Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts

Thursday, January 23, 2020



BBC My World is a groundbreaking global show for young audiences, explaining the stories behind the news, and providing facts and information for them to make up their own minds about international issues.
It draws on the independent, global reporting of the BBC World Service.  It is a co-production with Angelina Jolie and Microsoft Education, with the BBC retaining editorial control over all content.
Targeting a young audience aged 13+, the programme aims to fill a global gap in reliable and trusted information for young audiences in this age group, who are legally allowed on many social media platforms but poorly served by adult news content, and susceptible to the dangers of poor quality ‘fake news’ and disinformation. They are an age group keen to understand more about how trusted news is made and the values that stand behind it.
My World is a weekly half hour TV programme in English.  BBC World News, the BBC’s most-watched channel which reaches more than 100m people across the world every week, will run the show each Sunday at 16.30 GMT, and content will be shared across the World Service’s 42 language services. There will also be multi-lingual distribution in more than 20 countries, including Canada, China, India, South Korea, Bosnia and the United States. A digital version of the programme will be available on the BBC iPlayer in the UK, and globally on the BBC My World YouTube channel.
The programme is presented by Radzi Chinyanganya and Nomia Iqbal.
Jamie Angus, Director of the BBC World Service Group, says: “There’s a gap in provision for young people who want to understand how the news is made and the values that stand behind it. They need the tools to distinguish the real from the false online, and the skills to think critically about information, wherever they encounter it.
"Nurturing these abilities is the aim of My World, and they’re crucial for today’s young people, not just for personal development but the future health of global democracy. The BBC World Service is uniquely placed to provide a truly global perspective on the biggest stories and themes of the day.”
Angelina Jolie says: “As a parent I am happy to be able to give my support to a program that aims to help children learn more about the lives of other young people around the world, and connect them to each other. I hope it will help children find the information and tools they need to make a difference on the issues that matter to them, drawing on the BBC World Service’s network of thousands of journalists and multiple language services around the world.”
There is a bespoke learning segment to accompany each show, as well as additional lesson plans created by BBC Learning, all of which will be available through Microsoft Education for a global audience of educators. The content will help the teaching of media literacy in schools in every region of the world.
My World will provide much needed impartial access to information of the highest editorial standard, helping young people to understand the world around them. Last year, the BBC convened a Trusted News Summit bringing together senior figures from major global technology firms and publishing, to initiate a new industry collaboration to tackle dangerous misinformation. At the summit media education was highlighted as a key priority.
My World also builds on the media literacy work that the BBC does in the UK and abroad, both through BBC Young Reporter and the BBC World Service’s Beyond Fake News initiative, which took media literacy workshops to schools in India, Nigeria and Kenya in 2018 and continues to shine a spotlight on disinformation.




Monday, June 30, 2014







3 reasons Mia Freedman wants you to see Maleficent



Do you wanna punch a snowman? Someone posted that on Facebook the other day and I laughed out loud because I think we’ve all been there. Or are there.

As wonderful – truly wonderful – Frozen was, it was also kiddie crack, especially for little girls who have spent the past six months singing all the songs all the time. All. The. Time.
Good news, there are more movies to go see to get a break from Elsa, Ana and the snowman even if just for the 90 minutes plus previews you’re sitting in the cinema. Shush now darling,  you’re not allowed to sing in here. That’s the rules of the movies.

So what to see? My vote goes to Maleficent.

It began with a controversy on my Facebook page. Because how else would a trip to the movies with my kids start? Leading up to the school holidays, I had a question. And so with hope in my heart for a calm and helpful response, I asked it:
maleficent review mia freedman 1 3 reasons Mia Freedman wants you to see Maleficent.

If you’ve met social media before, you won’t be surprised when I tell you that my question divided people into two passionately opposing camps. 1. Those who thought Maleficent was AMAZING and totally fine for little kids. 2. Those who had child services on speed dial and were APPALLED that anyone would even consider taking young children to see a movie that was rated M. HOW VERY DARE YOU. The divide was neatly summed up by this sample of comments:

maleficent review mia freedman 2 3 reasons Mia Freedman wants you to see Maleficent.

And so it went, the lovers and the haters (not so much of the movie but of the idea that I would even consider taking my kids to ‘that kind of film’ – and I don’t think all of those people were Jennifer Anniston supporters who still can’t let go of their anger). I took my kids anyway because not a single person who had seen the movie said it would be too scary or inappropriate for a 5 and 8 year old and I figured they would know more than all the people who hadn’t seen it and yet had firm views that it was The Wrong Thing To Do.

We bloody loved it. In fact, I think it’s the best kids movie I’ve been to since…. Frozen. And my god it was lovely to see a film that didn’t have Let It Go in it. Love that song. Need a rest from it.
OK – first to the M rating. The classification describes it like this:

Mature (M)

 3 reasons Mia Freedman wants you to see Maleficent. The content is moderate in impact.
Films and computer games classified M (Mature) contain content of a moderate impact and are recommended for teenagers aged 15 years and over. Children under 15 may legally access this material because it is an advisory category. However, M classified films and computer games may include classifiable elements such as violence and nudity of moderate impact that are not recommended for children under 15 years.
Parents and guardians may need to find out more about the film or computer game’s specific content, before deciding whether the material is suitable for their child.
There was no ‘nudity of moderate impact’ (my new favourite phrase) and the violence was confined to three or four big battle scenes, which were absolutely awesome. There were lots of fantasy elements in the battles (forrest creatures and so on) but nothing terribly graphic.

