There was an inset story on the cover of this week’s OK! about how J.Lo and Marc Anthony might get back together after their very cozy joint appearance promoting their new reality show. OK! claimed that a source told them Jen is “not nearly as crazy about [Casper] as she was a couple of months ago, he’s half her age and she worries he’s using her for her fame. Add it all up and she’s starting to really open up to the idea of taking Marc back.”

So cue the staged photos of Lopez looking loved-up with her douchetastic younger lover, Casper not-so Smart. Kaiser covered those over the weekend and she very aptly summed up the collective response to this relationship: “Why? The dude isn’t even hot.” (I’m paraphrasing.)

We’ve heard other rumors that Lopez is ready to marry Casper, that she wants his babies, and that she’s setting him up with a hefty allowance and a paid (vague) position on Idol. Well in an appearance on The Today Show this morning, (video is below) Lopez got flustered when Matt Lauer asked her about potentially marrying again, saying it was “too fresh,” but she didn’t rule it out. I’m going to include People’s coverage of this, because it’s safe to assume this is straight from Lopez’s camp:

“I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. We’ll see. I mean, I don’t know,” a slightly flustered Lopez, 42, told Matt Lauer on Monday’s Today show when he asked, “Do you think you’ll marry again?”

“It’s not time to think about that yet,” she said. “It’s still fresh.”

On the topic of appearing with her ex-husband (since last July) Marc Anthony on their new TV show, ¡Q’Viva! The Chosen, Lopez admitted that, given their personal circumstances, it would have been easy to walk away from the show commitment.

But, she explained, “Marc and I were friends before we got married. We were friends for years, and we always loved each other. And we always worked together, so it wasn’t an unnatural thing for us to continue working together. And, obviously, we have children together, so it’s not going to be like he’s not in my life. He’s always going to be in my life.”

She also conceded that there are uncomfortable moments between them, but said, “There is real love there.”

South Beach Fun with Casper Smart
On the relationship front, Lopez was seen getting wild with boyfriend Casper Smart on South Beach this weekend.

After a marathon two-day photo shoot on Ocean Drive in South Beach for an upcoming Vogue magazine feature, Lopez and Smart, 24, joined Latin crooner Enrique Iglesias and a group of other colleagues for dinner at Casa Tua late Saturday night.

“After a festive dinner, she jumped up on the table and performed an impromptu dance in front of Casper, who sat there wide eyed and happy,” a source told PEOPLE. “She was having a blast and looked radiant.”

The source added: “The last time I saw Jennifer at Casa Tua, she was with Marc, and neither performer looked happy. This was like a positive renewal for Jen.”

[From People]

So Marc was a downer for her so she’s bringing her boy toy around and visiting their old haunts in order to wipe the slate clean.

I did get the impression that she still loves Marc and was even a little embarrassed talking about him, like you get when you’re talking about a new lover. So is she keeping the door open for a reconciliation? Is this whole split and “taking younger lovers” thing a publicity stunt for their new reality show? Many of you say you think it is. I don’t think so, but I’m naive like that.

Toward the end of that interview, Lopez laughingly tried to claim that she was trying to give her kids the same kind of upbringing she had except “in a bigger house.” I got a huge kick out of this and I just need to quote her on it:

Lauer: They’re privileged. Does that worry you at all?
Lopez: I think about it. I loved my upbringing. I’ve tried to give them the same thing, just in a bigger house. The same family, they grew up around their cousins and their aunts, just like I did. The same foods, they eat the same foods I did when I was growing up. You know, I try to just keep what was so good about growing up Puerto Rican in the Bronx, lower middle class family. The same things, the same values that were important to my mom and my dad and what I’ve learned from that upbringing I’ve tried to bring to them.

Do you remember that ridiculous baby photo spread she did in People Magazine with the $3,000 stroller? She posed in couture gowns while holding her twins and showed off an elaborate nautical themed nursery with chandeliers. (Marc and J.Lo later sued the stroller company for $30 million for using them in ad campaigns.) Do you remember how her kids fronted a baby Gucci campaign?! I get what Lopez is saying in theory, but how does that translate in practice actually? Does she deny them anything? Does she teach them that they have more than almost anyone else in the world? What are they learning from going on vacation with mommy’s much younger boyfriend? I would buy these lines coming from Jennifer Garner, but Jennifer Lopez, not so much.

