Baby Bump: The New Must-Have Accessory?

THINGS THAT GO ‘BUMP’ IN THE NIGHT

There was a time when a pint-sized Chihuahua in a cute tote bag was the must-have accessory of the Hollywood elite. Now it would seem that these little pets were merely a training tool for our fav celebs to practice their ‘mammying’ skills on; the ultimate quest being to become a Mum.

I never thought I’d see the day when a baby bump was the ‘In’ thing. However 2011/2012 appears to be the “baby boom” years. Gone are the catfights for front row seats at New York and Milan fashion weeks and instead celebs are vying for invites to the latest baby shower or Baby Dior clothes launch.

This baby boom is rampant right now. You can’t open a magazine without being bombarded with photographs of the most recent celebrity to announce their pregnancy or the speculative ‘are they or aren’t they’ pics or most commonly, the images of stars proudly parading on the beach in a teeny bikini with new sprog by their side months after giving birth.

So it seems that in order to grab the column inches these days and be ‘fashionable’ you better get that maternity pants in order and get loosening that belt!

    

Firstly we have Jessica Simpson. She is EVERYWHERE these days (and I don’t mean just because she is sporting a MASSIVE baby bump!) Jessica (31) announced in October 2011 that she was expecting her first child, a little girl, with her fiancée and former NFL player Eric Johnson. She is due to give birth any day now and is (I’m not being mean about this, just honest and anyway she is pregnant so it’s not like she is fat) but she is HUGE! Jessica laughed off rumours that she was pregnant with twins on the Jimmy Kimmel Live Show and said “Apparently I have a lot of amniotic fluid, so whenever my water breaks it will be like a fire hydrant”…(Nice mental  image there!) She later revealed to Hello! Magazine that she has put on 40 pounds during her pregnancy! (Try squeezing back into those daisy dukes again Jess!)  

Anyway, much to my disgust Jess did a ‘Demi’ on it and posed nude on the cover of Elle magazines April edition. What’s even more bonkers is that she approached the mag with the concept! Whether you are Demi Moore or Jessica Simpson, posing nude with baby bump out like that, in my opinion, is not attractive and is cheap and tasteless.

Anyway, I do like Jessica and she seems to have turned her life around and has found happiness with Eric. Watch this space for news of the birth because it could happen any day now (judging by the size of her that baby is going to be born ready for her first day at school!)

     

And now to my most favourite family… the Kardashaians. The eldest Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian (32), is expecting her second child with boyfriend Scott Disick. The pair are already parents to the adorable Mason (2) and they announced last November that Kourtney was pregnant and…wait for it…she is expecting a girl! WOOHOO a girl! I can’t wait to see the new little addition who is due in the late spring. If Mason is anything to go by, this bambino will be sooo cute.  Mason has become somewhat of a style-icon in his own right, favouring his Dads sleek sophisticated style wearing mostly suits. Mason was recently spotted out with a pair of Ray Bans and Venettini loafers. Uber trendy!

However, never one to get it wrong in the fashion stakes and not to be outdone by hersisters Kim and Khloe, glamourous Kourtney is absolutely working the “blooming” look and knows exactly how to make the most of her pregnancy curves.  I am already jealous of the wardrobe that her new little daughter is going to have!  If a Kardashian is fashionably rocking the baby bump, it must be a pretty hot accessory!  Will it catch on and will we see an uptrend in numbers Keeping Up With The Kardashians?

     

Renowned for her wild partying ways, and ahem, nooki, in the Jersey Shore house, Snooki, real name Nicole Polizzi (22), shocked the world (including herself apparently) when news that she was pregnant hit the headlines. The reality TV star is expecting a baby with boyfriend and ‘babydaddy,’ Jionni LaValle. It comes as no surprise that this was not planned for the star but she is engaged to Jionni and is now trying to control her crazy lifestyle. Snooki is finding it tough to mend her ways and according to the Hollywood Gossip, her friends have said that “She’s vowed not to drink, but Snooki is definitely tempted. Her friends are a little worried about her because it’s such a big change. It’s not something she was really ready for. She’s having a hard time adjusting to being sober 24/7. She’s freaking out about that and the weight gain.”

Perhaps in a bid to show that she is in fact preparing for the new arrival, Snooki was spotted filming series 6 of the hit show pushing a baby doll in a pram! (Yep, I said baby doll! ) Weird? Not in the World of Snooki-mania! I hope she manages to calm down and adjust to her new Mommy status. Who knows, this could be the making of her – anyone predict an MTV spin-off show from this – ‘Snooki Plus One’?

