Gwyneth Paltrow Wants You To Know She Can Write
Earlier this week, The Goopster's face was front and center in a New York Times article about ghost written cookbooks. I loved it and was going to write something about it, but the article was more about the life of ghostwriter chef rather than getting into specifics of which books were written by ghostwriters. Well, the Gwyneth took to her Twitter to dispel any notions that she did not write her book. She says she wrote every word. I wonder though where she got the recipes for her book. I'm sorry but there is no way she will ever convince me that she created every recipe in the book. She might have cooked them all, but she did not create them so isn't that like having a ghostwriter?
48 comments:
You know, I really respect Blythe Danner. Classy lady - never hear any negative talk about her. Great actress. Seemingly good person. A rarity in show biz.
Then there's this one. She is just such a turd. Typical Hollywood cuckoo bird. Truly believes the tales she spins. Blythe must be proud.
Honey Badger don't care about Gwyneth. Even the spelling of her name is pretense.
eh, all you have to do is change 1 itsy thing and it's "new".
kinda like you told us with songwriting credits..
Blythe Danner is my celebrity "I-want-her-for-my-mom".
Read the article Enty's talking about and kept waiting for them to touch on Goop's book, but like he said, they didn't.
Fishsticks certainly grates on my nerves. There is no way she wrote her recipes.
But hell even Sandra Dee has people write her recipes. I'll never forget reading the article from the woman who wrote the Kwanza cake recipe: http://dlisted.com/node/40059
Guess we're up at the same time Em. Nolachickee,I had to laugh when you called her a turd. Gawd that was great.
Maybe we should quote Shakespere: Me thinks doth protest too much.
Ya know I've been cooking since I was 9, have no children and a good 22 yrs on his trick. Cooking really is a passion of mine. But seriously I think unless you are a professional chef or passionate like M.F.K.Fisher or Julia you would be hard pressed to come up with a whole cookbook. Susan who visits this site hopefully can chime in on this since she also cooks. I know and have created a lot but 50 or 100? That would take some doing. Ghostwriter for Goopy. Damn skippy she did.
Gwyneth Paltrow has always struck me as someone whose quite pretentious and a snob. I couldn't have been more surprised when my cousin (whose a dance teacher at a school that Apple attends), told me that GP is actually quite a nice woman, apparently she's friendly and very down to earth. The dance school was initially worried about how they'd handle having the daughter of a famous person at their school, because it's not posh and they're not equipped to handle any fancy demands. But apparently Gwyneth has never made any demands of them, she's polite and respectful to the teachers and the other mums who take their kids to the school, and doesn't demand special treatment for her daughter.
I was shocked as this was the complete opposite of what I thought she'd be liked and was also annoyed at my cousin for not telling me all this sooner, I mean it's no secret how much I love gossip and I thought it was very selfish of her not to divulge this earlier.
As though to confirm this, my neighbour whose a celebrity manager for a charity, knows a senior member of GP's staff as he volunteers for the charity in his spare time. My neighbour asked GP's employee if GP would be willing to donate something for a charity auction. The employee asked and GP was extremely generous; she donated a beautiful handbag amongst a few other items, sorry I've forgotten the details but it was all worth a lot of money. The handbag in itself was a worth a couple of thousand of pounds. The fact that these items formerly belonged to GP also added to their value. I guess you could say she's rich enough so she can afford it, but what my neighbour was struck by, was that she was asked for one thing and she very happily provided more than she was asked. I don't think she necessarily did it for PR reasons either because there wasn't a lot of press for this event.
Over all, both these instances have made me re-assess what GP might really be like as opposed to how she comes across, and I grudgingly admit that perhaps she's a nicer person than I was willing to give her credit for.
Can't stand the smug b****.
@Roxxx
Thanks for sharing that. It's funny, when I read anything about Gwyneth in print I can't stand her, she comes across as completely full of herself and out of touch with normal people, but when I see her on shows being interviewed I actually like her.
Sher, check your email. Sent you a good link! (She's NOT an axe murderer she's NOT an axe murderer she's NOT an axe murderer...)
Nice story @Roxxx, thanks for sharing!
Ms. Blythe is my favorite celebrity mom too. So I have to hope that Gwennie isn't all that bad, plus she landed Chris Martin. Hmmm... My dislike can't all be jealousy, can it? No my gut says pompous self important twat. Haha!!!
