John and David Furnish Planning Baby No. 2?
http://www.showbizspy.com/article/223030/elton-john-and-david-furnish-planning-baby-no-2.html
ELTON John and his partner David Furnish are already thinking about baby number two.
Sources say the couple — whose son Zachary was born to a surrogate mother on Christmas Day — have talked about extending their brood.
“Elton and David are both reveling in parenthood. They feel that it has been a true blessing in their lives,” an insider told Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper.
“David, in particular, now wants more children. As one of three brothers himself, he believes it is important that Zachary is not an only child.
“He and Elton have already been discussing it and David, especially, believes they should not wait too long.”
Meanwhile, sources say Elton and David have made a pact to keep the process of their son’s conception a secret — so he grows up seeing his two dads as equals.
“He and Elton made a pact that they are equal parents — no one will ever know who the biological father is,” said one pal.
“They will deal with whether Zach is told, if and when the time arises in the years ahead.”
However, the 63-year-old singer has admitted that he wanted the child to be his — but the couple may have chosen David, 48, as the donor because he is younger.
“Elton was clear he wanted his bloodline to continue but also took on board advice that a younger man may be a more appropriate donor,” the source said. “It is a very complicated arrangement — but one forged by love.”
According to reports, Elton is listed on Zachary’s birth certificate as his father, while David is mentioned as mother.
Tags: david furnish, elton john
Sir Elton John spends more than £600,000 on new son
http://unrealityshout.com/blogs/sir-elton-john-spends-more-%C2%A3600000-new-son
Sir Elton John has been on a spending spree for his newborn son.
The flamboyant rocker – who along with husband David Furnish has became a father to newborn Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John through a surrogate mother - took delivery at his Los Angeles mansion yesterday (30.12.10) of a variety of goods, including a state-of-the-art designer cot called a MamaRoo.
The egg-shaped MamaRoo chair simulates gentle rocking in five different styles, including car ride, kangaroo and tree swing.
A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “There was much excitement at the John-Furnish household. They are getting the house kitted out for Zach and are making sure he has everything he needs. They love him dearly. He is already possibly the most spoiled child in the world.”
Elton, 63 and film producer David, 48, became parents on Christmas Day (25.12.10), with Elton named as father and David as Mother on an electronic copy of the birth certificate.
The pair have did not take long to chose the name for their son, despite studying books of possible monikers.
Elton explained to UsMagazine.com: “Zachary is a gorgeous little baby and we are so proud of him.
"A friend gave us a book of baby names, and we started to flick through it, but we have always loved the name Zachary and kept coming back to it. In the end, we looked at each other, and put the book back on shelf, and said, ‘This is it!’ ”
No details about the couple’s surrogate mother have been released, although it is thought the woman was not the biological mother, but carried a donor egg.
The whole process is thought to have cost the couple £646,000 in legal fees, clinic fees and payments to the women involved.
Why Is the NY Post Talking about Elton John's 'Wife'?
http://gawker.com/5720566/why-is-the-ny-post-talking-about-elton-johns-wife
Today the NY Post ran an article announcing the birth of Elton John's son. Sweet! Too bad they mention his "wife" in the headline. To say Elton John has a wife is homophobic, sexist, and just plain bad journalism.
There are so many things wrong with the headline Elton & Wife Proud Dads that I don't know where to begin. Elton John and his partner, David Furnish, have been together for 17 years, which is like 907,543 in gay relationship years. They received a civil union in the U.K. in 2005, but they aren't "married" because that is not allowed in either of the countries where they reside (thought it is legal in Furnish's native Canada, but no one really wants to get married in Canada). That means it is factually inaccurate to refer to Furnish as John's "wife," because they are not legally married. If they were, you would know it, because they would have a wedding so lavish and ornate that it would make the upcoming nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton look like a small ceremony thrown on a budget.
