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Brand Bindi out of control

The nation’s most famous child turns 11 with a bizarre birthday, adding to concerns about what her future holds, writes Angela Mollard.

If Bindi Irwin were a child in a storybook, she would be the luckiest girl in the world. Her home is a zoo, she doesn’t have to go to school, she’s about to star in her first movie, and this week 8000 kids are expected to turn up for her 11th birthday party.

Yet Bindi is not a fictional Pippi Longstocking. She’s a real girl, and despite her precocious self-confidence, insiders fear her life is becoming so far removed from reality that she already faces a public backlash.

On Friday, thousands of kids will converge on Australia Zoo for free entry, a giveaway DVD, a circus act, performances by Jessica Mauboy and a chance to see Bindi at a masquerade birthday party. There will be a huge birthday cake — probably iced, as in previous years, with a picture of her late dad Steve.

But as Bindi moves towards adolescence, child experts and others believe Brand Bindi could get out of control.

Nutritionist Rosemary Stanton feels it’s “sad” Bindi is making TV ads directed at other children in her new campaign for bakery goods.

“It’s wrong to target kids in trying to sell stuff to other kids,” she says. “I think it’s very sad.”

Other experts are concerned Bindi’s extraordinary global stardom could backfire. She is already an actor, dancer, singer, conservationist, writer and trademarked business — but last year, at the launch of her clothing line, Bindi had further ambitions.

“Hopefully maybe I can be president or prime minister,”she said without a hint of irony.

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*MasterChef’s* Julie: I don’t want to be famous

As TV’s hottest show goes out with a bang, Julie is struggling to cope with the recognition it’s brought her, writes Katherine Chatfield.

MasterChef favourite Julie Goodwin has prompted concerns that she’s finding it difficult to cope with the pressure of fame, after admitting she suffered an apparent mild panic attack during one of the show’s challenges.

The usually bubbly Julie was separated from her fellow contestants during a challenge at Sydney’s Bondi Junction, and tells us she was “scared of being alone in public” after she started sweating and having heart palpitations.

“I haven’t had a single episode like that since then — I just started to feel a bit weird about being by myself,” she says, also admitting that “she never wanted to be famous”.

But fame comes hand-in-hand with being part of one of the most talked about television shows of the year. And with the fame comes intense pressure and scrutiny — as Julie has discovered.

“The tension [in the final two] was palpable,” she says. “The nearer you get to the end, the more pressure there is. The nervous tension is indescribable. I can’t believe my heart hasn’t given out.”

Julie’s husband Michael admits he had no idea how much pressure Julie was under until he saw the finals week on TV.

Used to being surrounded by love from her husband of 20 years and her three sons, Joe, 13, Tom, 12, and Paddy, 10, Julie has also had to bear the brunt of negative comments from some of her fellow contestants.

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Ange finds Brad’s secret ‘Sex diary’

Angelina Jolie is furious after finding an old diary belonging to her partner Brad Pitt in which he allegedly confesses to having two affairs while married to Jennifer Aniston, says Woman’s Day’s LA correspondent.

“Brad was at pains to point out that this chick was like a groupie who had come on to him after his relationship with Jen had broken down. He told Angie that at that point, his relationship with her had not even begun,” says a source close to the pair.

But Patti Strasberg, a long-time friend of Angelina’s, says the mum-of-six was livid when she discovered the diary while unpacking after moving from New Orleans to their home in Long Island.

“Angelina is named as the first [affair] but the second woman is a total shock and a bolt from the blue,” says Patti.

“Angelina knew nothing about her. She’s devastated and angry that Brad never told her. She believed that she was the only ‘other woman’.”

The “other woman” is reportedly a make-up artist from the movie Snatch, with Brad even referring to her as “Miss Snatch” in the diary. A source says Brad first met her on the set of the Guy Ritchie film in 2000, however, it was on a break from the film Mr. & Mrs. Smith in late 2004 that he is said to have noted: “Nice time with Miss Snatch again.”

It was during this time that Brad and Angelina were first pictured together, on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, while Brad was still married to Jen.

Hours after finding what she’s dubbed Brad’s “sex diary”, Angelina reportedly gave Brad a vicious serve.

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Janet Jackson: Finally a mum

The superstar singer has given up hope of having her own family — now she’s determined to raise Michael’s children. Erin Craven reports.

As the circus that surrounds the fight over Michael Jackson’s children continues, a dark horse in the custody war has emerged — his sister Janet.

Jackson matriarch Katherine, 79, has been granted temporary custody of Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Blanket, 7, after a battle with the eldest two kids’ birth mother Debbie Rowe, 50.

However a family friend says Janet, 43, is expected to petition for custody after spending several days staying at her mother’s home and spoiling the kids with their favourite Chinese takeaways and lolly-filled piñatas.

She has also bought Prince and Paris private diaries in which to pour out their grief over the loss of their late dad.

“Janet is taking care of them between commitments on her new movie, which is filming in France,” the friend reveals.

“Janet is giving the children a sense of normality — and considering their situation, that is no small task.”

The special bond between Janet and Michael’s children was evident at the superstar’s memorial service on July 7, when an overwhelmed Paris collapsed into her aunt’s arms after her heartfelt speech.

“Paris doesn’t just love Janet. She worships her. She sees her as the mum she never had but always wanted,” the friend says.

Prince and Blanket are also said to share an attachment to Janet, who has been married twice but has no children.

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Harry Potter stars’ magic millions

They’re worth more than $100 million between them, but the lowdown is that you’re more likely to find these three young Harry Potter stars at home on a Saturday night rather than splashing around their enormous wealth.

