Brad & Angelina’s Game Stop

How come Shiloh misses the fun, most of the time?


http://justjared.buzznet.com/2008/03/31/brad-angelina-game-stop/

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie take three of their kids toy shopping in Texas on Monday afternoon. The Jolie-Pitt clan picked up goodies at EB Games/GameStop and their local convenience store.

Who went along for the family fun trip? Maddox, 6, Pax, 4, and Zahara, 3. Shiloh, 21 months, must have napped this one out!

Angie, 32, and Brad, 44, are adding one more to their brood this summer!

For more justjared stories click on t his link crixenauf

Paramount, Brad Pitt find 'Lost City'

According to Variety, Brad might star in a movie set in the Amazon.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117983214.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2562

Paramount Pictures has preemptively bought "Lost City of Z," a David Grann manuscript about the search for a lost city in the Amazon, with Brad Pitt to produce the feature adaptation through his Plan B shingle as a potential starring vehicle.
Grann's forthcoming nonfiction book concerns British explorer Col. Percy Harrison Fawcett, who was attempting to find the so-called City of Z when he and his party disappeared in 1925. Over the next 70 years, scores of explorers tried and failed to retrace Fawcett's path, including a 1996 expedition of Brazilian adventurers. Pitt would play Fawcett.

Doubleday is scheduled to publish "Lost City of Z," an expansion of Grann's September 2005 article in the New Yorker, in February.

When Pitt expressed interest in toplining as well as producing "Lost City of Z," Paramount moved quickly to buy it. Par previously optioned Grann's New Yorker article "City of Water."

Pitt, whose Plan B is based at Paramount, has a longstanding relationship with the studio and Par chief Brad Grey, a former partner in Plan B. As an actor, Pitt has two films awaiting release: the Coen brothers' "Burn After Reading," which Focus Features will open in September, and David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," which Par will open in December. He is also attached to star in "The Fighter" for the studio. As a producer, Pitt's next film is Rachel McAdams-Eric Bana starrer "The Time Traveler's Wife," set for release in November.


For more Variety stores click on this link crixenauf

Angelina and Brad — not married again!

There were rumors this weekend that Brad and Angie got married, but according to reports, they didn't...

http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/2008/03/31/angelina-and-brad-not-married-again/

Bet Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s publicists wish they got a pay rise every time the rumor of the star couple’s marriage did the rounds. Hollywood’s hottest couple married again this weekend — not. But this time their publicist deferred the knockdown of rumors of a wedding in a New Orleans wedding chapel to the chapel’s clergyman.

“Brad and Angelina did not get married by us,” the Rev. Tony Talavera, owner of the French Quarter Wedding chapel, told magazine Life & Style Weekly a day after the rumored Saturday wedding.

Talavera said he normally did not reveal who he did or did not marry at his wedding center just 14 blocks from the Jolie-Pitt home but he went public this time after Pitt’s people called him and asked him to “quash any misinformation that’s out there.”

“I have not met them personally,” said Talavera. ”This just got out of control. Their publicist asked me to give out a statement.”

But Talavera said he’d be happy to do the job for Pitt and Jolie if they ever do finally decide to rid themselves of the rumors and take the plunge.

“We extend the invitation. We’re glad they are neighbors,” he said.

For more reuters stories click on this link crixenauf

Separated at Birth

This is from March 4th but I thought I would post it, even though it's a little old.

http://shhville.wordpress.com/2008/03/04/separated-at-birth-hunk-edition/

Shhville writes that Brad is looking more and more like Robert Redford. I would have to agree...

$10 Million Baby Photos?

$10 million? That is alot of money to pay for pictures, but at least they will probably give the money to charity like they did with Shiloh's pictures..

http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/41351/angelina-jolies-10-million-baby-photos

Experts are claiming Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt could command up to $10 million for exclusive photos of their rumoured twins as the demand for celebrity baby photos grows.

Christina Aguilera was reportedly paid $1.5 million in February for shots of her newborn Max, and Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony nabbed $6 million from People for the first photos of new twins, Max and Emme.

One magazine editor confides to Page Six: "It's at the point now where some stars might decide to have more kids just to collect the money from their photos."

Barry Levine, an executive editor at the National Enquirer believes that pregnant stars are now "treating this like a game."

"It's become big business now,” he states. “It's outrageous, they've gotten very sophisticated. The rights are bought up now even before the celeb enters the hospital. They hire extra security so it's impossible to obtain a photo illegally."

Another expert, Bonnie Fuller, said the amount of money celebrities are receiving just keeps growing.

She says: "If J.Lo really did get $6 million, then I think Angelina can now command $8 million. The magazines must look at it as a long-term investment, but I think it'll cap out at a certain point."

"I can't think at this point who could command more money than Brangelina."

For more entertainmentwise stories click on this link crixenauf

The Late Late Show - Monologue, 3.25

Even Craig mentioned Brad and Obama during is monologue last night.

Youtube has it posted. Click on this link to view it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI5StIU2h-s

Brad's Little Pink Houses

Just in case you haven't seen them, here is a picture of the houses being built in New Orleans’ lower 9th ward. Brad says the pink structures are a “metaphor representing the future of renewed housing”.

Obama Related to Pitt, Clinton to Jolie

Brad and Obama related? I wonder how the NEHGS figures these things out..

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSSP11129220080326?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=10112

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The presidential candidates may have star qualities -- and they also have stars in their families, according to a genealogical study linking Hillary Clinton to Angelina Jolie and Barack Obama to Brad Pitt.

The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in Boston on Wednesday released a study in which it traced the family trees of all three presidential candidates to find they all had famous relatives, both dead and alive.

It found Illinois Senator Barack Obama, whose mother is from Kansas, can claim at least six U.S. presidents as distant cousins, including George W. Bush and his father, Gerald R. Ford, Lyndon B. Johnson, Harry S. Truman, and James Madison.

But other cousins include British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill -- and Brad Pitt who is a ninth cousin linked back Edwin Hickman who died in Virginia in 1769.

"Obama's maternal ancestry includes the mid-Atlantic States and the South," said Christopher Child, a genealogist with NEHGC that dates back to 1845 and describes itself as the United States oldest and largest non-profit genealogical organization.

Meanwhile his Democratic rival, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, shares a common ancestor with Pitt's partner, actress Angelina Jolie. Clinton and Jolie are ninth cousins twice removed linked by Jean Cusson of St. Sulpice, Quebec, who died in 1718.

