InTouch has a nearly five minute video interview with Angelina Jolie’s adopted daughter Zahara’s grandmother, Mentewab Dawit Lebisoin, in Ethiopia. (The video is shown below.) During the interview Lebisoin’s voice is quiet and her mood is somber, she seems sad and deeply affected by the decision to give Zahara up for adoption. She speaks softly through an interpretor, saying that her daughter, Zahara’s mother, was alive when Zahara was given up for adoption and that she never claimed she was dead and clearly told the adoption agency that Zahara’s mother ran away. Zahara’s mother left her, Lebisoin says, because she was poor and unable to care for the baby. Although she doesn’t mention it in the interview shown, Zahara’s mother was also said to have been the victim of rape, which resulted in the pregnancy.

Lebisoin shows a photo on a laptop of her grinning daughter holding a large picture of Zahara as a baby in a carrier with Angelina Jolie. Zahara’s grandmother says she never met Angelina and that Angelina never came to see any of Zahara’s extended family when the journalist asks her about it. She says that journalists came to see her after Zahara was adopted, though.

At the end of the tape the reporter asks Lebisoin if she has ever received a letter or any correspondence from Angelina and it looks like she nods her head while she’s responding, but that’s when the tape cuts off. It seems like In Touch wants us to buy the magazine to see what she said and if she has received any word from Angelina.

There was speculation that Zahara’s mother would half-heartedly try to ask for custody of the toddler, who will turn three in January. The Jolie-Pitts have squashed all of those rumors, and say that Zahara’s adoption is “legal and irreversible.”

Lebision’s statement that her daughter is alive and that she never claimed that she was deceased contradicts earlier reports that have her bringing three different relatives to court to testify that her daughter was dead in order to secure Zahara’s adoption. In Touch reports that the adoption agency is now asking for a police investigation to see if Lebision is telling the truth.

Here’s the video, thanks to InTouch:

Zahara is shown eating an ice cream while going on a horse and carriage ride in NY with Brad Pitt on 8/29/07, thanks to Splash News.

Despite all the hoopla that “In Touch” drummed up (and we repeated) about Zahara Jolie-Pitt’s adoption, Zahara isn’t going anywhere. To be fair, “In Touch” made it clear they didn’t think there was any way that Zahara’s birth mother could get her back. They just said that she was still alive, Zahara was not an AIDS orphan, and that the mother thought she’d be able to see Zahara again and was devastated that she couldn’t. Reading the article, your heart does go out to the birth mother. She was raped, became pregnant, and was dirt poor and unable to care for her child. The grandma who gave Zahara away is another story. Though she manages to come off like a victim too, she was a bit more duplicitous. She told the adoption agency that her daughter was dead after she ran away. It wasn’t really possible to tell from “In Touch’s” article if the grandmother really thought her daughter was dead, or just said that so Zahara could be adopted. But the grandmother produced three witnesses who also verified that her daughter was dead.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s 2005 adoption of daughter Zahara was “legal and irrevocable,” the head of adoption agency Wide Horizons for Children said Thursday, calling bunk claims that the girl’s birth family is seeking her return to Ethiopia. Tsegaye Berhe spoke out to clarify the legitimacy of Jolie and Pitt’s adoption in the wake of reports that members of two-year-old’s family, including her presumed-dead birth mother, want Zahara back.

Mentewab Dawit Lebiso, a 24-year-old Ethiopian native, made the challenge, claiming to In Touch Weekly she was Zahara’s birth mother. On the adoption papers filed two years ago, it indicated that Zahara’s birth mother had died of AIDS and that the identity of her birth father was not known. Both Lebiso and another woman claiming to be Zahara’s aunt also said they didn’t fully understand what it meant to put a child up for adoption and that they believed Jolie and Pitt would be bringing the child back for frequent family visits. Berhe said that even if their account were true, the stars would be under no obligation to keep in touch with the family.

“The court in Addis Ababa approved the adoption after studying the document her grandmother wrote…saying her daughter, the mother of Zahara, had died and she was too poor to bring her up… the grandmother brought three witnesses to court who testified that Zahara’s mother had died and that her father was unknown…The court also investigated the social status of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt before approving the adoption.”