           

Many of you probably remember Laguna Beach – the reality show that documented the glamorously wealthy lives of California’s privileged teenagers as they manoeuvred their way through high school? Well, just proving that in order to stay hip in Orange County a baby bump is a must, Kristin Cavallari (25) is also sporting the glowing look. Kristin shot to fame in Laguna Beach and featured again in its spin-off, The Hills.  Famous for her bitchy on-screen relationship with Lauren Conrad, her man-eating ways and her on-off romance with hottie Stephen Colletti, Kristin announced that she was to become a mum in January 2012.

The stunning blonde is expecting the bambino with Jay Cutler, a Chicago Bears quarterback. Despite Cutler calling of their engagement in July 2011, after just three months, Cavallari confirmed suspicions that the couple had reunited a few months later, tweeting, “This time it’s official…Jay and I are engaged again”.

Personally I like Kristin. She has an ambition and drive about her that is admirable. She has managed to stay in the public eye despite many of her former co-stars fading from the limelight and can hold her head up proudly after her stint in Dancing WithThe Stars (plus her arrival at the wedding of Heidi and Spencer in The Hills was truly epic!!) The fact that her soon-to-be hubbie is a sports professional may rule out any future reality TV shows for the family (unlike the case of Snooki and Jionn, even though I do take note of Khloe and Lamar Odom) but no doubt the shrewd pair will make a bit of dosh from magazine deals!

Baby bumps, baby bumps everywhere eh!?

Other mega stars jumping on the baby bandwagon, either recently making the big announcement or very close to becoming mothers include Sienna Miller, Chantelle Houghton, Tori Spelling, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stacey Solomon and Bruce Willis’ wife Emma Heming.

             

However not to be outdone by the Hollywood brigade, it seems the stork has been busy delivering his goods this side of the Atlantic too. The recession, coupled with the long cold nights in Ireland, mean cosying up by a log fire is the new ‘going out’. And this can often lead to one thing!  Yep the baby boom has hit our very own Irish celebs!

“Wouldn’t believe it, if you seen it, Oh Mayhem, doo doo doop” sings Imelda May, but you better believe it because the Dublin singer is five months pregnant. Lets hope the wee one comes out with a funky quiff just like her Ma!

Imelda (37) is currently on tour with her husband Darrell Higham and the rocking songstress is showing no signs of slowing down. This will be the first baby for the quirky singer and she’s already admitted to having a rather healthy craving for oranges…(not very rock chick)

      

Joining the Dubliner in this’ bump’ trend is TV3’s Sybil Mulcahy. TV3 are going though their own sort of baby burst recently (Anna Daly, Colette Fitzpatrick, and Aisling O’Loughlin all having given birth recently – must be something in the water in Ballymount!)

   

It’s baby number three for TV3’s Morning Show presenter Sybil Mulcahy who just last week broadcast her final episode of her show before going on maternity leave ahead of the birth of her baby in two weeks time (don’t worry daytime TV fanatics she will be back in October). The busty blonde already has a boy and a girl with husband John Prendeville and even admitted that this latest pregnancy was an unplanned thing. The sex of the baby is unknown but with only two weeks to go we don’t have long to wait! No doubt there has been a lot of baby talk around the Ballymount studios of late and I’m sure Sybil can look to her colleagues for assistance (not that she will needs it, afterall it is her third time!)

 P.S I’m Pregnant! No doubt the most recent pregnancy announcement can act as a much-needed distraction for the family in question. Although her father has been hitting the headines for all of the wrong reasons this week, Cecelia Ahern (31),  daughter of Bertie, broke the news that she was adding to her family. The Author, who has sold 10 million books, has a daughter Robin aged two with husband David Keoghan. The couple were nominated for a VIP Style Award but failed to attend the spectacular event held at Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel. (In any event they didn’t win so who cares that they weren’t there! Even though I imagine their absence had something to do with a thing called the Mahon Report!!??) I bet Cecelias cutie-pie twin nephews Jay and Rocco are hoping that it’s a bouncing baby boy for them to torment, I mean love.

So it seems that the baby bump craze has caught on and that anyone who ‘s anyone is either in the motherly way or will be very soon! I think I’d rather that the trend du jour reverted back to Louboutins or Hermes Birkin bags! They may be expensive but WAY cheaper than a baby and anyway I’m just not feeling this baby craze right now!

Oh and congrats to new Mum Una Healy of The Saturdays – best of luck doll.

 

(Disclaimier:- just to note that I do not advocate going out and getting yourself a baby bump or frivolous sexual behaviour. Be safe people!)

The Peter Mark VIP Style Awards 2012

GRAFTON STREET IS THEIR CATWALK

Last night the countrys glitterati were out in force as the prestigious Shelbourne Hotel played host to the years most glamorous event in the style calendar (if you ignore the Oscars, the Golden Globes, the Grammies, the BAFTAS and the IFTAS) – The Peter Mark VIP Style Awards. The who’s-who of Irish celebrity were in attendance and it seems that anyone with any sort of profile was nominated!

