Elsa and Chris

Chris Hemsworth, of "Thor" and "The Avengers" fame, has welcomed his first child with his wife, actress Elsa Pataky, known for her role in "Fast Five". It is a baby girl whom they have named India Rose.

Geek Chic

It's hip to be square, not only in fashion, but in names too. Here are some names that are clunky, fusty, and so out they're in.

Boys

Vernon
Harvey
Boris
Homer
Frank
Barney
Clancy
Elmo
Digby
Floyd
Otis
Abner
Hal
Morris


Girls

Wilma
Gertrude
Norma
Doris
Ethel
Thelma
Bernice
Edna
Alma
Dora
Irma
Rhoda
Eunice
Maud/e
Gilda

Melba

Dame Nellie Melba by Frank Haviland

Origin: English
Gender: Female
Meaning: N/A
Pronunciation: MEL-bah
Other Forms: N/A

Melba is a name I just think is lovely. It was first used by Dame Nellie Melba, who was born Helen Porter Mitchell in 1861. Nellie was a nickname of hers and Melba was taken from where she studied singing, Melbourne, Australia. She was one of the most famous singers of the Victorian era and the 20th century. She was also the first Australian to gain international recognition as a classical musician.

At first, Nellie was not very famous, she had had a few jobs in Melbourne, but after an unsucessful marriage, in which her husband repeatedly beat her, she left for Europe in search of fame. Eventually she became the leading lyric soprano at the Covent Garden and then starred in the Metropolitan Opera. The New York Times said she had "one of the loveliest voices that ever issued from a human throat ... simply delicious in its fullness, richness and purity." She raised funds during World War I for charities and went on to teach singing at the Melbourne Conservatorium where she searched for the next big star. Nellie died in 1931, and her funerel was a national event.

I think Melba is just a beautiful name, and would be great for someone with ties to music, or Melbourne. That is, if you can get past Melba Toast and Peach Melba!

                                       Here is Nellie singing "Lo, Here the Gentle Lark".