Child said Clinton is also a cousin of a number of famous people with French Canadian ancestry, including Madonna (ninth cousins linked by Pierre Gagne of Quebec who died in 1656) Celine Dion, and Alanis Morissette, as well as author Jack Kerouac. Another cousin is Camilla Parker-Bowles, wife of Prince Charles.

"It is common to find people of French Canadian descent to be related to large numbers of other French Canadians, including these notables," said Child in a statement.

Republican nominee, Arizona Senator John McCain, is a sixth cousin of Laura Bush but it was hard track other ancestors.

"McCain's ancestry is almost entirely southern," said Child, adding this made notable connections harder to trace because of challenges to genealogists in that region.

Child said having famous cousins makes for interesting conversation but it "should not influence voters."

"But at a time when the race focuses on pointing out differences, the candidates may enjoy learning about famous cousins and their varied family histories," he said.

For more reuters stories click on this link crixenauf

Habitat for Humanity and Home Depot build green homes

Slow news day for Brad today, but I did find this article about Home Depot and Brad's rebuilding project.

http://designshrine.net/2008/03/24/habitat-for-humanity-and-home-depot-build-green-homes/

Hello good idea: Habitat for Humanity and the Home Depot Foundation have joined forces to build about 5,000 energy efficient homes that meet national sustainability standards. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards come in levels, and the organizations haven't indicated which level they intend to build at.

However, over the next five years Home Depot will give $30 million dollars in donations and in-kind support to build single and multi-family homes for needy families that are also energy efficient.


The program starts next year, following a pilot. Participants have to opt-in, but it will be available in all parts of the country. Habitat and Home Depot will be installing water-conserving fixtures, using energy efficient building equipment and verifying their green building standards with an organization like the U.S. Green Building Council.

This is the first time the Home Depot Foundation has formally worked with Habitat for Humanity. Home Depot has donated trees in Miami and partnered with Brad Pitt on his New Orleans rebuilding project. Habitat for Humanity has been around since 1978. It builds homes around the globe. In the U.S. they say they've helped over 30,000 people.

For more resignshrine stories click on this link crixenauf

Brad feels the pregnant mum-of-4 is pushing herself too hard

It's great that they hired a live-in nurse, but they should also stay in one place for awhile..

http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/celeb_news/brad_pitt_tells_angelina_jolie_you_need_a_livein_nurse_article_198734.html

Brad Pitt wants pregnant Angelina Jolie to ease up on her crazy schedule.

The 32-year-old is showing all the tell-tale signs of severe stress, suffering major sleep problems, fainting and feeling nauseous.

Angelina collapsed through fatigue on the flight home from a recent UN mission to Iraq but is planning another trip to Cambodia with son Maddox next month.

Doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in LA have been monitoring Angelina's health as she refuses to reduce her massive workload. But the problem's escalated to the point that she needs a live-in nurse to monitor her health and help look after Maddox, six, Pax, four, Zahara, three, and 22-month-old Shiloh.

'She thought that once the three-month mark had passed she'd get some of her energy back,' a source tells Now. 'but she's still feeling sick and dizzy. She also can't shake off this overwhelming tiredness and is asleep on the couch before the older children have even gone to bed.

'Brad's trying to get her to rest more because when she's working she puts so much pressure on herself and doesn't like to let people down.

'They've got a live-in nurse now, who moved in a month ago. She'll be making sure that Ange eats healthily and will help look after the children.'

For more nowmagazine stories click on this link crixenauf

Brad and Angie donated $8 million in 2006

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/brad%20pitt%20and%20angelina%20jolie%20donate%208m%20to%20charity_1063418

Hollywood golden couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie donated over $8 million (£4 million) to charity in 2006.

Federal tax filings for the Jolie Pitt Foundation, the couple's charity organisation, have been reported by the Huffington Post.

Fight Club star, Pitt, donated $4,402,317 (£2,219,786) while Tombraider's Jolie donated $4,123,613 (£2,079,267).

The records for 2006 show that the famous acting couple handed out $1 million (£500,000) to Doctors Without Borders and the Global Aids Alliance.

The Namibian Red Cross Programme, the country in which their adopted daughter Shiloh was born, also received a donation of $137,935 (£69,557) from the Jolie Pitt Foundation.

And the pair presented $100,000 (£50,000) to the Daniel Pearl Foundation. Jolie played the widow of the US journalist killed in Pakistan, in the film A Mighty Heart.

Pitt and Jolie are well known for their continual charity work, with Jolie working as a UN Goodwill Ambassador around the world.

Pitt has also recently been involved in building new homes in New Orleans, the city destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

For more contactmusic stories click on this link crixenauf

Shiloh's Standing

Here's a picture of Shiloh standing. I rarely see pictures of her on her own two feet, usually someone is holding her.

Jennifer Aniston Tell-All Book: Jennifer Aniston Brad Pitt Book

Is Jen writing a tell-all book? There are some reports that she is. Here's what popcrunch has to say about it.

http://www.popcrunch.com/jennifer-aniston-tell-all-book-jennifer-aniston-brad-pitt-book/

Jennifer Aniston is set to write a tell-all book about her divorce from Brad Pitt and his relationship with Angelina Jolie, according to a new web rumor. Brad and Angelina have been plagued by reports that they began a sexually relationship while co-starring on the set of the hit action flick Mr. & Mrs. Smith for years; at the time, Brad was still married to Jennifer. Jen’s alleged book will serve up hot scoop about when Brad began his relationship with Oscar-winning “baby mama” Angeline Jolie and the real reason behind their divorce.

crixenauf

Brad and Angie Expecting a Boy and a Girl

Back in February it was reported that Brad and Angie were expecting twins, today websites are reporting that they are having one of each - a boy and a girl.

http://www.showbizspy.com/2008/03/19/angelina-jolie-and-brad-pitt-expecting-a-boy-and-a-girl/

Insiders insist Jolie is having twins and, just like Jennifer Lopez, they will be opposite sexes.

“They’ll be having a boy and a girl,” a close friend told U.S. magazine InTouch.

“Because Angelina took fertility treatments to help her ovulate, her babies are fraternal. They’re ecstatic. She can’t wait.”

Twins would take the tally of children in the Jolie-Pitt household to six - with the babies joining Maddox, six, Pax, four, Zahara, three, and Shiloh, 21 months.