[From E! News]

If nothing else, it sounds like Zahara’s birth mother had nothing to do with giving her up for adoption. It could be argued that by running away, she gave Zahara up. But you have to remember that she was a young woman who was (presumably) severely traumatized by a rape and a new baby. She was also dirt poor and struggling to feed her baby. Overwhelmed isn’t even the right word for how she must have felt. It really does seem like the mother has almost no legal recourse at this point, though I’m guessing she’s pretty upset at the grandmother for giving her daughter away. Hopefully she’ll get to meet Zahara someday, and they’ll both have good lives.

“In Touch” is set to publish an article claiming that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt may have to return their adopted daughter, Zahara. Angelina adopted her from Ethiopia in June 2005 when Zahara was six months old. Zahara was severely dehydrated and malnourished and had to be hospitalized when she first came to the U.S. Angelina said, “she was six months and not nine pounds. Her skin, you could squeeze it, it stuck together.” When she adopted Zahara, Angelina was told that she was an AIDS orphan. However it’s now looking like that’s not really the case, and Zahara’s birth mother is alive and well – and wants her daughter back.

“She’s from Ethiopia. She’s an AIDS orphan,” Angelina said. But Zahara’s adoption papers, which an “In Touch” representative was shown on November 12, clearly states that Zahara has a grandmother and extended family alive in Africa— and the grandmother introduced “In Touch” to her daughter, who claims to be Zahara’s mother.

The cover story notes that while her birth family may not be able to afford to challenge Zahara’s adoption, they do claim they were misled. They say a local official, who took Zahara to the adoption agency, told the family they would get to see the baby again and maintain contact with her. Most people hoping to adopt who are working with the U.S.- based agency Wide Horizons for Children (which Angelina used to adopt Zahara) visit the child’s village and surviving family members.

[From the National Ledger]

Angelina is said to have wanted to travel to visit Zahara’s village and meet her extended family, but wasn’t able to since there were so many journalists trailing her. Perhaps if the circumstances had been different, she would have been able to meet Zahara’s grandmother, who signed the adoption papers turning Zahara over to Wide Horizons. The article goes on to say that Zahara’s birth mother, Mentewab Dawit Lebiso, was raped by a man who broke into her home and became pregnant with Zahara. Lebiso briefly ran away after feeling frustrated and scared with the responsibility of the child. It was during this time that her grandmother gave Zahara to the adoption agency, since she was unable to provide for the child. It isn’t clear from the article if the grandmother really thought her daughter was dead, or simply said so to proceed with the adoption.

Could her birth mother get Zahara back? Mentewab Dawit Lebiso, 24, the woman that claims to be the birth mother never signed the papers giving up her daughter, which could give her a case for getting Zahara back — if she had the money to pursue it. “If some family member comes in and leaves the child at an orphanage and signs her over, and then the mother wants her back, you can make the argument that the person didn’t truly understand that their child is gone forever,” says adoption specialist Jerri Jenista.

Mentewab struggled to feed her family. “Sometimes all I had was a piece of bread all day,” she tells In Touch. Zahara’s mother Mentewab sells onions at the market. Her grandmother Almaz says they couldn’t afford to keep Zahar. “I would tell other families not to give up their children,” says Zahara’s aunt Frehiwot, 18, with another aunt, Zinash Haile Yenero. “I would tell them what happened to us.”

Dawit Lebiso, 24, tells In Touch. “Her grandmother and I both tried very hard to raise her, and I want her to come home to regain her identity.”

[From the National Ledger]

Angelina is said to be aware of the existence of Zahara’s birth mother, though for how long isn’t clear. The article goes on to say that Angie believes what’s most important is what’s best for Zahara, and in her opinion that’s staying with her. From all the things that have been written about her, it seems clear that Angie does want to make sure Zahara knows where she comes from, appreciates her history, and has a sense of connection. But “In Touch” states that Angelina doesn’t want Zahara to meet her biological family at such a young age, feeling that it could be confusing to her. Other adoption experts say it’s a good idea to do that early on so it’s always a part of the child’s life. It seems highly unlikely that Brad and Angelina would actually have to give Zahara back, but it’s interesting to know more of her history.

