Pittwatch.com: Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie Gossip

26 opinions for Celebrity Obsession

• viva brangelina
  May 3, 2006 at 8:14 pm

  No! Don’t! I don’t want that kind of bad things happen to brangelina!!! I love princess diana. she was too, a big hearted person like angie. may God protect the family always.
  yeah, i agree with you christina let’s just wait for pictures until they are ready to give them to us.

• jackie
  May 3, 2006 at 9:50 pm

  I love Brad&Angie and I am hoping that when the baby is born and everyone sees him or her the media will back off.

• Catherine
  May 3, 2006 at 10:35 pm

  Im gunna shove my 2c in here also…I think of Diana alot too, when I think of Angelina. The paparazzi is vicious with thier pursuit and it is dangerous. But what is it that draws the pull? They both came from painful backgrounds and evolved into strong confident powerful women with a heart for the less fortunate. They are icons of our time.

  I still keep a shrine to Diana. but,I would be not only heartbroken but livid if anything like that ever happens again. I try not to contribute by getting my info online rather than buying magazines. Not sure I’d want to watch a TV program about it either. I’m fine also with waiting for the celebs themselves to release the info they want to give.

  I pray Gods safety for this and all celebrities & thier families who are pursued relentlessly by any media who are doing dangerous and scary things for a buck (or a mil). Doesn’t matter, it’s still greed, and what some of them are doing is truely EVIL.

• grace
  May 4, 2006 at 1:45 am

  I agree with you all and stay in CONSTANT prayer for our lovely Jolie-Pitt family and all the world!

• Anhriette
  May 4, 2006 at 3:09 am

  I guess I have to comment on this also. I worked with and for actors, actresses, child stars doing fundraisers. I saw things that were reported so totally out of context than what had really taken place. I knew because I was there when the “supposedly” vicious exaggerations and downright lies were reported, and it was nothing like what had happened.

  I vowed after Princess Diana died that I would never buy another tabloid as long as I lived. It is only now that I have become such a fan of Brad and Angelina’s that I buy PEOPLE when I see that either Brad or Angelina are on the cover, or there is an article about them. (I might add here that I am a huge fan of David James Elliot who appeared on JAG for ten years, and I didn’t even buy magazines for him.) Please don’t tell the JAG fans.

  Right after Princess Diana was killed, our family went shopping to a brand new mall quite a distance from where we live. Walking through all the stores, I saw an art shop, and I love art shops. There was a beautiful black and white portrait of Princess Diana in the window. Since I had had a birthday right before her tragic accident, I asked my husband, who already suspected I wanted it, if he would buy it for me. It is beautiful, and it still hangs in the room in which my late son spent the last few months of his life.

  The paparazzi can be vicious, and some can be quite understanding. However, I still feel a little guilty when I buy a PEOPLE magazine.

  I just hope that when the Jolie-Pitt family do return to the U.S., or wherever they may be when their baby is born, they will be well protected, and I don’t mean by bullying and threatening the photographers. The more you bully them, the worse they become.

  Anhri

• Catherine
  May 4, 2006 at 9:11 am

  Anhri…You are absolutely right (they will be well protected) …but that’s why I think they will set up a way to sneak out of Namibia as soon as they can after the babe is born… under cover. And lots of it. (darkness, disguises, timing)

  I think the next real official news we get from the Jolie-Pitt clan may be actions rather than words. All of the sudden we will hear they “returned very very early in the morning to L.A…..” (possibly with new baby in tow….but my guess is, that by the time they land in the USA, PEOPLE Mag will already be on the newstands with the first photo of the baby…or at least the news of the birth… which would most of the paps home who thought it was worth stalking them for that baby pic…the million dollar prize will have already been won. ~ JMO.

  I really hope they pull off a sly one on the paparazzi.

• Marie
  May 4, 2006 at 11:30 am

  Very interesting article and by a Pullitzer Prize winner nonetheless!
  I have only become recently obsessed by celebrities and it was really Brangelina that started it all for me. I am not sure why I am so interested in their lives and I am not quite sure what I am looking for? I check the internet daily for Brangelina news and a few other celebrities also. Why this interest? Is it because I envy these people and it gives me a glimpse into their priveleged lives?
  Yes I am much more well versed in what is happening with Brangelina than Sudan or Darfur and probably even my countries politics? So, yes I do help to fuel the paparazzis “raison d’etre”. Wow I need some psychoanalysis…any insights from the Pittwatch regulars on my obsession with celebrities. Can someone tell me it’s OK???