It would also make them the latest celebrities to have twins - and joining J-L and Marc Anthony in the unusual position of having twins where one is a boy and the other a girl.

Mum-to-be Jessica Alba is also reportedly expecting twins.

Angelina once admitted “I love being pregnant”, but insiders say she has found it tough. “She’s out of breath a lot but she loves every second of it.”

Crixenauf

Capital One Leads Support for Brad Pitt's 'Make It Right' Project in New Orleans

http://www.csrwire.com/News/11428.html

CSRwire) NEW ORLEANS, LA. - March 18, 2008 – Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) announced today a donation of $150,000 to Make It Right, a residential green-building project led by actor Brad Pitt. This contribution covers the expected cost to build one of 150 new homes planned for the Lower 9th Ward, which suffered major damage in the floods that followed Hurricane Katrina.

Make It Right is serving as a catalyst for redevelopment in the neighborhood with environmentally-friendly, affordable housing which incorporates modern, high-quality design and construction while preserving the spirit of the community’s culture.

"Capital One is proud to be a corporate sponsor for Make it Right and to further our efforts to rebuild New Orleans. This city is important for many reasons, but for some of our associates, it is home," said Carolyn Berkowitz, Vice President of Community Affairs. "At Capital One, we are active participants in making our communities safe and vibrant. Our hope is that through participation, we can inspire other companies to play a role in a city that means so much to so many."

Since Hurricane Katrina devastated the region in 2005, Capital One has contributed millions of dollars and thousands of volunteer hours to improving and offering support for children and families in New Orleans and across Louisiana. Capital One operates more than 50 branches in the New Orleans area.

Capital One has awarded more than $1 million in community development grants in and around New Orleans, pledged $1 million to help establish the Capital One/University of New Orleans Charter School Center, and awarded another $1 million in education-related grants throughout the state of Louisiana.

For more csrwire stories click on this link crixenauf

Brad Pitt to build private MotoX track

Well, if you have the money, why not.

http://www.visordown.com/motorcyclenews/view/brad_pitt_to_build_private_motox_track/4013.html

BRAD PITT is, according to the American gossip media, going to build a private motocross track in the grounds of his new French mansion.

Brad and other half Angelina Jolie are buying an old stone house with five acres land, meaning pretty boy Brad has lots of room to indulge in his motorcycling hobby away from prying paparazzi eyes.

According to the reports, a previous house that was under consideration by Brangelina was snubbed purely because Bradley couldn't get planning permission for his motocross track.

At least he's genuine biker, not just doing it to look good.

For more virsordown stories click on this link crixenauf

Brad and Angie in New Orleans

justjared.com has some pictures of Brad and Angie in New Orleans on Sunday.

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2008/03/18/brad-angelina-tiara/

Brad Pitt and expectant mommy Angelina Jolie are all smiles while posing with tiara-wearing resident Dee Carla Rogers, 9, in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana on Sunday.

Brad, 44, has been busy working with his “Make It Right 9″ Foundation and Bill Clinton’s global initiative to aid Huricane Katrina victims.

Earlier in the day, Angie, 32, took the kids to the corner store for snacks.

for more justjared stories click on this link crixenauf

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt buy $20M castle in France “Mas de la Chapelle St. Sixte”

Wow, the place is huge. They'll certainly have room for all their kids.

http://www.gossipboulevard.com/2008/03/17/angelina-jolie-and-brad-pitt-buy-20m-castle-in-france-mas-de-la-chapelle-st-sixte/

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have made an offer on an 850-year-old stone house in Eygalieres, in France’s Province region.

The couple is rumoured to be moving overseas before their next child is born.

According to a source, the couple first looked at the 20 million dollar property, it’s official name is ‘Mas de la Chapelle St. Sixte,’ but decided against it when Brad was told that he could not build a motorcycle track in the lavish five-acre garden of the property. However, the doting father was later given the permission to build the track, the source added.”

For more gossipboulevard stories click on this link crixenauf

Brad Pitt Angelina Jolie R.E.M Concert Snub South By South West Festival

Wow, it even happens to Brad and Angie

http://www.popcrunch.com/brad-pitt-angelina-jolie-rem-concert-snub-south-by-south-west-festival/

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were left red-faced after they were refused entry to an R.E.M. gig at the South by South West festival in Austin, Texas over the weekend. The show’s organizers couldn’t accommodate Brangelina and their entourage. The group was then asked to “move on.”

For more popcrunch stories click on this link crixenauf

Breakfast king Brad Pitt

Trend News has a cute story about Brad and how he likes to make breakfast for the kids.

http://news.trendaz.com/index.shtml?show=news&newsid=1157946&lang=EN

Brad Pitt is more proud of his breakfast-making skills than he is of his movies.

When he is at home, the actor insists on making a morning feast for his pregnant partner Angelina Jolie and their children -adopted kids Maddox, six, Pax, four and three-year-old Zahara and 21-month-old biological daughter Shiloh - much to his own delight.

A source close to Brad revealed: "Breakfast is Brad's favourite time of the day, because he spends it with the children. Brad makes an awesome breakfast. He cooks eggs and bacon, pancakes and all other breakfast treats all at the same time.

"He once told me, 'I am more proud of the way I make breakfast than I am about the way I make movies.' "

Brad, 44, grew up enjoying big family breakfasts with his parents Jane and William and siblings Doug and Julie, and believes it is a great time for family bonding.

For more Trend News stories click on this link crixenauf



Angelina, 32, is currently believed to be around five months pregnant with twins.

Bill Clinton, Brad Pitt meet in storm-hit area

Brad and Bill Clinton were in New Orleans for a groundbreaking ceremony for Pitt's Make It Right Foundation's house construction project.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-03-16-pitt-clinton_N.htm

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton met with actor Brad Pitt and hundreds of volunteers in the Lower 9th Ward on Sunday at the site where a foundation headed by Pitt plans to begin building affordable homes for Hurricane Katrina victims.

"We hope to see a huge change here in the next six months," Pitt told a group of residents as he posed with them for pictures Sunday and signed autographs.

Pitt and Clinton walked a street as hundreds of volunteers on either side, wielding shovels and rakes, prepared the land for homes. For hours, they cleared overgrown grass and weeds that were covering street drains and sidewalks.

The Lower 9th Ward was one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in New Orleans when Katrina struck on Aug. 29, 2005, causing the city's levee system to fail with devastating flooding.

