The New York Times ran a story this weekend on Angelina Jolie titled “The Mommy Track”.   The article discusses her menagerie of children, the “Brangelina” effect, her upcoming Clint Eastwood-directed movie “The Changeling”, but also her strange place in Hollywood.  Citing her ability to become an A-list female actor without doing any romantic comedies, the author wrote: “Nobody is ever likely to call her America’s Sweetheart”.  

When I’ve had discussions about Jolie with people I’ve been surprised at the vehemence of some of the reactions.  Mostly the argument seems to be whether she has created and manipulates the media machine around her, or whether it’s far beyond her control.  Personally, I think if she and Brad can auction off some pictures of their Bennetton-like family with proceeds going to a charity, then more power to them.  Of course, I don’t think you get to their status without some large egos helping you get there, but still, they seem relatively genuine about their various causes, and the article makes it sound like being a parent is more important to Jolie than being a movie star.  Or is it all just to sell movies?   Thoughts?

I can’t figure out a way to make this entertainment related…although I think Oprah talked about it once. I’ll make this quick: If you’re looking for a nice gift idea, buy a gift certificate on Kiva.org. It’s a program that loans money to small businesses in the developing world. The site lists recipients and you choose where your money goes. Once the loan is repaid you get your money back to re-loan to a new business. I can’t stress enough what a great idea this is - a lot of very smart people think this types of micro-credit program is a key ingredient for poverty alleviation in the developing world. Click on the link below to check it out, and please pass on to your friends.