lainey

Brad Pitt’s PR

September 21, 2016 Posted at 10:08 PM
As I reported yesterday, Angelina Jolie got the jump on Brad Pitt. She filed for divorce. Laura Wasser is repping her. And her side of the story about Brad Pitt’s alleged drinking and “anger issues” was posted on TMZ first, before noon ET, which meant that Brad had to scramble to figure out his next moves because he hasn’t had to take the lead on PR in a long time. When they were together, she handled that for both of them, brilliantly.
Angelina, famously, doesn’t have a publicist. Which is what makes her media game even more impressive. I experienced a small slice of that when I interviewed her for Maleficent. She personally reviews and approves her press requests. And because she takes that on herself, it means she understands how press works, how press has evolved. You can see evidence of that in how she delivered the divorce drop– not through the magazines, which is how she used to do it, but via TMZ, online, so that it would blow up, quickly, on social media. This is a master at work. Note how she skillfully accesses exactly the right outlets fit for exactly the right messages. When it’s health concerns, she gets two op-eds in The New York Times. When she’s sharing wedding news, it’s PEOPLE and HELLO! Magazines. When she wants to get out first that she’s leaving her husband, it’s TMZ. Who else can navigate that kind of media territory without a publicist?
Can Brad?
Brad Pitt, like Angelina Jolie, does not have a publicist. For years he worked with Cindy Guagenti but around 2008 or so, he decided he didn’t need a personal publicist anymore, not when Angie was managing their brand so expertly. So…now what? Now that he’s no longer the beneficiary of her media savvy, it’s going to be very interesting watching Brad Pitt go about this on his own. Or whether or not he recruits help. And who he ends up recruiting.
Last night, Brad started revealing what his next play might be. And he’s going through TMZ too. Last night TMZ reported that Brad is “furious” at Angelina for taking this so public instead of doing it the way he wanted which was “low key”. Brad’s sources are saying that Angelina’s “scorched earth” approach is reckless, because she’s now put a “bounty” on the kids and jeopardised their safety since all paps are on high-alert looking for them. Their home in Hollywood has been surrounded by photographers since news broke yesterday. No doubt, this 100% came from Brad Pitt. He’s used that language before, referring to his family as a “bounty” for the tabloid press in several past interviews, including this one with NPR and this one in 2008 with Larry King. So, what he’s doing here is implying that he’s not the one who poses a danger to the children but that Angelina just put them in danger by inciting all this hysteria over their split. Ummm…I don’t know about this strategy. Because the way he’s making it sound, it’s like no one ever wanted to take pictures of his kids, like ever, when they’ve been having their picture taken for their entire lives…which is why he called it a “bounty” in the first place in all those old interviews!
This is not very smart. In fact, it’s straight up weak. Like, she leaks that you might have a bad temper and you come back with the paps want pics of me and my kids when they’ve always wanted pics of you and your kids…? THAT’s what you’re coming with? I’m not sure Brad Pitt can do this alone. I think Brad Pitt may want to rethink handling his own publicity. We’ll have a better picture of what that looks like when we find out who his divorce lawyer is.

Brange’s bad stretch

September 21, 2016 Posted at 3:53 AM
So it’s been bad for a while, well before my post in June. Brange have always maintained a sexy kind of tension between them. It was a passionate relationship. They fought, they made up. All these years my sources have never worried that that was a problem, because it was just the nature of their connection. But in June, it was different. “It’s never been this bad” was how they described it and that a separation was a real possibility, although they were nowhere near that decision at the time. At the time, Brange were still getting through it and working it out. But over the last year or so she has become more resistant to their former lifestyle and the players in her circle have changed. Arminka Helic is now one of her closest advisors. Two separate sources tell me that while Brad always got on with Angelina’s other friends, he isn’t as tight with Angelina’s current team as he’s been with her other circles.
Angelina was in Syria last week. Multiple sources tell me that before Brad left for Croatia, some major drama went down (nothing to do with cheating). Angelina’s allegedly been frustrated about some of Brad’s habits. The rumours about the drinking are consistent with what I’m hearing. The way one source put it, she “wanted him to get his sh-t together”. They say that when he left, however, even though the issue was far from resolved, he went away thinking that no definitive decision had been made about their marriage because there was still a lot of love there. Every source I’ve talked to today maintains that she was still in love with him but that for her, she doesn’t think he’s in a place where he can be “positive around the family”. All sources tell me that he was blindsided by her decision to file. And that the decision to file was made very recently. Like inside 10 days. When I pressed on what the urgency was, most of the sources declined to specify, with one source saying only that it was “very delicate, a really sensitive thing” and another explaining vaguely that she “would only have done it this way if it was a priority”. My response to that was, “Yeah but it’s not like she’s being quiet about it”. And the answer I got to that observation was that “she has her reasons”. More coming either later today or tomorrow depending on when I hear back.

Brange’s performative parenting

September 21, 2016 Posted at 11:48 PM
I was asked last night why I thought Brange was so once in a lifetime, beyond the obvious: their looks, their matched mega-fame as individuals, the scandal that marked the inception of their relationship, and the internet. Also their family. The children. The Brange children were introduced to the world at a time when motherhood was reintroduced as a publicity strategy, coinciding too with the rise of the mommy blog. So whenever they stepped out, all four of them at first, and then five with the arrival of Shiloh, and then eventually a total of eight when Pax, Vivienne, and Knox joined the family, no one could look away. They knew we couldn’t look away. They made sure we didn’t want to look away. Brange gave us performative parenting, performative parenting while they were together and, now, performative parenting even while they break apart.
Angelina’s statements about the divorce have all been focused on the kids, the “health” of her kids, and specifically her need to protect them. Brad’s first statement too was about the kids. And TMZ reports today that Brad will fight Angelina for joint custody of the kids, with sources saying that Brad is as fit of a parent as she is. Sources are also telling PEOPLE that Brad “will not likely accept sole custody, as "sole custody for either of them doesn't seem like what's best for the children. Brad thinks Angelina is a great mother," the insider says. "But he is also a great father. There is no way he is going to be absent for any part of his kids' lives."
So, basically, performative SINGLE parenting is now the new game.
That brings us to the “incident”. As I reported yesterday, when I asked my sources about why Angelina filed so suddenly and so publicly, they would only say that Angelina was still in love with Brad but that the urgency was the result of something “very delicate, a really sensitive thing”. US Weekly is calling it an “incident”:
“The final divorce decision was only made one week ago,” the insider tells Usof Jolie Pitt’s resolve to permanently part ways with Pitt, 52. “An incident took place and prompted [Angelina] to act and file.” While details of the incident remain unknown, the insider tells Us that it “affected the entire family.” Though she may have acted hastily, pulling the plug on her relationship with the eternal heartthrob was not an easy call to make for Jolie Pitt, 41. “She still says Brad is the love of her life, and the decision has weighed heavy on her heart,” the source adds. “Her priority now is the children.” The Oscar-winning actress and director is presently in New York, according to the insider.
The “incident” that’s “very delicate, a really sensitive thing” appears to be how Angelina is countering any criticism that by going out with this so sensationally she’s making it worse for her children. Like, it wouldn’t have to be that way if whatever happened didn’t happen. Also note that this is coming from US Weekly and US Weekly had it in June that there was “tension” between Brange over Miraval and other issues. Their sourcing on this has been so far ahead of almost everyone else. Not even TMZ was able to confirm that Angelina was in New York yesterday, away from LA and all the paps surrounding the house that Brad is so worried about. So she stayed ahead of it, as she does, and got the f-ck out of Hollywood before this landed. Again, then, how is he going to keep up?
......

