Actor Michael Douglas tosses a few bricks from his glass house

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Michael Douglas chimes in about Hollywood marriages in this months GQ, and seems confused that some could take their marriage vows and families so lightly.

"You learn to respect something of value and nurture it and treat it well. I mean, don't ask me what happened with Renee Zellweger (and Kenny Chesney). I don't know how you get married for four months. And Julia (Roberts) with Lyle (Lovett). There must be some incredible things you find out one night. I mean, I don't know ... I don't know about Brad Pitt ... leaving that beautiful woman (Jennifer Aniston) to go hold orphans for Angelina (Jolie). I mean how long is that going to last?"

How long is that going to last is a good question. Will Brad and Angelina build a solid foundation, like Douglas did when he divorced his first wife and married Catherine Zeta Jones 5 months later? Will Brad respect something of value and treat it well, or leave his wife and daughter to start a new family with a younger model, like Douglas did. It's hard to say. The only thing really clear is that Hollywood is filled with self-righteous morons who don't think before they talk. Honestly, these people are empty shells. It's like talking to a caveman. Anyone with a hint of charisma could have these lemmings killing a goat at the base of a volcano in a week.

http://www.wwtdd.com/index.php?type=one&i=716

[Frank Cannon]

1. Hey, Michael Douglas is a BIG pro-disarmament liberal

And was when it wasn't popular.

I tend to cut celebrities who wear their "liberalness" on their sleeve a little bit of slack, no matter how idiotic they may sound at times.

[ghostsofgiants]

3. So liberals get a free pass to be morons, just because they're liberals?

[ronnykmarshall]

4. Did you read section 25.7 of guide book?

Come now, you should know better.

:sarcasm:

[Heidi]

7. No, we don't.

But I have a feeling, as an adopted kid, that Mr. Douglas may get a get his come-uppance. Those remarks painted him not as a liberal, but as a small-minded busybody.

[ghostsofgiants]

8. Exactly.

I find the whole "b-b-but he's a liberal!" excuse pretty tiresome. Liberal and moron are not mutually exclusive, but a lot of people don't tend to see that.

[billyskank]

24. Put in mathematical terms

those two sets have a non-zero intersection! :rofl:

[ghostsofgiants]

35. I feel like drawing a Venn diagram.

[dorkulon]

53. LOL that's wonderful!

[Frank Cannon]

11. So be it

There are people like Chimpy who are both incredibly dumb and incredibly dangerous all of the time, and people like Michael Douglas who are only incredibly dumb some of the time. I try not to be too hard on the latter. The former get no mercy whatsoever.

[ghostsofgiants]

12. "But Bush is worse!" is not an excuse.

A public figure says something ignorant, that person deserves to be called on it no matter what their politics may be. Trust me, not calling your fellow liberals on their bullshit just because they're liberals does nothing to help the progressive cause.

[Heidi]

18. Bush is not _our_ standard.

I hope, for the sake of humanity, that our standard is at least a bit higher.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

10. Apples and Oranges

Hitler loved his dogs...if you catch my drift...

Bad people say and do good things.

Good people say and do bad things.

Most of us live somewhere in the middle.

:toast:

[Misunderestimator]

19. So the fuck what? Idiots are idiots, no matter what their politics.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

20. please tell me youre kidding.

please.

you think "liberals" are "pro-disarmament"? sounds like one too many listens to pigboy if you aske me.

[Beware the Beast Man]

22. An asshole is an asshole.

I cut no one slack based on their political leanings.

[Iris]

48. Yeah, but doesn't he blame feminists for some of society's ills?

[progmom]

2. wow - "leaving that beautiful woman to go hold orphans for Angelina"

I don't quite know what to say about that, except Michael Douglas needs a better handler.

[Heidi]

6. Ah, well.

One of these days, Mr. Douglas may be known as Katherine Zeta Jones' sperm donor. Remarks like "hold orphans for Angelina" could very well lead to the ol' "what goes around, comes around."

