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I’ve had several requests to start a new discussion thread, and since we’re all waiting for photos of Knox and Vivienne, I thought now was as good a time as any!
One of the most popular discussion requests I get lately is to have us all talk about why the world is so fascinated with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
Obviously, not everyone loves them – that much is obvious by reading some of the nasty comments elsewhere on the Internet. People who dislike Brad and Angelina really do so with vitriol. But on the flip side, many people who admire them are just as passionate in their praise.
The thing is, it’s not just some obvious group that follows the Jolie-Pitt family. There are fans who are teens, in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50, 60s and up. Their fans are homemakers, stay at home mothers, medical professionals, business professionals, fellow actors, and more. And their fans span the globe. It’s not just American fans, or Japanese fans, or French fans. When I get comments sent to my inbox or when I have to go into the moderation queue to push comments through (hi Ligaya, hi Victoria!), I’m able to see where those comments are coming from (generally speaking, of course). It’s amazing to me to see how many different countries my readers come from. We have readers from every continent except Antarctica and I can forgive them for that since people down there are usually pretty busy doing scientific work.
So what is it that makes two celebrities so fascinating to so many different types of people from different cultures and different walks of life? We’re all different but we all have this interest in Brad and Angelina in common.
Tell me what it is that attracts you to this couple (or one of them if you have a preference for one over the other), and maybe guess as to why they have a global appeal. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
(I’ll keep my own thoughts in the comments too to keep this entry from getting too long.)
Did you guys the family joilie-pitt on vacation in greece with the whole family. go to bauergriffinonline.com to see the pictures family looks greet.
Lara – You give me, as well as the readers, far too little credit. You’re not being persecuted for having a different opinion, plenty of people get moderated on a regular basis and I can’t control it – it’s done automatically in WordPress and if I shut it off the site will be overrun with spam trying to advertise porn and medication. And as for why it wasn’t approved for awhile – well, I was indeed putting excitement into my life. My husband is on vacation and we’re doing the vacation in your own city thing this year, so we were out for most of the day enjoying the Montreal Biodome and a late lunch as a family with our kids. Otherwise I would have put your comment through more quickly – but I wasn’t even here.
As for implying that the people here are on their computers 24/7 reading about Brad and Angelina, not one person has said that’s the case. Many people drop in while they’re on a break from work, while they’re relaxing in the evening, etc. There’s no one who spends the entire day on this site, not even me and I run it.
People can be fans of something, it doesn’t make their lives empty. I’m a big fan of the Jolie-Pitt family but I’m also quite fulfilled with my children, my blogging work (yes, I work as a blogger, I’m not just some fanatic, I write for numerous websites), my photography, my outdoor activities, my reading, my friends, our trips to local fun spots, and my quest to educate myself about things which interest me (right now it happens to be learning about the Middle East and the Islamic people, particularly Muslim women).
So fear not, I’m well-rounded and not a simple stalker fan, and I’d venture to say that the same can be said for the awesome readers here at PittWatch.
Anglelina and Brad are awesome! They make a great and fascinating couple of this century. Bless the family.
I was never a Brad, Jen or angelina’s fan. When I first know about AJ was when she & BBT were married. First of all, BBT looked like he is in a mid-life crisis who wanted someone young to boost his image. Being an Asian, I was thrilled and proud that AJ adopted a 3rd world child. Now, that she got my attention and interest, I feel attached to Angie. Apparently, AJ’s attention got shifted to Maddox who wants to give the best to her child. And I remembered AJ saying after her divorce from BBT that, she has resigned to being a single mom. Then, came MMS I can almost immediately sensed that these two will be good for each other, even though at that time Brad was still married to Jen. It is their destiny to be together, just that it took them a long time to discover each other, and it happened to be MMS. AJ is an intriguing person, sometimes aloof but personable. AJ is very established financially and an accomplished actress, with an adopted child, and a single parent. Brad is conservative, but has his agenda to be a family man. He is also established financially and an accomplished actor. He is moving forward and he is 42 years old. Opportunity does not come twice, and he sees AJ as his potential equal. They are facinating because they are on the same page, being parents to their kids, actors, and humantarians.
All of these happened in a short period of time. AJ has turned over a new leaf of life to make things right, as compared to other hollywood actors who waste their money and time on other things to be on the front page of a magazine. I feel honored that there is a “real” role model in hollywood.
