Baby Bucks

"I've been in this business for a long time, and really, it never occurred to (anyone to) ask for money until the last five years or so. It became a negotiating tool around the same time more celebrity magazines flooded the market. People used to be the only game in town, and then Us became a weekly, and then there's In Touch and Life & Style, and now OK! too. It's all out of hand," said Publicist A.

(The publicists who declined to be named did so because of the sensitive nature of current or future negotiations, or to protect the identity of their clients.)

It is hard to look at the current negotiations for the Jolie-Pitt twins (said to be between $15 and $20 million and could go up, according to a sources familiar with the talks) and not think the baby-photo market has reached ridiculous heights. However, aside from the high ticket price, the difference with the Jolie-Pitt photos and most others is the deal has nothing to do with fattening the family checking account.

After the birth of Shiloh and the adoption of Pax, the Jolie-Pitts donated the money earned from their exclusive deals with People to charity, which means despite the exorbitant sum for the photos (Shiloh's photos alone, according to many reports, went for $4.1 million), the family didn't appear greedy. They're expected to donate the fee from the twins' photos, too. (At press time, Jolie's philanthropic advisor, Trevor Neilson, couldn't comment on which charities would benefit from the twins' photo deal.)

It never sits well with the public when celebrities appear to earn money they don't need, so the charity option does save face. However, Publicist B, who represents an A-list celebrity who chose not to sell photos of his baby, and instead opted to cooperate with a magazine and its photographer for no fee, said the concept of reaching such a deal and claiming that the charitable aspect makes it OK is ridiculous.

"When you release a photo at least you get the paparazzi off your back, somewhat, anyway. I do understand that. But the same celebrities who sell the photos and donate the money to charity could afford to write a check to any charity they wanted anyway. At the end of the day it's still selling your baby. It's just gross," said Publicist B.

Turning it into something charitable
Publicist C, who has spent the better part of a decade handling celebrities but hasn't brokered a baby-photo deal, disagreed. "I think turning it into something charitable is a good idea. Most celebrities are wealthy, but their finances aren't so liquid they can make out a check to a charity for $15 million."

The concept of controlling the situation picks up where the issue of finances trails off. "No one really understands the level to which these celebrities are hounded," said Publicist C. "Your choices are basically keep your kid under a bed sheet like Michael Jackson did, or work out a way to get the photos out there. The kid is going to get photographed one way or another, you might as well find a way to make it work."

And some believe that celebrities' personal lives are personal, and paparazzi or not, the stars and their families deserve to be left alone. "A celebrity's personal life is their business and not for public consumption," said Pubicist D, who has a roster of A-list clients. "Unless they conceived the baby on the street, it's no one's business. That's why people are starting to stop confirming when they're pregnant even when they're showing. There is so little to hang on to that is personal."

There's a more cynical view out there, too. "I think people forget that one of the things that motivate celebrities is greed. Celebrities like free s--- and will walk off a photo shoot wearing a $10,000 mink coat like it's theirs," said a person who has extensive experience in brokering deals between celebrities and magazines. "They feel like part of the payback for being harassed (by the paparazzi) should be cash. It's only a select few who are motivated by charity and charitable things."

The $20 million glass ceiling
Obviously, the case of the Jolie-Pitt children is a special one. Their family ties represent a brand of celebrity that isn't just rare, it's downright abnormal. Their perfect storm of fabulousness involves beauty, good deeds and now, twins. "You couldn't write a better scenario if you tried," said Shuter of OK! magazine. "There are no unknowns here — they have a baby together and she (Shiloh) is perfect, so you can only expect the same from the twins."