If you follow some of the blogs written by dudes, you’ve probably noticed the rise of two women: Anna Kendrick and Alison Brie. I like both women a lot and I think both are incredibly talented. But they’re sort of like the female versions of some of the not-yet-movie-star dudes that we obsess about here. And I have had moments of thinking, “Really, fan-boys? You’re getting that crazy over Alison Brie?” To be fair, Anna Kendrick already has one Oscar nomination under her belt and she’s an old-school double-threat as an actress and singer. Plus, she’s good at social media and she’s not full of herself. Anna covers the new issue of ELLE – you can see the excerpts online here. Some highlights:
Her divorced parents: “I hate when people think you’re broken because your parents are divorced. And I really reject the idea of staying together for the kids. If they’re growing up in a house that’s not healthy, it’s better to know that’s not the model of what marriage should be.” –
Her approachable sex appeal: “I’ve never felt like I’ve exactly traded on my looks. When I was a teenager, I was an ultra-late bloomer, and my mom would say it was a blessing, because it means you never have to wonder if guys are only interested in you because you’ve got boobs. I would have been thrilled if guys were interested in me because of my boobs!”
Late-bloomer: “Similarly, I think I’m lucky that I’ve never had a crisis about whether the only reason I’m successful is because I’m crazy hot. It’s not something that crosses my mind.”
The July issue hits stands on June 11th. Just FYI, for all the fan-boys. And Anna wears a bikini – like the most vintage-y, modest bikini ever. Anna sounds like a very cool girl, someone relatively “normal” in Hollywood, someone who has a sense of realism about her place in the world. It’s refreshing! Plus, she actually is very talented. She’s heartbreaking in 50/50 (which is just an amazing movie overall).
Photos courtesy of ELLE.
I feel you on that comparison a 100% is like Really? but she also comes off very charming in mags, interviews and even when i do see her stuff, however I would never ever go watch a Movie “cause Anna Kendrick is in it” like she isn’t a “draw” does it make sense?
that said I agree on her divorce thing, My parents had a Fucking horrible cold ass functional but not warm marriage and a subsequent awful divorce from all that pent up shit to the point they don’t even speak to each other, but i remember very clearly my mom proposing they stay together “for us” as though it hasnt taken us YEARS AND YEARS AND SHITTY RELATIONSHIPS AND COUNSELING to Unlearn all the bad relationship Stuff they modeled for us and all that, ya know?! Like I shudder to think as BAD as their divorce is and as happy as they are now with new partners… “What if they had stayed married”…Jesus No!
Well she is a draw for me, I am always interested in her films. Partially because I am a musical fan and she makes those, I can not wait for Into the Woods. But she is not that well known for general public.
Oh yeah you reminded me the Musicals and Theater crowd does seem to love her as well( i happen to CANNOT with Musicals so maybe that’s why?), is weird but she has the same effect to me that Leo D has, I NEVER watch a preview and think OOH a Leonardo Dicaprio movie MUST WATCH” but then sometimes I get dragged to one or catch on HBO or he is part of a cast I mostly like and then I go..”well, he wasnt bad at all”
I only know you from your posts here but I can honestly say I think you are fabulous. Your comments are always entertaining and on point. I completely agree about dysfunctional marriages being way worse than divorce.
OOH Hugs and kissies for you for that! *tinks*
Here, here!!
I agree with Diana–you are truly a Celebitchy gem and I love reading your comments.
AND I appreciated the hug you sent me when I wrote about my ghastly childhood and I send one right back to you, amiga.
*hug*
frida! if you make me ugly cry …so Help Me…
My QQ, MINE! *pets QQ*
I completely co-sign everything you’ve said about divorce here, but Anna has grown on me to the point that I can say yes, she is a draw now. I will watch stuff because of her (SNL, for example). Plus, PORTLAND MAINE REPRESENT!!!
Hear hear!
I think she is a draw mainly because she’s been more than terrific in everything I’ve seen her in (save for Twilight, nobody did anything even remotely charming there)
Love this shoot and love Ana. The styling is really simple but well done.