Actually, I stumbled across AJ’s journals when I was looking for an organization to work with in developing countries after college or during the summers. Her work sounded amazing! Without her resources though, I couldn’t at that point do the kind of Humanitarianism work that she did, but she was inspiring.
I’d heard of her as an actress before, but I wasn’t a fan until after I read these journals. I could tell, just by the fact that she wrote these, that she was genuine.
Some people dislike her cause she had a juvenile past, that she wasn’t the perfect little Britany Spears growing up, but I love how she is so open with her past, because it makes her human, and she tells how has she has grown since then, and a wonderful role model for the world.
Brad, he never did get on my radar until AJ, and he gets my attention now because of her. I believe AJ could have had a family on her own, but I love Brad for being a partner with her, and for being a good father.
I agree with someone above, they are like Royalty, and with the way these two not only use their celebrity to bring attention to different causes in need, they also do a good amount of research, it seems, to the different places they visit and help.
If we could vote for a king and queen of the world…and think of how cute the prince and princess would be!
^^ oops, meant to say “spending their money” not spending their many …
kim, i’m not meaning to be rude, but i hope your fascination with the posters and/or their comments comes from a non-condescending stance ;)
i think it rather nice that people (of any religion) would wish blessings on and pray for the jolie-pitts, regardless of the fact that the family is not all that religious. religious beliefs shouldn’t have to be a barrier in hoping the best for this family or any other person.
while there are many other people who surpass angie and brad’s humanitarian actions, i still think they are extraordinary. i believe any person, celebrity or not, is extraordinary when they can devote even their smallest time or dime to make even the minutest difference in this world. that’s just my thought on it. and while beauty doesn’t make brad and angie instant intellectuals, they at least try to be more informed and compassionate individuals. that’s more than can be said about many other celebrities out there who indulge way too much in their fame. brad and angie are just like most any other person. everyone has an opinion and everyone is a critic. they can have their views and their passions, and just because they are actors doesn’t mean they have to limit their views & activities within the confines of their professions. as i said, back then, brad seemed less pro-active, and now, he is more in the trenches of his charity work, and i respect him for that. that’s a refreshing sight compared to some celebrities (and even rich non-celebs) who prefer spending their many in more self-serving, opulent ways. so, there’s room enough in this planet for extraordinarily good people, and really, we need more.
hi
i’m from belgium and I speak Dutch so my english is not that great.
I like Brad because i’m a woman and he’s just the hottest man on earth. On top of that they say that he knows a lot about architecture and design, and because i’m a interior designer that took my attention.
I follow this site since 1.5 year, in the beginning I didn’ said anything to friends or my husband, but now I am such a fan that i don’t care anymore about them joking about “my stupid hobby” . Most of our friends have a university degree and they just don’t understand what i see in this couple. In belgium it is really NOT DONE to be such a fan of an actor. Almost every dinner they joke about it and ask me “where are the poster on your bed ?” and things like that. But sometimes they come to me in f.e. the kicthen and start saying; I went to “your site ” (then they mean Pittwatch, because I send the link to me whole adressbook ) and they want to discuss the topics with me
haha they start to be hooked like me :)
Now, the reason why i send this mail: Me to i’m sometimes embarresed about the fact that I surf on the internet for more on Brad & Angie. I have a busy life with lots of work, family & friends, so why spend time on the internet?
So I said to myself: If you can find a way to do something good in your life like they do, if you can find a way that they can inspire you on your everyday life, there’s nothing wrong with going to pittwatch every hour:)
But unluckily, it is not easy to find that way.
Maybe that can be a new topic: how can we translate the values of brad and angie into our own lives?
I liked Brad Pitt from the time I saw a River Runs Through It. I was such an exceptional movie. I really started to fall for him when I saw Twelve Monkeys. The fact that he cut his own hair to make himself look more crazy and less of the typical Hollywood hottie. I also loved the fact that he disliked the most beautiful stuff. He want to be more of a character actor. He also dated and was engaged to some of my favorite actresses. I also really liked California didn’t look like him at all. I find it amazing that he has grown to except that he is on the covers of magazines as one of the hottest males on earth and can make fun of it. I also love his interest in architecture.
I first saw Angelina Jolie in Hackers and loved that movie but didn’t distinguish her from any one else in the movie. When I saw Gia, I was blown away. I like a lot of her movies and thought she was a good actress.
I didn’t follow their personal lives very much, saw them in people magazine every once in a while. But I would watch their interviews for the various projects (movies) they did. I enjoy them as actors and I enjoy the work they do (their movies).