"We're working to get the grounds ready so construction can begin," said Anne Bouthilette, a 20-year-old sophomore history major at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.

For more Usa Today stories, click on this link crixenauf

Pitt 'despised' Aniston after six weeks

I hope this story isn't true, if it is, Angie might want to think twice about marrying Brad.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a91521/pitt-despised-aniston-after-six-weeks.html

Brad Pitt reportedly admitted that his marriage to Jennifer Aniston was in trouble after just six weeks.

Comedian Omid Djalili claimed the actor hinted that he had already started "despising" his wife.

Djalili said he gave Pitt marriage advice when they co-starred in 2000 movie Spy Game, telling the Daily Express: "I did a scene with Brad in the back of a taxi and it was only a few days after he had married Jennifer. I chatted to him for hours giving him advice about the three stages of marriage.

"Stage one is perfection - blind love. Stage two is the difficult stage because you start to despise everything about her. If you can deal with the baggage you can possibly get to stage three - a harmonious marriage.

"After six weeks Brad came up to me and said, 'I'm definitely in stage two, Omid!' I probably made it go up in flames!"

The couple married in July 2000 and Aniston filed for divorce five years later amid rumours that Pitt was involved with current partner Angelina Jolie.

Pitt and Jolie are reportedly planning a summer wedding.



For more digital spy stories click on this link crixenauf

Eonline has posted an article about Brad's, George's, Matt's and Don's donation.

http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=1999fa8d-a3cc-45f1-9654-2a8d9c4e1512

The organization the actor started along with Ocean's Eleven costars Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle and producer Jerry Weintraub to raise awareness and aid the humanitarian crisis in Sudan's Darfur region has donated $500,000 to the United Nations World Food Program.

Not On Our Watch has raised more than $9.3 million for Darfur since its launch less than a year ago. More than 200,000 people have been killed and another 2.5 million displaced as a result of an ongoing civil conflict between Sudanese government-backed Arab militias and ethnic rebel tribes.

Since visiting the region a couple of years ago with his father, Nick, Clooney has used his pull with, well, just about everybody to rally the U.S. government, the U.N. and his fellow celebrities to get behind the cause.

The $500,000 will go toward the WFP's Humanitarian Air Service, which coordinates the plane and helicopter travel that carries crucial supplies and relief workers into the region. An average of 8,000 relief workers from a variety of nongovernmental organizations and charities go to and from the area each month.

"This is a critical time for the program," Clooney, whose group also gave $1 million to the WFP last year, said in a statement Thursday. "Without immediate additional funding, humanitarian aid in the region will be crippled.

"We are proud to help ensure the survival of this lifesaving program and strongly encourage others to do the same. Protection of these victims should not fall solely in the hands of charitable organizations. Governments have a responsibility to help those who cannot defend themselves."

The Rome-based WFP fed as many as 3.2 million people in Darfur over the past year, according to figures provided by the agency, which said earlier this week that the flight program was in danger of shutting down at the end of March because of a lack of confirmed donations.

"Having seen firsthand the epic humanitarian challenge in Darfur, George Clooney and his colleagues know the lifesaving power of the Humanitarian Air Service," WFP executive director Josette Sheeran said Thursday. "This contribution will make a difference to the millions of vulnerable women and children trapped there, and we hope it will inspire other donations."

For more eonline stories click on this link crixenauf

France or New Orleans?

According to OK Magazine, Brad wants to get married in New Orleans, but Angie wants to get married in France.

http://www.ok.co.uk/posts/view/581/Angelina-and-Brad-wedding-mystery

ANGELINA JOLIE and Brad Pitt, who are rumoured to be marrying this summer, are said to be discussing on two possible locations.

The couple are said to be deciding over the size of the wedding and the involvement of Brad's mum, who is still close friends with ex-wife Jennifer Aniston.

Insiders have said Angelina is looking forward to a private ceremony in France with just a handful of people but Brad wants a large and lavish church wedding in New Orleans.

Brangelina were adament they weren't going to marry each other after they both suffered painful divorces and because of Brad's opposal to US laws against homosexual marriages.

In 2006 he told Esquire magazine, "Angie and I will consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able."

But after three years together it seems the Hollywood favourites have changed their minds.

The couple met in 2005 on the set of Mr & Mrs Smith and are currently expecting their second (and possibly third following rumours of twins) biological child.

For more Ok Magazine stories click on this link crixenauf

Brad Pitt: 'All My Kids Are Beautiful'

It is nice to read that Brad doesn't favor any of his children, he loves them all equally.

http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news?id=41068

Brad Pitt has said that he is devoted to all of his four children with partner Angelina Jolie.

The actor is father to the couple’s adopted kids Maddox, Pax Thien and Zahara, and to their 21-month-old biological daughter Shiloh – with another on the way.

Taraji P. Henson – who co-stars with Brad in The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons - tells PageSix: "I saw little [Shiloh] on set with Angie and I said, 'She's so beautiful!'

“Brad told me, 'All my kids are beautiful.'"

By contrast, Angie who has been quoted as saying of Shiloh: “It’s funny because she’s almost going to be the outcast of the family because she’s blonde and blue-eyed.

“I felt so much more for Madd, Zahara and Pax because they are surviviors. Shiloh seemed so privileged from the moment she was born.”

For more entertainmentwise stories click on this link crixenauf

Matt Damon: ‘Brad Pitt is a great dad’

I found this article on Showbizspy.com.

http://www.showbizspy.com/2008/03/11/matt-damon-brad-pitt-is-a-great-dad/

Hollywood hunk Matt Damon has commended his Ocean’s Eleven co-star Brad Pitt’s parenting skills - calling him a “great dad”.

The actor, who’s expecting his second child with wife Luciana Barroso, said: “We get our kids together when we’re in the same country. He has his hands full.

“There’s no advice I’d give him - he’s getting on with it and doing great.”

Damon, who recently recently signed up to reprise his role in a fourth Bourne movie, also revealed that ‘Shaun of the Dead’ star Simon Pegg wants him to do a cameo in his next movie. “Nick Frost and I are drawing up a list of celebs we want to hit when we go to the US,” Matt said. “He’s definitely one of them.”

For more showbizspy stories click on this link crixenauf

Giving Birth in Texas?

