Tabloid Gossip: Your Week of News

Hugh Grant got married. Us Magazine

Alicia Silverstone is getting divorced. Radar Online

Tiffany Haddish has an angry ex-husband. TMZ

Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie set a wedding date. E! Online

Nikki Bella was not excited to try no wedding dresses. Mail Online

Ariana Grande is dating Pete Davidson. Dlisted

Kendrick Lamar is at odds with Spotify. Vibe

Are Tristan Thomas and Khloe Kardashian on the outs? OK! Magazine

Ryan Reynolds reunited with his father because of Blake Lively. Page Six

Liam Gallagher met his daughter for the first time. BBC

Stacy Keibler is pregnant with her second child. Just Jared

The Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt custody battle rages on. The Stir

Tabloid Gossip . . . I’m Back!

Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare, Ireland

It’s been a long Labor Day vacation filled with Distillery tours, The Cliffs of Insanity/Moher (see The Princess Bride), a valuable history lesson on Northern Ireland, and an odd story about a giant disguised as a baby (Giant’s Causeway). Plus, some killer Irish pub music featuring a fiddle. As I journey back home and think of my friends and family currently battling IRMAgeddon, I feel it my duty to post the most superficial reprieve possible, which involves my tabloid gossip reel. So what did I miss? Click the links to discover who’s shtupping who, fame-driven feuds, and more.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s supermodel obsession has reached new heights. The Sun

Kristen Bell saved Josh Gad’s family from hurricane Irma. E Online

Kirk Cameron thinks hurricane Irma is God’s punishment. Us Weekly

Sharon Osborne called Kim Kardashian a non-feminist “ho”, and Kim responded. Buzzfeed

John Mayer hit on Nicki Minaj, and he might have a shot. EW

Mindy Kaling revealed the sex of her baby. Vanity Fair

Kendall Jenner and Blake Griffin are a thing. Mirror

Tyrese Gibson and Dwayne Johnson have a feud brewing. Wonderwall

Amber Tamblyn put James Woods creepy past on blast. Page Six

Larsa and Scottie Pippen just derailed their divorce. TMZ

Kim Kardashian and Sharon Osbourne don’t like each other. Radar Online

Is Brangelina back on? E! Online

Amber Heard is hot. Hollywood Tuna

 

 

Vanity Fair v. Angelina Jolie: The Mag Fights Back

It's no secret that Angelina Jolie has suffered from a serious amount of bad press as of late. For starters, her private "pain" surrounding her divorce from Brad Pitt was made public time and time again, with Jolie's team inserting well-placed press leaks that implied he got physical with his child while on a drunken rant aboard a private plane. Though these details might hold true, any and all leaks only serve to hurt their children. The benefit, of course, is that Jolie's reputation remains intact. Many people who subsequently bad-mouthed the actress, such as Melissa Etheridge and Perez Hilton, reportedly received letters from Jolie's lawyer. Etheridge, who was a personal friend to Pitt's prior to his Jolie marriage, divulged that Jolie was horrible to Laura Dern, who was in a relationship with Billy Bob Thornton when Jolie took up with him. In Dern's own words, "I left our home to work on a movie, and while I was away, my boyfriend got married, and I’ve never heard from him again.” Etheridge said, "I helped Laura move out of her house with Billy Bob — I like broke into their home to get their stuff out because it was so nasty." And even if you don't believe these details to be true, there's one thing we know for sure. Angelina Jolie was one half of a highly insensitive duo that publicly declared their love at the expense of Jennifer Aniston, who was married to Pitt. There's no need to replay that old tune, but there's no excuse for saying you fell in love on a movie set, when the man you fell in love with was married at that time. Keep that to yourself. Furthermore, posing in a W Magazine spread as a faux family on the heels of his marriage ending, is also highly insensitive. Summation? Any and all stories about Angelina Jolie having questionable character are NOT hard for me to believe. Now for the good stuff…

During a recent interview with Vanity Fair which was meant to inspire some compassion for Jolie while promoting her latest film, she described an extremely disturbing audition process. Here's the original excerpt:

In order to find their lead, to play young Loung Ung, the casting directors set up a game, rather disturbing in its realism: they put money on the table and asked the child to think of something she needed the money for, and then to snatch it away. The director would pretend to catch the child, and the child would have to come up with a lie. “Srey Moch [the girl ultimately chosen for the part] was the only child that stared at the money for a very, very long time,” Jolie says. “When she was forced to give it back, she became overwhelmed with emotion. All these different things came flooding back.” Jolie then tears up. “When she was asked later what the money was for, she said her grandfather had died, and they didn’t have enough money for a nice funeral.”

