Branding celebrities

The News of the World's recent headline about the state of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's relationship is the latest example of celebrity profiles behaving like brands. Brangelina is like a corporate entity for which rumour and gossip does not allow for the fact that the partners are actors with professional engagements, separate job roles and PR responsibilities, as well as needing downtime away from the media.

So what if Brad and Angelina didn't go to the Golden Globes? Who cares that Brad supported George Clooney's 'Hope for Haiti Now' charity musical extravaganza with Angelina less prominent and that Jennifer Anniston was at the same event? Who knows (or minds) if Angelina has depression, which is surely a private matter?

The tabloids and the blogosphere care, of course, because celebrity brand stories sell newspapers. But my guess would be that the human beings behind the stardust don't read the press, or at least employ people to sift out the rubbish. I suppose occasionally star couples really do split up, but that's life -- and only every blue moon when it comes to the number of times the media predicts such break-ups.

Tinseltown is only reality with tassles.