Iraqis Protest for Release of Bush Shoe Attacker

An Iraqi government official said on Tuesday the journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush has been handed over to the Iraqi military command in Baghdad.

A wave of support streamed in on Monday for the now famous "shoe thrower", Iraqi journalist Muntadar Al Zaidi who heaved both his shoes on Sunday at US President George W. Bush.

"I received a wave of support from human rights groups and journalist associations, such as Reporters Without Borders," Dr Abdul Hussain Sha'aban, managing director of Al Baghdadiya, told Gulf News.

His family told the AP that over time, he came to hate both the US military occupation and what he views as Iran's "moral" occupation too.

The Iraqi Journalists' Syndicate said Al Zaidi's "far from professional" and irresponsible conduct had placed it in an "embarrassing and critical" situation. Nevertheless, it called on Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki to release him for humanitarian reasons.

"It was the throw of the century. I believe Bush deserves what happened to him because he has not kept his promises to Iraqis," said Baghdad resident Abu Hussain, 48.

He would be tried on charges of insulting the Iraqi state, said the prime minister's media adviser, Yasin Majeed.

Arabs across the Middle East hailed the journalist as a hero and praised his insult as a proper send-off to the unpopular US president.

Also, Arab bloggers had a field day after the "shoe heard around the world" incident.

"Today is the day that 'Angry Arab' has been preparing itself for 3 years and finally it happened" remarked one blog.

It went on to joke, "please, please one shoe at a time"

Damascus was abuzz with the news; almost as if the entire city was watching a football match, and hurt that their favorite team, had missed a goal, a Gulf News correspondent reported.

"Al Zaidi did what Arab leaders failed to do," said Ghazi Abu Baker, a 55-year-old shopkeeper in the West Bank town of Jenin. "This journalist should be elected president of Iraq for what he has done."

On a more serious note, colleagues of the Iraqi journalist said they are worried about him as they have yet to hear news about him.

"They confiscated his mobile, I tried calling him but no answer. No one knows where he is now," Dr. Abdul Hussain Shaaban, managing director of Al Baghdadiya Satellite TV, told Gulf News.

Shaaban, who is also a human rights activists, said he was approached by several Arab laywers wanting to defend Al Zaidi and many journalist associations, like Reporters Without Borders have expressed concern.

Saddam Hussain's former lawyer, Khalil Al Dulaimi, said on Monday that he was forming a team to defend Al Zaidi.

"It was the least thing for an Iraqi to do to Bush, the tyrant criminal who has killed two million people in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Dulaimi. "Zaidi should be released immediately."

"This is a gift from the Iraqis, this is the farewell kiss, you dog!" Al Zaidi shouted just before he chucked his shoes at the US president during the live broadcast of the press conference.

"This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq!" Al Zaidi shouted as he hurled his other shoe.

Al Maliki's security crowded in on him, beating him relentlessly. Mohammed Taher, reporter from Afaq, a TV station close to the ruling government of Al Maliki, described Al Zaidi "crying like a girl."

"All I can report is that it is a size 10," Bush joked, as other Iraqi journalists reportedly rushed to apologise for Al Zaidi's actions.

Al Zaidi's act was not spontaneous but planned, according to colleagues.

"Al Zaidi was kidnapped last year by an unknown militia and until now no one knows who was responsible. He was not only protesting from a general anti-US point of view, but a personal one," Al Shaaban said.

Al Shaaban declined to comment whether he supported Al Zaidi's actions. He simply emphasised that it symbolized the "catastrophe of the American government".

Al Shaaban said Al Zaidi has demonstrated what people around the world have been feeling for years about the Bush administration.

"Using shoes is just the Iraqi way," he joked.

Keywords : George W. Bush shoe attack;Zaidi attack on Bush;Shoe attack incident;Bush and the shoe;international day for shoes.

Sources : www.iraqupdates.com

Iraq Parliament clashes over fate of man who threw shoes at Bush

BAGHDAD: A session of the Iraqi Parliament erupted in an uproar on Wednesday as lawmakers clashed over how to respond to the continuing detention of an Iraqi television reporter who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush during a Baghdad news conference earlier this week, people attending the parliamentary meeting said.

As Parliament began to discuss legislation on the withdrawal from Iraq of armed forces from nations other than the United States, After Muntader al-Zaidi'shoes, narrowly missed Bush's head at the news conference on Sunday, Zaidi was subdued by a fellow journalist and then beaten by members of the prime minister's security detail.

The legislative session became so tumultuous that it prompted the speaker of Parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, to announce his resignation, according to The Associated Press. A spokesman for Mashhadani, Jabar al-Mashhadani, refused to confirm whether the speaker had tendered his resignation, although he would not deny it. Some in Parliament say the government should release Zaidi immediately, while others say the judiciary should decide his fate.

How badly injured Zaidi was by members of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's security detail is not clear. He has not appeared in public since his arrest, and his family members and his legal representatives say they have not been permitted to visit him. On Wednesday, Zaidi was scheduled to appear before a judge, but it was unclear whether that happened.