Social media rightfully erupted at playing mind games with a young child, and Jolie's team issued a swift response, saying:

Every measure was taken to ensure the safety, comfort and well-being of the children on the film starting from the auditions through production to the present. Parents, guardians, partner NGOs whose job it is to care for children, and medical doctors were always on hand everyday, to ensure everyone had all they needed. And above all to make sure that no one was in any way hurt by participating in the recreation of such a painful part of their country’s history.

I am upset that a pretend exercise in an improvisation, from an actual scene in the film, has been written about as if it was a real scenario. The suggestion that real money was taken from a child during an audition is false and upsetting. I would be outraged myself if this had happened.

The point of this film is to bring attention to the horrors children face in war, and to help fight to protect them.

Producer Rithy Panh said:

The children were not tricked or entrapped, as some have suggested. They understood very well that this was acting, and make believe. What made Srey Moch, who was chosen for the lead role of Loung Ung, so special was that she said that she would want the money not for herself, but for her grandfather.

When I first read Angelina Jolie's response, I immediately put on my lawyer hat. For starters, Jolie did not specifically say that the children KNEW it was an acting exercise. Though she insisted that their welfare was protected, if the game was in fact executed as it was described, then it's very disturbing. If Panh; however, is correct in that they knew it was acting, then fine. But Vanity Fair stood by it's story today and published the original transcript. Here it is:

We just went in and–you just go in and do some auditions with the kids. And it’s not really an audition with children. We had this game where it would be–and I wasn’t there and they didn’t know what they were really doing. They kind of said, “Oh, a camera’s coming up and we want to play a game with you.” And the game for that character was “We’re going to put some money on the table. Think of something that you need that money for.” Sometimes it was money, sometimes it was a cookie. [Laughter] “And then take it.” And then we would catch them. “We’re going to catch you, and we’d like you to try to lie that you didn’t have it.”

So it was very interesting seeing the kids and how they would–some were very conscious of the camera. They were actually–there are so many talented kids in this country. But Srey Moch was the only child that stared at that money for a very, very long time before she picked it up, and then bravely, brazenly lying, like was trying to hide, but then she also kind of–

And then when she was forced to give it back became very kind of like strong, emotional, she became overwhelmed with emotion that she was–and she just–all of these different things flooded out. And I don’t think she or her family would mind me saying when she was later asked what that money was for, she said her grandfather died and they didn’t have enough money for a nice funeral.

There are a lot of important things to note from reading the transcript. First, based on that text, neither the producer nor Angelina Jolie can say with certainty that the children understood that they were in the land of pretend. In fact, when the child said she would use the money for her grandfather's funeral, we can lean more in the direction of her NOT understanding. Sure she might have said what she "pretend" thought of, but we can't be positive. Second, if Angelina Jolie was not present during this process, then she can't vouch for it. All she has is hearsay, as do we. 

Vanity Fair received a letter from Jolie's lawyer, asking the magazine to essentially say they made a mistake. They reviewed the transcript, taped on two devices, and stand by their story. There's a lesson to be learned here, and it starts with camp Jolie. There's only so much you can do to protect your star, and sending out letters with unreasonable demands isn't one of them. Maybe she should question the casting process rather than defending it.

Tabloid Gossip: Your Week of News

rosie

Paula Patton and Robin Thicke’s custody war continues. Jezebel

Roman Polanski’s rape victim is no victim. TMZ

Chrissy Metz commented on her co-star’s fat suit. Toofab

Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgratroyd debuted their baby. Wet Paint

Ricki Lake spoke out about the loss of her ex-husband/”soul mate.” MSN

Whitney Port is pregnant. Refinery29

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jason Statham are having a child. The Stir

Have The Bachelorette’s Josh Murray and Amanda Stanton reunited? Us Weekly

George Clooney and Amal are expecting twins. BBC News

Tori Spelling’s baby shower caused a stir with her husband’s ex-wife. She Knows

Amber Rose clarified her relationship with Wiz Khalifa. Us Weekly

Mariah Carey confirmed her romance with her much-younger dancer.  WWTDD

Angelina Jolie changed her tune on Brad Pitt. Pop Sugar

Lisa Rinna wants you to see her naked. Socialite Life

Tabloid Gossip: Your Week of News


hilaryEmma Roberts
and Evan Peters are going strong. Pop Sugar

Bristol Palin is going to pop out baby #3. TMZ

Renee Zellweger got dragged into court via her boyfriend’s ex. Wonderwall

Jersey Shore’s Ronnie Magro is dating Khloe Kardashian’s BFF.

