Sept. 25, Saturday

Giorgio Baldi.  The Weeknd. And this time a bad photoshop job was not necessary.  This is the first proof that they actually know each other.

She looked like she was wearing a cocktail dress under her coat.  They were reportedly in a private section of the restaurant so they may have been guests at a party.  G. Baldi's in Santa Monica is almost an hour's ride from the DeMille, Bel Air is another 20 minutes away.  There are many other closer celebrity haunts they could have gone to if it was just the two of them having dinner.

They knew the paps and tabloids would pounce, they wanted to show they weren't afraid and didn't have anything to hide.  They walked out of the restaurant single file, not side by side, a few feet apart, her hands firmly in her pockets.  Setting aside their identities, the body language and choreography of the exit was that of two people who did not want to be mistaken for a couple.  The sort of chaste and circumspect behavior of those who are in a relationship with someone else and do not want any semblance of intimacy with anyone who is not their partner.

The Weeknd's security sat on the front seat beside the driver.  Her Escalade appeared to be parked right in front of the restaurant and her security likely followed them in it.

The paps claim they went to his house in Bel Air but in the absence of photos, the claim is suspect because such photos would sell well and should have sold with the Baldi photos.  The paps would have definitely followed the SUV but wherever it was they went, those photos did not enhance the value of the Baldi photos or the story they are trying to weave.  (When do paps and tabs not lie?)

They don't appear to have much in common outside of possibly an interest in Ethiopia, not even in music -- she likes punk rock.  She was not seen talking to him when she attended a Mustafa concert with Zahara and Shiloh in July.  That was two weeks after the first sighting in Baldi and either they didn't really know each other then, or they are not friends enough to seek to greet each other.

The Weeknd is getting the Alia Shawkat treatment and she is getting the treatment the tabs had reserved for Brad most of the past 5 years.  The obsession with trying to link them with anyone they are seen with taken to ridiculous depths.  This particular effort is justifiably encountering the most skepticism. The married German model and Andra Day may be tied for second.

After several days of tabloid speculation met with heavy skepticism, E! quotes a "source" who can only give vague general statements and is too chatty :

Following their evening outing, for which they both wore all-black ensembles, the duo raised eyebrows about the nature of their relationship. And while the Oscar-winning actress and "Starboy" singer have yet to publicly address the speculation surrounding their connection, a source exclusively tells E! News there's nothing romantic going on.

"They are not dating," the insider bluntly shares. "They have mutual interests and are enjoying putting their ideas together to see what they can come up with."

The source adds, "They have been recently talking about partnering on a few humanitarian projects together. He loves talking about movies and the art form."

Even though Angelina and The Weeknd "have been enjoying each other's company," per the insider, "they aren't dating. He has been enjoying getting to know her and feels they have a formed a close bond."

Arriving at G. Baldi

knot ring and slim gold necklace

He wasn't masked when he arrived.  

Leaving Giorgio Baldi

With one of their easily recognizable, long time bodyguards

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June 20, Wed.

Santa Monica

Giorgio Baldi

As Angelina emerged from Giorgio Baldi, note the following:

There was someone posted by reception / valet parking at the entrance

Note the well-lighted entrance to Baldi

The lights on the sidewalk, the awnings, and the buildings in the background, and the cars parked on the street in front of Baldi as she approached her SUV.

Note the lights on the buildings across the street.

When The Weeknd came out, the man by reception / valet parking was no longer there.  The area around the entrance is considerably darker.

Items that were on the table previously are also no longer there

The sidewalk, the awnings, and the entrance to Baldi itself are all darker.

There are many vacant parking spaces in front of the now dark restaurant.

The street is much darker .

The buildings across the street no longer reflect much light.

The Weeknd left Giorgio Baldi much later in the evening -- not moments after Angelina.  He did not follow her out, he followed everyone else in the restaurant out.  He appears to have left after the restaurant closed.

Paps and tabs have often been caught playing fast and loose with dates, times, and places as they concoct clickbait (Hello, New York).  The lowest bottom feeders among them even attempted to photoshop images together -- harder to do with video.  This always came across as a very desperate stretch.  

Given that The Weeknd did not leave the restaurant until what appears to be several hours after Angelina, there is no proof that they were actually at Baldi's at the same time.  

People has a post that is not co-written by Mary Green and does not appear to have a legitimate source.  It notably has no information on the evening other than the doubtful claims by the paps and what can be seen in the photos.  The Ethiopian connection may be simple deduction from The Weeknd's donation.  Girogio Baldi is a very popular restaurant and at any given time, there is a strong likelihood it will have patrons they know but are not dining with.  "Spotted" (per the paps), "photographed leaving" and "have known" is not confirmation that they had dinner together.  It shows People had no source that could give them any info but put out a report to kill other tabs' desperate efforts anyway.  

They probably had a good laugh over this.  Probably as much as Andra Day, Jonny, and all the others that came before them.

Angelina Jolie and The Weeknd were spotted having a friendly night out in Los Angeles.

The two stars were photographed leaving the celebrity hotspot Giorgio Baldi on Wednesday night.

Jolie covered up in a trench coat and a black face mask as she stepped out, followed separately by the singer. The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, wore a black T-shirt with blue jeans and a matching jean jacket.

The Oscar-winning actress, 46, and the Grammy winner, 31, have known each other for some time and share a connection to Ethiopia, PEOPLE has learned.

In April, the singer announced he had partnered with the World Food Program US and was donating $1 million to relief efforts in Ethiopia where there is unrest between the government in Addis Ababa and the Tigray region.

The Weeknd has also begun venturing into acting, having played a role in Adam Sandler's Uncut Gems and co-writing an episode of American Dad last year. The singer is set to produce, co-write and star in a new HBO drama series The Idol.

In 2005, Jolie adopted her daughter Zahara, 16, from Ethiopia and has since launched The Zahara Program, which helps girls in the East African country.

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Their long-time security is on duty.  He has accompanied them on many premieres and movie sets.

Maleficent MOE

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