So did the Irish followers of fashion look to their American counterparts and copy their style straight from the red carpet?  Were reds, nudes and metallics the colour of choice? And more importantly, did anyone try and pull an ‘Angelina’ and bare their perma-tanned right leg?

If you are a fan of Twitter you were probably bombarded with tweets in your twitter-feed from nominees reminding you to vote for them – as if we needed reminding! Surely if you’re anything like me you voted the very nano-second the details were released! !!

Everybodys style is different. The majority of nominees deserved their place on the list but some of them…well I wonder what Joan Rivers would have to say about some of their choices from over the past year! But lets not focus on the bad and lets look at some of the fashion from last night. Presenters on the night were Keith Duffy and Karen Koster. Karen looked stunning in red Karen Millen, a firm favourite with the Xpose presenter. Her beau, John McGuire, was nominated in the Most Stylish Man category but unfortunately missed out to Mr Marty Whelan (just who voted for him I have yet to discover!). He must have tickled (hee hee) a few peoples fancy though as he proudly walked away with the gong!  

 

Last year Michael O’Doherty managed to secure the rather tacky Jordan as a guest on the red carpet. This year the event was Priceless leaving it purely to the Irish trend-setters to lead the way (even though we may have had some more gossip to report if she had been there.) The Oscars red carpet was dotted with champagnes, golds and nudes worn by Cameron Diaz, J-Lo, Stacey Kiebler, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rooney Mara and it seems that the Irish ladies looked to Hollywood for inspiration. Former Miss World Rosanna Davison looked angelic in a satin/silk white gown from Dawn Fitzgerald Atelier accessorised with an emerald clutch bag from Coco Boutique (She would look amazeballs in a black bag mind!) Pippa O’Connor opted for a similar colour pallette in a glimmering gold floor-length gown which she accessorised with new hubbie Brian (they later partied in Krystle nite-club, the club where their romance began!)  Marty Whelan unleashed his inner gangster with a pin-striped suit that Capone himself would have been proud of! Proving that the West can pull out all the stops when necessary, Grainne Seioge went for a black one-shouldered dress and wore for her hair pulled back which showed off her gown perfectly and her enviable curves.

So among the nominees were :

MOST STYLISH WOMAN

Aoife Cogan – (engaged to the honourable Mr D’arcy don’t you know), Sharon Corr ** WINNER, Rosanna Davison, Glenda Gilson, Amy Huberman, Pippa O’Connor –  (GOT MY VOTE) and Georgia Salpa 

MOST STYLISH MAN

 Niall Breslin/Bressie –  (YEESSS Please!!), Nicky Byrne –  (GOT MY VOTE), Ray Foley –  (No likey, No Lighty), Brian Kennedy –  (renowned for throwing red wine!) and Marty Whelan –  (must be for the ‘tache) **WINNER

 MOST STYLISH COUPLE

 Cecelia Ahern & David Keoghan  – (PS , I love you!), Bernard Brogan & Leslie Walsh (GAA player and WAG), Alan Hughes & Karl Broderick  **WINNER and Rob Kearney & Susie Amy (GOT MY VOTE)

 NEWCOMER  AWARD

Holly Carpenter – (crowned Miss Ireland in August 2011), Aoibhin Garrihy – (Fair City actress)  **WINNER, Lynn Kelly – (Hardly ‘new’ . In 2008, crowned Miss Universe Ireland), Michelle McGrath – (former member of pop-group Industry & model) and Rozanna Purcell – (model, reality tv star) (GOT MY VOTE) 

I have excluded some of the  lesser-known nominees as the list was as long as Angelinas right leg! Speaking of which may I add Rozanna Purcell made a joke about, posting on Twitter “My dress for the night… Tryna do an Angelina bahaha “… Not looking bad Roz (just make sure Brian Kennedy is not around with the red vino!)

Anyway down to the main event of the night: It was handbags at dawn as the effortlessly chic ladies of Ireland had their perfectly manicured talons poised in order to scoop the crown from last years Most Stylist Woman Claudine Keane. WAG of the moment Claudine unfortunately couldn’t attend the event and was over in sunny LA. She joked on twitter that there would be a video link put in place for her to hand over the title – Oscar-style! Anyway ***QUEUE DRUM ROLL…..and the title of Most Stylish Woman for 2012 as voted by you, the public, goes to Miss Sharon Corr! Yes Miss Corr often over-shadowed by her gorgeously gothic sister Andrea scooped the much coveted crown. Go Girl! (Even though I personally voted for Pippa!) Hugely missed on the night was our very own Kim Kardashian Georgia Salpa. Her absence meant the red carpet lacked a little glam and fun! I do like my Georgia!

