celebrity idiot of the week: Gwyneth Paltrow

It took you this long to figure it out?

She named her kid Apple, for crap's sake.

So basically Paltrow has a blog/website, where she tells people the stuff she likes, and discusses her philosophical views of life. Tell me, how is this any different from anyone else with a blog or livejournal? Is it more pretentious than an average joe's blog because she is a celebrity and therefore she must feel she is better than all of us?

Mary (do you mind if I call you Mary?),

She's fashionably flaky, embracing the trendy/religion lite/faddish/celeb/phony Hollywood image. The newsletter might be her agent's idea - make her more accessible and personable or something.

She may be an idiot, for all I know, but having a website doesn't make her any more of an idiot than anyone else who vents their 2c of philosophy and thoughts of the day on a personal website. You know anyone who does that?

This is hilarious! It's appropriate that it's called GOOP since that's all that's in her head!

My bowels are sluggish after reading that!

MaryAnn, I know you are writing screenplays and want to get into the business but if this upsets you then wait till you're on set! I did it for a few years in Los Angeles and had to get out while I still had a brain!

Now I work for a bank. Sigh.

jeez! where has all the snark gone in this world? everyone going so nicey-nice on GOOP! (Alli and Bitchen -- can i call you bitchen?) i don't know if i can live in a world (or at least, the internet world) where people can be so forgiving and kind...

At first I was all like whatev, what's the big deal but then I looked at the site and I was like gag me.

Sorry, I'll try to be more of an ass in the future. LoL.

All I was saying is, we can all be pretty pretentious, especially all of us with blogs. We all kind of assume that what we have to say is important and people may want to hear it too. Heck I'm doing it right now by posting a comment. So, Is Paltrow acting pretentious? Yes. Is her newsletter ridiculous? Oh you bet. But I just can't seem to fault her for doing it in the first place. But calling it GOOP is pretty freaking weird.

bronxbee, I agree. The problem with sites like these is that many people think this is real life or something.

Her site says "My life is good because I am not passive about it. I want to nourish what is real, and I want to do it without wasting time. I love to travel, to cook, to take care of my body and mind, to work hard..."

Let's examine that. Perhaps her "life is good" because of the fucking millions!?!?!

Then there's the "nourish what is real" crap. She's an actress. She PRETENDS for a living!

Finally there's the "travel, cook and work hard" shit. Acting is not hard work! Not when you are paid millions and have a private trailer and personal trainer, etc. Most people are having trouble buying groceries and paying for gas and she's taking about travel and food it all like it's chump change.

She's got the money and can do whatever she wants with it. If she wants to travel then fine. If she likes spending $1000 on dinner, then cool. If she wants to name her children after a fruit (which seems ironic now) then good for her! But when you start a website so that you can brag about how perfect your life is and tells you to just do what she does and yours can be perfect too, then she deserves to be shit on for the dumbass she is.

Hmmm, I didn't realize I was being forgiving and kind.

Yeah, Paltrow's a flake, though part of that is probably an act. Her website's nauseating.

But it's hard to mock her for all of that without mocking - well, everybody in media.

i have no problem with mocking everyone in the media. have at it!

I've read the newsletters and so far I don't find what Gwyneth is doing to be that similar to the average blogger or even celebrity myspace. She doesn't really blog per se and the majority of the content has been brief product recommendations with some obvious tie-ins to brands she represents (Tod's). The philosophical sections don't offer much in the way of her personal thoughts and seem to be a copy and paste job from famous doctors/gurus she knows on a personal basis. For a personal website, it's attractive but pretty impersonal and seems to be more of a preface for her upcoming commercial ventures -- a cookbook and chain of gyms.

The philosophical sections don't offer much in the way of her personal thoughts and seem to be a copy and paste job from famous doctors/gurus she knows on a personal basis. For a personal website, it's attractive but pretty impersonal and seems to be more of a preface for her upcoming commercial ventures -- a cookbook and chain of gyms.

I think this is the commercial venture. Web 2.0, meet the celebrity endorsement. I only took a quick glance, but I'm guessing that at best, she just glances at what the actual writer of the content wrote and gives a thumbs-up or -down as to whether it sounds like her voice.

Well, to paraphrase a famous blogger with whom I'd like to think we're all familiar with, I'm pretty sure that reading Ms. Paltrow's newsletter is not mandatory.

