The greatest celebrity couple ever

… or they will be when, not if, they  get together.

Celebrities fascinate many of us. Even those of us, like myself, who profess not to be as interested, take notice from time to time. And, face it, they are important to the good of the country. After all, how would  People and Us magazines stay in business not to mention Entertainment Tonight, TMZ, the late night talk shows and innumerable blogs and websites.

Of course, our fascination is nothing new, but with the myriad ways to disseminate celebrity information it sure seems that way. So I  wonder in my weaker moments who are the greatest  celebrities? Bear in mind, this is totally unscientific and probably reflects some of my own biases( I know you are completely shocked by that!)  both pro and con.

For my purposes, I drew very random and  totally meaningless, almost, criteria. Who are the greatest celebrity couples? Well, there was Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, a childhood favorite. There was Marilyn Monroe and fill in the blank ( probably Joe DiMaggio). We have had Elizabeth  Taylor and Richard Burton and in the minds of many the elite of the elite, Mr Pitt and Ms Jolie.

But I believe that the Couple of  couples has yet to pair up, that is with each other. They are very famous of course and each has and still has, high-profile relationships. They are of course Jennifer Aniston and George Clooney. Each is beginning to age, he better than she, I think. Just think of the headlines and star power and she could finally have revenge on Brad Pitt for dumping her. Perfect! There is one minute problem. People Magazine has a picture portfolio of Ms Aniston  that numbers  504  images while Mr Clooney  has only 280. Perhaps, that would need to be addressed.

Train Wrecks are never a pretty sight

This holds true whether there is an actual train involved or if  one is describing  a person whose life seems to be spiraling out of control. Sadly we seem to be seeing one of the later before our very eyes in the case of Charlie Sheen. I have not followed his career all that closely although I did enjoy the  movie Major League several years ago.

Most of us are more familiar than we care to be with his bizarre behaviour of late accompanied by interviews and statements that are perhaps even more bizarre. Of  course the tabloids and celebrity magazines such as People and Us are having a field day. I  can hardly imagine the wealth of material that all this is providing for Letterman, Leno and O’Brien. Sheen is proving a gold mine for all these media outlets.

I read one quote from Sheen that basically said if I am insane I have no problem with that. This is not an act. Another one that is already becoming too popular is the reference to himself as having tiger blood. But are those statements any more disturbing in the long run that  people saying they know they shouldnt be watching this but cannot turn away? Or how about the 1 million people who become his followers on Twitter within hours after his account was opened? Are there that many folks who  care that much about what outlandish thing Sheen might do next? And if there are, why do they care?

Perhaps even more disturbing is that this latest batch of actions is something that could almost have een predicted. If one looks back at his  past actions, it is not too hard to see a pattern. Or maybe one could just have asked Denise Richards. And just think about his children. I doubt that they will say about their father what almost inexplicably Martin Sheen  said about his son, you are my hero.

One can only hope that as much as he has recently trashed programs and methods of help that Sheen will actually avail himself of competent , professional help, away from the media glare, far away. And mercifully may the third or fourth time for such treatment actually work.

Related Articles

• Guest post: Charlie Sheen, why do we care? (timesunion.com)

“Mr. Edelweiss”

Image via Wikipedia

I would never be accused of being a frequent moviegoer, since I average about one per year. That would  make this year an anomaly since with over 3 months to go, I have seen three already. What in the name of Cecil B DeMille could be happening? Perhaps  Hollywood is making better movies or better yet it could be the old even a blind pig finds  an acorn concept.( If that needs explaining the reader must be somewhat younger than this writer.)

Anyway, the most recent of the three was “The Return of  Nanny McPhee” which featured  the talented Emma Thompson in the title role as well as writer)  with an excellent pair of supporting actresses in Dame Maggie Smith and Maggie Gyllenhaal. There were a number of young actors and actresses with prominent roles as well. Quite a feat to have two Oscar winners onboard.

However, as is often the case with yours truly and movies, I picked out  a quite different character as my favorite. He was important of course, but more as comic relief and  maybe, maybe a bit of a role model. His name was “Mr Edelweiss” from the legendary Rodgers and Hammerstein song that we all remember from The Sound of Music. Almost forgot to mention that Mr Edelweiss is  a jackdaw.

At first, I was debating on him being either a crow or a raven, to which he is related, of course. The Independent has a wonderful article on the movie on March 24 accompanied by a video where Ms Thompson talks about the use of the bird(s) in the movie. It was intriguing to learn that 3 jackdaws were used in the making of  the film and that all 3 were rescue birds.

She also gives a bit of background on the naughty bird. It seems that Mr Edelweiss had done something  quite wrong in the past and was forever attempting to return to Nanny McPhee’s good graces. Ergo, the use of the phrase, “you know what you did”  and being banished from  Nanny McPhee’s shoulder, a  place of honor indeed. The interaction between the two was delightful and indeed according to the movie’s producer the bird was a very important character. Perhaps an illustration for the children with whom she was working.Even his penchant for burping after eating his favorite snack of window putty becomes crucial in the end. He is able to peck through the putty on the poential deadly bomb and thus assist in preventing its explosion. Thus he redeems himself and is perched securely on Nanny McPhee’s shoulder  as she  disappears in the distance at movie’s end.

Athough this is not a movie review per se, I must  share a quote from Ms Thompson in closing.”That’s the whole point of  a really good movie,isn’t it? Something to be shared.” Indeed, whether it be human or jackdaw!

Related Articles

• Nanny McPhee makes magic down on the farm (thestar.com)
• A Minute With: Emma Thompson as “Nanny McPhee” (omg.yahoo.com)