Is Angelina Jolie
a womb raider?

Plus: Jerry Hall auditions men

By Jeannette Walls

MSNBC

updated 9:16 a.m. ET Oct. 26, 2004

Angelina Jolie’s adoption of a Russian baby have sparked charges in that country that the star is a womb raider.

The star upset Russian politicians who claim Jolie failed to follow standard adoption procedures.

“Right now it’s too easy for foreigners to adopt our children,” Lubov Blizhina, a parliamentary deputy, told the London Times. “Once the children are taken out of Russia we have no way of checking that they are being well treated. This wave of foreign adoptions, including Jolie’s case, is very suspicious to us. Don’t they [the non-Russians] have their own children to adopt?”

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The complaint came after Jolie visited several orphanages — rather than going through a central registrar — and allegedly turned down several babies before reportedly selecting a seven month old boy named Gleb.

A friend of Jolie’s told the Times: “She knows from bitter experience that sometimes you have to cut through red tape to save a child and she is more than willing to do that.”

Satisfaction
IMAGE: Hall
Hy / Getty Images file
Jerry Hall is auditioning replacements for Mick Jagger.

The long-suffering former Mrs. Jagger, a former supermodel, is tentatively starring in a reality TV show in which fifteen guys will compete to be Hall’s “kept man.”

“The lucky competitors will share in [Hall’s] life of luxury, accompanying her to star-studded events, rock ‘n roll parties and socializing with her friends and family in London,” notes a casting call being sent to potential contestants. The notice invites “attractive, charismatic man who appears to be between the ages of 25 and 40” to send a photo, tape and such, in hopes of being selected by Hall for the VH1 show, “Kept,” which is scheduled for next year.

There is no promise, however, that the winner will be a kept man for life. The casting call notes: “No guarantee is made by VH1 or Jerry Hall that contestants or winners will be supported (either financially or otherwise) by Ms. Hall or share in her lifestyle following completion of the competition.”

Notes from all over
IMAGE: Costners
Darren Staples / Reuters
Kevin Costner’s wife, Christine, is said to be working on a line of designer handbags. . . . Mightybids.com, an on-line auction site has pulled a license plate from sale that had been touted as the first license plate minted by the recently jailed Martha Stewart. The item was a hoax. . . . Reneé Zellweger says she enjoys being a brunette because nobody recognizes her. “I didn’t think it would make such a big difference, but now I can go to Starbucks and just pay for my coffee and go home. Nobody stops me, which is fantastic,” the star said while promoting "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason." “I have real conversations with people. And even at the airport I get treated badly. Just like everybody else.” Don’t be surprised if she reverts to blond, though, Being treated like everybody else might wear thin.