• Catherine
  May 4, 2006 at 11:46 am

  Marie>> Thats a very good question…”Is it Okay?”

  Yes, of course it’s OK. But, as with any craving, moderation is the key. Paparazzi seem to not have alot of emphasis on moderation, and they fule the fire into an obsession with all the speculation and guessing that they print as facts. It’s outright lying to earn a buck, and THAT’S what is WRONG.

  As for why we follow like bunnies after a carrot? (thats the nicest way I could think of to put it!) I think those of us who DO, is because we ARE lacking SOMETHING in our lives. (Oh boy, I can see the controversial banter thats coming)
  For some, it’s simply living the lifestyle vicariously throught them, for others, Im sure it’s really that some of these celebrities truely INSPIRE us. I think the answer to that question “Is it ok?” lies in motive. As with most other things in life.

  Just my thoughts.

• Marie
  May 4, 2006 at 12:03 pm

  Thank you Catherine…now I just need to identify my motive…I need to give this one some thought.

  I do like your “bunnies after a carrot” analogy!

• Catherine
  May 4, 2006 at 12:17 pm

  Marie> Thanks…I try to be funny…most people don’t think I am tho. LOL. At least I can laugh at myself. :)

  I mean if your gunna have an obsession, ya may as well have some fun with it.
  I’ll tell you what it is for me (at the risk of repeating what I have written on other boards in PittWatch…)…

  Both Princess Diana, and Angelina Jolie, for me, have been my two biggest celebrity obsessions, because they represent to me the Phoenix (also known as the ThunderBird or FireBird) rising from the ashes. The “ashes” in these two womens lives are the tough times they have come through, and the “rising” into a greater human existance (or higher cause) THROUGH thier experiences.

  For me, they are both very inspirational figures, who give me hope that I will someday make a mark thats worthwhile in life. Does that make any sense?

• Marie
  May 4, 2006 at 1:05 pm

  Catherine, it makes a lot of sense!! That Angelina and Princess Di are inspirational figures to you and that is what you aspire to…THIS IS the RIGHT reason for following their story.
  I just wonder if that is my reason OR am I vicariously living life through them, is it because I envy their life and happiness…I hope NOT! I do truly find Angelina inspirational and it has motivated me to “give back” through charities and through volunteer work. So for now I will allow myself to believe it is because she is inspirational and that is what I aspire to.

• Catherine
  May 4, 2006 at 1:29 pm

  Marie, you have the right motives, you’re fine girl!… you said: “I do truly find Angelina inspirational and it has motivated me to “give back” through charities and through volunteer work.”… so you were speaking also of yourself when you said “THIS IS the RIGHT reason for following their story.”

  Hey, as long as you are not chasing down Angelina and Brad trying to get a picture just cause somebody will buy it for big bucks, or one of the few stalkers who acctually is out to harm someone, then I for one welcome you & your other opinions and thoughts on BAMZ+1. :)

  Relax. You’re fine. Take a look at some of the other ‘boards’ here at PittWatch and post away!!
  :) I’ll look forward to reading what you have to say!

• Catherine
  May 4, 2006 at 1:58 pm

  and a “P.S.”…just the fact that you question yourself tells me you strive to be an honest person and you have some genuine depth to you. KUDOs!! (Be encouraged!!)

• JLS
  May 4, 2006 at 2:31 pm

  The comments above are one of the reasons I mainly stay with Pittwatch in my own obsession—a kindler, gentler and more thoughtful group of obsessives. :) I have admitted here in another post that I have not been a follower, much less an obsessed follower of any movie stars until Brad and Angelina got together and I was completely intrigued and haven’t been able to keep myself away from news of them. Then after reading these posts today, I realized that I was also as obsessed with Diana and read everything about her I could find. When she died I kept every News magazine and People magazine with the tributes to her and still have them. Maybe there is definitely something to the idea that they both inspire us in a unique way as people who could have very self-centered lives but managed to find a way to give themselves to others. I’ve been telling myself it’s okay because I am inspired and also encouraged by the way Angelina has grown. Even in the later stages of life one hopes to keep on growing and changing into more than they are. It always fascinates me to see some one who suffers and finds a way to use the suffering in a positive way. I think Angelina has done and is still doing that. She encourages me.