Dhiya al-Saadi, one of Zaidi's lawyers, said Wednesday that he was not sure whether Zaidi had appeared before a judge. As part of the Iraqi legal system, a judge typically determines whether bringing formal charges against a suspect is warranted, criminal lawyers in Iraq said. Zaidi faces up to seven years in prison if he is charged with and convicted of offending the head of a foreign state.

By : Timothy Williams and Atheer Kakan

'I was arrogant'

Tom Cruise has confessed that he was "arrogant" to criticise the use of post-natal depression drugs and therapy.

The Valkyrie star famously declared that drugs should not be used to treat depression when he appeared as a guest on The Today Show in 2005.

However, he returned to the US chatshow yesterday and admitted to host Matt Lauer that he "didn't communicate" his feelings the way he wanted to.

"It's not what I had intended," said Cruise. "In looking at myself, you know, that came across as arrogant.

"That's one of those things you go, 'Okay, I could have absolutely handled that better'."

He added: "I didn't communicate it the way I wanted to communicate it. That's not who I am; that's not the person that I am."

Sources : by Lara Martin

MADONNA, GUY SETTLE UP FOR $76 MILLION

The megastar and Ritchie have reached a settlement in their divorce, with her former bloke set to receive a windfall payout of at least $76 million.

Per Rosenberg, also takes into account the value of the couple’s massive English country estate and could ring in as high as almost $92 million.

While the deal marks the conclusion of the duo’s ongoing financial negotiations, there is a problem left and has yet been reached over the custody of their two children together, 8-year-old Rocco and 3-year-old David.

Madonna filed for divorce from Ritchie back in October, citing “unreasonable behavior” from her hubby. A British court granted them a preliminary decree of divorce last month.

Source: E! Online

MADONNA AND RITCHIE STILL BATTLING OVER CHILDREN
The couple announced their split in October and finalized their divorce this month, with reports suggesting they had agreed to share custody of their sons, Rocco, 8, and David Banda, 3, with the boys splitting their time between their mother’s home in New York and Ritchie’s base in London.

Madonna’s 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from a previous relationship, is rumored to remain in the U.S. with the singer.

But new reports suggest the pair is still squabbling over custody rights, with the pop superstar allegedly determined to keep the family in America with her.

A source tells London newspaper The Evening Standard, “Both sets of lawyers have still got their heads down. It is very complicated.

“Ways need to be found to tie up claims both in New York and in London. I am sure they will both want to settle this amicably. They won’t want this aired in public.”

The publication goes on to suggest that Madonna wants to buy Ritchie an apartment in the Big Apple to keep him close to the children, while they are raised in the U.S.

A spokesperson for Madonna was unable to be reached for comment as WENN went to press.

MADONNA TO GET BRAZIL “STICKY & SWEET” AS TOUR WRAPS UP

Madonna arrived in Brazil on Friday ahead of the final concerts of her worldwide “Sticky & Sweet Tour” that showed that, at age 50, she can still sell out top-notch venues.

She is to perform two concerts in Rio, on Sunday and Monday, before going to Brazil’s biggest city of Sao Paulo for gigs next week on December 18, 20 and 21. The concerts are the last in her four-month tour across Europe, North America and Latin America, which kicked off August 23 in Wales, Britain. In all she will have played 58shows that raked in more than 200 million dollars, according to Billboard magazine.

During her spin around the globe, she has had to oversee divorce proceedings handled by her lawyers. On November 21, a London court granted a provisional “quickie” divorce to Madonna — full name Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone — on the grounds her husband Ritchie had acted unreasonably. The court released a document in which Madonna stated that she and Ritchie, 40, had not lived together at the same address for six months.

A decree formally dissolving the marriage is expected by early January. Contradictory accounts in Britain’s tabloids over the bust-up said either that Madonna thought Ritchie was lazy, tight-fisted and preferred the pub to his family, or that Ritchie thought she was a control freak obsessed with her Kabbalah faith. It was also variously reported that Ritchie either received a lot of money from the split — or none at all.

Madonna is regarded as the world’s highest-earning female singer — Forbes.com put her at the top of its latest “cash queens of music” list with earnings of 72 million dollars between June 2006 and June 2007. The pair are reportedly fighting over whether their two sons should live in Britain or the United States — and over who gets them for Christmas.

Source: AFP.

Shoes Fly at Bush

During a visit to Iraq the president dodges a pair of flying shoes.

Recently, President George W. Bush gets a shoe thrown by journalist at him while he was in a surprise conference in Iraq. Of course, I didn’t believe it when I heard so I had to see the video of a reporter throwing a shoe at Bush. Tell me it’s not funny?

All we can see Bush has some good reflexes. That is mean, damn, he actually managed to dodge two shoes thrown at him before his security team beat that guy to a pope.