Inside Angelina Jolie's heatbreaking decision: Divorce 'is not something you do impulsively' https://t.co/KgwkKr4QxD pic.twitter.com/u3WRogcgmE

— People Magazine (@people) September 22, 2016

By PEOPLE Staff

09/21/2016 AT 11:00 PM EDT

After 12 years and six kids together, Angelina Jolie files for divorce from Brad Pitt just after their two-year wedding anniversary. Subscribe now for the real story behind the split, only in PEOPLE.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt may have had the ultimate Hollywood romance from the outside, but behind closed doors, their marriage was slowly coming apart.

After months of mounting tensions between the two, Jolie, 41, told Pitt she wanted a divorce, an end to their two-year marriage and 12-year relationship.

"Things built and built over time – it wasn't any one thing," a source close to the actress tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story, on newsstands Friday. "She's loved this man for several years, and [divorce] is not something you do impulsively."

Meanwhile, a Pitt source tells PEOPLE: "There was clearly a breaking point, where she'd just had enough," says the Pitt source. "He may have been broken himself and said he couldn't go on, and she reacted. This has been difficult for a while."

In the cover story, sources detail how Jolie told Pitt she wanted a divorce, why he "begged" her to wait and how their relationship began to crumble after their 2014 wedding. They faced increasing differences over parenting styles (with Brad taking a "stricter approach versus Angelina’s "more relaxed attitude," according to another insider), the direction of their careers and more.

A Pitt source says Jolie told Pitt she was moving forward with the divorce just two days before she filed papers in an L.A. court on September 19 – and Pitt was "wrecked."

"He was appealing to her to do this quietly – not to save the marriage but to consider the well-being of the children – and it was ignored," says the Pitt source. But Jolie – who said in a statement the decision was "for the health of her family" – did "what she needed to do," says a source close to her.

Still, both sides say Pitt and Jolie still love each other and expect them to find a way to "move forward in a dignified way," as a Pitt source puts it. Says a Jolie source: "They have six kids together and are always going to be in each other's lives."





The Sun has a poor track record for accuracy but Lainey's sources also mentioned friction with Helic which makes the articles (below) at least noteworthy.  Both Helic and Dalton have been constantly pictured with Angelina in recent months and it appears they were also with her brother and three of the kids the day before the split became public.  But irritation with his wife's assistants would not have the same impact on their relationship as issues relating to substance abuse and anger management.  It would also not be the first time he clashed with her staff.  He fired her former bodyguard no long after the got together.

-- Fussy

Brad Pitt 'brands Angelina Jolie's close female friends a “coven”' https://t.co/0FZfihnKed pic.twitter.com/QFhG9FCPYW

— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) September 22, 2016

Stress: The star reportedly became annoyed after his wife appointed William Hague's former colleagues Arminka Helic and Chloe Dalton to assist her with her political career (pictured)

BRAD'S RAGE AT JOLIE'S COVEN

Hollywood star Brad Pitt grew furious as Angelina Jolie surrounded herself with powerful women, had advisers axe his staff and the top divorce lawyer managing split is her pal

Actor was incensed by his wife's appointment of Arminka Helic and Chloe Dalton and it led to fierce rows on holiday

BRAD Pitt grew furious at Angelina Jolie for surrounding herself with a “coven” of powerful female pals.

They include two former political aides who demanded Brad axe half the couple’s support staff.
Angelina’s divorce lawyer Laura Wasser is another close confidante along with pop star Gwen Stefani.
Brad was most incensed by his wife’s appointment of Arminka Helic, 48, and Chloe Dalton, 37, who both worked for ex-Tory leader William Hague.
They were brought in to handle the actress and campaigner’s public image and write her speeches.
Brad felt Arminka, a former Bosnian refugee, started meddling in other affairs. He also hated their secret meetings where they would plot Angelina’s political ambitions.
Insiders say their rows were reminiscent of Mr & Mrs Smith, the 2005 black comedy where they first fell for each other. The film tells of two spies in a stagnating marriage who are told to kill each other.
One argument this summer at their rented home in Richmond, South West London, got so heated that Brad stormed out and flew to the Canary Islands.
Friends say he sat up drinking into the early hours with his entourage and female pals.
nd as Angelina spent more and more time away campaigning with the women, Brad spent less time at the couple’s British home, — preferring to drink with pals at an estate they own in the South of France.
A source said: “Brad sees the women as a coven. He was furious at some of Arminka’s decisions.
“He felt she and Chloe, who seemed to travel everywhere with the family, were brainwashing Angelina from the start.
“The rows they had at the London house were legendary.
“It was utter carnage. They have always made decisions together — suddenly it was Angelina making them with her two advisers.
“He felt he was married to a politician all of a sudden.
“It was only a matter of time before the rows reached a head and it became too much.”
Arminka advised them to dump staff including Brad’s security detail.
The source added: “He worked with some of them for nearly 20 years. They were his friends and in the click of a finger they were gone. Most now work for other celebs.”
Singer Gwen, 46, has been a rock for Angelina during her troubles.
The pair bonded after Gwen’s son Kingston was born within days of Angelina’s daughter Shiloh in May 2006. Gwen recently endured her own heartache, splitting from husband Gavin Rossdale.
Lawyer Laura, 48, a single mum of two, is set to become Angelina’s right-hand woman after being hired to oversee her divorce and custody battle.
She is said to charge more than £600 per hour, and earlier this year represented actor Johnny Depp during his split from Amber Heard.
Laura has also acted for Mariah Carey, Mel Gibson, Ashton Kutcher and Heidi Klum in marriage crises.
But it is Chloe and Arminka who hold most sway in Angelina’s camp.
Besides advising the star, they also became business partners with her last year.
They are listed as directors of shared company JP.D.H London, an acronym of their initials — the Jolie Pitt Dalton Helic foundation.
Both women made the Power 1,000 list three years ago, a who’s who of the London political and media scene.
Arminka is a baroness after being made a Life Peer. She fled ethnic cleansing in Bosnia in the 1990s and went on to advise Tory politicians before ending up in Angelina’s corner.
She is now the driving force behind the actress’s move into politics. They first grew close five years ago after she introduced the actress to ex-Foreign Secretary Mr Hague.
At one stage Arminka was the Tory minister’s chief of staff in all but title. She is said to have urged him to watch Angelina’s 2011 film In The Land of Blood and Honey, about the use of rape as a weapon of war.
The three eventually teamed up to launch the UK’s Global Sexual Violence Initiative, with Mr Hague recruiting Angelina as the star attraction at a four-day summit in 2014.



