I believe there's a little more to the idolization of a major movie star. Just as in real life, if you adore someone to an irrational degree you tend to overlook their flaws--even their ginormous flaws--so you can still get the rush from your crush.

The Tom Cruise/Nicole Kidman split went pretty much the same way. There were whispers about Tom and Penelope Cruz on the set of Vanilla Sky during the autumn months. Then in December he suddenly files for divorce for Kidman, all the while denying reports of cozying up to Cruz. He wisely isn't seen in public with Cruz. And women everywhere are excited that Tom Cruise is "single" again.

Then in the spring his divorce is finalized and a short time later Vanilla Sky premieres. Who is his date for the premiere? Penelope Cruz!

Cruise and Cruz played it off to the media that they had just recently started "dating." But the were hanging all over each other making out everywhere. It was clear it wasn't a brand new, awkward, getting-to-know you period at all.

But everyone loves Tom Cruise and no one was too upset. Sure sympathy went out to Nicole. but, there was no outrage for Tom.

This really isn't that surprising. Look at affairs among everyday people. When a woman finds out that her husband is having an affair, who gets the blame 9 times out of 10? The other woman. Her husband, in the meantime, gets off scott free. It's a tragedy that we can't be strong enough to blame BOTH parties involved - how's that saying go? It takes two to tango.

I, for one, am no longer a fan of either Brad or Angelina anymore.

It's funny/weird to watch how emotionally invested people have become in this little (fabricated?) drama. Good for ticket sales, que no?

brad's public display of outright disrespect to his wife is not excusable. it was not an affair of the heart, it was a giggling ego-penis connection. his wife was no longer a tv star...angelina was hot-slut-hot..angelina longed for motherhood..she stated in her farewell-to-friends interview with diane sawyer she was planning to stay home and have babies. .. meanwhile angie gets herself pregnant. accident? ha!..so, now, angelina a grand mum? brad, a doting dad? what photo have you ever scene where the kids look smiley happy? or where is there eye contact between child and parent ? angelina talking about doing the dirty with someone else's hubby and slathering it with the 'ooohhh we fell in love' frosting. IS inappropriate. and i caught a few minutes of brad on oprah's show; he looked puffy and fidgety, talking with his hand over his mouth, with a silly moustache plastered over his slackened lips. he's maintained his popularity because he is/was a pretty boy. now he just looks p*ssy whipped. i think you'll see his movies start to tank, unless his acting skills return to their old sharpness, and this, i doubt we'll see.

I see Jolie as the Mia Farrow of the 21st century, although one could hardly compare her attractive current consort to the gloomy, bespectacled Woody Allen (or to musical prodigy Andre Previn, for that matter). Although I imagine that unlike Woody, Brad will restrain himself from any questionable behavior with his kids, including marrying one of them.

As for "l'affaire", second generation Hollywood kids clearly march to a different drummer. Mia, the child of actress Maureen O'Sullivan and director John Farrow, started young with a splashy affair and brief marriage at 21 to a middle-aged Sinatra, then moved on to a liaison with the married Previn, later marrying him and producing three kids and adopting three more, before she hooked up with Allen, had another biological child, and adopted two kids. But she didn't stop there. After the twelve-year unmarried relationship with Allen, she went on to adopt six more kids as a single parent.

If she follows Farrow's pattern, Jolie, the daughter of actor John Voight, still has a long way to go, and it appears to me that the man she's with is not as important as her kids. In other words, I don't see Brad in the picture for much longer as her lover-after all, beautiful, privileged women do tend to get restless, and they have more choices than the rest of us-but it's safe to say there will be more children for Angelina. But I do hope she realizes that her first instincts were correct and it's ultimately more responsible to provide homes for the millions of parentless kids of the world than produce more of her own.

Hollywood has a history of these types of wife swapping. Personally I think too much attention is being paid to celebrities. Their lives are smarmy and sleezy, except those smart enough to keep their lives secret from us.

here's one thought that goes against the grain here: Brad changed during his marriage with Jen, he became more involved in charitable causes, and he and jen had a disagreement as to when to start a family; he meets a woman that is closer to his new mindset; they flirt and spend time together on set but they don't consummate the relationship; judging by all the reports of the googly eyes they made at each other, they were in the flirty phase, not the sex phase. Otherwise, why would she need to strip off and get naked in front of the crew during a love scene if she weren't trying to win him over? If it was a done deal, no need. He then goes back to his wife, tries for months to make it work, chalking up his feelings for angie as a crush. He realized it was more than that and he didn't feel the same way for Jen. What's the honorable thing to do? Stay in a loveless marriage? No, he stayed faithful, gave it a shot and when it didn't work, he moved on and never uttered a bad word against the ex even when she threw darts at him and the new missus. Pretty classy in my book. Marriage isn't always forever.

is it just me
i think jolie is highly manipulative, and brad and the children are extensions of that.Her public comments only come about when there is a movie to promote. I don't know if i really believe any of
it. I agree that brad will not be in the picture much longer and i feel bad for him. It is all about sales, she is one cold lady

They are both, major, d***s! I wasn't ever, even for a moment, taken with Pitt, and I always thought that he was a sleazeball, even more than Angelina! And I loathe Angelina too...it's definitely a story that continues though! But I am happy Aniston finaly spoke up!

IHAVE ABSOLUTELY NO PITY FOR JENNIFER ANISTON. SHE, OF LITTLE TALENT, IS STILL TRYING TO PLAY KITTENISH RACHEL WHEN SHE'S WAY TOO OLD. BRAD WANTED A WOMAN WHO WANTED KIDS, NOT A SPOILED BODY-CONSCIOUS EGOMANIAC. HOPE JOHN MAYER DUMPS HER AGAIN. IF SHE;D HAD A BABY FOR BRAD, HE'D STILL BE AROUND. HER MOVIES STINK. THE DOG MARLEY IS GONNA OUT ACT HER.

