Sigh! It’s Monday (for a few more hours anyway) and I awoke to the news that one of my favorite actors became a new dad over the weekend. That’s great news, right? Well, to me it is a tad bittersweet. You see; Jason Bateman was my second celebrity crush (Michael J. Fox was my first), but the torched I carried for him took years to dim. One corner of my bedroom was converted into a Jason Bateman shrine and I would have a daily debate with my one of my tween friends as to who was cuter Jason Bateman or Jason Gedrick (Bateman by a landslide), but I digress.
Jason Bateman and his wife, Amanda Anka, welcomed their first child, a daughter they named Francesca Nora Bateman, on Saturday in Los Angeles. According to PEOPLE magazine, the entire Bateman clan is doing well. I truly am happy for them, though the 12-year-old in me has never forgiven Amanda Anka (the daughter of singer-songwriter Paul Anka) for stealing “my” Jason.
In any event, I do wish them well… and for all of you who are scratching your heads saying, “Jason who?” Bateman rose to fame as a child actor on “Silver Spoons” and “The Hogan Family.” He went on to star in the critically acclaimed FOX sitcom “Arrested Development,” for which he won a Golden Globe last year.
On a sadder note, the weekend wasn’t as kind to a young reality TV star. According to news reports, Jacob Roloff, the 9-year-old member of the Roloff family, who have their own reality show – “Little People, Big World” – on The Learning Channel, was seriously injured Saturday night in an accident involving a pumpkin launcher on the family farm.
According to police in Oregon (where the family farm is located), Roloff, whose parents Matt and Amy are dwarfs (Jacob is normal size), was whipped in the face when a catapult on the farm accidentally discharged. As of this morning, Jacob was listed in serious condition at an Oregon hospital. In a message posted to the TLC message boards, Matt Roloff wrote that Jacob needed surgery but is expected to make a full recovery.