Wrap Up.

I chose Angelina to blog on because I wanted someone who is controversial and who would be in the media frequently. The recent scandal of the break-up of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston because of the involvement of Angelina is still fresh on everyone's mind. Also when we first starting blogging news of another pregnancy had just come out. This would lead to more controversial stories and more coverage of her and Brad. In hindsight, this prediction proved to be right. The media followed her around everywhere, reporting on every little thing she did.


I found other things I had expected through my blogging on Angelina. First, I did not realize how deep the split on feelings about the actress really were. People either hate her or love her. And both sides seem to not be swayed by the other. Those who love her do not see her questionable relations with Brad during his marriage as a damper on her as a person. Those who hate her do not see the humanitarian work she does as making her any better. Either way, the public is fascinated by her and her family. They are followed everywhere and every little thing is reported on. I also learned the true meaning of the phrase "sex sells." Angelina is one of the modern sex symbols in the acting industry. However, her recent role of Mariane Pearl flopped. Her previous movies where she played the sexy hero, such as Lara Croft, were hits. The audience is interested in the image of sexuality from her. In addition, I watched how almost flawlessly Angelina changed her image. She is the wild child gone mother and loving wife figure. Her dress is different and her demeanor has changed. If you look at interviews; what she is saying has changed too. People do not seem to notice the careful work put into changing this image. The behind the scenes work that Gamson talks about is rarely talked about with her. She seems relatable now, which Gamson says is how we want our celebrities to be. By blogging on Angelina and commenting on other celebs as well, it taught me the complicated work that goes into creating and maintaining a celebrity.

Cousin Hilary.

Hilary Clinton is related to Angelina Jolie and Madonna? Whattt? Sources have reported that the presidental candidate may be related to our girl Angie. Whether the rumor is true or not, Hilary is thrilled to possibly being related to such a strong, independent woman. Hilary said it would be an honor to be related to the humanitarian. There have been reports of other celebs being related to political figures. For example, Angie's beau has been reported to be related to Obama...what a coincidence. How true are these rumors? And what would both the celebrity and the politican have to gain?

I think Gamson's celebrity machine is responsible here. The machine is working PR behind the scenes to involve the celebrities in the popular elections. The political candidates have recently been everywhere in the media. These stories are an inventive way to link the celebrity to that spotlight. After all, the goal of the celebrity machine is to gain notoriety and keep the spotlight for their celebrity. The media market is always thinking of new ways to meet their goal. Kudos on this one. What new strategy will be next?

Racy Photos Revealed

In Touch Weekly recently reported on sexy photos of a very young Angelina. We all know Angie has become the queen of sex in the celebrity world. However, these photos show a 16 year old girl modeling bathing suits (although it may seem hard to believe she could be that young in these pictures). By today's standards this may seem like nothing, but you have to remember how young sixteen really is. To me the photos show the real impact the celebrity machine can have on its own celebrities. We have all heard that sex sells and seen many examples of stars using sexuality as their image.

Angelina is a prime example because sex is almost always linked to her image (except maybe when she's in Iraq, but she still manages to look hot). Gamson says that the audience defines her by this image that has been created. The image has become her identity to the rest of the eagerly-watching world. Her publicists and agents must have known early on to work this angle for her. At merely 16, Angie was posing in bathing suits and showing off those famous lips in red lipstick. The world of the celebrity machine shaped an identity and used it to make her famous and keep her in the spotlight. After all, years later the sexpot image is still holding strong.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

I was recently looking through pictures of Angelina and came across ones of her character as Lara Croft. The movie, based after the popular video game, was a hit in 2001. As I sifted through the photos, I could not help noticing the sexuality of her character. Sure Angie seems to be the perfect candidate for a highly sexual character. But the interesting thought for me was the character itself. The hero is indeed a female, which seems to be a change from the norm. However, the sexual nature of the heroine is alarming. It seems to say that a strong, independant woman must also be sexual. Angelina is shown in tight clothing holding big guns. What does this say about our image of strong women? Why does sexuality have to come into the picture?

This got me to thinking about heroines. The example of Lara Croft combines sexuality and violence. She is feminine, yet dangerous. Violence is a symbol of power that we tend to believe in. Large weapons and knowing how to use them gives you dominance over the guy. Women, in the media's eyes, must take this route as well. However, they must also walk the thin line of holding onto their femininity. They must be a woman, which translates to using their sexuality. The conclusion seems to be that violence defines power and women must remain feminine, or even sexy, to be viewed as a positive heroine.

