OlderAngelina Jolie: Forbes Magazine
On her epiphany that lobbying was worth it: "As it came down to it, you could build a well, buy soap, spend time with refugees to hear them tell their stories, but it became clear there were decisions being made back home in Washington, and it became clear to me that I had to do something to influence these decisions, no matter how many stories I would be willing to listen to in the field."
On chances she’d ever run for office: "It’s difficult, as much as I’d love to get more involved in different ways, I am able to work with everyone [as an actress], I’m able to do a lot from the position I stand on. Otherwise, I would have to take a side, and I don’t know I’d be very good. I don’t have the confidence … if that day comes, it would surprise me more than anyone."
On her standing in Washington: "I am very aware in [Washington] I don’t have the education or background that is typical. I feel like a little punk kid dressed up in a suit. But I have traveled for about six years to several places around the world and have seen very shocking and disturbing things. Look, I’m just an actress in a silly profession."
On Shiloh’s birth: "It’s different to say that you choose to bring a child into existence. I didn’t choose to bring my two adopted children to life. Strangely enough, I was concerned about [this difference], and I have been making a point recently to give my adopted children more attention. But I feel now I love them equally … and I am very lucky that I am not a single parent. I can’t imagine how difficult it is for mothers who have to go back to work so soon. "
On working with Republicans: "Fortunately, my issues are not partisan issues. Certainly, you learn to work with anybody–I’ve worked with the most hard-core Republicans. Why? I can’t wait until there’s maybe a more flexible group in office."
On the Washington-Hollywood connection: "I don’t know what is a harder [place to work]. In both cities, it’s strange bedfellows. I’ve never done the cocktail party in Hollywood, but I have in Washington. Maybe I care more about policy issues than a movie role."
Angelina Jolie’s lobbying work has won wide coverage of the plight of poor children in the Third World. It has also averted her own image disaster. Angelina tops Forbes’ List of The World’s Most Powerful Celebrities at #35, one rank behind Brad Pitt’s ex, Jennifer Aniston. Forbes magazine managed to score an exclusive interview with Angelina Jolie amongst 1200 other media requests. Read the full article after the jump.
VIDEO :: Watch Angleina Jolie and baby Shiloh leave their Malibu compound as their security guards attempt to shield them with blankets from prying paparazzi (they stood on the roofs of cars and climbed trees to catch a glimpse of the mommy-daughter duo).
Bad Girl Interrupted
Angelina Jolie’s charity and lobbying work has won wide coverage of the plight of poor children in the Third World. It has also averted her own image disaster.
Angelina Jolie, the oscar-winning actress and media obsession, has focused international attention on her heartfelt cause, the plight of the poorest children in the developing world. She visits refugee camps in war-torn regions of Southeast Asia to comfort hundreds of kids who have lost limbs to land mines. She lobbies Congress on behalf of orphans with AIDS. She personally has donated $4 million since 2001 to Pakistani earthquake victims and other causes, most recently to maternity wards of state hospitals in Namibia, the impoverished African nation where she gave birth to her daughter, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, on May 27.
The first photos of her new baby, which Jolie released to Getty Images (nyse: GYI - news - people ), brought a reported $4.1 million payment from People magazine–the glossy disputes the amount–and she is giving all of the proceeds to charity. But Jolie, in her first one-on-one interview since giving birth, candidly acknowledges her crusade has an extra upside: It diverts movie fans, supermarket tabloids and the media from focusing on more controversial and less attractive elements of her life.
"That is a fair assessment," she tells FORBES in an exclusive interview. Her work "is twofold: I have all that gossip in my life that has gotten so out of control. And my work in Washington and with the UN gets people to focus on other things." Jolie, 31, who won an Academy Award in 2000 for her supporting role as a mental patient in the film Girl, Interrupted, has thus been able to endure hits to her image that might otherwise have badly hurt her career.
The public-relations value of a good deed has quelled carpers who could have painted an uglier picture, say, of a home-wrecker and sex symbol who’s had an out-of-wedlock baby with a heartthrob actor she stole from America’s sweetheart. (Last year Jolie had a rumored affair with Brad Pitt, her costar in the film Mr. & Mrs. Smith, purportedly prompting him to leave his actress wife, the perky sitcom darling Jennifer Aniston. "Brangelina," as the couple has been christened in the press, have denied that marriage will follow.)
