Happy Hour Gossip
Save the drama for your (Hollywood) mama
By Rebecca Verner, Blogger
February 14, 2008 | noon
It seems like just yesterday Nicole Richie was driving the wrong way down a California highway. Now she has a baby! Hollywood’s collection of pregnant celebrities is beginning to give birth to a new round of adorable celebrity babies.
Christina Aguilera welcomed her baby at nearly the same time as Nicole. The two starlets spent the weekend of Jan. 11 in a Los Angeles county hospital and left with two healthy babies. Nicole and her boyfriend, Joel Madden, named their little girl Harlow Winter Kate Madden. Christina and husband, Jordan Bratman, named their son Max Liron Bratman. The name Liron is Hebrew for “my song,” and Max means “greatest,” so Christina’s baby is her greatest song. Very cute.
Among others, Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, and of course the notorious Jamie Lynn Spears, are also expecting.
Unfortunately a much darker topic has risen in Hollywood this week. The death of Heath Ledger was a tragic shock for everyone. The actor who made a name for himself in movies like “Ten Things I Hate About You,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “The Patriot” and most recently the Bob Dylan flick “I’m Not There,” overdosed on sleeping pills in his New York City hotel last week.
Ledger’s death is a real tragedy not only for the American public but especially for his young family. Ledger had been dating long-time girlfriend Michelle Williams, with whom he had 2-year-old daughter Matilda. The two were separated at the time of Ledger’s death, and rumors of drug abuse are allegedly the reason why the breakup took place.
Even worse than the stories swirling around the descent of Ledger are the videos that have begun to surface. Videos have been posted online of the actor downstairs in the VIP at Chateau Marmont, surrounded by drugs. Although Ledger is never seen doing drugs, everyone around him is taking part in these late-night, extracurricular activities. Ledger is heard mentioning his girlfriend and baby, who were not with him, and voiced his concern about Michelle’s reaction if she saw him.
Hollywood is a dangerous place. We have seen stars like George Clooney, Hugh Heffner and Brad Pitt make names for themselves in the glamorous town without drawing much attention to their personal evils. Some people can hold it together. Unfortunately we have enough examples of Britney Spears, Brad Renfro, Amy Winehouse, Courtney Love and so many others who could not avoid the pull of the limelight and the allure of the fun in the shadows.
Thankfully we are far away from these temping dangers in quaint little Athens, or do we just think that? I know Hollywood is 300 miles away and we will probably never get the chance to party there (not even at the not-quite-as-hip upstairs of the Chateau Marmont), but sometimes it is important to take the examples that celebrities set and apply them to our own lives: Always drive the same direction as the rest of traffic, never give yourself a haircut after you’ve been drinking, and please, please use good judgment when you go out. I don’t want to see another Heath Ledger in Hollywood or in Athens.
So congratulations to Christina and Nicole on their new family members. I’m sure Christina is going to be the cutest mom in Hollywood. My heart goes out to Ledger’s family, and I hope they grieve peacefully, even though the death of their loved one is splashed out in the news.
Hollywood gossip is fun to follow but sometimes important and serious to note. Time never stops in Los Angeles, and neither do celebrities.
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