As for the humanitarian work they do I applauded them for taking the camera that follow them to different parts of the world. I can appreciate that they want to do more to help different parts of the world, and they want to learn about different parts of the world. I give them credit for improving them selves and the reading and research they do. BUT, I do not think this makes them extraordinary. There are many, many people out there doing good work. I find it difficult when actors get involved in politics and world affairs. Why are we listening to them when their are far more intelligent and informed people out there that just don’t look as good on TV. Beauty doesnt make you dumb but it doesnt make you an intellect either.
I do not like the term power couple, they are actors that are just doing what all human beings should do, make the world a better place.
I never got into that whole “love triangle” thing with Jen. Marriages sometime just don’t work out, and people give woman to much credit for the ability to steal someones husband away. You can’t steal anyone they choose to go.
I first came to this site around the time AJ was pregnant with Shi I enjoyed hearing what the people had to say on this site it fascinated me. I find it interesting that so many of you pray for the JoliePitts and bless them despite the fact they are not religious at all (yes I would call them spiritual). I find it interesting that so many of you find AJ’s wild youth unusual, were I find it so normal. When I come to this site I don’t know if I am fascinated with the JoliePitts or with you the people that post.
Even so I live in United states for about 7 years, I’m from SLovakia (small country from Europe) and I always have been fascinated with both of them. When I heard that Brad is together with Jennifer (I like her, great actress and person but not good match for him), my first thought was.. they don’t go together, Angie and Brad would be perfect couple that was what I thought than. When Brad and Angie got together I was little bit supprised. maybe I should be a match maker I was thinking (joking). I think that Angie needs someone who keeps her always sattisfied. She is such a sexual person and at the same time very smart and not shallow. It is hard to find someone for her. And Brad is exactly tha same but in men version. Plus they know excatly what they want and they love to challenge each other.
Of course my comment is under moderation.
What else?
Whenever something is said here which does not fit into the so common – soo beautiful, wonderful, good looking – high praising range the comment gets immediately under moderation and more often than not completely disappears.
The main attraction about these two people is that they demonstrate an unconventional lifestyle compared to the average people. They represent something most people aspire to but never quite come close to.
They are world travellers, they adopt children with different nationalities which itself is not the usual thing to do. They are humanitarians which most people would like to be but somehow not have the strength to actually make this work.
People out there why don’t you think more about your own lives and what YOU could do to bring more sense and excitement into your own world. Then you would not need to sit infront of your computer spending time with useless thoughts of why so many people worship these two.
The answer is right in front of you.
Because all these worshippers do live boring lives themselves and therefore need some role models who live the aspiring and exciting live for them.
The ridicolous media hype offers them the opportunity to watch this couple like goldfish in a bowl.
I was a Brad Pitt fan for a long time, but not in a major way. I always felt like he would be a great guy in person, a really honest and caring individual, and I liked some of his movies, but that was it. I didn’t especially seek out news about him or anything, and I didn’t watch all his movies in the theater. I guess I was a fan of the Pitt-Aniston marriage b/c they seemed nice and normal and not crazy like many celebrity couples. But there was definitely no burning fire of curiosity in my heart for either BP or BP/JA.
I was always super-interested in Angelina, I have to say first of all as a humanitarian and a mother to Mad, secondly as an actress. I had read about all her bad-girl antics (only in passing), but I really started to pay attention when she became a UNHCR ambassador and adopted Maddox. She just glowed in all her photos. She looked so beautiful – like a kind of beautiful that I haven’t seen since Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, that period of fifties glamour – and even compared to them, AJ’s beauty blew them out of the water!!! I knew that her spectacular beauty was radiating from something inside her – her dedication to her new causes – and I realized it must take incredible strength to disregard the entire movie industry, and all the world’s opinions, and just remake yourself into a new person, a better person, one who wants to help change the world.
When I heard the MAMS rumors about Brad and Angelina becoming friends and maybe more, I had this idea that AJ was really BP’s dream woman. I just sort of knew, she’s the woman he’s been wanting his whole life: so original, so incredibly beautiful, and giving and loving and smart and caring – caring about global issues, not just her own child, though clearly she’s a wonderful mother, too. I actually thought that behind the scenes, BP would live out this quiet tragedy, where he would have fallen in love with AJ but never let on, so as not to break JA’s heart or disappoint the world that believed in their fairytale marriage (I know he didn’t care about the world’s opinions, but maybe his parents’ and so on).