dailymail

'Smart, strong and impeccably loyal': the House of Lords Baroness who has become Angelina's best friend

• Arminka Helic, blonde Muslim from Bosnia, is extremely close to Angelina
• She rose to become a Baroness with an HoL seat thanks to William Hague
• Officially her job is to manage Angelina's Jolie Pitt Dalton Helic charity  
• Source now describes her as Angelina's 'assistant, adviser and best friend' 

Over the past year, one woman has followed capably in Angelina Jolie’s wake. Arminka Helic, a blonde Muslim refugee from Bosnia, rose via a campaign with former Foreign Secretary William Hague to become a Baroness, with a seat in the House of Lords.

Lady Helic, 48, is probably the key person on ‘Team Angie’ as the actress braces herself for the aftermath of her decision to divorce Brad Pitt.

A source tells me Lady Helic is ‘smart, strong, and impeccably loyal’, adding that

So close are the women that Angelina watched as Lady Helic was admitted to the House of Lords in 2014. They often travel together; recent trips include a visit to the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands and one to Burma at election time last summer.

I understand the baroness’s place in Jolie’s inner circle is so central that she was with her this week at the moment the news of her divorce became public. Officially, her job is to head Angelina’s charity Jolie Pitt Dalton Helic, known as JPDH. It is named after Angelina, Lady Helic and the peer’s friend Chloe Dalton, who writes speeches for the organisation.

Set up in London in the spring of 2015, JPDH works on issues from women’s rights to refugees, health, education and violence against women.

Lady Helic and Dalton are said to be paid £300,000 a year — thought to be around triple what they were previously paid as special advisers to Hague.

A source said: ‘They are the brains behind Angelina’s damehood and her honorary professor title at LSE.’

So who is Arminka Helic? Born in Bosnia, she fled the ethnic cleansing in 1992, arriving in London with nothing. She got a job washing dishes, and enrolled at the London School of Economics.

She is said to have started giving foreign policy advice in 1998, and came to public notice in 2006 when she was hired by Hague.

It was Lady Helic who introduced him to Jolie in 2012, having watched her 2011 movie In The Land Of Blood And Honey.

Lady Helic said the film impressed her because of Jolie’s understanding of the conflict in Bosnia. ‘The situation there is very complicated, but it was obvious she knew what she was talking about,’ she said.

Jolie came to a screening of the film for officials at the Foreign Office. Afterwards she, Hague, Helic and Dalton discussed the plight of survivors of sexual violence in warfare, and the PSVI — or Preventing Sexual Violence In Conflict Initiative — was born.

The initiative aims to address the culture of impunity around sexual violence in warzones, to hold more perpetrators to account and to raise awareness of the issue.

Jolie talks with cautious enthusiasm about the idea of moving permanently away from acting into a forum where she can make a difference. With Lady Helic at her side, it seems anything is possible.

nytimes

Let’s turn it over to Brooks Barnes, our Hollywood reporter based in Los Angeles, for today’s introduction:

You could hear a collective gasp in Hollywood on Tuesday morning, as the show business capital awakened to word from its town crier, TMZ, that Angelina Jolie had filed for divorce from Brad Pitt.

There was an end-of-an-era feeling to it: As a couple, Ms. Jolie and Mr. Pitt were perhaps most important to Hollywood as a marketing tool, “proof that old-school movie star glamour and storybook romance had not yet faded away entirely,” said Janice Min, chief creative officer of The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group.

And then most of moviedom went normally about its day.

Contrary to the East Coast stereotype, Hollywood is not a place where people lounge around under palm trees. There are meetings to attend, numbers to crunch, emails to answer. Just like in the rest of America.

Divorce fallout speculation was largely confined to the machinery that pumped out that imagery of Ms. Jolie and Mr. Pitt as razzle-dazzle epitomized: “Extra,” “Entertainment Tonight,” People magazine and other celebrity news outlets.

Lisa Gregorisch, the senior executive producer for “Extra,” said that her team in Burbank was finishing a regularly scheduled 6:30 a.m. meeting when the news started to break. “We turned on a dime, with literally every single person here, 140 people, working an angle,” she said. “What went wrong. Their past loves. The kids. The custody. Angelina’s health. The social media response.”

There are also the questions of their precise worth — hundreds of millions, at least — and whether a prenuptial agreement governs the dividing of assets.

Ms. Gregorisch had been planning an Emmy Awards follow-up for her Tuesday night show. Not anymore. “Extra” devoted near-blanket coverage to the divorce. The main challenge, she said, was “walking a fine line in terms of respect for them in a painful time and the interests of our viewers.”

On the print side, Jess Cagle, editor in chief of People magazine, was scrambling on Tuesday to figure out how to race out a new cover. (The publication typically closes its weekly issue on Monday nights.) For People, which has landed numerous “Brangelina” scoops over the years, the divorce story “is absolutely one of the biggest” of the past couple of years, Mr. Cagle said in an email.

“On a 1-to-10 scale,” he said, “this is approximately 17.”

dailymail
los feliz

Brad has been acquiring land and building on the two-acre property since 1994. He bought the main house at 5769 Blaircliff Road for $1.7 million in July 1994 (5,760 square feet). Then:  No 2,  5750 Valley Oak Drive for $380,000 in December 1996 (2,454 square feet); No 3, 5742 Valley Oak Drive for $475,000 in October 1998 (1,653 square feet); No 4,  5752 Valley Oak Drive for $1,287,500 in May 2008 (1,534-square-feet); No 5, 5756 Valley Oak Drive for $1.1 million in August 2009 (3,232 square feet). Total cost: $4,9425,000

Pitt began building his dream home in July 1994 when he purchased a six-bedroom, Craftsman-style house, for $1.7 million. 

