Angelina's Masterful Media Manipulation
Just how much time does Angelina spend thinking about her image? Quite a bit, apparently.
In a fascinating article in today's New York Times, writer Brooks Barns reports that when Angelina and Brad negotiated $14 million for the first pictures of their newborn twins they also had strict editorial demands the buyer, People Magazine, was forced to follow. Those restrictions included highlighting the couple's charity work, and never referring to them as "Brangelina."
- According to the deal offered by Ms. Jolie, the winning magazine was obliged to offer coverage that would not reflect negatively on her or her family, according to two people with knowledge of the bidding who were granted anonymity because the talks were confidential. The deal also asked for an “editorial plan” providing a road map of the layout, these people say.
This was not the first time Angelina had cut a deal to ensure she was portrayed in a positive light. In 2006, Barns reports Jolie used her philanthropic advisor, Trevor Neilson, to solicit bids for pictures of her adopted son, Maddox, in Cambodia. Jolie insisted coverage of her charity work was part of the deal.
The article also shows how Jolie has used the media to shift the focus away from negative stories about her:
- When she became romantically involved with Mr. Pitt, for instance, she faced a public relations crisis — being portrayed in the tabloid press as a predator who stole Mr. Pitt from his wife, Jennifer Aniston.
This time, it was Ms. Jolie’s charity work that helped turn the story. Long interested in international humanitarian work, Ms. Jolie appeared in Pakistan, where she visited camps housing Afghan refugees, and even met with President Pervez Musharraf. Ms. Jolie and Mr. Pitt made a subsequent trip to Kashmir to bring attention to earthquake victims.
“Presto, they come out looking like serious people who have transformed a silly press obsession into a sincere attempt to help the needy,” said Michael Levine, a celebrity publicist and author.
Her efforts, Barns reports, seem to be working, he reports that marketing experts rate Angelina as one of Hollywood's "most likable" stars.
Do you think Angelina has manipulated the media to portray her in a positive light?
> Shiloh's Baby Pix Saved Lives! - Aug 19, 2009
> X17 XCLUSIVE - ANGIE'S BUMPY LANDING! - Jul 31, 2009
> Do Angie And Jen Make Good Movies? - Jul 30, 2009
> X17 XCLUSIVE - Angelina Takes The Girls To Toys "R" Us! - Jul 29, 2009
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