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CELEBRITIES BY VALERIE CONSTAND
EMPRESS SORAYA SAGA: A £50-million legacy left by the Shah of Iran's second wife is being passed on to the German government, after claimants to the fortune were found to be impostors. Soraya Esfandiary Bakhtiary left her vast legacy, which had been bestowed on her by the Shah, to her brother Prince Bijan, but he himself passed away just a week after his sibling. Since he died intestate and left no direct descendant, the local government of Cologne, where he lived, appealed for relatives to come forward and claim the estate. Some 50 people have since had their petitions rejected and the authorities are now set to hand the fortune over to the state government. The legacy includes money raised, in accordance with Soraya's will, on several of her personal possessions. Items including a Rolls Royce Silver Spur, a fabulous Bulgari sapphire necklace worth well over a million pounds, and the exquisite platinum and diamond engagement ring given to her by the Shah, were sold off at auction after Prince Bijan's death. "The case of the former Empress Soraya is treated just like any other, but of course the amount of money is much higher than the amount we usually get," said a spokesman for the North Rhine Westphalia Finance Office. "We will be able to put it to good use, although it will not be possible to say exactly what we will use it for. It will just go into the general pool, for the benefit of everyone." This final chapter to the Soraya story is poignantly fitting for the woman who came to be known as "the sad Empress". She married Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in 1951 but he divorced her just a few years later for failing to produce an heir. The princess never married again and her second significant relationship ended in tragedy when her partner, Italian filmmaker Franco Indovina, died in a plane crash in 1972. Soraya herself died at her flat in Paris in 2001. AnythingoesNews.
Photo:
The late Princess Di.
THE LOOTED ART OF IRAQ AND THE INSENSIBILITY OF THE WHITE HOUSE: Looted art from the museums of Baghdad and the Archaeological Museum returned to Iraq. Waves of complaints from Iraqis and world communities were geared toward the American military and the Bush's administration. The White House was busy dealing with terrorism in and outside Iraq. However, terrorism against Art and stealing Iraqi national treasurers were not of a concern to Bush and his aides. Pity, Washington ignores the facts that, no country without its arts can survive. This administration is and will remain indifferent toward art. Hundreds of paintings, tablets and artifacts were stolen before the eyes of the American troops in Baghdad who stood like ducks watching and doing absolutely nothing. When the looting came to an end, those who orchestrated the theft began to ship the stolen arts to celebrities, clients and art collectors who were waiting impatiently in the United States, Europe and Latin America. It was reported that an "historical artifact" was found on the desk of Secretary Rumsfeld in Washington, D.C. When cornered, Rumsfeld rushed to explain "Oh no, I just borrowed. It shall be returned. Yah right!
Photos from L to R: Gwyneth Paltrow,
Nicole Kidman
THE
100 TRES CHIC AND MOST ELEGANT WOMEN OF THE WORLD: Harpers & Queen
compiled a list of famous women considered to be classy and chic. And this
notorious list was aimed at attracting the socialites attention to what
"class" and "style" are all about. Funny, some of the artists who are known
to be the worst dressed stars in Hollywood were squeezed in. This is how it
goes. You "crutch" my back, I "crutch" yours. However, a great number of
refined ladies, royalties and women of the high society. of London, New
York, Paris and Washington, D.C. made the list. The list included the 100
most elegant and distinguished ladies who enjoy fame and world notoriety.
What are the criteria and prerequisites to be selected? Who knows and who
cares! All what we know is that the 100 women are those known to be "tres
chic". And what "tres chic" means by American and British standards? That is
the question. And as usual, all socialites and stars lists are"100". Some of
Hollywood stars who made the list were Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Halle
Berry, Elizabeth Taylor and Catherine Zeta-Jones. A special recognition, in
sort of "in memoriam award" was given to famous stars. Yet, some of them are
still alive and kicking. To name a few: Sophia Loren, Vivien Leigh,
Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Onassis, Christine Keeler and Ali McGraw. Lost
squeeze-in included Princess Di, Sophie Dahl, Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna.