`Pitt, Jolie will marry when all Americans ‘legally able’ to wed

New York – Brad Pitt, ever the social activist, says he won’t be marrying Angelina Jolie until the restrictions on who can marry whom are dropped.

“Angie and I will consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able,” the 42-year-old actor reveals in Esquire magazine’s October issue, on newsstands Sept. 19.

In the article he reflects on “fifteen things I think everyone should know.”

Though Shiloh, the world-famous daughter of Pitt and girlfriend/earth mother Angelina Jolie, hogged much attention upon her birth in May, Pitt says he “cannot imagine life” without adopted children, Maddox, 5, and Zahara, 1.

“They’re as much of my blood as any natural born, and I’m theirs,” Pitt says. “That’s all I can say about it. I can’t live without them. So: Anyone considering (adoption), that’s my vote.”

Pitt, who plays a world traveler in the upcoming drama “Babel,” subscribes to a laid-back parenting style.

“I try not to stifle them in any way,” he says. “If it’s not hurting anyone, I want them to be able to explore. Sometimes that means they’re quite rambunctious.

“I feel it’s really important to have that time to sit and talk to them,” he continues.

Lohan’s lost bag containing jewelry recovered at airport

London – Lindsay Lohan may be in luck.

British police said Friday they had recovered a handbag that went missing from the star’s luggage cart at Heathrow Airport.

“A member of the public contacted us to say they had found it and brought it in,” a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said, on customary condition of anonymity. “We have not yet established what, if anything, is missing.”

Lohan’s representative, Leslie Sloane Zelnick, told the syndicated television show “The Insider” on Thursday that the orange Hermes bag contained jewelry and the actress’ asthma medicine.

“She is begging for the return of the items,” Sloane told the program. “She doesn’t care how she gets them back; she just wants her stuff back.”

London’s Evening Standard newspaper on Friday ran a picture of a tearful Lohan, 20, which it said was taken just after she realized the bag was missing.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed Thursday that a 20-year-old woman had reported the theft of a bag, but in keeping with force policy did not name her.

“We understand the bag contained a quantity of jewelry,” police said.

Lohan traveled to London from Italy, where she was promoting her latest film, “Bobby,” at the Venice Film Festival.

Priest confesses to threat to stop Madonna concert

Amsterdam, Netherlands – Papa don’t preach?

Amsterdam prosecutors said Friday a 63-year-old priest has confessed to phoning in a fake bomb threat to a Madonna concert in the Dutch capital city last week.

“He was hoping to stop her from performing her famous ‘crucifixion’ act,” prosecution spokesman Robert Meulenbroek said, referring to a scene in the 48-year-old pop star’s latest show.

The scene, a mock re-enactment of the crucifixion of Christ, offended some Christians during earlier concerts in Italy and Germany. Two Amsterdam concerts went ahead as planned on Sunday and Monday, despite a handful of protesters.

Meulenbroek said it was likely prosecutors would seek a community service punishment for the priest because it was very likely this was his first such offense.

The priest was arrested immediately after making the threat Sunday because he used his home phone to make it, and he called an emergency number where the call was automatically traced.

Academy hopes Degeneres will boost ratings at awards

Los Angeles – With no disrespect meant to Jon Stewart or Chris Rock, the past two Oscar hosts who garnered mixed reviews for their efforts, the announcement that Ellen DeGeneres will emcee the 79th Academy Awards appears designed to boost the ratings of the show by presenting a comedian who has a broader appeal with the public than her two predecessors.

“Certainly, I believe the presence of Ellen will help the ratings – absolutely,” Laura Ziskin, producer of next year’s Oscar show, said Friday. “… She’s popular with a very wide audience. She is not a niche performer. She touches a lot of demographics.”

Ziskin, who produced her first Academy Awards telecast in 2002, said that with DeGeneres, who starred in the 1990s sitcom “Ellen” and now hosts the Emmy-winning syndicated talk show “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” audiences can expect humor that can be biting and pointed, but not mean-spirited. She has hosted both the Emmys and Grammys.

“If you go back to the classic Oscar host, Johnny Carson, you always felt good and yet he could still zing you or surprise you,” Ziskin noted. “But he was nice. I like that part.”