Oneindia is now saying that Brad and Angie's baby or babies will be born in Texas. I tought they were giving birth in France? I guess we will find out where the babies are born when they arrive.

http://entertainment.oneindia.in/hollywood/top-stories/scoop/2008/pitt-jolie-move-texas-100308.html

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are planning to give birth to their next babies in Texas. The famous celebrity couple who already have four children and have relocated to a 270 acre ranch near the rural town of Smallsville, Texas for the birth. Pitt is currently shooting for his upcoming movie The Tree of Life. The family will be in the town till Angelina Jolie delivers.

Pitt had recently told his close friends that he and Jolie are expecting twins. The couple have three adopted children Maddox, Pax and Zahara and their 21-month-old daughter Shiloh. They want their children to be born in US as Shiloh was born in was in Namabia. The locals are very excited to have the celebrity among them. The couple have however postponed their marriage due to arguments over some key issues.

For more stories from Oneincia click this link crixenauf

Some Brad Photos

Not much in Brad news today so I thought I'd post some pictures.

People Magazine has alot of them posted on their website.

Click on this link to see them all http://www.people.com/people/brad_pitt

For more People Magazine stories click on this link crixenauf

Brad Pitt Trivia

Tv.com has some interesting trivia about Brad Pitt.

Here are some:

Brad was chosen as one of People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive for 2007.

During the filming of Se7en, Brad broke his arm, which led to the injury being written into the script.

Brad's first job was dancing in a chicken suit for a chicken restaurant.

Brad has a Single Engine Land pilot license.

Brad took Greek language lessons in secret to surprise his ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston, who is of Greek ancestry.

He is an ambassador for DATA, an advocacy group that champions debt reduction, fair trade and AIDS relief in Africa.

Brad slept on Melissa Etheridge's couch when he first arrived in L.A.

Brad moved to Los Angeles in 1986 with $325 to his name and landed his first acting job (an industrial-training film) within a week.

Brad's favorite cereal is Frosted Flakes.

Brad's favorite drink is Mountain Dew.

Brad's favorite candy is Twizzlers.

Brad's favorite food is pizza.

In the year 1982, he was voted "best dressed" in his school.

Brad is a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, the Xi Xi chapter at University of Missouri.

For more triva, click on this link http://www.tv.com/brad-pitt/person/38699/trivia.html

For more tv.com stories, click on this link crixenauf

Just How Tall is Brad Pitt?

Ever wonder how tall Brad is? According to celebheights.com, he's 5 ft 11 in.

http://www.celebheights.com/s/Brad-Pitt-371.html

Celebheights.com is a fun site to check out - you can look up numerous actors to find out just how tall they are.

Click on this link crixenauf to go to their website.

Sheryl Crow: Aniston dumped Pitt

Rediff India Abroad has an interesting article about Brad and Jen. They say that Jen dumpled Brad.

http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2008/mar/06jen.htm

Rocker Sheryl Crow [Images] has busted the myth that Brad Pitt [Images] left wife Jennifer Aniston [Images] after meeting Angelina Jolie [Images], insisting that the former Friends star was the one who did the dumping.

Ever since Pitt and Jolie became close after meeting on the sets of Mr and Mrs Smith, it has been widely believed that the hunky actor dumped his wife for Jolie.

However, Crow insists that it was Aniston who did the dumping.

"For both of us, the perceived idea is that, in our big relationships, we both got dumped. Believe me, this is not true," Contactmusic quoted her, as saying.

"Neither one of us has ever gotten dumped. No one ever knows what goes on in relationships. Unfortunately, for some people like Jennifer and me, so much is written about things that you don't say, and so many emotions are attributed to you that you haven't had," she added.

Giving credence to Crow's claims are other pals of Aniston, one of whom told the National Enquirer that Aniston had indeed been the one to call an end to the her and Brad's relationship.

"Once Jen saw the writing on the wall, she dumped Brad. She took a cold, hard look at her marriage and realised it was irretrievably broken," the pal said.

"She and Brad had vastly different personal agendas and feelings about love, career and having a family."

For more rediff stories, click on this link crixenauf

"Burn After Reading" Has a Release Date

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Brad's new movie "Burn After Reading" has a release date of September 12th.

The movie is a dark comedy about the spy business also starring George Clooney, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton.

For more Hollywood Reporter stories, click on this link crixenauf

"Idol Gives Back" Returns With Big Name Celebs

According to OK Magazine, Brad will be appearing on an episode of American Idol. It's nice to see celebrities helping to raise funds.

Here is the article:

Where can you see U2's Bono, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Eli Manning and other big name stars all in the same place? On the special episode of American Idol, called "Idol Gives Back!" The fundraiser returns for a second year and is boasting a new star lineup from oscar winners to music legends.

Set to appear are: Bono, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Eli and Peyton Manning, Fergie, Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox, John Legend and Snoop Dogg.

Last season, "Idol Gives Back" raised $76 million--and won the prestigious Governors Award Emmy. This year, the musical benefit will raise funds for U.S. charities that work with underprivileged children.

"Idol Gives Back" airs Wednesday, April 9 on FOX.

http://www.okmagazine.com/news/view/4951

For more OK Magazine articles click on this link crixenauf

IMDB.com's list of Brad Pitt Movies

Have you been to IMDB.com lately? They list all of Brad's movies, including new ones.

Check it out: http://imdb.com/name/nm0000093/

Brad's New Haircut

The Sun has a picture of Brad's new haircut.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article865819.ece

It's for a new movie he is filming in Texas call Tree of Life.

For more Sun stories, click on this link crixenauf

Brad Pitt confirms: 'We're having twins'

According to the Daily Mail, Brad and Angie are having twins.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=520968&in_page_id=1773

Here is the article from the Daily Mail:

Angelina Jolie is pregnant with twins, her partner Brad Pitt has confirmed to friends.

After weeks of silence on the subject, Jolie's rounded belly on the red carpet of the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday confirmed she was expecting.

Coinciding with Jolie's bump debut, excited dad Pitt has begun telling friends about their impending arrivals, the Mail Online has learned.
The couple are already adoptive parents to Cambodian Maddox, six; Ethiopian Zahara, three; and Vietnamese Pax Thien, four; and have a biological daughter Shiloh Nouvel, 21 months.

In preparation for the birth this summer, Pitt has been rescheduling his work so he has enough time to spend with Jolie and the children.

A friend of the couple tells the Mail Online: "Brad's been very quiet about this pregnancy so far but this was the weekend he decided to let the cat out of the bag. He's telling everybody close to him, because he's having to change around his work schedule to get ready for the birth.

