Censorship row over Elton John’s baby picture

In the annals of celebrity outrage, it is hard to know yet which of these two shockers outranks the other: that an American supermarket has censored the magazine US Weekly because it carried a cover picture of Elton John's baby, or that said baby itself is photographed is wearing the unfashionable green and white stripes of Celtic football club.

First, the censorship. An outlet of Harps Food Stores chain in Arkansas decided to hide the magazine cover behind a so-called 'family shield' after so many customers complained.

The 'disturbing' image showed the proud parents, Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish, holding their baby boy Zachary, born on Christmas Day to a surrogate mother, whose identity remains private (for now).

The good people of Mountain Springs, Arkansas apparently wanted to protect their children from the knowledge that two gay men are now able to become parents. After calls of "homophobia" from gay rights campaigners, head office contacted their local manager, the "family shield" has now been withdrawn and baby Zachary is on full view.

Second, the Celtic strip. Given that Zachary, even at the tender age of four weeks presumably has access to the world's top designers, it is a puzzle that Elton and David should dress the boy in a Celtic football strip. As the Scottish Daily Record commented today, the two men "are generally known to be committed fans of the club".

The solution is simple: the strip must to be a present to Zachary from another LA-based rocker, Rod Stewart, whose love for Celtic FC knows no bounds. ·