I know, I know. If rumors are to be believed, Britney Spears has been pregnant for about a year and a half now. Every few months, somebody somewhere claims the beleaguered pop star is again with child and we usually just ignore it. But this time, the rumors are accompanied by photos that are hard to ignore. You go look at them and I'll wait here.

Britney hasn't denied the rumor, so we can't rule out the possibility that she truly is expecting. This wouldn't exactly be good news considering the fact that she's already lost custody of her two boys, has been deemed unfit to manage her own affairs and is smoking a cigarette in the photos.

Of course it is possible, even likely, that someone doctored those photos to make her belly look larger than it really is. But if that is the case, what's up with these photos? And these? Wait a minute! All these photos are credited to the same online celebrity gossip site. Coincidence? You decide.

Holy rugrats, Batman: apparently the rumors about Angelina Jolie having not one but TWO buns in the oven are correct. Are the celebs drinking from the same twin-producing water cooler these days?

While promoting their awesomely-titled movie, "Kung Fu Panda," costar Jack Black spilled the beans during a joint interview with Angelina, dropping the phrase, "when you have these [babies]."

Jolie was then asked by Today show's Natalie Morales if she is in fact having twins, and replied, "Yeah, yeah, we've confirmed that already. Well, Jack's just confirmed it actually."

At that point, everyone on earth rushed to find a good picture of Angelina Jolie's pregnant body, because twins? Really? Girlfriend still looks like she needs a STEAK.

The undoubtedly gorgeous specimens will be the 5th and 6th additions to the Jolie-Pitt clan, whose family currently includes Maddox, 6; Pax, 4; Zahara, 3; and Shiloh, who turns 2 this month. With two more bio-kids on the way, this balances the brood between adoptive and biological offspring, if anyone's counting.

Jolie demurred when asked about the babies' gender, saying they would like to keep that information private. That is, if Jack doesn't end up spilling the beans on that one, too. Something tells us he has a pretty sweet baby gift -- make that gifts -- coming to make up for that slip of the tongue!

MSN is reporting, as they and many other media outlets before them have been since Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes had their first offspring, that the TomKat super couple is planning another baby. this will be at least the fifth time I've read such a thing, which in my mind is really nothing more than speculation.

Not so, says a source who revealed all to E News: "[Katie] said she's got "the itch." I don't think they mean poison ivy. Apparently Mrs. Cruise is longing for another infant in the house. The insider also said Katie felt Suri would make a good big sister. It is alleged that Katie was the one who wanted to hold off on having more children, not Tom--until now.

All eyes are once again on Katie's stomach--did she eat a sandwich? Is she having a fat day?? Is she--OMG, pregnant??? Not that those eyes ever left her stomach in the first place. Well, if they are in the planning phases of having a new baby, good luck, Cruises! Hopefully they'll be able to keep things under wraps until they're ready to share such news with the world...and the paparazzi!

Pic of Katie pre-TomKat by mricon.

First she married, now she wants to mommy? Mariah Carey, the woman who recently claimed the act of motherhood would violate her but who has now found the soulmate she's always been searching for wants babies.

According to reports, Mimi is planning for children in the months ahead with new husband Nick Cannon. According to the Daily News, the 39-year-old Grammy winner is moving forward with plans to bring some mini-Mimis into the world, wasting no time in listening to her biological clock.

Carey reveals that her marriage, which she claims was planned and not out of the blue, was all part of her mommy plan. Says Carey, "It's part of the whole purpose of getting married." She also goes on to say she wants her kids to have the best childhood and upbringing possible. I'm elated by all this just imagining hearing that voice in the halls of the maternity ward during Mimi's final stages of pushing! Or, better yet, will she be wearing stilettos???

Good luck, Mariah!

Jason Lee, star of the television show "My Name is Earl" and his girlfriend Ceren Alkac are pregnant and expecting the baby in the fall.

