jill brooke

New Book Urges Wannabe Brides to Settle

Look what happened to Jenny Sanford for following that advice

Posted to by Jill Brooke on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 8:47pm

In an ironic twist, Jenny Sanford and Lori Gottlieb are hitting the bookstores at the same time. In Marry Him - The Case For Mr. Good Enough, Gottlieb says women should be less picky and settle, and now Sanford will be on the same talk shows discussing the consequences when you do.

Sanford's book is called Staying True, written because her husband wasn't True Blue. Of all her revelations, one sticks out in my mind. Jenny Sanford acknowledged that she was never in love with Mark Sanford when they got married. "It wasn't exactly love at first sight," she said. "It was more like friendship after first sight."

The former investment banker from Lezard Freres calculated that investing in a resume instead of a person would reap rewards. She did get to be the First Lady of South Carolina. But she didn't get to be the First Lady of his heart.

They produced successful campaigns as well as four adorable sons. It wasn't enough. It rarely is when love isn't the driving force in the relationship.

read more >>

Can Stepmother Sandra Bullock Be a Better Parent Than Biological Porn Star Mom?

Posted to by Jill Brooke on Fri, 11/06/2009 - 9:56pm

Rarely when fathers seek full custody of a child are the facts so stacked against the mother as in the case between "Monster Garage" star Jesse James and his ex-wife, porn star Janine Lindemulder. The couple are battling in court for custody of 5-year-old daughter Sunny. Not only is Lindemulder a porn star, which is a career that one can argue has negative moral and lifestyle implications on a child's upbringing, but she is married to a felon and has an alleged drug problem. James on the other hand is married to Sandra Bullock, who has been called "America's sweetheart."

I guess it won't surprise you that few fathers get full custody. The ones who even attempt it usually have an arsenal of evidence. According to the Association of Matrimonial Lawyers, the majority of cases are now joint custody.

Bullock and James have had sole custody of 5-year-old Sunny for the past six months since Lindemulder was in jail -- yes, jail -- for tax evasion.

read more >>

Stepfathers Who Inspire – and Some Who Don’t

Posted to by Jill Brooke on Sun, 10/11/2009 - 8:36am

Christie Brinkley’s children have the unique distinction of having both the worst and best stepfather in America. 

Peter Cook got gonged as a bad stepfather for using his stepson Jack’s computer to look at porn and according to Alexa, he also was nasty to her. But Billy Joel gets an honorary mention as one of the best, because after he and the supermodel divorced and split custody of their daughter Alexa, Christie Brinkley remarried and had two children, Jack and Sailor. But Joel became a loving paternal figure for Alexa’s siblings. In fact, Jack and Sailor call him Uncle Billy. Which is why even though technically he isn’t a stepfather who lived with them, he has shown how elastic the heart can be in extended families and gets our honorary mention.

This list was inspired by the movie “The Stepfather” which is coming out next week. In it, the stepfather is far from a loving helpful figure. Instead, this stepfather is every child’s nightmare.  

read more >>

Do You Really Think Mel Gibson is Bothered by Giving His Wife $400 Million?

Posted to by Jill Brooke on Tue, 04/14/2009 - 3:17pm

There is something poignant and symbolic that Robyn Gibson, the loyal, dutiful wife of actor Mel Gibson, chose Easter weekend to file divorce papers after 28 years of marriage. With Easter representing resurrection, maybe this is a new beginning for her.

When she met her husband, then a struggling Australian actor, she was a 24-year-old dental assistant. While he was on locations around the globe filming movies for months at a time, she fulfilled an important part of their partnership. She was home raising seven children, a massive job that includes keeping meticulous schedules that rival many CFO’s spreadsheets.

There’s the doctors appointments, the after school activities which require shuttling kids to and from ballet to hockey practices, a job that needs to be planned with Swiss-like efficiency, and the expectation that somewhere along the line a child will forget a sneaker or stick and call Mom to have it delivered.

read more >>

What Rihanna Could Learn From Tina Turner

Posted to by Jill Brooke on Thu, 03/12/2009 - 9:56am

Rihanna needs to have a talk with Tina Turner.

A generation ago, Turner left her abusive husband, Ike Turner, and not only survived, but thrived. Indeed, in songs such as “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”, Turner was able to carve out a new future for herself as well as a stable relationship that has endured over 20 years. Her story also became a cautionary tale for other women and created a national dialogue on the realities of domestic abuse.

Rihanna’s problems are clearly deep-rooted, as are those of most abuse victims. As former special crimes prosecutor Linda Fairstein recently said, the reasons women stay with those that hit and beat them are not always understandable. But it seems that the outpouring of anger towards Rihanna’s boyfriend Chris Brown may be shaking her from a stupor.

read more >>

Chris Brown Charged With Assaulting Rihanna

brutal details of alleged abuse emerge

Posted to by Jill Brooke on Fri, 03/06/2009 - 11:23am

Rihanna may be back with Chris Brown, but that doesn't mean the police are going to back off in charging him with two felonies for roughing up his girlfriend on Grammy night. Although Brown issued a statement saying he was sorry and saddened by the incident and will seek help — and Rihanna's statement said she is "doing well" and is thankful for all the fan support — the law is now taking over.

Brown is going to have twist himself like a pretzel in making sure that Rihanna doesn't testify against him, though pictures do say a thousand words. TMZ got the original shot of the bruised singer, and those cuts and swollen eyes and lips tell the story. 
In fact, Fox 11 in Los Angeles along with TMZ have compiled compelling facts about the incident. 


This is what Fox 11 reported:


read more >>

Why Rihanna Reconciled With Chris Brown

The trappings of domestic abuse

Posted to by Jill Brooke on Wed, 03/04/2009 - 11:42am

After being allegedly beat up, Rihanna isn't invoking Aretha Franklin's lyric "You're Not Welcome Anymore" to Chris Brown, which is upsetting but not surprising.

After Brown left Rihanna so bruised that she couldn't perform on February 8th for the Grammys, any rational person would never see the creep again. Prior to this case, many falsely believed that those who stick with someone after physical abuse are only doing it because they are trapped — they don't have money, independence or a viable place to go.

But clearly Rihanna doesn't fit that profile. She's enormously successful and has the cash and cachet to go wherever she wants. But now the couple is reunited.

After the incident, Brown released a statement saying, "Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired" and noted that he was "seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones."

She forgave him. Why?

read more >>