Of course, the witty Bush came back with a funny response to the shoe attack. He states, “I’m okay… all I can report is it is a size 10.”

Angie Steps Out for Clint, Brad Steps Up for Jolie

After escorting Brad Pitt to his big movie premiere Monday, Angelina Jolie stepped out to support another man last night: Clint Eastwood.

The actress, whom Clint directed in Changeling, made a surprise appearance at the premiere of Gran Torino sans Brad.

But Pitt's still making headlines today while defending Angie in a new interview with Rolling Stone as he shoots down claims that she manipulates media, instead calling her "savvy."

"I get defensive," he tells RS. "[They're] talking about not only the woman I love, but one of the people on this planet who I have the greatest respect for. I think she's as honorable as anyone I've ever met."

And that's not all...

Brad is now echoing Angie's comment that she and Brad fell in love on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith (while he was still married to Jen Aniston).

When asked to name his favorite Angelina movie, he chose Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Why?

""Because you know...six kids," he told R.S. "Because I fell in love."

Michael Jackson is Selling "Billy Jean" Gloves

"The King of Pop" to Sell Famous Glittery Glove. Michael Jackson's glittery glove is going on the auction block. The glove, which inspired countless copycats, quips and Halloween costumes after it was unveiled in the 1983 video for Jackson's hit "Billie Jean," will be part of a five-day auction next year, Julien's Auctions announced Wednesday.

"The King of Pop" is also unloading the grandiose gates that once led to his Neverland Ranch, along with more than "two thousand" other personal items.

Michael Jackson's possessions will be on display before the auction begins on April 21. Bids will be accepted either in person and online. The sale is to be broadcast live on Auction Network.

Jackson plans to donate a portion of the proceeds to MusiCares, a charitable organization founded by the Recording Academy to help musicians in need.

The singer has been plagued by financial woes since he was acquitted of child-molestation charges in 2003. He went into default on his sprawling Neverland property earlier this year, before an investment company bought the loan. Last month, Jackson's lawyers reached a settlement in a $7 million breach-of-contract case brought by a Bahraini sheik.

Jennifer Aniston Talks Motherhood, Takes Aim At Vogue

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Jennifer Aniston has had enough of the tabloids - and apparently, she thinks Vogue magazine falls into the same category.

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly for the magazine's December 12 issue, Aniston took aim at Vogue, over comments she made to the mag calling remarks made by Angelina Jolie "very uncool."

"I was just surprised that Vogue would go so tabloid," Jennifer said of the quote the fashion mag used on the cover, and one she says was taken out of context.

"I was bummed. But you almost expect it," she continued. "Big deal. Done. Next."
But the former "Friend" and star of the upcoming comedy, "Marley & Me," also took exception with various tabloids printing pregnancy rumors about her.

"It's almost going to take away the fun from actually being able to say one day, 'I'm pregnant!'" she told Entertainment Weekly. "Everyone will be like, 'Yeah, right.' It's the boy who cried wolf. Stop stealing my thunder, motherf***ers!"

And Aniston, who plays a mom in "Marley & Me," said babies could be in her future.

"I feel like that's in my future and I'm on the verge of it in some way," she said. "So it was great to sort of dip your toe in it."

Though her face - like it did for Vogue - helps sell magazines around the world, Jennifer said she feels different than the woman on the cover of the glossies.

"There's this character - it's like my Hannah Montana. That's how I feel. There's my Hannah Montana and then there's me," she said, referring to Miley Cyrus' television alter-ego - a pop star who can't live a normal life.

And while her life might not be normal, Jennifer admitted she's made mistakes like the rest of us.

"Not everyone's a winner," she said. "Not every episode of 'Friends' was great. Not every guy you choose is great."

These days though, things seem to be on an upswing.

"I don't know if I'm just a late bloomer, but I feel like everything is just beginning," she added.

And that new beginning may include stepping behind the camera.

"It's about schizophrenia, a woman who overcame the odds against her," she said of her in-the-works, as-yet-untitled directorial project - which she won't star in.

"Team Aniston" supporters would argue that she's seen enough craziness already, but as for Jennifer, she seems to be taking things in stride.

"It's my history," she said. "It's my memory. That's all it is to me: Something that happened, something that was really quite poignant and good in the long run."

Sources :By Access Hollywood

President George W. Bush and Sylvester Stallone

They have same Date of Birth July 6, 1946

These two man have more in common than you might realize. Their oratorical skills have been criticized, but at their peaks, both were immensely popular. Their secret: people love a war… provided they win. They each have a past that they would rather forget. In the early 1970s, Bush had a drinking problem and multiple arrests; Stallone (as a struggling actor) was debasing himself in a skin flick. Bush has a history of failed business ventures; Stallone has had his own corporate disasters, like Planet Hollywood, his ill-fated co-venture with two of Bush’s friends, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Stallone’s two most famous roles also seem perfect for Bush. Like Rocky, Bush was an underdog, who triumphed (in the 2000 presidential election) without actually outscoring his opponent; and like Rambo, he has been keen to settle old military scores. Of course, neither Bush nor Stallone are as popular as they used to be, proving that celebrity is fickle business, however you achieve it.

