In the romantic comedy Life As We Know It, Josh Duhamel plays a new dad, a role he says he’d love to have in real life. According to People, Josh says that getting the chance to play a father is what “initially drew me to” the role. During the New York premiere at the Ziegfeld, he opened up even more saying, that he has “always had a real fondness for kids.” In terms of his wife, he says, “She’ll be a great mom … She got to meet [costar Katherine Heigl’s daughter] Naleigh on set. It was great.” Maybe this is a hint of what’s to come for him and Fergie in the very near future!
How do you know if your partner is parent material?
For a story about romance cropping up in the most unexpected places (with often hilarious results), check out the new comedy Life As We Know It. In the film, two single adults are forced to raise a baby together after their mutual friends die in an accident and leave their daughter in their friends’ care. The situation is complicated even more by the fact that Holly (Katherine Heigl) and Eric (Josh Duhamel) don’t exactly get along. But for the sake of Sophie, their new baby girl, they must learn to live together. In the end, after going through all the challenges that new parents face together, their relationship goes from outright hostility to mutual respect … and eventually, maybe even love.
How can having a baby bring you together as a couple?
Victoria and David Beckham. Photo: Fame Pictures/MAC
Soccer pro David Beckham has proven that actions speak louder than words after he officially denied prostitute accusations by suing the tabloid that published them. PopEater reports that Beckham is suing In Touch Weekly for featuring quotes from former call girl Irma Nici suggesting that the two slept together in 2007. The suit alleges libel, slander and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Beckham has been married to former Spice Girls singer Victoria Beckham for 11 years, and the two have three boys together, ages 11, 8, and 5.
If you’re falsely accused of cheating, what do you do?
Crystal Bowersox and Brian Walker. Photo: Andrew Evans / PR Photos
Congratulations are in order for American Idol runner-up Crystal Bowersox. E! Newsreports that the folk-pop singer is engaged to fellow musician Brian Walker, with plans to tie the knot next month. Bowersox, 25, broke up with long-time boyfriend and father of her 1-year-old son near the end of her stint on American Idol. She used her heartbreak to deliver some emotionally powerful performances, earning her the second place spot after crooner Lee DeWyze won last season.How can a breakup be a positive thing?
Rosetta Getty and Balthazar Getty. Photo: Andrew Evans / PR Photos
After a scandalous affair with actress Sienna Miller in 2008, Balthazar Getty is slowly getting back on track with his wife, Rosetta, according to Huffington Post. “Here’s the bottom line: It was a very challenging time for everybody involved,” said Balthazar to Harper’s Bazaar via Page Six, “but I loved and missed my family too much not to make it work. Rosetta is understanding enough and spiritual enough to let us try.” Rosetta continued explaining by saying, “I’m going to have to explain this to my daughters one day. I chose not to act from ego because I just felt like it would be too crushing for my children.”
Are there ways to make forgiving a partner easier?
Christopher Backus and Mira Sorvino. Photo: ER/Flynetonline.com
Balancing your personal life, family and job can be tricky, especially if you’re in Hollywood. But even in the midst of shooting a movie, actress Mira Sorvino makes sure her family knows they come first. The actress told People that she only works on films with short shooting schedules, and often brings her children to set with “quilts and colored Christmas lights and art supplies and books to help make it a home away from home.” Sorvino’s three children and husband Christopher Backus not only kept her company on the set of her most recent film, Like Dandelion Dust, but became her inspiration for it. The film tells the story of a woman trying to reclaim the child she gave up for adoption. “I have three beautiful children who I love more than anything else in the whole world, so anything having to do with your children and potentially losing them is very, very personal to me,” said Sorvino. “I didn’t have to do much to get to the emotional place [of my character].”
How can you keep your spouse and kids happy at the same time?
Jesse James and Janine Lindemulder. Photos: PRN / PR Photos; Scott Alan / PR Photos
Jesse James’ awful summer got even worse recently when his ex-wife Janine Lindemulder filed a motion against him over their daughter, 6-year-old Sunny. Lindemulder, a former porn star, lost custody of her daughter last year after being jailed for tax evasion. Now, she claims that James, host of Monster Garage and ex-husband of Sandra Bullock, is trying to turn Sunny against her. In the filing obtained by Us Weekly, Lindemulder claimed that since James moved himself and Sunny to Austin, Texas, she hasn’t spoken to her daughter in seventeen days. She claims that before the move, her daughter “was distant, confrontational, disrespectful and accusatory.” James has disputed his ex’s claims, saying that he has not interfered with Sunny and her mother’s relationship. “[Janine] is not stable, and acts impulsively and contradictory,” said James in his response. “[She] sounds …as if she is drinking or taking drugs again.”