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Photo credit: WENN, Fame and Gucci

In our last article on Gabriel Aubry, we mentioned that an emergency hearing requested by Halle Berry for a “no contact” order between Aubry and their nearly four year-old daughter, Nahla, was denied. Aubry currently has supervised visits with Nahla, and it’s expected that those will continue for the time being. To recap: Aubry has been accused by a nanny of verbal abuse, of pushing her on two occasions, once with Nahla in her arms, and of grabbing Nahla from her. A bid by the nanny to get a restraining order against Aubry was also denied. (Radar has the PDF of the ruling denying the restraining order, and the boxes are checked for “does not show reasonable proof,” “fails to show that he or she will suffer great or irreparable harm,” and “fails to show threat of future harm.” It’s written below that in long hand that the petition is “Insufficient and speculative. If there are concerns they should be resolved in family court.”)

Aubry is currently being investigated for misdemeanor battery and child endangerment in conjunction with an altercation with the nanny on January 18. As part of that investigation, child and family services has interviewed both Berry and Aubry separately, as is reportedly standard in cases like this. Radar has the details of the interview with Aubry, and after getting the semi-official excuse from Aubry camp’s that “the nanny tripped” and wasn’t pushed, they’re also getting his very deep thoughts on having to speak to authorities. Poor pretty Gabe feels like “he is living in a police state.”

The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services has formally interviewed Halle Berry’s baby daddy, Gabriel Aubry, in connection with allegations that he pushed a nanny while she was holding the former couple’s three year old daughter, Nahla, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.

Aubry’s interview with social workers was thorough and exhaustive. “These are very serious allegations and Gabriel was obviously very nervous,” a source close to Aubrey tells RadarOnline.com. “Gabriel feels that he is living in a police state as far as his time with his daughter is concerned.

“He is a doting and loving father and extremely attentive to Nahla. His daughter wasn’t present when the interview took place. The investigation will remain open at this point, but it’s not uncommon at all for officials to keep an investigation open out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of the child.”

[From Radar]

As many of you mentioned in our last story, saying that a person “tripped” or fell is a classic abuser tactic. I’m not saying that Gabe is a nasty monster, or even that all these allegations ring true to me, but he’s not helping his case at all by leaking these ridiculous explanations and defensive quotes to the tabloids. It really does seem that he’s a devoted dad and that he loves Nahla, but if he has anger management issues he needs to have supervised visitation. It’s still hard to know which side to believe given Halle’s obvious tactics in the past to both smear Gabriel and to make sure she pushes him out of their daughter’s life. The truth is probably somewhere in between.

These are just some adorable photos of Ben Affleck, a very pregnant Jennifer Garner (she’s shown below, that’s the nanny above) and their girls Violet, six, and Seraphina, almost three. The girls set up a lemonade stand outside their mansion and sold drinks to the public. They even sold them to the paparazzi!

Here’s the description from the photo agency, Fame. It’s worded strangely but you get the point:

Violet and her little sister Seraphina Affleck took to their driveway in the Pacific Palisades, California to sell sweet drinks from their homemade lemonade stand on December 27, 2011 with the help of their nanny. Their mother a very pregnant Jennifer Garner bought a cup herself along with her mother and shortly after dad Ben Affleck came out in sweatpants to help get the girls more customers. Ben asked a few of the surrounding photographers if they would like to buy a glass that a few did enjoy from the girls

I think the lemonade stand is a metaphor for how Garner deals with photographers. She knows they’re there and she’s learned to go with it and maximize the cuteness while Ben is not entirely on board. She surely stages some photo ops, but I still don’t believe that every paparazzi outing with this family is orchestrated. I could be wrong, who knows. I give her the benefit of the doubt because she seems normal. (You’ve probably heard me discuss this before about them, it’s my go-to topic with the Garner-Afflecks.)

Garner is looking like she’s due any day now. She might very well be. She made the announcement of her pregnancy back in late August, and if she was four months along at that time she would be eight months now. It’s possible she was even further along in August and wasn’t showing that much. So the Afflecks are going to welcome another little one soon. I’m wondering if they’ll have another girl or if they’re going to have that boy that Ben is rumored to want.

