I’ve really been wondering if Amal Alamuddin’s job is as “high-powered” and demanding as we’ve been led to believe from George Clooney’s “I found a woman who is my equal” propaganda. Maybe those questions will ignite a flame war, I have no idea. But I’ve been trying to keep my eye on the details of her work schedule, and it seems like Amal took about four months off to hang out with Clooney in America and Africa, and now that she’s back in London, media outlets keep claiming she’s “back to work.” But her days seem to be spent getting her hair done, getting manicures and going out to lunch. And posing for the paparazzi. And taking mini-breaks in the country with Clooney. It’s perfectly possible that Amal really is back to work and she just has no pressing cases right now (I mean, Julian Assange is happy enough in Ecuador’s embassy) or that the paparazzi haven’t gotten photos of her doing her work. But just tell me: is Amal Alamuddin just Stacy Keibler with a law degree? Anyway, the latest mini-break for Amal was a trip to Highclere Castle, which is where they film Downton Abbey:
Lady Mary would be pleased! George Clooney and his fiance Amal Alamuddin visited Downton Abbey’s Highclere Castle in Hampshire, a county outside of London, on Thursday, May 22, multiple sources reveal to Us Weekly.
The silver fox, 53, and British barrister Alamuddin, 36, stayed at a luxury five-star hotel in Surrey before traveling to the castle, a source tells Us. Thursday morning, they were then driven to the location where the hit BBC drama series is filmed.
“Highclere is sometimes open to the public but this day it wasn’t, so they were the only ones there,” the source tells Us. “They spent a few hours there before they returned to their hotel.”
Later that night, the future spouses were then joined by Alamuddin’s mother, Baria Alamuddin. The trio dined at the Berkeley Hotel, marking the first time the actor has seen his future mother-in-law since the engagement, the insider adds.
As previously reported, Clooney and Alamuddin aren’t wasting much time between now and their nuptials and plan to wed this fall.
“He’d marry her today if he could, but he wants to give her a dream wedding,” a source told Us. “It is her first, and he wants it to be his last!” (Clooney was previously married to Mad Men actress Talia Balsam from 1989-1993.)
It sounds like a lovely mini-break. But a mini-break from what?! I watched the PBS documentary on Highclere Castle and it really is stunning, just a beautiful old estate. I’m guessing Clooney pulled some strings and got a private tour and he probably shelled out a decent amount too. Hm… will George and Amal get married in England? That would be interesting. That’s HER turf – his turf is Italy and America. Maybe they’ll rent out one of those grand old English estates and Amal will really get to be a “princess.”
Meanwhile, The Daily Mail has a weird story about the taxes on Amal’s engagement ring. Apparently, she and George are probably going to have to pay £100,000 in British taxes because George bought the ring in America and Amal wore it as she entered England. Ugh. You can read the story here.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
This girl have some weight issues!
I don’t think she is naturally this thin, you can usually say by how skinny the face is
Thank you
Only when its Angelina jolie do people complain about weight issues.
@Asra-I’m not sure she “issues” but yes, you are right-she is stick-like. And the first part of this post makes me laugh, with Kaiser referencing the fact that she may not be as “high-powered” in the law arena as Clooney’s PR machine wants us to think. Yeah, not so much. But maybe you Britons can help me out on this one…why on earth would they have to pay taxes on her ring?! Did I read that correctly?
@KRI I believe it’s the usual duty/customs you have to pay when you bring something over the allotted value from overseas travel, which you have in most countries?
It’s VAT (a bit like your sales taxes?) plus an import duty. I would imagine there are taxes to pay the other way around, too? You can’t just order stuff from countries with no purchase taxes and have it delivered to/bring it into the US without paying duties? You can import small gifts into the UK without being liable, but small means very small – under £150 or somesuch tiny amount.
She seems to fit Clooney’s ‘type’–super-skinny and busty.