But some of the best charitable works are motivated by a personal stake. Michael Milken, the former Wall Street banker and philanthropist who survived prostate cancer, has pledged $50 million or more for research on his disease, yielding breakthrough therapies. Virgin Group Chief Richard Branson devotes money and staff for work on AIDS in South Africa, in part because he employs 4,500 there.
"It’s all about self-interest. Your experience is the epicenter of your efforts," says actor Michael J. Fox, whose Parkinson’s disease was diagnosed in 1991. He has mounted a nationwide effort to increase Parkinson’s funding and persuade Congress to override the Bush Administration’s ban on using federal dollars for research on new stem-cell lines, which might be useful in treating his debilitating disease. Had it not been diagnosed, "Would I have picked this disease out of a hat and run with it?" Fox asks. "No. Besides, it would be less authentic if I had."
So it is that Angelina Jolie, who earns $15 million per film, has benefited visibly from her good works. Her Q score, a much-watched quotient in Hollywood that gauges a star’s likability among hoi polloi, has gone up with her aid efforts. In 2000 only 31% of respondents said she was "familiar" to them, and only 14% of those viewed her positively. By 2006 she was familiar to 81% of Americans, and her positive rating had almost doubled to 25%, says Marketing Evaluations Inc. (Her negative rating rose, too, but it is lower than that of the average performer.)
Still, her improving image is in sharp contrast with the bizarre persona she had before her Third World aid efforts began in early 2001. Back then, the star with the fullest, most famous pair of lips since Mick Jagger was known for edgy eccentricity. She got multiple tattoos. She had been in naughty romps with costars. She wore, on a chain around her neck, a tiny vial of blood from her then husband, actor-writer Billy Bob Thornton. She passionately kissed her brother on the lips at the 2000 Academy Awards and spoke publicly of bisexual trysts. "In my early 20s I was fighting with myself," Jolie says. "Now I take that punk in me to Washington, and I fight for something important."
Her awakening began in early 2001, when the self-styled "sheltered Los Angeles kid," the daughter of actor Jon Voight and actress Marcheline Bertrand, began reading United Nations reports on global poverty and refugees. She approached UN officials, hoping to help but wary her offbeat image might get in the way. They sent her to paparazzi-free zones: hot spots Sierra Leone and Tanzania. In 2001 the UN High Commissioner for Refugees wanted to make her a goodwill ambassador, but she told UN officials in Geneva: "I don’t think you want me. There’s a lot of bad things written about me and my behavior. I could have a negative effect on your operations." They gave her the title anyway.
Five years later rock stars and actors dish with world leaders about global debt relief and stem-cell law. U2’s Bono held forth in January at the power-packed World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. But he was upstaged by one Angelina Jolie, who took the dais to say she was "ashamed" that the Bush Administration had refused to sign a UN bill of rights for children. The world’s most luminous tabloid target had remade herself into an efficient advocate for the Third World.
Now she also lobbies in Washington, D.C. "Hollywood types have figured out the only difference in Washington is that you’re selling bills instead of scripts," says Erik Huey, a D.C. lobbyist. Jolie, who has dropped in on scores of congressmen and senators at least 20 times in the past three years, says she hopes to return to the nation’s capital on June 20 to attend World Refugee Day. "As much as I would love to never have to visit Washington, that’s the way to move the ball," she says. And since giving birth to Shiloh, her third child–she adopted son Maddox, 4, in Cambodia and Zahara, 1, in Ethiopia–she promises more cameos on the Hill. "The more children I have, the more I feel it’s my duty," she says.
She has pushed three bills to protect children. One would have the U.S. spend $500 million next year and $15 billion over ten years, to educate kids in the poorest regions. She plans to work with Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, who has proposed it. In April, to pique interest in the press, Jolie joined in a media conference call about education when she was eight months pregnant; it generated 243 stories.