She’s right about staying together for the kids. My mom filed the second she found out my dad had a mistress and if she hadn’t, I would respect her a lot less, I had friends who’s parents stayed together and never really worked through the cheating/discourse— lived seperate lives. Only were seen together at important events and my friends idea of marriage is very very unhealthy. One overcompensates by thinking you need to do everything together all the time and her husband looks like he’s suffocating most days. The other constantly picks the wrong men because she’s so scared of someone she cares about leaving her.
That’s exactly it! My parents have been together since they were 15 and 18 respectively. They’ve been almost divorced like 5 times now. I can remember being young and my dad making me get in the car to go find my mom cause they had an explosive fight, I also remember crying at the front door with my sister hoping she’d come back and when she did she took my sister, left, and left me crying on the floor. They don’t even have sex anymore. I have all kinds of abandonment issues and I’ve had several unhealthy relationships in my life. Now at 24 I have a chance at a normal healthy relationship, but I have to work at my issues everyday so I don’t smother him or chase him off. Far better to just break it off and move on.
This girl is not hot. She is basic.
Do all the stars have to be “hot”? She looks great in my opinion even if it is more girl next door kind of way. And most importantly she is talented actress and singer so isn´t that enough?
Look at the cover. I agree she is talented, they should put that on the cover.
I think she’s fabulous. And I love that she’s getting such a great male fanbase. We women have our crazy crushes on men that don’t look like Brad Pitt. It’s refreshing to see some males follow suit with not always going gaga over the 6 ft tall blonde big tits skinny as a rail no brains women.
If she’s basic, then bring on the basic!
I also feel like our definition of “hot” is super gendered and at times….sexist. Why do all women have to fit into the same generic male gaze mold? I like Anna. She’s cute.
@Sighs She looks typically Hollywood skinny to me. In fact her face has a very… pinched look to me. I’m surprised that people aren’t here bashing how tiny she is (like they do with other stars)…
I have to admit mostly all I see when I look at her are those big white teeth,but I do think she’s cute.
Yeah she is cute and talented. They put her in a fugly red dress with big hair and makeup, and all of a sudden Anna is red-hot. Lol give it a rest already.
Really? She looks cute to me. I think her face takes well to makeup. She looked great at the Met Gala. Whenever people say somebody good looking enough to succeed in Hollywood is girl-next-door, I always wonder what the heck neighborhood they grew up in. 🙂
IKR? I think she’s very pretty.
Dang, if she’s basic most women are screwed.
Anna Kendrick is attractive. But she is hot because of her mind and talent. I file her with other celebs who are good looking, but are beyond sexy for their personas: Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, and… gee, this is a short list! I can’t think of any others who fit the bill.
She and Alison are both Girl Next Door types. Some men really like that look and persona, and there’s certainly room in movies for women who have images other than sexpot or fashion girl.
Her mouth looks weird to me.
I prefer quality over “hot” – as in I’d rather watch Meryl Streep any day than Kristen Stewart, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Aniston or any other supposed “hot” actress. But then, I’m a girl:)
I get it that if you are in an abusive situation then don’t stay for the kids. However, if you just aren’t happy or want to explore other options that is no reason to break up a family. Things change in a marriage and grass isn’t greener on other side. In 6 months someone who isn’t happy could be happy again.
Slapping a smile on your face sometimes isn’t the worse thing you can do.
I agree with her though unhealthy is not good for kids.
I have to agree. There are ways to keep a happy home life for your kids and not completely uproot their lives; the exceptions (among others obviously) being abuse and cases where very, very young children’s daily lives will most likely not be impacted by a divorce.
When the kids are any older than 5 or 6, though, and the issue is more a lack of love in the relationship, I think that parents have an obligation to make a happy home for their children until they are out of high school at least, settled in college hopefully. If that means an open marriage (where other partners are allowed but not in the home) then that’s what you do.
I think the trick is learning to differentiate between ennui and genuine unhappiness. If you’re bored, if you feel out of synch, then maybe it’s time for couples counseling to explore why you’re feeling that way. But if you hate your life and can’t enjoy any of the good stuff because of this one factor, you might have a much bigger problem.
My mum always says me she always was not happy with my daddy ( they had some affairs) BUT never regretted to be married with him.She cried much much when he’s dead.
I think that all relationships will have difficult periods and you should try harder to work for them if you have children and not just give up. When I was a child my parents constantly fought but I rather had them fighting than that we would not be a family anymore. I respect my parents more now that they worked things out and I think that is a good model for marriage.
