Apple, Zowie and now North West: ASHLEY PEARSON wonders WHY celebrities give their babies such strange names

By Ashley Pearson

PUBLISHED: 17:22 GMT, 23 June 2013 | UPDATED: 17:22 GMT, 23 June 2013

Femail contributor Ashley knows all about the name game

As a heavily pregnant mum to be, I have, for months now, been deep into the baby name game.

The enormity of the decision to choose something another being will carry with them all their life and hear every day feels incredibly important.  

Therefore, waking up to the news that Kim Kardashian had named her baby 'North' was a bit of a shocker. 

At first I thought it was an internet hoax.  Incredulous, I could remember Kim herself laughing at the suggested name on Jay Leno just weeks earlier.   

One thing that's abundantly clear is that this decision has Kanye written all over it. 

Most obviously, because it doesn't start with a K. The Kardashians have built an entire empire on the letter K.  

A 'K' herself along with all her female siblings and mum, Kim married a 'Kris' before conceiving with a 'Kanye.' It makes perfect sense to continue this tradition. 

However, as Kanye appears to increasingly distance himself from the Kardashian Klan, foregoing their beloved and special letter seems to send a clear message that this child is not in fact, one of them. 

Additionally there is the name 'North', which clearly fits with 'West.' This child is an obvious tribute to him. And before you think that sounds too egotistical, consider the source.  This is the same Kanye who has said: 'God chose me… I am God's Vessel. But my greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live.'  

And lest we be confused about the God complex theme, on his new album he refers to himself as 'Yeezus.' 

Speaking about the choice of 'North West', celeb-watcher Duana Taha on the insightful gossip site Laineygossip writes:  'There's ego and then there's massive overbearing ego. This is just reminding your kid -straight out of the gate - that you're nothing so much as a reflection of the fame hunger that made your parents get so publicly knocked up in the first place.' Harsh words maybe, but I tend to agree.

So why do celebrities so often choose names that seem slightly insane? After all, North joins the ranks of Pilot Inspektor, Sparrow, Sage Moonblood, Rainbow, Zuma, Blue and a host of others.

Psychologist Anjula Mutanda says, 'Celebrities love to give their special new bundle of joy an out of this world and sometimes off the wall name. Psychologically I think, celebrities often see their children as extensions of themselves, and their child's name has to mirror this - unique, special and able to handle being larger than life. Think Zowie-Bowie or Blanket!'

First for everything: The name of the baby was predicted to start with K, just like the names of the couple

She adds, 'We mere mortals know that calling our child North West, would probably result in our poor kid being picked on for the rest of their life, and would become a heavy burden to shoulder. Not so in celeb-ville. This is just how you maintain exactly how far removed you are from the ordinary. The more extreme the name, I believe the greater the emphasis is on the desire to draw attention, and make the world sit up and take notice.' 

My personal theory - blame the dads.  Most gossip insiders agree that Kim was reluctant about the name North and held out until the end for one of her favourite 'K' choices, rumoured to be Kaidence, Klementine or Kai. 

'Popular naming site Nameberry predicted North to be one of the major 2013 trend names (albeit for boys) back in November, along with related girl names such as Winter, January, and Snow'

However as with most things in this relationship it appears that Kanye is calling the shots.  Several months back Kim was spotted nursery shopping at Beverly Hills exclusive baby shop Bel Bambini, carefully following a black and white colour scheme selected by him and texting pictures on her phone to get his approval before she made any purchases. 

And this is the same dad to be who missed most if not all pre-natal scans due to recording an album in Paris (as there are clearly no sound studios in Los Angeles) and whose girlfriend regularly flew around the world whilst heavily pregnant to spend time with him.  

And while we can safely say that 'North' has Kanye's fingerprints all over it, there are lots of other examples of dad stepping to make the judgment call.  Whilst Gwyneth Paltrow takes a lot of flack for naming her baby girl Apple, most people don't know that it was actually husband Chris Martin who championed the idea. It seems that Chris' North American booking agent, has a daughter named Apple and he liked it for their baby. 

Proud parents: Kim and partner Kanye West welcomed their first child on 15 June

As Goop so eloquently told Oprah Winfrey: 'Right, well, um, basically it was because when we were first pregnant, her daddy said, if it's, basically one day he just said if it's a girl I think her name should be Apple.