Over the next 22 years - twelve years of which he spent with Jolie - the estate grew to encompass five adjoining properties.

Two years after Pitt's initial purchase he bought another small house for $380,000 at the back of his land. In 1998, he acquired another neighboring house for $475,000. 

And in 2008 the couple bought another small property in 2008 for $1,287,500. To top it all off they acquired a huge barn-structure - with a secret cave and its own bar - for $1.1 million in 2009. 

This was so they could build a huge playroom, kids' living quarters and den for their six children.

Everything you need to know about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's $60 million Chateau Miraval https://t.co/x6uawce9C7 pic.twitter.com/hQvectK3HT

— People Magazine (@people) September 21, 2016

Although there’s a lot at stake in Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s divorce, which PEOPLE confirmed on Tuesday, one piece of property stands out from the rest of their real estate empire.
Chateau Miraval, a sprawling villa in Correns, France, has served as a family retreat since 2008, as well as hosting their wedding in 2014. In the aftermath of their split, it’s unclear what will become of the historical property.
The small agricultural community in which the chateau is located heard news of the divorce “on the morning news,” one villager tells PEOPLE. Another adds, “We heard about it last. Everyone knows — except their neighbors.” The town, which prides itself on being the first site for growing organic wine in France, didn’t see much of Jolie and Pitt, with one source saying “We don’t see Brad. From time to time, you’ll hear that he was here for the wine, or you see their helicopter, but theirs is a private life here and we respect that.”
Pitt, 52, has recently been spotted traveling to the chateau several times on his own, most recently in June after his appearance at the Le Mans auto race, where he waved the starting flag, and during the wine harvest in early September. Multiple sources tell PEOPLE there have been no sightings of Jolie, 41, this year, with one source suggesting she hasn’t since June 2015, when the former couple leased a classic car to tour around France.
....

Angelina Jolie vs. Brad Pitt at the box office: Who wins? https://t.co/ZCFBMkv2aL pic.twitter.com/ru8lMUJz46

— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 21, 2016

GG - Show Reports 2

 

AP_Fashion AP Fashion

Not the matchy-matchy type: Angelina Jolie wore Chanel Ballerina polish on her fingers and mix of Lotus Rouge/Dragon on her toes at Globes.

 

juanperezcarlos Juan Carlos

Increible lo de Angelina Jolie en los Golden Globes, 50 mil tweets! 1100 tweets por minuto!

Celebrities caught staring

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

 

Hey chaps! Eyes front! Men should be careful of where they're looking. One rogue glance and you could find yourself in the caught starring hall of shame, like Brad here...

They've been together for seven years but it's nice to see the magic is hasn't faded. Brad was caught admiring Angelina's famous assets at this year's Golden Globes awards ceremony.

Angelina Jolie Tells Brad Pitt "You're Prettier Than Me" at Globes Bash

Celebrity News January 16, 2012 AT 12:27PM By Justin Ravitz

 
Credit: Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com
 

Angelina Jolie doesn't take her handsome hunk Brad Pitt for granted!

Both Jolie, 36, and love of nearly seven years Pitt, 48, left Sunday's Golden Globe Awards empty handed -- Jolie's In the Land of Blood and Honey didn't nab the Best Foreign Language Film globe, and Moneyball star Pitt lost to pal George Clooney in the Best Actor, Drama category.

But Jolie (looking spectacular in satin one-shoulder Atelier Versace gown, bright red lipstick and a dramatic updo hairstyle) had quite the consolation prize: Pitt!

"You're prettier than me," Jolie gushed to her man as they arrived quietly at the CAA afterparty at unset Tower. Pitt looked dashing as always in a Salvatore Ferragamo three-piece tuxedo.
Added Jolie: "My shoes are going to kill me!"

"It's nice when everything comes together," Pitt told E!'s Ryan Seacrest of their double nominations. "It's a golden night for us!"

Indeed, Jolie naughtily told the Associated Press what she was most looking forward to that evening: "Getting into bed with Brad!"

GG Best Hair: Angelina Jolie

 An easy knot like this is so underrated. And it doesn’t need to look like this. Angelina’s isn’t perfect, and this is a good thing. It could have very well been swept off off her face and neck, looped around an elastic a few times, and done. If you have long hair, like, me, this takes all of 10 seconds. I liked the plainness of it. I liked that you could see a few strands loose. That it wasn’t plastered tight against her head, pulling back her eyebrows. Rather, all of it held back was just a curtain reveal to that crazy ass face.

God, can you believe this face?

Only this face and those lips made that dress tolerable. On anyone else you’d be sh-tting on it otherwise. Duana said something to me when we were struggling to get going on writing tonight - don’t think the Jolie doesn’t f-ck around like this to make a point: I’m so beautiful, only I can make WHITE AND RED not completely atrocious.

See?

You just realised that, didn’t you?

Break it down and that’s what this is: WHITE AND RED at an awards show. But because she’s the one wearing it, wearing it with that insanely beautiful face, the white and red, it doesn’t bother you so much. That’s Angelina Jolie.

Not nearly enough cutaways of them though. If it were me directing the show, we would cut to them at least once in every block. I spoke to several people inside the ballroom after the event wrapped; they all confirmed Brange went heavy with the porn during breaks. At one point, after a kiss, he held on to her bottom lip with both of his for an extra beat or two before letting go. HOT, right??? WHY AREN’T WE SEEING THIS? How many times do we have to look at Mr Scorsese? Mr Scorsese is an excellent movie director. This is why he’s BEHIND the camera.

By the way, E! cameras shot both Brad and Angelina smoking after the show ended. I’m telling you, the smoking balcony needs its own camera. Yes, yes. It would appear the Jolie not only doesn’t mind Brad’s smoking, she also joins in.

GK Films partner Tim Headington, Amy Pascal

altfilmguide Alt Film Guide

Unable to recognize those two, but I've been told they're quite famous shar.es/WFtiR

Sky Showbiz:  Golden Globe Awards 2012

Just when you thought you couldn't envy/idolise/want to be BFFs with Angelina Jolie any more, the actress sashays into the Golden Globe awards looking perfectly preened and as glamorous as ever.

