Rupert Murdoch with Jerry Hall

Yes, I feel sort of bad now. Jerry Hall and Rupert Murdoch made an appearance together on the Golden Globes red carpet and I referred to him as Montgomery Burns. But yesterday they announced their engagement in a newspaper article, four months into their new romance. Rupert, the executive chairman of News Corporation, which owns The Times, announced the news on the Births, Marriages and Deaths page of the newspaper. The classified ad read:

“Mr Rupert Murdoch, father of Prudence, Elisabeth, Lachlan, James, Grace and Chloe Murdoch, and Miss Jerry Hall, mother of Elizabeth, James, Georgia and Gabriel Jagger are delighted to announce their engagement.”

It’s marriage number four for Rupert but a first for Jerry after her unofficial ceremony Mick Jagger was declared invalid after they split in 1999. Rupert and Jerry struck up a relationship after having first been introduced in Australia by his sister and niece, and two years after the media baron ended his 14-year marriage to Wendi Deng. Mick & Jerry have four children together, two daughters – Elizabeth and Georgia – and two sons – Gabriel and James. Rupert has six children from his relationships with his three previous wives, including two daughters, Chloe and Grace, from his marriage to (a much younger) Wendi. So Christmas is going to be crowded.

A source told the Daily Mail that…

“Above all, Jerry craves security.” and another said. “She likes to feel that she is going to be taken care of by a man — which perhaps comes from being raised dirtpoor in Texas.”

So, yes maybe I was being a bit ageist, but the age difference is undeniable and a coupling like this looks like a money grab, from a gal like Jerry Hall. Also, I don’t like Rupert’s politics or the way he runs his newspapers, so THAT’S where the bias really comes from. But hey, who are we to judge? I would say that you only go around once but these two have been around several times already, so why not go again!

(Photo, Pacific Coast News; via Daily Mail)