Abdul Rahman el Assir

Lady Gaga’s outfits and hairstyles – not to mention makeup – are so outrageous and vary so greatly that they have become her identity.

Her audacity and cartoon-ish creativity when it comes to the way she presents herself have boosted her into stardom very quickly, in addition to her music, which is a punk/pop embrace of the 1980’s, where plastic and shoulder pads became outfit essentials. Her obvious and bizarre approach to sexuality have also caused outrage in addition to her fame, but that’s not something she’s worried about.

Miss Gaga has come out and admitted that she’s bisexual. She says, “I’m gay. My music is gay. The show is gay. And I love that it’s gay.” She says that she doesn’t see any reason to hide the fact that she’s attracted to women because she isn’t ashamed of it. It’s a part of who she is and she embraces it. “It is very obvious from my music that I like women,” she shrugs. “I think I’m changing what people view as sexy.”

She came under a rather bizarre gun in the latter part of 2009 when a photograph revealed a small bulge under her skirt, leading some to believe that Lady Gaga was, indeed, a hermaphrodite. Sites published supposed quotes from the Lady herself in which she admitted that she had both male and female genitalia.

Her manager scoffs at the ridiculousness of it, but instead of getting upset Lady Gaga did what any one of us should have expected: she posed nude for a magazine. Though we don’t get direct look at her “lady parts” we can certainly see enough to ascertain for ourselves that Lady Gaga is all woman.

The minor scandal this caused created no ripples with the Lady’s self-esteem nor the world’s interest in her. She was afterwards introduced to the Queen and did an interview with Barbara Walters.

She recently stirred up some concern when she appeared in New York baring her toned legs and arms in a strange outfit. Lady Gaga, who had Crayola-yellow streaks in her hair, was sporting large bruises on her legs as well as her arms, and had what appeared to be a burn mark on the inside of one wrist. No word as to what may have caused them, but Lady Gaga surely wasn’t hesitant to show them off.

Only a few days ago the Lady was forced to cancel a concert after collapsing. Her doctor said it was due to exhaustion and dehydration, which isn’t surprising considering she keeps up a frenetic work pace. She apologized for letting her friends down, saying, “I have performed with the flu, a cold, strep throat; I would never cancel a show just based on discomfort.” She promised all to make up the performance, scheduled in Indiana, on January 26.

We certainly hope she rests up and takes it easy for a while. It seems no one in America nor the UK is bored with seeing what Lady Gaga will come up with to surprise us with next. Be it wearing outfits that completely enshroud her face or going sans pants in the middle of winter, Lady Gaga manages to turn our heads every time, and without earning much disapproval. Even Oprah has endorsed the opulent Lady Gaga.

The darkly gorgeous Penelope Cruz recently sat down for a chat with Rachel Abramowitz of the Los Angeles Times. The subject was, of course, acting.

“Control is not a really good friend of acting,” she said as she sipped cranberry juice. We can imagine her delightful accent rolling through the words.

Cruz’s latest film was the critically acclaimed “Nine”. She shared the spotlight with other stellar actresses such as Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson and Judi Dench. She plays a poor secretary who submits to becoming a wealthy man’s mistress in order to take care of her ailing father.

When Cruz first came onto the movie scene she was given several uninteresting roles, as many new actresses are, but soon established herself as a woman willing and able to give a no-holds-barred bravura performance. A few of her recent movies attest to this fact: “Live Flesh”, about a woman who gives birth on a bus; “All About My Mother”, about a nun with AIDS who is in love with a transvestite; and “Volver”, about a woman who is determined to protect her daughter at all costs.

Now 35, Cruz says that she has learned to act “without a net,” dropping her personal inhibitions and diving into a character without allowing fear to slow her down. Of her character in “Nine”, Cruz says that she is a woman who allows things to happen to her, who goes around in a perpetual fog of gray. The situation escalates when, after becoming a mistress of Daniel Day-Lewis, she tries to follow her dream of becoming an actress and falls in love with her director.

The forceful drama captured many award nominations. Cruz herself grabbed a Golden Globe and Screen Actor’s Guild nomination for best supporting actress. Who knows what may happen at the Oscar’s? After all, she already won an Oscar for her work in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”.

Taking that safety net out from under herself as an actress leaves her “exhausted”, though. She says she taps into unknown territories inside of herself and explores herself in ways that leave her drained by the end of the film.

We can only imagine that boyfriend Javier Barden is there to help her collect herself afterwards. The couple have been dating since 2007, though they like to keep a low profile.

Barden, 41, is an actor as well and actually worked with Cruz on the film “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”. He’s created a reputation for himself as a bit of a bad boy, once getting into trouble for saying that if he were gay he would “get married tomorrow just to [mess] with the Church”. He has surprisingly never learned how to drive. I guess he relies on Cruz for that.

I don’t think we’ll have to say goodbye to Cruz anytime soon. This Spanish actress and her sultry allure, not to mention her ability to tackle raw acting roles with real power and vivacity, are enough to keep us going to the movies each time she releases a new one.

The newest First Lady in French royalty is getting a great deal of attention. Not only is she drop-dead gorgeous but she also has a checkered past – one she doesn’t particularly seem to mind.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has been the French president’s wife for nearly a year now. The couple hadn’t known each other long before they tied the proverbial knot. Nicolas Sarkozy had already been married and divorced twice before and Carla once. After meeting they married one another only a few months later.

Since the union the President’s popularity has shown a decline. Could it be because he’s fond of parading his beautiful wife around? Or could it be because they are so physically affectionate in public – even during a meeting with Nelson Mandela?

Whatever the reason, people can’t help themselves when it comes to paying attention to Carla. At 42, she possesses a refined, seductive, cat-like beauty that is full aware of itself and perfectly comfortable. She is slim and lithe with a youthful mane of auburn hair and tilted eyes that seem to tease whoever she’s looking at.

The lovely Italian started out as one of the original supermodels. She slithered down the catwalk with the best of them and was a favorite for years. She then turned her talents to music and even now continues to create pop music, with lyrics sure to shock anyone who might be expecting more ladylike behavior from the President’s wife: “My man, I roll him up and smoke him.” She later compares him to her own source of cocaine. Oh me, oh my.

In America she’s getting full kudos for her sense of style and fashion. She stands out against the more sedate crowd, though she also knows when to tone it down. You can see her wearing modest suits from the top fashion houses when she’s meeting royalty, right up to a Jackie Kennedy-style pillbox hat. But she’s beautiful and she knows it, and indulges in wearing eye-catching and sexy outfits when you might expect her to be a little more tame.

Carla has admitted to having an affair with Mick Jagger many years ago. The beauty has been quoted as saying, “I’m monogamous from time to time.” She says that she believes love can last forever but real passion, only the first few weeks. She has come right out and admitted that she “prefers polygamy and polyandry” because being faithful quickly bores her. For those of you that don’t know, polyandry means the sharing of one woman by more than one man. Does her new husband know she feels this way? Time will tell.

On top of this a nude black and white photograph of the French First Lady has just been auctioned off by its photographer. Carla was furious about it; that is, she was furious at the timing of it. The photograph was scheduled to go on auction the day after she was to dine at Windsor Castle.

In the photograph, Carla is sleekly young and naked, with only her crisscrossed hands hiding her crotch. The photographer has laughed at the ripple of surprise this photo has created, stating that the picture was mild in comparison to others he had taken of her.

It’s easy to predict that Carla will remain in the spotlight for some time. Her sharp sense of dress, her sexual openness and her captivating looks make her stand out. Not to mention being royalty.

How would you handle being in the spotlight for much of your life? That’s what Kelly Osbourne has had to face. As the daughter of famous death rocker Ozzy Osbourne and wife Sharon, Kelly has followed her parents around the world and bounced around among 20 different homes in both the UK and America.