Nice story @Roxxx, thanks for sharing!
Ms. Blythe is my favorite celebrity mom too. So I have to hope that Gwennie isn't all that bad, plus she landed Chris Martin. Hmmm... My dislike can't all be jealousy, can it? No my gut says pompous self important twat. Haha!!!
@Sherry, I respectfully disagree; unless we're talking patisserie (whole different discipline) it's not unrealistic for one to create 100 recipes / variations over a few years (or more). I sure have; the difference is that for most I haven't spent time refining / testing them until they're bulletproof for the average home cook.
Now, a busy celeb without culinary training / experience creating & testing 100 recipes all on her own? On THAT I call BS.
She uses snake venom on her face to keep from getting wrinkles. Wonder how many other people use it?
Thanks for the story, @Roxxx
I like her. She cracks me up because she is clueless that she comes across smug, but ulitimately I do think she's a nice person faults and all.
The culinary arts are FULL of people who blatantly copy other people. I believe that there's not a single original recipe out there right now (unless you count the one for Coke, and I don't, because that shit is probably toxic), and that every single cookbook author borrows liberally from other people.
Fucking ~foodies~ really need to stop taking the mere act of preparing a meal so seriously. If you view it in some holy light, go feed emaciated children or some shit. No one cares about your foams, or your glazes, or your tiny little plates of nouvelle cuisine that wouldn't even sate my CAT, let alone a healthy adult with hunger pangs.
Sorry. The Foodie thing has been bugging me for a while. Anthony Bourdain can suck it.
Anyway, I don't hate Gwyneth. She's always impressed me with her range, and she's willing to deglam on camera for a role. In terms of Hollywood spawn, she's done WAY better work than, say, Kate Hudson. She appears to have a ton of girlfriends, too -- it's the actresses who have NO friends of either gender and/or whore out their kids for the paps(hi, Angelina!) who sketch ME out.
I kinda feel as if she can't do right by anyone at this point.
There, there Ida, everything is going to be okay. Here...nibble on this delicious unassuming Twinkie. ;)
I love food. I love everything about it INCLUDING their fucking glazes and yes, I have read chef biographies and autobiographies. To each their own.
Oooooh, maybe you should create a cook book called "Suck it. Ways to cook your food without seeming like a total douche". Would probably sell pretty well! There is a demographic for every book.
I like food, don't much cooking even though I'm quite good at it, and am sick of foodies pretending it's like learning Sanskrit or something. It's not. It's just food. Cooking is not hard. Nor is baking.
I read that NY Times piece this morning. It was quite interesting, not just the Goop parts. Her ghost writer goes on to say they are working on a second book together. Here's the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/dining/i-was-a-cookbook-ghostwriter.html?_r=1&ref=dining
@mother campfire -- I, too, love food. And I love a tasty, unpretentious meal that was prepared with concern and love. But I also think that the modern quest to scour the globe to use EVERY exotic ingredient is ridiculous. Like you said: to each her own.
I don't want to write a cookbook. I'll just stick to perusing the books that have already been written -- many of which have been published decades ago -- if I want to put something delicious on my table.
Also, if Enty is criticizing Gwyneth for using a ghostwriter, a big sideeye is warranted. He does NOT write all his posts.
Hee hee!!
I can't stand the woman and think she's a pretentious twat, but in her defense I just glanced at the NY Times piece online and it reads, "I was really a food ghost — one of the ink-stained (and grease-covered) wretches who actually produce most of the words that are attributed to chefs in cookbooks and food magazines and on Web sites." Words, not recipes.
So I don't believe our dear Goop has claimed she's invented the recipes in her book. She just brings wonderful things to us lesser mortals, like recipes for delicious concoctions with ingredients we might have a hard time finding (or affording), TV shows about food pilgrimages in Spain featuring other celebrities, and $400 colon cleanses (bitch's colon must be cleaner than a hospital surgery room).
As far as her having a ton of girlfriends she's had some pretty acrimonious BFF breakups (Winona Ryder and Madonna). Those got as much press and mileage as romantic breakups. Actually, I'm shocked that she and Madge were friends at all. They're both pretty fucking self absorbed to the point of obnoxiousness. I put it down to Goop being a fame whore. She seems to gravitate/suck up to other famous people. (Godmother to Blue Ivy? Really??)
Blythe Danner is one of my favorites, I love her she's talented and lovely and her voice...oh how I love to hear her speak...
