Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have accepted undisclosed damages in London’s High Court to settle a privacy claim against a British tabloid, the News of the World, after it reported in January that they had agreed to separate. “When the News of the World failed to publicly retract the allegations and apologise for them – thereby leaving their readers in the dark as to the true position – the couple felt they had no alternative than to sue,” the couple’s lawyer, Keith Schilling, said. “Today’s victory marks the end of the litigation brought by Brad and Angelina.”
In the meantime, Jolie had been busy publicising her latest film, Salt, and dispelling any leftover rumours of untoward tension in the Jolie-Pitt household. She told CoverShowbiz that she was proud of how she had matured. She said she was no longer looking for something to make herself feel valued and credited her relationship with Brad for that. She also said that, while she had indeed changed, having kids was in no way evidence that her risk-taking days were over. Having kids was the biggest leap of faith she had ever taken, she said, adding that it was the hardest job in the world. “People tend to sum up times in your life and simplify. I would say there’s a way of being bold when you’re young that seems very brave. What’s perceived as tough is a very funny thing. I think to be a parent is one of the scariest, boldest things to do, as opposed to, um, getting a tattoo. Much more than jumping into a pool when you’re 20,” she told USA Today newspaper. “I see it almost as the flip side. I think I’m finally living completely free and brave. I’m bolder now. I was a lot less when I was younger.” – stuff.co.nz
And as for Brad, well he'd been having fun away from home and family right here in New Zealand - first allegedly spotted in Dunedin (Otago Daily Times) and then [again, allegedly] munching curry with Sir Peter Jackson in a Wellington restaurant. Staff at the restaurant said that Pitt [if indeed it was him] ordered chicken korma, butter chicken, and a garlic naan. In dim light, and with Pitt wearing a cap, staff and the other diners had failed to notice him right away, reported The Dominion Post. Since then, however, the staff have had second thoughts … manager Makesh Bartwai later said he could not be certain because a customer had told them who Pitt was only after he left. “There are so many celebrities that come and we hardly know them because we are not very fond of Hollywood movies,” he said.
Salt will be showing in movie theatres in August.
Goodbye
: Sir Randal Elliott, KBE, New Zealand eye surgeon and safety glass campaigner, and Bailiff Grand Cross in the Order of St John, the highest award in the St John honours and limited to 10 people worldwide; aged 87.
: Barrie Devenport, who on November 20, 1962, made history as the first person in modern times to swim Cook Strait ; aged 75
: Edna, Lady Healey, writer, historian, and documentary-maker and wife of former British Labour chancellor of the exchequer Denis Healey; aged 92.
: Lieutenant-General Peter Walls, the last commander of white Rhodesian forces during the bush war that led to the creation of Zimbabwe in 1980, and who commanded the new black republic’s forces; aged 83.
: Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins, Northern Irish-born British snooker player who won the world title twice; aged 61.
: Barry (Finbarr Patrick Kieran) Bresnihan, leading Irish rheumatologist and rugby centre who toured New Zealand with the Lions in 1966; aged 66.
Cameron wants roots
Cameron Diaz got the independence and confidence that have been the hallmarks of both her personal and professional lives from the five years she spent modelling all over the world, she told John Hiscock in The Daily Telegraph. Having been ‘discovered’ at a Hollywood party by a fashion photographer and, with her parents approval, she was off around the world. When she was 21 she got a break into the acting world and a whole new career opened up to her. Diaz had auditioned for a small role in Mask, starring Jim Carrey - instead (after 12 auditions) she was offered the leading role, Carrey’s chief love interest. “She was suddenly a hot commodity and few actresses have had a faster ride to the top,” Hiscock writes.
Many years, many movies, and many moves later, Diaz said she was now thinking of leaving Hollywood and getting in touch with some roots – literally. “I don’t want to say I’ve seen it all because this world is so vast, but I’ve always been on the move and what I’d love to do is spend a whole year in one place, actually on a farm, where I get to raise my own crops and my own livestock and for once in my life see just how life is cultivated. It’s almost like this primal thing. I really just feel like the earth is where we all come from and we have nothing if we don’t have soil and water and sun. I’ve read a lot about agriculture and I feel the need inside me to work with the earth in some way. I guess it would be like a painter having to paint.”
Laura gets to sail
A Dutch judge has ruled that 14 year-old Laura Dekker would be allowed to sail around the world solo, The Associated Press reports. If she succeeds, she will be the youngest person to do this. “I was so happy I almost jumped into the water,” gushed Laura when she heard the decision. Laura has a New Zealand passport because she was born on her parents’ yacht in New Zealand waters when they were sailing the world. Laura and her family have fought for a year for this result. Dutch protection agencies had got wind of Laura’s plans last year and went to court and got an order placing her under a legal guardianship, meaning she could not set sail. It was found initially that Laura was underprepared for the trip. Concerns were also raised about her psychological and social development if she spent two years away from peers and school. But Laura and her father worked to tackle the shortcomings – organising remote schooling, getting a better yacht, learning how to suture her own wounds, put out onboard fires, and cope with sleep deprivation. Even Laura’s mother, Babs Mueller, who initially was against the trip, was convinced and now says she backs her daughter. The judge’s final decision was not popular with everyone – members of the public such as Sonja Trott, 32, felt Laura was far too young for such responsibility. “I think a 14 year-old is not capable of making such a decision and of completely grasping the implications of such an adventure … there is a huge lack of responsibility by the parents.” Nevertheless, Presiding Judge S Kuypers ruled that the responsibility for Laura now “lies with her parents. It is up to them to decide whether Laura can set off on her sail trip,” she said.
A Dutch judge has ruled that 14 year-old Laura Dekker would be allowed to sail around the world solo, 
