FILE: Elton John and his partner David Furnish get the gift of parenthood for Christmas

Record ID: 189906

  • Title: FILE: Elton John and his partner David Furnish get the gift of parenthood for Christmas
  • Date: 29th December 2010
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (APRIL 10, 2006) (REUTERS) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) ELTON JOHN ARRIVING TO OPEN THE "ELTON'S CLOSET" AUCTION CAMERAMAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) SIR ELTON JOHN, MUSICIAN SAYING: "The object of this sale is to get rid of all our unwanted street clothes, only a few as you can see, to raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and, it's really an important thing, we don't want to hang onto anything we don't need anymore, and, throughout the years we have raised over two and a half million dollars by doing this kind of thing, so, I would like to, say to people in New York, whether you are visiting or whether you live in New York - come down here, the clothes have hardly been worn, some of them haven't been worn, there is the most extraordinary collection from T-shirts, to baseball caps to shoes, to flamboyance, to, classic, and spend some money and help other people who desperately need their lives to be changed and improved, and you will be doing a really good thing." JOURNALISTS THOMAS MADDEN, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF TISHMAN SPEYER, SIR ELTON JOHN, DAVID FURNISH AND TERRON SCHAEFER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING FOR SAKS FIFTH AVENUE, OPENING THE SALE ELTON JOHN'S CLOTHES ON DISPLAY (3 SHOTS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAVID FURNISH, PRODUCER, SAYING: "I think for Elton, and for me, fashion is a celebration of life. It is a real reflection of the world we live in, and, all the colour and all the design and everything, I think it brings Elton great happiness." CLOTHING ON DISPLAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAVID FURNISH, PRODUCER, SAYING: "To me this is like a piece of couture. It's, by Tom Ford and all the detailing on it is crushed watch springs and they have all been stitched individually by hand onto the jacket, so that's a lot of workmanship, when you think of the time and craftsmanship that went into that and I loved wearing that on the night, it photographed well and it felt great, and I am sad to part with it but now someone else can enjoy it." ELTON JOHN'S CLOTHING ON DISPLAY
  • Embargoed: 13th January 2011 12:00
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  • Location: Usa, United Kingdom
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVA933P48Z4NJRJULX6UHIIIL1FW
  • Story Text: Elton John and his partner have become the proud parents of a son born to a surrogate in California on Christmas Day, US Weekly reported on Monday (December 27).
    The boy, named Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, is the first for the British rock star and Canadian filmmaker David Furnish, who have been together since the early 1990s.
    "We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment," US Weekly quoted the pair as saying. "Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents."
    The magazine said the boy weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces, and it quoted a representative for the 63-year-old musician as saying that no further details about the surrogacy arrangement would be disclosed. John's spokeswoman told Reuters the report was accurate.
    The pair, who entered into a civil union in 2005, tried to adopt an AIDS-infected orphan in Ukraine last year, but were thwarted by government regulations.
    Their son's middle name is a possible nod to John's 1971 song "Levon," whose lyrics were written by the rocker's longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin and inspired by Levon Helm, the drummer and singer for The Band.
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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