[progmom]

9. he has gotten incredibly tiresome

and i do believe i have officially now lost patience for his crap. x(

[dorkulon]

55. Angelina is beautiful. Aniston is conventionally cute.

Not endorsing adultery, but I can see what Pitt was thinking.

[tjdee]

5. Girly eyes Michael Douglas, I now officially hate you.

So there's that. I never *liked* him, thank goodness.

"To go hold orphans" for Angelina? What a classeless thing to say. Those are now his children, loser! Brad Pitt needs to find Feeble Douglas and knock him on his behind for that. Honestly.

[hippiechick]

13. he's an ass for his lact of tact, but ...

... i gotta agree with him on this part anyway ... "I don't know about Brad Pitt ... leaving that beautiful woman (Jennifer Aniston) to go hold orphans for Angelina (Jolie)"

Angelina strikes me as a slightly psychotic skank. Sorry guys.

[tjdee]

15. Those children are no longer orphans...that's the part that infuriates me.

There's no reason to bring the kids into it. Those kids are adopted children like millions of others, and he's slagging them somehow. That comment is really off color IMO. It's like he's using "orphans" in a derogatory way or something. They are Angelina Jolie's children (and now Brad Pitt's as well), not orphans.

[Misunderestimator]

16. Good point.

How dare he criticize someone for taking care of children. Unfuckingbelievable.

[smirkymonkey]

17. And she is so going to dump Brad's ass any day now....

[Heidi]

21. Two points:

What's a "skank"?

I was an "orphan" until I was six years old, but after a loving mother adopted me, I don't give half a sh!t whether you or anyone else call her (or any other adoptive mother) a "skank." My adoptive mother loved, provided for, and prepared me to live in the world with mean-spirited so-called "progressives" who use terms like "skank," just as it seems Angelina Jolie is doing for her kids.

Edited to add: !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[progmom]

34. dear heidi,

i love you.

love,
progmom

[mzteris]

38. I don't think

the two are mutually exclusive.

She's done a wonderful thing adopting those kids. (Caveat: IF she's done it for the right reasons and she's mentally stable enough to see it through and be a good mom.)

She can also be a "skank". I personally am not overly fond of the woman either.

And yeah, I think she and Brad cheated. Do the math.

[LostinVA]

54. Possible Brad cheated, she did not cheat

She wasn't married to Jennifer Aniston.

And, there were murmurs (including Anniston herself in an interview) about trouble in the marriage long before BRad and Angelina met.

Skank means, basically, whore. Jolie is not a "whore."

[mzteris]

57. eh? so you don't think

the "other party" is a cheat?

Sorry, I do.

She knew full well that he was married. All her protestations about how "she doesn't DO" that - well, at the very least she's a liar, eh?

Skank doesn't mean necessarily mean "whore" -

1. A rhythmic dance performed to reggae or ska music, characterized by bending forward, raising the knees, and extending the hands.
2. Disgusting or vulgar matter; filth.
3. One who is disgustingly foul or filthy and often considered sexually promiscuous. Used especially of a woman or girl.

But how do you know she isn't? (because she *said* so?!?) What do you REALLY know about her? She's a person - with faults and attributes - just like anyone else. Some people find her "beautiful" - others think she's rather strange looking. Some think she's a "good actress" - others think she's nothing more than a talking head/hotbod with little talent. She's definitely out of the mainstream - some people like that.


From an interview with her:

". . . She has openly admitted to bisexuality, a fascination for S & M and even a curious fondness for knives. Jolie offered this insight into what she calls her darker side:

Angelina Jolie: "I always felt a little strange and different and I wasn’t laughing very much in my life about anything and kind of always would see people with kids or married or in love and thought, ‘that's great, but that’s not my life. "And I wish I could have that, but I’m never going to have that because I’m all over the place and I’m never going to be calm or stable or normal or safe. The truth is I love being alive. And I love feeling free. So if I can’t have those things then I feel like a caged animal and I’d rather not be in a cage. I’d rather be dead. And it’s real simple. And I think it’s not that uncommon."

