Seems the stars just can't resist SA lately. Mid-winter is perhaps not the ideal time for a visit, but it's clearly still enticing enough to attract the celebs.

Dear R Kelly came by, infuriated the media with his insane demands to vet everything written about him, and finally apologised for the whole furore. Mama Oprah stopped by to attend her luxury leadership school's arts week — which, happily, was a great and scandal-free success.

And then there was a bushveld holiday for devastated parents John Travolta and Kelly Preston, who flew into SA with a group of family and friends to stay in Shamwari's Eagles Crag Lodge.

Travolta and Preston lost their 16-year-old son Jett just six months ago, and so decided to take a break in the South African veld, where Jett had loved to go on holiday.

Just before heading to SA, Travolta pulled out of promotional work for his latest movie 'The Taking of Pelham 123', as he reportedly wasn't yet up to the usual string of demanding and intrusive press interviews.

Still, at per person, per night rates varying from R3500 to about R7200, I'm sure Eagles Crag will take extremely good care of Travolta and Preston.

Who will take care of poor Antonio Banderas, though? He had to strip off in front of the cameras for his new flick 'Thick as Thieves', and the 49-year-old actor just isn't so sure his body is up to the challenge any more.

"It's always uneasy when you get into bed with a woman on screen — it's difficult because you have 50 people around, and there are some people who are sensitive to that," explains Banderas. (Presumably he is just such a sensitive person.)

"I'm nearly 50 years old, and even I start getting more wary of those scenes," continues Antonio. Even you, eh? "Everything changes as you get older — your mind, your body, the way you view the world."

Of course, I'm assuming it's the 'your body' part that's freaking Antonio out when it comes to clothes-free, on-screen action. Or, you know, perhaps it's really just the way he views the world.

It seems very difficult to work out precisely how Dina Lohan views the world around her — though it's rather easier to see how she views her ATM daughter, Lindsay Lohan.

While Linds' disastrous lovelife continues to unravel on the front pages of the tabloids — most recently with another split (this one reportedly via SMS) from Sam Ronson — her mother is... freaking out on Twitter about hotel towels.

Except, it's not actually Dina. The celeb-watching website Gawker revealed way back at the end of March that the dinalohan on Twitter is really Matt Cherette from Michigan, in the US — a guy with a wicked sense of humour, and a lot of time on his hands.

And yet, numerous celeb gossip sites are still, now, posting stories about how crazy Dina Lohan is, based on fake tweets by Cherette. Most recently, the coverage has been of Dina's supposed bizarre rant about being persecuted by hotel staff, who then assault her with a pile of towels.

Some of the stuff is so funny you almost wish it really was her. But, at least for her kids' sake, I guess we should be thankful it isn't.

What else is fake? It really hasn't been a good time for truth-in-gossip, lately. Seems the tabs are full of out and out drivel at the moment.

First up: 19-year-old 'Harry Potter' star Emma Watson, who is all set to go to university and confirms she may well quit acting, unless something electrifying comes along. However, she tells Teen Vogue in an interview that she is not about to break up with her 25-year-old, financier boyfriend Jay Barrymore.

"The only reason it's 'on/off'," says Watson of her relationship, "is because the papers make up so much rubbish!"

Second: Scarlett Johansson, who isn't having her daily life filmed for a new British reality TV show with Fearne Cotton.

"We have never been approached about the Fearne Cotton show and Scarlett would never participate in this sort of show. Scarlett is a very private person. It's a complete fabrication," confirms a Scarlett rep.