I still believe Stacy made George very happy and she is the one that got away.. Call me crazy or nieve but she was it. Just to note i was never a huge fan of Stacy but I also did nit dislike her in the least.. Very muchma free spirit and lovee life is how I find her. Generally very happy.
It looks like Amal is always on a holiday and I’m not buying all this propaganda that Clooney and his team have been sending out and I don’t believe he took her to this castle. Notice Georgie boy is in London and no pictures of them together he isn’t even staying at her place that is just weird. George needs to take her out to dinner the girl needs a good feed.
I don’t understand why they don’t stay in her place together. All that fuss about Clooney buying a place in London to be near her. So, did she buy a place in California? I usually don’t do the conspiracy theory thing, but something about this is all too odd, with every move being conveniently documented, and put together way too fast. Maybe it is genuine, but it just doesn’t have that ring to it.
I remember reading somewhere years back that George was overheard (pay this as much credence as you see fit) saying that he refused to stay at the women’s home as he is paranoid that they could have mini cameras hidden and be filming him without his knowledge. There has been a number of personal / private photos what women have released to prove their association with him after the fact or when he has publicly denied a relationship – hello Monika. Would a tape of George in the women’s home or the bedroom not garner them more attention and money? I guess on one hand it is pretty smart of him as there is less chance he is going to be exploited at his home or at a hotel but then again, there is a certain type of women who would never do that due to character, morals and principles. Problem is that he has for the past two decades he has surrounded himself with fame hungry, never-want-to-work-a-day-in-their-life kinda women who would be that opportunistic.
She still lives with her mother, in her mother’s house, at 36 years old.
In all fairness that may be a cultural thing, her family are Lebanese, maybe that’s the way they do things? Or it could be that property prices in London are so absurdly high she couldn’t buy what she wanted and didn’t want to rent. Alternatively this might be a mutual bearding relationship so she never wanted/needed to move out of her mother’s house? I don’t know there could be a lot of reasons for her living at home at 36…
In my culture, ( Indian) we dont leave the home until marriage. Moving out is really frowned upon and generally not done. People will usually gossip that you of low moral character ( sex, partying, etc) and that’s why you need your own place, hence, making your parents look bad within the community. Middle Eastern mentality is the same, if not worse.
It’s a cultural thing. I’m Middle Eastern too and my uncle lived with his parents until he got married (mind you, my grandmother is German and my grandfather is Middle Eastern… just middle easterners tend to live with the family). Nima I don’t think it is anything to do with low morality (some people might view it this way but no). It goes for both genders, men and women. And usually when they move out, they still live near eachother (for instance, my dad lived with his mom until he got married to my mom… now my grandmother lives one floor above us.. in the same building).
Again nothing to do with morality. When I lived in the UK, I lived with 6 other people (2 boys and 4 girls) and right now I live by myself in the US. BUT when I lived back in my own country, I lived at my parents’ house. It’s just a cultural thing.
I think it’s to do with wanting to be close to the family. I asked my parents once what’s the difference of me living by myself in the US and living by myself in my home country… their answer was, why live by yourself here? You have a home, we give you the freedom to do whatever you want here, you don’t have to be lonely or alone, and god forbid something happens to you! Plus we love you and miss you and etc etc. lol
Plus somehow I doubt that she lives in a tiny 2-room-apartment with her mother. 😉 If it’s a large house/property it could be very much like two seperate apartments in one house. And if she’s doing a lot of international travelling that could be very convenient because a family member is nearby and can keep an eye on everything and.. water the plants or something..
Lives w her mum at 36, oh dear. WhT happened to the supposed big money she’s making? I’m starting to doubt a lot of the pr about her.
The guy might be kinda intelligent, might be old enough now to want someone to talk to, and I doubt SK was a great conversationalist. Sometimes an engagement is just an engagement.,
Exactly!
Yup. Been there, done that.
Point of correction she isn’t a high profile lawyer as it is claimed. She is far from it and she is loving the attention she is getting from being engaged to clooney.