Kelly was born October 24, 1984. At the age of sixteen she and her siblings were thrust suddenly into the limelight when her father and mother signed a contract for a reality television based on their day to day lives, called The Osbournes. It was aired by MTV and was initially only supposed to last a few weeks but instead turned into months, and then years. The show gained great popularity and went on to run from 2002 to 2005. It claimed 2 Emmy’s for Outstanding Reality Program.

Kelly has since said that being followed about by cameras in her own home was stressful. Her weight issues became a topic in the nation, calling a great deal of unwanted attention to her body. She has stated that she is comfortable with herself but the media scrutiny was certainly humiliating nonetheless.

Kelly released an album during this time entitled Shut Up! It saw reasonably good sales in the UK but did poorly in the US, and received unfavorable reviews. The label that had signed her at the time, Epic, dropped her. She moved on to a different label and has continued to produce music. Though not much of it has gotten good reviews it has still managed to sell rather well, mostly because of her fame.

She also began a line of clothing in 2004 called Stiletto Killers but closed it soon thereafter in 2006.

After MTV closed the Osbourne reality show they went on to air Osbournes: Reloaded. The show was cancelled the first night it began for being unsuitable for American viewers. A bit hard to imagine after we’ve swallowed Jerry Springer year after year.

A stint of stage acting for the show Chicago earned Kelly good praise, though. She did a seven-week run with the show, acting as the prison matron. Though she had to end her run early because of an accident that caused minor back injury she managed to win the Theatre Actress of the Year award.

Kelly has done a great deal of hosting and presenting work, both on stage, for television and even for radio. She also appeared on Dancing With the Stars. She and her partner Louis van Amstel won third place.

In 2004 she admitted that she was addicted to pain killers and entered treatment. She went back once more in 2004 and then again in January of 2009. After her last round she said that she felt she had only just then gotten the help that she needed for her addiction. Perhaps it was the first time she’d taken it seriously.

Never one to be called romantic, Kelly has nevertheless fallen in love with and become engaged to Luke Worrall, a man who is several years her junior. She recently got into trouble for slapping a journalist from the Daily Mirror because the women called her boyfriend stupid. She was arrested for assault and released on bail, though she never apologized for what she did. In fact, she voluntarily turned herself in and has said that she would do anything for her man.

Kelly isn’t the only female Osbourne to show a strong temper: her mother got into trouble for physically attacking a woman on Brett Michael’s show Rock of Love because the other woman called her husband brain-dead. Earlier in the year she dumped two glasses of water on a man who was co-hosting a show with her for not agreeing with her about a contestant. Does it run in the family then?

Kelly’s first autobiography, “Fierce“, has just been released by Virgin Books and is expected to do very well in sales. On her website, Kelly admits that she still hasn’t quite figured out who she is. I’m the sure the quest to find out is far from over.

Anna Kournikova, the semi-retired tennis pro better known for her looks than her athletic ability, now has a family member in the spotlight, and it isn’t for an athletic shoe endorsement. Her mother, Alla Vladimirovna Kournikova, 46, has been charged with child neglect.

Alla allegedly left her five year old boy, Allen, locked inside their two-story Palm Beach home so that she could run a few errands about town, including a trip to the post office and bank. Alla claims she left the boy home “because he didn’t want to go.” While she was gone, Allan tried to escape the house by climbing out of a two-story window. He fell from a height of 15 feet and landed on a concrete slab in between two air conditioning units.

Allen said that he dropped from the window by hanging on to the ledge and then letting go. Neighbors were alerted when they heard him crying outside of the house. Allen was found wandering around in the front yard, soaking wet and appearing distressed. He had been left at home alone for longer than 50 minutes.

The police and rescue crew were called in. Allen told them that he had entered the swimming pool because the jump had hurt his bare feet, which answered why he was so wet. After finding the doors to the house locked the police used a ladder to gain access into the house. Upon finding no one home they waited for Alla’s return. She was arrested on the scene.