And I just, it sounded so sweet, and it conjures such a lovely picture for me, you know apples are so sweet and they're wholesome, and it's Biblical and it's just, they're so, and I just thought it sounded so lovely and...'

And lest we forget, there is Nicolas Cage, lifelong and legendary comic book fan, who christened his and wife Alice Kim's son Kal-El in honour of Superman's birth name. 

Laura Wattenberg, author of The Baby Name Wizard: A Magical Method for Finding the Perfect Name for Your Baby, told Life's Little Mysteries, that the trend is unsurprising.

'You would expect a community of creative artists to have somewhat more unusual naming patterns than the general public,' says Wattenberg.

'They didn't get where they are today by being conventional thinkers.'

Mini fashionistas: Chris Martin chose the name Apple for his daughter, pictured with a little friend

How To Do Relationships author Anjula Mutanda adds: 'Think about this, an unforgettable name supposedly equals an unforgettable person-a psychologically clever move if you as a celebrity want to remain relevant and remarkable.'

And celebrities aren't the only ones thinking outside the box. Nowadays, particularly in the US, it seems everyone wants a name that stands out. 

'In the last 30 years, there's been a naming revolution. The top 20 names in 1980 accounted for the names of a third of all babies born, and today it's 1 in 7,' says Wattenberg. 

'If you look at the list of names that were given more than five times last year, you'll see some very strange choices. 'Messiah' and 'Zeppelin' are two boy names on the list.'

If you believe celebrities' choices don't make an impact, you may want to reconsider.  Just look at Kim's sister Kourtney.  After naming her baby boy Mason, the name quickly became second most popular boy's name in America. 

Baby names like Penelope, Ava and Willow, Jaden and Violet, are climbing the popularity charts in no small part due to frequent paparazzi shots with their uber-famous parents.  And it's not just in the States. 

Stunning: Duncan Jones, previously Zowie Bowie, and wife Rodene Ronquillo, pictured in New York in 2011

When Amanda Holden named her daughter Alexa or 'Lexi' a host of British yummy mummies followed.  And Lilly Allen's Marnie and Sienna Miller's Marlowe are already making waves in antenatal NCT classes. 

Maybe North' will be next.  Indeed, popular naming site Nameberry predicted North to be one of the major 2013 trend names (albeit for boys) back in November, along with related girl names such as Winter, January, and Snow. 

Other celeb babies with directional names are Jenna Fisher's son Weston, Jenna Elfman's son Easton and Marley Shelton's daughter West. 

However, not all celeb baby names become trendy.  Suri and Apple are yet to catch on with the general public. And occasionally, just occasionally, a celebrity child fights back.  Zowie Bowie, son of David became Duncan Jones and Free Carradine, son of Barbara Hershey and David Carradine, changed his name to plain old Tom.

While Kanye clearly likes it, the controversy over the choice continues.  As Twitter erupted in fury, @Surisburnbook noted, 'It's cute how you can spell 'the worst' with the letters from North West's name.'  

Baby North may be encouraged to know however, that real life namesakes say it's really not so bad. 

'The name really gets attention. I wouldn't change it,' North E. West, a married acupuncturist from Richland, Pa., told the NY Daily News on Friday.

'With me, it worked in the dating scene. It was just interesting and unique and set me apart.' And North Leppert, an aerospace engineer from Binghamton, N.Y., told The News.

'I never considered it a girl's name, but I guess it works. It's definitely a name that gets attention. You need the personality to go with it. My name has opened many, many doors for me. It's an ice breaker and sounds very forward and adventurous. Nobody forgets it.' 

Well in this case at least, that certainly seems to be the point.

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From crying to appreciating our bodies and talking about their mums: Emily Hartridge's top reasons why women love men

Blogger and TV presenter Emily Hartridge, 29, makes weekly vlog'Proves that everything in the world can be explained with 10 reasons'Athlete and Blue Peter hopeful Andy Shepherd is this week's 'boyfriend'

By Deni Kirkova

PUBLISHED: 15:10 GMT, 23 June 2013 | UPDATED: 15:10 GMT, 23 June 2013

Her videos about sex, relationships, love, gender, life see viewers flock to her YouTube channel in their thousands. As well as having enjoying Emily Hartridge's tongue-in-cheek views fans get to relish a new 'pretend boyfriend' each week.

