Newsmakers: Mergers

Heidi Klum & SealHow does it go? The first wedding anniversary is paper, the second, cotton, the third, leather. For supermodel Heidi Klum and singer Seal, the fourth is irony. The couple have made a sweet practice of renewing their vows in Mexico every anniversary. This year the swine flu outbreak forced a pregnant Klum to change plans. They invited friends to Malibu for “trailer park” themed nuptials. He wore a mullet wig and ’80s-style suit. She was barefoot and pregnant in a cheap wedding dress, her hair in cornrow braids. Pam Anderson attended, if only in spirit.

Mel Gibson & Oksana GrigorievaMel Gibson, the fruitful one-time champ of Family Values, confirmed on The Tonight Show that his Russian girlfriend is great with child. The news broke two months after he split with Robyn, his wife of 28 years. Gibson marked the event by co-writing a song with Grigorieva, Say My Name. (Well, it is hard to pronounce.) This will be child No. 8 for him; can a reality show be far behind?

Salma Hayek & Some rich guyHis name is François-Henri Pinault. His family owns Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Sergio Rossi and other brands too numerous to mention. He married Hayek on Valentine’s Day in Paris. And, again, on April 25 in Venice, just to rub it in. Cynics may ask: when a billionaire marries an actress is it a merger or an acquisition?

David Hyde Pierce & Brian HargroveDavid Hyde Pierce, who played the brother of Frasier Crane with neurotic brilliance for 11 seasons, announced this spring he was married to long-time partner Brian Hargrove—a shock to those who thought Niles and Daphne Moon had something quite special. The wedding took place “very quietly” in California last October, a month before state voters banned all future same-sex marriages.

Maggie Gyllenhaal & Peter SarsgaardWho knows what attracted actors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard to each other? Perhaps it’s the vowel-rich environment of their surnames. Just saying all those a’s and e’s (and sometimes y) is a good throat-clearing. The long-time couple announced their engagement, and her pregnancy, in 2006. They were hitched in May.

Robert Redford & Sibylle SzaggarsThe Sundance Kid, now 71, got engaged to long-time love Sibylle Szaggars, 51, last March, then mystifyingly waited 16 months before exchanging vows in a quiet ceremony. Now friends and family have to wait until September for the official wedding party, planned for Mexico. It’s likely to feature cliff jumping by day, watching movies by night.

Princess Victoria & Daniel WestlingCrown Princess Victoria, the 32-year-old heir to the Swedish throne, will marry her former personal trainer Daniel Westling next June. In May, Westling received an early wedding present from his father, Olle—a kidney. The transplant, to correct a congenital condition, was a success. Westling must now wrap up his gym business. Royalty should not be seen to sweat.

Vince Vaughn & Kyla WeberOne can only imagine the listing that former Calgary real estate agent Kyla Weber would write to cast shambling fiancé Vince Vaughn in a good light. Terms like “roomy,” “perfect for parties” and “TLC required” come to mind. Wedding details of the event are scarce. Weber is more circumspect than Vaughn’s previous squeeze, Jennifer Aniston, who is known to talk about her relationships. And talk. Did you know she dated Brad Pitt? But she’s so over him. You heard it here first.