Knocked Up Celebs

Some people, most notably celebrities, jump at the chance to give their children names no one has ever heard of before.  Not so for singer Ne-Yo and Monyetta Shaw.  When they were choosing a name for their new little son Mason (5 mo.), they had  one thing in mind:  they wanted it to be respectable.   The doting dad told People:

“We needed him to have a name that felt like a gentleman, like somebody you have to respect.  Mason Evan Smith, you have to respect that name.”

It’s all part of his plan to make sure his kids do well in life – or at least don’t do poorly:

“I’m just going to do my best so that my daughter doesn’t end up on a pole and my son doesn’t end up on the corner. And whatever they do outside of that is pretty much their decision.”

Photo: DJDM/WENN.com

Congratulations to three-time Grammy nominee Andrea Bocelli!  The Italian tenor and his fiancee (and manager) Veronica Berti welcomed a daughter in Tuscany on March 21st.

Little Virginia was given a name that reflects the area’s ancient history. “It’s of Etruscan origin,” her mother explained.  The Etruscan civilization flourished in the area now known as Tuscany in the pre-Roman era, reaching its peak between the 7th and 5th centuries BC.

Bocelli has two sons, Amos (17) and Matteo (14), with his wife Enrica Cenzatti, to whom he has been married since 1992.  They have been separated since 2002, the same year he met Berti.

Photo:  Apega/WENN.com

Dennis Rodman is way behind in child support and alimony and his ex-wife Michelle Rodman had him in court today to get him to pony up.   She was attempting to collect over $800,000 in unpaid child support for their children, D.J. (10) and Trinity (9).   She’s also seeking over $50,000 in unpaid spousal support.

Ouch, that’s a lot of money!  Why hasn’t he paid?  His attorneys (who are evidently working pro bono) say Rodman can’t even support himself, and has only earned $8,000 this year.  Furthermore, he’s an alcoholic and is “extremely sick.”

“… In all honesty, Dennis, although a very sweet person, is an alcoholic.  His sickness impacts his ability to get work… He is extremely hurt and extremely sick. He is often unable to obtain work because of this sickness. And his sickness is getting increasingly worse.”

Michelle’s attorney unsympathetically says that’s nice and all, but not true.  He claims that Rodman makes plenty of money hosting nightclub gigs “all over the world” and says his client is not budging.

Rodman’s penalty for not settling up could be up to 20 days in jail or up to 120 hours of community service.    (Again I say, “Ouch!”)

He is currently ordered to pay Michelle $4,500/month in child and spousal support, as well as $5,000/month for his oldest child, Alexis.   (Alexis is nearly 20 years old now, so why is he still paying child support for her?)

The parties were ordered to return to court on May 29th.

This isn’t the first – nor will it probably be the last of his financial woes, either:  he reportedly owes somewhere between $100,000 – $350,000 in back taxes.

Photo:  Stacy Jo Grant/WENN.com

Ricky Martin and his incredibly adorable twin sons, Valentino and Matteo (3), are on the cover of the Spanish edition of Vanity Fair this monh.  The three of them could not be cuter together.   Inside, there’s even more “awwww!”:  Martin’s boyfriend, Carlos Gonzalez Abella, joins them in their cover shoot.

Martin talks about raising his sons and also his decision to use a surrogate – a term he strongly dislikes – to carry them. In Spanish, the word for surrogate, “vientre de alquiler” literally translates to “womb for rent.”  Martin says:

“I did not rent a womb. This expression is used by fundamentalist conservatives. I borrowed a womb.”

He also reveals that he feels very close to the woman who carried his children for him.  “I would give my life for the woman who helped me bring my children into the world,” Martin told the magazine.

Check out the full interview, photoshoot and behind the scenes video at Vanity Fair.

Photo:  Vanity Fair

Modern Family‘s Ty Burrell has expanded his own family.  He and his wife Holly Burrell have adopted a second child, a girl.

They adopted their older child, Frances, in 2010.

The couple told People that they will be keeping additional details about their new adoption private at this time.

Photo:  WENN.com

Hugh Grant showed his softer side in a recent interview with The Guardian.  He reveals his daughter‘s name (Tabitha!); shares his feelings about Tinglan Hong, his daughter’s mother, and how parenthood has gone for him so far.

Grant reserves particularly strong feelings about the media frenzy that swirled around him, Hong and their daughter until a court issued an injunction under the Protection From Harrassment Act.    Asserting that the press prevented him from being present at his Tabitha’s birth, he said:

“I…was about to give a speech, and was pacing about on the end of the phone. I shouldn’t have gone to the hospital at all, because it brought all this attention down on the mother’s head. But I couldn’t really resist it, so I went on the second day.”

Read on for more highlights from the interview.

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Congratulations to James Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly.  The couple welcomed their second child, a boy, on Tuesday, March 14th.

The proud dad Tweeted the happy news:

Had my first son this morning… well, actually, my wife had him. I just caught him. Wow. Heart expanding way faster than my brain…

Big sister Olivia is 17 months old.

The couple have not yet revealed their new son’s name.

Photo: FayesVision/WENN.com

We finally know who was inside that huge baby bump that Jennifer Garner‘s been hauling around with her!  Her husband Ben Affleck announced that Jen has given birth to a baby boy.

Samuel Garner Affleck was born on February 27.  He joins big sisters Violet (6) and Seraphina (3).   Now Daddy’s not QUITE as outnumbered by women in the house!

Congratulations to the family.

Photo:  WENN.com

If David Beckham weren’t already the heartthrob of women around the globe, he’s surely sealed the deal now.  He recently revealed that unlike many dads, he doesn’t shy away from diaper duty; in fact, he relishes the opportunity.  At least when it comes to his daughter Harper, that is.  He told OK!:

“We’ve got three sons and to have a little girl in the family is amazing. She’s really amazing,  I’m still kind of changing her diapers and I’m still amazed that I’ve got a little daughter, so it’s a good feeling.  I’ve got four kids now. I love changing diapers, it’s one of my passions!”

Awww, how sweet is that!  Most dads I know are just ridiculous over their little girls, so this doesn’t surprise me one bit!

Photo:  WENN.com

It’s happy news for Jason Bateman and Amanda Anka! The celebrity couple have welcomed their second child, a daughter.

Little Maple Sylvie Bateman was born on February 10th, and joins older sister Francesca Nora (5).  Her grandfather is singer Paul Anka.

I’m not so sure what I think of the name Maple…. what about you?  Sound off in the comments!

Photo:  Robert Wallace/ WENN.com