Angelina Jolie has given people much to marvel at — her philanthropy and her family immediately come to mind. But her superpower ability to grow Teflon skin when her actions attract negative publicity is equally impressive, until now. As it turns out, her biggest enemy isn’t the general public, who could have turned against her for any number of controversial proclivities, but Hollywood itself.
Recently, Rosie O’Donnell told Howard Stern that said she feared Jolie. “There was a tentative plan to have dinner that never came through. I was a little afraid of her. She’s scary in a sexual kind of way,” O’Donnell said.
Earlier in the year, Megan Fox, whose looks have been compared to Jolie’s, echoed feelings of fear, and told British press, “I’m actually frightened of her. Angelina’s a powerful person, and I bet she would eat me alive. I guess that’s why I’m afraid of her.”
More recently “Twilight” actress Kristen Stewart told Blackbook magazine that she hoped not to end up like Jolie, saying, “I don’t want to be a movie star like Angelina Jolie. Nothing about being a celebrity is desirable. I’m an actor.”
So what’s with all the backlash? One high-profile actor, who has worked in film for two decades, said he thinks women in Hollywood might be reacting to a misperception. “Women think she’s gorgeous and sexy and has the perfect life, but I think women think she’s more beautiful than many men think she really is.”
Celine Dion channels Michael Jackson
For a diminutive singer, Celine Dion is stirring big ire from some of her neighbors in Florida. Dion is adding a substantial pool complex to her home in Jupiter Island and it resembles something Michael Jackson might have created at Neverland, according to one neighbor.
“I wish she had gone and done it somewhere other than Jupiter Island,” Joe Farish, who lives down the street from the multiplatinum selling singer, told Life & Style magazine. “Distasteful is what it looks like — the whole thing sounds like a Michael Jackson fairyland to me.”
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The magazine reports that plans include “two giant pools, waterslides and a lazy river, much like an amusement park.”
“I don’t know how she got the well permits in there, because the town is usually pretty restrictive with stuff like that,” Farish said. “It demeans the whole area. I heard she has a big family, so I guess she wants to entertain all of Canada there.”
Veterans Day and celebs who served
Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Drew Carey, Jimmy Stewart all have something in common: military service. Although Stewart’s Hollywood back story is what he’s most remembered for, consider today the path he took to get into uniform. The stuff of screenplay, Stewart in 1940 was initially denied entry because he was underweight, but by 1941, he packed on enough pounds to successfully enlist in the Army Air Corps, with an ounce to spare. For the first year and a half of the war, he served as a B-17 instructor while working part time with the Army Air Corps' 1st Motion Picture Unit.
That 1st Motion Picture Unit played a pivotal role in the war. It became clear to the military that training films, orientation films and inspirational films were going to be necessary, and it would be nearly impossible to train those who enlisted with the film skills to get the job done. So, the War Department turned to Hollywood, and ultimately commissioned Jack Warner of Warner Bros. a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, with the primary assignment to organize the 1st Motion Picture Unit.
Lt. Col. Warner turned over Warner Bros.’ facilities for the cause and work was carried out on a 24-hour basis. The first film, “Winning Your Wings” was written, photographed, edited, dubbed and scored in 14 days. It starred Stewart, (a captain named Ronald Regan, who was already in the service before the creation of the 1st Motion Picture Unity, would later help out with such films) and is credited with more the enlistment of more than 150,000 new recruits.
This Veteran’s Day, do honor those who’ve served. Other celebrities include Gene Hackman and Harvey Keitel (both Marine Corp.); Ice-T and James Earl Jones (both Army). And because having a column gives you such latitudes, I’d like to add two more celebrities to that partial least: My grandparents Frank Tedesco (U.S. Army Air Forces), and Ruth Cooper Tedesco (Navy). I’m proud to say they were also both World War II vets. This one’s for you.
Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter @courtneyatmsnbc