Katie Holmes with Suri. Photo: Marquez/FAMEFLYNET PICTURES
Are Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise making plans to add to their brood? “Maybe in a couple of years, but right now I want to make sure I’m really there for Suri,” says Holmes recently, according to Us Magazine. While there are no immediate plans for expansion, Holmes is still young at 31, and plans to keep her baby options open for the future.
How can parents prevent an only child from being spoiled on the road?
Lauren Graham and Peter Krause. Photo: Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos
Former Gilmore Girl, Lauren Graham, recently revealed that her low-profile relationship with Parenthood co-star Peter Krause started as a friendship. The two met 15 years ago when the actress first moved to Los Angeles. Instead of playing the “dating game” like most couples do when they’re first attracted to each other, Graham and Krause got acquainted over board games. As the actress told People, “I think we liked each other [but] he asked me over to his house to play a board game — and that’s exactly what we ended up doing. So I was like, ‘This guy doesn’t like me. Who actually plays a board game?’ … The timing wasn’t right. I don’t think either of us was ready.”
Does starting out as friends make you a better couple?
Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon. Photo: ER/Flynetpictures.com
Nick Cannon is speaking out about the rampant rumors surrounding wife Mariah Carey, and the possibility that she is pregnant. Cannon, a self-proclaimed “big kid,” denies any bouncing bundles of joy in the near future, but he did attest to her mothering potential, nurturing nature, and mean waffle-making skills, according to OK! Magazine. “She’s very nurturing, you know, nurturing and private. She makes me breakfast, and that’s my favorite food,” Cannon said. “It will be like 3:00 in the morning, and she’ll still make me breakfast. [She makes me] Waffles. I’m a waffle guy. With like the iron, she’s talented.”
Does the way you behave in a relationship dictate your parenting style?
After months of rumors and scandals surrounding Tiger Woods and his wife Elin Nordegren, the two have called it quits. “Elin Nordegren and Tiger Woods confirmed today that they have divorced,” Nordegren’s Virginia-based law firm, McGuireWoods, confirmed last Monday in a statement to Access Hollywood. “The Judgment provides for shared parenting of their two children.” The former couple released a joint statement to the public reinforcing that their children are their primary concern. They also added, “We are sad that our marriage is over, and we wish each other the very best for the future.”
Ouch! If being a teenage mom wasn’t hard enough, things just got harder for the MTV’s 16 and Pregnant star, Maci Bookout. After splitting up with her baby daddy Ryan Edwards, the devoted Teen Mom star tells US Weekly that she and her ex-beau have a hard time agreeing on how their son Bentley should be raised. She talks about how she struggled to ween her 22-month-old son off his pacifier, and learned that Edwards gives Bentley his pacifier whenever the child is with him. Bookout says, “I think Ryan spoils Bentley and really has no boundaries as far as discipline. With me, I don’t want Bentley to grow up and be a brat when he’s 4 years old.”
What do you do when you and your ex can’t agree on how to raise your child?
Michael Douglas. Photo: Lee Roth / RothStock / PR Photos
Actor Michael Douglas was diagnosed with a tumor in his throat, E! Online reported Monday. The 65-year-old actor said he is “optimistic” about his health in a statement, though it has not been released whether the tumor is cancerous or benign. Douglas has a wife, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, and three children, two of them with Zeta-Jones.
How can you get past a large health setback as a couple?
Beyonce Knowles and Jay Z. Photo: Brian Flannery/FlynetPictures.com
Superstar Beyoncé Knowles has a broad range of issues on her plate, but pregnancy isn’t one of them. The singer has previously acknowledged her wish for a baby, and assures U.K.’s YOU magazine that her plans have not changed. However, she says she is determined “to continue to learn about the world and to eventually have a family.” This attitude allows for the Dreamgirls actress to continue work on her acting, singing, songwriting, and her new perfume, Heat. Knowles adds that isn’t on any schedule: “It will happen when I am ready.”
How can you deal with the pressure to start a family?