A second bill would provide legal help to alien minors (she despises the term "alien") who are alone and pass through U.S. borders. The Senate passed it in December 2005, but it has languished in the House for six months. "It’s caught up in the overall immigration debate," Jolie says, "but I just think it’s un-American to refuse refugee children access to a lawyer." But in a private meeting, Representative F. John Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin scoffed at the cost of implementing such an idea, she says. "He didn’t treat me gently–I left shaking in my heels." Her third bill, to aid 70 million "vulnerable" kids in the Third World, was signed by President Bush last November–but so far no funding has been okayed. "We worked so hard to pass a bill, and then you realize you have to figure out a way to pay for it," she gripes.
Still, Jolie got the issue to center stage. "She fills a room," says Chris Ann Keehner, a Senate staffer who helped draft the bill. "It gives a member of Congress a photo op, and it’s a way to get the message out–even if she did break up a marriage."
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# 1489 | Agnieszka "LOL I never said my English isnt good. Not after I graduated with a BA in American and British Literature.. I said English was my second language. "Hell girl!!! English is my fifth and last language and most times i can’t even understand myself. But damn! even i can see when i have overstayed my welcome or overstepped some boundaries, and you my girl has done both… and some more. You need to open your eyes and your consciousness. The world does not revolve around you, your opinion or your heartaches. Forgive my language, but see I have no high-falutin school degrees to speak of. What i learned, i learned from the school of life. And from where I came from you’re behaviour isn’t what i expect from a self-professed "professional" and a "well-educated" woman. Again sorry for double using the word, grammar and list of likely adjectives aint my strong suits. For a well- educated woman you come across as insecure and childish. Girl where have you been getting you’re degrees at ??? University of D??? If coming from a preschool your posts I could accept, but coming from a degree holder?? You actually have the guts to say you have a degree and post such nonsense??? Damn!! I’m so ashamed and embarassed for you.
Hey Rudedog,How’re things? did you finish your degree? Moving to France soon??? Here we are starting some damage control from 3 weeks of eating in France :)
fiona where can i see the pictures of angie and maddox?
#1602 News AnchorF-ING HILARIOUS!!! I almost wet my pants!
Can’t wait for the AC360 interview tomorrow; I always have CNN on in the background (unless my kids hound me) and they are promoting it HEAVILY. Bet the ratings will be huge.Just the bits and pieces I’ve seen–I have to laugh thinking of Cooper sitting down with X for a serious interview. Brow furrowed, AC asks X : "And in your opinion, just which of the L.A.-area day spas gives the best mani-pedi? And how do they compare with the Malibu day spas?" I mean, what else would you talk about with her? # 1620 | kidi**********************ROFLMAO kidi!!!!
Morning to my fellow BAMZS fans, hope today is a good day.Morning JJ, can you post the new pictures of Brad? Thanks
to stef…sorry im at work and had some customers, the cheek of it! lolyeah colin looked miffed! through those interviews, you could see that twinkle in her eyes when brad was brought up! very interesting! i love watching things like that, where you have to read between the lines!