Madonna and Guy Richie’s adoption plans are all falling apart. The material girl is looking into adopt another baby from Malawi, where she adopted son David Banda from, but has been set back by the fact that the little girl’s family doesn’t want her taken away from them.

But in a devastating blow to Madonna’s dream, Mercy’s defiant uncle John Ngalande insisted that the 20-month-old girl will live with him.

Speaking from Malawi, John told The People: “I would rather we be poor and struggling with Mercy, than for her to go and live with a big white star far away.”

Mercy was put in an orphanage when her 18-year-old mother Mwandida Maunde died. Her father was a schoolboy and has played little part in her life.

John, 36, revealed that he always expected the tot would eventually live with him and is outraged at the thought of her being taken away by 49-year-old Madonna.

John said: “We were told when Mercy went into the orphanage that we would be in constant contact with her and that she would come back to us after six years. I would like to stick to that.

“Whether it be Madonna or any other white person, I’m against our child being taken away.”

The People

Madonna’s adoption of David is yet to be completed, with UK tabloid The People claiming there will be two more visits from an adoption official and a Malawi court appearance to finalize the process. I’m not sure if she would have to go through similar scrutiny for a second adoption, as Malawi has no formal adoption process.

The final court decision around David is said to take place in April, which is when it is suggested that Madonna would have liked to take Mercy home to London.

While some people might think that it is better to raise a child in wealth in London, I’m really glad that the family can just say no. A far bigger tragedy for the family would be to lose their child – and if adoption officials can be sent to London to investigate, surely the cost of an international airfare would go a long way to helping them raise the child themselves. Unfortunately, Malawi is a very poor country, and so many children are separated from their families not just because of death, but also because of poverty.

Obviously Madonna could probably give money to the family for the little girl too, but I think the issue is more that they aren’t able to take care of a small child than the cost. Besides, no matter how much money you have, you can never right all the world’s wrongs.

Note by Celebitchy: I think the issue is that the family isn’t about to take care of a child because they have to work all day, which they wouldn’t have to do if they had the pittance that Madonna would need to give them to be able to eat and clothe themselves in Malawi. Still, I doubt this story is true, considering that it originated in a random paper I haven’t heard of before.

Pictures are of Madonna and Davie on their trip to Africa in April, where Madonna shafted Davie’s dad at the last minute, denying him a chance to see the infant son he had to give up.

Angelina Jolie might be sporting a baby bump – or is it just adoptive mother hormones making her plump around the middle? It’s Monday again, and could be a slow week for gossip, so naturally we had to have some Brangelina’s going to adopt rumors:

The Daily Mail reports the 32-year-old actress has procured the help of one of the country’s leading monks to plan a trip to an orphanage.

“Ever since I was about 12, I’ve always wanted to adopt — I don’t know why,” Jolie said recently. “We want to have a big, big family,”

A source claims Jolie is desperate to help Third World countries and feels the repressive disposition of the Republic of Burma is the ideal place to adopt.

“Angelina feels she is barely making a dent in the suffering she sees throughout the Third World as she travels incognito to different countries as a United Nations representative,” the source said.

“She’s in talks to go into Burma and help with students and AIDS victims who are suffering terribly.”

ninemsn.com.au

I’m probably not too inclined to believe this report, as Angelina has frequently spoken about adopting from Africa to give Zahara an immediate family member to relate to. I also don’t believe the part where Angelina is said to travel ‘incognitoto different nations’, as I doubt she can travel anywhere on Earth without being recognized.

If rumors about Brad and Angie giving Maddox $US50 for every tooth he loses are true, it could get expensive for them, by average-people standards, to have more kids. Kids loose twenty teeth in childhood, so four kids at $50 a tooth, that is $4,000. That’s a lot more than the dollar I used to get for each tooth I lost, on the condition I faked belief in the Tooth Fairy. Still, that’s pocket change for Brad and Angelina.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Angelina is shown with Pax and Zahara on Friday in NY. They dropped Maddox off at school and went to a Barnes and Noble. I swear they’re just trying to get a lot of pictures out so we get bored of them. It’s probably working, but if Angelina is pregnant all bets are off. Thanks to WENN for these photos.

Weeds star Mary-Louise Parker has adopted a baby girl from Africa, a younger sibling for her three-year-old son William.

