An update on the judge situation in the Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie divorce case was filed on Monday: Judge Ouderkirk remains on the case. It was Angelina who was trying to have him disqualified for conflict of interest. Brad Pitt did not agree to it, alleging that it was just a delay tactic on Angelina’s part. And so this is seen as a legal win for the Pitt side. Which, considering what I wrote back in August when all of this first went down, is probably not surprising? Let me do the douchebag thing and quote myself from this post:
“… I’ve heard from several lawyers in the United States, including a few who work in family law in Los Angeles, who’ve shared some insight. Some think it’s unusual that Angelina’s lawyer is not based in LA. Also, in LA, and probably most places, there aren’t that many private judges working in family law. Since the pool is pretty small, those who practice in LA say that for these kinds of high-profile cases with high net worth individuals, it’s inevitable for counsel to work with the same private judges over and over again. Considering Brad Pitt’s status, he of course went with a legal team experienced in the area and, at least to certain legal insiders in town, it’s not really an eyebrow raise that Brad’s lawyer and the private judge have other cases on the go. If Angelina’s lawyers were LA-based, for example, her lawyer might find themselves in the same position.
On the other hand, there are lawyers who say that that may be what Angelina and her lawyer are pushing up against – a “club” of frequent players running in the same circles each with their own biases and motivations.”
It’s a small circle. The same small circle making the decision on whether or not to disqualify the judge. I imagine then that should they have decided in Angelina’s favour, it would be like undermining their own system. My read on this is that the “club” stood up for the club.
So here we are – Brad not only gets a legal win but a public relations win. And he’s chasing that win by doing charity work. Last Friday he was photographed delivering groceries for residents of underserved communities in Los Angeles. You can see those photos at Us Weekly. The pictures were taken on Friday. For whatever reason, they only got published late yesterday, around the time mainstream American news outlets like PEOPLE reported on the decision about the judge. Coincidence or conspiracy?
The agency that owns the photos is also the same agency that consistently gets exclusive shots of Brad, like when he was seen hanging out at artist Thomas Houseago’s studio a few years ago. Coincidence or conspiracy?
It must be coincidence because Brad is seen smoking in some of the photos. Oh please, if the MiniVan Majority can forgive Brad for doing Jennifer Aniston dirty and actively campaign for them to get back together, what’s a cigarette?
As for Angelina, she too has showed up in a headline that doesn’t have to do with the divorce. We’re hearing today that she’s confirmed her next project as a director. The film is called Unreasonable Behaviour. Per Deadline, it’s “a biopic of legendary British war photographer Don McCullin, based on his autobiography of the same title” and Tom Hardy is one of the co-producers. Well there’s an interesting collaboration. Angelina has received the blessing of Don McCullin who released a statement about how impressed he was by First They Killed My Father. They’ve not yet announced casting and it sounds like they’re still working on the screenplay so it’ll be at least a year I imagine before they begin production but… is it possible that Tom could play the part since he’s already producing? That’d be such an interesting director-actor combination. For now though, Tom remains behind the scenes though he and his producing partner Dean Baker had this to say about the announcement:
“Don McCullin is someone that we’ve long held a deep and profound respect for. His remarkable story is one of brutal honesty, unflinching courage, and unbound empathy. Angelina has carved a considered approach to the material that we’ve all been looking for – relevant and compelling, ethically sensitive and engaging. We are excited by her vision and look forward to supporting her depiction of a man who deserves to be remembered for his extraordinary contribution, service, and lifelong work to humanity.”
See now this is the kind of sh-t that I wish we could find out more about. What was that pitch meeting like between Angelina and Tom?! Who pitched who initially? How did her pitch stand out from the others? This is the Show Your Work that we need!