Sofia Vergara is being sued by her embryos. The Superficial

Paula Patton is back on twitter. Hip Hollywood

Sia  and her husband of two years are divorcing. Just Jared

Minka Kelly and Josh Radnor are dating. Celebuzz

The Brangelina divorce nightmare just got worse for Brad Pitt. E! Online

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner are taking it up a notch. People

Jimmel Kimmel is having his fourth child. Yahoo!

Hilary Duff and her trainer are dunzo. Wet Paint

Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk are having a baby. USA Today

Dancing With the Stars’ Mark Ballas got married. Reality TV World

Naomi Watts talked about her split from Liev Schreiber. Contact Music

T.J. Miller was arrested for a brawl with his Uber driver. Deadline

Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom finalized their divorce. CNN

Amber Rose and Val Chmerkovskiy stepped out hand in hand. Us Weekly

Blac Chyna is having trouble trademarking the Kardashian name. TMZ

Tabloid Gossip: Your Week of News

Melco Crown Entertainment's Co-chairman, James Packer, right, and singer Mariah Carey pose on the red carpet of the opening ceremony for the Studio City project in Macau, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015. China's world-beating gambling hub is getting a taste of Hollywood glamour as its newest casino resort makes its debut on Tuesday with a glitzy grand opening that masks turmoil behind the scenes. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Melco Crown Entertainment’s Co-chairman, James Packer, right, and singer Mariah Carey pose on the red carpet of the opening ceremony for the Studio City project in Macau, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015. China’s world-beating gambling hub is getting a taste of Hollywood glamour as its newest casino resort makes its debut on Tuesday with a glitzy grand opening that masks turmoil behind the scenes. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Kevin Jonas and his wife welcomed their second child. RTW

Mariah Carey is devastated by her breakup with James Packer. E! Online

Johnny Depp left his talent agency. CAA

Amber Tamblyn and David Cross welcomed their first child. Yahoo!

A Grey’s Anatomy is pregnant. Wet Paint

Kristen Stewart went public with her new girlfriend. Stuff

Kate Beckinsale’s husband filed for divorce. TMZ

Brangelina is selling off their property. People

Michael Phelps is married. CNN

Nick Young welcomed a baby months after cheating on Iggy Azalea. Rolling Out

Is Khloe Kardashian getting married? Uproxx

Amber Rose used to date a transgender man. Shade Room

‘Birth of a Nation’ director Nate Parker was hit with another sexual assault allegation. The Wrap

Melissa Etheridge v. Angelina Jolie: Defends Brad Pitt

Melissa Etheridge visited Andy Cohen and revealed some striking details about former friend Brad Pitt, with whom she had a personal relationship. Etheridge sang at Pitt’s wedding to Jennifer Aniston and was also friends with Lauren Dern when Jolie began dating Billy Bob Thornton. At the time, Thornton was engaged to Dern and he left her for Jolie. According to Dern, she “left [their] home to work on a movie, and while [she] was away, [her] boyfriend got married, and [she] never heard from him again.” Dern likened it to a “sudden death.” Etheridge revealed that she had to help Dern break into her home to retrieve her possessions as things turned very nasty. She now hopes Pitt will resume their relationship, and she also said that he has not spoken to many of his close friends in nearly 10 years. Listen to the interview below. It’s startling.

Celebrity News: Your Weekend Rundown

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Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds had baby #2. E! Online

Nicole Kidman thinks she was too young to marry Tom Cruise. Yahoo

Blac Chyna tweeted Rob Kardashian’s phone number. HipHollywood

Marion Cotillard has a bun in the oven. People

Benedict Cumberbatch won’t ask Tom Hiddleston about Taylor Swift. Mtv

Kim Kardashian was assaulted. WGO

Mandy Moore supports ex Wilmer Valderrama dating her friend Minka Kelly. RTVW

Hilary Duff is dating the guy who founded Rise Nation. Style Caster

Taye Diggs ex and Broadway powerhouse Idina Menzel is engaged. Bossip

Charlotte McKinney has very beautiful boobs. Egotastic

AnnaLynne McCord got real about her ex Kellan Lutz. Too Fab

Jana Kramer’s ex-husband is in rehab for sex addiction. Radar Online

Lindsay Lohan lost part of her finger. TMZ

Bethenny Frankel lost her radio show over her poor behavior. Wonderwall

Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne are back in business. Just Jared