Parker, who was nominated for two Emmy awards Sunday night, was spotted with her new daughter over the weekend as they travelled to the show.

“Mary-Louise is such an incredible mom,” says a source. “She couldn’t be happier about this.”

The actress’s reps declined to reveal any more information about the adoption.

People

In case we’d all forgotten, Billy Crudup, then aged 36, dumped his partner of eight years for Claire Danes aged 25, when Mary-Louise Parker was seven months pregnant. Three years later Claire Danes cheated on him with co-star Hugh Dancy. Living well is the best revenge for Mary-Louise, and she’s starring in a hit show and adopting a baby, while Billy’s last significant role was in The Good Shepherd.

Hopefully Mary-Louise hasn’t adopted the baby from Malawi, as I’m not sure what investigating officials might think of her starring on a show called Weeds about a pot dealing mom. Madonna’s most dubious exploits are in the past!

Congratulations Mary-Louise Parker and big brother William!

Nicole Kidman has a very revealing (for her) interview in October’s issue of “Vanity Fair.” The actress talks a bit more in depth about her marriage to Tom Cruise, and confirms some rumors that floated around the time of their divorce. People were always questioning what was “wrong” with their marriage since they never had biological children. That always annoyed the crap out of me – people can choose to adopt for a million reasons, most of them having nothing to do with anything being “wrong.” I think it was more fuel for the “Is Tom Cruise gay?” fire, just like Jamie Lee Curtis adopting was more fuel for the “Is she really a hermaphrodite?” fire. With the adopting doesn’t prove anything, people seem to think it bolsters their case. In Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s case, she confirms that she had a miscarriage when she was 23 which devastated her. She met Tom Cruise in 1990, when she was 23, so it was obviously very early in their relationship.

“Nicole Kidman has revealed how early on in her marriage to her ex Tom Cruise she became pregnant and lost the baby due to miscarriage. Kidman has never spoken about the miscarriage until now in her interview with Vanity Fair, and said that it happened when she was 23.

“However, Kidman was so desperate to have a baby that the couple decided to adopt less than two years later. She also admits how she’s wanted a child of her own since she was 17.”

[From the Cleveland Leader]

Nicole makes it clear in the interview that she really loved Tom and was willing to give up a lot to be with him, even if that meant her career. She never comes across as a victim of his reportedly controlling ways though.

“‘My agents told me, “Once you become Mrs. Tom Cruise, you do know your career is going to die,’” says Kidman, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in 2002’s ‘The Hours.’

“‘I was appalled,’ she says. ‘I was like, “Hello? I’m in love, and I don’t care if it’s shooting myself in the foot. I’d much rather be married and have a family.”’

“The couple ‘lost a baby early on, so that was really very traumatic,’ she says. ‘And that’s when it came that we would adopt Bella.’

“Cryptically, she adds: ‘There’s a complicated background to that, given that I never speak much about many things. One day maybe that story will be told.’”

[From the Associated Press]

You’ve got to give Tom and Nicole some credit for adopting because they really wanted kids. It wasn’t the trendy thing to do back in the day, and no one added on to their brood like they were picking out vegetables at the grocery store. Sometimes it’s hard not to feel badly for Nicole, even though she seems a bit too prim and slightly ice queeny. And I’m not even going to touch that Botoxed brow of hers – mostly because I’m afraid the toxin might leak through. But she seemed to give up a lot of herself to be with Tom. She converted to Scientology (though she later said she never believed any of it) which must have been difficult, given that her father is a very prominent Australian biochemist and a clinical psychologist – and Scientology labels all psychiatry a “pseudo-science.” She was willing to give up her career – though she’s had some great roles and seems to have done fine in that regard. You just get the feeling that she really lived under Tom’s thumb (so to speak). I’m not even going to touch the “Tom Cruise is gay” issue, but only because he sues the pants off of anyone who dares to suggest it. Nicole says she’s like to have a biological child with husband Keith Urban, who is slowly coming around to the idea. Even though the couple have had some struggles relating to his substance abuse, she seems a lot happier with him, and he seems all around less scary and controlling than Tom. Let’s hope they get what they want, and stay far, far away from Xenu.

