Kuwait Times

Published Date: November 19, 2007

Angelina Jolie could lose her adopted daughter after Zahara's biological mother said she wants her back. Angelina, who claimed Zahara was an AIDS orphan when she adopted her in July 2005, has been left reeling after a 24-year-old woman came forward and begged the actress to return her daughter. Mentewab Dawit Lebiso, who insists she is Zahara's birth mother, said: "I want my daughter to come home to see where she is from. Her grandmother and I both tried very hard to raise her, and I want her to come home
to regain her identity. "I thought the baby was going to die because there was no food, so I ran away." Lebiso, who claims she fell pregnant after she was raped by a stranger who broke into her home, says she never signed any adoption papers and was misled by local officials who promised she could see her baby again. Adoption specialist Jerri Jenista told In Touch Weekly magazine: "If some family member comes in and leaves the child at an orphanage and signs her over, and then the mother wants her back, yo
u can make the argument that the person didn't truly understand that their child was gone forever." Wide Horizons for Children, the agency Angelina adopted from, claims the adoption was done legally.

The agency's Ethiopian representative, Dr. Tsegaye Berhe, said: "We have to trust the documents we received from the local government. She signed a document saying, 'My daughter had died and she left the child behind.' "Angelina Jolie has no obligation to keep in touch with Zahara's blood family. It's up to the adoptive parent, we cannot force them." Angelina's friends have dismissed Lebiso's claims and insist Zahara has no family. One pal said: "Angelina believes that Zahara is an orphan and the woman who
claims to be her mother is mistaken. Government papers said Zahara was an AIDS orphan and Angie had no reason to believe otherwise. "Zahara was days away from death and Angelina saved that child. As far as she is concerned, that bonded her to that little girl forever." However, Zahara's adoption papers show the child has a grandmother and extended family living in Ethiopia, according to reports. Zahara's alleged aunt, Zinash Haile Yenero, said: "After they took the baby,they didn't keep in contact. They
didn't tell us anything about her. "My mother was very sad. At one point she was even thinking of trying to find a way to bring her grandchild back. But she has no money, so she can't." Angelina and her long-term partner Brad Pitt also have two other adopted children - Pax, three, and six-year-old Maddox - along with a 17-month-old biological daughter Shiloh. Angelina and Brad have reportedly just purchased a man-made island in Dubai, in the shape of Ethiopia, for Zahara.

The 'Lord of the Rings' star is keen to see his eventful life played out on stage and thinks the pop heartthrob would be the perfect person to portray him. He said: "Justin vaguely resembles people in my family, and I think he is really talented." Openly homosexual McKellen, who came out in a British radio interview in 1988, is known for being a gay rights activist. He is a co-founder of Stonewall, a UK gay rights lobby group, which campaigns for equality for the gay and lesbian community.His acting caree
r has enjoyed a golden time in the last decade with roles in the Oscar-winning 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy and the 'X-Men' franchise. McKellen recently hit out at Hollywood movie producers for encouraging homosexual actors to keep their sexuality a secret. The actor said: "With all that liberal attitude in Hollywood, you have a local industry which is saying to local people who live in the area, 'When you come to work, you are not gay.'"And I think to myself, 'Can people whose minds work like that make go
od films? And if at the heart of Hollywood there is that lie, how many other lies are there?' And it's the producers who have this problem - God knows what sort of people they are - who think that it's impossible for you and me to fancy the same person."Well, what dull lives they must have.

David Beckham can't stop laughing at wife Victoria when she practises her Spice Girls tour dance routines at home. Victoria - also known as Posh - has been listening to the band's hits on her iPod in a bid to learn the group's complex dance routines before their tour starts. She wrote on the Spice Girls' official blog: "David and the boys have been laughing at me because I've been wandering around the house listening to my iPod and practising the routines. We are including some parts of the old routines bu
t bringing them up to date a bit." Victoria also admitted she is nervous about the tour, which starts in Vancouver, Canada, on December 2, because it will be the first time her sons have seen their mother perform. The singer - who has three boys, eight-year-old Brooklyn, five-year-old Romeo, and Cruz, two, with David - said: "My boys are so excited about the tour, they can't wait and I'm really looking forward to them seeing me up on stage. I'm just really hoping I don't get over emotional when I see them!
The girls will be performing together for the first time in seven years tonight November 15,2007 as part of the Victoria's Secret fashion show. They will also be performing live from Los Angeles on the BBC's 'Children In Need' charity telethon tomorrow night November 16,2007.