Rambling at the Golden Globes

 6:00 AM PST 1/17/2012 by Merle Ginsberg

Who has the most to celebrate at the Golden Globes is always debatable, but the assessment of Disney’s Rich Ross that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association "spread the love around" was fair. Even host Ricky Gervais spread more love this year (and earned pans from disappointed critics). While The Weinstein Co. -- with The Artist, The Iron Lady, My Week With Marilyn and W.E. -- picked up six of the 14 film awards, best director went to Hugo’s Martin Scorsese, The Help’s Octavia Spencer and Beginners’ Christopher Plummer nabbed supporting wins, and The Descendants won for best drama and lead George Clooney. After the show, about 5,000 guests hit the Beverly Hilton’s six affairs, to-ing and fro-ing everywhere from HBO’s poolside party and Fox’s tent to Sony’s eighth-floor Stardust Room bash. Sofia Vergara and Ty Burrell, ecstatic about Modern Family’s comedy series win, danced at the InStyle/Warner Bros. soiree. Harrison Ford turned out to be one of Peter Dinklage’s biggest fans, locking down the Game of Thrones supporting actor winner for a chat. Harvey Weinstein, meanwhile, could afford to be expansive, praising drama series winner Homeland as "the best show on television" and downplaying talk that "this hasn’t been a great year for movies. You’ve got Steven Spielberg, Marty Scorsese, David Fincher all making films. It’s been an amazingly great year." -- THR Staff

RAMBLING AT THE GOLDEN GLOBES
Revenge of the agents was a big element of this year’s Globes afterparty scene. The HFPA and the agencies long have had a contentious relationship. The organization gives each agency only a couple seats for the telecast; they always want more. "If your client wants you with them, have the client give you one of their tickets," is the party line. The HFPA can get away with it because it doesn’t need assistance getting stars to attend. This year, it seemed CAA -- which holds its annual press-free affair off-campus at West Hollywood’s Sunset Tower Hotel -- flexed its A-list afterparty muscle more than ever before. After some perfunctory dropping-in at studio fiestas, a good many CAA stars vacated the Beverly Hilton within an hour of the ceremony. "The CAA stars moved on," griped one party organizer. At the Sunset Tower, where limos were still lined up at 1:30 a.m., and some guests reveled till 6, Brad Pitt chatted with CAA’s Bryan Lourd while Angelina Jolie hovered near the In the Land of Blood and Honey cast. It’s said Michael Fassbender had a few drinks, hanging out with Leonardo DiCaprio and Sacha Baron Cohen. Charlize Theron had to keep reminding people of her laryngitis. Meryl Streep and Glenn Close fawned over Jane Fonda most of the evening, Gerard Butler checked out the ladies and Jason Statham was accompanied by girlfriend Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who kept her dance moves going all night even when nobody else did. Harvey Weinstein was there as well, having left his normally star-studded party, which was very obviously devoid of big names after 9 p.m.

♦ "I really want to bump into Helen Mirren or Meryl Streep. Even just to ask, ‘Where is the bathroom?’ " New Girl creator Liz Meriwether told THR before the show.
♦ Uggie, the near-overexposed canine star of The Artist, might be more charming on the red carpet than George Clooney. The cast of Homeland went out of its way to "meet" him, and Puss in Boots producer Latifa Ouaou couldn’t concentrate on interviews. "I’m sorry -- I’m totally distracted by the dog!" she said. Uggie, true pro that he is, licked anyone who put their hand out to him and had a different expression for every photo, from begging to standing on his hind legs and more. Red-carpet regulars could learn a thing or two from this red-carpet animal.
♦ It sounded as though making the awards rounds was a necessary labor of little love for DiCaprio. Just after he arrived at the annual BAFTA Tea Party on Jan. 14 at the Four Seasons through a side door, we heard him say, "Aw shit, I gotta dive in." But he stayed and had fun, chatting animatedly with Streep and later was spotted bidding in the silent auction for hotel stays -- under a fake name.
♦ Drive nominee Albert Brooks was doing step-and-repeat interviews when he was distracted by Theron’s dramatic red-carpet entrance in blush Dior couture. "Too bad she can’t wear clothes very well," he commented.
♦ An enormous fracas ensued as The Guard nominee Brendan Gleeson entered the HBO party with his seemingly tipsy wife, Mary. Looking faint, she had to be held up while several large policemen hovered, wondering if she should be rushed to a hospital. After being plopped into a chair and given water (fetched by Albert Nobbs’ Janet McTeer), Mary was revived and joined the reverie. But those cops didn’t leave her side for at least a half-hour.
♦ Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard was a bit circumspect about the evening. "It was a great night, but I don’t think you’ll see the same people onstage at the Oscars," he said at the Sony afterparty.

♦ On the red carpet, MPAA chairman Chris Dodd said he had to be careful about naming his favorite movies this year: "I’m a voting member, but I loved The Descendants. Meryl Streep was incredible in The Iron Lady; Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs was phenomenal as well. The Guard, a fabulous little movie. And Higher Ground -- isn’t Vera Farmiga great in that thing?"

My golden night at the Globes: Your host Victoria Smurfit takes you past the velvet rope for an inside report on the awards

My husband, Doug Baxter, and I travelled to the Beverly Hilton in a limo. I loved all the security getting in – the mirrors under the cars, the ID check.
It felt like the safest place on the planet. As we came through the security checks, we hit a wall of people shouting for us to open our windows.
Doug rolled down his window and waved at people but I didn't have the neck. I didn't want people to say, 'Who's that?' Doug was giving it loads.
Getting out of the car, you have to check your ego at the door. The red carpet was endless and so glamorous. It felt so glitzy when we caught sight of the public in the bleachers.
But unless you are George Clooney or Angelina Jolie or Madonna, it's just next, next, next. That all seems to be understood – it's the ecosystem.
I felt nervous getting on the red carpet but once we were moving along, it was fine. I wasn't expecting it to feel as 'normal' as that. It was like walking onto the set of a well-tuned show.
I knew many people from having worked for so long in Britain and Ireland. It was quite incredible how many English and Irish were there, actually.
I met Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonne­ville – I worked with him on Agatha Christie – and Best Supporting Actress nominee Janet McTeer, who's great friends with the Trial & Retribution people. Dominic West, I used to live down the road from. It was a flurry of people and noise and light and glamour and loveliness.
Even the A-listers were all unfussed. I think they must take it for granted that it's relaxed, happy, fun. They're hanging out with their best friends, having a jar and enjoying the awards, as opposed to sitting there for six hours waiting for their names to be called or not.