Lee has starred in movies like Alvin and the Chipmunks, Almost Famous, Clerks II, Dogma, and was the voice of Voice of Buddy Pine/Syndrome in The Incredibles. Alkac is a model.

Lee has a four year old son with ex-fiancée Beth Riesgraf with the creative name Pilot Inspektor. It would be a shame to follow up a name like that something ordinary like Henry Thomas, so here are a few possibilities for the new baby :

• Conduktor Supervisor
• Racir Qualitee Control
• Truckor Ticketmastor General
• Frycook Telemarktur
• Auto Mehkanic

Awww, what a great week Amy Poehler is having!

In addition to starring in Baby Mama, which was the #1 movie at the box office this weekend, Poehler's spokesperson revealed the news that late this fall the Saturday Night Live star is going to be a baby mama in real life as well! This will be the first child for Poehler and her husband of five years, actor Will Arnett.

Arnett and Poehler starred alongside each other in the films Blades of Glory and Horton Hears a Who! and will star together in the upcoming films On Broadway, Spring Breakdown, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

This baby is guaranteed an entertaining childhood with these two as parents! Congratulations!

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This weekend, I rented the Oscar-nominated film, Juno. It's easy to see why this little film generated such buzz. It's funny, smart, and heartwarming. It also brings up the perpetually relevant topic of teens, sex, unplanned pregnancy and the ever-contentious issue of "choice". As a mom, these are issues of great interest to me. As someone who has personally dealt with an unplanned pregnancy prior to marriage, it is also a subject dear to my heart.

After watching Juno, I came across an opinion piece in the Boston Globe about the film by Ellen Goodman, a well-known feminist writer. Goodman is critical of Juno and a "wave of movies about unexpectedly pregnant women - 'Knocked Up', 'Waitress', and 'Bella' - all deciding to have their babies and all wrapped up in nice, neat bows". She expresses deep concern for the row of tweens sitting in front of her in the movie theater while she watches Juno. What misleading messages, she asks, are "being absorbed through their PG-13 pores"?

Goodman is certainly not alone in her thinking. Many adults, pundits and parents alike, expressed outrage at the recent announcement of 16 year-old television star, Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy. In a society that offers abstinence as an "option" for teens and follows up with information about "safe sex", the parental fury over Jamie Lynn is presumably about her carelessness and ultimately, her decision to keep her baby - not her sexually active status. And understandably, no one wants to see a teenage girl go through the stigma of pregnancy, the pain of giving up a child, or the hardships of raising a child when one is seemingly ill prepared.

When I first learned that I was pregnant, I was 27 and in the middle of a series of on-air live auditions for a seat on ABC's "The View". I knew that the producers were seeking a single 20-something and that my untimely pregnancy would likely cost me the job, no matter how well I performed. Moreover, the auditions (11 in total) were going to continue for several months due to the immense ratings boost they were providing the network; it would be nearly impossible to disguise my condition through the process. I made the difficult decision to publicly announce my pregnancy (on the show). Sean and I got married in a small ceremony a month and a half later in Arizona.

I was in a committed relationship, but I was not engaged when I learned of my pregnancy. Sean was still in law school and I was on the verge of launching a television-hosting career on the hottest daytime talk show. Professionally speaking, the timing couldn't have been worse. Plus, I was deeply aware of the embarrassment and disappointment this would cause my devout Catholic parents.

Of course, there are difficulties that one must endure in making any tough choice. Witness Juno waddling through the school hallway, missing out on prom, and enduring the stares of peers, the judgmental look of a school secretary and the insensitive comment of an ultra sound technician during one of her prenatal visits. Her wit, good humor, and steely exterior did little to dissipate the pain I felt for her during those scenes - a testament to the fine acting skills of this film's rising star.