Most Stylish on the Night went to Aoife Cogan, fiancee of Gordan D’Arcy.

I stand by my Pippa though. Her gown was from Ivory Closet and I think she’s always uber stylish and should have picked up the gong for Most Stylish and Roz shoulda won Best Newcomer. But hey what do I know!? Maybe next year I’ll get an invite!

What Do You Sex-pect?

Are Sex Tapes the New Form of Reality TV & the Best Means to Get Ahead?

Kim Kardashian has one. Paris Hilton has one. Tulisa Contostavlos has one. Rob Lowe has one. Even our very own Colin Farrell has one…in order to make a name for yourself, is a ‘leaked’ sex tape the answer?

The latest celeb to fall victim of a ‘leaked’ sex tape is none other than former N’Dubz singer and X-Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos. The 23 year old singers ex-boyfriend, MC Ultra, was allegedly behind the leaking of the tape leaving Tulisa more than a little gobsmacked!

Known for her edgy attitude and her ‘take-no-prisoners’ approach to life, the star has hit back at her critics and posted a video of herself explaining her side of the ‘intimate’ acts caught on camera. The admittance by Tulisa was heart-felt and honest. I have to say I think she was pretty brave to step up and face the world – major respect!

The question that needs to be asked is where does she go from here? How can she exploit the situation to her advantage?

Perhaps the biggest celebrity to be scandalised by a sex tape is reality TV star, model, actress and all-round business women Kim Kardashian. Kim K has managed to turn herself into a world dominating brand by exploiting an otherwise horrific situation. Just a pretty socialite from a well-respected family (her father Robert Kardashian was a lawyer who shot to fame as defence attorney to OJ Simpson), Kim K was known on the LA party scene and was papped regularly with then BFF Paris Hilton (who coincidentally also had a sex tape out in the public domain). In 2007 a sex tape filmed with her then boyfriend Ray J (brother of singer and actress Brandy) began to circulate. The home-made video was bought by Vivid Entertainment. Kim K’s family issued court proceedings to prevent the further dissemination of the video but later settled with Vivid Entertainment for a huge sum of money. From that sex tape in 2007 to 2012 Kim has firmly established herself on the tongues of millions of people worldwide as a household name. Can this mean that by ‘leaking’ a sex tape you can turn yourself into a billion dollar brand? Is this alleged breach of privacy really just a manipulative way of gaining publicity and hitting headlines in order to then begin laying the foundations for a huge and prosperous future career?

Kim Kardashian has without doubt built herself up from the ashes and is now solidly famous for her exploits on ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ and spin-off programme ‘Kourtney & Kim Take New York’ on E! For many, the fact that she was caught on camera in this intimate act is unknown or in any event now forgotten!

But back to Tulisa and the question posed earlier… How can the X-Factor judge now exploit this sensational situation to her advantage?

It seems that the X-Factor judge may already have the ball in motion on that one! Tulisa has in fact only today released her debut single ‘Young’. Can this be described as coincidental timing? Was the well-timed leakage of  the sex tape just an attempt by her ex-boyfriend to profit from her X-Factor fame or did Tulisa have a hand in when it was to be revealed? There is no such thing as negative publicity! For Tulisa to be hitting headlines just days before the single is released I am afraid to say (well, I’m not really) seems quite orchestrated to me. In her counter video on Youtube where she admitted that it was indeed her taking part in the lurid sexual act she did admit that friends had made her aware of the existence of the video six months previously…hhhmmmm it may not have been a bad idea to strike a deal with the ex-bf and agree to release the vid at a time when the two parties need maximum exposure! Just saying!! Stepping out into the solo world musically is a huge deal and perhaps a little boost may have been needed in order to differentiate herself from other acts and to gain front pages! Timing is everything and she may just have looked to Kim K’s little empire and thought ‘I’d like a piece of that!’

On that note I will leave you with one thought…are we, the public, mere puppets who fall for everything these celebs lead us to believe? Are we now in the era that in order to get ahead and to grab headlines at a time when releasing a single/movie, a singer/ actress needs to get our attention through some other means…why not let your singing or acting talent speak for itself eh!?

 

YOU SNOOZE U LOOZE!

Welcome to Snoozeulooze – a Blog full of all the up-to-date juice and gossip as it happens from around the World.

If it’s happening in Hollywood, in New York, At Paris Fashion week, at the Oscars, the Grammies, The BAFTAs, The IFTAs, Coronation Street…I’ll have it covered!

Who is dating Who, Who is Wearing Who and Who broke up with Who…Read about it here.

So sit back and enjoy my friends…