March 15, 2007: Brad, Angelina and the World Celebri-family
Is there anyone who doesn't know that Angelina Jolie is in Vietnam right now, adopting her fourth child? Probably very few. She's an A-list celebrity in every way, from box office draw to celebrity tabloid coverage.
But I haven't written about Brangelina much, despite the fact that they are weekly tabloid covers, along with Paris, Britney and Anna. A friend of mine asked me why I've stayed away from such an obvious choice for a blog called Celebri-spiral. Certainly, the Brangelina relationship has caused many a celebri-spiral, not just for Jennifer Aniston. I think there are three main reasons:
Reason #1: I am conflicted. Angelina Jolie is doing good in the world. She's bringing attention to areas that need it. She is a calm, composed presence on the world stage. Regardless of what motives or media manipulation lie beneath the surface, and I am not denying there's lots I'm unaware of, the end result seems very positive. So is this an example of the highest form of celebrity good? I don't know, honestly.
Reason #2: She's not talking much about her personal life. She's mentioning babies, Brad and world crises all in the same breath, and more on the latter, frankly. Another type of media hound would have engendered world sympathy by making damn sure we all knew her mother was dying before she walked the Golden Globes red carpet last January. Yes, Angelina looked dour and humorless. She took the heat for it and never responded. Two weeks later, we found out why. But the less she leverages the celebrity currency of her personal life, the less compelled I am to comment on any aspect of her.
Reason #3: The repetition factor. We're used to her now. She's usually seen in comfortable slacks, a black or white loose top, hair lightly pulled away from her face. Or she's in a Jackie O black trench with oversize black sunglasses. She's either in A) Cambodia (or now Vietnam, same thing), B) Los Angeles, C) New Orleans, or D) deplaning a small jet. She smiles pleasantly, lightly, and rarely directly at camera. Like Madonna wearing an Adidas track suit for the 100th time, while exiting the Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles, we've seen Angelina's standard image so often, we don't perk up in the same way as when we see something new.
Are Brangelina and brood stirring a celebri-spiral in you, or are you feeling chill about them, too?
posted by Dave Singleton @ 11:12 AM
4 Comments:
Who could argue that what Ange-J is doing with adoption and peace and whatnot is not good? No one. But my feeling is: Not on my celebrity watch, please. I like my celebs in rehab, lockup, forbidden trysts, the throes of breakup, fashion faux pas, and Barbara Walters confessionals. I think she peaked when she showed up at the Oscars in that white suit.
Brad Pitt is the most boring man on earth. His only good role was in Thelma and Louise, when he was just what he should have been: a yummy, shirtless, and charming. And we are a long, long way from that. He just always looks grim to me, even more so since he's been with Angelina. He belongs with Jen, she's just as boring as he is.
Relatively chill, mainly bored. Angelina in particular appears to have mastered and leveraged her celebrity to promote her causes. Brad strikes me as riding her coattails and mirroring her behavior. It's all good, but very beige and humorless. She's a MOM (4x and counting) now....
Yeah, feel the same. Angie is OK. I do get a weird, like "no trashing" feeling about them. Like I just should not think or say anything bad about them.
But then she has to go and name the kid Pax - he's 3 for God's sake. He already had a name, even if it didn't rhyme with Pitt.
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