FOR THOSE WHO SEEM TO ALWAYS HAVE SOMETHING NEGATIVE TO SAY ABOUT CELEBRITIES AND THEIR CHARITY WORKStars seek new leading rolesBY TINA SUSMANNewsday Staff WriterJune 19, 2006George Clooney was there. Mia Farrow was there. So were Drew Barrymore, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Naomi Watts, Matt Damon and Bono.It wasn’t a Hollywood party, a movie premiere or the opening of a chic new restaurant. It was Africa, whose dubious distinction as the world’s most troubled continent is attracting a flood of celebrities eager to utilize their clout for political purposes. In the past three months alone, Clooney and the others have used their fame to draw attention to everything from AIDS in Kenya to the genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region, illustrating the increased power of celebrity to influence public opinion over distant events that few Americans might otherwise hear — or care — about.Even UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan advocated star power in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Addressing hundreds of politicians, business leaders and academics, he said if the United Nations was to "be of use to humanity" in the 21st century, it needed to do more than work with governments. It also needs to embrace "all the new actors on the international scene," including "celebrities from the worlds of sport and entertainment," Annan said.Celebrity activism is not new. UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, seized on the idea of in the 1950s when entertainer Danny Kaye became its first globe-trotting ambassador, speaking out on children’s issues. Since then, it has used scores of stars, from "American Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken, who visited Indonesia and Uganda last year, to Farrow, who spent a week in Darfur this month.Growing numbersWhat has changed is the number and the diversity of the stars adopting political causes, and their reasons for doing so, say aid organizations and social scientists. Now that fame can be attained relatively easily via reality TV, stars who want to stand out have learned that they need to do more than look good on a red carpet. They also need to be role models."I think celebrity status has changed. Celebrities now need to prove they are not superficial airheads," said Gerald Martone of the International Rescue Committee, which facilitated Clooney’s trip to Sudan and neighboring Chad in March. "Celebrities feel the need to show themselves as having a conscience and intelligence."It is impossible to gauge the precise financial impact of journeys such as Clooney’s, but aid groups say there is no question they generate attention, and that leads to increased donations."The return on investment is always good," said Sandee Borgman of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, which expects its ambassadors to follow up their trips with media appearances and fund-raising activities. "I can guarantee that we always come out quite well ahead."Africa is not the only stop for celebrity activists, but it is the most common destination, due to its multitude of social issues and its history of star-studded activism. It was Ethiopia’s 1984 famine that spurred Bob Geldof, then the lead singer of the Boomtown Rats, to organize the Live Aid concerts. The event raised a record $245 million for famine relief.The following decade, which saw the Somali famine, the Rwandan genocide, and brutal wars in Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the former Zaire, among others, never generated such celebrity interest. John Orman, a political science professor at Fairfield University and co-author of a book on celebrity activism, "Celebrity Politics," said that reflected the lack of genuine commitment to such causes among stars at the time.A turnaround came in the late 1990s, due in large part to efforts by some of the very celebrities involved in Live Aid — Geldof and Bono, whose band, U-2, performed at Live Aid. Long-time activists already, they began using their celebrity to call attention to some of the new issues affecting Africa, such AIDS, poverty, and debt relief.At the same time, celebrities began to become more closely associated with politics, something Orman attributes in part to world-changing events such as the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and the war in Iraq, which galvanized many stars to take public political stances.Beyond publicityThere is no question that celebrities personally benefit from the publicity from trips to places like Darfur.However, Orman and others say the willingness of stars to undertake such ventures also shows a genuine commitment that should convince cynics that they are in it for more than publicity. "I’ve come to the conclusion that at least some of them are doing it because they really care," Orman said. Speaking of Clooney’s trip to Africa, Orman added: "He doesn’t have to go over there. He’s at the top of his game. He’s one of the coolest guys in Hollywood, but he felt this wasn’t getting enough attention in the United States, so he decided to go over there."Similarly, Jolie and Pitt donated the millions of dollars paid for their newborn’s first photographs to charities including UNICEF. "It’s an interesting way to use celebrity," Orman said of such tactics.At UNICEF, Borgman said the organization only targets certain celebrities for its ambassador program, to ensure it is represented by stars with more than publicity shots in mind. "They have to really put the time in to learn about the issues, and they have to have the passion to do that year after year after year, and go into the field and do fund-raising upon their return," she said.If there is a down side to celebrity activism, Orman said, it is the danger of the public becoming so bombarded by stars visiting war zones, famine areas and disaster areas that they tune out, just as many tune out politicians when they discuss wars, famines and disasters.Borgman, though, said any potential pitfalls are far outweighed by the benefits of having a star’s famous face and voice associated with an issue. "If everyone who had such a voice used it for all kinds of issues, that’s the most brilliant use of celebrity," she said.
#1613 |to stef|-Thanks for the video.MG colin was so pissed of.Did you guys she the sight Angelina is giving to Brad in the Japan premiere after she talked about him?? I was like "WOW!now that was really hot!!"