"They're having twins, Angelina is healthy, and he's thrilled that he's going to be a father once again.

"They didn't exactly plan this pregnancy, but they wanted more children and Brad says Angelina was very willing to have them herself."

In contrast to the exotic birth of Shiloh in Namibia in 2006, Jolie is expected to undergo a more low-key birth in her native America.

The friend said: "They want to have these children in Los Angeles or New Orleans. I don't think Brad wants to isolate himself and the family again like he did when Shiloh was born.

"But he's also probably not going to take on a major acting role before the birth either, so he can focus on making sure Angelina is happy, healthy and comfortable."

Pitt will have a tough time balancing his work schedule with family life this year - he's signed up to star in five films, as well as produce seven other movies.

Jolie's pregnancy has ended recent reports the couple were planning to adopt another child to add their rapidly expanding brood.

Pitt has previously joked he wants enough children for his own football team.

Before she met Pitt on the set of Mr & Mrs Smith in 2005, Jolie said she thought she would only adopt children, but changed her mind when she was the actor interacting with her eldest son Maddox.

She said: "I believe I'm meant to find my children in the world and not necessarily have them genetically."

For more Daily Mail articles, click on this link: crixenauf

Moving to France?

According hollywoodrag.com, Brad and Angie may be moving to France. They reportedly bought a chateau in the south of France which they plan to make their new family home.

Click on this link to read more:

http://www.hollywoodrag.com/index.php?/weblog/angelina_jolie_wont_raise_new_baby_girl_in_the_us/

For more Hollywoodrag.com gossip, click on this link: CRIXENAUF

Brad and Angie Video

Pagesix.com has video footage of Brad and Angie at the Independent Spirit Awards.

Click on this link to see the footage.
http://www.pagesix.com/video/angelina+jolie+shows+her+bump

For more Brad Pitt videos, click on this link: crixenauf

2008 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards

Justjared.com has posted some pictures of Brad at the 2008 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards.

For more, click on this link: http://justjared.buzznet.com/2008/02/23/angelina-jolie-film-independents-spirit-awards/

Looks like Brad and Angie are expecting. Here is information from Foxnews.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt ended months of speculation that the couple is expecting another child after showing off the "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" star's baby bump Saturday night at the Film Independent's Spirit Awards in California.

They are "thrilled to be adding to their brood," People magazine quotes a source close to the couple as saying. "They are very, very happy."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,332148,00.html

For more Foxnews stories, click on this link: CRIXENAUF

Crixenauf's SLIP & SLIDE Post

People.com has a cute picture of Brad Pitt and son Pax tubing at California's Mammoth Mountain ski resort. The Jolie-Pitt clan hit the slopes together last weekend – though Brad and the boys did all the skiing, while Angelina and the girls cheered them on.

http://www.people.com/people/gallery/0,,20179054_10,00.html

For more People magazine gossip click on this link: CRIXENAUF

Brad and Angie at a Hollywood Panaderia

www.pagesix.com has a video posted of Brad and Angie in Hollywood.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie took their sons Maddox, 6, and Pax, 3, to a Hollywood panaderia on Monday. The junk food-loving family doesn’t need fancy cuisine: They bought two pupusas, a favorite dish from El Salvador with tortillas and cheese. A staffer at the eatery told PageSix.com that Brad and Angelina "come in all the time. The pupusas are their favorite — they always get that."

Tiny Angelina struggled to carry Pax, who is growing fast, while Maddox walked beside his mom. When they got to the car, the couple loaded their boys in the back seat and doting dad Brad said, “Alright, boys,” before taking the driver's seat and driving off.

To view the video, you can click on this link:
http://www.pagesix.com/story/brangelina+s+latin+americantreat

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to marry in secret

Hmmm...I wonder if this will end up being true:

18 February 2008 - It is rumoured that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are finally going to tie the knot.

The actors have been dating for three years and have a baby together. They also have three adopted children.

The wedding will be a private ceremony this spring, according to Now magazine.

A source told the Sunday People: "They have talked about marrying for a while,

"They have been together three years and sorting things out with Brad's mum is the icing on the cake."

It is rumoured that Angelina is expecting twins by Brad Pitt. She has not confirmed the pregnancy but her father spilled the beans on a television show.

http://www.myparkmag.co.uk/articles/celebs/celebrity-gossip/angelina-jolie-and-brad-pitt-to-marry-in-secret.jsp

Razzi Snap: Ellen DeGeneres Has Raised $800K For Pitt’s Charity

According to ecorazzi.com, Ellen has helped raise money for Brad's charity.

Here is the article:

The people of New Orleans have many heroes to thank for their efforts in helping post-Katrina, but few may be as giving as former native Ellen DeGeneres. The comedian/talk show host has helped raise more than $10 million for various charities focusing on rebuilding the city; most recently $800,000 for Brad Pitt’s Make It Right NOLA campaign. Website Muckety helps map out DeGeneres’s sphere of influence.

http://www.ecorazzi.com/2008/02/11/razzi-snap-ellen-degeneres-has-raised-800k-for-pitts-charity/

crixenauf

Crixenauf: SHU's ONE Challenge

Last week I received an e-mail inviting me to join the college ONE challenge to stamp out poverty from Sacred Heart University. From the ONE Challenge website ;

Throughout the challenges' three stages, ONE will reward campuses for their efforts. In January, at the beginning of phase 2, ONE will fly representatives from the top 100 schools to D.C. for an elite three-day conference, and in February, at the start of phase 3, ONE will present the top 10 schools with grants to fund their own poverty-fighting programs.
In the end, ONE will reward the school that proves that its students are the most creative and effective poverty fighters in the country.
In 2004, Brad Pitt joined activist Bono as a spokesman for the One campaign to strive for "providing basic needs like health,education,clean water, and food, in Africa." He called on Americans to help Africa and the poorest nations beat AIDS and extreme poverty. Visit http://www.sacredheart.edu for more info on the challenge.

Pitt, Jolie named 'most influential couple'

According to Digital Spy, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been named Hollywood's most influential couple in a new poll.

Kate Moss and Pete Doherty finished in second place, despite ending their relationship last July.

Forbes magazine examined press cuttings and online stories about high-profile couples to determine which had the greatest impact on popular culture.

Pitt and Jolie topped the survey because of their humanitarian acts, growing family and "likeability" as a couple.

Other couples featuring high on the list included Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, and Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban.

