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Jul 31 2009 06:00 PM ET

Leslie Mann: Family is 'Way More Fun' Than Work

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Like all working moms, Leslie Mann is trying to strike “a nice balance” between career and family — but the latter will always win out. “They’re way more fun than work,” she tells the OC Register of husband Judd Apatow and daughters Maude, 11, and Iris, 6. “It is fun to act, but it doesn’t add up to much.” In fact, the 37-year-old actress scores her pre-mom life as a “2″ — a “dark” and difficult time where she thought only of her career. “That’s what you do when you’re young and single,” she notes before adding,

“I feel like I just started coming into my own when I had kids. They have enhanced my life in every way possible. I would not change anything…When I’m on my death bed, I’m not going to go: ‘I wish I had done [more acting] instead of spending more time with my kids.’”

Sometimes, however, Leslie is lucky enough to combine both. The girls have made appearances in two of their dad’s films — Knocked Up and the new release Funny People — but Leslie is quick to clarify that it was never her idea! “That was Judd tricking me into using them,” she explains. “That’s not something I wanted to do.” Fortunately Maude and Iris are no worse for the wear! “They don’t have any clue as to what’s happening so they’re very natural,” Leslie says. “They were usually in eating scenes so we put food in front of them and rolled three cameras.”

“Their friends can’t see the movie, and they can’t see the movie, so it’s totally off their radar. It’s like hanging out with mom and dad.”

That Judd has been their only director is also a distinction worth making, Leslie feels. “If it had been with another director, it might have been awkward, but then I wouldn’t have done it,” she points out. “Besides, Maude’s probably done with it now. I don’t want her to be a child actor.”

Funny People is in theaters now.

Source: OC Register

– Missy

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Jul 31 2009 05:00 PM ET

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Anne Heche Brings the Boys to Work

Kevan Brooks/AdMedia

Anne Heche turns day three of the 2009 Cable Summer Press Tour into a family affair, bringing partner James Tupper and sons Homer, 7, and Atlas, 4 ½ months, along for the ride.

The 40-year-old actress was on hand at The Langham Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena on Thursday to promote her new series Hung, airing Sundays at 10 p.m. on HBO.

Homer is Anne’s son with ex-husband Coley Laffoon.

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Jul 31 2009 04:00 PM ET

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Giada De Laurentiis Celebrates Jade's First Steps

Michael Williams/Startraks

Some milestones are worth the wait. During a special screening of Julie & Julia on Monday in Los Angeles, Giada De Laurentiis revealed that daughter Jade Marie, 16 months, recently took her first steps! Instead of reacting with cheers, however, a very relieved Giada promptly burst into tears. “Why is it that we all do that?” she asks. “Do we really think that our kids are going to go to college and not be able to walk there?” Like most moms, however, Giada’s normally good judgment was temporarily clouded with worry.

“I think it’s that stress…I think that since she was about a year old the question is ‘Does she walk?’ And the answer has been no. So I think that fear sort of sets in that there’s something wrong with her.”

The biggest surprise of motherhood? Just how much Jade absorbs each and every day. “I never realized how much goes on in those little brains and how they really are sponges,” Giada says. “Everything that you say to them comes back to you, even if it doesn’t come back right away.” Watching Jade’s brain work is “unbelievable,” she adds. “It’s like a little steam engine…There’s steam coming out of their ears. It’s really cute.”

One thing is for certain, with a celebrity chef for a mom that brain is being fueled by good food! Before leaving for the screening Giada, 38, whipped up a meal of ground beef with onions, a dash of garlic and fresh lemon juice over brown rice for baby girl. “She definitely eats like a queen,” Giada concedes.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen when she gets older. I’m not sure that I’ll have a daughter that only eats yellow food or something. She has a gourmet sort of palate.”

Jade is Giada’s daughter with husband Todd Thompson.

– Missy with reporting by Scott Huver

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Jul 31 2009 03:00 PM ET

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The Stefani-Rossdales: California Dreamin'

Flynet

Making the most of the West Coast leg of wife Gwen Stefani‘s summer tour with No Doubt, rocker Gavin Rossdale frolics in the surf with the couple’s 11-month-old Zuma Nesta Rock on Thursday.

Gwen was also on hand yesterday (see extended post) as the family-of-four — including Zuma’s big brother, 3-year-old Kingston James McGregor – spent their afternoon on the beach at Dana Point, Calif.

Tonight Gwen plays the first of four sold out shows with No Doubt at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, Calif.

Click below for two more photos, and fashion and gear info!
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Jul 31 2009 02:00 PM ET

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The Name Game: Oldies But Goodies

Julia Roberts wowed the fashion world in a vintage Valentino gown while accepting the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2001, but her love of all things vintage didn’t end there. She went on to select vintage names for all three of her children with husband Danny Moder — 4 ½-year-old twins Hazel Patricia and Phinnaeus Walter, and 2-year-old Henry Daniel. According to nameberry.com co-founder Pamela Redmond-Satran, Julia was simply following a popular trend. “Celebrity parents are leading the way for the rest of us by reviving some of these old-fashioned names, dusting them off, and making them seem fresh and new.”

So what’s the appeal? Pamela explains,

“Vintage names are finding favor with parents who want something a bit different from the classics such as Elizabeth or David that have been widely-used for decades, but that still have deep roots and staying power, that go beyond the name of the moment.”

Some names, it appears, never go out of style — and if they do, it’s only temporarily! Pamela notes that just this week, the name Mae was selected by former Crossing Jordan star Kathryn Hahn; Other timely examples include Adele (chosen by Molly Ringwald), Marion (by Sarah Jessica Parker), Helena (by Kelly Rutherford), Mabel (by Chad Lowe) and Phoebe Margaret (by Julianne Nicholson and Jonathan Cake).