Britney Spears believes she is cursed. The 'Gimme More' singer - who has lost custody of her sons, failed a court ordered drugs test, faces a string of driving convictions and was ridiculed for her comeback performance at the MTV Video Music Awards - has been stocking up on lucky charms in the hope of reversing her fortune. A source told America's OK! magazine: "Britney went shopping and picked out a hoodie with a print of a four-leaf clover because she thought it would help bring her luck. "She said she n
eeded all the luck she could get after the past few months. She joked she'd start carrying around a rabbit's foot if it meant her 'curse' would go away."Meanwhile, Kevin Federline's ex Shar Jackson has been helping to care for Britney's sons with Kevin, Sean Preston, two, and 14-month old Jayden James.Shar - who has two children with Kevin, five-year-old Kori and three-year-old Kaleb - said: "We definitely make sure the kids all bond together. I mean, they're siblings, they need each other. "We're not tog
ether or anything but we're definitely still a family unit. Honestly, we're like the best of friends. Obviously, the relationship didn't work out for a reason, and we're cool with that. But we're still a part of each other's lives. And our children get to see two people who aren't together but still have a great relationship, and I think that's really important."Kevin, 28, currently has full temporary custody of the boys, while Britney has three visits a week. Shar revealed Kevin is coping well with the bi
tter custody battle, but he doesn't like to discuss it. She added to People magazine: "I know he's in a good place. The kids are in a good place, and I made sure from day one - I told him, 'You make sure you have our children.' "He's great. We don't even talk about that stuff, because that would be a non-stop conversation, and we don't even go there.

Heather Mills has accused meat-eaters of "vandalizing" the planet. The outspoken vegan campaigner blames carnivores for global warming and is set to appear in two adverts for Vegetarians International Voice for Animals (Viva!) to make people embrace a plant-based diet to save the world. The adverts feature Heather - who is currently embroiled in a bitter divorce battle with Sir Paul McCartney, who as a committed vegetarian has also worked with Viva! - demanding: "End your involvement in this vandalism over
night! Change your diet and change the world!" Heather's first ad' features the line: "Hey Meaty, you're making me so hot!" The former glamour model - who lost her left leg below the knee in a motorbike accident in 1993 - appears in a second advert which plays on her disability, warning meat-eaters: "You haven't got a leg to stand on!" Heather is also planning to lecture Londoners on the dangers of a carnivorous diet at Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park Monday November 19,2007. Viva! claim vegetarianism can ha
lt the globe's rising temperatures, which they claim are the result of the methane created by flatulent livestock. The campaign group's website insists: "Eating meat, fish and dairy causes environmental destruction, damages human health, contributes to global hunger and inflicts immense suffering on billions of animals across the world. "Viva! believes the solution to all these problems is in our own hands. Go vegetarian, or better still, vegan!" Meanwhile, it has been revealed Heather refused to appear i
n a TV documentary with British filmmaker Louis Theroux. Louis said: "I approached Heather the day after her divorce was announced last year. "I think she should put herself forward more. It would have been a good one to see how her PR people were handling everything.

Kanye West's late mother spoke frankly about being a parent just 48 hours before her death. Dr. Donda West - who died on Saturday November 10,2007 following a tummy tuck and breast reduction operation - spoke to radio DJ Souleo on Providence 95.5 WBRU about raising the rap star. Donda said: "When you look at all of the obstacles there are in raising kids, you can see why it's really important to try and keep them on the straight and narrow. But at the same time be flexible enough so that they could grow an
d be creative and come into their own." DJ Souleo said: "During the interview, Dr. Donda West was very candid and highly introspective about her life as a mother to Kanye, views on the world, and future goals. "It was an honour to have spoken with her and I send my condolences to the entire West family and all those affected by her death." An autopsy was carried out on Donda West on Tuesday November 13,2007 but the results have not yet been made public.The operation was carried out by Dr. Jan Adams and is
said to have taken eight hours - more than double the normal time for the procedure. Donda was sent straight home instead of to a medical centre to recover, and was admitted to hospital the next day where she is believed to have died from complications caused by the surgery. Meanwhile, Kanye has pulled out his scheduled performance at the Victoria's Secret fashion show November 15,2007.