Sources : yahoo.com

Alison Carroll is the New Lara Croft

Alison Carroll replace Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft.

With Angelina Jolie tending to her ever-growing brood of children, a new woman has stepped into the role of Lara Croft - British gymnast Alison Carroll.

Earlier today (August 11), Alison appeared before the media for the first time during a press conference at Pineapple Studios in London, England.

For the new Tomb Raider game, slated for a November release, Carroll will be the face of Croft, joining the long list of ladies who have held the title, such as Karima Adebibe, Lucy Clarkson, Jill de Jong, Lara Weller, Nell McAndrew, Rhona Mitra, Ellen Rocche and Vanessa Demouy.

The 23-year-old brunette babe is definitely fit for the part, with a stunning combination of beauty and athletic ability. She’s won multiple first place trophies in regional and national competitions and, well, she’s hot!

sources :www.celebrity-gossip.net

Angelina Jolie: ‘I don't plan on acting very long’

LOS ANGELES - Angelina Jolie says her days on the big screen may be numbered.

In a new interview with the BBC to promote her film, “Changeling,” Angelina said she will soon be shifting her focus from film to family.

“I don’t plan on acting very long,” Angelina said. “I’m ready to do a few things now and fade away and get ready to be a grandma one day.”

The mother of six said she plans on spending less and less time on the set and more time at home raising her brood with partner Brad Pitt.

“I’m not so worried that I want to try to keep up this pace and try to be a celebrity and try to be a successful actress forever. I think it’s nice to tell stories and be successful enough to tell the ones I want to tell, and to earn some money at the same time is great,” she continued. “But everything comes in seasons and I hopefully won’t be needing to do that later in my life.”

Before she calls it quits and leaves the Hollywood spotlight behind, Angelina has a slew of projects lined up.

Among the films currently in development for the actress are the historical drama “The Mercenary,” the stylistic “Sin City 2,” “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: III” and even the 2011 project “Pandamonium” – the follow-up to the animated hit “Kung Fu Panda.”

And once she’s done working on those projects, and several others that are in the works, Angelina is ready to walk away – albeit maybe not for good.

“I don’t think I’ll ever say, ‘I’m never ever going to work.’ Because maybe there’s that interesting project where I feel creative,” Angelina conceded. “But now, I haven’t worked for a year. I’ll work a few months in February and won’t work again for another year. So maybe, it’ll be once a year and then maybe once every three years.”

“I like being home a lot these days,” she concluded

Sources : NBC

Pitt on family: ‘They’re driving me crazy — I’m proud’

He was in New Orleans’ 9th Ward, a place he loves, talking about the most important things in his life — his family and helping others.

“Now you see it. There’s actually families here who are home for the holidays. And it's really, really cool,” the actor/activist told TODAY’s Ann Curry in an exclusive interview that aired Tuesday.

Pitt and his girlfriend, Angelina Jolie, buy a home in New Orleans, which they call their adopted hometown. In the wake of Katrina, they organized an effort called “Make It Right” to not only rebuild the 9th Ward, but to do it in an environmentally friendly way, with housing that would not wash away in the next hurricane.

Off the grid
They raised millions bugs of dollars, and donated millions more to meet 150 affordable housing units. As Pitt spoke, more than 80 units were under construction or finished and the first eight families had already moved into their units.

“This time next year, you're going to see 100 homes here,” Pitt told Curry. “And not only that ... these homes, what you don't see is the way they work. It’s a sunny day. Those meters are running backward. They are off the grid. This is the road to affordable housing that you see right here.”

The houses are built on pilings, with carports underneath. In the event of catastrophic floods like those that accompanied Katrina, the homes will ride above the water — and survive.

“What I see is what I was talking about — quality of life,” Pitt told Curry. “I see the upbringing they're going to have there, the experiences and memories they're going to make in this place. And it's a good start, and it's a fair start. That's what I like about it.”

The 44-year-old star wore a scarf against the chill, and a stubby mustache nested on his upper lip. The facial hair is there for his role in the Quentin Tarantino World War II movie “Inglourious Basterds” that he is currently filming. His newest film, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” whose title character is born old and gets younger as he grows up, is scheduled for a Christmas Day release.

Family man
As eager as Pitt was to talk about his dreams for New Orleans, he was reluctant to talk about Jolie and their six children, including twins Vivienne and Knox, who were born in France in July; biological daughter Shiloh, 2; and adopted children Maddox, 7, from Cambodia; Pax, 4, from Vietnam; and Zahara, 3, from Ethiopia. In a separate appearance on TODAY in October, Jolie told TODAY’s Matt Lauer that she and Pitt are thinking of adopting another child when the twins turn 6 months old.