• Catherine
  May 4, 2006 at 4:10 pm

  JLS> You hit the nail on the head! What we are looking for is “to see some one who suffer(ed) and finds a way to use the suffering in a positive way”.

  We see so much of the opposit in our world these days…terrorism, mass killings, genocide, rape, hatefulness, drug addiction, incest, people who do those kinds of things have come from abuse and lost hope…lives are ruined and wasted. The pain they experience is transfered to causing pain, so they feel better about thier own suffering.

  So, when we see anyone who comes from any kind of a painful background in life, from broken families (like alot of us) to serious abusive backgrounds, it is like a light in a dark world to see anyone that takes that kind of pain and turns it into a positive thing… a joy to others.

  It’s people like Angelina, Brad, Princess Diana, George Clooney, Paul Newman, Julia Roberts, and so many others who aren’t quite SO in the spotlight, but still there, who give us pause for thought that we CAN *Rise above*… even in a world plagued by darkness and grief.

  This is why I do what I do for a living. I saw my life in a place of pain and not going anywhere… and I knew I would just continue a downward spiral if I didn’t change my way of looking at life and get out of my own head. So, when the Tsunami hit and I realized how MANY people out there are in real NEED, and how much more I have than alot of them, as little as I had…I became willing to release it all… and take up a cause for the greater good.

  I looked around and realized that there is a growing need for caregivers for the elderly. That it will be the number one job service to and for people over 60 in just a few years and they are going to need many many of us.
  I may not have the connections, the income or other means to do big things for entire countries, but I do what I can. One person at a time.

  And for me, it’s been healing, fullfilling, a challenge, and a real growth experience. And my life is so much more now than it ever was before.

  So…whats YOUR passion?

• JLS
  May 4, 2006 at 4:40 pm

  Wow! Catherine, thank you!! Have you established an organization to help the elderly in your community? I would love to know more about what you do. It’s interesting that the Tsunami was the beginning of your passion/work and that for Angelina it was seeing the lost children everywhere and what their lives could be like if someone cared. My passion is for young women (people) in trouble—right now we are keeping an unwed mother (24 years old) in our home until she gives birth and gives her child up for adoption. There’s no organization–just giving as the need arises in various ways with different people. I love to encourage people who feel hopeless. In June another young woman who is divorced and alone with no prospects for the future will be staying with us.

• Catherine
  May 4, 2006 at 6:05 pm

  JLS> All I did was share my point of view, but you are welcomed. As for establishing a “home” for Alzhiemers care, it has indeed crossed my mind. I have a friend who owns two such homes now. But, the Lord placed me back close to my family…moved me out of the state of Washington and into Oregon about 15 months ago. This was my first full time live-in position. I did care part time for an elderly couple in Washington for a couple of years before moving here, and I may be on my way back now, since my current ‘charge’ has reached the point where she needs 2 people here, and her family cannot afford that. So she is going into a nursing home shortly. So, acctually, I am looking and waiting on the Lord to show me where to go from here.

  It has been very confining, but for me, it has not been all that bad, since I love being at home, working a garden, doing crafts, and just being here. Pittwatch keeps me entertained too, more than the TV! I have become very fond of my ward, and I will miss her. But the work is not easy. It takes a patient heart and a big one at that. It can be very emotionally and mentally draining, so that needs to be taken into account. A caregiver needs support too, so they can be at thier best for thier patient.
  One must also be aware at all times, even at night …so I have learned to sleep lightly in case she arises during the nite and needs support.
  I’d be happy to share more with you JLS, so I have asked Christine to get permission from you to give me your email, and she has my consent to give you mine.

  I encourage anyone who feels lost in life to reach inside your heart and ask yourself the questions; “What am I truely PASSIONATE about? what gets me stirred up? What touches my heart so deeply that I WANT to do something?”

  THAT, my friends, is what God put you on earth to do…it is the desire of your heart, and the purpose for which YOU were created. There is deep happiness and fulfillment in finding your passion.

