2008 Celebrity Baby Photos: Little Kids, Big Money
Dec. 23, 2008— -- In 2008, no images dominated Hollywood's viewfinders like theirs did. They're rich ... they're gorgeous ... sometimes, they get a little emotional. Also, they're each about three feet tall. They're the children of the famous, on newsstands and Web sites -- the breakout stars of 2008.
Paparazzo Ben Evanstad, whose National Photo Group works with a fistful of Hollywood shutterbugs, has gotten the message loud and clear.
"More than ever before, almost every photo we take is of a celebrity and their child," he said at his West Hollywood office. "A picture of Christina Aguilera by herself might sell for $500; a picture of Christina Aguilera and her kid might sell for $5,000. The magazines tell us they want the photos of the celebrity parents with the kids. Nice, happy pictures."
Increasingly, these children are getting magazine covers of their own, without their well-known mothers or fathers. It's fresh tabloid territory -- after all, we didn't regularly see snaps of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore's kids until they were older. Celebrities' offspring used to be out of the spotlight. Not anymore. Lacey Rose of Forbes.com even has a Hollywood's Hottest Tots Under Five ranking.
"These kids on our list -- we're so fascinated with them because they offer a window into their parents' lives," she said.
Celebrity parents know that, so some auction off the first pictures of their babies for big bucks instead of letting the paparazzi get first dibs. Those exclusive baby covers sell magazines like nothing else does. Case in point: newborns Knox and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, shining stars in one of Hollywood's most exclusive media nurseries: the cover of People.
"Our cover with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's twins was the highest-selling in seven years," said Jess Cagle, executive editor of People. "We did five major baby covers this year -- it was a huge year."
(People paid a reported $14 million for the pictures of the Jolie-Pitt twins; the magazine won't discuss figures. Pitt and Jolie reportedly donated the money to charity.)