Secondly, Furnish is a man! He can't be a wife because he's lacking several things necessary for him to be one including two breasts, two ovaries, and one additional X chromosome. Also, we are going to go out on a limb and guess that he's the top, which makes his manly assets that much more valuable to his relationship with Elty. The inaccuracy of the headline is compounded by the fact that a man can't be, by definition, someone's wife, even in the new all-gay military that we have.
Finally, it is just a cheap, dull, and unoriginal joke, that it's below the NY Post, which prides itself on having some of the cleverest headlines in the business. Oh, and it's doubly offensive to gay men, not only because it says that anyone who would want to enter into a relationship with another man is womanly, but also because it also pokes fun at the fact that we can't even get married if we want to. Then it reappropriates the word "proud," which gay men associate with Gay Pride and celebrating our liberation. Sorry, Post, but only gays get to make fun of Pride—and god knows we do.
But it's not just gays who should be pissed off by this headline, but women as well. The basis of this swipe is that being a woman is somehow "less than" being a man. By painting Furnish as a woman it is somehow supposed to diminish him and threaten his manhood and make all women somehow secondary to men.
I feel a little silly getting so worked up about one word in a headline in the Post. I buy the conservative rag every morning and I know what I'm getting when I open the front cover. I know not to expect fairness, especially when it comes to gay issues, but can't we at least have a little decency?
Here's the full article:
[Main image via Getty]
Exclusive: Sir Elton John: "Why We Chose Zachary as the Name for Our Son"
http://www.usmagazine.com/momsbabies/news/sir-elton-john-why-we-chose-zachary-as-the-name-for-our-son-20103012
Credit: Larry Busacca/Getty
Thursday – December 30, 2010 – 8:49am
Comments (17) »
PHOTOS: Elton John and David Furnish through the years
"We have fulfilled a dream in finally becoming parents, and are so happy and excited at this very special time. Zachary is a gorgeous little baby and we are so proud of him," John tells UsMagazine.com. The couple explained that they didn't take long in choosing the baby's name. "A friend gave us a book of baby names, and we started to flick through it, but we have always loved the name Zachary and kept coming back to it. In the end, we looked at each other, and put the book back on shelf, and said, "This is it!'"
PHOTOS: Stars who've adopted
The music superstar met Furnish, a film director and producer, in October 1993 at a dinner party held at his home. "He was very well dressed, very shy," John says of their first meeting. Noting that he was "instantly" attracted to Furnish, the singer says their relationship took off from there. "The next night we had dinner...We fell in love very quickly."
PHOTOS: Other celebs about to become parents
John proposed to Furnish in 2005 and the two married in a civil ceremony on December 21, 2005, the first day that civil partnerships could be performed in England, in the town of Old Windsor. The pair work hard to keep their relationship strong. "Every Saturday for 16 years, we've sent each other a card," John told Parade earlier this year. "No matter where we are in the world, to say how much we love each other."
Sir Elton John Has "Always Loved The Name Zachary"
For many years we have talked about fulfilling one of our greatest wishes by becoming parents," Sir Elton tells Us. "And now this wish has been granted to us, we feel so blessed and lucky. Zachary is a gorgeous little baby and we are so proud of him."It did not take long for the proud parents to chose a name. "A friend gave us a book of baby names, and we started to flick through it, but we have always loved the name Zachary and kept coming back to it. In the end, we looked at each other, and put the book back on shelf, and said, 'This is it!'"
For many years Sir Elton had doubts about becoming a father.
David always wanted to adopt a child and I always said 'no' because I am 62 and I think because of the traveling I do and the life I have, maybe it wouldn't be fair for the child."However, after meeting a 14-month-old boy named Lev and his HIV-positive brother Artyom in a Ukranian orphanage, Sir Elton's feelings changed. The attempted adoption of the brothers was not successful but it led the superstar singer onto the path of becoming a father with the help of a surrogate. The overjoyed parents wish the details of the birth to remain private.
Elton John Has The New Dad Glow!
Just a day after the world learned of Elton John's new baby boy Zachary, the singer-songwriter made a stop at Book Soup in LA ... perhaps picking up some literature on child rearing?