*AG steps in, mindful of the grenades and bullet shells on the floor. She carefully steps over the now hardened pool of blood and takes her position behind one of the bullet ridden walls, obviously used as sheild*Eh…Good morn *Swallows* Good Morning guys…how are you doing this fine morning. We got home in the wee hours of the morn….yeah it was nice…*clears throat*. Anyway, I…..we….you….oh forget the small talks. Heavens what happened here last night….never mind, I don’t want to know. Goodness, my hear sank when I read the comparism to Female First….I’ve not been there myself but from what I’ve heard, it’s a cesspool for nasties. We are not nasty people, we are good, kind, fun, happy go lucky people. We are nice and wonderful…why do you the Fanistons are envious? Please, please, please let’s not lose that. The bullets and the grenades were aimed right but at the wrong parties…why, we still have a few Fanistons roaming the streets, they should be at the receiving end of our well aimed shots. I believe it’s time for a party….a welcome back party for Be Sane and Rudedog and a send off for Guli…so what do ya say…huh…huh?
Whatta bunch a *******!Y’all judge and jury here huh?!PT in/ Agnieszka out…….a case of who joined first huh?!PT lurves to slam cyber *******…. we all know it……. let the dawg with anger issues clear da streets/threads for usYeah,she serves a purpose but ***** has a nasty tongueThe case aint black and white so give Polish paranoid gal a breakPT needs to keep herself incheck too ya know and stop upsetting everyone ,as well as psycho chick needs to be locked when madJJ thread for one and all y’all keep da peace, stop the ganging up, aint clear cut who da bad ass!
African Girl- I’ll bring the drinks. It’s early but who cares, after last night, everyone could use a shot or two.
Good Morning all, Ok, hopefully today would be much better…:sighs:and hopefully j@red can enlarge those new pics of brad.Welcome back AG!! I agree we need some kind of celebration n here.
# 1602 | News Anchor |LOL hah!!# 1604 | me LOL @ BAMZSie CHung
uh oh. i guess last night’s fiasco isn’t over yet.
What time will CNN air the AC360 on the West Coast tomorrow night? Does anyone know?JJ - When are we going to get the new Brad Pitt pictures? I know. I know. We are spoiled!
Some pics taken on the 15thhttp://community.livejournal.com/brad_news/155300.html
BAMZS NEW THREAD ALERT http://www.justjared.com/gossip/2006/06/brad-pitts-mighty-heart/#c071862 or Go to main page. We all need to clear this joint and start anew. Figuratively and literally speaking. Leave all the rubbish, baggage and the things we don’t need in this thread. Peace!
Me & AngelahHey guys….whew, I’m glad you two are up for it. About the shots….I’m way ahead of you. After reading a few of the posts…I had to down some whiskey to calm my nerves. I have music suggestions for the DJ…."Why Can’t we be friends" and "We are Family"….I know, I know, it’s a little bit corny but by gosh, you can’t go wrong with corniness.#1637 / AnonLol…who are you? I swear you sound like a man. Okay, chill a little bit with the ******* stuff. We all trying to mend fences here…not pull ‘em down.
I certainly must have missed something.
#1644 / WriteThanks for the heads up and I agree with you. Let the nasty stuff remain in the old thread.KidiDon’t worry about it. You didn’t miss much.
# 1602 | News Anchor Ugh! Just when I thought we had everything sorted out! Did you even read what I wrote to Cliniqua? I wasn’t deliberately rude, mean or sarcastic. I was simply curious. I had no idea it was going to be interpreted as anything else. I realize everyone wants to get their two cents in on this, but it’ll get dropped a lot faster if no one comments on it anymore. Why bother to comment on it when you see that it’s been settled? If your intent is to start another pissing match, then please get over the urge. Just let it go and everyone will be a lot happier.
# 1602 | News Anchor You know…I’m glad others got a chuckle out of your post, but it was the last damned thing I needed to see today.# 1607 | briseis Briseis…unfortunately I’m not laughing. I thought the whole thing was dropped and now it’s back out there again? If I "rub people the wrong way"…don’t read my posts. Please. Just skip them and move on to the next one.
# 1641 | Tijen10 ET/ 7PT
I haven’t read all the posts yet so if you seen this, then I am late… but check this out… how cute!http://www.tmz.com/2006/06/19/the-other-man-in-angelinas-life/
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