Mel Gibson has spoken out for the first time since his arrest on drink driving charges and his subsequent anti-Semitic rant, insisting he doesn't want to be a "monster." The Oscar-winner spoke with newswoman Diane Sawyer for his first interview since issuing a public apology for what he called "vitriolic and harmful words". The 50-year-old star has made few public appearances since his July 28 arrest in Malibu, California, where he told his arresting officer, "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." When Sawyer asked him what caused his comments on the night of his arrest he said, "It was just the stupid rambling of a drunkard, you know and... what I need to do to heal myself and be assuring and allay the fears of others and to heal them if they had any heart wounds from something I may have said. So, this is the last thing I want to be is that kind of a monster." Gibson's interview will air on US breakfast show Good Morning America on Thursday and Friday. Gibson also granted an interview to Sawyer in 2004 about the controversy surrounding his last film, The Passion Of The Christ, which some critics branded as anti-Semitic.

Pop superstar Madonna has adopted a one-year-old boy in Malawi, according to the child's father. A photograph published on the front page of British newspaper The Sun shows the singer with a small boy, believed to be David Banda, sitting in a sling tied to her back. Last week, Madonna's publicist Liz Rosenberg moved to quash reports she was set to adopt a child, insisting, "She's kind of adopting an entire country of children. She is building an orphanage and child care centre and is involved in other initiatives geared toward helping children orphaned by AIDS through the Raising Malawi organization. She has not adopted a baby despite reports that she has." But Yohame Banda, 32, insists Madonna has adopted his son, whose mother Marita died shortly after he was born. He says, "I am the father of David, who has been adopted. I am very, very happy because as you can see there is poverty in this village and I know he will be very well looked after in America. We are told David will be coming back regularly to know his roots." Following his mother's death, Yohame claims David was cared for at the Home Of Hope Orphan Care Center in Mchinji, Malawi before he was taken to Madonna's exclusive Kumbali Lodge, near the capital city Lilongwe. David's grandmother Asinei Mwale adds, "The director of the orphanage came here yesterday and told us that David has been adopted by a famous American singer. I am very glad for him because having grown up as an orphan myself, I know how tough life can be." Madonna's representatives have refused to comment on Banda's claim.

Barbra Streisand was forced to shout down a heckler at her celebrity-packed New York City gig on Monday night, when the man took exception to her onstage digs at President George W. Bush. The 64-year-old is a staunch Democrat and is still appalled that Bush was elected to the most powerful position in the world, despite doubts over the crucial result in Florida in 2000. And Streisand's gigs on her current US tour feature a political satire sketch where an actor playing the Republican president reels off lines including, "I'm concerned about the national debt, so I'm selling Canada," and, "If I cared about the polls I would have run for president of Poland." But at Monday's Madison Square Garden gig, some members of the 20,000 audience wanted Streisand to leave politics aside and just sing her songs. The 64-year-old first implored with the hecklers, "Come on, be polite!" But one heckler then shouted, "What is this? A fundraiser?" An irritated Streisand reportedly immediately retorted, to applause, "Why don't you shut the f**k up! If you can't take a joke, why don't you leave and get your money back." The man then walked out of the concert, which was attended by stars including Oprah Winfrey.

Scarlett Johansson has slammed reports she is promiscuous, after being linked to various celebrity men before finding love with Josh Hartnett. The 21-year-old denies her alleged reputation as a wanton actress after tabloids linked her to Benicio Del Toro, Jared Leto and baseball star Derek Jeter. She says, "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not promiscuous. There does seem to be a mistaken belief out there that I am sexually available somehow - which is not to say that I'm not open-minded about sex. Yet I wouldn't say I'm a serial monogamist, either. I mean, I went through periods of time when I was single. But when I'm in a relationship, I work really hard when I'm in a relationship to make it work in a monogamous way."

Police investigating the death of Anna Nicole Smith's son Daniel Smith are interviewing a Californian doctor in connection to the incident last month. The 20-year-old died on September 10 after having a heart attack brought on by a lethal combination of antidepressants and methadone. Authorities in the Bahamas traveled to the US to question Daniel's doctor along with three other people, after he died in the Nassau, Bahamas, hospital where his reality TV star mother had given birth to baby daughter Dannielynn just three days before. Reginald Ferguson, assistant commissioner for the Royal Bahamas Police Force says, "We don't have any information to cause us to change our statement that no criminality was involved." Ferguson declined to comment on who else the officers interviewed while in California. He says, "You're looking for anything you can find that can be evaluated as part of the evidence. You don't look for anything particular, you go to uncover what might have taken place." Police are expected to complete their investigation soon, possibly as early as next week, before authorities determine whether a jury inquest into the death is necessary.

