Recently, a new type of story was told to the world—a type that has never been heard.  Thomas and Nancy Beatie are expecting their first child on July 3, 2008; but the twist is that Thomas is the one who is pregnant.  He is the first pregnant man—what is our world coming to? This was possible because he is transgender.  On April 3, 2008, the couple told their story to the world on The Oprah Show and in People magazine.  They wanted to tell their own story before the public did. 

     After college Thomas Beatie, formally Tracey LaGondino and Miss Teen Hawaii USA Finalist, decided to have a sex reassignment operation because he started to question himself.  He wanted to feel the same way on the outside as the inside, and at this time in his life he was feeling like a man inside.  A few years later, Nancy and Thomas got married.  Nancy was unable to have children because of severe endometriosis. During his operation, Thomas did not have his reproductive organs changed.  Therefore, Nancy and Thomas thought it would be best to try to get him pregnant. Their first attempt failed. They used the process of home insemination in their second attempt, which worked.

     Going on The Oprah Show was a huge step for the couple because they were positioning themselves to face ridicule.  Even some people in the transgender community tried to persuade them not to take the story public because the world may not be ready for such a story. These opinions did not hold Thomas and Nancy back.  Thomas feels it’s a human desire to have a child not a male or female desire.  There have been many roadblocks in his pregnancy process.  It was difficult finding an OBGYN to take him as a patient due to ethical issues.  Dr. Kimberly James accepted Thomas as a patient.  Dr. James states, “She was never worried about her personal reputation.  They deserve quality medical care like anyone else.” Oprah was very supportive of the couple and thinks humans are evolving to a new way of being and a new approach to diversity.  She applauded them for having the courage to go public.  From the publicist viewpoint, Oprah handled the interview best by remaining unbiased and supportive. Personally, I do not agree with a man being pregnant because it goes against God and Nature. It’s absurd and completely wrong! It worries me that our society will gradually accept this and eventually our world will be amoral. There have been mixed comments about this story.  Of course, there are people who support it, and there are others who are highly against it. The blog, Stupid Celebrities Gossip, bashes the Beaties’ by saying that is was an April Fools’ Day prank, or a publicity stunt to promote the Beaties’ T-shirt business.  Too bad it’s not an April Fools’ joke. 

          Would you like your body to be scrutinized 24 hours a day seven days a week?  That’s a day in the life of most celebrity women.  Do you feel sorry for them?  Personally, I do.  There are days where you just want to eat a fattening meal!  What’s sad is that the paparazzi love to station themselves outside of celebrity hotspot restaurants and snap a quick photo of a star after a bite to eat.  Of course, they might have a stomach bulge, but does this mean that the paparazzi have to rumor that the star has a “baby bump?”  Subconsciously, all humans relax their stomachs at times.  According to The Skinny Website, there have been some recent false “baby bump” assumptions.  For example, Kate Hudson was attending a premier for her movie Fool’s Gold, and the wind caught her dress at a bad angle creating a bump at her stomach; therefore she must be pregnant!  The rumor mill spun rapidly because of news that Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson were possibly back together.  The tabloids were proven wrong when Kate was pictured in her bikini on the beach.  In the past month, singer Fergie and fiancé Josh Duhamel were spotted leaving a LA restaurant after a late dinner.  Pictures showed a protruding belly button under Fergie’s dress.  Terri Ferguson was quick to deny the rumors of her daughter’s pregnancy on Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS FM radio show.  Ferguson stated, “I think people can’t believe people do get married just because they love each other, not because they are pregnant.” From a publicist viewpoint, I would agree with Fergie’s mom and her response to the rumor handled the situation best.  Fergie was fit and super skinny at this year’s Grammy Awards (around the time the rumor surfaced) and was showing no “baby bump.”  In Hollywood, I feel that there is no happy medium concerning weight.  Celebs who are fit and look fabulous get criticized, and celebs that are too skinny have rumors spread about their possible drug use or an eating disorder.  Many publicists have to cover up their clients weight gain/or loss because there is the possibility that the celebrity’s career can be negatively affected. Can’t these women have a little space?  It seems that a lot of “baby bump” rumors/pictures are proven untrue.  Also, I feel that all of this harsh criticism by the media on Hollywood has impacted the growth in eating disorders among the female population. 

