Ruth Wilson Shades ‘The Affair,’ and Showtime Responds in Kind

Ruth Wilson as Alison in The Affair (Season 4, Episode 6) Photo: Ali Goldstein/SHOWTIME

Anyone who knows television history or has worked in Business Affairs is aware of the monumental change that occurred as a result of the ‘Friends’ cast, who formed a fierce front for their salary demands on the heels of the show’s massive success. Leading the charge was David Schwimmer, who stood to make the most money by comparison to his castmates, given that he and Jennifer Aniston were the breakout stars. The cast quickly agreed with Schwimmer’s kind proposal, and despite massive push-back from the powers that be, they refused to back down, insisting that they all deserved to be paid the same. Matt LeBlanc once recounted that the negotiations got so heated he once had to walk off the set in solidarity with his castmates, who were all receiving their own type of pressure.

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Jennifer Aniston Is Not “Heartbroken” Over Divorce

Unfortunately for Jennifer Aniston, she’s had quite a few breakups in the public eye. Were she to date a banker from Iowa, she’d avoid the minefield of questions about Brad Pitt, Vince Vaughn, John Mayer, and Justin Theroux. Instead, she’s forced to not only defend her relationships, but to also defend the end of those relationships. And in an effort to fight against the media’s unfair narrative of Aniston as the sad, lonely girl who can’t keep a man, she’s pushed up against it with a consistent, opposing strategy. In a new interview with InStyle, Aniston insists she not heartbroken. This is not the first time she’s taken this route, and despite my love for all things Aniston, her comment begs an even more important question. What’s so wrong with being heartbroken, anyways?

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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.

Office Christmas Party Los Angeles Premiere: See Images

‘Office Christmas Party’ opened last night in Los Angeles, and the stars came out for the premiere. The film follows the CEO (Jennifer Aniston), as she tries to close her hard-partying brother’s branch, and he (T.J. Miller) and his Chief Technical Officer (Jason Bateman) then rally their co-workers to host an epic office Christmas party in an effort to impress a potential client and close a sale that will save their jobs. It co-stars Kate McKinnon, Olivia Munn, Jillian Bell, Rob Corddry, Vanessa Bayer, Randall Park, Sam Richardson, Jamie Chung, and Courtney B. Vance.

Jennifer Aniston poses as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of "Office Christmas Party" at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
Jennifer Aniston poses as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of “Office Christmas Party” at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
Katy Perry poses as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of "Office Christmas Party" at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
Katy Perry poses as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of “Office Christmas Party” at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
Jennifer Aniston and Olivia Munn pose as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of "Office Christmas Party" at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
Jennifer Aniston and Olivia Munn pose as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of “Office Christmas Party” at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
Olivia Munn poses as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of "Office Christmas Party" at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
Olivia Munn poses as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of “Office Christmas Party” at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
WESTWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 07:  Singer Kelly Rowland attends the LA Premiere of Paramount Pictures "Office Christmas Party" at Regency Village Theatre on December 7, 2016 in Westwood, California.  (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures) *** Local Caption *** Kelly Rowland
WESTWOOD, CA – DECEMBER 07: Singer Kelly Rowland attends the LA Premiere of Paramount Pictures “Office Christmas Party” at Regency Village Theatre on December 7, 2016 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures) 
Kate Miller and T.J. Miller pose as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of "Office Christmas Party" at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
Kate Miller and T.J. Miller pose as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of “Office Christmas Party” at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney pose as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of "Office Christmas Party" at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney pose as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of “Office Christmas Party” at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
Courtney B. Vance, Jennifer Aniston and Will Speck pose at the after party as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of "Office Christmas Party" at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
Courtney B. Vance, Jennifer Aniston and Will Speck pose at the after party as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of “Office Christmas Party” at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
WESTWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 07: Actress Lisa Ann Russell (L) and TV personality Jeff Probst attend the LA Premiere of Paramount Pictures "Office Christmas Party" at Regency Village Theatre on December 7, 2016 in Westwood, California.  (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures) *** Local Caption *** Lisa Ann Russell;Jeff Probst
WESTWOOD, CA – DECEMBER 07: Actress Lisa Ann Russell (L) and TV personality Jeff Probst attend the LA Premiere of Paramount Pictures “Office Christmas Party” at Regency Village Theatre on December 7, 2016 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures) 