The family is shown with their nanny, and I’m pretty sure it’s the same one Garner gave a shout out to on Jimmy Kimmel earlier this year. Garner’s mom is also there.

Those girls are just so sweet and cute. Seeing them makes me want to have another kid. Look at Seraphina’s bunny slippers! That sign just slays me.

Photo credit: WENN and Fame

So last week there was a multi-state manhunt on for country star Mindy McCready and her five year-old son, Zander. Mindy took Zander from his court-appointed guardian, Mindy’s mother, in Florida. She went all the way to Arkansas, where US Marshalls and police officers found her hiding in a closet of a summer home with the boy. The home was owned by Mindy’s boyfriend. This woman has multiple DUI, drug and assault charges, and she’s claimed that she couldn’t have kidnapped the son she doesn’t have legal custody of because “it would be impossible for me to kidnap what already belongs to me.” In a recent court hearing in Arkansas, Zander was allowed to stay in Arkansas, for now, with a temporary foster family. The court details were sealed so it’s unclear what the judge’s reasoning was or how long the ruling was for. Mindy considers it a victory of sorts.

Well now Mindy is on 20/20 defending herself. Good Morning America had a preview today and she was just as defensive and haughty about her actions as you would expect. She also claimed that poor Zander was screaming and pleading with the police with drawn guns who found them. Mindy claims Zander said “Please don’t touch me, please don’t touch me, please don’t touch my mommy …. I want to be with my mommy!” She’s complaining about how her son was traumatized by a situation that she created. The kid is five years old. Of course he wants to be with his mom, but a judge ruled that she was an unfit parent. Her reasoning for seizing Zander was the same we’ve heard from her before: she gave birth to him, so she pretty much owns him.

“What I did was to protect my child,” she said, “and there’s not a person in the world who will tell me I am wrong.”

The country singer, 36, said when authorities found she and her son at her boyfriend David Wilson’s Arkansas lake house Friday, the boy began screaming and crying for his mother.

“Please don’t touch me, please don’t touch me, please don’t touch my mommy …. I want to be with my mommy!” McCready said Zander, 5, was screaming.

McCready’s mother, Gayle Inge, has had custody of her son since 2007, but the country singer says she feels taking him was not illegal.

“I do not, and will not ever think, that the child who I carried for nine months, who I gave birth to in the hospital by myself … that that would ever be breaking the law,” she said…

Zander has been in foster care in Arkansas since Friday night; after her most recent court appearance Monday, McCready said things in the sealed case were moving in the right direction.

[From Radar]

The details of why McCready took her son were not revealed in this teaser clip, but the interviewer said McCready “reveals some of her family’s deepest, darkest secrets and they were shocking.” Given how she justifies taking him by claiming that she gave birth to him, I would bet that she doesn’t need much of an excuse. We’ve heard that she’s accused her mother of abusing Zander, but no specifics have yet been given and she’s spent a lot of time defending herself and claiming that the boy is hers anyway. If he were being abused, you would think that she would lead with those details instead of continuing to insist that he’s her property. If she has specific details and evidence that Zander was abused though, I’ll gladly eat my words. If she did have that, why would she have stolen the child in the first place?

Also, the reporter said that McCready is six months’ pregnant with twins. Last week McCready told the AP she was seven months pregnant, and her rep told People she was five months pregnant.

Country singer Mindy McCready attended a court hearing yesterday to find out the fate of her son, Zander, who was recovered by police over the weekend after Mindy absconded with the boy from Florida to Arkansas. Following a scheduled visit last week, Mindy was supposed to return Zander to his legal guardian, his grandmother, who has had custody of him since 2007. Instead she fled with the boy cross country, leading to a missing persons report and a multi-state manhunt. US Marshalls and police eventually found Mindy and Zander cowering in the closet of an empty summer home in Arkansas owned by Mindy’s boyfriend. Zander was put in foster care temporarily before a judge could rule on his fate.

After the custody hearing yesterday, Mindy was smiling broadly and said that she just loved the judge. (You can see video of Mindy outside of court, above.) The court details are sealed, but it’s known that Zander will remain in Arkansas with a foster family for now.

