Brangelina: Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt Gossip

Last week, Brad and Angelina won a lawsuit against the British tabloid the News of the World (another one of the “fine” products of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp) for printing false allegations of “divorce” talks concerning child custody and dividing assets. The false story had spread around the globe faster than a California wildfire.

In a daring move this week, Star Magazine is striking back. The front cover reads, “Angie & Brad: The Photos That Will TEAR THEM APART!” They have obtained very, very racy 1999 photos of her that can’t be denied. Since the story is true, I don’t think Brad and Angelina can fight this one. Still, the story/pictures are old news. It’s just a mean spirited maneuver by Star. In fact there is also a well circulated video of Angelina during that time period. I’m willing to bet Star has had access to those pictures for a very long time but were saving them for a rainy day. I think Star is speaking on behave of all tabloids and sending a message to Brangelina that “we don’t like you two” and stop dictating how we do our ‘job’.

You must remember that Angelina has always, always been up front and honest about her past.

From London’s The Sunday Times 2008 (and 2003)

There’s also much that has surfaced to embarrass her from her past: but denying it doesn’t seem to be her game. She was once caught on video, wide-eyed and mumbling incoherently in what was described as a “drugs den”, about how weary she was of talking about sadomasochism, a practice she seemed to be suggesting came from deep inside her heart. It was filmed in 1999, when she was 23. She wasn’t seen taking drugs, but has freely admitted to doing so when she was younger, telling The Sunday Times in 2003: “I have done just about every drug possible: cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, LSD. The worst effect, oddly enough, was pot, which made me feel out of control.” She has also spoken in early interviews about being keen to try anything sexually, and has made no secret of her lesbian relationships. It’s seedy stuff and also fascinating. Can someone so open to experiences, dark or not, still want to flourish at the brittle heights of supposedly squeaky-clean American society? Apparently so, and without regret. “The people in my circle know not to bring anything to my attention unless it’s something they feel I really have to address,” she says. “So it is very possible to be totally unaware of everything they’re saying about me,” she giggles. “Thank God.”

From a recent Parade Magazine interview:

“I used to cut myself or jump out of airplanes, trying to find something new to push up against because sometimes everything else felt too easy. I was searching for something deeper, something more,” she explains. “I tried everything. I always felt caged, closed in, like I was punching at things that weren’t there. I always had too much energy for the room I was in.”

“I went through a period when I felt my film characters were having more fun than I was,” she continues. “It might partly explain why I ended up tattooed or doing certain extreme things in my life.”

Here’s the most interesting one that I found from a 2008 Good Morning America interview for The Good Shepherd.

Jolie has said she’s been “self-destructive” in the past — she has admitted to using drugs and cutting herself. She says that she’s not so itchy for freedom anymore. “My life’s a lot more peaceful than it used to be,” she said. “So I’m happy to have that private time but I’m also happy to be up there with Brad and a bunch of screaming kids, and that’s fun.” The “silly, self-destructive things” she used to do, she says, weren’t genuinely wild. “I was just confused and searching,” Jolie said. Now, she says, traveling the world with her family is truly wild and adventurous. “I have to be a lot braver today than I had to when I was 20,” she said.

So, what’s Angelina’s next move? I think she should call a major news conference and a) confirm the validity of the pictures, b) remind people of how she has always been honest about her past, c) admonish Star and all other tabloids for their constant trash, d) tell the world to deal with it, move on with their lives, and see her for the person she is today, and finally e) redirect people’s focus on things that really matter like world refugees and feeding/caring for 3rd world children.