• Catherine
  May 4, 2006 at 6:57 pm

  Oh, and by the way, I think taking in unwed pregnant girls and women in dispare is a beautiful passion. :) Each of us has one. We just need to find it. For some it might be children, for others in might be inspiring others through music. We are so diverse and capable of so much good. KUDOs to you for pursueing YOUR individual passion JLS!
  Like Angie herself said:

  “Find out what it is that you personally love, and go after that with everything you’ve got in you, no matter what it takes.”

• Marie
  May 4, 2006 at 7:17 pm

  I congratulate both of you, Catherine and JLS, for contributing so much back! I almost started to cry when I read both of your postings!!

  When I turned 40 I started to wonder if this was all there was to life…that’s when I realized that helping others, touching people’s lives and having people touch my life was the fulfillment that I needed…it gave my life meaning.

  Keep up the good work and know that you are touching people’s lives and making the world that much of a better place to be…one step at a time!!

• Catherine
  May 4, 2006 at 7:31 pm

  see Marie? You’ve GOT it too! You are not overly obsessed…you are drawing strength from Angelina! Isn’t it amazing how this board turned into something so inspirational from something so potentially negative?

  “Celebrity Obsession”.

  Now we know WHY.

  Some people won’t do anything but just follow the stories of others… living out the THOUGHT of doing something good for others. But those of us who acctually go about fullfilling our passion know what it is “To be a light unto the world”…and we reap the true benefit of that, because in so doing, we become happier, find more meaning in life, feel accomplished and gain strength. I am so very glad for Diana that she did that with her life. She might have died so sad otherwise. I really think God allowed her to be taken when He did, to illuminate her as a way of saying “Here, look on this womans example, she had the right idea.”. We will always remember Diana.

  She was, as Angelina is, our “soul-sister”.

  Don’t hide your light… shine it before the world the best way you know how.

• Anhriette
  May 4, 2006 at 10:24 pm

  Oh, well, I have learned one thing. I had posted a very long reply about what we have to offer, but when a new mail came in, I went to read it, and when I tried to return to it, it was gone!

  I won’t try to remember all I said, and I will admit that I have not read the entire post, but I will say this.

  I will be 72 years old in July. In 1994, I was believed to have pancreatic cancer. My daughter was also having problems, but the one whom we knew was going to die was my youngest son, Roger. My oldest son, Frank, hid the truth from me about his wife, who had colon cancer. In the same month, we learned that: Roger had about 18 months to live (he had AIDS); our Susie, my daughter-in-law had colon cancer and was given 18 months to live; my daughter was pregnant, and I did not have the cancer. Michelle, our daughter, was abandoned to raise her son on her own by her fiancee. She never expected to get married. After all, who would want a woman stupid enough to get pregnant withoug being married. (Her words not mine.) She is the one who got married this past Saturday and had a most beautiful wedding. (Her son was the Best Man) The church, minister, her dress and all our family were truly touched by the love they saw between her and her very own Brad.

  Ten years ago, Michelle took Roger’s death very hard, along with Ron’s (Roger’s partner). She was very close to her brother, and loved Ron also like a brother. She wrote a beautiful poem for them about “A Different Kind of Love.”

  However, at that time, I could not understand why God would allow me to live. What did I have to offer except a mother’s love, and I could not even help Frank and Susie because I became Roger’s caregiver. I had also helped with Ron, until his parents arrived. Ron died in 1994, exactly one month before Michelle’s son, Kyle Roger, gave birth seven weeks early. It was my husband who helped Michelle with her tiny baby, taking her to visit her son in the Neonatal Unit while I took care of Roger. (I have written a book about these two years of our lives.)

  Roger died 1 May 1995, and our Susie, whom I spent the last five weeks helping to care for, left us on 8 July 1995. Once again, I wondered why God had left me and not Susie, or even Roger. I’ll never know, but I do know that I was finally able to help my Frank out. I cried the first time I walked Cole to school, because Susie prayed that she would live long enough to take him herself, even if she might be in a wheelchair. She didn’t make it.

  To say I was numb is putting it mildly, but I could not allow myself to let go, not for my little grandson’s, or my son’s sakes. It seemed that death followed us every single day. It was my faith in God, and the smile on my granson’s faces that kept me going.