So as this week's offering about why men love women sees ex-athlete and TV presenter Andy Shepherd, 28, take the form of boyfriend, the video has unsurprisingly spurred almost 20,000 views.

'Andy is also a presenter and a really good actor so was a perfect pretend boyfriend. Also he's good looking which always helps,' said Emily.

Scroll down for video

This week, why women love men: Emily's hilarious videos get tens of thousands of views

Reason one, penises: Andy looks displeased as 'girlfriend' Emily cuddles up to his crotch instead of him

Emily's first reason that women love men in her video is 'the fact that they have penises'.

To illustrate her point with a sketch, she comes home from work and dismisses Andy's greeting instead opting to cuddle up to his crotch. 'I've missed you,' she says.

Her second reason is, bizarrely, that you can't get angry at men when they borrow your clothes. Viewers are treated to a scene in which Emily walks in on Andy wears a pretty blue dress while watching the television.

Her surreal scenes are intended for some 'much needed light entertainment', as her disclaimer reads. 'You might not agree with everything I say and that's fine,' she says.

Reason three is when a man smells good 'it is so intoxicating'.

'Sometimes if I walk past a guy on the street, who doesn't even have to be that attractive, if he smells good - that is me turned on,' she says.

'I call myself fairly independent, and I'm not the kind of girl to to rely on a man,' she says, but adds that she finds it sweet when a man tries to protect her and her out of harm's way.

You can't get angry when they borrow clothes: A bulky Andy sits open legged with a beer in hand

They want to protect you: Any leaps to Emily's rescue from a spider, even though she is independent

Men are laid back: Unlike highly strung Emily who shouts at Andy when he offers her a cup of tea

Andy is seen shouting at her to get down and leaping to her rescue when she asks him to 'get that spider'.

Emily next points to men' take it or leave it approach to life. 'Women can sometimes be highly strung and overreact,' says Emily.

She also loves it when 'you talk about how much you love your sisters or you mum in front of us - it really works,' she says.

Reason seven is that 'men remind us of our dads,' says Emily. She quickly backtracks, looking around and saying, 'who said that?'

'Emily's first reason that women love men is the fact that they have penises. To illustrate her point with a sketch, she comes home from work and dismisses Andy's greeting instead opting to cuddle up to his crotch'

'There's something endearing about men having the ability to solve any problem just by throwing a ball,' she says. This is illustrated with a sketch of Emily complaining about their being nothing on TV and a ball being thrown at her.

Next we see Emily walking down the street in a modest buttoned-up shirt when Andy approaches her to compliment her on her 'great rack'. She appreciates his comment and states reason nine that women love men being that they are 'enthusiastic about bodies, even if we sometimes are not'.

Finally, her tenth reason is that women love it when men show their emotions.

'If a guy cries in front of you, as a woman you have just won the emotional lottery,' she says, as we see her initiate sex inappropriately as Andy cries over a deceased loved one.

Watch the full length video on Emily's YouTube channel.

She recently did a blind date for OK! Magazine and presents Jacked In for Virgin Media.

Men solve problems by throwing balls at them: Emily finds this quality endearing

Men appreciate our bodies: On a day when Emily isn't feeling great about her 'rack' Andy compliments her

When they show their emotional side: Emily gets overexcited and initiates sex as Andy mourns a loved one

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Tennis fans Pippa and James Middleton take their seats in the royal box for the first day of action at Wimbledon

Pippa and brother James watched Roger Federer in his opening matchPippa wore sky blue Sandro dress previously worn by Kelly BrookShe also donned dress seen on Kelly to recent wedding
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent also in royal box at Wimbledon

By Lucy Waterlow

PUBLISHED: 13:07 GMT, 24 June 2013 | UPDATED: 15:16 GMT, 24 June 2013

It appears Pippa Middleton has a new style icon in the form of Kelly Brook. The magazine columnist looked smart in a sky blue Sandro dress embellished with beads with a matching jacket as she arrived in the royal box at Wimbledon today.

The ?299 dress was previously seen on curvaceous model Kelly in March. It's not the first time Pippa has copied Kelly's look. Last week to a society wedding she wore a Tabitha Webb peplum number that Kelly, 33, wore in May to appear on Celebrity Juice.