Inside, everyone was just as relaxed and there was just as much freedom. That was very interesting because a lot of the time at awards shows, there's a certain amount of control. The A-list were held in their pen to a degree but everybody else was free to roam, go to the bar, chill out and be part of it. I had expected it to be shark-like but it had a very nice feeling of everybody wanting everybody else to win and do well.  
The women were all taller and narrower than I thought and a lot of the men who I thought would be tiny, weren't. The big stars looked more like themselves than I expected them to, which sounds ridiculous but it's true. I had that sense where you think you know everybody because they've all been in your living room or you've gone to the cinema to see them.
George Clooney was right behind me with his tall, tanned, beautiful girlfriend, Stacy Keibler, and I thought, 'Right, this is my moment to pass out slowly.'
George is the greatest in my eyes. He is my all-time favourite and an all-round lovely man.

There was one moment that, for me, was indicative of the whole night. It was just before Ricky Gervais came out on stage. Everybody was trying to find their seats. George was leading Stacy and Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, and he was saying: 'We'll find out where we're going, come on.'

They were all there. Melanie and Antonio, holding hands and looking beautifully in love. Martin Scorsese, a few feet from me – ridiculous! I met Leonardo DiCaprio's mum in the bathroom. She said: 'I know you.' I said I was in The Beach and she said: 'Oh yes, you're the Irish girl with the red hair.'
I chatted to Tilda Swinton who is just the most elegant, beautiful, clever lady – absolutely divine. She always takes my breath away.


The whole ceremony was kinder and warmer than I expected. Its fabulousness was sort of taken for granted so it didn't feel like a big pressured event.
You know when you see a woman who is incredibly beautiful with seemingly no effort? The Globes was like that. It just got on with it, with no stress or strain.
The day is a long one – red carpet arrivals start at 2.30pm and the after-parties begin about 9pm – but it just seemed to fly by. After the ceremony, we were busy going from the Weinstein or the Fox party to the HBO party.
The Beverly Hilton is like a tardis – the Globes ballroom is like the closet in the mansion. Everywhere we turned, there was another door and another red carpet leading some place else. One party had a golf cart shuttle to take you to it – still in the same hotel.

 
I had a quick word with Brendan Gleeson. The man can do anything. He's brilliant. I wish he'd won.
I was chatting away with Best Actor nominee Michael Fassbender. He was extremely happy and having a great time, just enjoying the ride really. He was thrilled to be there and expected nothing, which is how it should be.
I had a good giggle with Juliana Margulies as we lined up to get into the HBO party. I said: 'You might as well go first, they might want to take your picture.'
She looked at me, then realised I was laughing my head off. They're not used to that kind of self-deprecation in Hollywood.
My husband loved the entire thing. He loves anything that's different, that's pro-active, fun, top of the game. It was all of those things and there wasn't half a second to get bored.

 

 

 

Red Carpet Globes Pt 2: Ursula's Daughter & Brad's Show Cane

Nathaniel:  ‪The men never get discussed and we aren't really breaking that rule much here with this meager assortment but let's waddle away with the penguins as a wrap up: JGL, BRAD, FASSY, THAT GUY FROM SCOTLAND, and LEO. Go!‬

Kurt:  ‪Well, as Inception proved, JGL can look better than most men on the planet in a tailored suit, but this look is quite underwhelming.‬

Nathaniel: Oh, I love it At least he kept it all "Comedy or Musical" with that bowtie. 

Kurt:  ‪haha. cute.‬

Jolie is just knocking me over with her stunningness. I mean come on. She is ghastly thin, but this is one of the most beautiful creatures to ever come out of uterus.‬

Nathaniel: As opposed to...? We need Joanna here to school you on lady parts!

Kurt: I know people were mixed on the dress but i think it's pure movie goddess chic. perfect.

Nathaniel: When I suggested that Angelina had come dressed as a superhero a reader said "envelope woman" which made me LOL.
Kurt:  ‪OMG, Envelope Woman. That's great.‬
Nathaniel: Come to think of it... put HER in Evan Rachel Wood's dress. I want crazy Angelina back. I realize you shouldn't go off your meds for extended periods of time but maybe once a season, Angie needs to let the late 90s freak flag fly.‬

‪Brad Pitt is the most handsome man on the planet but I almost want him to go a bit more Johnny Depp fashion wise at this point, just to match the cane.‬

George and Golden Globes Menu

Award season with Brad & George

Both were in New York last night, both campaigning before the Academy’s nomination window closes later this week. The Brange attended the New York Film Critics’ Circle gala to collect his Best Actor award, George will attend the NBR gala tonight for his Best Actor prize from that organisation, they’ll go head to head on Thursday night at the Critics’ Choice Awards back in Hollywood and again on Sunday at the Globes.

In other words, they’re pretty much together every other day this week. And I like it when they’re together.

But who’s in the lead?

George may have a slight edge though Brad’s picking up some momentum. The National Society of Film Critics just named him Best Actor ahead of Gary Oldman and Jean Dujardin. Sony is playing this very, very carefully for him, working steadily behind the scenes leading up to Friday’s cut-off to make sure his name gets on the list of final five. Still...across the board, every race is tight, no one is a lock. Not even Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg was shut out from the Directors Guild yesterday.

Spielberg!

In favour of David Fincher and Woody Allen. (Which means Midnight in Paris - a movie that’s probably my favourite among all the ones being talked about as contenders - still has a good chance.)

What I’m saying is that this year, more than any other, they need to hustle their asses.

Which is why George has been doing so many interviews, appearances, magazine covers. George has been EVERYWHERE. Yesterday it was Rock Centre with Brian Williams and at some point GMA.

Don’t you want Brad and George to be together, like, all the time, with a camera on? I would watch that show! Because, of course, they don’t have to make that show.

Anyway, George alludes to a flight they were on together a couple of days ago, did you hear that? I’m thinking it was either to or from Palm Springs, they shared a ride. And that would mean all four of them,  the Jolie and Keibler, getting to know one another. They’ll have to, very well in fact, because according to the schedule they should be seeing each other at least once a week until Oscar time.

Speaking of Keibler, click here to see a photo of her in New York with Joanna Cole, editor of Marie Claire, yesterday. As IF Stacy Keibler would make it into Marie Claire if not for George Clooney.

While Stacy was enjoying the benefits of being his girlfriend, George was glad-handing around town. As for Brange - I’m into Angelina’s leather skirt and emeralds, it’s a good combination. Very rarely does she look better than he does but it was the case the other night in Palm Springs and it was the same last night in New York...because, again, as I noted then, he’s so thin right now his clothes don’t fit right. Now how can we find a way to blame her for this, tabloids?

George talks to Brian about Brad and George below

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Matt Bomer is beautiful

• 

Bomer was at the TCA on Friday. I came out of the elevator to go down the hall towards our press room and there it was, walking towards me, one of the craziest faces I have ever seen. It’s, like, knee-buckling how good-looking he is. And, as is the case with this kind of beauty, with the Jolie too, your appreciation of it isn’t necessarily accompanied by desire. I wasn’t panting after him or anything.