David and Victoria Beckham finished in eleventh place.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a89265/pitt-jolie-named-most-influential-couple.html

crixenauf

Brad on Charlie Rose

Back on December 17, 2007, Brad was on the Charlie Rose show. They had a conversation about his Make It Right project. Make It Right are building 150 houses in the Lower 9th Ward, one of the most devastated areas of New Orleans.

Click on this link to see the interview:

http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2007/12/17/1/a-conversation-with-brad-pitt

CRIXENAUF

Pitt hits out at 'death-threat' story

Well, according to IrelandOn-Line the story in Life&Syle magazine is not true. Let's hope it is not.

Brad Pitt has blasted a US publication for publishing a "dangerous" story about a bogus death threat he and partner Angelina Jolie have received.

The angry movie star has called the report, which suggested his daughter Shiloh has become the target of a sick pest, "reckless".

In an article running in the current issue of weekly publication Life & Style, reporters claim Jolie and Pitt have increased security after discovering a chilling note targeting their biological daughter.

Sources claim: "Someone got to their doorstep and left a threat against Shiloh."

However, Pitt insists the story is completely made up.

He says: "This is absolutely not true and reckless and dangerous to put these ideas out into the world."

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/story.asp?j=245678822&p=z456795z8

CRIXENAUF

Shiloh’s Scare

I hope this story in Life&Style magazine is not true. If it is, it's scarey..

Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, the 20-month-old daughter of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, needs extra protection!

According to the latest issue of Life & Style, new threats are being made against the golden child and Brad & Angie are beefing up security after a chilling note targeting their daughter was discovered at one of their homes in early January.

Here’s what the insider had to say:

On the scary note: "Someone got to their doorstep and left a threat against Shiloh. The person included a photo of Shiloh and a note that read, ‘We got this close already.’"

On Brad & Angie’s reaction: "They’re freaked out. Shiloh has somebody protecting her 24-7, and Brad and Angie are trying to avoid taking her out of the house." (Shiloh hasn’t been photographed in public since Jan. 4)

The latest threat came less than two months after shots were fired outside Brad and Angie’s Los Feliz house on Nov. 27.

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2008/02/06/shiloh-scare/

CRIXENAUF

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s Parental Instincts Save 8-Year-Old Boy

Here is a sweet story about Brad and Angie from egossip.com:

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt caused quite a commotion at the Santa Barbara Film Festival this weekend - and an 8-year-old boy got the brunt of it all!

Seth Mascareno, a huge fan of Pitt and Jolie's, was crushed to the ground as hungry fans hounded the highly-popular couple outside the auditorium.

The boy, who wanted Angie to sign his Tomb Raider photo, fell over as impatient Brangelina fanatics sped towards the pair.

But the dynamic duo wasn't about to let anything bad happen to the little boy. As soon as it happened, Brad started yelling at everyone to back up while Angelina rushed to help the boy back on his feet.

Seth's mother had the following to say about the incident:
"The crush of people was just overwhelming. Jolie and Pitt rushed over and she helped pull Seth under the barricade while Pitt yelled for the crowd to back up.

"Then Jolie took Seth aside to make sure he was unharmed. When she was sure he was all right, she signed a Tomb Raider photo he was carrying.

"She stroked Seth's hair and said, ‘There, there sweetheart, you're okay now'."

http://www.egossip.com/celebrity/angelina-jolie-and-brad-pitt-s-parental-instincts-save-8-year-old-boy-8830

CRIXENAUF

Brad and Angie at the Santa Barbara Film Festival

Angelina Jolie arrives hand-in-hand with Brad Pitt at the 2008 Santa Barbara Film Festival in Santa Barbara, Calif. on Saturday.

SBIFF presented Academy Award-winner and three-time Golden Globe-winning actress, Angelina Jolie, with the Outstanding Performance Award for her critically acclaimed performance in A Mighty Heart at the Arlington Theater.

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2008/02/03/angelina-jolie-santa-barbara-film-festival/

Celebrity heads: Pitt most popular

Brad Pitt is the man most idolised by other guys.

A worldwide survey of 20,000 plastic surgeons found men opting for surgery were most likely to pick Brad as the person they'd most like to look like.

Among the features most requested are the Troy star's eyes, nose, lips, chin and butt.
Brad's girlfriend Angelina Jolie's lips were the favourite celebrity feature for women. Ladies looking for physical enhancements regularly asked for Pamela Anderson's breasts, Jennifer Lopez's bottom or Sophia Loren's eyes.

It was recently reported Brad, who turned 44 last December, is worried about his looks fading with age.

A source recently said: "The obsession with his looks has gotten worse very recently. It's hit him pretty hard that he's not looking as young as he was.

"When he first hit Hollywood, Brad's natural good looks helped him immensely, but as he has gotten older, he is finding it more and more difficult to maintain them."

Cause Celeb: Brad Pitt – builder of Little Pink Houses

Here is another interview with Brad regarding Make it Right.


One half of super couple Brangelina, I think Brad deserves some kudos for the work he does, I mean let’s face it, he’ll never again be able to act in a movie without any of us thinking – hey, that’s Brad – the guy that dumped Jennifer, who goes home to Angie every night, the one that is daddy to Maddox and Shiloh, Zahara and Pax with another one on the way. But behind those smoldering good looks, and controversial personal life, and a film career, is a magnanimous heart with an altruistic soul.

Pick up any INStyle Magazine from the mid-1990s and you’ll know that Brad Pitt has long been a fan of architecture and design. In 2007 he found a way to channel that interest in a way to help the world.

Pitt launched Make it Right; an organization to help build the Lower 9th Ward which was devastated after Hurricane Katrina. It’s mission: “to be a catalyst for redevelopment of the Lower 9th Ward, by building a neighborhood comprised of safe and healthy homes that are inspired by Cradle to Cradle thinking, with an emphasis on a high quality of design, while preserving the spirit of the community's culture. The goal is to accomplish this quickly, so that the first residents can begin returning to their homes as soon as possible.” Hot pink tented models serve as miniature place holders, promises, that these homes will be built and that people will be able to return to affordable, sustainable well built homes. The project is committed to building 150 homes.

