Posts Tagged ‘angelina jolie’

The more we hear from the endless Brangelina rumour mill and the less we hear from anyone officially representing the couple, the more likely it seems that there is some truth in the suggestion that their long romance with the tabloids and each other is over.

But in amongst the suggestions that they’re losing it because of lack of Oscar nominations, that Jolie is seeking comfort in the arms of Wyclef Jean and so on ad nauseam, why has there been so little concern about what happens to the family? Read the rest of this entry »

I’m still recovering from a sold out Hay Festival appearance and the blazing sun. I’d forgotten how wonderful the Festival can be when the weather’s good!

The discussion, Hype and Glory, with the Guardian’s Marina Hyde and our excellent chair, Paul Blezard, was wide ranging and got an excellent response from the audience. Marina wanted to reclaim the world from celebrities and wanted real people with real talent to get recognition. Why should Angelina Jolie be the face of the UN when there are committed and talented people out there who, though less glamorous, do all the hard and amazing work that Jolie is employed to make palatable to the people.

The crux of the talk was who will stop the process of fame at any cost and foreshadowed the results and aftermath of Saturday evening’s Britain’s Got Talent final perfectly. The media love a good celebrity meltdown and there is no doubt that the people who own the formats dictate the stars – and the events on Britain’s Got Talent and in its wake prove this without the shadow of a doubt.

It’s great that Diversity won – here’s a group of talented dancers who represent the best of Britain – but it’s the meteoric rise and post-loss wobble of Susan Boyle that will hold the media’s attention for longer. It’s clear that Boyle has problems – she was diagnosed as having learning difficulties as a child – and has invested way too much of herself in the rollercoaster media ride through the talent contest, as her admission to the Priory for ‘exhaustion’ proves.

Jan Moir at the Mail summed up Boyle’s performance as follows: “Boyle did seem a trifle unsteady, not to mention tranquilised during the final. Yet I still phoned in my vote for her, because she delivered the most compelling and thrilling performance of the evening.” To read the entire article, click here.

The programme has a duty of care to its contestants, but how far will they take that when there’s money at stake?

Proof of the sell-out

Carole Malone, in her column in yesterday’s News of the World, worries about this too: “TV bosses have a duty of care to EVERY contestant on that show-but Susan needed more support and I don’t think she’s had it. I just hope they don’t – but I worry that once BGT is over, the powers that be will wash their hands of her. No one wants to be responsible for her losing it or coming to any mental or physical harm-especially because of a show that purports to change people’s lives for the better,” she wrote. To see her entire column, click here.

There have always been troubled stars – from Gwili Andre, who I have discussed here (and in my book The Fame Formula) before, to Judy Garland. Back in the glory days, however, the stars were protected from the ugly side of fame and the intense scrutiny that is now the norm. Now, of course, we are getting to see the nightmare of fame thanks to the people’s constant, urgent need for soap opera and the media’s willingness to supply it.

On another note, I noticed that David Milliband slipped into the discussion – perhaps to learn a bit more about spin and how to patch up tarnished reputations – just as I was getting into my stride about the need for people such as myself going into schools to talk to children about the true price of fame. It was noticeable that the more political I got about fame the more uncomfortable he got, to the point that he slipped out almost as soon as he’d arrived. A shame; it would have been interesting to get his viewpoint…

David Milliband in the Hay green room

Dear old Brad Pitt. In an interview with Newsweek in the US this week, prior to the three-ring Oscar hoopla, the star says he’s sick and tired of the media focus on his relationship with Angelina Jolie. The actor hammers his point home throughout the interview, clearly believing the odd notion that his private life is totally separate from his career. “The publicity machine is out of control,” he tells the magazine. “It’s everything we didn’t sign up for.”

Brad Pitt and family

Are you listening to your PR minders, Brad, or are they telling you want you want to hear? Here’s a question for you to answer. If you wanted to send out a signal that you were a very different celeb, why did you sell the first photographs of your twins? If you facilitate a $14 million contract (which is what the photos of the twins, then less than a month old, reportedly fetched) with devils like People magazine and Hello! magazine, what do you expect?

Come on, Brad; you were paid a king’s ransom for the photo rights – this indicates that you are playing the game. OK, some of the fee was purportedly donated to African charities but the process of monetizing baby pictures is going to causes problems. If newborn infants are thrust into the spotlight to make money, you can’t expect the media to leave you alone to play happy families.

Old Hollywood legends were much better with sound bites and showbiz wisdom. Undoubtedly crafted by a publicist, David Niven’s words should echo through to Brad: “Keep the circus going inside you, keep it going, don’t take anything too seriously, it’ll all work out in the end.” More pertinently, Clark Gable once remarked to Niven that, when it came to the contract between a star and his public, the public had read the small print and the star hadn’t.

Brad should remember that being famous has its costs. Disconnection with the audience is a real threat and remarks such as the ones made in the Newsweek interview are sure to wind the media up. Newsweek are a conduit for all the love that has been directed towards Brad Pitt over the years, but all takes is one insignificant violation of the contract that Clark Gable mentioned and the adoring crowds can turn, all too quickly, into a baying mob.