She had a public profile before Clooney. I knew her name, knew her work, had seen her being interviewed about various international law and human rights matters…now obviously she’s on a whole different level of fame, but she was already a very successful woman
I also knew her name before, but I am a kind of legal junkie and watch and read anything law related and have done since becoming hooked on Petrocelli when I was about 7 years old.
What isn’t being reported is that a lot of the time she is papped in Doughty Street and the lunch she had “with friends” were also Doughty Street barristers, although the lunch with Sam Jacobs (barrister, the geeky looking guy in the jacket and jeans, yes jeans and he is a barrister) could have been because they were both working in chambers that day and decided to go eat. She was also papped with Geoffrey Robertson QC. These pap shots indicate she isn’t just on holiday at all, but working.
For those who don’t know who Geoffrey Robertson QC is, he is one of the most famous British Queen’s Council. He is one of the founders of Doughty Street chambers, his case list includes Mike Tyson, Salman Rushdie, The Wall Street Journal and of course Julian Assange. I have been a fan of his wife since I was at school. She is author Kathy Lette who wrote Puberty Blues (Australian teen book which I was obsessed with during high school) and Mad Cows, How to Kill Your Husband (and Other Handy Household Hints)
This is Geoffrey Robertson QC and Amal in Doughty Street http://www.justjared.com/photo-gallery/3114478/george-clooneys-fiancee-amal-alamuddin-is-back-at-work-09/
I am not into belittling her.
I am naturally just assuming she works since she is actually employed to be on the team for that syrian war criminal or whatever it is. I mean there be preparation involved before the court case etc. She was in the middle east or was it africa not that long ago but of course the world of gossip isn’t as interested in reporting on that as hanging in malibu with Cindy Crawford.
Also she looks like a younger version of that ex wife of his Talia.
She’s a barrister, so she’s pretty much free to set her own schedule so long as she takes care of prior obligations. I’d imagine she hasn’t taken on too much new work recently. There’s nothing particularly strange about that, being a barrister in the UK isn’t like being an attorney at a big firm in NYC, it doesn’t have to be 100hr work weeks if you don’t want it to be. But really, that she’s finding time to get her hair blow dried and her nails done doesn’t mean she isn’t working, I find the time to do that and I work an 80hr week most weeks.
And btw, you keep mentioning Assange, but Amal really isn’t a major player there, she’s just one of many who advised him when he was fighting extradition in court in 2 years ago. She has no reason to be involved with his situation now, he has legal advisers, he doesn’t really need a barrister at the moment and she was not his ‘main’ barrister anyway.
She’s pretty in a very generic Princess of the Levant kinda way. Still not buying the ‘high powered this or that’.
Also to all the posters who shared some great links on the last Amal post…thank you for the helpful info!
I guess I should stop reading the gossip and go Google search the difference between a lawyer and a barruster…
Isn’t it obvious it’s a sham marriage? Pretty sure Clooney is compensating her very well.
So what?
Big bank account too.
I have a cousin who did a lot of law work for the United Nations, not like high profile, turn up at court work but the behind the scenes, working for refugees kind of work and she was able to do it in multiple locations/countries while also being on holiday/visiting relatives and even medical leave. So I can buy that Amal, while taking four months to be with George could also be working at the same time.
Sometimes things are just simple you know?
I had an acquaintance who did a lot of work as a prosecutor at the ICC and both of the tribunals. She did a lot of international work and right now she’s working at a law firm in the states. She said when you do international work, honestly, it’s glitzy, a lot of cocktail parties with UN diplomats and a lot of time off, not like working at a law firm. So I can buy that Amal has a lot of free time.
She looks really pretty in that pink dress and I love the shades she’s wearing in the blue outfit.