. . .

Ann Curry: "You’ve described some things that you and Billy have done to show each other how much you love each other. You wear a vial containing his blood four drops of his blood."

Angelina Jolie: "Yes, I don’t know if it’s four. I did it twice. I have a vial in my room."

Ann Curry: "Let me see. What this is, is basically..."

Angelina Jolie: "We have a thing about people touching it, actually."

Ann Curry: "O.K., I won’t touch it. I won’t touch it. And why do you wear this ?"

Angelina Jolie: "Because it’s my husband’s blood."

(She had her first husband's name scrawled in blood across her blouse when they got married....)

*****

Strange girl.

Did she do a good thing adopting those kids? Maybe. Maybe not. I'd have to know her TRUE motivations and how good a MOM she really is. I don't know - and neither does anyone in the general public - fan or otherwise. The proof will be in the long term. Check back in say 10-15 years and let's see how she does for the long haul. Though her track record for longhaul hasn't been so good. :(

[Misunderestimator]

59. None of that makes her a skank.

Damn... that posts just oozes judgement. Why? Why would you care if she once carried a vial of her husband's blood with her? Does her saying she is bisexual make her a skank... A fascination with S&M (not even saying she was into it) make her a skank? Why would you judge her as a skank because once she felt she wasn't cut out for being a parent, but now she is? So she's odd to you... none of that makes her a skank. Sheesh.

[mzteris]

60. If you read carefully -

I never actually said *I* thought she WAS a skank. Someone else said she was. Then you tried to make it sound like she COULDN"T be a skank because she "adopted". I pointed out that the mere fact of adopting kids wouldn't be a deciding factor and that she *could* still be a skank.

I also said I wasn't personally very fond of her.

I also said I think she's a pretty strange girl.

I don't think her "acting" is all that great. And I think it's pretty damn sleazy to sleep with someone else's husband.

And yeah, I think the blood thing is a tad bit way out there weird.

As for S&M - well - to each his/her own. My ex is into it big time. :shrug: I'm not.

**that posts just oozes judgement**

I wasn't being judgemental - my posting her past quotes was merely pointing out she's certainly not the saint you were trying to paint her to be.

I think it's a wonderful thing that she's adopted those kids --*IF* she's done it for the right reasons and she's a good mom and continues to be a good mom.

I don't know and you don't know anything about her, really, other than the "persona" presented.

Maybe she's a saint. And maybe she's a skank. And maybe - she's just a girl bumbling through life doing the best she can with what she has - just like the rest of us.

[LostinVA]

52. Agreed -- and why is she a skank? She isn't a "whore"

She goes on all these goodwill trips, she's adopted orhpans... she's totally cool (and kinda hot!).

[Ron Mexico]

27. I agree with hippiechick on this and think her description of Jolie was

overly polite. I also think Aniston's better looking (Jolie looked better years ago before all of the treatments), although both annoy me to the point where well over half of their appeal disappears as soon as she opens her mouth.

[laheina]

29. Agreed.

Regardless of what we know or not about them personally--they kinda' did Aniston wrong. I mean, count back from the due date.

[Common Sense Party]

31. She strikes me as a very psychotic skank. And I'm a guy. nt

[Misunderestimator]

33. There are a lot of homeless children that would love such a "skank"

to adopt them... Fuck.

[Generator]

32. Man oh frigging man you had to do it!

Yeah, and how many orphaned children have you adopted? How much of your time have you spent trotting around the world advocating for poor children? Oh I know-that makes her a skank. God, women are such women haters. I think she's incredibly unique. And her sex life is her own. I think she's incredible. And I'm a woman. I don't find her "skanky" at all. She's one of a kind. Bisexual...the horror-yeah I THINK she's hot. Tattoos-the horror-sex with Bilie Bob-okay that is a horror. But she nailed Mr. Pitt. AND Jennifer Aniston is EXACTLY the perfect, perky blonde ideal that most of America adores and I find absolutely trite, souless and BORING. Which in my mind is the one thing that is EVEN worse than being a skank.