The fertile womb/abundant adoption papers that are Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt may be simmering again (do wombs simmer?) – Pitt has publicly confirmed that the pair is ready and looking to add on to their already plentiful brood. This confirms much speculation that the two were looking to adopt another child – though there’s also been speculation that Brad wants another biological baby. Probably not the best idea, considering Angelina appeared to actually lose weight when she was pregnant with Shiloh. But nonetheless, the bounty that is Brangelina will soon be growing, whether through nature or extensive legal documents and financial wranglings.

“Brad Pitt and his partner Angelina Jolie are ready for another child, the actor said Sunday as he was promoting his new film. Pitt and Jolie, with children in tow, were in Venice to talk about his film on Western outlaw Jesse James. The movie is competing for the top Golden Lion award at the city’s film festival. Pitt and Jolie already have four children including a 15-month-old girl, Shiloh, born to the couple. Jolie has also adopted three children close in age from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam. Asked by Italian state TV whether they were ready for a fifth, Pitt replied: ‘Yeah we’re ready.’

He did not indicate whether they planned another biological child or if they would adopt. Earlier on Sunday, Pitt told a news conference fatherhood was fun and good for his work, though he’s not getting much sleep. ‘It’s the most fun I’ve ever had and also the biggest pain … I’ve ever experienced,’ he said when asked what it was like to become a family with four children in a short space of time. ‘I love it and can’t recommend it any more highly - although sleep is nonexistent.’ Having four small children ‘makes me much more efficient because when I work, I really have to focus. I know I’ve less time to get things done. Actually, I’m quite pleased by it,’ said Pitt.”

[From the Washington Post]

Brad Pitt admitting that raising four children is the biggest pain he’s ever experienced makes me seriously question whether or not I should ever be a parent. I mean this is a guy who used to date Gwyneth Paltrow – and he’s saying having kids is worse. That makes you think. Seriously though, I admire anyone who publicly admits that being a parent is hard and a big pain sometimes. I think it makes parents everywhere feel a little less guilty that they aren’t in love with the job 100% of the time. And Brad Pitt has 8 nannies on retainer in 98% of the countries around the world. True story. (And by true I mean I randomly picked some numbers and said it was true). My point being that he can afford the best childcare around, and he’s still exhausted. But it must be worth it if he wants to add on – and let’s be honest; Brangelina adding on another kid is not the same thing as you or I popping one out. He probably has a person who’s sole duty is to powder the kids’ butts on the diaper assembly line they must have.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Brad and Angelina are shown at The Assassination of Jesse James screening at the 33rd American Film Festival of Deauville, France, this weekend. Images thanks to Splash News.

Malawi is hardcore when it comes to adopting kids. Though there were a lot of accusations flying around about Madonna’s adoption of David Banda – most involving special treatment – the country has been rigid about required follow-ups. Special representatives must visit Madonna and her husband, director Guy Ritchie, in England twice, and make recommendations about whether or not the couple should be able to actually adopt David. Even though he’s been living with the family for about a year, the process is far from complete. Apparently the process had hit a snag when Penstone Kilembe, a Malawian official for the courts, was denied permission to travel to London by the Malawian minister of women and child development. Apparently they felt he’d “personalized” the adoption by accepting travel accommodations and money from Madonna. It sounds like they were worried he had been bribed, and just used a nicer word for it. Well it turns out all is well, and Kilembe gets to travel to London after all.

“An official appointed by a Malawi court to assess whether Madonna and her husband would be suitable parents for the child they are seeking to adopt said on Monday he will visit the couple in Britain next month. ‘There has been a change of mind by my government minister and she has allowed me to leave for the UK on September 4 and I am expected to spend two weeks,’ Penstone Kilembe, who had been refused permission to travel to Britain, told Reuters.

“Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie’s attempts to adopt David Banda hit a snag earlier this month when the Malawian minister of women and child development refused to grant Kilembe permission to travel to Britain to assess their suitability. Minister Kate Kainja told a Malawian weekly ‘we feel Mr. Kilembe personalized the whole issue’ and other people could go.