Now Gwyneth. how Blythe could have a daughter who is so totally full of shit is beyond me..Her voice, she opens her mouth and I'm bored...
First the recipes...I believe recipes are public domain..so do some research, find something that suits you and tweak it and viola it's your's...
And they all do it...every last one of them, however some have the grace to give credit to the chef who inspired them.
In a way I fell sorry for Goopie she's just trying to stay relevant and hold onto her husband, her movie career is pretty much over. Sure she'll do a film here or there but for now she's becoming Martha Stewart the 2nd. Anything that keeps her name out there...
@MISCH -- I, too, have a WAY bigger crush on Blythe than I do on Gwyneth.
But I have to disagree that G's movie career is suffering. I think she's facing the same occupational challenges that hit many actresses in their mid-thirties, but I just watched Contagion a week or so ago, and she was an excellent part of a terrifying and very well-made movie. It wasn't a big, flashy role, but she was awesome.
I know she's made some stinkers, but at least she's not whoring herself out to the Rom-Com directors. I have to give her props for that.
I WILL, however, shit on her for guest-starring on Glee. SERIOUSLY, Gwyneth?!
BTW, you haters will love Contagion. She dies a really gross, prolonged, and graphic death. ;-)
OMG that Sandra Lee video is hysterical! That was an entirely processed food cake, with the possible exception of the pepitas. Ew.
Funny that Gwyneth and Jada are in today's articles. I can't stand either one of them and I really have no idea why. They've got that certain bad 'je ne sais quoi'.
Mother Campfire wrote, ""Suck it. Ways to cook your food without seeming like a total douche"
That is fucking funny. My brother suffers a rage aneurysm whenever he sees pretentious nonsense in food. When chefs take something like poutine, which is fries, gravy and cheese curds (and the most amazing thing you'll ever eat, especially with a belly full of beer) and they'll add lobster and foie gras or whatever nonsense and treat it like it's the holy grail. So annoying.
I like Gwyneth. She comes across as cold but I like that. She's completely pretentious but I'll bet if you called her on it, she'd take it well. I was glad to hear Roxx's story.
@ strawberrygirl, dia papaya, RenoBlondee:
Thanks girls, it’s nice to share gossip with those who appreciate it. That’s my one and only celebrity insider knowledge. And it’s not even first hand. I’m clearly not stalking enough.
I love Gwyneth. Her heart's in the right place, she just lives in a different world and doesn't realise.
@Ida and AuntieM..You both get my point but in different ways. Auntie, sure I have MANY recipes that I can put into a book but truly how many are a tweak on what is already out there? I must be honest with myself and say some are a derivation on something already done. There just are not that many truly creative chefs IMHO and I include myself amongst that group. Don't get me wrong, people LOVE coming to Blanc Debris for dinner but I think some people confuse TECHNIQUE with originality. And Ida, yeah, some people just have to get all juggy with it and proclaim tree bark as the next big thing and that's just some crazy shit. Yeah Anthony B can suck it ..But I mean that in a nasty way and about my lady bits.
And oh yeah, I have also hear Goop is very nice in person but the end of her friendships makes me a wee bit suspcious. And to that EmEyeKay..Nope, axe murdering just doesn't appeal to me. But hey, thanks for asking! LOL!
That NYT article was interesting. It is a little contradictory b/c GP did have someone who is a cookbook ghost writer help her with the book. And supposedly this same woman is helping GP on her 2nd one.
Hey girls....as long as we're talking about food...I'm still trying to duplicate my great grandmothers poppyseed cookies, not to sweet...she would roll them in a log and take them out of the freezer and slice them and pop them in the oven...whenever we came over.
There was never a written recipe, my mom's been trying to come close for years and finally gave up...
It's definitely Polish/Russian Eastern European recipe...and it had a hint of lemon...just yummy...any ideas ?
When is Enty going to have the recipe roundup again? I actually tried a few of the recipes that were posted on the last go around and I was pleasantly surprised. And Ida, I too watched Contagion (just last night) and I was surprised at how well done of a movie it was. I also had not realized that Gwyneth had a pivotal role in the movie, altho not a lot of face time. I want to like Goopy, I truly want to but to me, she is so off putting and she comes across completely insufferable.