I cannot get enough of her and appreciate the continuous posting. I could take or leave Clooney, but think she’s a great role model for young girls. It’s rare for such a driven, intellectual women of color with a career outside of acting to get such great celebrity gossip coverage, so I am eating it up. I wish someone like her would have been in more magazines when I was young, if only to have presented another face that looks like mine.
I am thus completely biased and will plug my ears and shout, “SHE’S A BARRISTER, OF COURSE SHE WORKS HARD.”
What makes her “a woman of color?” What color? She’s of Middle Eastern heritage. My Lebanese friends in the U.S.A. do not consider themselves “people of color.”
She is white. (Middle-eastern not northern European). “Person of color” would not apply to her.
Her race would be classified as Caucasian.
What exactly is it that makes her a role model? She studied, but so have many. She works. And she chooses to defend , among others, people who are war criminals/alleged rapists/mass murderers. And now she gets married to a movie star millionaire she knows for a couple of months. I would rather think that the real role models are the ones that don’t show up in gossip magazines, showing off a £415,900 engagement ring. Never mind achieving a career through studying and working hard, but this PR story doesn’t seem to serve well as a good example.
I might also add, its silly to think that because someone has dark hair and an olive skin tone, that they are not white and are a “person of color”.
Many hispanics are white, too (those with Spanish heritage, that is. Of course there are Asian hispanics and black hispanics, and they would not be classified as white).
It’s not silly where I come from…America has a very unique “racial” classification system.
This relationship is so public.
Booo, this is the first time I’ve ever been jealous of a celebrity. I REALLY want to see the Downton House.. kind of like that nosy teacher from last season.
No, no, no, no, no,no US Weekly. George Clooney is not the silver fox. Anderson Cooper, John Slaterly are. Just…no.
She looks like Marlie Forleo !!! 😀
It’s hilarious to read comments snarking on Julian Assange’s lawyer as if she’s some illiterate starlet.
Trying to belittle her because she’s accomplished and educated and that makes you feel aware of your own limitations in a way the starlet doesn’t?
I really think this urge to take her down and portray her as possibly lazy/enjoying the spotlight is putting some heavy double standards on display. I mean would we question lunching with friends (or even possibly coworkers), or having a haircut as a symptom laziness if we were talking about some dude? No dont think so.
And we don’t know her schedule. In her line of profession, she might just very well be working when she is not being papped. Or in the evening. Or on the plane. I really dislike this antifeminist urge to take every women down when they are succesful
No matter how successful any of Georges previous girlfriends may have been their always been an urge to “take them down” Unfortunately for Amal she won’t be the exception.
True , why should Amal be the exception? She seems to be doing the same as the rest of the Ex’s so far. I think she’s just as star struck and just as much of a climber on the fame band.
You know a lot of people were ragging on George because of his paid girlfriend roll out every couple of years, and now that he’s finally found someone who he wants to marry and spend the rest of his life with people are now crapping not only all over him but all over her too.Who care if she’s working or not working. bottom line is They’re happy, so maybe we should try to be happy for them too.
George haters/conspiracy theorists will never be happy no matter what he does. Contracts, gay, blah, blah.
I know! LOL It just give me a headache and make me reach for a BIG bottle of wine.
A suprise visit to Downton House! And we know all the details including how many minutes he gave her to pack! This really is the Minivan Spectacular to end all spectacles.
I like Amal. I really do, but his PR team should had stopped a month ago. Enough already with this PR stunt that they are the same level, that she played hard to get, bla bla bla. Keep your life private, George.
Exactly! As if this trip to downtown abbey wasn’t part of the script.
Having a wedding on a movie set location really would be showy- I wonder what happened to ‘private George’. The more he’s trying to convince people that this is real, the more unreal his choices make it look. Let’s just hope she doesn’t show up in a neon pink, period drama wedding dress 🙂
This whole thing is a load of bull. George is going to fork out big bucks to deal with this broad. She will bankrupt him, no doubt. This all sounds iffy to me. It is very obvious his pr team is doing double duty to sell this bloated whale. People should question this. It is suspect. He is moving everything to London? It sounds like someone in the Almuddin wants a closer hand on his bank account. George wake up and get out before you are more over your head, than what you are now.
I’m confused as to why she would have to pay taxes on the engagement ring. Does everyone who enters the UK wearing their engagement ring has to pay taxes on it?
Where are her friends? Why haven’t there been any reports of photos revealed of her with exes in the past or exes at least named? Do we actually know if she is straight or is not and this is another business relationship for George? She was known and reportedly out and about in London before George. How is there radio silence on her and the only thing we hear about her is the George PR spin. I mean, for someone who we have been told is so social media saavy – why is she not showing up on anyone’s Facebook timeline or in the pictures?
I find the radio silence odd. Other than the odd pre-arranged for the sake of the paps lunch, there has been nothing leaked. And nobody – not even George and his PR team – are that good, It’s like she has nothing else in her life other than her job (which seems super flexible) and George. I mean, the white wash on this girlfriend is the one they should have done on the porn stars, vegas waitress, Italian showgirl, etc. Or has George’s team finally, after years and years of being a joke due to his relationship choices, finally got his PR shit together? The sell of this women is bordering on Xenu.
His PR team is not smart, it seems. For decades, they didn’t notice how damaging his choices of women have been to his image, and now they go to the other extreme by portraying Amal as a sort of saint with no private life of her own. But I also doubt there is much to tell. She studied, worked, and lives with her mother, and being social media savvy doesn’t necessarily mean she has a lot of real life friends. She probably basically socializes in her lawyer circles once in awhile, and belongs to the generation that prefers to twitter, but that account has been closed. It seems that that is what George wanted now- a ‘virgin’- metaphorically, and perhaps even literally.
Ok there was some hearsay on one of the smaller gossip sites, that she allegedly lived with either one guy before or two, but who knows when it comes to gossip sites?
He went from cocktail waitresses, wrestlers, bunga bunga girls , some unknown italian “newsreporter” to…a laywer? Of course people will find it suspicious, especially since it came after Tina and Amy’s digs at his love life.
He should’ve made it into a more smooth transition…it was like “bam” they’re engaged.
He really must feel some sort of panic- but why? This is so rushed, one would have to fear for the outcome. I mean, there ARE some rather important cultural differences here…But now there already is new information out that she wants him to move to London fulltime…
@Amulla
This is exactly why I think “race” is such a pointless thing.
Not many years ago Italians were not considered white caucasian, Irish were not considered white, jews (ashekanazi and otherwise) were definitely NOT considered white, let alone middle easterners.
It’s only in recent years they have been included in the white category and in many parts of the world they are STILL not considered white….it’s so transparent. When ‘whites’ birth numbers are low, all of the sudden they include a bunch of ‘others’ in the ‘caucasian’ list and foolish swarthy or brownish ‘off whites’, eat it up and can’t wait to be included in the ‘white’ majority….as if that grants them any special privilege. To many you are still ‘sandn*ggers’ and always will be.
I live in Northern Europe and even George Clooney himself would not be looked at as white here. People would think of him as some swarthy latin guy by his looks alone.
America has such ridiculous views of who is ‘white’ or not….Anyway, it’s a stupid thing anyway because these things change all the time.
Soon Asians will be considered white in America too.
I agree. It’s basically just a way to divide people, and, unfortunately, put a sort of label on them. And look at all the ‘mixed’ races by now- what’s the point in clarifying a race? Interesting point you make about jews…what were they considered to be then? I really hope we soon can leave those ‘classifications’ behind us- after all, we’re all just human beings.
My sister in law is Jordanian/Indian and here in the US is legally considered “Caucasian/white” in terms of how the government views it, but she’ll be the first to say that being brown skinned in America gets you treated as a minority regardless of legal status. Racists don’t really care about that, they are judging solely on the color of your skin.