“I can’t talk about it, but I can tell you all I’m a happy girl,” the 36-year-old McCready said after the proceeding in Izard County Court.

While she didn’t disclose exactly what was decided in the closed-door session, the troubled entertainer did heap praise on Judge Lee Harrod.

“I love Judge Harrod, I’ll tell you that. I love that man. He’s a good man,” she also told the gaggle of media before driving away.

Later that evening, according to ABC News, McCready texted HLN’s Jane Valez Mitchell, which the host read on the air.

WE WON!!! ZAN STAYS,” wrote the I’m Still Here singer. “Court details sealed but we love Judge Lee W. Harrod.”

Given it’s a family matter and court documents are sealed, it’s unknown if, in fact, the judge granted the country star permanent custody or temporary custody, like allowing her to take her son back with her to Nashville, or whether he ordered Zander remanded to his grandparents.

An attorney for McCready was unavailable for comment, but her camp did issue a statement to E! News confirming that “Mindy and Zander both remain in Arkansas at this time” and that “Zander remains with a foster care family” there.

[From E! Online]

After fleeing with Zander, Mindy told the AP that she was seven months pregnant with twins, and then her rep confirmed to People that she was just five months’ pregnant with twins. In the video of her leaving the court room she’s wearing a big poncho and it’s hard to tell, but she doesn’t look seven months pregnant with twins. That was one of her excuses for not returning Zander. Another excuse was that he was her property and “it would be impossible for me to kidnap what already belongs to me.” She also accused her mother of abuse. Mindy has a long and storied history with the law and with addiction. I’m thinking she would easily lie to get her way, since she had no problem breaking the law. Still, many of you commented that it’s not unlikely that Mindy’s mother could be abusing Zander. Look at how her own daughter turned out.

Second two photos above are from 2008. Credit: WENN

Country singer Mindy McCready, 36, made headlines for something other than a DUI or a drunken fight last week when she kidnapped her five year-old son, Zander, from the care of his legal guardian, Mindy’s mother. Instead of returning the boy after a scheduled visit last week, Mindy fled from Florida to Tennessee and then Arkansas. A missing person’s report went out for Zander and a court order was issued for him to be returned to his grandmother last Thursday. Mindy claimed she didn’t do anything wrong because her son was her property. She said “I did not steal my child, as it would be impossible for me to kidnap what already belongs to me! There never was any missing persons report and never an Amber Alert.” There was definitely a missing person’s report but that didn’t seem to faze Mindy. Also, she claimed she couldn’t return Zander since she was either five or seven months pregnant with twins, depending on which outlet she was talking to. Well all that is over now because authorities found Mindy and Zander at her boyfriend’s home in Arkansas. When cops stormed the home, Mindy and the boy were hiding in a closet. Is anyone else getting Elian Gonzales flashbacks? Zander has been taken into custody and will be returned to his grandmother shortly.

Country music singer Mindy McCready was hiding in the closet with her son when authorities took the 5-year-old boy into custody in Arkansas, officials said early Saturday.

Authorities found Zander McCready and his mother in a home in Heber Springs, Arkansas, according to David Rahbany, the chief deputy U.S. Marshal in eastern Arkansas.

“The child appeared to be in good condition when we found him … he was in the closet with his mother,” Rahbany said.

Local sheriffs and marshals had placed the home — believed to belong to the singer’s boyfriend — under surveillance for hours before they found the boy late Friday, he said.

The boy is in the custody of the Arkansas Division of Children and Family Services, who will make arrangements to take him to his legal guardian in Florida, his maternal grandmother.

Until recently, the boy has been living with Mindy McCready’s mother and stepfather, Gayle and Michael Inge, who have legal custody. The singer, who has fought a public battle against drug addiction, has visitation rights.

McCready took her son from her mother’s Florida home late last month and asked a court to restore custody to her out of concern over the boy’s safety.

A Florida judged signed an emergency “pickup order” Thursday authorizing law enforcement officers to get the boy.

McCready’s mother and stepfather said they are relieved.

“We feel sorrow for Zander because he’s traumatized, and for Mindy,” they said. “We just hope she does the right thing from here on out and that this is a wake-up call for her.”

McCready was not charged with a crime Friday, Rahbany said, adding it is unclear whether she faces any future charges.

