The birth of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's new twins — son Knox Leon and daughter Vivienne Marcheline — is not just the second coming of Jesus, but also the culmination of nine months (longer if you count the speculation period) of a gossip industry frenzy, where celebrity weeklies flew off the shelves with breathless reports about Brangelina's coming spawn, tabloid entertainment shows drew ratings with each new "bump" report, and the gossip blogs recorded traffic spikes anytime they pasted their pages with Brangelina rants and raves. Everybody had an opinion. Everybody was a spectator. And everybody wanted in.
So now that Angelina finally gave birth, via C-section, in Nice, France, the matter of her pregnancy is all over with. And before we even get to figuring out which tabloid is spending the GDP of some small nations on scoring the first exclusive pictures of Knox and Vivienne (we suggest they split the two up, and sell each kid to separate magazines), there's another matter to clear up.
Namely, who actually was on their game with this Brangelina birthing business, and which media outlets were merely along for the ride, picking up the crumbs while others trailblazed the way with either a roster of excellent sources or, equally as plausible, very lucky guesses.
After all, if the biggest mystery is the sex of the twins, there's a 1-in-4 chance of getting it right.
The entertainment press is already fighting with each other over who got the story right. Bauer's In Touch, which has devoted what seems like every other cover to another Brangelina headline, is claiming the exclusive, being the first to report the news accurately ahead of any other news outlet. That In Touch's website first reported Jolie gave birth to "twin girls," then recanted that part of the story, might be of material interest to on-lookers. The magazine, however, will point out that six months ago it reported Jolie was pregnant with both a boy and a girl. (Previously, Star and OK! had reported Jolie was carrying two girls.)
After In Touch posted its report online, Us Weekly quickly "me too'd" with a "confirmation" that Jolie had given birth with its own website article. Then Extra, which had also posted online with the news, recanted its report, leading Us to also pull its story.
It wasn't long before People posted the "exclusive" news on its website, though its source was Jolie's doc, Michael Sussmann, who released a statement to the press at large, not just People. So its "exclusive" news wasn't so much exclusive as it was simply stamped that way.
But once People pushed the story, the other hangers on followed suit; Us and Extra had their stories back online thereafter.
And most notably? Not a single word about it on Drudge. And TMZ.com only gave it a "briefing" treatment — unusual for a site that can crank out a dozen posts about Hulk Hogan's son's court appearance.
(Nominee for the most lackluster coverage of all? None other than Entertainment Tonight, which entered the fray just a few short weeks ago with their infamous false report that Jolie had given birth.)
So what's it all mean?
Quite honestly, nobody is coming out looking too good here. Most of the tabloid press appears to have had zero insider access, despite the way the copy reads in their reports. While all the tabloids were in the game, In Touch had the most at stake; more so than any other weekly, they've treating the Brangelina saga as gospel. And while they may be able to walk away with having the news first, and debunking previous false reports that Jolie had given birth, that their first official birth report was that Jolie had twin girls is a stain on their voracious reporting.
Meanwhile, almost everybody else relied on official statements from the hospital, Jolie's doctor, and Nice's mayor; any ragtag reporter could've filed a report with that information.
The winner, then, in this saga? Brad and Angelina.
Shockingly, the couple has been able to hold the press at bay in the final weeks of her pregnancy. Little accurate information leaked out, and the speculation that did arrive often reeked of fairy tale. So kudos to the new parents, who really did execute a blackout coup like no other.
Now, on to Knox and Vivienne's public debut in the pages of a deep-pocketed suitor.
Editorial Director
Actually you probably don't remeber but In Touch a couple of months back predicted one boy and one girl. They also predicted that the babies would be born in France. They actually are about the most acturte of the tabloids.
Gee, "Guest" are you working for InTouch? Because you sure are pimping their incredibly botched coveraged. So what if they said 6 months ago that it was a boy and a girl? As was pointed out in the story they had a 1 in 4 shot at getting it right. Big whoop. You're forgetting that InTouch announced the delivery almost 2 hours before it actually happened! ROTFL. They said the births were at 6:45pm and 7pm Nice time. The doctor announced the first birth as being at 8:27pm with the second following 1 minute later. In other words, Jolie hadn't even been given the epidural when InTouch was declaring the births had taken place already.
As has been the case from the get-go, Jolie & Pitt have masterfully negotiated the media firestorm of yet another pregnancy. All the speculation on whether or not she was pregnant, if it was twins, where they'd be born, when they'd be born, etc., through it all, Jolie & Pitt have stayed above the fray and marched to the beat of their own drummer. They way they've handled this mess should be a lesson to celebrities everywhere - get rid of your publicst or put a muzzle on them, then sit back and keep your mouth shut and let the media hang themselves. In the end their children where born how, when and where they wanted - not the media. All hail Jolie & Pitt - Media Masters of the Universe.