[skygazer]

39. Quite frankly, Catherine Zeta-Jones strikes me as a skank

A money-grubbing one at that. But skankiness is not the issue - I think it's more "pot calling the kettle black" and, as has been pointed out several times "go hold orphans for Angelina" is just the height of disgusting.

When he and his lovely wife quit charging for photos of their kids and start doing as much humanitarian work as Angelina Jolie has, then I'll take what he has to say seriously. Maybe. In the meantime, he really ought to stick a sock in it.

[mzteris]

40. Did someone mention humanitarian efforts?

In 1991, he founded a non-profit organization called the Michael Douglas Foundation to promote peace and sustainable development.


********

"As a United Nations Messenger of Peace, appointed by the Secretary-General in 1998, Michael Douglas has repeatedly demonstrated his commitment to the Organization. That commitment has translated often into activities in the field of disarmament in which he has invested a great deal of time and thought. But field visits on behalf of the United Nations have been rare for the Academy award-winning actor.

On one previous occasion, Mr. Douglas had travelled to Albania to observe the destruction of weapons collected from the Albanian population and the development of projects in exchange for weapons as part of a UN programme. That visit, in October 1999, highlighted the serious problem of widespread availability of illegal arms in the country.

"The Sierra Leone trip was truly extraordinary and it was an insight into understanding the inner workings of the United Nations in the field."


Sierra Leone was a very different mission; the focus was on children and the prospects for changing their lives in the aftermath of war. Mr. Douglas spent three days shooting the documentary to raise awareness of the impact of war on children. While filming in the Kono District and outside Port Loko, he joined the search for the mother of 12-year-old Abu Bakr, a former child soldier who, like so many thousands of others, was abducted and pressed into the rebel army (see box). His story is told in the documentary "What's Going On? Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone", produced in conjunction with the UN Works programme of the Department of Public Information Outreach Division.

. . .
"The film is about the kids after the war and the effort to try to get them back to their villages and back to their families. In some cases, these kids are only 12 and 13 years old now and have been in the bush for about eight years at a time."

*****
National Organizations With Anti-Gun Policies

The following organizations have lent monetary, grassroots or some other type of direct support to anti-gun organizations. In many instances, these organizations lent their name in support of specific campaigns to pass anti-gun legislation such as the March 1995 HCI "Campaign to Protect Sane Gun Laws." Many of these organizations were listed as "Campaign Partners," for having pledged to fight any efforts to repeal the Brady Act and the Clinton "assault weapons" ban. All have officially endorsed anti-gun positions.

Michael Douglas Foundation


******

The Global Security Institute(Promoting Security for all through the elimination of Nuclear Weapons):

President's Circle: $25,000 or more

Susie Tompkins Buell Fund of the Marin Community Foundation
Compton Foundation
Michael Douglas Foundation
Ploughshares Fund

*******

The Michael Douglas Foundation Visiting Artist Program

A private gift from Michael Douglas through The Douglas Charitable Foundation which began in 1993 established the Michael Douglas Foundation Visiting Artists Fund for the Department of Dramatic Art. The annual income from this fund is used to bring guest artists to educate students in the Department of Dramatic Art and other departments as appropriate.

*****

SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER NATIONAL TRIBUTE DINNER HONORS MICHAEL DOUGLAS

On June 25th, the Simon Wiesenthal Center held its 2001 National Tribute Dinner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel where the Center conferred its 2001 Humanitarian Award upon actor/producer Michael Douglas for his friendship to the Center, its Museum, and its film division, Moriah, for which he generously donated his time to serve as principal narrator of its latest film, In Search of Peace Part One: 1948-1967. Mr. Douglas is one of the most respected figures in the entertainment community, not only for choosing projects that reflect changing moods and public concerns, but also for such philanthropic efforts as the Michael Douglas Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the quality of life throughout the world.