Meanwhile, we spotted Elton's partner and fellow-new dad David Furnish arriving home yesterday evening after a workout. Guess these two are taking turns with the baby!
VIDEO IN
http://x17online.com/celebrities/elton_john/elton_john_has_the_new_dad_glow.php
Seems the little boy has put a smile on the legend's face ... he must have 2 or 3 baby nurses allowing him to sleep through the night
Elton John's new baby next door (in £1.3m luxury flat with two nannies round-the-clock)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1343395/Elton-Johns-new-baby-door-1-3m-luxury-flat.htmlBy Caroline Graham and Sharon Churcher
Last updated at 10:18 AM on 2nd January 2011
Sir Elton John's son Zachery is 'living like royalty' in his own £1.3m apartment
The Mail on Sunday has learned that Sir Elton, 63, and his partner David Furnish have appointed a top Hollywood interior designer to turn the flat beside their luxury home into a dream nursery.
Although the work is not yet finished, several months after it started, eight-day-old Zachary is already installed there, and looked after by round-the-clock nannies.
A New York television star who is a long-time friend of the couple said: ‘Elton and David have wanted this baby for a long time. They bought their first apartment in 2007 and then the following year they bought the smaller one next door.
‘Everyone originally thought they bought the smaller apartment because they wanted extra space, but then I found out they were trying to have a baby.
'They haven’t said whether they have knocked the wall down between the two apartments but I must say at Elton’s age, I wouldn’t blame him if there is no adjoining door. Will he really want to be woken up at night by a screaming baby?
‘From what I understand the baby and his nannies are living in one apartment and Elton and David are living in another.’
The couple have hired ‘interior designer to the stars’ Martyn Lawrence-Bullard to decorate the baby’s apartment. Lawrence-Bullard, who also masterminded Sir Elton’s flat, was overheard telling a friend: ‘I am still decorating it. It is not quite finished yet.’
A source at the building, the 32-storey Sierra Towers, said last night: ‘It seems a slightly odd arrangement when you have waited so long to have a child. It certainly gives a new answer to the question: what do you give the baby who has everything? His own flat, of course.
‘Everyone in the building has been talking of nothing else but the baby all week.
‘Apparently he is seriously cute with wispy blond hair. He is in his own apartment with a Filipino lady and an African-American nurse, who are with him 24/7.’
Sir Elton’s spokesman Gary Farrow yesterday said of the baby’s sleeping arrangement: ‘It’s private. No comment.’
The exclusive Sierra Towers where Sir Elton has bought an apartment for his eight-day-old son Zachery
The building, on the edge of Beverly Hills, is no stranger to celebrities, with past and present residents including Cher, Lindsay Lohan, Sidney Poitier and Joan Collins.
The work Lawrence-Bullard did to Sir Elton’s flat was distinctive enough to warrant a glossy spread in Architectural Digest a year ago. The magazine showed off artwork, including a piece by Tracey Emin, and a chandelier in the kitchen that used to hang in the lobby of Milan’s Grand Hotel.
The smaller two-bedroom apartment was bought in September 2008 for £1.3million and is also registered in Furnish’s name.
Lawrence-Bullard, a close friend of the couple, was given an ‘unlimited budget’ to decorate it.
The source said: ‘Apparently Elton said that money was no object. The baby’s flat is decorated in blues and muted greens. Zachary is going to be living like royalty. Martyn started decorating a few months ago and was clearly in on the big secret.’
Today, The Mail on Sunday can reveal exactly how Sir Elton and Furnish meticulously planned baby Zachary, who was born to a surrogate mother on Christmas Day.
In an exclusive interview, Joanne Bubrick, of the Center for Surrogate Parenting in Encino, California, told how the couple, who tied the knot in a civil partnership in 2005, picked an egg donor to match their specifications.
She confirmed the centre has been dealing with Sir Elton ‘for over a year’ and added: ‘Future parents can look for a donor with specific qualities that are important to them.
