Hot Topic Tuesday: The Business Of Celebrity Babies

In the last few years, our country has endured a rough economy, layoffs, and a weak real estate market, but not in Hollywood. When a female star's career is waning, there is one key thing she can do to revive interest in her cooling career: get pregnant.  A baby bump has become a hot commodity in Hollywood and here are the ways a star can make money from having a baby:

1.  Paparazzi Photos:  Yes, this is Hollywood's dirty little secret, some stars (I'm looking at you, Lindsay Lohan and Jennifer Love Hewitt!) call their favorite paps and let them know where they are going to be.  Once the photographer sells that photo to media outlets, the star gets a cut of the sale.....and nothing sells better than a baby bump these days.

2.  Sponsored Baby Shower:  Yep, if you were famous, you could have sponsored baby shower filled with every trendy baby product on the market, all of your celebrity friends will attend (You probably have never met half of the attendees, but hey, they are famous celeb moms too!), and People will cover every precious moment.  You will go home with all of these free products and your baby nursery is now fully stocked.

3.  The Magazine Cover:  If the celeb is of A-List wattage, then several magazines will battle for that first sweet cover of mom, dad, and baby posing together.  Take a look at this article, it breaks down some of the numbers for celebrity babies:  The Brangelina Twins rang in $14 million, The Lopez-Anthony Twins were worth $6 million, and little Sean Preston Spears-Federline was worth $500,000.  Some of the celebrities donate the money to charity and some keep it all to themselves.

4.  People's Celebrity Baby Blog:  This is where the stars prove they are just like us!  They nurse, change diapers, have sleepless nights, and then get paid to blog about it!  If you look over the list of celebrity baby bloggers, you will find everyone from current TV stars to a few names you haven't heard of in years.  It's a great way to get your name back into the public eye.



5.  Weight Loss Contract:  There is nothing like eating your way through your pregnancy then receiving $4 million to lose those 70 lbs. from Weight Watchers like Jessica Simpson.  The pressure is on because she has to lose 20-30 lbs. by a certain date so they can film the first commercial.  Mariah Carey did the same for Jenny Craig last year.  I'm sure we would all like to get paid to lose weight, at least there is an incentive built in.

6. Hollywood Moms' Club:  This is currently a show (Now called Hollywood Moms Night.) on the TV Guide Network hosted by Alison Sweeney and Ali Landry.  However, this club started out as a non-televised neighborhood event with the duo plus Denise Richards, Lisa Rinna, Candace Cameron Bure, Brooke Burke, and Nancy O'Dell.  In fact, it was considered so cliquey and exclusive, that a few famous women who lived in the neighborhood started trying to get pregnant just to join the clique.   It sounds like junior high all over again.  Well, now this club is televised after a bit of a rift between the group (It's good gossip!), but the show goes on with only Alison and Ali and a few guest moms each week.

Don't you wish your baby bump garnered as much money and attention?  What are your thoughts on Hollywood's baby boom?  Join the conversation in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Google +.

My own disclaimer, I love babies, they are cute. I am sure lots of celebrities have babies because they want to start a family, but I am just disclosing ways they also make money from this endeavor.  


Join me tomorrow for my first video version of Behind The Red Carpet!  I've been taking your questions at all of the usual social media outlets listed above, so I hope you will join me tomorrow!

Sony Store Opening: Century City

Some weeks, my world is more glamorous than others.  Other weeks, I am home on my couch in my sweats.  I really enjoy both scenarios, so while this week has been busy with press junkets, store openings, Kids' Choice Awards events, and screenings, I will be spending my Friday night on the couch.  Last night, I was at the Sony store opening in Century City to preview the company's latest offerings in HD technology.  Stars like Adrian Grenier, Melissa Joan Hart, Craig Robinson, Ali and Roberto (for you Bachelorette fans), Spencer Grammer, and Lisa Rinna showed up to support the event and of course, go home with a swag bag.  Sony label artist and Dancing With The Stars performer, Mark Ballas, sang from his CD while the guest played the latest Playstation games and noshed on shrimp cocktail.  It was a lot of fun and I even ran into a few people from the tech and social media world.

In true Hollywood form, it wasn't my only stop of the night as I ran off to the LA Film School to interview James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the creators of the new horror flick, Insidious.  So, expect that article tomorrow on Starpulse. Let's just say, I haven't walked into a dark room in my house alone since I saw the movie last week..........

Mark Ballas is tiny....like really tiny.

Proof that LA will put a red carpet anywhere, including the middle of a mall.

The Q&A after the screening of Insidious at LA Film School

Two notes:
1. This is my second post this week with Lisa Rinna and Melissa Joan Hart in it.  What are the chances?
2. I decided to run upstairs to The Container Store at the end of the Sony party because I needed storage folders for my home office.  Hey, there are only two Container stores in LA and a girl needs to multitask!

Shop Local

With the news about economy going from bad to worse, it is important for all of us to remember Mom and Pop.  They are the ones that run the stores in your neighborhood.  They sometimes get overlooked for the big brick and mortar stores like Nordstrom's, Bloomingdale's, or even Target.  It's time for us to go back to Main Street and remember "Who are the people in your neighborhood?".  (Thanks, Sesame Street!).  I stumbled upon my favorite neighborhood store by chance last summer.  My friend, Maria, and I decided to have a celebrity store run one lazy Saturday afternoon.  That entailed a trip to Lisa Rinna's Belle Gray and Melissa Joan Hart's, SweetHarts in Sherman Oaks.  The excursion turned out to be a mixed bag.  Lisa's store is impeccably decorated, clean, and well-designed.  Unfortunately, the price tag for simple items like a white t-shirt are well out of the norm for most shoppers.  So, we looked and we left.  To comfort our shopping souls, we headed over to Melissa Joan Hart's candy/ice cream/bake shop.  I ate a delicious red velvet moon pie baked by Carnie Wilson.  Yep, Wilson Phillips baked some goodies for Sabrina the Teenage Witch's candy store. Only in Hollywood, kids, only in Hollywood.

                                                     
After a little sugar, we wanted to continue shopping, so we headed a block down the street and stumbled upon one of the greatest boutique finds ever, Roni B.  The store is inviting with its pink and black decor and a friendly, Roni B, ready to style, accessorize, and dress you down to the last detail.  With a stylist's eye, she knows when to add a belt or an earring to complete the look for the red carpet or the wedding or the birthday party.  The best part?  The looks are all affordable.  Many of the dresses are under $100 and the styles are right on trend.  If you see that expensive designer look in Lucky Magazine, chances are a more affordable version is available that month in store.  The greatest thing about shopping local is the people you meet and the friends you make, that is exactly what you will find at Roni B.

Below are some of the looks styled and created by Roni B that I have worn on the red carpet or on my show, The Web Files.  For those of you in LA, make sure to stop by and tell Roni that KB sent you.  I bet you will walk out with a Roni B. bag in hand.

Let me know what look is your favorite in the comments below. Don't forget to follow Red Carpet Closet at Bloglovin.