And in a world in which so much worse is going on, it's hard to work up the energy to wax snarky about an celebrity whose creative activities may be mindless but for the most part, seem harmless.

Those of you who insist on mocking her for her celebrity lifestyle might want to ask yourself how idealistic you all would seem in the eyes of a homeless person or a welfare recipient.

That said...

Mary (do you mind if I call you Mary?)

She has already noted several times on this site that she does mind. Is "MaryAnn" that much harder to write than "Mary"? Granted, it might seem trivial to you but then again deferring to her taste on this relatively minor matter costs you nothing and makes you look good compared to the more impolite people who post here. So consider it a "win win" to do so.

Well, to paraphrase a famous blogger with whom I'd like to think we're all familiar with, I'm pretty sure that reading Ms. Paltrow's newsletter is not mandatory.

Yes, I realize I did not need a second "with" in that sentence. But, alas, my editorial assistants must have been taking a coffee break...

--"She has already noted several times on this site that she does mind. Is "MaryAnn" that much harder to write than "Mary"? Granted, it might seem trivial to you but then again deferring to her taste on this relatively minor matter costs you nothing and makes you look good compared to the more impolite people who post here. So consider it a "win win" to do so."

Reread the opening post, para. 3, 1st sentence.

I think it's just big business catching up with technology. You can imagine that they had a think tank who were locked in a room for a weekend, trying to come up with new ways to make money.

"Hang on, what about blogs? Is there a potential for advertising revenue?"

It's a pity in this case, cos sometimes celebrity blogs can be a good way to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, without the intrusion of their PR people.

Well personally, I settle my woe-begotten bowels with a cup or two of some nice, strong coffee. Starbucks--if I have some extra scratch to spoil myself. Ms. G was quoted as saying she felt "sorry" for "us" who make "negative" comments. Negativity is a relative thing. In relation to having millions with which to spend on high-end couture, culinary fabulousness and fancy hotel accommodations that cost more for one night than the average rent for a cubbyhole of an apartment (or flat--as the Brit-loving, Brit-preferring flake would call it), she has a lot of gall. She really seems to think we all have the money to savor her personal faves and delight in them. I've never seen such arrogant blindness. Well, actually I have--every other rich, powerful celeb or celebutante has had a crack at it. What's more, she sure dishes out criticism of us, but she CANNOT take it--GROW A CONSCIENCE, G!
No matter how much money one has, happiness is a choice, but in the face of great economic adversity that is plaguing this country and indeed the world, someone like Gwyneth needs to avoid shoving it down the throats of the gen pub and show some serious sensitivity. She has always had a privileged life and can't see it from the side of the majority (us slummers).
It's SO EASY to boast about one's happiness when the things that make one happy and contribute to that "happiness" can be easily afforded.
God help you, Gwynnie (can I call you that?--oh, probably not...you insufferable snob...).
As your beloved Brits would say--BUGGER OFF.

I remember GOOP was this weird, smelly cream that we used when I was a kid to get pitch off of hands and clothes.

Nothing wrong with the article and you have a great blog..We must be practical..in some way we also do those things.

Gwyneth Paltrow is a wonderful person, and like all of us, is just making her way through life. She was born to privilege, and why make excuses. She carried the ball with what she's been given. Could she do more? We all can. I found her site to be the mostly of a cut and paste variety, and she could certainly work on that, but she doesn't profess to be some literary or website genius. Of course, there are commercial aspects to her endeavor. Mostly doing anything well is worthwhile doing for money. I don't blame her for that.

I actually like seeing the high side of life, and some of things she apparently likes or believes in. In gives me some sense of what is possible, and a little bit of a voyeuristic thrill. Some of it may be phony, but what do you expect given her stature and career. It isn't easy being a celebrity. Granted, having money makes a big difference, but you can't buy happiness. Some of these folks live horribly depraved lives, and even commit suicide.

Hey, calling her site Goop is better than calling it Slop, which is what many of you commenting are willing to sling in a breath without considering your own weaknesses.

I applaud Gwyneth for reaching out in this crazy world when she really doesn't have to. Her commercial interests would succeed or fail on their own merit anyway. Why can't she try something different, and I hope all of you don't meet this sort of criticism when you do if ever.