If reports are to be believed, “Brangelina” will earn $11 million from selling exclusive rights to the first photographs of their new-born twins.
Chequebook journalism is nothing new, and many (though by no means all) people have a problem with the idea of selling images of an infant for a fat fee. But then there is charity-chequebook-journalism, which is more complicated. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, it is reported, plan to give the proceeds of the photo-shoot to charity, as they did with the money they earned from a similar deal in 2006 after the birth of daughter Shiloh.
That silences some critics of this kind of arrangement. Yet Darryn Lyons, head of Big Pictures who has made plenty of money from celebrity pictures both authorised and unauthorised, argues that, laudable though charitable donations are, such deals are used by celebrities to build their brand. And with it, however indirectly, their worth.
“I find it a little odd when certain celebrities cry ‘privacy’, then throw newborns in front of the camera,” he said, linking exclusive picture deals to the broader debate about how far celebrities should be protected from the prying eyes of paparazzi lenses.
It’s interesting to compare the media circus that has surrounded the Brangelina birth to the relatively understated arrival of Sunday Rose, daughter of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, just days before. Did Brangelina actually court publicity with their decision to have the twins in a hospital in Nice? Elaborate plans to shut out the media only added to the demand, it seemed. And again by way of comparison, Kidman and Urban are reported to be uneasy about selling image of their child. Who do you think is right?
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i will add…….they have found a very novel and creative way to make money…..
- Posted by tsthe ONLY reason brangelina even GETS offers of money is because they WILL NOT ALLOW pics WITHOUT being PAID!!!
brangelina CREATES chaos and paparrazzi chasing them around……and CREATES offers of money ….BY REFUSING to ALLOW pics!!
but for MONEY….they WILL allow pics!!
as an example, brangelina buy numerous multi-million dollar homes……brangelina can afford to GIVE THEIR OWN MONEY……..
there is NOTHING wrong with wanting to see baby pics…..ANYONE’S babies……this is NORMAL…
or showing your own baby’s pics…….THIS is NORMAL….
brangelina are public figures……yes, they have a right to their privacy, the same as anyone else……but, they WILL be photographed……it IS to be expected…….
brangelina could very, VERY easily release pics FREE OF CHARGE to a local newspaper or the associated press a day or two or week after the birth………and that is the end of it……and NO ONE MAKES ANY MONEY!!
and the danger of paparrazzi is REMOVED (somewhat…..and/or a LOT)…….
and fans are HAPPY…..and brangelina are shown to be proud, happy parents…..
THIS……is EXACTLY what MANY celebs choose to do, and for the EXACT reasons mentioned above…….release pics FREE OF CHARGE……
MANY other celebs THEN………..GIVE THEIR OWN MONEY TO CHARITY!!!
AND…….they do it QUIETLY!!
and a LOT MORE than brangelina HAS given or WILL EVER give…….
brangelina also chooses to have their biological children OUTSIDE of the USA……a WHOLE town in africa was surrounded by a GIANT green tarp to protect THEIR privacy, when their first biological child was born…….how MUCH do you think brangelina PAID FOR THAT??!!!
SELLING pics of their CHILDREN is NOT the equivalent of a charity auction…….brangelina has NOTHING to offer………they are offering NO service….NO time….NOTHING…..they are REFUSING pics of their CHILDREN……..UNLESS it is for MONEY…….
something that others may WANT to see…..are MANY others are PROUD to share…and DO share EVERY day……..FOR FREE……
their children are, also, NOT doing a job, such as an advertisement, in these pics……their CHILDREN are NOT being PAID…..
angelina jolie’s charity work consists MAINLY of PHOTO OPS of HER with poor children or whatever…..an organization that checks on charitable works by celebs has said that, although, no one can dispute that she is busy with and attracts publicity for MANY, they are not so sure HOW much SHE is really doing…….she has ADMITTED that her charitable works help to DETRACT from her personal life and that is one reason she does it……this information is VERY easy to find and check……..
yes……they are their children……..yes…..brangelina can do whatever they want to do……
for those who say they would ALSO take millions for pics of their children…..
can you please tell me WHY?
and WHY would you WANT to take money for pics of your children?
Monday, October 29, 2001
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
COLUMN: NORM!Proud parents foil paparazzi again
Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf scored another ace on the paparazzi Sunday.
- Posted by tsThe tennis greats released the first photo of son Jaden Gil Agassi to The Associated Press in a move likely designed to prevent their
longtime tormenters, the free-lance photographers who often stalk them, from capitalizing on any photos.
The photo was emailed to the AP as a free handout by Agassi Enterprises Inc., his management company.
Last week’s wedding and birth of the child three days later caught the paparazzi flat-footed.
The media simply followed Brangelina’s lead, no the other way around, and they’re extremely savvy.
They have sought attention constantly ever since they hooked up. If they wanted a more low key life, they’d have it. They blab too much about their kids as well as other various personal items. Angelina finds tons of way to increase her private awareness, If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Brad does that too (although he was never as disturbingly personal in the past.)
There is a reason the media follow them around more than other actors. They are willing to play ball more.
I agree it DOES create a brand, which increases their career potential, AJ’s career got a big boost just from her involvement with BP. I do believe they are addicted to attention and the image and career perks that goes along with it. If publlicizing their children helps, they’re all for it.
They surely could have found other ways to raise the money.
