GLBT

USA - Pregnant man Thomas Beatie shows no sign of slowing down, weeks before he is due to give birth.
"Define Normal" is the slogan that adorns the t-shirt hiding his baby bump, and I guess the world's first pregnant man has reason to make sure demands. Despite admitting to "always feeling bloated" and suffering from aching feet and hips, Thomas Beatie has been spotted by his neighbours carrying out chores at his Oregon home, including putting the garbage out and mowing the lawn. Meanwhile wife Nancy has been busy preparing their new arrival's nursery, decked out in yellow.

USA – DeGeneres and De Rossi plan their dream wedding
Ellen DeGeneres, who won the Daytime Emmy for talk show host for the 4^th consecutive time on Friday night, told reporters backstage at the Kodak Theatre that she and de Rossi have set a wedding date and the ceremony will be something special. This includes flying partner Portia de Rossi's family over from Australia.

"Yes, we have set a wedding date," said DeGeneres. "How do I feel about it? I obviously feel like it's long overdue. I think some day people will look back on this like women not having the right to vote and segregation and anything else that seems ridiculous that we don't all have the same rights."

The marriage became possible after the California Supreme Court in a ruling last month overturned the state's bans on same-sex marriage.

WORLD

BAGHDAD – Wave of female suicide bombers strikes again
On Sunday, yet another in a wave of female suicide bombers killed 15 people and wounded more than 40 others near a heavily fortified courthouse and government outpost in central Baquba, Iraqi security officials have reported that seven of the dead and 10 of the wounded were Iraqi police officers. The bombing was the most devastating of four attacks by guerrillas in Diyala Province on Sunday that left at least 25 people dead and close to 60 wounded.

AUSTRALIA – Jane McGrath loses cancer battle
A memorial service for Jane McGrath will be held this Wednesday at the Sydney church where she and husband Glenn sealed their love. The public is invited to attend The Garrison in The Rocks at 11am to honour Jane, who who died aged 42 at her Sydney home yesterday. Earlier today, Glenn McGrath said he wanted his wife to be remembered as an extraordinary person who inspired many others.
"I am devastated by the loss of my beautiful wife Jane. She was my best friend," McGrath said in a statement today.

USA – Bill Gates to retire from Microsoft this week
Billionaire and face of Microsoft, the company he and friend Paul Allen co-founded in 1975, Bill Gates will have his last official day of work at Microsoft this week, leaving essentially three people to fill the void left behind.
After retiring on June 27, Mr Gates will remain chairman of the Microsoft board of directors and its largest shareholder. Many wonder what this will mean for Microsoft, after Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system released in January of 2007 flopped with customers, leaving many clinging to its predecessor Windows XP. While Windows is still used on 90 per cent of the world's computers, Macintosh computers using Apple operating systems have grown to more than five per cent of the market.

AUSTRALIA – Man’s life on ebay reaches 2.2Mil
A man who put his life in Australia up for sale on the internet, including his house, job and lifestyle is amazed as bids hit $2.2 million today. Ian Usher, a 44-year-old from Yorkshire in England who has lived in Perth for the past six years, decided to sell after breaking up with his wife because everything in the house was a "reminder of the wonderful past we shared".

Mr Usher has also promised that the winner will be introduced to his friends and lifestyle and will secure his former job as a rug store assistant for two weeks initially. This may be extended depending on the store owners' agreement. All Mr Usher will retain is his passport, wallet and the clothes on his back if the deal goes ahead. Mr Usher, who plans to travel, donate to charity and climb the Eiffel Tower in Paris once the sale is finalised, said he won't make any definite plans for his new life until this one was over.

ENTERTAINMENT

AUSTRALIA - Tara Reid to enter BB House?
Rumours circulating that Tara Reid would enter the Big Brother house look to be just that, only to be replaced by talk of Adam Sandler entering instead! Co-host Mike Goldman was the one to engage the rumour mill, stating in his blog “I can start a rumour now that's 100 percent true. A massive Hollywood celebrity will be dropping in on Big Brother before the month is out. Now who could it be? Well it's my favourite Hollywood celebrity by far and I'm so excited, I'm jumping out of my skin!"
Housemates have been shown a clip of the latest Sandler flick Don't Mess With the Zohan and this week's task of operating the 'Big Brother Salon' ties in with the movie's hairdresser theme. Adam will also be in Australia soon to promote the film and is heading to the Gold Coast to be interviewed by Rove. Keep 'em peeled!

USA: Robbie wants to recruit Lily Allen to UFO’s search
British singer Robbie Williams has become a fan of singer Lily Allen and wants her to join his search for UFOs. A source said, “Rob loves Los Angeles but the one thing he does miss is the British sense of humour and impudence so Lily's attitude appeals to him. He thought it would be nice to meet up while she's recording her album in town and got his people to call Lily's people to invite her for dinner at his favourite restaurant."

"Rob likes to be a big brother figure to celebrities who seem to find themselves in the same position as he has been - young and vulnerable and in the glare of the media. And he feels that taking an interest in UFOs and the unknown is a good way of putting things into perspective, hence he is asking Lily to join him,” added the source.

And that is your News in 5 Minutes for today. Stop the clock!  

Tags: ellen degeneres, gay, gay marriage, News in 5 Minutes, portia derossi