Posted at 11:27 AM ET, 07/ 8/2008

Insta-Poll: Do We Like the Name Sunday Rose?


Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, proud parents of new addition Sunday Rose. (Getty Images)

Because we have an insatiable fascination with the children of the stars, today we turn our attention to one of that club's newest entrants, little Sunday Rose Kidman Urban.

Yes, Nicole Kidman has been through a lot, so I do feel a teensy twinge of guilt for picking on a woman who not only married whack-doodle Tom Cruise, but starred in two laughably bad movies with him ("Far and Away" and "Eyes Wide Shut"). But she overcame the movies, leaving Cruise in the dust both professionally (he may beat her at the box office, but she's the better actor) and personally, and in 2006 married fellow Aussie Keith Urban. Her happily-ever-after was a bit delayed by Urban's post-nuptial stint in rehab, but the two seemed back on track over the last year and Monday the couple welcomed a baby girl.

Besides, I'm not really picking on Nicole so much as calling her out for giving her baby a name that has more in common with a gardening calendar than a little human girl. Did she use up all her baby naming sense on older kids Connor and Isabella? Perhaps Nicole saw the buzz that surrounded the naming of Tom Cruise's little "Suri" a couple of years back and decided a little press was just what her newborn would need.

The fact that the happy parents haven't talked about the inspiration behind "Sunday Rose," hasn't stopped others from weighing in on the unusual handle. Says one "baby name expert" at UsMagazine.com, "Sunday" pays tribute to myriad sources -- Africa tribal naming conventions, the Whitsunday Islands where Nicole and Keith spent their honeymoon and the day's inherent spiritual connotations.

The "Rose" portion of the name seems to be the an increasingly popular go-to middle name for celebs. (See Matilda Rose, Axl Rose and Sylvester Stallone's three daughters, all of whom share the name.)

Says post.com colleague Jen Chaney, the "Delta Dawn"-ish name seems to predestine little Sunday Rose for a career as a country crooner.

Says me: "Meh."

Says you:

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Posted at 8:13 AM ET, 07/ 8/2008

Morning Mix: Storks Visit Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey

Tuesday

Headlines: Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban welcome daughter Sunday Rose... Matthew McConaughey's girlfriend gives birth to baby boy... Citing infidelity, A-Rod's wife files for divorce... Drew Barrymore and Justin Long split, confirms rep... Britney Spears taping appearance for Madonna's tour... Eva Mendes calls reporter's substance abuse joke "tacky"... Scarlett Johansson says monogamy is hard... Michael Jackson's plastic surgeon checks into psych ward.

Rumor Mill: Samantha Ronson gives Lindsay Lohan $22,000 commitment ring... Paris Hilton wants to convene super-summit of tabloid targets for reality special... Jude Law, 40, dating 20-year-old model... Watch out Tila Tequila, Ashley Dupre developing reality show... "Celebrity Rehab" may spawn "Sober Living" spinoff.

List: Celebs who own islands.

Say What?
"The most Hollywood thing about me is that I have a psychic masseuse." -- "Get Smart" star Anne Hathaway

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Posted at 10:43 AM ET, 07/ 7/2008

Comment Box: Celeb Parents, the Most Selfish of All?


Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie with son Maddox and daughter Zahara stroll in Mumbai in November 2006. (AP)

Today in the comment box we expand on a debate hatched in last Thursday's Celebritology Live discussion -- a debate that might have engulfed the chat in a maelstrom of parental opinion-making had it been any other day but a pre-holiday afternoon. As it was, we were able to keep the discussion productive. Let's hope for the same tone below (hint hint). Why open a potential can of worms? Because, from time to time, we need to squirm a bit.

Considering the makeshift camp of paparazzi encamped in Nice awaiting the birth of the Brangelina twins, I asked: "Is it selfish for someone like Angelina, who is such a paparazzi magnet, to have kids at all?"

Some, like the reader below, were quick to argue that Angie and Brad -- who also basically coined the practice of selling baby pix to the highest bidding glossy -- seemed particularly keen to court the lens:

"How much of the media frenzy surrounding Brangelina is self-induced/wanted/enabled by Brangelina themselves? Like with Britney Spears -- she WANTS them around from what we've all read. I have always thought Angie was an attention junkie, so it makes me wonder."

Others pointed out that many celebs have been able to raise a family privately. Julia Roberts was invoked as one example of a vigilant mom who had successfully extricated her private life from our public consumption. And she does seem able to keep her family's daily life out of the tabs -- that is, as long as she and husband Danny Moder keep the kids on their Taos, N. M., ranch. But, set foot in New York or L.A. and click click.

Sure, Brad and Angie live a fearlessly (or is it foolhardy?) public life, and many celebs manage to keep their kids under wraps. But consider this anecdote: One celebrity sibling once told me her niece -- the child of a star of several smash box office comedies, but by no means a tabloid magnet -- was afraid of cameras and burst into tears if someone even tried to snap family pix on a Christmas morning. Why? Because the youngster had been traumatized by over-eager paps chasing her and daddy through the streets of L.A.

Look no further than the "Kid Photos" category of the increasingly popular Celebrity Baby Blog for evidence that any celeb kid is fair game. It isn't all Suri Cruise -- even Matilda Rose, daughter of Michelle Williams and the late Heath Ledger is a common subject.

The best comment I've seen yet -- one that raises more questions I hope we can continue to ponder here today -- comes from another anonymous chat participant, who wrote:

"It isn't selfish for [Angelina] to want kids. We are the selfish ones for wanting to know all about them, see new photos, etc. Part of me feels guilty but the other part says this is what she signed up for when she chose to become an actress."

So, you tell me -- who is at fault? We seekers of pix of high-wattage offspring or the celebs who bring a kid into an often unforgiving environment?

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Posted at 7:43 AM ET, 07/ 7/2008

Morning Mix: Amy Winehouse Says She Did Drugs in Rehab

Update: Nicole Kidman gives birth -- she and Keith Urban today welcomed daughter Sunday Rose Kidman Urban in Nashville. -- 11:11 a.m. ET.

Monday

Headlines: Amy Winehouse says she did drugs in rehab... Palestinians ask Snoop Dogg to boycott Israel... "Beckham boost" ups underwear sales in U.K... Osbourne family to host TV variety show... Pam Anderson celebrates birthday with illusionist Criss Angel... Former "Bachelor" Andrew Firestone marries... Bozo the Clown Larry Harmon dead at 83.

Pix: Tina Turner rocks glittery harem pant/one-piece thingy... Fuller-figured Oprah vacations in Italy... Unoriginal Jim Carrey dons girlfriend Jenny McCarthy's one-piece on beach.

Rumor Mill: Madonna says she's not headed for divorce. Still, trainer says A-Rod is "obsessed" with Madge... Britney Spears to join Madonna on tour?... Second affair for Christie Brinkley's husband to emerge in court; couple girds for battle over properties worth $80 million; supermodel spends 4th with ex Billy Joel... Rowdy Nicole Richie tossed from Vegas Hard Rock... Steve-O transferred from rehab to psychiatric hospital... Diddy forced to make back-door entrance to his own 4th fest... Hulkmania: Linda Hogan says Hulk Hogan stalking her... Usher may welcome back manager mom... Wu Tang's RZA set to direct martial arts movie.

Say What?
"If you have beautiful and strong hair, then you're successful with women." -- The strong-haired George Clooney to InTouch magazine

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