******
The popular director, actor, and producer established the Michael Douglas Foundation in 1991 which has set as its goal to aid the poorest of the poor and supports other organizations such as the Red Cross or the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan has named Michael Douglas a “United Nations Ambassador of Peace”.

********

nonprofit New York Restoration Project (NYRP) in 1995 with the belief that clean and green neighborhoods are fundamental to the quality of life and that every community in New York City deserves an oasis of natural beauty. Modeled on the Central Park Conservancy and other successful public-private partnerships, NYRP partners with individuals, community-based groups, and public agencies to reclaim, restore, and develop under-resourced parks, community gardens, and open space in New York City, primarily in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.
$2,500–$4,999
The Michael Douglas Foundation


****
Members of Internews International gratefully acknowledge the following for their generous support of our work over the years

FOUNDATIONS & DONOR-ADVISED FUNDS
Michael Douglas Foundation

*****

. . . Douglas, moved by his experiences in the village of Kono, requested that funds donated to the U.N. by the foundation be used specifically for the rehabilitation of an athletic field and to finance the education of one of the social workers he met, Samuel T. Kamanda.

The Ploughshares Fund, an organization with nuclear disarmament on its agenda, has benefited from both the foundation's largesse and Douglas' hands-on involvement. In 1999, the fund approached producer and fund supporter Saul Zaentz and asked for an introduction to Douglas. Since that meeting, the foundation has been a consistent contributor, according to executive director Naila Bolus.

Closer to home, the foundation is a major benefactor of such local charities as the Motion Picture & Television Fund. Every year for the past five the Michael Douglas & Friends celebrity golf tournament has donated the entirety of its proceeds to the fund.

Motion Picture & Television Fund Foundation CEO Ken Scherer, says Douglas approached him six years ago and indicated his willingness and desire to get involved and give back. He also had a very specific idea in mind, the golf tourney.

Scherer estimates that the tournament has raised in excess of $2 million for the fund, and stresses how essential the foundation and Douglas' involvement have been in raising awareness.

*****

The Michael Douglas Foundation, a non-profit organization, is a private institution established in 1991 dedicated to improving the quality of life throughout the world. Among other goals, the Foundation seeks to better the living conditions for those in need of assistance, promote peace within and among nations, and protect our global eco-system for present and future generations.

The Michael Douglas Foundation has given to over 90 charities since its inception. A few of the charities that have received support include:

American Red Cross
Artists Rights Foundation
Global Security Institute
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
Motion Picture & Television Fund
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
Ploughshares Fund
Trust for Public Land

Alliance for Lupus Research

[skygazer]

43. You recall I said "maybe"

Hmmmm.... on further consideration, I still think he should stick a sock in it.

[mzteris]

45. Maybe his statement

seems rude - but - I have to think that MAYBE he actually KNOWS these people - rather than the tabloid version we are privvy to. MAYBE he knows something about her - and Brad - that *we* don't, eh?

[skygazer]

46. Maybe

Maybe not.

Ultimately, it doesn't really matter. It just annoys me when people get sanctimonious about other people's lives and when that person is in a position like Douglas, it means they get a venue to spew it. He's been in the public eye long enough, he should know better than to make stupid remarks like that, whether they're warranted or not. Besides, liberal or not, I can't stand either him or Zeta-Jones - they just rub me the wrong way for whatever reason.

Peace. :hippie:

[mzteris]

47. I have to admit that I'm

a bit prejudiced -

my daughter strongly resembles Catherine Zeta-Jones.


I have no hardcore opinions about him or any of them really. I just tend to go looking for information when I read some statements to either confirm or deny what I'm reading - - - whichever way it may go. (What can I say, I'm an google junkie! lol)

I have met *some* "movie stars" - and guess what? - they're just people! Sometimes quite odd/strange people. They have trouble making small talk. Don't know what to wear. Drink too much. Talk too loud. Make bad jokes. Have bad pick up lines. Have bad hair days. Haven't a clue how to pump their own gas. Have trouble figuring out how to microwave their own tv dinner properly. Some are afraid of being "out in public" alone. Some are afraid of being recognized. Some are afraid of NOT being recognized. LOL. Funny how they can be insecure and over-confident at the same time. Funny how they sometimes have trouble coming "out of character" when the filming is over. Funny how surprised they are when someone treats them like a person instead of a "star".