Alla protested that she had dead bolted the house and left her young son a cell phone by which to reach her. She was released from jail after paying a $3000 bond.

We wonder what the famous Anna Kournikova thinks about this? Though she and her half brother Allen have different fathers we know that they are close. It’s got to be a tough time for the blond tennis player.

In other aspects of Anna’s life, recent reports hint that she and her boyfriend Enrique Iglesias are back together again. The two have had a rocky relationship over the years, splitting up and reuniting with the speed of a tennis ball being hurled back and forth over the net. Enrique has claimed that he’s asked Anna to marry him more than once but has been turned down. On the other hand, Anna has said that Enrique won’t think of having children. Who knows the truth?

Anna, 28, came on to the scene when she caught a break at Wimbledon. Though she never really proved great game, she stole the spotlight because of her shimmering blond hair, toned body and gorgeous smile. Now in semi-retirement Anna still catches attention.

Recently she was in the media spotlight for getting into a catfight with another girl at a club. The other girl, apparently drunk, threw her drink on Anna, who responded by trying to get the club’s management to throw her out. Things escalated when the girl overheard and the match was on. Anna was seen leaving with scratches around her throat.

That isn’t the only side of Anna, however. Since retiring she has expended much effort on humanitarian causes, especially as regards children. She is an active advocate for the Boys and Girls Club of America. She is currently participating in collecting funds to help the people of Haiti. Looks like she isn’t just another pretty face after all.

Traces of cocaine have been found in a sample analysis of the popular energy drink Red Bull during food-safety testing. Authorities in the German states of Hesse and North-Rhine have ordered retailers to stop selling the tainted beverage. Under German law, Red Bull must be reclassified as a narcotic and a special license must be issued for the sale of it.

Evidently, the extract from the coca leaf that is supposed to be de-cocainized, is actually not de-cocainized as it was thought to be. The illegal cocaine alkaloid which is 0.8 percent of the coca plants chemical makeup is supposed to be chemically removed before use per mandates from international anti-narcotics agencies. According to Fritz Soergel, head of the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research in Nuremberg, Bavaria, there is no scientific basis for the ban on Red Bull because the levels of cocaine that were found are too small. He also stated that it’s not actually cocaine itself. He said that according to tests that were carried out, it’s a non-active degradation product that has no effect on the body.

A North-Rhine Westphalia consumer safety institute came up with an elaborate chemical process to isolate the traces of cocaine found in the drink according to Bernhard Kuehnle, head of food safety at Germany’s Federal Ministry for Consumer Protection. Authorities have found 0.4 micrograms of cocaine per liter in the drink and have said that the trace amounts of cocaine found in individual drinks are not enough to pose a health risk. However, according to German law, even small doses of such substances are not permitted.

Red Bull is said to be all-natural. However, all-natural does not always mean that a product is healthy and beneficial to the body. Red Bull, being the energy drink that it is, also contains caffeine, sugar and some vitamins, not necessarily a healthy combination. Of course, the company claims that there are many health benefits and that this drink is actually good for you. According to the company’s website, Red Bull is a functional energy drink with a unique combination of ingredients (as we have found out).

The company claims that the drink has been formulated to fit the needs of people from all walks of life including busy professionals, athletes, students, the over-worked and stressed. The company’s website claims that Red Bull vitalizes the body and mind resulting in increased performance, increased concentration and reaction speed, improved vigilance, improved emotional status and that it stimulates metabolism. It is supposed to help one focus and stay alert.

In response to all the criticism over the cocaine-laced drink, Red Bull said the product is “harmless and marketable in both the U.S. and Europe.” In defense, the makers of Red Bull stated that similar coca leaf extracts are used worldwide as flavoring and claims a test commissioned by the company found no traces of cocaine in the drink.

The Red Bull cocaine incident is history repeating itself as Coca-Cola famously contained traces of cocaine when it was first produced in the nineteenth century. This is actually how Coca-Cola was named. It has not contained traces of cocaine since 1903.