Did Angelina Jolie just hire Olivia Pope to “fix” her divorce? Pop Sugar

 

 

Angelina Jolie v. Brad Pitt: A Look at a Romance Gone Wrong

No one was more surprised about the demise of Brangelina than myself. First, they did seem in love. Second, they had six kids, and one would think they’d work through their issues. Third, they have openly declared their love, most notably after Angelina Jolie underwent surgery to remove her ovaries and breasts in a preemptive effort to avoid cancer. And lastly, their relationship began with an affair, and though that is no indicator of long-lasting love, I simply assumed that if Mr. Smith wanted to leave America’s Sweetheart for Mrs. Smith, he’d have a damn good reason. And speaking of America’s Sweetheart, her new Prince Charming had something poignant to say, with Justin Theroux explaining that “As a child of divorce, all I can say is that’s terrible news for those children.” As for Jennifer Aniston, she has remained silent, but the meme-sphere is on overdrive, and the general implication is that Brangelina got what they deserved. After all, didn’t they endlessly brag about falling in love on set while Pitt was in fact married to another women? And let’s not forget their W Magazine spread touting their fake family in the name of art.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were a notoriously private couple. They had an air-tight team who never leaked stories, leading tabloids to use their typical guesses, such as “they’re on the verge of splitting,” with no additional details. At some point everyone is on the verge of splitting, so the more darts you throw, the more likely you are to ultimately hit a target. But now that they’re actually splitting, the leaks have become Niagara Falls.Suddenly Brad Pitt is an angry drunk that got physical with the children who are “now recovering” from an incident on a plane. The shocking revelation has one purpose and one purpose only: to tank his career. It serves her no favor in court, and it certainly is not helpful to the children, who now have an even more focused lens on their lives. Why does the public need to know about their personal problems? If the children need to be protected from their father, then keep that private. It also doesn’t help Angelina’s PR, because we all remember the pre-charitable woman who wore those vials of blood and said off-color remarks in nearly every interview. It’s possible she did not want to be blamed for the breakup, but this isn’t the way to circumvent that scrutiny. In fact, it escalates it.

Tabloids have long speculated that when Brad Pitt took up with Angelina, he lost all his friends, stopped filming sex scenes as per her demand, and used his nice-guy demeanor to make up for her cold temperament that was often noticed on the red carpet. George Clooney’s shocked reaction to the news of their split further confirms his estrangement with Brad, despite the fact that tabloids often tout the twosome as good friends. As for his non-public friends, who knows. All we know is that six children are in the mix, and I’m confused as to why Pitt’s perilous temperament didn’t surface earlier, perhaps before child number 3, 4, 5, or 6. For two people who once loved each other, one would think they could handle this with a tad more grace, integrity, and respect. I often tell people to leave their relationships with the same dignity with which they entered it. But since their relationship began sans dignity, perhaps they should have taken the opposite of my advice this one time.

Chelsea Handler Attacks Angelina Jolie

Though it’s certainly sad to see any marriage end, I can understand the press’s subtle glee with the Brangelina breakup. First, Angelina Jolie is a fundamentally unlikable star. She weirded us out with the Billy Bob blood vials and seemingly broke up another man’s marriage to America’s sweetheart. Sure you can’t take a man that isn’t already willing to leave, but it’s also low-hanging fruit. Longer relationships are susceptible to outside influence by the mere nature of time, boredom, and mundane life occurrences. The shiny and new will always seem superior. Plus, it’s Angelina Jolie, who is likely one of the last remaining movie-star Goddesses out there. Let’s also not forget their faux-family W Magazine spread which even Jennifer Aniston, who always takes the high road, called insensitive. Reports also circulated that Brad Pitt alienated his close circle of friends when he met Jolie, and she forbade him from acting in moves with sex scenes. One can therefore understand her questionable popularity.

There’s one looming question; however, that I’d like to address, and my readers are free to comment with their own hypothesis. Why does the public constantly pounce on their AMOUNT of children? Is it because they’re aghast at the idea that parents of such a large brood can’t seem to make it work, or is it because half of their kids are adopted? After all, six might seem like a lot, but no one comes down on Jim Gaffigan for it. Even Mel Gibson seemed to get a soft reaction to his now-ninth child.

When I saw the video below from Chelsea Handler, who I usually like, I couldn’t help but have a very negative reaction to her “85 kids” remark,which begged the aforementioned question, and she’s certainly not the only one to make this joke. Leave the kids out of it.