“I'm really proud of this family,” Pitt said. “I look at my sons and my daughters, and one's from Vietnam and one's from Cambodia and one's from Ethiopia, and … they're all brothers and sisters. And they're fighting, they're laughing, they're going into hysterics and staying up late, and they're messing with their parents, and they're driving me crazy and I'm really proud.

“I truly feel rich being around them,” the actor added. “It's a rich home, and each one of 'em offers so much to the mix.” Then, with a smile, he deadpanned, “Surprising, though: Six kids is not as easy as you would think.”

Curry asked him why he’s reluctant to talk about Jolie and his children.

“It just gets cheapened somehow, as it goes through the filters in the airwaves,” he explained. “And some things you just want to keep close.”

Curry observed that a lot of people think about adopting children from Third World countries, as Pitt and Jolie have done, but are afraid they won’t be able to fully embrace and love the children.

“It’s automatic,” Pitt assured her. “It’s automatic.”

An avid photographer, Pitt took the cover shot of Jolie on the current issue of “W” as well as photos inside. The pictures, he said, “capture a side of Angie that’s so warm and big that you rarely see.”

Pitt and Jolie have been together three years. They’ve been asked many times whether they plan to marry and both have said they would when all people — gay and straight — can enter legal civil unions.

“Angie and I will consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able,” Pitt told Esquire magazine in 2006.

In New Orleans, Curry said she’d asked Jolie if they were going to get married. “Angie said I have to ask Brad,” Curry told Pitt.

Replied Pitt, “If we feel it’s important to our kids, we’ll do so.”

Sources: Mike Celizic

Madonna Post-Guy: Drinks with Penn, Mothering Britney?

Now that Madonna is officially free of Guy Ritchie, is she looking to reconnect with a couple of people from her past? Not only was the Big M recently spied having a drink with her first ex-husband, Sean Penn, but she's also believed to be trying to bring Britney Spears back into her inner circle.

On Wednesday night, Madonna, 50, reportedly raised a glass with Penn at the Greenwich Hotel in New York following her weed-whacked appearance (see above) at a Gucci bash.

Their conversation remains a mystery, although perhaps the former flames were reminiscing about their famously volatile four-year union, which ended in 1989, not long after the well-muscled pop icon filed an assault complaint against the ornery actor.

"They have a nice rapport," a mole tells People. "There's nothing romantic there. They're just good friends."

So good that Penn, who reconciled with wife Robin Wright earlier this year, supposedly text-messaged Madonna after filming his lip-lock scene with James Franco in "Milk," telling her, "I just popped my cherry kissing a guy. I thought of you. I don't know why."

Meanwhile, the London Daily Mail speculates that Madonna is looking to lure Britney back into the Kabbalah fold, a rumor that comes a few weeks after the road-to-recovery-walking popster joined her onstage at the Los Angeles stop of her Sticky & Sweet tour

Sources : msn.com

Michael Jackson reaches settlement with sheik

LONDON - Lawyers for Michael Jackson have reached a settlement with a Bahraini sheik who says the singer owes him $7 million after breaching a signed contract, the pop star’s spokeswoman said Sunday.

The out-of-court settlement means Jackson will not be giving evidence at London’s High Court as scheduled on Monday, Celena Aponte said.

Scores of journalists and fans had been expected to cram the courtroom for the appearance by the always-unpredictable King of Pop. Aponte said Jackson was informed of the deal as he was about to board a flight to London.

“As Mr. Jackson was about to board his plane to London, he was advised by his legal team to postpone his travels since the parties had concluded a settlement in principle,” Aponte said. “Therefore, he will not be attending court on Monday.”

A representative for the sheik could not immediately be reached late Sunday.

Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa 33, invited Jackson to the small, oil-rich Gulf state to escape the media spotlight.

He said he gave the singer millions and planned a series of collaborations following Jackson’s acquittal on child molestation charges in June 2005. Al Khalifa,

The sheik, the second son of the king of Bahrain, said he believed he had formed “a close personal relationship” with the star, whom he referred to affectionately as “my brother.”

Al Khalifa said he gave Jackson millions of dollars to help shore up his finances and subsidize Jackson’s lifestyle in Bahrain — including more than $300,000 for a “motivational guru.” Al Khalifa, an amateur songwriter, says the pair even moved into the same palace to work on music together. Jackson dropped the project in 2006, leaving Bahrain and pulling out of the contract.

Jackson’s lawyers have maintained the money was a gift and argued that the musician wasn’t bound by the deal because the contract was signed on behalf of 2 Seas Records, a venture which never got off the ground.

The singer originally wanted to avoid coming to London to answer the lawsuit in person, seeking instead to give evidence by video link from the United States. His lawyer, Robert Englehart, had claimed that Jackson should be spared the trans-Atlantic trip due to an unspecified illness, but on Thursday the lawyer said the 50-year-old star had been cleared for travel.

The suit is being heard in London by mutual agreement.