[From CNN]

What an awful thing to do, and to put your child through. That kid is going to be upset and confused, and for the rest of his life he’ll remember being taken away by cops from his mom while she clung to him in a closet. Mindy doesn’t care though, because Zander is her property! He’s not a vulnerable little kid who needs love and guidance, he’s something she owns. It’s obvious why she doesn’t have custody of him. I hope authorities keep a close eye on those twins she claims to be having, but hopefully she’s lying about that too.

People has a new article chronicling Mindy’s problems through the years. She’s been a mess for a long time.

Most of these photos are from Facebook and I think that’s her current boyfriend. One photo below credit: WENN

Widdle Justin Bieber, 17, got grounded by his moms for buying a $160k car. The little dude already owns a custom Cadillac “Batmobile” and a Ferrari, and apparently the tricked out Range Rover he just bought made his mom so mad that she told him that he has to have adult supervision while driving up until he’s 18. That will put a damper on his relationship with Selena Gomez.

Justin Bieber has had his driver’s license suspended – by his overprotective mom! The teen pop star’s driving privileges shifted into neutral after his mom, Pattie Mallette, grounded him for splurging on a $160,000 custom-made hot-rod!

“Pattie blew a gasket when she learned about Justin’s wild spending spree,” a source disclosed. “As a result, she is forbidding him from driving until he turns 18, unless he’s accompanied by an adult chaperon.”

During a recent visit to England, the 17 year-old… singer reportedly treated himself to a customized “Project Kahn” Range Rover, complete with a souped-up Cosworth engine, custom paint job and a sound system worth tens of thousands of dollars.

The underage hot-rodder already owns a Batman-themed customized Cadillac and a Ferrari…

“Pattie is trying to get Justin’s wild spending under control,” added the source.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, December 5, 2011]

Well at least someone is putting their foot down with this kid. He’s going to be a legal adult soon enough, and he needs to keep his spending in check if he doesn’t want to go the MC Hammer route. We’ve heard plenty of stories about his overspending, which of course is relative given his worth. It seems like whenever I got to the store there are new products with Bieber’s baby face inexplicably blazoned on them. When I was in Target yesterday there was only one $8 Bieber Christmas ornament left and I swear I saw a Bieber toothbrush at CVS.

Meanwhile Bieber’s paternity suit sort-of rages on. Bieber’s accuser Mariah Yeater has shown herself to be less than credible, and now her lawyers are unsurprisingly trying to delay the case. They’re insisting that Bieber take a second DNA test to ensure that the chain of command is followed. Yeater’s ex boyfriend (not the one she smacked on the face while confronting him about paternity last year, that was a different guy) thinks he’s the baby’s father and is insisting on taking a paternity test too. Last week TMZ published text messages from Yeater in which she called him (the second ex boyfriend) the father of her baby.

Oh and Bieber forgot the lyrics to Santa Claus is Coming to Town while he was performing it on The Today Show last week. At about 1:00 in to the video below he forgets the very simple lyrics to “He’s making a list he’s checking it twice,” and then stops and launches into the refrain. Poor Justin, he probably missed rehearsal because he didn’t have a ride.

Justin and his mom are shown messing around with his waxwork at Madame Tussauds in March of this year. Justin is shown performing on The Today Show and with Usher on 11-23-11. Credit: PNP/WENN

Last night Charlie Sheen and his ex wife Brooke Mueller played happy families for Entertainment Tonight with their twin two and a half year-old boys, Bob and Max. Brooke was high as a freaking kite and could barely speak while Charlie was maintainin’ and acting somewhat normal, for him. I always find it amusing when people are totally wasted on TV and everyone around them is acting like there’s nothing wrong and seems to be ignoring the problem. That’s the appeal of Kim Richards on RHOBH, and Brooke Mueller is basically the same – slurry, barely functioning, and struggling to explain basic concepts. It would have been funny if these clowns didn’t have two little boys with them who think of them as parents. I guess there are always nannies and adult film star mistresses to serve as sober caregivers.

Here’s what Brooke and Charlie said, but to get the full effect you should watch the video on ET’s website. (Their segment is at 12:00 into this video.) Notice that when Brooke calls Charlie a good dad, she immediately starts talking about how he just bought her a house with a tennis court. She’s been in rehab umpteen times and it obviously hasn’t worked for her. Charlie is still pretty wasted too.