But abusive situations are obviously different.
I agree. Marriage is a series of phases and while most years are really good, some year’s are bad. If you’re married for a long time, both of you are growing and sometimes in different directions. I understand feeling resentful if a she were a child that came from a bad marriage and she had to endure all the tension and fighting, but at the same time, if she’s never had children of her own, she doesn’t know one thing about the confusion and indecision that goes into making such a huge change in a family. She’s young, so I give her a pass, but she doesn’t know squat about being a mother or a wife. She only knows what her life at as a kid and young adult was like.
completely agree Kcarp. I think people are so numb to the idea of working things out that boredom and irritation sometimes spiral into breaking up a family before people realize what they are doing until its too late and they gave up too quickly. Thats sad because to me family should always come first.
I understand divorce with abuse, unrepentant and repeated cheating but simply “I’m just not happy/inspired anymore” doesn’t cut it for me when a family is involved.
Of course I grew up in a pretty stable nuclear family but my husband grew up with two alcoholics that only got better when they split up for good after 15 years of chaos so like Dr Phil says, “its better to be from a broken home than live in one”.
I’m just happy in this country we have options.
I agree mostly. But I have parents that should almost have divorced a decade ago because of their intense unhappiness. They probably shouldn’t have married and had us in the first place. I had a childhood FULL of fighting, and yelling, and people leaving, and me in the middle, expected to take sides, and expected to try to cheer my younger, autistic brother up. So to me, the line shouldn’t be at abuse. It should be at the point where you’re affecting your kids lives negatively by being together.
They’re still unhappy. They’re claiming to be going to marriage counseling soon, but I don’t know if it’s repairable at this point.
I think that’s a very good line to draw. I think drawing the line at abuse or cheating only is too narrow. I left my husband after years of him acting miserable, watching me do all of the work outside of the home and most of it inside, and him rejecting me physically. I was miserable – he seemed miserable – and it was not a healthy situation for our children. I tried to fake it for a couple of years but it was impossible. I think people need to realize that there are lots of unhappy marriages that are more than just boredom/growing apart but less than physically abusive (or involving a spouse with an addiction) and those aren’t healthy situations for anyone involved.
I’m sorry to hear that Erinn. My boyfriends parents argued thoughout his childhood and they basically lead seperate lives under the same roof now. He hates it.
Nope. Nope nope nope. I agree with giving it your all and not leaving just because you have a wild hair but if a marriage isn’t working for whatever reason, even a superficial one you just have to go. My parents never fought in front of us, they appeared happy to the outside world and the marriage was not abusive. But they were miserable and stuck it out for 25 miserable years. The poison of a bad marriage got to them and it got to me and my brothers. None of us had a clue how to navigate a healthy adult relationship when we left home (and remember my parents weren’t awful to each other – they just never LOVED each other) and honestly I’m not sure any of us still do. My oldest brother married the most evil, abusive beast to ever roam the earth, the other brother is with a wonderful woman who will no doubt leave him one day because he is incapable of giving affection and I’m recently married and trying hard but even I can see myself repeating the same patterns of pushing him away because I don’t know how to give love properly. I’m going to fix it at least but there’s no denying that my parent’s ostensibly ‘ok’ marriage shouldn’t have continued because it did more harm than good.
As an aside too you are forgetting the guilt a child in that situation can feel, knowing they are the reason their parents were miserable for a lot longer than they needed to be. I love my parents, I would always prefer they be happy apart than together and sad.
I actually really like Anna Kendrick. I just LOVE the fact that she has the best career out of all the Twilight actors (you know Ashley Green and The Lutz shit a brick when they heard she’d been nominated for an Oscar).
I do think that she’s going to be around for a long time. The kind of career she has–it’s based on the fact that she can act. She doesn’t have to rely on anything else. The most personal thing that I know about her is that she likes to go to Taco Bell at three in the morning.
Whenever I see celebrities bitching about Twitter and social media, I think of Anna Kendrick. She tweets a lot (for a celebrity) and yet, I don’t know much about her, personally. I just know that I like her and she seems funny and real-ish. She’s proof that it is possible to just live your life and not be a pill about the “cost” of celebrity.