But then, when he left JA and was obviously pursuing AJ, I felt so happy for him, b/c I knew that if he could convince AJ to be with him, he’d be the happiest man alive. And now look, they have truly found their lives’ missions by being together, by loving each other, and by growing their family and their humanitarian projects.
They have become amazing together, by following their hearts and not caring what convention or the rest of the world thinks or wants. That is such a great lesson for all of us. Not only do they have more love in their lives, and more real impact on the world, but they *look*, incredibly, even better than they ever did before, as individuals. It’s astonishing and inspiring.
Well, I can tell you the exact thing that launched the fascination. It was Rolling Stone’s 1999 Hot List with AJ on the cover looking amazing. http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/5392278/1999_rolling_stone_covers/photo/16/large/eminem
At first I thought, Who is this? and then realized she was the short haired cutie from Hackers. All the photos inside were captivating, obviously more than just a pretty face this girl had scary beauty and depth. She talked about things most actresses do not, her studying to be a mortician, fascination with knives, her bisexuality, and yes even this early article revealed her desire to adopt. I felt a kinship to her darkness and longing for adventure. Not that much later I saw a magazine at the grocery store heralded she had married Billy Bob an older man, I had very recently married an older man as well. We were of similar ages AJ and me and somehow similar patterns, I felt very alone in a new state with a much older man with much older friends. As weird as it is, that was when it was cemented and AJ meant a lot to me. Over the years she has proven that she has courage, spirit, and great love inside of her and I am glad she shares it with all the world. She is not afraid to live and love fiercely and openly. One of her interviews that best expresses why I am fascinated with her is her Actor’s Studio interview which can be seen on youtube http://youtube.com/watch?v=RzV_D7tTeIE
I think she is very inspiring to many women like myself who are maybe feel a little out there or dark or have been through painful experiences, that you are not destined to always be trapped in that darkness. The possibilty for the redemptive power of love, whether it be for your life’s work, your children, your partner, your pets, is within reach for everyone.
Thanks Sherry for this thread. I am going to just point out some comments that I found so interesting. Fan from Vietnam, I love what you said: “when two great people come together they create double power and double impact.” Deborah said: “she brought him passion, he brought her stability.” Passerby, it amazes me that you are only 16 years old. What a smart, well spoken young person you are. Thanks Sherry, now I know that I am not the only one who feels as I do.
thanks for the link EMILIE. it looks like the family is having fun playing soccer with their grandparents. :) Z’s socks = too cute.
coleen, natawa ako dun sa nosebleed thing ha.
I always followed Brad Pitt’s career. I told someone before he was with Angelina, “I don’t know what it is he’s got, but he’s got it!!” Whenever his name was mentioned around anyone I knew or even strangers, it was like, “Oh, yes!!” My husband even thought he was a fantastic actor and wasn’t jealous. One of my favorite movies is Meet Joe Black and The Legend of the Fall. I just saw Thelma and Louise and thought he was just a hoot. Maybe it is because I am from Oklahoma, but, I have always thought he was such a special man inside and out. He has always had a humanitarian side to him and he has always loved children! I am a teacher and have 3 sons myself. He seems like the best father!!
I loved him with Gwyneth Paltrow. They were the hottest couple at one time. Jennifer was never a fan of mine. As for Angelina, even though I come from the conservative middle U.S., I have always loved her. I thought she was gorgeous and loved her acting. I first saw her in Gia and I was blown away. I just laughed at her wild ways. I just love her compassion and humanitarian ways.
As for them as a couple, I think they are perfect for each other. I love their parenting. I really, really hope they get married, soon. I feel their children need that. I think they are passionate people together and apart and they do so much good for the world and are such great examples!! Love them!!
Hi, Sherry, first thanks for start this discussion. I am a big fans of Angelina from Asia. I grown up to watch Hollywood films in Hong Kong. But never attracts by one single actress like Angelina. First I saw her when she won the Oscar I found she is really a special person. Not only beautiful but outspoken. She was very sexy being Lora Croft in Tomb Raider. I have seen M. MRS. Smith so many times. They are wonderful together. They are really the best match in Hollywood. Sometimes I find some nasty comments about her in US magazine. I was wondering how could these people say such nasty comments about a person who really help others. I guess they are blind or jealous someone being too nice and too beautiful? . I think without Angelina’s news . These gossip magazine won’t sell too many. Anyway they know many people are interested about her.