BTW - Guest, FYI - yesterday on Hollywood 411 their talking head, Kim Seraface, pretty much admitted that they were making up stories about Jolie & Pitt because the two of them are so good a blocking out the media and sealing up leaks. If you're lucky someone has put it on YouTube and you can see it for yourself. When it comes to the Jolie-Pitts InTouch doesn't know squat. Actually - they know less than squat, as is the case with ALL the tabloids around the world. The tabs and media know what Jolie & Pitt want them to know. Anything else is the figment of someone's fervid imagination.
They did the same with Shiloh. Breaking the news that she would be born in Africa and announcing when Ange was in labor with her. In Touch is very strong on the big stories.
In touch is full of it. If they have such reliable sources, why did they say two girls and get the times all wrong. They make up more crap about these two (along with their equally trashy sister, Life and Style and the other bottom feeders, including X17–their sources said today because they were so small they needed incubators–wrong)than can be spoken of. How many times has Brad left Angelina or the other way round. They pronounced their "split" definitively before they went to Yugoslavia. Funny, they are still together.
Please, all the tabloids blew it big time with this and will now try to cover their butts by making up more trash, which, as always, will be proven wrong. I like how the doctor is the only real source, so what can they say.
This couple did it their way and it just makes tabloids mad. All they need to do is wait it out and the truth always comes out. Agree, get rid of your publicist and do it all on your own terms. Don't worry about the tabloids, they always self destruct, at least with this couple.
Also IT claimed that Angelina's doc from LA had already flown in to assist with the delivery While Star claimed Angie was worried about her twin daughters especially the 'small one' The babies were almost identical in terms of weight.
Who gives a shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wake up America!!!!!!!!! Nothing but trash……………….yuck!
I realize that In Touch has a lot of false information but I also believe that they have a pretty good insider to Brad and Angie. As someone posted above they predicted Africa long before anyone knew. They knew Shiloh was a girl. They knew that the twins were a boy and a girl and they also knew about France. Pretty good for a tabloid.
Also Brad and Angie don't make the tabloids mad because they never come out with the truth. For example US is still mad at Jennifer because she called them on their engagement story. However Brad and Angie never call the tabloids on their false stories because it gets them more love from the tabloids. Angie and Brad could also have put a stop to all the tabloid stories by announcing early on that she was pregnant with twins and the sex of the twins. Then the tabloids never would have had any stories. However both the tabloids and Angie and Brad love the publicity so they keep the game going. Money for both parties. If you want a couple who has no leaks look at Matt Damon or Johnny Depp these two never have stories about them. That is covering up the leaks. Brad and Angie have story after story and at least half of it usually turns out to be true.
The media has not hung themsleves at all. Actually brad and angie did. The tabloids said twins and they were right! The tabloids said France and they right! See the problem is that when you don't say anything yourselves and the tabloids do get some information right in the end the public ends up believing the tabloids.
You gave yourself away with "Brad and Angie like publicity". And your source for that is???? When was the last time you even saw Angelina Jolie? Where are all the cutesy walking hand in hand at the park photos like so many others. With all the nasty things tabloids say about them, why on earth would they tell them anything.
Your estimate of over half of the stories being true is based on?!?!. What half? Leaving Angelina, Angelina going back to Billy Bob and/or Johnny Lee Miller, them getting married, Maddox being upset, Shiloh being neglected? That is the bulk of their stories, with a slightly different twist each week for the past three years. You must own stock in Bauer.
I love Matt Damon, but who is going to follow him anywhere, same with Depp. You rarely see Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie except when they want to be seen. Going into and out of a hospital is hardly "liking publicity". Guessing about a birth does not give you credibility. I thought the same thing myself, and I had no "sources", just a hunch. Just like them.
Guest - How much does In Touch pay you to troll around the net and spread the "good word" about them?
Claiming that In Touch has a high accuracy rate when it comes to breaking celebrity stories and having access to insider information is far from the truth, you and I both know this, but hey if it's in the job description then you gotta do it right?
When you really think about it, seems like you can make good money doing this type of job and I've been looking for a part-time job for awhile now, so I want in on the action too.
I think I have the qualities that your employer might be looking for. I can ignore truth and facts if told to, I have a vivid and over the top imagination and when given enough time I can construct a well thought out, fantastic distortion and fabrication of reality and the truth, complete with details and everything.
Perfect eh? So have all the positions of this nature been filled at In Touch? I hope not and since you're in "the know" where can I forward my CV to? Thanks.