The Babies are Kickin

While visiting the nation's capital this Tuesday, UN ambassador Angelina Jolie announced she felt her baby kicking. Angie came with her two sons to DC to discuss Iraq education policy and the Iraqi childrens' right to education. Sources have reported that Angie will be having twins, but this seems to be the first mention of her pregnancy from the famous actress.

The interest in Angie's pregnancy seems to be pretty high right now, but it will definitely sky rocket as the twins are born. Brangelina has captivated the world with their relationship and growing family. Two new babies entering the picture will continue to keep the couple in the spotlight.

Brangelina.

In this video Brangelina is interviewed by the legendary Barbara Walters. They were chosen as the most fascinating couple of the year in 2006. If you watch the video, Barbara talks about the wild past of Angelina and Brad's previous marriage. The video starts off talking about the sexiness of this couple. Individually, both Angie and Brad are some of the hottest young stars in Hollywood. And individually, the image of each of them is very sexual. So when they became a couple it created a frenzy among the public. The stories of them meeting on their movie set and hiding it until Brad was divorced, seem to ooze with the image of sex. The whole scandal with Jennifer Anniston only increased the sex appeal...two beautiful people sneaking around together while working on a movie together where they were supposed to be married.

However, Barbara does not dwell on the scandal and adultery. Instead she quickly moves to the role of Angelina as a mother and humanitarian. While we briefly hear about her wild past, it moves to a face to face interview with Angie. She is talking about she was not happy during her crazy days and how much she loves being a mother. It is interesting to note that the Angelina talking to Barbara is dressed modestly with minimal makeup. Gamson would attribute this to the celebrity machine. Angie's team of publicists and agents got her into this interview, dressed her the part of a modest mother, and gave her things to say. The image that is artifically created is what the public sees and believes. Celebrities seem to have this ability to change their image and pull the public in as they do it. Many people love to see the wild child Angelina turn into a caring and devoted mother.

The video concludes with more talk about her humanitarian works and how she brought Brad into it. The interview goes back to Angelina talking about the feelings she has for being a mother. It speaks about their multi-racial family that jetsets around the world frequently. Also, the reference to the popularity and sexuality of the couple is briefly brought up again. But, the overall image of Angelina is a changed woman; she went from wild to humanitarian and mother in what seems like overnight. How much of this is the "real" Angelina and how much is made for tv?

Angie Honors Mariane Pearl

A very pregnant Angelina Jolie awarded her good friend Mariane Pearl with the Fern Holland Award on monday night. Angie played Mariane in her recent role in the film version of Pearl's book A Mighty Heart. The movie was based on the journalist after her husband was killed while reporting. The film seems to be a heart-felt story, but did not do well in the box office.

Angelina has great success in movies highlighting her sexuality, but her role as a modest reporter flopped. For example, her roles as Laura Croft and character in Mr. and Mrs. Smith seemed to do pretty well in theaters. The low cut clothing and sexual references must have something to do with it. What does this say about the movie going audience? We all know that sex sells. But it seems to come at the expense of more serious movies. Movies based on true, compelling stories, such as A Mighty Heart, go unnoticed.

Okay we get it....they DIDN'T get married!

In an attempt to crush wedding rumors, Rev. Tony Talavera issued a statement saying he did not marry the couple in New Orleans. The reverend says he normally does not disclose details of who he has or who he has not married, but the couple requested he do it. However, Talavera has not met the couple personally. It was actually the work of their publicist. They take care of dealing with rumors. The celebrity seems to be removed from this aspect of their life. The agent or the publicist handles turning rumors into publicity for the celebrity. In this case, it seems many people would tune into a wedding between Angie and Brad. They may not have gotten married, but the possibility keeps readers tuned in.

Celebrity Gossip

Angie is frequently in the pages of popular magazines such a US Weekly or Life and Style. She is also often the topic of online gossip websites such as Perez Hilton. Every little thing Angie or Brad does is usually reported to the public. And the readers eat it up. People love to gossip about her. What is it about Angie that keeps us gossiping?

During the scandal with Brad, the story of them together was all over the media. And the public loved hearing all about the tiny details and alleged cheating. We were gossiping about people we did not even know. Gamson talks about gossiping and asserts that readers who enjoy gossiping usually ignore the authenticity of the stories they are hearing. The public did not seem to question the truth behind adultery rumors. The story was much too interesting to worry about if it was true. Gamson states that gossiping is about being in the moment. According to Gamson, "Gossip, moreover, bypasses questions of merit through its emphasis on the present." The audience is caught up in the story and hearing all the details to really question the sources it comes from. We throw careful inspection of facts out the window when it comes to celebrity gossip.