‘Everything is computerised these days so you can put in what you want – blue eyes, ethnicity, whether you want an egg from someone who enjoys playing the piano or is sporty and then you hit the button and a list of donors comes up.
‘Typically donors are young women in their 20s, who are often educated university students looking to make some extra money. You can be very specific depending on your wishes. If you want a musical baby with blue eyes whose mother went to Harvard you can probably find an egg donor to match.’
Sir Elton and partner David Furnish have hired 'interior designer to the stars' Martyn Lawrence-Bullard to decorate their baby's apartment
She said: ‘When a couple like Elton and David come to us we already have a wide selection of surrogates pre-screened and available.
‘If we are matching to a celebrity couple, the surrogate gets extra psychological counselling to ensure she is prepared to see her baby in the newspapers in the coming years.’
She said Sir Elton and Furnish would have met the surrogate ‘several times’ before pregnancy. ‘There is a bonding period and trips to the psychologist to make sure that both parties are happy,’ she said.
‘Prospective parents undergo an initial evaluation of four to six hours with a psychologist, as does the surrogate. Then the contract is signed and the surrogacy moves ahead.’
Lawyer Andy Vorzimer, who handled the paperwork for Sir Elton, said the couple chose to have their baby in California because it is the only place in the world where a couple taking a surrogate baby can be considered its legal parents before it is born.
He said: ‘Once a judge signs a judgment, the baby is the legal child of the intended parents even though it is still in the womb of the surrogate. In the case of a celebrity being involved, all paperwork is sealed by the judge to protect the identity of both the child and the surrogate.’
A source close to the couple said: ‘Contrary to what has been written, they don’t know whether Elton or David is the dad. They also have other embryos available should they wish to have another child.’
Ms Bubrick confirmed: ‘It is quite common in the case of gay couples that both men will both contribute so neither knows who is the father. Of course, as the child grows, sometimes it becomes obvious.’
Neither the surrogacy agency or the lawyers would confirm how much baby Zachary cost Sir Elton although the figure has been placed as high as $1 million (£640,000).
A source said: ‘Between surrogacy fees, legal fees, medical and other costs, a million bucks isn’t too far off. The surrogate will have been paid handsomely to never go public.’
However, Ms Bubrick said the mother did not want to be identified in any case. ‘At first, the surrogate didn’t know she had been paired up with Elton,’ she said.
‘We presented her with the anonymous profiles of three couples, and told her that among them were some high-profile public figures who might attract media attention. We wanted to make sure she was comfortable with that.
‘She selected Elton and David based on their anonymous profile, and only later was she told who they were. She was asked if she wanted to be identified, but decided against that. She is a very sensible lady.’
Ms Bubrick added that parents are encouraged to keep in touch with the surrogate mother.
‘Normal practice is to ask the parents to send pictures and letters of the baby at three, six, 12 and 24 months,’ she said.
‘But often the surrogates form a lasting friendship with the parents and it is quite normal for parents to use the same surrogate for subsequent additions to their families. Often surrogates will be invited to go on vacations and spend Christmas and other special times with the parents and the child.’
Jubilant Sir Elton rang in the New Year on Friday night at the five-star Regent Beverly Wilshire hotel at the end of Rodeo Drive, a ten-minute drive from Sierra Towers.
He and Furnish joined their decorator Lawrence-Bullard and his partner, photographer David LaChapelle and magazine editor Ingrid Sischy at Wolfgang Puck’s acclaimed Cut steakhouse at the hotel.
The group donned fake black plastic top hats and blew cheap trumpets to welcome in the New Year.
As Furnish left he said: ‘The baby is beautiful. He’s back at the apartment sleeping. We’re just so excited.’