Right? She’s one of the few celebs who does Twitter right. Quick, witty, and not oversharing.
She was absolutely one of the best things about those films. You can tell that the directors figured it out early on; starting at the second movie, gave her some great lines that didn’t appear in the books.
She’s funny, talented, and doesn’t appear to be full of herself. I hope she has a great career.
Agreed on all of this! And Rob is slowly starting to follow on that path, as well.
I love her…she’s my “girl crush”. She was on So You Think You Can Dance” last year and she was hilarious. She does seem like she’s more “normal” than your average Hollywood denizen. Like she’d be fun to hang out with.
I always thought she has a mouse face. Sorry but I can’t go past it. She is talented and all but not attractive in my opinion.
I used to wish my parents would get divorce. Their relationship was such a disaster, and they were (are) so difficult to deal with on their own that they were only exponentially worse while living under the same roof. They stayed together, for whatever reason(s), and my brother and I definitely suffered as a result. He’s in a miserable marriage with a woman who’s even worse than our mother, and I have spent years and thousands of dollars on counseling to get to a halfway decent place in life, emotionally and psychologically.
Saddenly I’ve had the same experience.
Christmas and holidays were the WORST, because it’s the time of the year when you’re supposed to be with your family, and have a good time, instead there was (at least chez moi) an awful tension, you can’t pretend to be happy and relaxed when you’re not. It’s a toxic atmosphere, I escaped (literally, that’s what I did) thanks to college.
And things get worst as time goes by,because when they get older they spend times fighting about how the other one ruined their lives. I remember once I was fighting with my mum who was complaining about dad, and I told her “the truth is: you should have gotten divorce 20 years ago”.
Even if I did a lot of work to find my own peace; I still refuse to get married: I have a wonderful boyfriend, but I would never marry him, because I am terrified by the idea of becoming like my mum and dad.
OMG I loved her in 50/50!
That was a great movie and everyone (seth/JGL) was great in it!
I really like her. I think mainly, with Allison Brie it’s her bust attracting them more than anything. And she automatically gets the vote of the die-hard community fans, I guess.
I just find Kendrick so likable. She’s the kind of hollywood person I’d want to hang out with, if that makes sense.
I agree on the divorce thing, too. I was young when my parents divorced, but all I remember of them as a couple is the fighting. it was definitely the best decision for them to split. a few years after they divorced, they made up (as friends) and have been best friends ever since. they’ve always lived in neighboring towns, and when my brother and I were growing up, they were there for our plays and sports games and dance recitals as a team. people who didn’t know were surprised that they weren’t together, because they were/are so in each others’ lives. and my dad is actually re-married, and has been for about 15 years.
also, I love anna kendrick!
I love this! Thank you for sharing a divorce success story about people who can be happy as friends and be supportive of their kids and do what’s in their best interest. I always hear about split couples who hate each other and are miserable. People forget that they can split, find their own happiness and can co-parent in a friendly manner.
@ab and @ Rose Great comments! I think the key in these situations is recognizing that it isn’t going to work before it gets so toxic and things are said and done that can’t be forgiven and repaired.
I liked her more in Pitch Perfect than 50/50- thought that one was her performance in Up the Air re-heated. To me,she has a cute foxy face, and love that she takes fashion risks at events. Wasn’t she also nominated for a Tony at age 12/13? She really has kept a level head on her shoulders.
I always wonder why you rarely cover Anna. She’s all kinds of awesome!!!
I really like Anna, she’s funny, smart, and talented. Plus she seems to handle the whole career/fame thing very well, and maintain a nice level of privacy despite her growing fan base.
I like Alison Brie too and think she is talented as well, but I feel like she’s always “on”.
Watched Pitch Perfect on a whim, not knowing anything about it and was really impressed. She is very talented and going places
Oh my gosh I love Anna! I have only really just discovered her in Pitch Perfect. I mean I knew she was that jealous teen in Twilight and that she got an Oscar nom for Up in the Air or whatever it was called. I liked her in that movie by the way. Anyway, she seems like a really cool girl. I LOVE the movie Pitch Perfect which I only just discovered recently on HBO and have watched it obsessively for weeks now. I had no idea she could sing. That was a talented bunch in that movie and her co-star Skylar Astin is so hot. I love love that movie and recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it yet. I am a forever fan of both Anna and Skylar now. I also listen to the final number over and over at work. I prefer her version of that 80’s song to the original.