“A Malawi newspaper reported Kilembe was prevented from traveling to Britain because he had accepted a plane ticket and money from Madonna without government approval. Kilembe dismissed the suggestions he asked the pop star for a ticket. ‘What we had with the minister was just a misunderstanding and that has been resolved. Madonna herself has been informed about the new proposed dates because she has been looking forward to this so that her adoption process is not hampered,’ he said.”

[From Reuters]

A lot of adoption and children’s rights groups have said Madonna is using her fame and money to evade Malawi’s adoption laws, which she had always denied. Penstone Kilembe will testify regarding his opinions on Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s parental fitness next year. It’s amazing that a country would go to such great lengths to ensure that one of it’s semi-orphaned children is adopted into a loving home. But something tells me this has more to do with the worldwide scrutiny this case has received. And not many people would consider Madonna to be particularly warm. Hopefully she’s doing this for the right reasons – they’ve certainly made her jump through a lot of hoops. Let’s hope she’s a good mom and gets the kid – and never tries to adopt again.

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Madonna Arrives At Her Local Gym on July 21st. You gotta admire her commitment. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have talked quite a bit about their desired to make sure their adopted children feel really integrated and connected with their family, while understanding their own cultural heritages. Angelina has always seemed especially worried that their only natural child, Shiloh, has unfair advantages, both within the family and life in general. As a result, she and Brad have said they would like to “even out” their family racially and culturally. According to the Daily Mail the pair are planning to adopt again, likely from Ethiopia.

“Amid ongoing rumours of an irreparable rift with her partner Brad Pitt, the 32-year-old Oscar-winning star is preparing to travel with him to Ethiopia in three months to adopt another baby - their fourth non-biological child.

“According to sources close to the pair, they hope that another adoption will shore up their relationship as well as helping Zahara, the Ethiopian girl they adopted two years ago, feel more connected to the rest of the family.

“Miss Jolie adopted her eldest son Maddox, from Cambodia, five years ago prior to the start of her relationship with Pitt.

“Earlier this year the couple adopted Pax Thien, three, from Vietnam.

“’Brad and Angie have made no secret of the fact that they are keen to extend their rainbow family,’” said a source close to the couple.

“’But they’ve always been very careful to ensure that they leave enough time between kids so that that each child fully integrates into the family and feels truly settled.’”

[From the Daily Mail]

I really hope they aren’t adopting a kid to save their relationship; that would be just as bad as getting pregnant when there’s trouble, hoping it’ll fix things. That’s a completely unfair burden to put on a child, So let’s hope that’s just ridiculous speculation. I think Angelina’s constant worry about Shiloh having too many advantages is kind of bizarre. She’s talked about it quite a bit, and there was that whole, “blob” incident where Angelina said, “’Shiloh seemed so privileged from the moment she was born. I have less inclination to feel for her… A newborn really is this…Yes, a blob! But now she’s starting to have a personality…I’m conscious that I have to make sure I don’t ignore her needs, just because I think the others are more vulnerable.’” While she kind of backed away from those statements, she still seems to have this guilt or passive-aggressive resentment towards Shiloh that I just don’t understand.

“Angie in particular feels very strongly that while Shiloh will grow up seeing the family resemblance between herself and her natural parents, and Maddox and Pax will feel a connection through their birthplaces, Zahara has no such close-knit bond.”

[From the Daily Mail]

It’s awesome that they’re looking out for Zahara and making sure she doesn’t feel like the odd girl out, but I can’t help but worry that, in the end, it’ll be Shiloh that gets the short end of the stick. You hardly ever see her out with Angelina when compared to the other kids. I can’t imagine any kid getting luckier, genetically, than Shiloh. It’ll be interesting to see how she turns out. If Brad and Angie are so big on making sure all their kids are represented, theoretically they should have another biological kid to give Shiloh a similar-looking sibling. However at that point, it would seem more like they had teams rather than kids. My favorite quote from the article has Angelina talking about how pricey it is to have kids. “”Brad and I want to continue to adopt, but keeping a big family is expensive.” Hey, if it’s that expensive, how about not spending $18,000 a night on your hotel? Just a thought.

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Brad and Angie at the Ocean’s 13 Los Angeles Movie Premiere on June 5th. Header image at the Mighty Heart NYC premiere on June 13th. Images thanks to PR Photos.