‘Elton John may help make gay surrogacy more socially acceptable’
Published: Sunday, Jan 2, 2011, 15:29 IST
Place: London | Agency: ANI
http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_elton-john-may-help-make-gay-surrogacy-more-socially-acceptable_1489209Place: London | Agency: ANI
Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow, the first gay couple in Britain to have a baby with a surrogate mother, had to face a lot of flak but fewer controversies surround the practice today.
"This is really the main reason we have decided to open the British Surrogacy Centre in early February," the Telegraph quoted Barrie Drewitt-Barlow as saying.
But the couple believes that the recent birth of Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish’s baby Zachary might make the concept a lot more socially acceptable.
Couples, whether heterosexual or homosexual, can begin the process in the British centre, organising the medical and legal requirements and choosing the woman who will provide the eggs and the woman who will carry the child, and will only have to travel to the US for the birth.
In fact, it was these two who advised Sir Elton John when he and his civil partner David Furnish opted to have a surrogate son -Zachary, who was born on Christmas Day.
"What we are hoping is that, by having a surrogate son, Sir Elton will make the whole concept more socially acceptable," said Barrie.
At their time, the couple had to overcome harsh criticism.
"Ten years ago, everyone thought we were a pair of paedophiles. They could not get their heads around a gay couple wanting to be parents. What else could we be? We had to be paedophiles. We have spent the past decade persuading people that is not the case. Like many couples, we just want a family. We are both from big families and wanted the same," said Barrie.
"But things are changing so swiftly in this country. Soon, no one will care at all."
Despite Lack Of Womb, Elton John Forces David Furnish To Give Birth To Baby Zachary
http://www.hecklerspray.com/despite-lack-of-womb-elton-john-forces-david-furnish-to-give-birth-to-baby-zachary/201054615.php
Let us be the last people on Earth to actually get ’round to mentioning Elton John’s new baby boy shall we? Congratulation Elton. You’ll be covered in Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John’s faeces in no time at all.
Of course, we’re very progressive on hecklerspray and think it is just great that the world has come such a long way that homosexuals now have the equal right to child induced misery as straight folks. Why should straight people be the only ones to have their lives utterly ruined by children?
Anyway, Elton and David Furnish have now got a crying swine in their lives, leaving people to make lazy observational jokes like ‘Har har! Which one is mother then?’ Well, the answer is David Furnish is the mother. So there. It’s all there in black and white.
That’s right. On the documentation for Zachary Million Names John, Furnish has been named the “mother” with Elton (real name Cliff Richard) down as dad.
Of course, this saw us believing briefly that Elton had thrown a massive hissy fit and forced Furnish into sewing a pig’s womb into his stomach and carry the baby around inside it for a week or two, culminating in some horrendous birth-theatre where Furnish was to go into a faux labour and push out the child while screaming in agony as Elton attached jump-leads to the thin film of colon skin, just to make the anguished howls as authentic as possible.
Alas, the real story is much more boring. The child was born on Christmas Day to a surrogate mother in California.
And how is Elton celebrating being a new father? Well, he’s doing what any loving parent would do and pissing off on a six month tour of the world. Aww. That’s what we call doting. We suppose that Elton has to raise funds to pay for the vast army of childcare staff who will raise this child. Still, we bet he’s over the moon.
Naturally, some dick threw his oar in. The meddling dick in question is called Norman Wells, director of Family and Youth Concern, who said:
“There is a concern that the child will be treated as a commodity.
“The amount of travelling they do does raise the question as to why they would want a child if they are not going to be at home to care for it.”We’re assuming that Norman made similar comments about other famous people who have children and go on tour, rather than singling out Elton John because he’s a gay. And yes, even though we made the same point earlier, we’re happy to state that we would have made that joke about Bono if he were able to sire children without arousing himself without staring at photos of his own face.
Anyway, in practical terms, this all leads to two important points. The first is that birth certificates in gay surrogacy cases can be changed from “mother” and “father” to Parent 1 and Parent 2 on request, which is nice. Secondly, is that Elton John is clearly a tight fisted shit because he had a child born on Christmas Day which means he only has to buy his new child presents once a year.