Ashley Olsen was taken to school by Lance Armstrong's daughter, it has been claimed. The Olsen twin began dating the champion cyclist - who has six-year-old twin daughters Isabelle and Grace - last month and was taken into the twins' show-and-tell lesson to be introduced to her classmates. A source said: "Ashley was shown and told at the girls' Texas school. "Celebrities do this all the time. Lance once accompanied ex-girlfriend Tory Burch's son to the Tony Allen Steven School in New York." Meanwhile, Lan
ce's ex-girlfriend Sheryl Crowe is reportedly disgusted the 36-year-old sportsman is dating the 21-year-old former child star. A source said: "When her friends asked her what she thought about Lance and Ashley, Sheryl rolled her eyes and said, 'That's pathetic. Ashley's a kid.'

A representative for the 45-year-old singer denies she made the comment.
Lance's twins are from his marriage to Kristin Richard, with who he also has an eight-year-old son Luke. Geri Halliwell has splashed out on a year's supply of youth-restoring face cream. The 35-year-old singer has stocked up on Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, which costs around £18 for 50ml, ahead of the Spice Girls reunion tour to help firm her skin and smooth out wrinkles. A source said: "It's the product she relies on to look fresh and healthy. It's supposed to be an instant booster to help with stress and f
atigue and Geri refuses to set foot on stage without being coated in it." Victoria Beckham has also asked Geri for a supply of the special cream - described as ideal for a quick "pick-me-up". The Spice Girls are intensifying their beauty regimes before the tour kicks off in Vancouver, Canada, on December 2. Victoria has reportedly put all her bandmates - Geri, Emma Bunton, Mel C and Mel B - on a pre-tour diet. The 33-year-old singer is said to have instructed the girls to follow her eating plan which consi
sts mainly of edamame beans and lettuce.

Susan Sarandon loves getting older - because she is no longer judged on her looks. The 61-year-old actress wants to grow old gracefully and isn't tempted to go under the surgeon's knife to hold onto her youth. Susan said: "I actually look forward to getting older - it is certainly better than the alternative - when looks should become less of an issue, and when who you are is the point. "I haven't had any surgery, but I don't knock it. I think that women, anyone, has the right to do anything that they like
with their bodies if it makes them feel good about themselves."However, the 'Thelma and Louise' star, who is 12 years older than husband Tim Robbins, admits it's hard to see herself on the big screen as it highlights all her wrinkles. She added to Scotland's Daily Record newspaper: "It's hard to be in this business, to make a film, and then to be seen on a screen thaat is huge. "You can see every single line, no matter the skill of the make-up artist. But I don't like it when surgeons take a perfectly lo
vely woman and then turn her into this strange person with amazing breasts who looks like a female impersonator.

Cate Blanchett worried she did not have enough love for two children. The pregnant actress - who has two sons, five-year-old Dashiell and three-year-old Roman, with husband Andrew Upton - was concerned she wouldn't feel the same about her youngest son before he entered the world. She said: "The minute Dash came out, I felt my life was completely changed. Well, not changed, actually - more expanded. "And then when my second child came along, it expanded even more, because while I was expecting Roman I was t
hinking, 'Oh, I have such an intense love for the child I already have, how can I possibly love another just as much? But of course, you do, and that's a real life lesson there, when you realize how much love you're actually capable of. It's like more doors open in your personality that you didn't even realize were there. "It's a trip, being a parent, a privilege - even though it means you get a lot less sleep!" The 38-year-old Oscar-winning star also revealed she has found acting more difficult since she
became a mother. Before Cate had children she could imagine what motherhood felt like, but since she had her two sons she found playing childless Queen Elizabeth I in her latest film, 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' very hard. Cate added in an interview with Hello magazine: "Before I'd had children, I'd played mothers and just got on with it. If you're an actor you have to invent and imagine what it would be like in all sorts of different situations in life - that's what you do. "But for that one scene when El
izabeth holds Sir Walter Raleigh's baby, it was very odd to be in the inverse position - to have to create that slightly awkward sense of, 'Hmmm, I'm holding a child for the first time, I don't quite know how to hold it and I'll never know what it would be like to have one.' "Because these days, I do know what it's like, and every time I even see a baby I think of mine and just melt.