The Gossip Rag: Celebrity life, photos, gossip, and news

Were you aware that you could be nominated for your noble service in protecting celebrities? I certainly didn’t, and I bet Perry Taylor didn’t either.

Either way, it seems Britney Spears’ new manny — aka bodyguard — has been nominated for a US Veterans’ award as a graduate of the US Naval academy. Usually, the award goes to corporate leaders or politicians such as “Senator John Warner, former Continental Airlines CEO Gordon Bethune, and director Oliver Stone, U.S. military veterans who have achieved top positions in their respective fields.”

I suppose earning the position of Spears’ new bodyguard is pretty high up in the field of security jobs. But I’m not the only one shocked by this announcement. The article states:

“I was surprised when several of our members nominated Mr. Taylor,” said Scott Higgins, CEO of Veterans Advantage. “But after reviewing Mr. Taylor’s service as a Naval Officer and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, and that he has risen to a top position in his field in a relatively short period of time, I believe we can consider him for this position.”

Apparently security is a top career move made by veterans after their service, so I guess Taylor’s new job is not unique. The article adds:

Protective service occupations are a popular career choice for veterans such as Mr. Taylor, which includes professions in public police work, private security contracting overseas, as well as protecting the rich and famous. The training, skills, and other qualifications acquired through veteran’s military service, are often much sought after requisites for professional security recruiters who seek to fill positions in this growing industry.

Before we rush to give him such an award though, I’d like to point out that nobody’s quite certain what the guy’s job is:

There is some question as to whether Mr. Taylor is a security professional employed as Ms. Spears’ bodyguard, as depicted in movies such as “The Bodyguard” with Kevin Costner or “In the Line of Fire” with Clint Eastwood, or if he is indeed employed as her male nanny, as in “The Pacifier,” in which Vin Deisel portrays a former Navy Seal who becomes a nanny. Mr. Perry has been employed by Ms. Spears since April of 2006.

Brangelina sells pictures of Shiloh for reportedly $4 million to People magazine, the internet gets ahold of them first, People sues, and you know the rest of the story. Given all this commotion, one must still wonder, where is TomKat’s baby daughter Suri Cruise? She was born nearly two months ago but we still don’t have a single picture of her!

But never mind all that, because it appears Tom and Katie have already started preparing for their second child. We’re told they’ve planned to have at least two or three kids. One source explains their reasoning:

Tom and Katie are so thrilled with Suri that they want to have a second baby right away. Before Suri’s birth they talked about having two or three kids — and they don’t want to wait.

Another source added:

Katie was really scared of becoming a mom. She didn’t know what to expect and she was worried that she’d be overwhelmed by all the responsibilities. But she’s loving every minute of being home with Suri. Katie isn’t at all concerned with getting back to work.

What a surprise. If you were being paid $33 million, would you mind having Tom Cruise’s babies? Congratulations, Katie, you’ve completely redefined what it means to be a trophy wife!

According to TMZ, the Pitt-Jolie couple have been increasing the privacy of their Malibu estate by draping a large cloth over part of their home, as well as relandscaping with larger and denser bushes and trees. This is to prevent paparazzi from getting in and wreaking havok with their new baby daughter, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt.

The home originally cost Brad Pitt a cool $8,000,000. It is a three-bedroom, four bath, beachfront estate, with a 70 foot swimming pool. Over and above it’s 4,000 square feet, the mansion also includes neighbor Mel Gibson.

Angelina Jolie reportedly moved in around a year ago.

While on a daytime television show tour to deny rumors that her marriage to K-Fed is failing, Britney Spears told NBC’s Matt Lauer that she’s going to Namibia to have her second child. In the interview, she is quoted as saying these classic words:

Kevin has always been a fan of African-American culture. … I’m sure he’ll feel at home there, rapping with all the natives. Besides, there’s lots of quiet unpaved roads where Sean Preston and I can go driving.

And of course she’s got the safety of Sean Preston in mind when choosing a country like Namibia. The article adds:

Ms. Spears also said that Namibia reminds her of California “because it’s on the ocean and there’s lots of sand. So if Sean Preston fell off his swing and landed on his head, there’s less chance he would be hurt and we’d have those snoops from child welfare up our butts all the time.”

Just like Brangelina, Spears appears to be choosing Namibia for its recluse location in order to avoid paparazzi. Seeing as she says she’s an “emotional wreck” due to nonstop hounding by reporters, this is justifiably a concern. She adds:

“I heard that Namibia has laws that let celebrities say whether or not journalists are allowed in the country. That’s so important, even more important than getting the same villa that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had.”

I’m glad, Britney, that you aren’t too concerned with whether you can get Brangelina’s private villa, because, you know, I was beginning to wonder if you wanted to copy their exact birth-giving procedures, with K-Fed cutting the umbilical cord and all.

Update: So it appears all of these rumors behind Britney wanting her second birth in Namibia is a hoax. Well, it was worth a good laugh at the time.

You’ve all heard about the scandal (more details here) that was caused when Getty Images sold pictures of Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt to People Magazine for over $4 million. Get this: Although the pictures have been posted all over the internet even before People Magazine has gone to print, the mag expects over 5 million copies to be sold this time, as opposed to the usual 3.7 million. They’ve even upped their price by 50 cents in expectation. The reasons behind this? Circulation expert Martin Walker claims, “It just creates more buzz, more noise, so people will buy the magazine.”

The article adds:

Even People’s managing editor ultimately conceded the publicity might help… even if many people have seen the grainy pictures on their web sites. It’s a sentiment shared by Prof Samir Husini, a teacher of journalism at the University of Mississippi, and known in the US as ‘Mr Magazine’. “The blogs are merely whetting the appetite of the public. They want to see the real thing. To these people it’s not real unless it is in their hands, on their laps, in their bath tubs.”

So next time the “more legit” media tries to sue the blogosphere for “stealing content” — think again. You might just be getting the publicity you need to make a fortune. Don’t complain.