"Brangelina" phenomenon reaches fever pitch (Reuters) Updated: 2006-02-03 11:43 The celebrity phenomenon dubbed "Brangelina" has
triggered a media fever surrounding Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie that some
observers say has reached the point of insanity -- far overshadowing the hoopla
that attended such couples as "Bennifer" and "TomKat."
The terse confirmation last month that Jolie was pregnant by her co-star Pitt
was proof to the media of a love affair that neither star has publicly
acknowledged.
File photo shows
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador
Angelina Jolie (R) and Brad Pitt leave the 'A New Mindset for the UN'
session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January
26, 2006. The celebrity phenomenon dubbed 'Brangelina' has triggered a
media fever surrounding Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie that some observers
say has reached the point of insanity. The terse confirmation last month
that Jolie was pregnant by her co-star Pitt was proof to the media of a
love affair that neither star has publicly acknowledged.
[Reuters] |
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on which TV show you listen to or which celebrity magazine or gossip column you
read, Jolie is expecting a girl, no! a boy, no! twins; the pair plans a
Valentine's Day wedding in Malibu, or possibly at George Clooney's Italian
villa, unless they have already married in a secret Buddhist ceremony.
They are also reported to have hired British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver to
do the catering, Madonna's husband Guy Ritchie to be best man and have
commissioned an Italian jeweler to come up with the ring.
Or does the sultry Oscar-winning actress (or possibly Pitt) have cold feet
about tying the knot -- whoever said marriage was imminent anyway? -- and is
Brad's ex-wife Jennifer Aniston devastated or happily moving on?
Jolie, twice married, and Pitt, whose divorce last year from popular
"Friends" star Aniston has spiced up the story, have remained tight-lipped,
merely fueling the speculation.
LEAVE THEM ALONE
"We are not talking about it. We don't want any more stories. We just want
people to leave them alone," Pitt's publicist Cindy Guagenti told Reuters.
Guagenti said there was no truth to the rumor about an imminent Italian
wedding, adding cryptically. "They are not getting married. I don't want a story
about they're not getting married. I think you guys should just drop the whole
thing."
Some hope. There's even a Brangelina.net Web site.
"There has always been a certain fascination with celebrity but with today's
proliferation of outlets that seem to be competing for the same photos and
stories, it has reached a point that seems completely insane," said PR
consultant Ken Sunshine, whose clients include several celebrities.
Even Time magazine has acknowledged the deafening noise, carrying a darkly
satirical cartoon last week that featured the Jolie pregnancy news and wedding
rumors as new methods of torture for prisoners of war.
Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television,
said the coupling of A list stars like Pitt and Jolie -- or in years gone by
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton -- was "a paparazzi's dream come true."
"As silly as it sounds, this new tendency to make up single names for two
people -- like 'Bennifer' ( Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez) and 'TomKat' ( Tom
Cruise and Katie Holmes) -- is an insightful idea. 'Brangelina' has more
cultural equity than their two star parts," he said.
"You get interested in this whether you want to or not. It's by osmosis,"
Thompson said.
Sunshine said Jolie and Pitt "seem to be dealing with this insanity as well
as anyone could" although he regretted the media obsession with their personal
lives rather than Jolie's work as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. refugee
agency.
Even if the pair switched tactics and were more open with the media, Sunshine
doubted they would be left in peace.
"It never happens. If it were that simple my job would be a lot easier. They
(the paparazzi) don't want the truth. They want something lurid or beyond normal
imagination.
"Most celebrities work hard, they have families and want to spend time with
their kids. It isn't that exciting," Sunshine said.
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