 

WESTWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 07:  Director Paul Feig attends the LA Premiere of Paramount Pictures "Office Christmas Party" at Regency Village Theatre on December 7, 2016 in Westwood, California.  (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures) *** Local Caption *** Paul Feig
WESTWOOD, CA – DECEMBER 07: Director Paul Feig attends the LA Premiere of Paramount Pictures “Office Christmas Party” at Regency Village Theatre on December 7, 2016 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures) 
WESTWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 07:  Actress Amanda Cerny attends the LA Premiere of Paramount Pictures "Office Christmas Party" at Regency Village Theatre on December 7, 2016 in Westwood, California.  (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures) *** Local Caption *** Amanda Cerny
WESTWOOD, CA – DECEMBER 07: Actress Amanda Cerny attends the LA Premiere of Paramount Pictures “Office Christmas Party” at Regency Village Theatre on December 7, 2016 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures) 
Molly Sims and Scott Stuber pose as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of "Office Christmas Party" at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
Molly Sims and Scott Stuber pose as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of “Office Christmas Party” at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
T.J. Miller and Kate Miller pose at the after party as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of "Office Christmas Party" at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
T.J. Miller and Kate Miller pose at the after party as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of “Office Christmas Party” at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
Courtney B. Vance and Da'Vine Joy Randolph pose at the after party as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of "Office Christmas Party" at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)
Courtney B. Vance and Da’Vine Joy Randolph pose at the after party as Paramount Pictures presents the Los Angeles premiere of “Office Christmas Party” at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 ..(Photo: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages)

Jennifer Aniston Joined the Mile High Club — With the Pilot


If you thought Brad Pitt traded up, think again. One might think he exchanged a girl-next-door ‘Friends’ star for a seductive villainess, but Jennifer Aniston’s appearance on Ellen proves that Pitt’s luck on airplanes might have looked much different had he stayed with America’s sweetheart. Aniston revealed that she’s had sex in the cockpit of an airplane with the pilot, proving that private planes come with multiple benefits that us standard civilians don’t get to reap. Watch below for the funny revelation.

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.

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.

Jennifer Aniston is Fed Up: Writes Article for Huffington Post

The Tabloids have once again speculated that Jennifer Aniston, at the age of 47, is pregnant, and the A-list actress has had enough. In an article for the Huffington Post, she emphasized society’s unfair standards toward women, saying:

This past month in particular has illuminated for me how much we define a woman’s value based on her marital and maternal status. The sheer amount of resources being spent right now by press trying to simply uncover whether or not I am pregnant (for the bajillionth time… but who’s counting) points to the perpetuation of this notion that women are somehow incomplete, unsuccessful, or unhappy if they’re not married with children. 

Aniston has always been a role model to me. She met someone, fell in love, got divorced, and then waited a very long time to settle down. It didn’t seem to top her list of priorities, and she wanted to be sure she found the right partner. She would not be pressured, pushed, or judged, and she would not allow the press to ask invasive questions about her future. Good job, Jennifer. 

Tabloid Gossip: Your Week of Links

Mark Salling was indicted for child porn. Hollywood Reporter

Amber Heard alleged domestic violence against Johnny Depp. TMZ

Nick Jonas is proud of his ex-girlfriend, Miley Cyrus. EW

Khloe Kardashian is divorcing Lamar Odom again. Hollywood Life

Chris Brown and his baby mamma are brawling on Instagram. E! Online

Does Josh Wahler blame ‘The Hills‘ for his addiction? RTW

Donald Trump won’t debate Bernie Sanders. The Week

Jennifer Aniston’s mother passed away. Us Weekly

Bristol Palin is peacefully co-parenting. Daily Mail

Lindsay Lohan and her fiance are going strong. Just Jared

Kylie Jenner has a new boo. Jezebel