Daniel Radcliffe, who has been playing Harry since the age of 11, is about to nearly double his fortune after signing to star in two more of the films for a reported $55 million.

But he’s rarely seen at parties, his mobile phone is held together with masking tape, and when he does go out he prefers to hang out in “old man pubs”. “Money is not what drives me,” he says.

Not surprisingly, since he loves being home “watching bad TV in my underpants”, Daniel’s one vice is real estate — he owns a $14.5 million portfolio, including homes in New York and London.

Co-star Emma Watson says she only learnt of the extent of her wealth last year. Previously she was given a $2500 monthly allowance by her parents. “The truth is I’d just like to pretend that the money doesn’t exist,” she insists.

Although the Burberry model admits she loves clothes, she rarely buys any and her biggest expenditure is on make-up. “Sometimes my bank manager calls to say, ‘You haven’t used your card in a while and now you’re using it — no-one’s stolen it have they?'” she says.

Red-headed Rupert Grint likes wheels, but instead of buying a Ferrari, he spends his spare time doing up a derelict Mr Whippy van and an old fortune-telling machine with spare parts bought from eBay.

“I don’t really handle the money,” he says. “I never see any of it on a physical form. It’s only in the past couple of years that I’ve had my own credit cards.”

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Bindi Irwin: A life in the spotlight

Bindi, aged 8, reads a tribute to her father Steve Irwin, at his memorial service in September 2006. She appears in front of a live audience of 5000 and a global TV audience of over 300 million viewers and is instantly thrust into the international spotlight.

Bindi with her mother, Terri, and younger brother Bob at the memorial service for Steve Irwin shortly after he was killed by a Stingray in 2006.

Bindi performs on stage during a performance with The Crocmen at Australia Zoo in 2008. Her hip-hop album, Trouble in the jungle, was released in 2007.

The young star heads down the catwalk at the launch of her eco-friendly clothing line at Myer in early 2008.

The Bindi-doll is released at the American Toy Fair in 2008, with all proceeds going to wildlife conservation funds.

Bindi becomes the youngest person to receive a Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series in 2008.

Bindi celebrates her birthday at Australia Zoo, with a cake decorated with an image of her family, including her late dad.

Bindi attends the 36th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards like an old pro. Has brand Bindi gone too far? Get involved in the discussion!

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Isabella Kidman-Cruise

Isabella, 8, and her 5-year-old brother Conner hold mum Nicole Kidman’s hand on a windy day out in New York.

Tom attentively watches over Isabella at a family picnic.

Despite Nicole and Tom’s 2001 divorce, both parents made sure they had plenty of time for their pre-teen children, both of whom were adopted as infants.

Isabella rides alongside her aunt, Antonia, and young cousin on the way to Nicole’s 2006 wedding to Keith Urban.

When Tom started dating Katie Holmes, Isabella’s stepmother-to-be was a constant presence at her weekend soccer games.

Baby Suri was born in April 2006, just one year after Katie and Tom married – making Isabella a big sister for the second time. Though there have never been reports of animosity in the Cruise-Holmes clan, little Suri demands much of her parents’ time.

As TomKat gained momentum with paparazzi around the world, Connor and Isabella were often caught lingering in the background of family snaps.

Isabella was regularly snapped with her dad as she blossomed into a young woman, but where is she now?

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Guess the famous model?

Spring,Summer

This gorgeous looking model is none other than Lindsay Lohan.

These promotional shots, taken for Fornarina’s autumn/winter line, show the actress/singer turned model looking sexy and showing off her long legs.

To see more of Lindsay’s Fornarina campaign, click here.

Her face does seem usually freckle-free. Could she have had them airbrushed out?

Your say: Do you think these pictures have been airbrushed? Do you think the fashion industry overuse airbrushing? Tell us below…

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It girls

They are the It girls, young women who create such a wow factor with their very presence, they’ve become household names.

To see more of Australia’s favourite It girls, click here.

Zoe Ventoura, Jessica Marais and Jessica McNamee from Packed to the Rafters, Home & Away’s Jodi Gordon, model Rebecca Twigley, David Jones racing ambassador Kate Waterhouse and the inaugural winner of Australia’s So You Think You Can Dance Talia Fowler joined The Weekly for a photo shoot.

Your Say: Why do you think these are Australia’s favourite It girls? Tell us below…

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Could a pill halve your body fat in a week?

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Scientists in the US are working on a pill that could decrease the amount of fat stored in overweight people by almost half in just one week.

Thus far, scientists at Indiana University have tested the drug on mice, finding that after seven days their body weight was decreased by a quarter and fat content down 42 percent, the UK’s Daily Mail reported.

After one month, the weight of the mice dropped to 28 percent of the original weight and fat mass was reduced by 63 percent.

The drug is a synthetic hormone that regulates glucose metabolism and has been shown to suppress appetite in previous studies.

The trials of the artificial hormone on mice were conducted Dr Richard DiMarchi and colleagues at Indiana University in the US, and their research was published in Nature Chemical Biology.

“Obesity and its associated consequences, including adult-onset diabetes, remain a primary health and economic threat for modern societies,” Dr DiMarchi said.

The researchers said the trial results point to a new approach for the treatment of obesity and adult-onset diabetes. But Dr DiMarchi warned that it could take up to a decade for the potential wonder drug to be developed for use by patients.

Your say: Would you take the fat-reducing pill if it was found to be safe? What are your weight-loss techniques? Tell us below.

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