Paris Hilton is so distraught following a recent encounter with Shanna Moakler at a Los Angeles nightclub, she is taking out a restraining order against the former beauty queen. The Simple Life is seeking the order in response to an incident early last Wednesday at the Hyde night spot, during which Moakler allegedly punched her in the face. Hilton tells US publication Star, "I'm scared of her. I feel like I have to do something to protect myself." The hotel heiress was talking to her former flame Stavros Niarchos Iii when Moakler apparently approached her screaming expletives. Hilton says, "She threw a punch in my left jaw so hard." She then says Niarchos threw his drink in Moakler's face, but adds, "He never touched her. She was never touched by anyone." Both women filed police reports regarding the incident, with Moakler claiming Niarchos pushed her down some stairs. Moakler was reportedly unhappy about reports suggesting Hilton is romantically linked with her estranged husband Travis Barker.

Hollywood couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have donated $100,000 to the Daniel Pearl Foundation, in memory of the Wall Street Journal reporter who killed by Islamic extremists in 2002. Pitt is producing the big screen adaptation of Pearl's widow Mariane's best-selling book A Mighty Heart, which stars Jolie as Mariane. The couple made the donation through their Jolie-Pitt Foundation earlier today, which would have been Pearl's 43rd birthday. The couple's representative Trevor Neilson tells America's People magazine, "On this day our thoughts go out to Danny's family. The Daniel Pearl Foundation is celebrating this day, his birthday, with music festivals around the world. The festivals are a great reminder of not just Danny's work as a journalist but of his life and his love of music." The Mr. & Mrs Smith stars and their three children arrived in India last week to film the movie, after security concerns prevented them from making it in Pakistan.

Jessica Alba decided to leave her born-again Christian church after religious leaders accused her of being too promiscuous. The Fantastic Four star insists her multi-ethnic appearance stopped her from being accepted in the Latin community she grew up in, so she turned to the church looking for comfort. After four years as a born-again Christian, Alba backed away from religion because "older men would hit on me and my youth pastor said it was because I was wearing provocative clothing, when I wasn't. It just made me feel like if I was in any way desirable to the opposite sex, that it was my fault, and it made me ashamed of my body and of being a woman." Alba also vehemently disagreed with the church's condemnation of premarital sex and homosexuality and was bothered by the lack of strong female role models in the Bible. She tells US Elle magazine, "I thought it was a nice guide, but it certainly wasn't how I was going to live my life."

Troubled comedian Andy Dick insists that he is not gay, even though he's been sexually intimate with men. The Employee Of The Month star recently completed his seventh stint in rehab for drug and alcohol abuse and claims he is an easy target for the tabloid media. He tells the Washington Post, "I'm not even gay! Last year, it was anal warts, which I don't have. This year, it's AIDS and gay. Which I don't have and I'm not. No and no. Just because I've been with guys, and I'm bi(sexual), doesn't mean I'm gay." Dick claims people are jealous of his success and his liberal attitude: "They really love to jump down my throat and rake me across the coals. Just love it. People love to hate. I have a love-hate relationship with the world. The world loves to hate me. It really seems that way now. It all boils down to jealousy. People are upset that they can't do what I do. They hold back. They see me not holding back."

American Idol runner-up Bo Bice underwent emergency intestinal surgery in a Nashville, Tennessee hospital on Thursday. The 30-year-old rocker, who came second to Carrie Underwood at the 2005 Idol talent contest, has been suffering from problems in his digestive area since summer 2005. A statement from his management reads, "After the first round of tests was completed last week, Bo's medical team concluded on review of the results that surgery could not wait, and he was immediately admitted to the hospital. The surgery was not easy or routine, and after a setback the following day, Bo is now recovering well under the supervision of his doctors and hospital staff. We are confident that Bo will have a complete recovery, and hopeful that this procedure will be the final resolution to the problems that have existed for the past year." The operation means Bice's upcoming dates in Georgia, Florida and California have been postponed.