Why I Love: Angelina Jolie

From time to time I'm going to offer reasons why I love something that a lot of folks dis. My first topic is one of my favorite actresses....

Angelina Jolie

I absolutely adore Angelina Jolie. I really do. Okay, the snuggly/kissy-face with her brother was a tad disturbing and she could probably use some counseling on her relationship with her dad. But, hell who doesn’t have a dysfunctional family in one form or another?

Here’s 5 Reasons Why I Love Angelina Jolie...

1. She’s a humanitarian: Sure the world is teaming with celebs and their causes. But I honestly believe she really cares about the poverty that plagues the world’s children. When you’ve been blessed with that much wealth and success it is far better that you should try to make a difference in the world and suffer the slings of public criticism than it would be to just indulge yourself J. Lo style. And she's done it without jumping on the Scientology or Kaballah band wagons (at least not yet, thank heavens).

2. She’s a solid actress: I don’t say great actress, although I think she has the potential, she’s not there yet. But she’s solid in that I honestly enjoy watching her in just about everything, even the stuff that sucks. She tends to take creative risks by choosing some rolls that are bound to go nowhere. But I like that Johnny Depp style of role choosing because you can really see an actor grow and get better. I hope she does more of that in the future.

3. She dumped Billy Bob: Really she had no business with that old coot. (Please note that I think he’s very talented as an actor/director/producer ….but as a husband? Eww! And the vials of blood… well I hope she’s past that. But hey, I’ve had my share of questionable relationships too, so I can cut her some slack.) What I love about the fact that she dumped him is that she did it for her son. The kids come first no matter what, in my book. Any guy who doesn’t love and respect your kid, who wouldn’t lay down his life for your kid, kick that sucker to the curb! That’s how I feel. Go ANGIE.

4. She’s adopting an AIDS orphan: I think adoption is one of the coolest things anyone can do. Who gives a fuck where the kid is from? A motherless child doesn’t know borders. Why the hell should a mother who has love to give a child bother with them. I’ve often thought that I would love to adopt a baby girl from India. I once read an article about how some lower caste Indian families felt that having a daughter was such a burden that they would kill them at birth (or even abort them if they found out the sex ahead of time.) I imagined myself rescuing an Indian baby girl, bringing her back home and raising her as my own. So just I love that A.J.'s adopting an AIDS orphan.

5. She doesn’t apologize for her sexuality: She has stated that she will take lovers and not get into any committed relationships until she knows she’s found someone that will truly love and respect both her and her son. She’s a beautiful woman, incredibly sensual and she doesn’t hide that. But she’s not trashy. Too many women in our society are forced to suppress their God-given sexuality and sensual beauty under the guise of nun-like propriety. Or else they go to the other extreme and become Anna Nicole. It’s the Virgin/Whore dilemma. A.J. doesn’t get sucked into that bullshit. She’s a woman, she’s a mother, she’s a vixen… deal with it. (I’m not surprised that a man would be tempted to leave his wife by that kind of honest femininity. Assuming that’s why the Bradster dumped Jen. Which I don’t entirely buy, but who cares why, really?)

Lost respect for me, have you? Too bad. I don’t take it back. A.J. is cool. Assuming she doesn’t go off the deep-end she’ll keep my respect. There’s a few other notorious celebs that I like even though they don’t always get the best press. Maybe I’ll post those in the future.