Wednesday, October 18, 2006 - The Michigan Daily - 11A

BABIES
Continued from page 8A
chose their favorite.
Thousands of couples seek inter-
national adoption every year with
less media attention.
Is Madonna getting more atten-
tion simply because she's a celeb-
rity? Is this any different than what
Angelina Jolie has been doing with
her experiences with international
adoption for years?
While Jolie is a marquee star,
she's also a goodwill ambassador
for the United Nations Refugee
Agency and has promoted humani-
tarian causes around the world.
Madonna - well, she has her
causes (AIDS awareness, for one),
but she's also known for calling
attention to herself when there's a
spotlight available (the "Sex" book,
another example).
But the questions here aren't nec-
essarily about Madonna's motives.
The main debate is whether or not
celebrity status paints loopholes for
non-material things. Extra privileges.
Think about it. Having first grab at
multi-million mansions because you
"know people who know people,"
Actor can't
Jump' cops
Authorities in Tampa, Fla.,
recently indicted actor Wes-
ley Snipes on eight counts of
tax fraud; they accuse the for-
mer "Blade" series and "White
Men Can't Jump" star of trying
to cheat the government of $12
million in false refund claims.
If convicted, Snipes faces a
maximum of 16 years in prison.
The actor recently found
himself in a paternity lawsuit
against a woman who alleged
that she and Snipes had inter-
course in a Chicago crackhouse
in 1999. Fortunately for him,
the case was eventually dis-
missed after DNA tests proved
his innocence. According to the
IRS, Snipes, who is an Orlando,
Fla., native, has not been arrest-
ed because authorities do not
know he is.
A Berry
happy b-day
Rock legend Chuck Berry is
set to celebrate his 80th birth-
day today in his hometown
of St. Louis. Known as one
of rock'n'roll's chief innova-
tors, Berry made his mark in
the 1950s with a slew of radio
hits including the classic guitar
romp "Johnny B. Goode" and
other well-known rockers like
"Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Roll
Over Beethoven." His birthday
celebration is planned to be an
intimate affair: The itinerary
features a dinner party with his
closest friends and family and
a late-night performance at St.
Louis's Blueberry Hill, a self-
proclaimed landmark that fea-
tures the "Best Jukebox in the
World" (according to several

publications) and a vault of pop-
culture memorabilia from The
Beatles, "The Simpsops" and,
yes, Berry himself.
Though cited as an influence
for a vast group of artists -
from Jimi Hendrix and David
Bowie to Ray Charles, Ste-
vie Wonder and James Brown
- Berry looks at old age and
approaching mortality with a
wise indifference as he spoke
to reporters in April 2005. "My
turn is coming very soon," he
said. "Would you shed a tear
for Chuck? I hope not, because
I don't see why one should weep
when something inevitable must
come.
- Compiled by
Kalyan Chitturi

having your hands on the Versace
spring collection in advance because
you're friends with Donatella, choos-
ing the cutest Malawian baby from an
orphanage because you're one of the
most famous pop stars in the world
- which one of these don't belong?
Despite outside uproar, Madon-
na has obviously gotten her way;
before David was flown into Lon-
don's Heathrow airport, members
of her entourage had been taking
care of him at the upscale haunt
they were staying at in the capitol
city Lilongwe.
Madonna sent outa letter to news
agencies yesterday afternoon, claim-
ing she and her husband had started
the adoption procedures months prior
to their Malawi trip, they just hadn't
told the world as they wanted to keep
it a private matter. Believe her if you
will. In any case, this episode doesn't
just publicize the plight of Malawian
children,as Madonna hoped,it makes
you wonder what exactly is the cutoff
line for celebrity bonuses. For every-
one that thought the Kwame Kilpat-
rick deal with the Lincoln Navigator
was a scandal, wow.
- Chou can be reached
at kimberch@umich.edu.

Madonna with daughter Lourdes (not adopted). Angelina Jolle with Maddox, adopted.


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