Brad looks guilty as sin to me, and it's because of the oversize shirt he wore on his last vacation with Jen. It read, in huge letters "TRASH". I think he was expressing how he felt about himself. We know why.

What rule says affairs end careers? From the time of Liz and Dick affairs have often MADE careers. To compare Meg Ryan - whose career was already wobbly owing to the fact that she was hovering near 40 and romantic comedies aren't the staple of the 40 year olds - with Brad Pitt is apples and oranges. Better to look at another mega star whose escapades weren't a problem - Julia Roberts. Ethan Hawke and Ryan Phillipe were never A list stars - not like Pitt.

All that said, Pitt is remarkably teflon like anyway. I'm never quite sure why he IS an A lister, since he really can't seem to open a picture - look at Troy and that Billy the Kid fiasco. The movies that do well aren't his alone. Mr. and Mrs. Smith did okay - but Jennifer Aniston is more box office than Miss Jolie - dollar for dollar. Also, in terms of comedy, Ms. Jolie doesn't have a funny bone in her body and Aniston can be delightfully funny.

As far as the Jolie-Pitt connection - I give it another 2 years, tops.

A divorce or break-up can be painful. You have to grieve (months, rather than years) and then move onward towards your happiness. For whatever reason that we will probably never know, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston's marriage failed. He may have been smitten with Angelina Jolie, and she said that they fell in love on the set of a movie while he was still married to Ms. Anniston. Whatever. Maybe it was too much information on Ms. Jolie's part, however, it's water under the bridge. But not for Ms. Anniston, I guess. As hard as it seems, Ms. Anniston should move onward towards her own happiness. I hate to see her play the victim. It's been several years and children since she broke up with Mr. Pitt. If I still felt hurt about it, I wouldn't announce it in Vogue. It just plays to the victim role and makes Ms. Anniston appear envious of her ex-husband's new life. Especially when she focused her ire on Ms. Jolie, rather than Mr. Pitt. Mr. Pitt was her husband, and if she has hurt feelings, she should call him on the phone and direct her anger towards him. Then, she should let it go. I'm certain that Jennifer Anniston knows that Angelina Jolie didn't destroy her relationship with Brad Pitt. No Team Anniston t-shirt is going to make her feel better about herself. It's okay for Ms. Anniston to think of Ms. Jolie as the enemy, after all, these are two women who will never be friends. However, Ms. Anniston should act responsibly, and not perpetuate the good girl/bad girl thing. She's just opening up the doors to be compared to Ms. Jolie. By taking responsibility and the high road, she'll feel much better.

For those of you who didn't see the writing on the wall with Brad and Jen - WOW. Did you read Vanity Fair when Brad was on the cover? It was so obvious to me that they were not well suited. He, eccentric, intense, wanting kids, reaching out to those in need. Jen seemed out of touch with that side of their relationship and seemed to be more free-spirited and fun-loving. She even said philanthropic stuff made her uneasy at the time. I don't think anyone can steal your man away if the relationship is really good. Brad and Angelina were made for one another in that they share the same values and want the same things in life. As for Jen, I wish people would leave her alone and let her get on with it, which she is obviously doing. She didn't want the same things Brad wanted and it shows in the choices she had made since the split. Enough already.

Is it just me, or was anyone else confused at first with this article?
It would have made more sense and been more readable if it hadn't started with a hypothetical "Schwimmer and Aniston" relationship.

As the recent-divorced wife of one of the local golden boys, who carried on a three-year affair with his thirty-years younger mistress before seeking divorce, I have had a hard time with the Jolie-Pitt group for some time. Maybe the children, the goodwill trips, the careful managing of the public image all spring from good intentions, but the fact remains that he cheated on his marriage and she became involved with a very married man, all in a very public forum. Seemingly, no one cares that this cheating/adultery took place in front of her kids. Anyone can make a mistake, but a public mistake requires a level of public amends or it remains a stench over all their subsequent activity, regardles of the nature of it. The fact that people don't say, "Whew, what's that smell?" isn't because there is no odor - it's because people don't want to appear insensitive or judgemental. Heard of the story of the emperor's new clothes, have you?

Jennifer Aniston is a beautiful woman and no husband has the right to cheat, regardless of physical beauty or lack thereof. You made a choice and took a vow. If you're not satisfied, resolve that relationship first, THEN move on. That being said, Pitt has gotten off the hook for a very simple reason. No one could be blamed for falling for Angelina Jolie after being exposed to her in close quarters for any length of time. She cares about those who have no one to care for them, she puts herself in harms way to help the helpless and if you have the gift of sight, I am sure you are powerless to defend yourself.

Yo, Brangelina is hotness. But we're sick of Aniston and the whole mess -- I mean, any real stories out there?

Yo. Love your blog! good stuff.

Check mine out:

http://muchbetterthanworking.blogspot.com

Who cares? Get a life of your own people!

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David Schwimmer?

Poor Mara, can't make it as a serious journalist can you? Why is it always the young female news bloggers focus on celebrity gossip and not real news hmmm? Up against the likes of Kathleen Parker, Mara writes like a sixteen year old Sarah Palin.

Silly!!!

Uh, who cares? They each sleep with whoever, whatever suits their needs and/or agenda. They're more animal than human - meaning they're so totally hip and Hollywood.
(Can any sane person sit through "Changeling"?)
Changelings, chameleons, whatever they are, can't they just go away, just for a year or two - and curb the procreating?

I may not keep up, but I don't think either Brad or Angie has had a real hit since the affair started, right? Which is probably why Angie has gracefully, sort of, maybe retired. Hopefully they both just fade away so we don't have to watch her whoring out all those children anymore.