Brangelina

Origin:
Brad Pitt + Angelina Jolie = Brangelina

Definition:
n. celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

Exemplum:
BRANGELINA ON THE ROCKS?!
Brad eschews family, pees alone in African clean water supply

Commentary:
Admittedly, today's term is well known amongst even the most cursory attendants of celebrity "culture." So it's not particularly novel in itself, but noteworthy rather as the most visible example in a growing category of celebrity couple portmanteaux. Other examples include:

• TomKat (Tom Cruise + Katie Holmes)
• Beniffer (Ben Affleck + Jennifer Lopez)*
• Speidi (Spencer Pratt + Heidi Montag Pratt)

As trivial and eye-gouge inducing as it might be, the celebrity couple portmanteau is a rare growth category for our favorite linguistic phenomenon. Its popularity lies, presumably, in the fusion of convenience, cleverness and most importantly irreverence. Because what could be more shallowly rewarding than promoting vapid, talentless performers to the status of deity and then bearing witness to their own inevitable undoing while pointing and laughing? Then everybody wins, even the lowly portmanteau I suppose.

I opine that the portmanteau has far more honorable and triumphant uses than the hoi polloi's disposable celebrity star gazing. However, it sits to reason that lady portmanteau will perpetually remain the master of those who use her most. Hence, this blog and its mission to help the literati to regain control of the universe. Amen.

Credit:
unknown (term), Nate Winter (the rest)

* Curiously, this same portmanteau didn't apply to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. They were branded with the ill-fated and expectoratiously cacophonous "Garfleck." Although in retrospect, the aesthetic effect is appropriate for their popularity.