@Sherry oh YES on Bourdain. *fans self* I don't care about ORIGINALITY if his TECHNIQUE is good. ;-)
I totally need to read this NYTimes article. I guarantee Goopie had a ghostwriter help her with her book. I'm sure Rachael Ray and all the other celebrity chefs do the same thing. I totally give Gwyneth the sideeye on many areas, but I guess she knows what she's talking about re: food. I mean she is boys with Mario Batali. I tried watching their PBS Spanish extravaganza but it was too pretentious for my blood. As a person who LOVES to cook, I totally believe that we all take a recipe and adapt it to be our own. And I definitely think the best recipes are handed down from older generations, and they're usually not even documented. My 90-plus grandmoms both just cook from their minds. That's why I gathered all the womens in my family a few years ago - kicking and screaming - and put together a rocking family cookbook. Each person submitted a few recipes. And, I actually sat down with my grandmoms - who absolutely love to cook - I wrote out their recipes as they talked me through it. Totally recommend you do that.
MISCH - That poppyseed cookie experiment sounds super interesting. There's a poppyseed cookie recipe in my Martha Stewart cookie cookbook. I'm gonna go check it out. Maybe it will help you.
Nice story, Roxxx, I like to hear about celebs being nice to the little people.
There was just an article in the NYT this past week (Wednesday?) that mentions by name the person who worked on Gwyneth's book.
I can't hate GOOP because she is the gift that keeps on giving! She always gives me something to make fun of her for.
On a side note, I always know a book is bad when the forward is put on the cover. It screams,"this book sucks!" Reminds me of the great line from Shakespeare's As You Like It: "If it be true that good wine needs no bush, 'tis true no good play needs no epilogue."
MISCH - I've never made these, but I thought maybe it would help you in your research. Good luck!
http://www.marthastewart.com/356091/lemon-poppy-seed-cookies
Thanks Susan going to go look at it...her cheesecake is to die for, the best, the easiest...just yum...
Oh, Oh, another recipe roundup! I better start typing the dutch croquette recipe now so all I must do is cut and paste. I hate getting hit with something like this during a time crunch and not have 20 minutes to spare.
As for my opinion of Gwyneth...I think she may be a wee bit lonely sitting so perfectly in her castle. (Maybe that is why she always has her hair long.....)
I'm with Jessie, and I like Roxxx's story. GP's probably a decent person, but she's just so removed from regular folks that she just doesn't get it. I get GOOP and sometimes there's actually some interesting stuff, I kid you not. She's not her mother, whom I adore, but she's not the Antichrist like so many claim. ;-)
As far as the BFF breakups, I know *I* can't judge.
I've had some respect from GP ever since she proved she knew the difference between patriotism and nationalism. (A distinction the media covering her comments didn't seem to grasp.)
And I learned to cook from the man whose recipe for Dove Breast With Bacon was: wrap a dove breast in bacon. Grill.
Just read the NYT piece. It was an interesting read, but it seemed to have a bit of a sour grapes tone. I would have appreciated it more if the writer was able to name names. I liked that Bobby Flay was quoted in it. I feel like the article could have revealed more. I finished it and my thought was, "Well, so what?"
I definitely think Rachael Ray wrote her first 30 minute meal cookbooks. The tone of her later books and the fast pace at which they were produced makes me think she had nothing to do with them at all.
This broad seriously needs to read Weston A. Price and be done with it already. You're doing it all wrong, lady.
Gwyneth may grate on people's nerves, may insult all of Middle/Lower Class America, is annoying with her obnoxious holier than thou advice...but she makes me laugh. Also, she may be better than the rest of human civilization, but at least she's not sleeping around, doing drugs, drug dealing or neglecting her children and living a shady lifestyle. She's harmless and fun to make fun of. I can't wait for her to speak next. Gaga may have stopped talking to the press, but I pray Gwynnie never does.
I would totally buy a cookbook called, "Suck It!" I can't stand pretentious foodies; they drive me nuts.
When "Contagion" was in the theaters and we would see an ad for it, at the point when the doctor tells Matt Damon, "I'm sorry, your wife has died" we would cheer. Not that we want Goop to really die, obviously, but it's fun to see in a movie.
Susan, I wish I had done that. My grandmother took her recipe for dutch apple turnovers to her grave, and I loved them (and her, obviously) so much.
Since Beyonce's taken to imitating the Goopster in other ways, should we expect a ghostwritten cookbook from Mrs. JayZ soon?
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