Sharon Stone, 64, actress, redefines courage. She “lost half my money through this bank thing,” she said according to US media reports at a fundraising gala – apparently alluding to the current banking crisis. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not here,” Stone said in her acceptance speech. She still “signed a damn check” to donate to cancer research. That too is courage. Stone, who had breast cancer herself, received the Courage Award from the Women’s Cancer Research Fund.
Steffen Hallaschka, 51, presenter, built his own coffin. Together with drag queen Olivia Jones, 53, he dealt with death for the documentary series “Dying for Beginners”. At first he understood the idea of the coffins as a strong image for the show, Hallaschka told the German Press Agency. “But then I thought to myself: No, that’s great. I already have my coffin. I’ll put it upright in my room at home as a wine rack. And I have one less thing to worry about.” He doesn’t find it morbid. On the contrary: “It’s a mature thing to build your coffin at the age of 50.”
Stephen Mross, 47, pop singer, is not proud of himself. As has only just become known, the district court of Leipzig issued a penalty order against him last year after a dispute. A spokesman for the judicial authority has now confirmed this to the German Press Agency. It was about an argument with a young man in a Leipzig hotel. Mross described in the Picture-Zeitung his version: According to this, the man insulted him at dinner as a “schlager fuzzi” and “playback artist”. Then he followed the singer to the room and continued to make fun of him, finally Mross grabbed his shirt collar. “The likelihood that I’ll do something like that is zero. But the guy really got on my nerves,” says Mross. “The horses simply ran away with me. I’m not proud of that.” There was no court hearing because he had not lodged an objection.
Sam Neil, 75, actor, happy to be alive. “I can’t pretend that last year didn’t have its dark moments,” said the New Zealander the British Guardians. He has just made it public that he has blood cancer and will need chemotherapy for the rest of his life. He is therefore grateful for every day and for all his friends. “I’m not afraid of dying,” he said, “but it would annoy me.” He would have liked “another or two decades” to see his “dear little grandchildren” grow up.