Charlie: These guys [Bob and Max] have nothing to do with whatever. It’s not their fault but they do deserve the benefit of two parents in their life.

We’re friends and we’re co-parents and that’s what we decided is the most important thing.

Brooke: Charlie and I are so blessed and fortunate to have such amazing kids, and that’s really the glue that holds our friendship and relationship together…

He’s an amazing father. He’s amazing with the kids ’cause he teaches them sports, plays baseball with them. In fact he just bought me a house, well for the boys, and it has huge tennis courts with lights and everything.

There’s a selfless nature about her and that’s the only way you can really be available for your children is to be compassionate and be selfless.

They go on about co-parenting, but I’m really just reporting this so that I can share these screengrabs of Brooke’s crazy face. Charlie was wasted too, but he hid it better. I think that Brooke and Charlie get along when they’re both really high on whatever. Again it would be funny if they didn’t have kids. I hope that Charlie’s ex Denise Richards steps in and tries to be an influence in Max and Bob’s lives. They need more sober adults around. Also, those boys are adorable.

Charlie is currently working on the film A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III . Brooke recently sold the home that she used to share with Charlie in Los Feliz that was left to her in the divorce.

All photos are screengrabs from Entertainment Tonight, where you can see this segment

Mel B and Stephen Belafonte with her daughters Phoenix Chi, Angel and a friend on 5-16-10. Credit: WENN.com

Remember when Britney Spears refused to hand her kids over for their regular visit with their dad in early 2008, and was subsequently hauled off to the hospital on a 5150 hold? She was violating a court order and acting erratically and there was a standoff of several hours with police. Something similar happened earlier this month during a visit between Scary Spice Mel B’s 12 year-old daughter, Phoenix Chi, and her dad, Mel’s first husband Jimmy Gulzar, 42. Gulzar refused to let Phoenix leave his home and Mel’s current husband, Stephen Belafonte, called the cops after a few hours. Phoenix claims Gulzar of grabbing her by the arm to keep her there, and she subsequently filed a report with police accusing him of battery.

FORMER Spice Girl Mel B is furious at ex-husband Jimmy Gulzar after he allegedly held their daughter Phoenix Chi captive during a custody visit.

The distraught 12-year-old has filed a police complaint accusing Gulzar, 42, of battery.

She claims she feared for her safety after he grabbed her arm and refused to let her leave his LA home.

Sources close to Mel, 36 – real name Melanie Brown – said the schoolgirl was so afraid she considered climbing over a balcony to escape.

She was finally allowed to go after Mel’s current husband, Stephen Belafonte – who had arrived to collect her – called the cops.

Sources close to Mel, who is currently in Sydney filming the Australian X Factor, said she was “disgusted and appalled” by Gulzar’s alleged behaviour.

Police have taken a full statement from Phoenix and are due to speak to Scary Spice Mel about the events leading up to the incident on October 10.

The distraught 12-year-old has filed a police complaint accusing Gulzar, 42, of battery.

She claims she feared for her safety after he grabbed her arm and refused to let her leave his LA home.

Sources close to Mel, 36 – real name Melanie Brown – said the schoolgirl was so afraid she considered climbing over a balcony to escape.

She was finally allowed to go after Mel’s current husband, Stephen Belafonte – who had arrived to collect her – called the cops.

Sources close to Mel, who is currently in Sydney filming the Australian X Factor, said she was “disgusted and appalled” by Gulzar’s alleged behaviour.

Police have taken a full statement from Phoenix and are due to speak to Scary Spice Mel about the events leading up to the incident on October 10.

[From Mirror.co.uk]

This is the same guy who spanked a three year-old autistic boy at the playground at the zoo when the boy pushed another child (presumably Pheonix) in 2002. Gulzar was also arrested two years prior, in 2000, when he refused to hand over Phoenix to Mel’s sister. I guess when he was married to Mel for all of 14 months he loved to spend her money – the Mirror says his nickname was “Jimmy Goldcard.” She also had to pay him a settlement of about 1.9 million dollars.