I was not a teen, but I could certainly relate to the feelings of despair that drove Juno into the "Women Now" clinic. However, what Juno (and the women in the other movies) learn, is that life's problems always look their worst when they first present themselves. In those moments we are very susceptible to underestimating our own strength and the willingness and ability of others to help us through. But it is precisely when we are gripped by fear and self-doubt that courage counts most. The films and heroines that Ellen Goodman dismisses as "fantasy" all celebrate this little life secret, crumpled bow and all.

As I have come to learn for myself, an unplanned pregnancy and child often results in unplanned and unexpected joy - and not just for the mother. What Goodman and others, fail to grasp is that in order for that to happen, one must have faith, hope, and the unsullied optimism of a teenage girl to believe in such things.

The father of Minnie Driver's mystery baby has been revealed! According to Life and Style magazine, The Riches actress has been quietly dating musician Craig Zolezzi for about a year, and he is the father of her child.

Minnie's baby is due in August. She only recently came forward with the news that she was, indeed, pregnant, after much speculation from the Internet. She was mum on the baby's father, however.

She also doesn't know the sex of the baby but feels it is a girl and refers to the baby as such based on her feelings. I rather respect Minnie for making the decision to keep her pregnancy and her private life to herself. And, she's done a pretty good job against the tabloids finding out and leaking such information!

Good luck, and early congratulations to Minnie!

Pic of Minnie rocking out by Phil Guest.

According to In Touch Weekly magazine, Spiderman star Tobey Maguire and is wife Jennifer Mayer will soon be adding to their family. 17 months after giving birth to daughter Ruby, Mayer is said to be pregnant again and due in early October.

"Jennifer and Tobey are over the moon happy. Since they already have a daughter, they would love a little boy, but of course they would be just as thrilled with another daughter," an unnamed source reveals.

The source adds that having another child so soon after the first was always part of the couple's plan and that for Mayer, pregnancy is no big deal. "She had an easy pregnancy last time around, so this time it should also be a breeze."

But hold off on the congratulations and baby name speculation. A rep for the couple says not only is this not true, it is 100% not true. That's really not true.

Amy Fisher's life story reads like a bad novel. At the age of sixteen, she began an affair with Joey Buttafuco, a much older married man. He helped her get work as a paid escort, but what she really wanted was for her lover to leave his wife. He refused, so she shot his wife. Mary Jo Buttafuco survived, but was left paralyzed on one side of her face. Amy went to prison and served seven years for first degree assault.

She was released from prison in 1999, wrote a book about her life, and in 2003 married Louis Bellara. Together they had two children, Brett and Ava Rose. But getting married and becoming a mother did not end the drama for the Long Island Lolita. During a separation from her husband, a sex tape surfaced starring the couple. When it turned out it was her very own husband who had made the tape public, Amy again chose the low road. She reconciled with Bellara and made a handsome profit from the tape.

Obviously, the reconciliation with her husband went well. Yesterday, Fisher confirmed that they are expecting their third child in October. Children are a blessing and I am sincerely happy for them. I just hope they are saving some of those sex tape profits for therapy for those kids.

Law and Order actress Elisabeth Rohm's dream has come true: she gave birth to her first child, a girl, last week in Los Angeles. She and fiance, Ron Wooster welcomed Easton August Anthony, who weighed 6 lbs, 13 oz, and measured 18 inches long.

The child's sex was no surprise for Rohm, who believes that having that information beforehand helps with the bonding process. "It's such a long time in your stomach, and it's nice to know it's a she - it makes the relationship between us more concrete," she said.

You may recall that Easton's name came to Elisabeth in a dream. "I had a really long dream where my daughter and I were talking and she told me her name was 'Easton,' " Elisabeth told OK!. "At the time, we were going to name her Grace, so we decided we liked the name she told me and, now, she's Easton."

But what about that Anthony at the end of Easton's name? That, according to Rohm's rep, is a nod to her husband's "other surname".

Well, Angelina Jolie has finally come out and admitted what we've known all along (or at least most of the time): She is pregnant. wait--you mean her swelling belly and that knowing, glowing smile didn't give it away? Hmm. Our friends at people.com shared the news of the obvious.