Jackson’s purported medical problems — and his sometimes bizarre demeanor — have been a regular feature of previous court appearances. His 2005 trial was punctuated by complaints of back problems, an apparent bout with the flu and visits to the hospital. At one point, the judge had to order the pajama-clad star into court from the emergency room.

Sources : msnbc.msn.com

2008's Best and Worst Couples

Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel is the best couples.
Justin gives Jessica piggyback rides. Last seen doing so in a small Italian village off the Amalfi coast (the location itself just triples the "aww" factor). Aside from the couple's ability to increase the romance in little ways — like, above, hand in hand campaigning for a new president — the big things also matter. For example, they are were in Italy primarily because Jessica was bridesmaid to her former 7th Heaven co-star, Beverley Mitchell, and it is a BIG DEAL that Justin accompanied Jessica to the wedding. Most boyfriends would dodge that -- and consequently, dodge what-if's about their future wedding. But Justin? He put on a suit and, just for a day, pretended he wasn't the biggest phenom present at those nuptials.

Hollywood's Top-Earning Couples

What happens when you marry an $82 million hip-hop brand and an $80 million R&B empire? You get Hollywood's best-paid power couple. Thanks to a monster year filled with music, movies, fashion and endorsement deals, Jay-Z and his new bride, Beyonce Knowles, collectively raked in $162 million between June 1, 2007 and June 1, 2008. The jaw-dropping sum garners them bragging rights atop our first annual ranking of Hollywood's Top-Earning Couples, a list that also includes A-list pairings Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, David Beckham and Victoria Beckham, Tom Cruise and ,Katie Holmes, and ,Ben Affleck,and ,Jennifer Garner, among others. In Pictures: Hollywood's Top-Earning Couples "Naturally, powerful people tend to gravitate toward other powerful people," explains clinical psychologist and celebrity researcher Jim Houran, for reasons that range from proximity (stars hang around other stars) to familiarity (people are attracted, at least initially, to others like them) to clearer expectations (shared priorities make it easier for celebrities to relate). No matter how they get together, the results are good for the bottom line. Take Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. They hauled in some $85 million over the past year, making them No. 2 on our list. Though Jada's resume continues to grow, Will's the family breadwinner. He raked in $80 million in the year ending June 2008, thanks to another set of top-performing blockbusters: "I Am Legend," "The Pursuit of Happyness," and this past summer's "Hancock." Together the flicks banked $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office, making him Hollywood's most bankable star. More galleries on Forbes.com
Hollywood's 10 Top-Earning Actresses Jada pulled in $5 million during the same 12-month period, thanks to roles as an actress ("The Women"), producer ("The Human Contract"), and businesswoman (a stake in beauty line Carol's Daughter). Third: David and Victoria Beckham. Conquering fans on both sides of the Atlantic, the power couple brought in $58 million over the year-long period. Becks' share was $50 million, proving the much-covered move to America has paid off for the British soccer star. Though his Los Angeles Galaxy salary was $5.5 million, the sum more than doubled when his cut of the team's ticket, merchandise, and sponsorship revenues were factored in. He also pulled down a cool $35 million from lucrative endorsement deals with Motorola, Adidas, Coty and PepsiCo, among others. His wife, better known by her pop-star moniker, Posh, generated another $8 million, thanks to her cut of a $23 million Spice Girls reunion tour and a slew of product lines, including sunglasses, perfume, couture clothing, and her DVB jeans line. Not far behind are country sweethearts Tim McGraw and, who collectively brought in $35 million over the course of the year. In addition to the big loot they made on their Soul-2-Soul concert tour, he earned millions from festivals and a double-platinum album, Let It Go. Hill recorded another album, The Hits, and the NFL Sunday Night Football theme song. Every time NBC plays the catchy tune, Hill sees a check. Live-in lovers and tabloid staples Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who banked $34 million together, round out the top five. Along with globe-trotting and parenting six, Jolie appeared on screen in the films "Beowulf" and "A Mighty Heart." During the same period, Pitt spent time both in front of the camera ("Oceans 13," "The Assassination of Jesse James") and behind it ("The Private Lives of Pippa Lee," "A Mighty Heart," and "Tree of Life").
Reporting by Lacey Rose and Lauren Streib

Jessica Simpson wants six children with boyfriend Tony Romo.

The "Do You Know" singer - who recently denied she and the American football star were engaged - is keen to start a family with the sportsman.

Jessica, 28, said: "I'd love six kids running around, but I guess I'll have to start pretty soon. It's a beautiful relationship. Tony is everything I could dream of and I really love him. I'm proud to be his girlfriend."
Jessica insists she is happy to publicly speak about her love life, adding: "Even if things don't work out between Tony and me - though, knock on wood, I believe they will - I don't regret anything I've ever said."
"That's just how I love. I'm all in and I live one moment at a time. If I'm happy, I'll talk about being happy. Maybe I do talk too much, but I still feel as if I'm holding back."
As well as having no problem with sharing her private life with her fans, the blonde beauty is prepared to speak about her divorce from singer Nick Lachey, who she starred with in MTV reality show "Newlyweds."
She told Australia's Daily Telegraph newspaper: "I don't regret the show or my marriage. Not at all. It made me who I am. I admit I'm a ditz and I've had my moments - I'm the first one to walk on stage, trip up in front of thousands of people and split my pants, but I don't take myself too seriously."