Pitt garnered inspiration for the Make it Right campaign from his work with Global Green USA. He aligned with Global Green USA in 2006. Global Green USA is a national environmental organization addressing three of the greatest challenges facing humanity: Stemming global climate change by creating green buildings and cities, eliminating weapons of mass destruction that threaten lives and the environment, and providing clean, safe drinking water for the 2.4 billion people who lack access to clean water. Global Green USA is working with local and state authorities to implement green rebuilding policies in the wake of Hurricane Katrina – and Brad Pitt is working with them. Pitt headed a jury for Global Green's Sustainable Design Competition for New Orleans Neighborhoods that selected the top 5 ecologically sound designs for rebuilding that city.

The design chosen – created by Matthew Berman and Andrew Kotchen of Workshop/APD, reduces energy demand, uses a heating and cooling system that combines natural ventilation with a geothermal system, and has planted trellises that will help to cool the buildings.

In 2004 Pitt joined the ONE Campaign Against AIDS & Poverty in Africa. The campaign pushes for an additional an additional 1% of the U.S. budget toward providing basic needs like health, education, clean water and food" in Africa, and to rally Americans to support "debt cancellation, trade reform and anti–corruption measures... to help Africa and the poorest nations beat AIDS and extreme poverty.

So you gotta hand it to the stoner from True Romance, he done good.

MAKE IT RIGHT
GLOBAL GREEN USA
ONE

Click here for the video interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eLrob2LGts&v3

crixenauf

Brad Pitt For Edwin Jeans

Peep the new Brad Pitt ad for Japanese clothing brand Edwin Jeans!

Pitt, 44, has been their official spokesman and model for the brand for almost a decade now.

As always, there are rumors of Brad and Angelina Jolie adopting. UK’s Daily Mirror is reporting that the couple are hoping to visit African orphanages over the Easter holidays in March to find another daughter. Take this with a grain of salt!

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2008/01/21/brad-pitt-edwin-jeans/

crixenauf

Celebrities in New Orleans for Carnival

NEW ORLEANS—Sandy "Pepa" Denton got a lesson this week on how to toss beads and an up-close look at the elaborate float she'll be riding on in Monday's Krewe of Orpheus parade with friend and rap partner Cheryl "Salt" James.

The women, stars of the 1980s rap group Salt-N-Pepa, brought their VH1 reality TV show to New Orleans this week to document their work helping a family rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, as well as their ride in the parade.

"It's so pretty," Denton said of the float, which has two winged horses and hundreds of decorative flowers. It will be among dozens rolling down St. Charles Avenue the night before Mardi Gras.

James, however, hasn't seen the float yet and has never been to Carnival. She's a bit nervous. "This is all new to me," she said.

For parade goers, celebrity watching will be as fun as grabbing the throws tossed from the floats as Carnival goes into high gear this weekend with Fat Tuesday just days away.
Likely absent, though, will be superstar Britney Spears. The native of Kentwood, northwest of New Orleans, was hospitalized Thursday in Los Angeles after a series of continuing crises.
But the headliners should not disappoint.

They include actor/director Kevin Costner as grand marshal of the Krewe of Endymion, one of the largest and glitziest parades. He'll be joined by the Doobie Brothers and Belinda Carlisle, former lead singer of the Go-Gos.

On Sunday, wrestler and reality TV star Hulk Hogan will reign as king of the Krewe of Bacchus. NBC's "Today" morning talk show correspondent Hoda Kotb and weatherman Al Roker will be grand marshals of the Krewe of Argus on Fat Tuesday in suburban Metairie. Also on Mardi Gras (which means Fat Tuesday), clarinetist Pete Fountain will lead a cadre of locals and celebrities for the annual trek of the Half-Fast Marching Club.

Orpheus, the glittery parade founded in 1993 by singer Harry Connick Jr., has one of the longest list of celebs. Besides Salt-N-Pepa, Lance Bass and Kevin Meaney—stars of the Broadway musical "Hairspray"—daytime television star Christian LeBlanc and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves will ride.

Castroneves, who with dancing partner Julianne Hough won last year's "Dancing with the Stars" competition on ABC, will be one of a batch of reality TV stars at Carnival.

Among them Monday night will be Bridget Marquardt, Holly Madison and Kendra Wilkinson, stars of E! cable network's Playboy-based reality show "The Girls Next Door." They'll be throwing a fundraiser on Lundi Gras, or Mardi Gras eve, for actor Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation at the House of Blues in the French Quarter. Pitt's charity is rebuilding homes in the Lower 9th Ward destroyed by Katrina in 2005.

South Louisiana's Carnival celebration dates back to 1699, when French explorers sloshing through the wetlands paused to mark the day before Lent.

But celebrities didn't become a regular highlight until the first Bacchus parade in 1969, when dancer/actor Danny Kaye reigned.

Since then, dozens have gotten into the spirit. "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini, for example, was last year's king of Bacchus and followed in the footsteps of such big names as Bob Hope and Ron Howard. John Goodman, Chuck Norris, Jason Alexander, Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd have served as past grand marshals for Endymion, and Glenn Close, Sandra Bullock, Forest Whitaker and Whoopi Goldberg are among those who've ridden in Orpheus.

Ardley Hanemann, an Orpheus spokesman, said a variety of factors made coordinating celebrities' schedules difficult this year. Among them: the Hollywood writers' strike and an earlier-than-usual Mardi Gras that competes with Super Bowl festivities.

Still, parade organizers say they are happy with their catch, and the riders are excited as well.
Endymion captain Ed Muniz said Costner has called him a number of times, not only excited about riding in the parade, but about also about dining at Emeril Lagasse's Delmonico restaurant and gulping sugar-coated beignets at Cafe du Monde.

"He's got an affection for New Orleans," Muniz said. "He's filmed movies here. He loves it here, and he's really excited about being a part of Mardi Gras."

Muniz said celebrity participation in Carnival has had a positive ripple effect.
"It gets the (krewe) members excited, it gets parade-goers excited. It's good for the organization, it's good for Mardi Gras, and it's good for the city and tourism," he said.
Salt-N-Pepa said they chose to come to New Orleans not only to take part in Mardi Gras but to keep the plight of the recovering city and its people fresh in the minds of Americans.
The first season of "The Salt-N-Pepa Show" ended in December. A second series of shows is scheduled to begin airing Feb. 11.

The New Orleans video won't be shown until late March and early April. It will include Salt-N-Pepa's work with St. Bernard Project, an organization that has helped more than 70 families move to St. Bernard Parish since the storm by raising money for building materials and recruiting volunteers.

"The main point for coming is to bring attention through the show to the fact that there's still a lot of devastation," James said.

http://www.mercurynews.com/travel/ci_8139290