At a recent conference in D.C. wherein she was discussing education policy for children in Iraq Ms. Jolie contended she felt kicking. Either that was a baby in there or a bad bout with a burrito. I'm going with the former.

The mother of four, soon-to-be-celebrity mom of five, didn't let that stop her from her mission, though. She hopped right back on the horse and plugged her new endeavor (you know, other than the baby), Education Partnership for Children of Conflict.

So, folks, the rumors ARE true: Ange and Brad Pitt are officially expecting. Congratulations!

Pic of Ange by World Economic Forum.

Is Beyonce pregnant? Some sources think so. They claim that's why she and her man Jay-Z finally got hitched. Beyonce Knowles, who was spotted wearing a rock the size of her home state of Texas days after her nuptials to Jay-Z, is allegedly carrying his child.

The thought is that the reason they finally tied the knot after being together for six years was the pregnancy. You know, as opposed to them just really liking each other and the timing being right for both of them.

To be honest, these "sources" are the New York Daily News. Now, sometimes they are right on, but most of the time...well, I think it tends more toward speculation. This is not to knock the Daily News--we New Yorkers gotta have it.

Remember when I told you the internet was claiming Minnie Driver was pregnant? well, I was right about that one. So who knows--maybe the internet is right this time too. If so, congrats (an early one!) to Mrs.-Z.

Fergie is not pregnant. At least not right now. If she were, though, she says she'd hit up Gwen Stefani for advice.

The pop star dishes on pregnancy and Gwen in an upcoming issue of Glamour magazine. And don't act like you don't read Glamour--come on, you know you do. It's fun, doesn't take itself too seriously, and actually has a pretty good selection of articles. But I digress.

Fergie says Gwen has done a great job as a mom. She also comments that she wouldn't want to tour like some of her other fellow pop starlets J Lo, Christina Aguilera and of course Gwen Stefani (who seems bent on world domination whether or not she's pregnant).

The reason for this? Well, Fergie considers herself pretty active on stage. She's a physical gal and doesn't think she'd be able to hold herself back. Instead she'd take time off to read up on her theoretical impending bundle of joy.

As an at-home mom who struggles to find that balance between my passion for my family and a passionate pursuit of my other interests, I am always chatting with other women in similar situations so I can learn from them.

I was recently interviewed for a feature on Celebritybabyblog.com. As it turned out, I'd actually met the the journalist who came to my house to photograph and interview me nine years earlier.

Back then, I was vying for a co-host position on ABC's "The View" and Jennifer Parris interviewed me for Seventeen Magazine. It was great fun catching up with her and comparing notes on motherhood and everything else that had changed in our lives since we had last met.

Like so many mothers these days, Jennifer has found a creative way to pursue her profession while being primarily based at home with her two kids. Most interesting to me was how the photography aspect of her job evolved to reflect her new found fascination with babies and motherhood. She is an accomplished journalist who has also become well known in her field for her photographs of pregnant celebrities ("I love bellies!," she explained). Funny how one's life influences one's art.

Thanks to the Internet and other technological advancements, a large part of her work can be accomplished from home. When she does travel, she has a wonderful and supportive husband (a crucial component!) who can pick up the slack in her absence. She's a lucky woman!

Of course, it's not always possible for moms to make these types of arrangements and when they do, it's still not easy. An at-home mom who also tries to engage her passions and interests, even on a limited basis, can mean long days and nights (i.e. writing when everyone else is in bed) and plenty of other professional, financial, and personal sacrifices.

Nonetheless, a growing number of dynamic women are making the choice to be home-based in order to spend more time with their kids. It is a decision that is fraught with challenges, but as those of us attempting it can attest, it also promises and delivers immeasurable rewards.

If you are an at-home mom who is pursuing her passion, help other moms by sharing your story and wisdom with our readers. Don't be shy (or modest!) ...