Singer-turned-TV-presenter Louise Redknapp and her husband, Jamie, welcomed a baby boy at London’s Portland Hospital last night. They are expected to decide on a name soon. Jamie, who works as a sports columnist for the Daily Mail, released this statement to the website,

‘Mum and baby are doing great. He’s a healthy baby boy.’

The baby joins big brother Charley, 4, who is no doubt over the moon, as he has been desperate to meet his baby brother.

Photo: Splash News, 10/01

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Rumors are circulating that actress Jennifer Aniston is pregnant with boyfriend John Mayer’s baby. The off-and-on again couple recently got back together after being spotted at a Ray LaMontagne concert in Boston and rumors are flying that she is expecting. Aniston has repeatedly said that she wants to start a family. We all thought her and ex Brad Pitt would have started a family, but he did that elsewhere. Neither Aniston’s or Mayer’s reps have confirmed or denied the pregnancy rumors so stay tuned to hear what we find out.

The Altec Lansing Orbit MP3 iM237 certainly doesn't look like an audio powerhouse. Smaller than a roll of packaging tape, the Orbit has a silver plastic/metal exterior equipped with an "on" button and a top speaker the size of an Oreo cookie. But the Orbit's modest appearance only makes the amazingly crisp and clear sound that streams out of it that much more impressive.

Background:

The Altec Lansing Orbit MP3 iM237 is a canister-shaped speaker with a short wire on the bottom that hooks up to iPods, MP3 players, phones, CD players or any other device with a headphone jack. The iM237 is actually a second-generation Orbit. Altec Lansing adjusted the major complaint people had about the first-generation, which was users had to twist the top of the device to turn it on. This unnecessary design feature led people to unknowingly leave the Orbit running, draining the batteries. The iM237 corrects that problem by eliminating the twist top in favor of a more traditional button and including a small light to signal the user when the power is on. The Orbit runs on three AAA batteries (not included), which Altec Lansing claims can power the device for 24 hours of play. After tossing in the batteries, an individual plugs the Orbit into a device, turns it on and uses the device controls to play music. By positioning the speaker facing upward, Altec Lansing boasts the accessory has a 360-degree sound field, projecting audio in all directions. Additionally, the Orbit comes with an arm band, carrying case, and a hook for attaching the case to a belt loop.

Lowdown:

Expecting a quiet, tinny sound, I was blown away by both the volume and clarity of the Orbit. Listening to Cake's "Shadow Stabbing", I had to look down at the device several times to make sure the spectacular sound was actually coming out of this tiny device. Certainly, the Orbit doesn't sound like a single speaker that's only an inch in diameter. In fact, in my opinion, it actually sounds a good deal better than the Sharp dual-speaker CD player I usually listen to in my office. The Orbit gives equal time to every layer of a song - delivering vocals, guitar, bass and drums with even weight and exceptional balance. Playing The Strokes' "12:51", the Orbit emphasized the band's trademark siren guitar in the foreground without diminishing the background claps and drum beat that propel the song. Even more impressively, during the Beastie Boys' "Shake Your Rump" (off one of the more sonically complicated albums, "Paul's Boutique"), the Orbit produced the opening drum beats with remarkable clarity. It also pulled out the deep synth effects, bass and multi-part vocals with equal precision. The bass on the Orbit is particularly notable for such a small unit. It produces a nice boom without vibrating or sounding muddled.

Wild Cards:

The Orbit is not without its limitations. Although it gets pretty loud before it happens, once you crank the volume high enough, the sound does begin to reverberate inside the device's small circular frame. That makes the Orbit more ideal for entertaining a single individual or a small circle of friends at places like the beach or a tailgate, rather than at large house parties or backyard blowouts. It also would be nice if the Orbit had a charging capability. But, while there are a lot of other iPod docks and other such devices currently flooding the audio market, the Orbit does have two clear advantages: size and price. A person can easily use the device almost anywhere (outside, at the office, in the bathroom) because of its small and compact design - without sacrificing sound quality. And, at $39.99, it's cheaper than many other, similar devices out there.

Upshot: If you want a convenient, high-quality means of listening to your iPod without headphones, the Altec Lansing Orbit is out of this world.

Britney Spears was back in her hometown Kentwood, Louisiana on Friday with her kids, Preston, 3, and Jayden, 2. This was the first time that Britney could take the kids out of state since her losing custody battle with the boys’ father Kevin Federline.

A source tells People, “This is a terrific indication of the progress she’s made, and the growing trust between the two parents. It was arranged cooperatively between Kevin and the lawyers.”

Britney was accompanied by her father and met up with her sister Jamie Lynn Spears and her baby Maddie.

Update: Quotes from interview with British OK! magazine added.

Model Katie ‘Jordan’ Price is on the cover of British OK! magazine this week with her 16-month-old daughter Princess Tiaamii. Katie, 30, talks about her plans for more children in the interview. She is also mum to sons Harvey, six, and Junior, three.

Supposed baby bump: "No, I’m not. I want to focus on training for the marathon so I don't want to get pregnant again just yet. Hopefully I will get pregnant next year as we are going to start trying. But certainly not this year. No chance."

Making adoption her next priority: "Ideally I want to have another three kids biologically and then adopt, but if something happened and there was a child who needed a home before that, then I'd do it. All I know is that I haven't finished yet when it comes to having kids."

Continue reading for more of the interview
(more…)

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Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden has told The Mirror how she would love another baby and wants to start trying next year. Amanda, 37, and fiance Chris Hughes have one daughter called Lexie, who will turn three in January. She said,

"We'll definitely start trying next year. It feels like the right time. But I think that'll be it, as I'm probably too old now to have more than two."

Photo: Flynet

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Aston Villa goalkeeper Steven Taylor has revealed to The Sun that his ten-week-old twin sons Jordan and Casey were struck by the brain bug meningitis. Steven, 27, and wife Natalie took their baby sons home from hospital this week after three weeks of treatment. They will now have to wait for test results that will reveal whether their battle is over. Steven said,

“We hope they are strong enough to cope”

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Kerry Katona was out in Warrington this weekend promoting her new perfume ‘Outrageous’ and was joined by her family. Husband Mark Croft and their 21-month-old daughter Heidi joined Kerry along with Kerry’s daughters Lily, five, and Molly, seven, from her previous marriage to singer Brian McFadden. Kerry and Mark’s seven-month-old son Max was not at the photocall.

Kerry publicly admitted today, in The Sun, that she is battling alcoholism, after recently slurring her way through an interview with This Morning. She said about admitting her alcohol problem,

“I have never admitted this before and I know it is a battle I will have to face for the rest of my life. By coming forward I hope it will help others.”

Photo: Pete Goddard / Splash News

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Actress Helena Bonham Carter was seen out with her daughter Nell, who turns one next month, in Malibu yesterday. Helena, 42, and partner Tim Burton are also parents to son Billy-Ray, five.

Photo: Flynet

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Ruby Maguire turns two years old today, find out more about her:

Name: Ruby Sweetheart Maguire

Birthday: 09 November 2006

Parents: Jennifer Meyer & Tobey Maguire

Siblings: None

Facts about her:

? Her parents named her Ruby because they just liked the name and gave her her middle name 'Sweetheart' as Jennifer's grandmother used to call Jennifer 'Sweetheart' before she died

? Little Ruby recently enjoyed a playdate with Kingston Rossdale!

Tobey on Ruby,

“It’s a very dramatic change. My whole life is in transition now with friendships and where I’m gonna live, you know, just your whole perspective. It’s great. She’s so adorable. She’s just a smiley, little beautiful thing.”

Visit here to see more of Ruby

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