Jessica Simpson Claims Boyfriend Tony Romo "Calms" Her

Jessica Simpson says boyfriend Tony Romo "calms" her. The singer-and-actress - who has been dating the American football star for a year - has revealed one of the reasons she loves him so much is because he helps her relax.

Jessica said: "Tony is the whole package. He has taught me to calm down a lot. I'm not organized and he's not organized either - but he does make me want to be organized for us."
"He is a good guy, and he's really just helped me along in life and taught me a lot about being comfortable being myself."

The 28-year-old star also revealed Tony is not the first member of the Dallas Cowboys team to have caught her eye.
She added: "I grew up in Dallas so I had a crush on Troy Aikman, who was the quarterback at the time. The Dallas Cowboys quarterback, I think there's a requirement, like you have to be good looking."

Jessica has recently prompted rumors she may be expecting a baby after she was spotted out in a series of long, floaty dresses and carrying a giant handbag in front of her stomach

Brad Pitt Says Being A Father Has Toughened Him Up

Brad Pitt is "impervious to poo, snot, urine and vomit." The "Ocean's Thirteen" actor - who raises six children with partner Angelina Jolie- revealed becoming a father has toughened him up and ensured he can cope with anything.
He said: "I'm tough as nails. I'm impervious to poo, snot, urine, vomit. You can't get me. You cannot break me down."
Also revealed he and Angelina don't often take their brood shopping because it is such a struggle to get everyone organized.
On Oprah Winfrey TV talk show in an interview which will on-air Wednesday: "We don't go to the mall. It's like a half-an-hour just to get everyone buckled in and make sure they've got their snacks, and Zahara has got a blanket and Shiloh's got her silky."
"Angelina is militant about it. She's right on top of it. Thank God, because I'm always forgetting something!"
Meanwhile, Angelina has revealed she only breastfed her four-month-old twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline for the first three months because she struggled to cope with feeding the babies simultaneously.
She said: "You think, 'Ah, if anybody can do that, I can do that.' There's this football hold - it's a lot harder than it looks in the books. I did that a few times. I would take turns. It just takes a long

Brad Pitt - Mini Biography

Brad Pitt was born in 18 December 1963, Shawnee,Oklahama,USA and raised in Springfield, Missouri. Birth name William Bradley Pitt with 5' 10¾" (1.80 m) height. His mother's name is Jane Etta Hillhouse. His father, William (Bill) Pitt, worked in management at a trucking firm in Springfield. He has a younger brother, Douglas (Doug) Pitt and a younger sister Julie Neal Pitt. At Kickapoo High School, Pitt was involved in sports, debating, student government and school musicals. Pitt attended the University of Missouri, where he majored in journalism with a focus on advertising. He occasionally acted in fraternity shows. He left college two credits short of graduating to move to California. Before he became successful at acting, Pitt supported himself by driving strippers in limos, moving refrigerators and dressing as a giant chicken while working for "el Pollo Loco."
He marry Jennifer Aniston in 29 July 2000 spent $1 million on their weddingand and in 2 October 2005 divorced.

In 1995, Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history


Income :
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) $20,000,000
Troy (2004) $17,500,000
Ocean's Eleven (2001) $30,000,000 ($10m salary + backend participations)
Spy Game (2001) $17,500,000
The Mexican (2001) $10,000,000
Fight Club (1999) $17,500,000
Meet Joe Black (1998) $17,500,000
Seven Years in Tibet (1997) $10,000,000
The Devil's Own (1997) $10,000,000
Sleepers (1996) $10,000,000
Se7en (1995) $4,000,000
Kalifornia (1993) $500,000
Thelma & Louise (1991) $6,000
Cutting Class (1989) $12,000

Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt Want To Adopt From South America

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are keen to adopting a child from South America - but they are finding it difficult to negotiate the complicated adoption laws. The couple already have three adopted children, Maddox, seven, from Cambodia, Pax, four, from Vietnam, and Zahara, three, from Ethiopia. They also have three biological children Shiloh, two, and baby twins Knox and Vivienne.
Jolie recently announced that the couple will be ready to adopt another child from abroad as soon as the twins are six months old.
And the couple is already looking into which part of the world they want their next family addition to come from. But the actress admits that they have already run into difficulties.
Jolie says, "We've thought about South or Latin America, but it's very complicated. Brad and I aren't married, so, as a technically single woman, there are lots of countries I can't adopt from. And, as a technically single man, most countries wouldn't allow Brad to adopt at all. Some countries won't let you adopt a child if you already have a child of the same gender at home."

