Strollerderby : forbes magazine

Suri Cruise: Most Powerful Child On The Planet

Brett Singer — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:10:00 GMT

This is such an odd piece of news.

Suri Cruise, daughter of Tom "Who Needs Doctors When You Can Take Vitamins" Cruise and Katie "Is She Being Held Prisoner" Holmes has been declared "most influential celebrity kid". Now what is the source of this important ranking? Us Magazine perhaps? The National Enquirer?

No. Forbes magazine. Malcolm must be spinning in his grave.

What method did they use? According to MyHollywood.com, "financial investigators studied Internet presence and press clippings for more than 50 A-list offspring aged five years younger over the course of the last year…used a market research company to gauge the awareness of the kids and consumer-appeal of their celebrity parents." Suri won, with appearances in "more than 2,000 articles over the course of the year."

Here's the top ten if you're curious:

1. Suri Cruise
2. Shiloh Jolie-Pitt
3. Zahara Jolie-Pitt
4. Pax Jolie-Pitt
5. Sam Alexis Woods
6. Cruz Beckham
7. Matilda Rose Ledger
8. David Banda
9. Sean Preston Federline
10. Sam Sheen

By the way, I had to look up Sam Sheen (that's the offspring of Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen). So I feel slightly better about myself.

I have a thought. Why would a celebrity parent want their child to get this much exposure? Is it at all possible to keep kids out of the papers when you're this famous? In the case of a Suri Cruise or any of the Jolie-Pitts, wouldn't it be safer to lay low a little bit? Or does it matter in the age of social networking, photo sharing, and MyFaceSpaceBook?

Plus, this idea of "influential" seems questionable. Would you buy something because Suri Cruise endorsed it?

She is a cute little girl though. Maybe she could do Gap ads or something.

Last thought: How would you handle this sort of thing if you were mega-famous? I'm not sure what I would do, although it's not likely to be a problem in my life. My movie career began and ended when I auditioned for "Adventures in Babysitting" in the 80's.

Source/Images: MyHollywood, Famecrawler

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First Week Back at Work is Crucial

Amy Kuras — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:33:00 GMT

I haven’t worked in an office for nearly six years, so for me the prospect of going back to work after I have this baby is pretty much completely exciting – I can use my brain! And write! About something other than when he last pooped/nursed/slept!

For mothers who must negotiate a breast pump, a commute that's longer than climbing the stairs to your office and shutting the door, and the wearing of real clothes that are not composed of polarfleece, it can be a much more ambivalent situation.

Turns out that first week back at work is pretty critical to a new mom's success at juggling the working parent role. This article from Forbes lays out some of the more helpful ideas. First of all, negotiate a staggered start, where you don't come back full time right away, if you possibly can. Also, connect with your colleagues and maybe bring the baby by for a visit before you start back. That way, they won't forget that you actually went through a major life change while you were gone instead of spending three months traipsing around Europe or whatever, and it reminds you that you actually like these people and are coming back to work for a reason.

On a similar note, connect with other new moms you know at the company. Talking to someone who's been where you are and survived it can make or break your coping ability.

As much as I loved this article, I was struck by how much it seemed to take for granted that every company offers things like lactation rooms and flexible hours. Some companies in the article even did simple, low cost things like a monthly lunch for new moms, so they can connect with each other for support. It would be nice if all companies, not just those that employ the cream of the crop, offered those types of benefits to make life easier for families.

Photo: Forbes.com

2007's Top Ten Influential Babies

Karen Murphy — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:09:00 GMT

What, you never thought of babies as influential before? Name someone else who can keep you up all night and you hardly mind, wipe various bodily fluids on you and it doesn't cause you to blink or even, after a few months, change your shirt.

See? Babies ARE influential. And celebrity babies, well, they influence the rest of us. We look at what they wear, what pricey gear they're strapped into, and as a result sometimes our chpices are influenced. Ooh! Use the same stroller Shiloh has! Did Apple (I know, I know, old news) ride in a Baby Bjorn or a sling? See what I mean? So you'll likely be able to guess at least five out of this year's Top Ten:

Forbes Magazine, who evidently likes lists of this sort, based this list upon web presence and press clippings over the past year. So I know that the names are familiar.

The complete list of Hollywood's Most Influential Babies:
1) Shiloh Jolie-Pitt
2) Suri Cruise
3) Zahara Jolie-Pitt
4) Sean Preston Spears
5) Pax Jolie-Pitt
6) Sam Alexis Woods
7) Tie: Dannielynn Hope Marshall Birkhead and David Banda
9) Tie: Cruz Beckham and Romeo Beckham

P.S. I think the Beckhams suffered from an unjust lack of press. And who is Sam Woods? I'm so out of touch...

Photo: filmski.net