Rather, when you see Bomer, you question, as corny as this sounds, whether or not he is actually human. That’s how incredibly perfect Matt Bomer’s face is. You don’t really know whether or not he’s some kind of immortal.

Anyway, the pictures don’t support my hyperbole, I know, and the photographers that day were too busy looking for Jessica Simpson anyway which is why there are so few good shots. But I’m telling you, again,
it’s like Angelina Jolie. Until you’ve actually seen her in person, you’re not getting even a fraction of how show-stopping this face is.

Golden Globe stars to dine on desserts of gold

By Zorianna Kit, Reuters January 9, 2012

More Images »

 

The main course meal to be served at the 69th Annual Golden Globes Awards, prepared by Beverly Hilton Executive Hotel Chef Suki Sugiura, is shown at a menu preview at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 5, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.

Photograph by: Kevin Winter, Getty Images

LOS ANGELES -- When Hollywood's top stars, including George Clooney, Angelina Jolie and Steven Spielberg, attend the Golden Globe Awards next week they will sip vintage champagne and nibble edible gold.
Golden flakes will top their dessert following a meal that chef Suki Sugiura will prepare using foods flown in from around the world for the event, which is one of Hollywood’s most-watched film and television awards shows.
But unlike the film world's Oscars or TV’s Emmys, where stars sit side-by-side in a theater, guests at the Golden Globes are treated to a gourmet meal by the event’s organizers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Moet & Chandon, which has been the official champagne for the Golden Globes for 21 years, will serve its traditional Imperial mini bottles on the red carpet to arriving guests.
Inside the venue guests will sip its Grand Vintage 2002 for the first time.
Five hundred magnums of the 2002, which was bottled and has been sitting for seven years — the longest resting period of any of the Moet Grand Vintages — will be served at the Golden Globes on January 15.
Sugiura, the executive chef at the Beverly Hilton Hotel where the event takes place, has created a three course meal with a “global food harmony” theme that includes a combination entree of braised prime short rib of beef and sea bass marinated in miso from Sendai, Japan.
“They produce some of the best miso in Japan,” said Sugiura. “We bring it here to share with each other, to appreciate each other and to enjoy it together. It’s East meets West — one world — at the Golden Globes.”
For dessert, executive pastry chef Thomas Henzi will serve a chocolate almond crunch terrine with acacia honey, caramel and fresh berries. The chocolate will be flown in from Switzerland, while the acacia honey caramel will arrive from France, the Tarragon hazelnuts from Italy and the Valencia almond paste from Spain.
“It's a rich dessert,” said Henzi, not only figuratively but literally.
Each dessert plate will be sprinkled with 23-carat edible gold flakes along with a white chocolate ball sprayed with gold dust.
“In today’s market, Gold costs $1600, $1700 for an ounce, sometimes up to $2000, so it’s expensive,” said Henzi. “We’re looking at $1.20 per plate just for the gold flakes. And we’re preparing 1500 plates!”
Flower arrangements by celebrity florist Mark Held, of Mark’s Garden, who has been creating the floral centerpieces for the Golden Globes for about a decade, will complement the meal.
Held said he is working on an eight colour combinations of flowers, all in deep winter tones of burgundy, gold, green and maybe even a deep pink.
“This year, we’ll see a lot more colour across the room. It’ll be fun and lively because this is a lively event,” he said.

© Copyright (c) Reuters

Palm Springs 5 + videos

lucire.com

Sometimes, you can’t beat the candid shots that guests themselves at celebrity events take. In this case, Austrian photographer Manfred Baumann, and his wife Nelly, walked the red carpet at the Palm Springs Film Festival—along with Charlize Theron, Olivia Wilde, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Tom Hanks and Al Pacino—and came prepared.
   He shot the black and white images with his Nikon V1.

pattonoswalt Patton Oswalt

Sitting 5 feet from Brad & Angelina and 10 feet from George Clooney. Am I at the IHOP on Sunset? No! The Palm Springs Film Awards Gala!

 

 

See Angelina Jolie Become Fangirl With Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close's Kid Star!

Today 10:34 AM PST by Peter Gicas

Thomas Horn has officially met his No. 1 fan.
While on the red carpet at the 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival over the weekend, the young breakout star of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close found his interview with E! News briefly interrupted by none other than Angelina Jolie!
But that certainly wasn't a bad thing...
MORE: Angelina Jolie Talks Brad Pitt's Injury—"Proud of Him Every Single Day'
"Hey, I've heard you're amazing," a beaming Jolie told Horn regarding his performance in the 9/11-themed film. "Very, very nice to meet you. It's an honor."
Brad Pitt's better half went on to ask the 14-year-old if he's been doing a lot of these types of events, to which he replied: "It's the first."
"Are you excited or is it weird?" inquired a still-smiling Jolie.
MORE: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close trailer
"It's weird, but exciting, I guess," replied Horn, who was discovered by producers of the movie when they saw his winning 2010 appearance on Jeopardy! during Kids Week.
"You should be really, really proud," insisted Jolie. "My kids already think you're cool, so I'll tell them I met you and they'll think I'm cool."
Well, after seeing this little exchange, Angie, we all think you're pretty cool!

Angelina Jolie: I Don't Lecture My Children

By Dahvi Shira

Monday January 09, 2012 02:00 PM EST

Angelina Jolie

Jim Ruymen/Landov

Angelina Jolie is as well known for her work helping refugees around the world as she is for making movies. But she'll let her kids decide for themselves whether they want to follow in her activist footsteps.

"I'm not one of those moms who kind of lectures [my kids]," Jolie, 36, told reporters on Saturday at the 23rd Annual Palm Springs Film Festival. "But I do tell them, whenever I go on a trip, where I'm going and why. And on some occasions, they've come with me to different refugee camps. And they also go to their home countries a lot."

The actress, who wore an Elie Saab gown to the festival's awards gala, has faith her little ones will make decisions based on what they see in their day-to-day lives.

"Hopefully they live in the world, and they see the world really as it is, outside of Hollywood," she says. "If they really live in the world and spend time with friends around the world from all different types of backgrounds, they [will] just see things as they are."

Even though Jolie doesn't expect her children to take up the same causes, she does look for opportunities – such as daughter Zahara's birthday on Sunday – to remind them about who they are and where they come from.

"We make sure we're very aware of her culture and her heritage," Jolie says of Zahara, who turned 7 on Sunday. "She's an African-American girl, so we make that a part of anything she does. So that'll be a part of her [birthday]."