  Is it fame by association because she is the daughter of the late Robert Kardashian, trial lawyer for O.J. Simpson, or was it her raunchy Kim Kardashian Superstar homemade sex tape with rapper Ray J. that induced her fame? Currently, she is on the reality television show Keeping Up With the Kardashians and appears to be the wild girl of the family.  In Playboy’s December 2007 issue, Kim dropped some jaws with her sensual pose on the cover accompanied by even more scandalous photos inside the magazine.  What doesn’t seem normal is that her mother, Kris Kardashian, instantly supported Kim for her model shots.  Kim’s comment about the shoot stated, “they approached me a few times and it wasn’t something I wanted to do, but after Hef told me that Marilyn Monroe was on the first cover, I thought ‘I’m not your typical skinny girl, so why not show off that you don’t need to be stick-thin to be in Playboy?’” In a world of anorexia and a desire to be a size 0, it was a bold move by Kim and she figured it would help other American women be grateful for their curvaceous womanly figures. Posing in Playboy does take a risk for negative publicity. Could it have been the leakage of her sex tape in 2007 that made her not care as much about her reputation?  Well, she does run in the same social circle with another sex tape superstar, Paris Hilton.  Seems like you can become famous for being naked in more ways than one.  Kim is getting a lot of publicity from the reality TV show, for dating Reggie Bush and from her recent model shoot in Playboy.  All of these things help reinforce her notorious party-girl image, which Kim seems happy about. Kim is making quite the name for herself. Okay so I’m still not quite sure what to call her—she’s not a singer, kind of a model, but I guess her role in Keeping Up With the Kardashians technically makes her an actress.  As a publicist, you must admire a woman who can gain all this notoriety by just being herself. This year, AskMen.com has named her #28 of the “Top 99 Women” of 2008 list.  Also, on March 30^th, Kim will be the “hostess” for World Wrestling Entertainment’s premier event, WrestleMania XXIV, in Orlando, Florida.     

Has Kate Moss’ life been downhill ever since her cocaine scandal in 2005?  In July 2007, her relationship, with “Babyshambles” singer and fiancée Pete Doherty, ended after a night out of partying and adultery.  It was reported that Doherty had a quick fling with the young brunette model Lindi Hingston from South Africa.  Soon after, his possessions were removed from Moss’ home in St. John’s Wood and security was tightened.  The break-up was reported to be very harsh—including a weekend of slanging matches, a smashed picture, and atrocious yelling.  Then, Doherty started to claim that Moss was stalking him and calling him up just to scream.  This on-and-off again relationship between the couple was constantly struggling due to drug abuse by the two.  Doherty, once again, had been convicted of drug possession.  The judge gave him the choice of rehab or prison.  Doherty thought he could win back Kate’s love, as he had done in the past, by entering rehab on July 16^th, but his efforts came to no avail. Moss was tired of looking like a fool and dating a complete junkie (seemingly ironic).  Doherty does not have much respect from Moss’ family and friends.  Their relationship ended. There has been recent talk about guitarist of “The Kills,” James Hince popping the marriage question to Moss right before he started back on his tour in early March.  Life has been looking better for Moss.

The reports of Moss and Doherty’s vicious break-up in mainstream media coverage maintains a negative view in terms of Moss’ anger issues, but a positive view when reflecting on how Moss is moving on and trying to shape her life up.  Negatively, reports talked about Moss being a stalker towards Doherty and having severe jealousy issues.  Positively, Kate is standing up for herself.  Most of the reports emphasize how Moss was tired of Doherty’s drug habits and problems with the law, and it was time to move on.  The articles talked about how she hired movers to remove his possessions from her home and she changed the locks.  The headlines and pictures in the mainstream media coverage are basic.  The pictures are unbiased because they are either solo shots or the couple together; there are no violent pictures.  One headline simply states, “Pete Doherty Moves Out of Kate Moss’s London Home,” while another headline emphasizes Moss’ determination to move on–“Stay Away from Me.”  Doherty and Moss did not comment in these articles. Mostly quoted are friends and family.  They speak on behalf of Moss and speak negatively of Doherty.  One relative states, “None of her friends really like him and neither does her family…she can do so much better.” Law enforcement did not comment on Doherty’s charges.  In conclusion, the media defines this crisis as Doherty being a complete junkie who cannot get his life together, but is deeply in love with Kate.  Whereas, Kate is finally waking up to reality and wants to completely end all ties with Doherty.  Kate’s anger issues portray her in a negative light, but her desire to move on shines a positive light on her.  Favorably, Moss seems to come out of scandals better than when she goes into them.

The blogs speak unfavorably about Moss and how she handled the break-up.  They emphasize her psycho moments and one claims, “there’s crack involved.” The Superficial.com hits hard at Moss stating she has “the absolute worst taste in men so you know she’ll take Pete Doherty back.  It also helps that she’s stupid.”  This blog gives her no hope in moving on.  TMZ sarcastically questions, “Who has the better post-breakup rebound?”  A few of the headlines are simple and unbiased.  Whereas, one headline rips at Doherty–“Kate Moss Jettisons Crackhead’s Belonging”.  In this blog, there is a picture showing Moss smiling and smoking a cigarette in the back of a Land Cruiser.  In all the blog photos, both look strung out on drugs.  In conclusion, Moss and Doherty are both being bashed by the bloggers.  The incident is framed as just being another stupid drug-driven celebrity break-up.  The blogs target Moss for her lack of taste in men and jokingly say she’s just on crack, too. 

Unlike the blogs, the mainstream media coverage talks more favorably about Moss and her desire to move on from this junkie.  The MSM reports her taking measures, such as having his belongings removed from her home and tightening her home security so Doherty could not come near.  The MSM does not pick on Moss’ drug habits.  Comparatively, MSM and the blogs speak about Moss’ anger problems and the fiery fighting between the two. The blogs speak much more unfavorably about the break-up and do not give much credit to either of the people.