[LostinVA]

14. OMG -- hypocrite!!!

[mzteris]

23. I think you need to relook at the timeline . . .

"like Douglas did when he divorced his first wife and married Catherine Zeta Jones 5 months later?"


He split up with his first wife Diandra in 1995, she filed for divorce in 1997.

He met Zeta Jones at the Deauville film festival in September 1998; they were engaged on New Year's Eve in 1999.

The divorce wasn't final until after she was pregnant because it took so long for them to hash out the financials - which got pretty ugly there for a while.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

25. None of the text in the original post is mine...

I wrote the subject line, but the rest is from "The Superficial"...I copied and pasted, and they own any inaccuracies.

...but it all comes down to "Judge not, Michael Douglas, lest ye be judged yourself..."

:evilgrin:

:toast:

[laheina]

28. Sometimes, the Superficial tends toward hyperbole. nt

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

30. The Superficial, as well as WWTDD, have what some call...

...an "attitude"...so I generally post their stuff with a grain of salt and tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Also, some of their stuff...in an effort to be cute and snarky...is downright offensive, and I will often drop a paragraph or two before posting here.

:toast:

[laheina]

41. Frankly, the attitude is what makes it entertaining.

But that's me. :hi:

[Bridget Burke]

36. Infidelity was the main reason the First Mrs. Douglas filed for divorce...

And she got a pretty hefty settlement. But you are right--the connection with Zeta Jones was not the reason for the divorce. There were apparently several other "reasons."

One remark he made before he became a father again did grate on me. He said he hadn't been a good father before, but would be one now. Yup, he had to let his first son know that he was only a "Starter."

[mzteris]

37. I think he was acknowledging his mistakes

the first time around. Nothing wrong with that, in my book.

Life in a fishbowl isn't easy. He was abandoned by his own dad and primarily raised by his stepfather. Addictions seem to run in the family as well. We don't always know the "whole story" behind why people behave the way the do. People screw up all the time - the most important thing is to acknowledge those screw ups & to learn from your mistakes.

He wasn't a very good husband or father the first time around. Hopefully, he's grown up, learned his lesson and will do better. Why begrudge him - or his kids - that?

[underpants]

26. According to International Rules Zeta-Jones is clearly an exception

:evilgrin::wow:

[Elidor]

42. And Catherine didn't marry you for your money, did she Michael?

Noooooo...perish the thought. :rofl:

Shallow and self-important and arrogant and ignorant all rolled into one spoiled, pampered, sheltered creature. He's a nimrod.

[yvr girl]

44. To be fair he had been separated from his 1st wife long before he met

Zeta-Jones. The divorce wasn't finalized yet, because they were squabbling about the settlement. Wanting to get married again was the incentive for him to settle.

[Iris]

49. Why is he bringing up Julia Roberts & Lyle Lovett?

Didn't that happen, like, a DECADE ago?

[LostinVA]

56. Longer than that, I think...

[ChoralScholar]

50. whooaaaa buddy...

gettin' a little too serious here in the lounge.

Put your issue of People Magazine on the ground and walk away slowly.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

51. Michael and Diandra Dounglas...

were married in 1977 and divorced in 2000. That is 23 years together -- not exactly the typical Hollywood quickie, even though they had been separated for awhile before they finalized the end of their marriage. It was well known that their's was a tumultuous marriage, but they both hung in there and fought for their marriage a lot longer than Julia or Rene or Brad.

Michael Douglas is many things, but a serial monogomist Liz Taylor he is not.

[DanCa]

58. Mike who ? (nt)