- Posted by rizzyI’m not a Jolie/Pitt fan, far from it actually. But I do belive selling the pictures is a personal decision. If they want to make sure the money goes to charity and not some scumbag journalist, more power to them. If there wasn’t such a frenzy to see the children, none of this would matter.
Also, please stop acting like they’re the only ones doing it,Matt McConaughey son’s pics sold for like 3 million, J Lo twins sold for around 6 mil, Even Christina Aguilera got 1.5 mil.
The Kidman/Urban connection is not a revenue builder like Branglina. You really should stop comparing the two
Get a grip people.
- Posted by Mz. InformedI am getting so tired of the bashing of Brad and Angelina. They appear to be good people who don’t invite the press, but are hounded day and night no matter what they do. Honestly, no one cares too much about Nicole and Keith. The public is more interested in her ex-husband and his wife and child (notice I didn’t say children, because you hardly ever hear about Isabelle and Connor any longer). So Brad and Angie try to grasp some control of theirs and their children’s lives by orchestrating a photoshoot. So be it! I honestly wouldn’t care if they kept every cent.
- Posted by KrisBy the way, does anyone remember the 6 million J.Lo and Marc Anthony got for their twin’s pics?
And another thing…How do we know that that money is actually going to charities. Yeah right I don’t believe anything about it!!!!
- Posted by deniseHow i see it….I am so tired of hearing about the twins and how much those pictures of the babies are worth. You know I had a set of twins and you don’t see me getting publicity about my kids. Julia Roberts and Jennifer Lopez also had twins and their twins aren’t the “Million” dollar babies. I think people are so sick about this whole thing. Personally, I wish the best for the family but my statement remains. I hope it gets mailed to all the big reporters cuz I don’t care about the publicity these twins are getting. I actually feel sorry for those kids. thanks for your time.
- Posted by deniseIf the celebs are happy to sell the pics of their babies and make money and give it to charity then good on them. It is the media who has the time to waste seting up the circus and ‘bidding wars’. It’s their jobs. Anyone who has gone through a pregnancy/looking after children and working rarely has time to even scratch themselve let alone ’set up a media circus’. Wake up to reality. I’m sure if Angelina and Brad had their way they wouldn’t want all this media hype. That is obvious by their attempts to privacy. Anyone who has gone through having a baby wouldn’t want the world to know everything - just the pretty pics in the end will do at and at their leisure only. Nicole and Keith are probably happy they’re not being pestered by the media as much as A and B. The media/paparazzi is there to make money only - not to do it for the celebs. And of the public are more than happy to support this ‘circus’ by buying the magazines. It’s all about supply and demand..
- Posted by Conscientious ObserverI believe that if they want to sell photos of their twins to the highest bidder, so be it,it is their personal choice to do it, but the monies made going to charity should be accounted for and made public as to where it went and whom it helped, so that the public knows that they are on the up and up,whether it comes from the parents or the magazine who bought the photos.
- Posted by DeidreBrad & Ange always name the charity/cause they donate to, when have any of you’s given to charity of late?? I agree with mime Nicole does not have star power as before to me since she married urban she seems to have forgotten about isabela and connor??
- Posted by wikiat least Brad & Ange always have there kids with them where ever they go and dont leave them at home with nannies or put in private boarding schools like some of the rich parents in america!!
KEITH AND NICOLE ARE REALLY A CLASS ACT!!! I RESPECT THEM FOR THEIR DECISION NOT TO SELL THEIR BABY’S PICTURES, AND CONGRATULATE THEM ON MAINTAINING THEIR DIGNITY. QUITE SURE, SUNDAY ROSE, IS ONE BEAUTIFUL BABY!!
TO POSTED SLOAN–DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE, BUT NASHVILLE,TN. IS NEITHER REMOTE NOR SECRETIVE, AND BAPTIST HOSPITAL IS A LEADING OB-GYN HOSPITAL IN THE SOUTHEAST. (USA) IT WAS VOTED THE FRIENDLIEST CITY IN THE USA, AND THAT’S ONE REASON WHY WELL-KNOWN PERSONALITIES LIVE HERE, THEY CAN COME AND GO WITH EASE! SOMEONE MAY PASS THEM AND GIVE THEM A QUICK NOD OR SMILE, BUT WOULD NEVER INVADE THEIR SPACE.
- Posted by mimeNo offense, but I don’t believe that Nicole and Keith were offerred enough money and therefore, decided not to sell. They would rather give photos than to suffer the humiliation of not being as much in demand as Brangelina.
Let’s face it, Nicole Kitman, no longer has the star power she once had an has not had a hit movie in quite a while, while Brangelina is probably at the peak of their popularity and even the people who claim not to like them, have an obsession with them.
- Posted by MarsWith all due respect to Kidman-Urban, there would probably be less interest (and money offered?) for their baby’s picture.
The frenzy surrounding Jolie & Pitt is basically unprecedented. The media WILL get their pictures and those people WILL stand to make much more money with those than with almost any other celebrity’s kid’s; maybe much, much more.
As unfortunate as it is, the Jolie and Pitt clan can control who, where the pics are taken and to whom the proceeds are donated.
- Posted by JanisLeave brangelina alone , i mean it , if any1 has a problem you deal with me , oh also …leave britney alone
- Posted by chriscWhat charity is the money going to????
Why won’t Brangelina name the charity upfront? Is it because they want to take the money first, pocket the interest, and release just the principal amount to charity later? Hmmm… let’s see, what’s the interest on $15Million for a year?
- Posted by Jillian