Overall, Moss handled the crisis seemingly decent.  The bad thing is that she has this on-going party girl “coKate” image.  Kate should have commented on this image and on how the media was criticizing her anger issues in the break-up.  From 2005 to 2007, the couple was on-and-off, but she was strong in this final break-up and has moved on to new love, James Hince.  Kate’s personality is strong that not even past drug scandals and break-ups will bring down her career.  Askmen.com has named her #58 on the “Top 99 Women” list.  Also Forbes reported Moss’ 2007 earnings estimate to $9 million, which makes her the second highest-earning supermodel in the world.  Way to go Kate! You seem to be overcoming all of your crises! Just make sure to lay off the drugs and partying because you still are a mother to daughter, Lila Grace.

Mainstream Sources:

-http://gossip.about.com/od/celebrityrelationships/qt/Pete_Kate_Break.htm

-http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/07/05/stay-away-from-me-89520-19407373/

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Moss

-http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20044647,00.html

-http://www.askmen.com/specials/2008_top_99/kate-moss-58-1.html

-http://www.usmagazine.com/node/138

Blog Sources:

- http://thesuperficial.com/2007/07/kate_moss_and_pete_doherty_spl.php

-  http://www.perezhilton.com/category/kate-moss/

- http://www.tmz.com/2007/10/17/pete-and-kate-the-rebounders/

http://socialitelife.buzznet.com/2007/07/05/kate_moss_jettisons_crackheads_belongings.php

Even though the ratings were down at this year’s Oscars, the fashion was not.  After viewing the show this past Sunday, I thought that everyone looked absolutely stunning.  There weren’t any ridiculous dresses or animals this year—giving huge relief to some publicists.  The color of the night seemed to be red, with stars wearing glamorous red gowns and sexy bright red lips.  To me, Hannah Montana’s Miley Cyrus, clad in a crimson gown, radiated an air of sophistication way past her 15 years.  Katherine Heigl, recently voted “Most Desirable Woman of 2008” by AskMen.com, was a bombshell in a red keyhole one-shoulder dress by Escada. Heidi Klum took a different spin on the red with her gorgeous Galliano dress that is going to be auctioned off to raise money for the Heart Truth Campaign.  This is proof that the Oscars are not just celebrating the accomplishments of movie stars.  It was a glowing night for Hollywood!

 LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!  The writer’s strike is over, which means its time to roll out the red carpet.  Jon Stewart is hosting the 80^th annual Academy Awards televised live Sunday, February 24^th at 5 p.m. PT on ABC.  I am anticipating what notable events and bloopers will happen in this years’ show.  Remember Al Gore’s uncalled for attempt at announcing his position on global warming concerning moral issues.  Thank goodness the orchestra cut him off, but of course he took another stab at saving the world later in his speech during the show.  Another highlight was the sexual finger gestures made behind the screen during the showing of No Man’s Land and Tsotsi.  It’s always entertaining to see what absurd and outlandish events go on during the Oscars.  Who will get good or bad publicity the next day?  Who will be the animal-wearer?  Who makes a horrible speech?  Hopefully the name-dropping trend will not dominate all the speeches.  You have to appreciate the speeches that bring a tear to your eye.  If you want to find out the nominees, then take a look here.  And enjoy your Oscar Sunday! 

So, I feel like we are constantly bombarded with news about a different star entering rehab. What’s the deal?  Honestly, it’s none of our business.  When Entertainment Tonight comes on, and I hear that someone is going to rehab—a few names pop into my mind of the typical in-and-out celebs. Recently, there have been a few shockers.  It seems like Kirsten Dunst and Eva Mendes have hopped right on the rehab train earlier this month.

What’s wrong with all the rehab publicity is that it doesn’t give the stars privacy to get well and recover.  Leave them alone.  It seems like the same stars go in-and-out of rehab partly due to the public not leaving them alone.  Poor Britney can’t live a day without America knowing about her issues.  Of course she shaves her head!  I feel that all this scrutiny on her could possibly lead her to suicidal thoughts.  Really if rehab wasn’t as expensive, then there would be a lot more of us Americans in it.  Admit it.  Would you want people to know if you were having substance abuse problems? Probably not.  So let’s get our noses out of the celebs personal lives and let them have some darn solitude.

Overnight sensation Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana screams hot in as many ways as Paris Hilton (minus the luxury jail time).  After her premiere in the Disney Show Hannah Montana, Cyrus became the new teen icon.  She does it all—acts, is a concert sell-out and gives a new energetic spin to teen pop culture.  Her annual earnings amount to $3.5 million.  There is a prediction that in five years Cyrus’ net worth will near billions.  To me, Cyrus’ young success compares to Britney Spears’ early years of fame before her frequent visits to rehab.  Question is: Will Cyrus’ quick claim to fame and fortune make her turn out like other teen pop stars such as Britney? That’s hard to predict because she is already headed on a more conservative path than Britney.