Brange is all business

January 10, 2012 Posted at 12:52 AM

Posted by Lainey

       

There was some Pitt Porn posing on Saturday night in Palm Springs but mostly, for both of them, it was Work Time. Both of them were selling, and separately.

About half an hour before arrivals, a publicist representing Angelina’s film In The Land Of Blood and Honey came down the press line to confirm that Jolie would indeed be taking questions on the line, and that she preferred that they be about the movie.

So they came and they posed together, and they’re, like, ridiculously goodlooking together, and then he started with his interviews first and she followed on her own because he needed to hustle for his own Best Actor chances and, of course, she had to pursue her goals for Blood and Honey independently, so as not to compromise the chances for either.

Blood and Honey?

Yes, Blood and Honey. It was screened for Academy members last week and received a standing ovation. Deadline reports that the film elicited an impressively emotional impact and that the Jolie put in her time with the audience, staying for over an hour afterwards to answer questions and lobby, subtly of course, for votes. Brad, with his cane, has also been hobbling around shaking hands and cradling babies with Academy members for Moneyball and Sony and I’ve never seen him spend so much time with the media as he did in Palm Springs on Saturday night. Like, he actually stopped to talk. Stopped. Normally Brad Pitt doesn’t stop. He keeps walking, he points his finger at you, he answers you in motion, “Yeah, yeah, that’s right man, that’s right”, but he doesn’t ever stop. Unless of course we’re in Palm Springs where a lot of old Academy members spend most of their time and the nomination voting still hasn’t closed. In that case, Brad stops. Even for Canadian networks, blogs, and tabloids. Yes, yes, tabloids too. And it was such a novelty for all of us that, well, it ended up just being a lot of shouting. Everyone cramming their mics in his face, yelling questions on top of each other.*

When he came down to my area, he was quick with his explanation about his leg and the cane, saying simply that he tripped over his daughter. So when Angelina followed a few minutes later and was asked about him “tripping over their daughter”, she rolled her eyes exasperatedly like any wife who has to pick up after her husband (really cute) and was like, no no, he didn’t trip over her, he was carrying her while skiing and took the fall for her instead” and, you must know, that has made every headline since - Brad Pitt sacrifices leg for daughter! Please. These two know exactly what they’re doing. Always.

By the time Angelina arrived in front of me, all the questions about the movie had already been answered. So we talked instead about being sexy with a cane. She did this thing where she bites her lip, pauses, then throws open her mouth, and she heavily suggested, “Oh yeah...I like it”, in that way only Angelina Jolie can manage, for exactly the intended visual, and, well, I ended up getting my Pitt Porn after all.

How did they look? Jolie is never ugly, even when she’s not at her best, I’ll tell you that. And she was gorgeous on Saturday night. That blush coloured dress worked surprisingly well on her skin. I made a point actually, given the drama from last week, of taking a close look at his skin. Brad Pitt has middle aged skin. I mean, he’s a handsome man but there’s no sign of Nicole Kidman there either. And for all the talk of how thin she is (she’s skinny but in person she also looks strong; I mean you don’t see her and recoil in horror, at least not at an event like this when they’re all that skinny), it’s not like Brad Pitt is fleshy either. Brad is very, very lean right now. About as lean as I’ve ever seen him. So much that I didn’t really  like the way his tuxedo was hanging on him. The jacket is so loose it almost looked borrowed, non?

*Behaviour like this surrounding the Brange went on inside the ballroom too. All those rich Palm Springs locals pulled out their iPhones. Click here to read Angelina’s reaction.



 

Pop Tarts

George Clooney, Brad Pitt Trade Friendly Jabs in Palm Springs as Awards Season Kicks Off

By Hollie McKay

Published January 09, 2012

| FoxNews.com

• 
  AP
  Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Stacey Kiebler at the 2012 Palm Beach Film Festival.

It is official – awards season in Hollywood has begun. Things got kicked off with a star-studded opening gala for the Palm Springs Film Festival on Saturday night, and George Clooney was quick to compare campaigning for a film to campaigning for elected office.

“There’s a lot of baby kissing [in an awards season campaign)] as you can imagine,” Clooney told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column. He also said he had been following the GOP debates, and wouldn't mind if campaigning for film awards was more like campaigning for president. “I think [making it more political] is a really good idea. I would like to see some of the best actresses out there debating, like Viola (Davis) and Meryl (Streep) going at each other. That would be fun.”

Clooney has already prepared how he would target fellow A-lister Brad Pitt in a debate.

“I would go at Brad about his height, he’s only 5' 3"… and his drinking,” Clooney joked.

Pitt was unfazed by Clooney’s jabs.

“He had a really good showing in Iowa, but I will get him in New Hampshire,” the “Moneyball” star declared.

Pitt – who was hobbling with a cane – also wished the two-month pat-on-the-back marathon that is awards season could be condensed into “a 48-hour festival.”

"I don't think I've seen that many flashbulbs in a long time. I'm still seeing spots but it's nice,” he continued. “It's the first one of the season, starts things off, and it's just nice to be here and see our friends we haven't seen all year."

And despite being one of the most talked about/followed figures in the entertainment world, Pitt has no problems with his children entering the industry.

“Whatever they want to do, whatever makes them happy,” he said.

Pitt brought his longtime love, Angelina Jolie, as his date to the swanky soiree, and left it to her to explain why he could barely walk.

“We are building different parts of the lawn, and he was going down to see it, and the grass was changing levels, and he slipped,” she told us, adding that he was carrying his daughter Vivienne at the time. “In order to make sure she was okay he threw himself down to protect her. He did the dad thing.”

Jolie, for her part, couldn’t have been more proud of her guy.  

“I’m so happy he's getting all of this attention," she gushed. "It makes me very, very happy."

Clooney, too,extended his appreciation for Pitt, and show business in general.

“We really do love what we do, and we recognize that most people don’t get to love their jobs. I’ve had lots of jobs, I have cut tobacco for a living, I sold insurance door to door, and I have sold men’s suits and ladies shoes,” he said in his acceptance speech for the Chairman’s Award.  “The point is we do understand that we are very blessed, and lucky to be doing this. It is not just about acting, you look at someone like Brad and he is terrific not just in ‘Moneyball,’ but looks out for the public people in the world, he builds homes for people in New Orleans, and he loves what he does. We love what we do. The truth is, we would do it for free. It’s a fun thing to do.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/01/09/george-clooney-brad-pitt-trade-friendly-jabs-in-palm-springs-as-awards-season/#ixzz1j1zd6ugB