For Brad, before he with his ex. I did not find any special with him except his good looking. And I am also felt Jen is not the one for him. Her look is so ordinary (Sorry for that, that’s my personal idea. I know some Americans called her “American sweetheart” )and I don’t like her acting. I can watch “Friends” in Asia. But I did not and never watch it. I am happy now to see Brad to chose the right woman for him. Angie is really makes him different. I love them both very much. Wish them grow old together with their kids.
I have been a BP fan since “The Devil´s Own”. I didn´t even like him before (his looks), but after that movie I thought he was so cute, so sexy. Then I started reading interviews with him and realized he was such a likeable, intelligent and thoughtful man. That made me like him all the more. I noticed that over here most fans are more Angelina fans, and the general notion seems to be that he became this deep person only with her (and was more on the shallow side when he was with JA who is perceived as shallow and boring by lots of posters – don´t think she is like this, btw, or else he wouldn´t have been so in love with her); however, from having read so much about him and read so many interviews over the years long before he even met AJ, I know this is totally not true. He didn´t change one bit, and even AJ herself says that. He just wasn´t in the news THAT much then. And also, most of the people who stated this, have also admitted to being Angelina fans first and foremost, so maybe this was just an impression based on the headlines you see….. He definitely has not changed. He´s always been great.
About the women in his lives….. I was very surprised when I heard he was with Juliette Lewis. They seemed an unlikely couple. Then I was surprised when he was with Gwyneth Paltrow. Those two (Lewis and Paltrow) seem to be complete opposites. Then I was surprised again to see him with JA. I guess it shows that he doesn´t go for one particular type of women, which makes him likeable once more. I didn´t know anything about JA then, only what she looked like, but what he said about her was so sweet and touching. He was genuinely, deeply in love, and that melts every woman´s heart, to see a guy care so much about his partner. Well, and then these two split up, and yet again he went for another type of woman. Again, I didn´t really know AJ, except for all the negative headlines that you see in magazines, but of course these headlines form an image in your head, even if you don´t intend to. So I was a bit taken aback. However, even though I personally am still mostly a Brad fan, Angelina has grown on me. I admire her humanitarian efforts and her enormous intelligence and how articulate she is.
But why do I come here? To be honest, it really still is to see news about Brad Pitt, and obviously that includes the woman in his life, and most of all his kids. Being a mother myself, but even before that, I´ve always enjoyed looking at pictures of celebrity kids.
I am just a year younger than Brad, so it is also nice to see him “through the ages”, and how his life develops. It seems that he is happy, even though what continues to disturb me is how he seems to have aged in the past few years and how carelessly he dresses. He has always dressed simply, yet it always looked sexy. Now, often, he just looks like a male version of myself (ha!ha!): a typical parent. Nothing wrong with that, I guess!!! ;-))
Hi Sherry, thanks for raising this topic while waiting for the twins official photos.
Well, I got to say that I was a big fan of Angie from the start as I find her a very talented and cool actress. She’s the utmost beauty with a charisma plus the mysterious look in her. I started off from seeing her photos and strike by her beautiful face then I began to watch her movie from The Bone Collector then the very piece that really made me her fan is Tomb Raider. I feel that I finally found the kind of actress that is rarely seen in Hollywood, the COOL type. I also fascinate with her personality when I follow her news and interviews. She is very honest and smart in all her interviews. This is why I don’t believe those negative comments from Jen’s fans that she had affair with Brad while they were still married. I believe Angie’s words as I think she’s the most honest celeb and she has never denied her dark past. She had already overcome those self-destructible behaviors and salute to that. She’s grown gracefully into a new person. Moreover, she’d done so much as humanitarian, not just donate her income but she personally went to those dangerous areas to find out what they need and what she can do to help. It’s a real passion in her, not just to build image. I can see it in her eyes from those vids when she’d gone to those troubled countries.
Then when she got into the MMS movie with Brad, I kind of have the same feeling as some of the others here that they should be perfect couple and at that time, I also heard the rumors that Brad and Jen are having problems. I think that even without Angie in the middle of them, they wouldn’t have last too since both had different things in mind. Anyway, after Angie really got together with Brad, I was wishing that one day Angie will think of having a biological child with him. Not that I don’t like them to adopt, it’s great that they adopt those children and they really love their adopted ones like their own biological children no doubt about that but who can resist the anticipation of how beautiful the child of the most beautiful couple alive will be! Then Shi came into this world and she just fulfill the imagination I had of their baby. Shi is so gorgeous and now, they are having twins!!! I’m so happy for both of them and their whole family. Congrats to Brangelina folks!!