Ahead of the release of her film Maria at the Venice International Film Festival, in which she plays the great but troubled opera queen Maria Callas, Angelina Jolie says her “despair” and “pain” over her split from husband Brad Pitt helped her empower the troubled diva.
Was that really what made her so unhappy – or had she just read the bad reviews of her film?
Callas is one of the most astonishing women of the last century: a legendary soprano who was betrayed by her lover Aristotle Onassis, who married Jackie Kennedy without telling her, leaving her heartbroken in Paris.
Angelina Jolie says her ‘desperation’ and ‘pain’ over her split from husband Brad Pitt helped her channel the troubled diva
It hardly compares to the life of Jolie, the newborn daughter of Oscar winner Jon Voight, who has never been betrayed by the talented Brad.
Jolie said, “When you’ve felt a certain level of desperation, of pain … there are only certain sounds that can match that feeling. And for me, the immensity of the feeling is captured in opera — there’s nothing that can compare to it.”
So says the woman who was a self-proclaimed punk fan and follower of The Clash. No wonder film critics sitting through this turkey are asking themselves: should I stay or should I go?
Let’s take a look at the facts and what ‘pain’ Ange really shares with Maria. Jolie’s box office appeal never recovered after she stole Brad from his first wife, Hollywood darling Jennifer Aniston.
They lived together for years and raised six children before marrying in 2014. They split two years later – and have been at war ever since.
Seeing her in Venice reminded me of the leaked emails from 2014, in which a Hollywood producer described Jolie as “a minimally talented spoiled brat.”
She should have learned her lesson then. In the final aria of Puccini’s masterpiece – sung by Callas – Madam Butterfly commits suicide with her father’s knife, singing ‘Con onor muore’, which means ‘to die with honour’.
I hope Ange’s career will one day develop in the same direction.
Is Prince planning to hatch a plan?
Despite insisting he is no longer safe in the UK, Prince Harry is ‘secretly’ flying to the UK for the funeral of his uncle Robert Fellowes.
Separately, it has been confirmed that he will no longer add bile to the paperback edition of his memoir Spare, nor will he give any more hurtful interviews.
So, was Harry really paying tribute to a beloved uncle – or was he just trying to ease his way back into the royal family?
My moggie and Yuna? Not purrfect
My moggie Ted is overjoyed that lioness Yuna, three, who was trapped in a small concrete bunker in war-torn Ukraine, has been rescued by The Big Cat Sanctuary and can now feel the grass beneath her feet in her forever home in Kent. Ted would love to meet Yuna and talk about how he too has recovered since being rescued from being mistreated as a kitten, but given that his last romance was with a gay tomcat called Rocky, I doubt it would be love at first sight.
- Ahead of the release of the remake of his 1988 cult horror hit Beetlejuice, imaginatively titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, filmmaker Tim Burton says he had a “great time” making the film. Unfortunately, some critics didn’t enjoy watching it, with one scathingly declaring: “The long-awaited resurrection should have stayed dead.”
The deadly selfishness of the driver
The attorney for 96-year-old June Mills, who killed pedestrian Brenda Joyce, 76, after she lost control of her car and hit the sidewalk, said Mills had previously been of good character. The sad truth is that anyone who gets behind the wheel of a car at 96 is not of good character — they only think about themselves.
After failing to appear at an earlier insolvency hearing, Katie Price, who has a tax bill of £760,000, finally appears before the High Court. There, the judge rules that subjecting her to “extreme” public scrutiny would be “detrimental to her mental health”, granting her an adjournment so the proceedings can take place behind closed doors.
I’ll have to try that the next time I can’t pay my taxes: Sorry, IRS, after six facelifts and 17 breast augmentations, I’m just not mentally well enough to pay you.
BBC Director General Tim Davie says he feels “let down” by the Huw Edwards scandal, and reassures staff “we hold ourselves to the highest standards”. Davie became DG in 2020 – and in 2022 there were more than 40,000 convictions for TV licence fraud, 74 per cent of them women, often older women. What standards, auntie.
Meanwhile, Alex Williams, 25, who sent Edwards indecent images of children, was given only a 12-month suspended sentence. It is some justice that having his name and face on social media has earned him a life sentence.
- Influencer Molly-Mae Hague has broken her social media silence after ditching fiancé Tommy Fury amid allegations he cheated. She says she’s lonely. Does she think her 8 million Instagram followers will be up for Molly and Tommy: The Reunion?
Strictly speaking, Gio wins
Amanda Abbington’s claim that former Strictly professional dancer Giovanni Pernice sent her a “sex-related” video clip has delayed the BBC’s internal investigation into her claims that he gave her PTSD. There is some justice, as the woman whose complaint will damage the Strictly brand is now appearing in a small play at a small theatre in north London. In the meantime, tickets for Pernice’s
- Some fans whine that Oasis charge too much for their reunion shows. Stop crying! They provided a magical soundtrack for many of us in the nineties. I’d rather pay a few hundred quid to see Noel and Liam in their fifties than double that to see the ageing Rolling Stones who give little satisfaction.
Before crashing out in the first round of the US Open, Emma Raducanu dodged questions about Andy Murray’s triple Grand Slam legacy by saying he was “old news” now. Not nice, Emma – and unsurprisingly, given your poor form on and off the court, your £10m sponsors are wondering if
++Westminster Wars++
- With Starmer making ominous statements about the economy, even commentators in The Guardian are saying: ‘We’ve all lost count of the black holes he’s found in the country’s finances… He sounded like the builder who says you need a whole new roof after you’ve called him to clean out the gutters.’
- Meanwhile, one of his own MPs described the abolition of winter fuel payments for some pensioners as “a suicide announcement”, while the left-wing Mirror newspaper said “Labour voters felt coldly betrayed by this”.
- And who will be most affected by Starmer’s proposed outdoor smoking ban? The “working class” he claims to represent. People on low incomes are the largest demographic group of smokers.