Josh Kelley and Katherine Heigl. Photo: Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos
As reported on Us Weekly, Hollywood couple Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley have left sunny L.A. in favor of the mountains of Utah. Heigl and Kelley married in Utah and are psyched to be moving there with their one-year-old daughter, Naleigh, who they adopted from Korea. The couple plans to spend their time between Nashville and Utah.
When couples have children, should they move out of the city in favor of a more suburban or rural area?
Jesse James and Janine Lindemulder. Photos: PRN / PR Photos; Scott Alan / PR Photos
Jesse James’ ex-wife Janine Lindemulder is heading south to Austin to be with her daughter, E! News reported this week. After a court battle, Lindemulder was granted joint legal custody of daughter Sunny, but the celebration was cut short when James received physical custody, deciding to move down to Austin, TX with their child. The former adult film actress was originally uncertain about the move because she wasn’t sure if she could provide a lifestyle of equal standards for the child like James and former step-mom, Sandra Bullock, had given her. In addition, E! News reports that Lindemulder requested additional funds. Sunny’s parents deliberated the $6,500 increase in support in court Monday.
Would you move near your ex to be closer to your children?
John Travolta and Kelly Preston. Photo: MOB/Flynetpictures.com
It was all smiles last weekend for a pregnant Kelly Preston and husband, John Travolta, who partied at the Celebrity Centre of Scientology. The couple attended the centre’s annual bash with their daughter, Ella. As reported on E! Online, Travolta and Preston are now looking toward a bright future with a new baby a year after the devastating loss of their son.
Amy Poehler and Will Arnett. Photo: ER/Flynetpictures.com
Amy Poehler and Will Arnett welcomed their second son, Abel James Arnett, weighing 7 lbs., 13 oz. on Friday morning, adding to their growing family. Their first son, Archie, will be turning two this October. Their rep told People, “Amy, Will, Abel and Archie are all healthy and resting comfortably.”
How do you prepare your older children for a new baby in the family?
Robin Wright and Sean Penn. Photo: Bob Charlotte / PR Photos
After a messy road towards divorce, Sean Penn and Robin Wright have at last signed papers, finalizing their divorce, figuring out all questions relating to child support, spousal support, and child custody. People reported that Wright hopes to remain friends with her ex, despite their history.
Can you stay friends with an ex after a nasty split?
Lamar Odom is definitely interested in having with with wife Khloé Kardashian, People reported last week. “Hopefully it’ll happen soon,” he told the magazine. The NBA star has two children from a previous relationship, which definitely helps provide great parenting tips – as does baby Mason, Kardashian’s nephew.
How do you know when your relationship is ready to take on parenting?
Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin. Photo: ME/Flynetpictures.com, ME/Flynetpictures.com
Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston have split up again, People magazine reported Tuesday. Palin, daughter of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, and Johnston announced their second attempt at an engagement only weeks ago in the hopes of starting a real family for their 19-month old son Tripp. Palin told People that the breakup occurred after rumors surfaced about Johnston fathering another child with an as-yet-unnamed woman.
How do you know it’s finally time to cut a bad guy loose?
Russell Brand and Katy Perry. Photo: DS/DINO/JERC/Flynetpictures.com
Comedian Russell Brand has the faith of fiancée Katy Perry when it comes to his abilities as a future father. People reported last week that the pop singer thinks Brand will “be perfect” as a baby daddy, a quality she says was key for her in looking for a potential husband. The two have been engaged since January.
Is being a good parent the most important trait in a future spouse?
Tye Strickland and Melissa Rycroft. Photo: Juan Rico/Fame Pictures
Reality TV star Melissa Rycroft is expecting her first baby with husband Tye Strickland. Rycroft told US Weekly that while they are thrilled, the baby news was a shock, and they weren’t trying to get pregnant. Meanwhile, Rycroft and Strickland are quite the busy couple. Talking with Good Morning America earlier this week, Rycroft said, “Apparently Tye and I wanted to see how many life-changing events we could fit into one calendar year… from getting engaged, married, new job, and we are now pregnant.” The former Dancing with the Stars and Bachelor contestant tied the knot with the insurance agent in December.
What’s the best way to juggle parenthood and a busy career?
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Photo: Bob Charlotte / PR Photos
With six kids at home and the paparazzi waiting outside, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie depend on each other more than ever. The 35-year-old Salt actress tells Peoplein last week’s issue, “We have each other’s backs.” This can come in handy when the kids are fighting.
