan have boldly announced that she is going to have a permanent birth control procedure done. Enter Essure.

It’s irreversible, apparently painless, and oh yes, none of our business! Do we really need to know that they’re calling it quits in the reproductive area after giving birth to two gorgeous healthy babies? Not so much.

While it seems these two reality stars keep extending their 15 minutes of fame again and again and again, perhaps they are spokespeople for the product and getting paid a nice wad of cash. Trista mentions she doesn’t even need general anesthesia in her local doctor’s office and recovery time is very quick.

Regardless, no matter how much money a company is paying you to promote a product, or no matter how it’s helping your life or adding value to it, there are some things that seem kind of classless. This would be one of them.

Do you think Trista and Ryan are dishing too much dirt or is it just par for the course in the land of celebrityville?

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?

Remember the former First Lady Nancy Reagan and her “Just Say No” campaign to drugs from the ’80s? Please nod with me in agreement even if you can’t recall or if you’re too young to remember.

There, that’s better.

Well, the campaign aimed to help kids stay off drugs by saying no and not acquiescing to various offers. (Ooh, acquiescing – good SAT word!)

Pop sensation, fashion designer, activist, and rebel rouser Lily Allen has done it again… as in the open mouth, insert foot phenomenon. The 23-year-old was quoted as saying, “Parents should say, ‘Drugs might seem fun, but they do funny things to your brain. Some people react to it good, some don’t. Try it and see what you think.’”

Okay, there are several things wrong with this picture. First of all, please use proper English. Secondly and more importantly, please tell us you did not just condone the drug experimentation, in particular ecstasy! Lily’s actually making a public statement that parents should specifically tell their children to try drugs and then check out their reaction?! Wouldn’t that be like tempting a little kid with tons of candy knowing they’ll get high from the sugar and addicted to the chemicals but giving it to them anyway in the name of experimentation?

Granted, this statement is coming from an outspoken songstress who followed up by saying she would be a pill popper and not a heroin addict if she wasn’t a celebutante.

All we know is this: no celebrity should ever condone the message that drugs should be taken when talking to your kids.

So, what are your thoughts – is it okay for parents to tell their kids to just say yes?