Angelina Jolie - Biography

Born July 01, 1977 - Possessing an unusual beauty marked by perhaps the most distinctive set of lips in the business (an inheritance from father Steven Tyler), Liv Tyler unsurprisingly made her entrance into acting via the world of modeling.
Next to Liv Tyler, Angelina Jolie is the only actress of her generation who can thank her famous father for the lips that have become her trademark. The actress was born Angelina Jolie Voight to the pillow-lipped Jon Voight and actress Marcheline Bertrand on June 4, 1975, in Los Angeles.Raised mostly by her mother after her parents divorced while she was still a baby, Jolie moved around a lot with her mother and brother. She also did a fair amount of traveling as a professional model, living in such places as London, New York, and Los Angeles before settling for a time in New York as a student at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and New York University, where she first started acting in theater productions. The fledgling actress soon moved on to film with a small role in 1993's Cyborg 2, followed in 1995 by her turn as a computer hacker in the more widely seen Hackers. The film gave her her first taste of recognition, as well as an introduction to Trainspotting's Jonny Lee Miller, to whom she was married for a short time.After appearing in a number of mediocre films, Jolie finally hit it big in 1997 with her Golden Globe-winning performance as George Wallace's wife in the highly acclaimed TV movie George Wallace. The role, coupled with her Emmy-nominated performance in the title role of HBO's Gia, provided Jolie with a new level of professional respect and recognition. She was soon appearing on talk shows and in magazines, answering questions about everything from her multiple tattoos to her famous father to her brief marriage.She was also netting roles in high-profile projects: In 1998 Jolie headlined an ensemble cast that included Sean Connery, Gena Rowlands, Anthony Edwards, Gillian Anderson, Ryan Phillippe, and Madeline Stowe in Playing By Heart. The following year, she was part of another high-voltage cast in Mike Newell's Pushing Tin, co-starring alongside John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, and Cate Blanchett. Although the film was neither a critical nor a financial success, it did little to diminish the rapid ascent of the career of the actress, who was in hot demand for projects that would further elevate her already rising star. In 2000, Jolie's star received one of its greatest boosts to date when the actress won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of a volatile mental patient in Girl, Interrupted. Later that year, her personal life also got a boost in the form of her April marriage to Billy Bob Thornton.Onscreen, Jolie was hard to miss in 2000. She starred in a number of films, including the crime thriller Gone in Sixty Seconds, in which she co-starred as a car thief alongside Nicolas Cage, and Original Sin, a thriller that featured her as the bad-seed bride of a Cuban tycoon (Antonio Banderas). If she was hard to miss in 2000, Jolie was impossible to escape in 2001 with her turn as shapely video-game adventuress Lara Croft in the long anticipated film adaptation of the popular Tomb Raider video-game franchise. Carrying on the tradition of video-game movies that are light on plot but heavy on the action, Tomb Raider (2001) and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life (2003) scored with summer audiences and quickly shot to number one at the box office despite disparaging reviews citing an incoherent story line, unlike Life or Something Like It, the 2002 romantic comedy-drama that critics and audiences alike would rather not have seen. On July 18th, 2002, Jolie filed for divorce from Thornton, claiming that their priorities no longer meshed after having adopted a Cambodian son, Maddox. Though the famously quirky couple were no longer, Angelina's film schedule remained hectic. In 2003 she would play a rich-girl-turned-humanitarian in Beyond Borders, while 2004 saw a host of parts for Jolie, including a role in Oliver Stone's Alexander, an epic biography of Alexander the Great starring Colin Farrell, as well as a turn alongside fellow Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and a role as a tough FBI agent in the thriller Taking Lives. Finally, Jolie closed out the year by lending her voice to Dreamworks' animated kid-flick Shark Tale.While the Jolie-starring Mr. and Mrs. Smith proved one of Summer 2005's biggest money-makers, the actress's name fell on the lips of gossip-mongers for most of the year not for the film itself, but rather for Jolie's relationship with costar Brad Pitt. Though the couple long shirked and denied rumors of an affair, the paparazzi regularly caught them together in public, and Pitt eventually filed for divorce from wife Jennifer Aniston. Subsequently, they not only conceived a child in fall 2005 (whom they named Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, but became foster parents to two adopted children, Maddox and an Ethiopian girl, Zahara Marley. Jolie delivered Shiloh in Namibia, via caesarian section, as May 2006 wrapped, and the couple flew an ob-gyn in from Los Angeles to assist with the birth. By mid-2006, Jolie - as an actress, personality, and sex symbol - claimed an almost matchless status in Hollywood popularity, rivaled only by Jennifer Aniston, ironically. That year saw Jolie claim a supporting role in Robert De Niro's The Good Shepherd, and announce her forthcoming role in Beowulf. By late 2007, talk had begun to swirl in the trades regarding Jolie's enlistment in a high-budget action franchise based on the life and adventures of U.S. intelligence operative Kathi Lynn Austin. Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide