In a recent interview, Angelina Jolie opened up about working with her kids on the sets of “Maria.” While she loved the experience, her children got to see their mom in action, which also involved being witness to the pain she tends to hide from them. A lot of the feelings Jolie hides from her little ones, her eldest sons got to see firsthand while they served as production assistants for the film.
Angelina Jolie shares how her kids witnessed her express her hidden pain
Angelina Jolie recently sat down with BBC to discuss her experience of working with her kids while filming “Maria.” Her eldest sons, Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt and Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt, worked as production assistants for the film. So, they got to witness their star mom in action, portraying some of her deepest emotions that she used to keep hidden from her little ones.
The titular character played by Jolie, Maria Callas, had a lot of pain to express. While the actor’s children had seen her navigate a lot of things in life, they hadn’t witnessed her expressing her pain till she played the role of Maria. She told the outlet, “They hadn’t experienced me expressing a lot of the pain that usually a parent hides from a child.”
However, Angelina Jolie’s kids handled the experience amazingly, hugging her after her emotionally draining scenes. They also brought her cups of tea to help calm her nerves after such scenes. The mom of six is glad to get to experience the same with her children, noting that it opened up “a new way” to practice honesty with them. Being open about her emotions “in an even greater way” served as a precious bonding opportunity for the star and her little ones.
This isn’t the first time Maddox and Pax have dabbled in film production, as they have worked with their mom on her movie “Without Blood.” The director of “Maria,” Pablo Larraín, was also full of praise for the duo. He stated that they kept busy throughout the filming process and were “good professionals” on set.
Originally reported by Namrata Padhee on Momtastic.
After 30 years of marital bliss with Kody Brown, his first wife, Meri Brown, is finally moving forward. In reality, Meri hadn’t been happy for a very long time, but she continued to stick to Kody’s side in a show of moral support. But once it became obvious that the polygamous patriarch was no longer attracted to the mother of one, she had to make some tough calls. Now, almost a year out of her marriage, the Sister Wives star is reflecting on what finally made her change her mind and embrace life as a single woman.
It turns out it is easier to leave a town like Flagstaff when you have no one there worth staying for. For the few years Meri lived there, she found it hard to make genuine connections. During a new Sister Wives episode, Meri was filmed moving from Arizona back to Utah, where her historic inn is located. And even though she might have regretted her divorce for a hot second, Meri revealed to People that she wouldn’t be sorry to go. The TLC star stated, “Nope. Not at all. Flagstaff was—it’s beautiful. We all know I love the trees. Watch any season, and you’ll know Meri loves the trees. And it’s beautiful. It really is.” But it was obvious that the city was never really Meri’s home.
She added, “I lived there for three or four years, and I never made any friends there. It just wasn’t for me. I moved there because the family did. It was not ever on my radar, ‘Oh, Flagstaff, Arizona. We should live there.’” Sister Wives viewers will recall that Kody made the abrupt decision to uproot the family from the Las Vegas cul-de-sac in order to follow Robyn Brown’s son to college. None of the wives except his fourth, wanted to leave Sin City.
Meri continued: “I think it’s really important to find your place, especially in this age that we’re in. We’re all in our 50s, it’s like, ‘Just find your place. Do what makes you happy.’” The rate at which Meri left Flagstaff made perfect sense, as she already owned her home in Parowan. When Meri first purchased Lizzie’s Heritage Inn, many of the Browns felt she was selfish about the family money. But Meri put those rumors to rest, too, saying, “Contrary to popular belief in my family, I did not buy it as an escape route. Just putting that out there. I did buy it because it was always a dream of mine to have my old family home back in the family, so it made sense at the time.”
For Meri, the time finally came to separate herself from Kody and Robyn. For years, fans wondered if Robyn was manipulating Meri into staying. The mother of one shared, “Why keep living in a town where I don’t know anybody, I don’t have friends? Kody and I are completely separating. I’m not going to be a part of the family. There’s no point in me being there. And I had a house in Parowan, so let’s do that. And I gave myself two years to just settle and then figure stuff out. We’re coming up on two years.”
Meri has always been a hard Sister Wives star to get behind. She was never as likable as Janelle Brown or Christine Brown due to her stand-off attitude. When it came to her close friends, it often felt like she only wanted “yes men” in her corner. But if she is really going to make her move from Flagstaff work, she will have to put herself out there. Hopefully, she can embrace her new journey and stop posting cryptic social media posts because no one enjoys reading them anyway. Meri needs to wholeheartedly not look back.
Even though Sister Wives fans have watched Robyn cry her crocodile tears over the loss of her friendship, Meri has to stay strong. No amount of homemade journals can win her back. Personally, I think this is the end of an era with the TLC series. The entire family is spread far and wide, and it might just be time to put this chapter behind them. For Meri, this would mean a completely new start where she doesn’t have to live under Kody’s thumb. Good luck, M!
Cookie Monster would be so disappointed if he knew reality stars had been fighting over cookies. Real Housewives of New Jersey enemies Melissa Gorga and Teresa Giudice have never liked each other. And they didn’t need to fight over a cookie to prove their disdain. Even Santa could have noted that the two women would be on the naughty list for a while. But here we are, almost ten years later, and fans are still talking about their epic sprinkle cookie fueed. Bethenny Frankel is getting in on the action as she rated and reviewed Melissa’s new venture.
With a heavy New York accent, Bethenny came in hot as she shared that Melissa had sent her a promo package for her new brand of sprinkle cookies. The former Real Housewives of New York star told followers, “Melissa brought me sprinkle cookies. She’s an Italian from Jersey. She ain’t scared. I said, ‘You don’t want an honest review? Don’t send ‘em.’ Guess what? Joe and Melissa, they ain’t scared.” Okay, readers, I have to admit. I enjoyed this review way more than I should have because it was entertaining as hell.
Being a savvy businesswoman herself, Bethenny noted that she loved the personal touch of sending a card with Melissa’s face on it. B also acknowledged that Melissa went a step further as she had put “Sprinkle Cookies by Melissa Gorga” on the ribbon box, calling it a “wonderful touch.” Holding the card up to the camera, she said, “I never know who it is from. Sometimes, I toss the card. I know what this is now.”
The former Bravo star moved right along as she pointed out, “I like the box, the way that it opens. First of all, it’s aesthetically pleasing. It’s beautiful. But it’s organized. A lot of these cookie companies — Crumbl — cookies are jamming into each other. This is nice. Quadrants? I’d pay more for that.” Bethenny continued. “And I like the fact that you can see her cookies from the window. That’s aesthetically pleasing.” The mother of one also went on to compliment the co-packer, who, fans learned, is the private label baker.
Next up was the fateful taste test. And let’s remember Tre once called the cookies “dry.” Bethenny’s one and only criticism was that Melissa’s cookies needed “more sprinkles,” but she liked the texture “a lot,” noting it was chewy with a crunch. Bethenny added, “It’s got a crisp, chew, and no sog. The sprinkles have a crunch. Some sprinkles have a wax. These sprinkles have a crunch. The taste? There’s a little almond in the back. I’m getting a little bit of a rainbow cookie in the back, and I like it because I think she said, ‘My own version of her favorite sprinkle …’ Okay, so she did her own twist. I think it’s solid. Really good.”
As I watched the video, I found myself smiling a lot. Bethenny is a lot of things, but she isn’t a liar. She fairly and honestly gave her opinions on the cookies. And for $29.99 for a box of 12, I didn’t want to be lied to. Bethenny keeps her shtick going and even adds her employees to the mix for yet another opinion. Even though at times, I felt like I was in the cookie version of Blair Witch due to the camera constantly jumping around, it added to the viewing experience. While I still don’t think I’d choose a sprinkle cookie as my first choice, Bethenny had me thinking.
Whether it is food, makeup, or designer clothes, Bethenny has a knack for reviewing items with a twist. I laughed hard when she introduced her helper, Vicki “who is Albanian, which is like Italian. It’s next door. And they eat a lot of Italian food.” Without a doubt, Bethenny took her review seriously, and she probably helped Melissa get a massive number of orders. I am not ashamed to say I watched this video at least three times, and every time, it gets a little bit funnier.
For years, Kody Brown of Sister Wives has been an outspoken supporter of living a polygamous lifestyle. The TLC star once claimed, “Love should be multiplied. Not divided.” But gone are the days when he felt safe embracing the idea of having four wives. In recent years, all but one have left him behind for greener pastures. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Kody wouldn’t want his beloved daughters taking part in the taboo Mormon culture.
During the most recent episode of Sister Wives, fans caught a conversation between Robyn Brown and her two daughters. When Robyn asked about their future, Aurora Brown confessed, “I don’t have the same call to it that you and Dad do and did.” Younger sister Breanna Brown, who is just 19, shared that she was unsure about her future husband, too. Aurora added, “I have conflicting thoughts. But right now I’m just, I don’t think so. I’m not sure if I want to live that.” It was obvious that both young adults have been affected by the huge change within the family.
Last season, Aurora and Breanna revealed that they felt discarded by their siblings. Even though most of the Brown children have denied ending their relationship, it probably doesn’t help that Robyn always seems to add her two cents, causing even more issues between the siblings. Robyn told the cameras “What we’ve gone through in our family as far as everything falling apart, I feel like it’s more because of the individuals rather than plural marriage.”
Why Kody Brown won’t allow his daughters to have a plural marriage
Kody isn’t oblivious to the fact that his older children are steering away from the idea of polygamy. Most of his children who are married, like Mykelti Brown, Gwen Brown, Aspen Brown, Logan Brown, and Maddie Brown, have made it clear that they would never have more than one spouse. During Christine Brown’s wedding special, Mykelti noted that she believed “polygamy is a terrible idea.” The mother of three added, “Honestly, I loved having all of my siblings, my mom, my dad, but I don’t think it was fair to my parents. None of them got what they needed out of a marriage.” Janelle Brown’s children also have strong opinions on the matter.
Gabe Brown once noted, “I think that polygamy is a beautiful lifestyle for those that desire it, who believe in it and want everything that comes with it. Personally, I don’t think I’d ever be able to make it work.” Kody didn’t seem surprised by any of his children’s answers. The patriarch took to his confessional to add, “I don’t think any of my kids are going to live a plural marriage,” he speculated. “I could possibly see it if one of my daughters wanted to marry a married man. I don’t think the experience they’ve had with our family would make them want to do that.”
Kody looked solemn as he acknowledged the life he had once dreamed of didn’t work out. He continued, “I really wouldn’t care to have my daughters in plural marriage. I really don’t think any of my sons are interested in plural marriage, either.” But it seems there still might be a chance with Robyn’s brood. Breanna expressed a desire to start going back to church. She told her mom, “I want to start dating guys who kind of believe the same thing and have the same life goal as me. So I think that would probably be a good place to start.”
I can’t kick the feeling that Robyn would probably be okay with one of her daughters walking the same dramatic path as she did. The only remaining wife of Kody told Sister Wives cameras “If Breanna got a testimony and felt like plural marriage was her choice, and that’s what she felt like was her path, I’d be like, okay. But if not, that’s okay, too. It’s absolutely okay.” For once, Kody spoke sense as he urged his children not to follow in his footsteps. This might be the only time I agree with something that Kody has said. It’s a holiday miracle.
Bravolebs don’t do anything lightly. No matter what they celebrate, each reality TV star goes above and beyond for the special birthday. Sometimes, the festivity is a major hit; other times, the party is a humongous failure complete with drama. Whatever happens, usually, viewers still wish they had been given an invite! Here are some of the best Bravo birthdays to date.
You knew the Grande Dame of the Real Housewives of Potomac would throw a show-stopper. In the past, Karen Huger has gone all out for her parties and vow renewals. So why would turning 60 be any different? The ladies all traveled to Austin, Texas, where they were asked to paint a picture of Karen’s private parts. I can’t imagine this is what the mother of two envisioned for her big day. During the birthday dinner, Gizelle Bryant surprised everyone by giving Karen a lap dance, which needed a bit of work.
But the big celebration came in the form of a Roaring 20s theme. She had a black, gold, and white birthday cake and rented a huge hall. She lined the tables with candelabra floral arrangements and stunned in a bodysuit. Needless to say, the women won’t be able to top a 60th party quite like this.
I’ve thought long and hard about what I’d wear to Amanda Batula’s 90s-themed birthday party at the Summer House. And I’ve come up with my all-time favorite outfit that I did, in fact, wear in 1998. The only choice would be my OshKosh B’gosh denim overalls with a short-sleeved striped black, white, and red turtleneck. Amanda’s party looked amazing as the gang banded together to throw one hell of a house party. Amanda was showered with gifts, including a pogo stick from Lindsay Hubbard and a donation to Waldo’s Rescue Pen from Luke Gulbranson.
But Kyle Cooke dropped the ball and didn’t buy his wife a present. Well, no birthday is perfect. Amanda still had a great time as she danced away and drank Loverboy. Kyle made an extremely emotional toast in honor of the love of his life, which won him back some brownie points. Frankly, this is what I want for my next birthday, so let’s make it happen!
Ramona Singer throws a fit on her birthday
Ramona Singer has always kept her head above the rest of the Real Housewives of New York cast. During 2020, she threw herself a lavish birthday party, but even a Gucci bag gifted to her couldn’t save the night from going down the tubes. I’m sure she would have rather spent her time in Mar-a-Lago, but alas, she had to deal with Leah Mcsweeney and Sonja Morgan raging. I don’t think a lot of the RHONY wives gave a damn that it was the Singer Stinger’s birthday, as she had been a thorn in their side for years.
Sonja and Leah let off some steam while making sure to embarrass their friend at the same time. As Leah humped the guests and hiked her dress up, Ramona lost her cool. She told Leah, “You have a run in your stocking. It doesn’t look good.” But really, Ramona was just showing her age as she yelled, “Get the producers here. Shut it down! Cameras down. Done!” Ramona was fuming as Sonja stomped all over a glass mirror.
Even though Kyle might have failed Amanda’s 30th, the graphic designer came through for her husband on his 40th. Amanda knew exactly what her man wanted and threw him a cowboy-themed party complete with assless chaps. It was then we learned that Kyle has no hiney. He was able to sport his beloved mullet and a handlebar mustache. In the epic episode, Kyle shared, “I kinda wanna go into my 40s with a bang.” The party has inflatables, Western balloons, and LOCASH headlining.
Amanda even hoped that this party would be the last time he wore a mullet. She shared in her confessional, “Kyle’s 2020 New Year’s Resolution was to grow a mullet for his 40th birthday, and now that we’re here, I’m hoping that, you know, part of his growing up and maturity will be to cut it. But God knows I can’t ask for Kyle to grow up or become more mature or change anyway, and I’ve accepted that. So, if we’re stuck with the mullet, we’re stuck with the mullet.”
Queen Victoria: Real Housewives of Orange County alum
Viewers were cordially invited to Vicki Gunvalson’sMarie Antoinette-themed tea party. The outdoor garden part was over the top. While Shannon Beador, Tamra Judge, and the guest of honor wore traditional court dresses, others showed up in sexy Mad Hatter costumes. The Tres Amigas rolled up in a horse-drawn carriage straight out of Cinderella. However, the conversation was lacking as Gina Kirschenheiter and Braunwyn Windham Burke were in a fight. Gina finally snapped, “I’m not talking about your kids! It’s not about you, Braunwyn!” adding, “Happy birthday, Queen Victoria.”
TELL US – WHICH BRAVO BIRTHDAY PARTY HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE?