I love Anna Kendrick. For someone that showed up in LA to do a failed pilot shes articulate and honest compared to her peers (mostly Twilight).
– Check out her Nerdist Podcast interview where she bitches out Jessica Biel “… the only reason I made is was because of my looks.”
I don’t like her eye makeup. Its the same everytime I see her. It’s too thick underneath her eyes.
I think she is so cool, maybe not conventionally “hot”, but who cares for conventions. She seems smart and witty and has talent by the bucketful, I see her as a younger Sandra Bullock.
Glad to see others liked 50/50 as well. I thought everyone in the movie was excellent, even that awful Bryce Dallas Howard because she was cast perfectly as the awful and annoying girlfriend..
She looks smashing in this photoshoot!
I agree with AK — no one should stay in an abusive or toxic relationship “for the children.” That said, a happy marriage is possible for most couples as long as they put the other person first and continually work on unity and intimacy. Holding grudges, nitpicking, selfishness … these are the seeds of most major marriage problems. Nip those in the bud, my friends! Finances and sex are also big triggers, but communication and compromise go a long way.
I’m no expert, but I am a decade and four kids into my marriage experience. We’ve weathered some serious storms – losing our dads, infant loss, job loss, my waistline – but when he walks in the door every night, I still get weak in the knees because I made a choice to never take him for granted. (It doesn’t hurt that he loves to clean the house!)
As a child of divorce with kids of my own, I completely disagree with her. I think staying together for the kids is a great idea – you created a family, now be the grown up and keep it together. Of course, all bets are off if there is abuse, but general malaise or even frequent fighting is not sufficient reason for divorce. I have watched too many marriages fall apart because one party “just isn’t happy.” And – the divorce ends up creating as many problems as it solves. I am happily married – but part of the reason is that we are both 110% to keeping our family together for the sake of our kids. Yes, we absolutely fight, but over the years, we have learned how to fight fair and there is always a foundation of love and commitment. My kids will have definitely witnessed some fights, but hopefully that will have taught them that unconditional love and commitment means staying true through the good times and the bad.
Speak for yourself. I couldn’t wait for my parents to get divorced and I am a better person, a better wife because they knew when to pull the plug. What works for one family doesn’t work for another. If you are *only* staying together for your children and there is nothing else to save, you are hurting your children by maintaining an unhappy relationship and teaching them that it is acceptable to be unhappy for a lifetime.
@marigold: Agree. When I was in my miserable marriage, which only came about because of an unplanned pregnancy, I often asked myself “Would you want this for your kids?” and the answer was always no. Since separating from my ex just over two years ago I always miss my kids when they’re not with me but I never miss my ex. All in all life is better for us now.
@marigold. 100% agree. I wish may parents had divorced a long time ago. Better yet, I wish they had never been married. And yes, I realize that I wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t. But to see my Mom, who is one the nicest people on the planet, put up with my Dad’s sh*t on a daily basis to this day is heartbreaking. She was raised that you stick it out and refuses to divorce him even though we know she’s in denial about how bad it is. She deserves better. They are “celebrating” 47 years in January.
She is gonna have a great career like Amy Adams. No high profile boy friends, no drama, just great talent and work. It will take her far.
Loved Kendrick’s cup song
Agree with her comments on divorce. You’re not doing your kids or yourself any favors by subjected them to a strained marriage.
My parents divorced when I was a teenager and I thank God for that. I watched their marriage slowly disintegrate over the span of a few years and it was horrible. They stopped talking to each other and only spoke to me. I was miserable. (Luckily they didn’t do that immature thing where they’re both in the room with me and one says,”Well, tell your MOTHER…” It was fairly mature, I guess. Stone cold silent but mature.) Sometimes marriages don’t work out. It’s just a fact. There are times when the best thing to do is let go. The fact that there can be second chances in life is a great lesson for anyone at any age to learn.
She looks nice, but unless there is a medical reason for it, I wish she would close her mouth for photos! Why oh why is the ‘open mouthed pout’ a thing?!