Congratulations, Brad & Angelina

Let's hope the coffee in this picture is a decaf latte. Angelina and Brad are expecting. Shocker. I guess they'll finally come out of the closet and admit they're more than good friends. I think most of America shelved that description as soon as they heard of Brad adopting Maddox and Zahara. Since early December the tabloids are running stories with alternate screaming headlines "Fast Track to the Altar!" and "The Wedding is Off!" Now that the pregnancy has been confirmed, the speculation will not stop until the couple decides to either marry or announce they are the 2006 version of Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell.

I was puzzled by their reluctance to embrace their romantic relationship. Perhaps it was out of respect to Jennifer Aniston, the whole "let's not upset your ex" kind of thing. C'mon, though. Brad pretty much ditched his wife and immediately started spending time with Angelina and her kids. I can't imagine that hearing of Angelina's pregnancy hurts Jenn any more (or less) than seeing pics of her hubby playing Daddy to someone else's son so quickly after their separation. Who knows? In the past year Jenn may have resolved issues, buried her feelings and moved on to new and different things, including her free time spent with Vince Vaughn.

As eccentric as Angelina can be, it would not surprise me if she stayed single. Why marry if you can simply claim one of the most successful (not to mention sexiest) actors of our time as your "close friend", your partner on exotic expeditions in the name of goodwill ambassadorship, your extra checkbook for whichever heartbreaking cause du jour caught your attention that day and, best of all, be the first top level actress at an entertainment industry awards show press conference to say "He my baby daddy."

Being fabulously wealthy makes parenting a whole lot easier, but having a stable family base is the ideal situation. Growing up under intense public scrutiny certainly won't make for a carefree life. Whatever the status of their relationship, I hope that Brad & Angelina will protect and cherish their children in exactly the same way that other less high profile but equally loving parents do every day.