This week’s US Magazine (with Reese Witherspoon on the cover) has a whole spread featuring very close-up photos of Sandra Bullock on vacation in the Caribbean with her 9 month-old son, Louis, along with details of her week long vacation on the Island of Anguilla. Sandra isn’t obviously posing in the “paparazzi” photos, taken by agency Splash News, but they’re such high quality that they look set up to me. The accompanying story sounds straight from her publicist, and it even states that Sandra’s publicist planned the trip and went with them.

I don’t blame Sandra for continuing to put out these kind of feel-good stories for her image, but I’d prefer it if she just laid low for a while. Maybe her people figure that her ex is going to make headlines for months and they need to continue to manage the public’s perception of her following that huge scandal. They’ve done a great job so far, but this latest attempt seems a little transparent to me. They don’t even mention all the women Jesse cheated on Sandra with and make it seem like he only had one affair with “Bombshell” McGee.

Here are some excerpts from US:

On how her publicist arranged the trip and went with them
No one can blame Bullock for indulging in a little R&R after her rollercoaster 2010: In less than a year’s time, the actress, 46, adopted a son and won an Oscar for The Blind Side, but she also saw her five-year marriage to Jesse James, 41, crumble in March after he publicly admitted to a yearlong affair with tattoo model Michelle “Bombshell” McGee. Then in August, just as the ex who humiliated her moved to Austin so his three children could be near Bullock, she was forced to take out a restraining order against her accused longtime stalker, Thomas Weldon. “The stalker and the Jesse affair really sidelined Sandra,” says a source who has worked with Bullock. So time away with her close circle of supporters was a needed remedy. “They were planning it for a while,” says a Bullock insider. “Sandra’s publicist coordinated the whole trip. It was just a relaxing getaway.”

Details on her vacation
The luxurious retreat began October 9, when a private jet whisked the revelers [her sister, brother-in-law, publicist, a bodyguard and Louis] from L.A. to Anguilla, where they checked into two five-bedroom, ocean-front villas – each with a gourmet kitchen, a private pool, a sundeck and outdoor showers – that cost more than $5,000 a night apiece. Despite a hotel staff at her beck and call (the villas come with a private butler), the famously down-to-earth star “never wanted anyone to make a fuss over her,” says a staffer.

Indeed, rather than stay ensconced in their villas, Bullock and the group regularly dined in the hotel’s restaurants alongside other vacationers…

Ryan Reynolds stood her up twice
Alas, the vacation came to an end for Bullock October 16, when the group left the hotel and headed to the airport. And the actress, who was spotted during her vacation reading what looked like a film script, is going to be easing back into work, despite some reservations.

“She’s the most sought after actress in Hollywood right now,” says the source, who adds that she’s been slow to take on new projects.

Still, Bullock is set to reunite with Ryan Reynolds, her costar from 2009’s The Proposal, in the upcoming comedy Most Wanted. The two got together in September when he was in Austin, though a source says the actor stood her up two nights in a row at Walton’s Fancy and Staple, the local bistro she owns there. “He said he was too tired,” says the insider. When the two stars finally did connect, “they seemed happy to see each other. They’re very comfortable together,” says a Walton’s employee, who notes, “The conversations seemed to be about business.”

On the rumor that she’s dating her bodyguard
Though a tabloid implied she and her bodyguard Damien Holton are romantically involved (and Holton did, in fact, join the star in Anguilla), a source says there’s no hanky panky between the two. On vacation, Bullock sat near Holton at dinner and tried some of his dishes, says an onlooker, but another source insists the encounter was “nothing romantic.”

Claims Jesse and Kat Von D are still together
After Kat Von D stepped out with two men who weren’t beau Jesse James… [they] were rumored to be on the rocks. But all appears well: Von D told Us she and Sixx have remained pals since their January split, and a source says Von D and Margera are “just friends.” The latest? On October 17, Von D made a quick trip to the airport in Austin – James’ new hometown.

[From US Magazine, print edition, November 1, 2010]

Are Sandra and her people putting Ryan Reynolds on notice for inconveniencing her when she has so many other things she could be doing? I got that impression, but US isn’t as much of a celebrity mouthpiece as People and maybe they added some of their own flair to this story about Sandra’s vacation. They seem to want us to think that Jesse is still with Kat, probably because it helps Sandra’s image if Jesse is perceived as a serial monogamist rather than a cheating dog who will take any scraps thrown at him.

I like Sandra and think she’s awesome, but these kind of managed stories just make me assume she’s planning out her personal life to put out a certain image. I don’t blame her, but I really think she does a better job at that on her own.

Photos are of Sandra and Louis in Beverly Hills on 9/17 credit: Michael Wright/WENN.com and of Sandra out in Austin on 8/25/10. Credit: Fame Pictures