If you rarely see Pitt and Jolie why is that we have multiple pictures of Shiloh and the other children in the last two years and only one or two pictures of Matt and his daughter or Johnny and his children? Matt and Johnny are two of the biggest stars in hollywood right now and yet they manage to stay hidden. I am not saying bad things against Pitt and Jolie just that they like publicity. Honestly who wants a mayor to come and show their children's birth certificates to the paps? Would Johnny or Matt ever do that? No. Would the mayor if Johnny or Matt asked him to - yes. It is obvious that the mayor would never have done that without the consent of Brad and Angie. Would Matt or Johnny ever sell pictures of their children (even for charity). No.
I also did not say that In Touch has a "high accuracy rate" I said that they get it right more than the other tabloids. I don't know why this is so upsetting to you. They have quite acccurately predicted quite a bit. And as I said before Brad and Angie could have put an end to this circus with a couple of well placed memos to people from their publicist. They love the game and the fame.
And not being an American I don't understand why you guys do not call him on his statement. That they chose the best hospital, the best doctor, etc. Also the slap at America about how long people stay in the hospital from the doctor. Have you guys lost all respect for your country. Honestly the care at Cedar Saini is the best in the world. Obviously Brad doesn't think so. His statement was a huge slap to the American Health system. Can't believe that you Americans sit back and take that. Oh well. If Brad says it it must be true right? Sometimes I wonder if Brad and Angie really like the States at all or are leading you guys around by your noses pulling their little strings. And don't try that they would have gotten to much press. Honestly they went to a place where they could receive the most press. The mayor of LA would never have come down to talk to the paps.
It is kind of interesting that they make their money off the Americans but would never have their baby in the States. I guess that is because the French have the best - at least according to Brad. You poor Americans getting second rate hospital care! To bad we all can't be rich to go to other countries where the health care is better!
ALl i can say about In Touch is they are OUT OF TOUCH. How can a tabloid trash like In Touch be accurate regarding news about Brad & Angie when they've been putting up fiction stories about "insider" telling them that they are gonna split for a hundred times. As for MaTT and Johnny Depp few kids pictures it's BECOZ NOBODY IS INTERESTED get it? There are lots of pictures of other kids like Suri and Violet Afflect but but i don't see anybody saying they are pimping their kids why double standard on Angelina's kids??? As for their choice of where to have their babies, it's their babies and not yours, SO IF THEY WANT TO HAVE THEIR KIDS EVEN IN ANOTHER PLANET IT'S NOBODY'S DAMN BUSINESS.
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For you to say that Brad and Angelina don't make tabs like In Touch, Life and Style, US, etc. mad is unbelievably naive, if not stupid. They banned them from the Global Green NOLA news conference in '06; they won't even consider them when it comes to baby pics, which would account for IT's constant use of the same Shiloh pap pic, which they photoshop to change her sweater color; and they don't respond to their allegations unless they're totally out of line. The snipers gunning for Shiloh is one example of In Touch/Life and Style crossing the line.
And remember US cover story about Angelina's 'double life' which consisted of her working and being a mom? And let's throw in the lap dance story which was initially a story about Angelina doing a samba. Janice Min was cheesed that despite her presence at the Tribeca Film Festival, Angelina was able to slip in and show her movie A Moment in the World to middle school kids.
So please, don't try to paint In Touch as having an in with the JPs. After all, these are the same people who plastered the story about Zahara's alleged biological mother on two covers in a row during the holiday season.
In Touch is composed of @$$hatted interns and vindictive failed journalists.
I must say, this is quite simply the best blog post I have read in a long, long time.
It states the facts, in a chronologically correct order, and gives a fair and nonbiased view of the entertainment outlets in the US.
Unfortunately the comments section is littered with imbecile posts, typical of what you'd find on just jared, tmz et al
I enjoyed this post. You are so right regarding pictures of Brad/Angie/Kids. I hate when people call the media wh**** or that they are pimping their kids. All the photos of the kids are taken when they are on an outing. It seems that some people think they should not be allowed to take their kids out at all. Jen Gardner is always photographed with Violet; shopping, playing ect. Nothing negative said. Just Oh, Jen is the best Mom. If its Angie; Oh look at her pimping her kids. What has to be understood is that the Paps follow them everywhere. Not just one or 2, but over 50. Other celebs don't have that much coverage. The reason they do so is simple. Brad/Angie images sell magazines. You would be hard pressed to find a magazine that does not mention them at least once inside. This is regardless of whether they are on the cover or not. It is cazy. I do love the way they don't let it get to them. Considering how many Paps are in their face, you never hear about THEM screaming or cursing at the paps. They handle it with style and grace. I don't blame Brad for getting pissed about the pictures taken on his property. That is going too far. THe mags should not have been allowed to print them. This is freedom of speech going beyond what is right and proper.