I certainly both understand and participate in “baby bump” speculation when it’s not 100 percent clear whether or not a star is pregnant. But at this point, with Jennifer Lopez’s belly protruding like she’s in the latter part of her second trimester, is there really a reason to keep discussing it? Were we really waiting with baited breath for some sort of confirmation on her part? I wasn’t, but apparently a lot of people were.

She announced that she is with child last night at the last show of her El Cantante tour. She said she wanted to wait until the tour was over because she didn’t want her audience to be distracted by anything while she was performing. Good thing she covered up her bump so well.

Remember all that talk about Nicole Richie making a complete behavioral 180 for her unborn child? Maybe it was more like a 90 degree change.

According to the New York Post’s Cindy Adams, Richie was seen smoking in public not once but twice in the past few days. If Nicole Richie is really smoking-while-pregnant, I’m more shocked that she has the balls to do it in public than the fact that she’s doing it at all.

[]

UPDATE: It turns out Nicole Richie was in Australia when the Post informant supposedly saw her smoking cigarettes on two occasions in New York City. Cindy Adams owes Nicole Richie a beer. Well, a few sips of one.

• I hope they burn, too, Megan Williams. []

• Authorities are officially classifying the California fires as arson. [CBS]

• Let’s hope that the contestants on College Hill: Interns keeps the ignorance to a minimum. [CL]

• Microsoft paid $240 million for a stake in Facebook. A 1.6 percent stake. [NYT]

Some prospective grandparents buy their expecting children things like cribs, strollers, and high chairs. Others buy them a house to put all of their new baby stuff in. Lionel Richie is part of the latter group.

A source says, “She recently leased out her West Hollywood condo, and, while she likes living at Joel’s bachelor pad in Glendale, she doesn’t want to raise her baby in the Valley. Nicole wants to live close to both of her parents while she gets ready to have the baby.

Lionel wants Nicole to be safe, and he thinks a gated community is best.” Reports suggest the Richies are currently looking at a $7 million villa in Century City, Los Angeles.

Just like Oprah getting the 21 pairs of Christian Louboutins from Jessica Seinfeld, all I can really say is, “it must be nice.”

[SP]

• You know 50 Cent’s finally finished sulking when he starts manufacturing beef again. []

• Oh, jeez. Now we’re talking eco-friendly diapers? [People]

• Happy Birthday, Ashanti! Too bad Nelly can’t give you some hit singles as a gift. [C&D]

• Lily Allen’s secret black half-sister doesn’t look very happy, for obvious reasons. [MG]

• Ann Coulter sucks, and I’m joining my fellow Jossip Initiatives editors in never writing about her ever again! Search “Ann Coulter” on Stereohyped, and you’ll see that this isn’t much of a sacrifice. [Jossip]

Rohan and Lauryn and baby makes three! Well, more like seven, if you count the other four kids our favorite “eccentric” singer, Lauryn Hill, has with her non-husband Rohan Marley. Here’s hoping she didn’t get pregnant so she can win him back. That rarely works these days.

[TMZ]

Halle Berry continues her “happiest woman alive” tour at a special screening for her film, Things We Lost In The Fire. She showed off her baby bump in a black dress, and spoke to reporters about the joys of vomiting and hot sweats.

There is nothing bad about it. The morning sickness and the vomiting and the hot sweats. Nothing’s been bad about it. I’ve loved every second of it,” she said.

Holding up four fingers when asked how many months along she is, Berry also said, in response to a query about “maternity chic” and what she’s wearing these days, “I think I feel like I’m such a slave to fashion. It’s a hard concept for me to fathom that I’m going to have to wear maternity clothes.”

Things We Lost in the Fire costars Benicio Del Toro and premieres October 19. More pics from the screening after the jump.

CONTINUED »

Jennifer Lopez is ready to publicly share the news we’ve all privately known — especially after her shirt blew up a few days ago at a concert in Connecticut. According to Page Six, she’ll announce her pregnancy at her Madison Square Garden concert tomorrow.

Then maybe she can trash those crazy, voluminous costumes for some nice maternity-wear.

[MG]

• A Louisiana sheriff who courted controversy during Hurricane Katrina when he denied entry to (black) people fleeing New Orleans, has died. []

• When air-brushing goes right. [PH]

• Beware of a male version of Superhead. [C&D]

• Beware of actual Superhead, while you’re at it. []

• Before she finally got a positive result, Halle Berry saved all of her negative home pregnancy tests, which is pretty nasty considering you have to piss on them to get a result. [People]

I’m not judging. I totally understand why Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony would want to deny their pregancy — it’s probably really early and it is a private matter. Hell, Christina Aguilera hasn’t even made an official announcement, and her baby bump is more than visible. But after reviewing the photos from their concert in Atlantic City this weekend, I have to take a page out of R.Kelly’s book and say, your publicist is tellin’ me no, but your wardroooobe’s tellin’ me yes.

[WI]