At Wimbledon today Pippa was joined by her brother James who wore a grey suit and tie with a tennis club pin on his jacket.

Double match point: Pippa wore a Sandro dress previously seen on Kelly Brook in March, right, to Wimbledon

Best seats in town: Pippa and James Middleton in the royal box on the opening day of play at Wimbledon

Coveted view: The pair are shown to their seats but they weren't always so lucky, once when she was younger Pippa queued for hours for tickets

The pair arrived in time to see defending champion Roger Federer take on Victor Hanescu on the first day of the tournament.

The siblings were shown to their seats and chatted with the other spectators around them before settling down to enjoy the tennis.

The Middletons are life-longs fans of the game and Kate joined her sister to watch last year's final. It is not yet known if the heavily pregnant Duchess will make an appearance at this year's championship.

Pippa is a keen tennis player herself having attended Malborough College on a sports scholarship and last year won a place in the women’s first team at the exclusive Queen’s Club in West London.

The 29-year-old wrote about her love of the game in her recent Vanity Fair column where she explained the British traditions around the tournament including the penchant for strawberries and cream with a glass of Pimms.

Packed the essentials: Pippa carried a large beige Lamb 1887 clutch bag

Real royals in the box: Pippa chatted to Princess Michael of Kent who was seated in font of her

Tennis fans: Pippa once dreamed of playing in the final

True to her word: Pippa advised in her Vanity Fair column against wearing heels and instead wore wedges

She provided her top tips on spectating including urging women to abandon high heeled shoes and not make plans in the evening in case a match runs on.

'There’s nothing worse than having to leave Rafael Nadal’s athleticism for a routine pizza with friends,' she wrote.

She took her own advice by not wearing stilettos today hut still gained some height of donning wedge sandals.

She revealed in her column how she dreamed of winning the tournament as a little girl and wrote her wish to do so on a postcard.

And for those who may resent her presence in the royal box, she admitted she wasn't always so lucky to be able to get the best seats in the ground. When she was younger she said she and the Duchess of Cambridge once queued for hours to try and get tickets on People's Sunday.

Pippa arrived at the wedding of Lady Melissa Percy and Thomas van Straubenzee in Northumberland last week wearing an identical dress as seen on Kelly Brook in May

Golden company: The Middletons sat next to Olympian Denise Lewis

All smiles: The pair chatted happily between gaps in the action

Involved: Pippa pulls a face after watching one of the shots

Day out: Pippa and James have a chat, left, while the columnist later pulled on her shades as the sun shone

She said in Vanity Fair: 'One of my favourite Wimbledon experiences was queuing from 5am on People's Sunday in 2004 with my sister for three hours and getting ?35 tickets on Centre Court - my first time ever.'

Pippa, who is currently dating stockbroker Nico Jackson, 35, said when she was little she imagined if she ever married it would be in tennis whites.

But she forgoed the colour today to wear a blue ensemble as she smiled and clapped as the game progressed with Federer winning in three straight sets.

Also in the royal box today were former US secretary of state, Dr Condoleezza Rice, Olympian Denise Lewis and actual royals - the Queen's cousin Prince Michael of Kent and his wife.

Queen's cousin: Prince Michael of Kent joined his wife in the royal box

Also in the royal box: Dr Condoleezza Rice, left, and Denise Lewis

Winning look: Mirka Federer wore a smart scarf and pink blouse as she watched her husband take his first victory in this year's tournament

Step closer to the final: Roger Federer won against Romania's Victor Hanescu in straight sets

Pippa was seen sharing a joke with the royal couple as she took her seat behind them.

Andy Murray's mother, Judy, was also in place ready to cheer her son on as he will take to the court later this evening to open his campaign in the grand slam.

The British number one has promised to 'give everything' in his quest for the Wimbledon title this afternoon when he faces Germany's Benjamin Becker.

Murray took to Twitter ahead of his opener to express gratitude to his fans for their backing and encouragement.

'I’ll give everything I have on the court starting with round one', he wrote.

The Scot hopes he can make Wimbledon history this year and become the first British man to take the Wimbledon trophy since Fred Perry in 1936.

Pippa wears Sandro jacket, ?251, right

Her matching Sandro dress is currently ?183 down from ?229 at Selfridges

Pippa carries Lamb 1887 capri clutch, ?99

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