We heard some similarly negative stories about Mel’s current husband being abusive, but he seems to treat her and her daughters well as far as we can tell. They’re also still together after rumors last year that they were just about to get a divorce. Mel just had her third daughter, her first with Stephen, Madison Brown Belafonte on September 1. She was just named the new Jenny Craig ambassador in Australia and New Zealand.

First Photo below is from 10-29-11 and is credit: Pacific Coast News. Second photo is of Mel with Angel, Eddie Murphy’s daughter, on 10-7-11. Credit: WENN.com

Those of you who read us regularly know that I love Hugh Jackman. I just think he’s a genuinely nice guy and super hot to boot. My admiration of Hugh crept up on me. While I’ve had crushes on other celebrities like Matt Damon and Johnny Depp forever, Hugh earned my fangirl status from his actions and interviews. Anyway here’s another reason to love Hugh. In a new interview with Australian newspaper The Herald Sun, the 42 year-old actor opens up about how he and his wife of 15 years, Deborra-Lee Furness, struggled with infertility before deciding to adopt. They are now parents to son Oscar, 11, and daughter Ava, six. Hugh describes it as very difficult to get to the point of adopting, but ultimately rewarding. He also sees the adoption of his two children as fated. It’s touching the way he explains it.

The 42-year-old star is married to wife Deborra-Lee Furness and they have two adopted children – Oscar, 11, and Ava, six.

He spoke to Australia’s Herald Sun about the moment they discovered they weren’t able to have children naturally.

He said: ‘It was painful. It’s not easy. You put a lot of time and effort into it, so it’s emotional.

‘I think any parent can relate – trying to have children is wonderful and when you feel as though that’s not going to happen, there’s a certain anxiety that goes with it.’

He added: ‘We thought we’d have a kid or two biologically and then adopt. But when we decided we’d had enough of IVF, we went ahead with adoption.’

However the couple soon moved on with their plans to become parents.

Jackman said: ‘From the moment we started the adoption process, all the anxiety went away. I don’t think of them as adopted – they’re our children.

‘Deb and I are believers in I suppose you could call it destiny. We feel things happened the way they are meant to. Obviously, biologically wasn’t the way we were meant to have children.

‘Now, as we go through life together, sure there are challenges, but everyone’s in the right place with the right people. It sounds airy-fairy, but it’s something we feel very deeply.’

[From The Daily Mail]

That’s so nice! Hugh and Deborra have been open about this issue, and are involved in several adoption charities. I found this moving interview with Deborra from 2004, before their second child was adopted. She said she’d had two miscarriages before they decided to adopt Oscar. Back when Oscar’s mother was pregnant and Deborra and Hugh were meeting with her about adopting the baby, Deborra thinks she was given a sign that he was meant to be their son. She described how she was in an airplane and saw a lightning storm over Iowa, where his birth mother is from. Here’s that part:

“And I kept saying to Hugh when we were in discussions early on. I said I havn’t got a message yet, I’m waiting for a message. And I was on a flight from Los Angeles to Toronto where Hugh was shooting X-Men 1, I think it was, and I was sitting on this flight and I looked out the window and there was this incredible electric storm outside the window and it was so beautiful, I was just staring at it and I said to the guy sitting next to me, “Wow, look at that, it’s amazing, where are we, and he said I think we’re somewhere over Iowa,” And I, I knew that that was the birth mother I had been speaking to and I grabbed the stewardess and I said do you know where we are and she said oh come up here and took me up to the pilot’s cabin it was before September 11, and went in there and I said where are we? And he said, see down there, there’s Cedar Rapids, and tears started to roll down my face and I knew that was my message. And I loved it, it was like it wasn’t a subtle message, it was like, it’s me already, it’s like this huge electrical storm.”

[From ABC.net.au]

I usually don’t believe in signs and messages. When people tell stories like this I find it fascinating though. I truly believe that they thought they received a sign, and that it was a sign in that way, since signs are what we make of them. (Hopefully that makes sense and doesn’t sound condescending, although it probably does.)

Hugh and Deborra sound like they’re on the exact same page when it comes to their family, and that’s very refreshing to hear, inside or outside of Hollywood.

Update: Here’s a link to a bunch of new gratuitous shirtless pictures of Hugh Jackman.

Most of these photos are from July and August of this year, except for the one where they’re in coats, that’s from October. Credit: Fame