  Eleven years later, Frank has remarried and has another son, Connor. Actually his wife was Cole’s Special Ed. Teacher (Cole is losing his hearing because of all the things they did to save his life, you know, medications, etc.) Cole fell in love with Janie and invited her to lunch without tell his Daddy. Frank couldn’t hurt either Cole’s or her feelings, so he invited her out for a pizza. Yesterday was their eighth wedding anniversary.

  So what has all this got to do with Celebrities and admiration for so many of them. When the actors I had known so long ago heard about why I never returned to Hollywood, they were shocked. They began to call me, asking me if they could do anything for me. Some of them cried with me, and some of them made me laugh. They invited me to return, but I was still numb, and by then, I knew my children and grandsons and my beloved husband came first. I so appreciated their concern, but I could not leave my family.

  I don’t think that we envy, or are jealous, or wonder what it would be like to be famous that makes us love actors such as Brad and Angelina. We are not rich, but for the first time in my life, they have made me aware of situations in life that are far worse than anything I have been through. If anything, they are an inspiration to me to try to be a better and more giving person. I would love to be able to donate money and even travel to help out, but I can’t anymore. Angelina and Brad are doing for me.

  Angelina does so much for people she doesn’t even know, and it makes me realize how little I have given of myself to help others. Oh, I had a little girl I supported in El Salvador for several years, until my husband lost his job and we had to stop since I don’t work. Now, it is I who at times needs help. The pancreatic cancer finally found me. I also have diabetes; am an epileptic since the age of 14, and have now been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. There are some pretty bad days, but that’s when I turn on my computer and see Brad and Angelina, and yes, they do help.

  Why do I look for the faces of Brad, Angelina, Maddox and Zahara? Because they make me smile on a bad day when the pain is bad. It makes my heart sing when I hear what they plan to do to help those less fortunate. In other words, they have taken the place of my grandsons during those dark days when the only thing that made me smile was to see their sweet faces. Brad and Angelina will never know who I am, what I am, or where I am, but I love to know where they are and who they are helping. They are as much of a gift to this world as our familes are to each of us.

  I don’t know if this is in topic, and if it isn’t, you may delete it. I guess I wanted to let you all know why Brad and Angelina are my “obsession” at this time in my life. My grandsons, now 16, 12, and 7, well they ARE my life, as is my hubby, and our daughter and sons, and they will keep me fighting for life.

  Anhri

  P.S. Forgive all the misspellings.

• Anhriette
  May 4, 2006 at 10:36 pm

  Marie,

  Perhaps our lives are lacking in something, and we want them to be happy. We need to know that happiness, love, commitment, and families still exist. That isn’t wrong of anyone to want people we have grown to admire, respect and even love, to have the very best of everything.

  Sorry that I haven’t read all yours posts, but I can’t. My eyes began to blur after a while, but I may just keep coming back.

  Anhri

• Catherine
  May 4, 2006 at 10:56 pm

  Anhri> that was so beautiful that you shared all that. I’m wiping tears away. I just wanted to thank you for sharing… you have had a rough road. But I do read your posts and I see such a gentle kind soul behind your words. May God pour out the abundance of his blessing on you dear Lady.

  With great respect,
  Catherine

• Marie
  May 5, 2006 at 5:37 am

  Ohhhh Anhri…I am in tears once again!! Thank you for sharing your story with me. Although you have had your share of heartbreaks and pain…your life sounds so full of love and “fight”! YOU must be an inspiration to your family and friends.
  I think you and Catherine are right…BAMZ+1 make me believe in “happy endings”, “fairy tales” and “all things that are GOOD in life”…when I see or hear about them I am inspired!
  Why must the media taint it all and tell us we are the ones who are the “stalkers”?????

• JLS
  May 5, 2006 at 10:38 am

  Such a wonderful place to “come to” every morning–Pittwatch. Thank you for all your postings and the beautiful stories you have shared. It’s a marvelous thing to see how each individual life shines it’s light on its own individual path in such a unique way. And along the way, we all get to enjoy Brad and Angelina’s lives for all the various reasons we have for doing so. In one way or another they have encouraged, helped or brightened our days. God bless them!! Have a good day and thanks Christina for all the work.
  P.S. Christina, I would love to have Catherine’s email and she is more than welcomed to mine.

• Bethany
  May 7, 2006 at 5:27 pm

  Anhri: That was so sad and beautiful, god I’m tearing up right now. Thanks for sharing your story. You all have said pretty much what I was going to say.

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