I have no idea what the M rating is based on, suffice to say, it’s soooooo fine unless your kid is prone to being easily frightened or having bad nightmares. My 8-year-old daughter was obviously totally cruisey about it and my 5 year-old-son was riveted. Battles. Weapons. Enough said.

The movie itself is just so so good. I didn’t expect to love it so much. From the way I understand film reviews to work, I’m not meant to give away any major plot points or the ending so I will limit myself to telling you the three things that struck me most:

maleficent 3 300x265 3 reasons Mia Freedman wants you to see Maleficent.
“She’s just so goddamn strikingly, ridiculously beautiful that it’s hard to ever forget it’s her.”

1. Angelina. This was a revelation. I always find Big Big Movie Stars to be difficult to watch in films because their fame gets int the way of me believing them as a character. I’m like, there’s Nicole Kidman in a wig and some rags pretending to be an English person.
I wonder if Keith was in her trailer writing songs while she was on set. Wait, what just happened? Who is that guy and what did Nicole just say to him? And so it’s always been for me with Anglina. She’s just so goddamn strikingly, ridiculously beautiful that it’s hard to ever forget it’s her.
But in this role, as a powerful woodland fairy whose life is ruined by an unspeakably tretcherous and cruel act, Angelina Jolie is all the words: captivating, magnetic and brilliant. A revelation who commands respect and attention in every scene even when she’s doing something heinous. Everyone else is fine but it’s her film.

2. The cinematography. Australian legend, Dean Semler was the Director of Photography on this film which means that along with the director, it’s his vision – literally.
The way this film is shot – and I don’ t know a single technical word here – is simply stunning. Sumptuous. Breath-taking. Luscious. This is a film that’s very much about nature and the way it looks is glorious. Which means it’s a really enjoyable watch no matter how old you are.

3. The message. It’s always been a mystery as to how someone could be so messed up that she would curse a newborn baby as a christening gift. This film explains it so well that when that scene eventually comes, you’re a little bit torn about who to sympathise with. That’s how clever the script is. And just like Frozen, this is a post-modern fairy tale. Prince Shmince. True love is not just romantic. Sometimes it’s bigger and stronger and even more significant.

If you’ve seen Maleficent, tell me what you think. If you haven’t, go see it. Four and a half stars.


Read the original post at mamamia




boxoffice.com

Twitter Tracking

Mon Jun 30 as of 06:16AM PDT
Title # Tweets
Transformers: Age of Extinction 21,312
The Fault in Our Stars 9,213
Maleficent 4,417
22 Jump Street 3,586
Avengers: Age of Ultron 1,399


Date# TweetsPos:Neg Ratio
Jun 30, 2014441716:1
Jun 29, 20141558820:1
Jun 28, 20141654617:1








Wednesday, May 1, 2013






























 Deadline

Logan Lerman Shares A Tank With Brad Pitt

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday May 1, 2013 @ 3:37pm PDT
 

EXCLUSIVE: Logan Lerman is joining Brad Pitt and Shia La Beouf in Fury, the WWII tank thriller that David Ayer wrote and is directing for QED and Sony Pictures. Lerman will play Norman Ellison, an Army typist and the youngest and most inexperienced member of the crew who is thrust into being a tank gunner.
Sony Pictures won the right to distribute domestically and in most of the world, with some territories belonging to QED, whose Bill Block took a big risk by paying $1 million for Ayer’s spec, and then watched it pay off quickly when Pitt commited to the $80 million film. QED will produce with John Lesher and his Le Grisbi Productions banner. Ethan Smith, Block and Lesher are producing and they are eyeing a fall production start. The action takes place in 1945 as the Nazi regime collapses and the five-man crew of an American tank called Fury battles a desperate German army.
Lerman, coming off starring with Emma Watson in The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, reprises his signature role in the sequel Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters, but Fury moves him into adult roles. CAA reps him.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Promos 2



I can't seem to find the original source of interviews being quoted by some tabs (M&C & Virgin).  The quotes echo words he has said before but in the absence of a bonafide, verifiable source, they remain question marks.

From Monsters & Critics

People News

Brad Pitt love children's chaos

Dec 6, 2012, 4:01 GMT


Brad Pitt and Angelina JolieBrad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Brad Pitt says spending a morning with six children is 'a beautiful form of chaos'.
The 48-year-old actor - who raises six kids, Maddox, 11, Pax, eight, Zahara, seven, Shiloh, six, and four-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, with his fiancee Angelina Jolie - is trying to enjoy every moment he can with his children because he knows they wont be young forever.
He said: 'I would describe it as a beautiful and controlled form of chaos. Sometimes you're tired and you kind of function on automatic but I really appreciate this time where the kids are still young and they're forming right in front of your eyes.
'I'm trying to enjoy it all because I know that one day I'm going to look back and they'll all be grown up and I'll miss this time.'
Brad and Angelina's older children have got used to travelling around the world with their busy parents, and the 'World War Z' star revealed the couple's youngsters love to create their own 'fantasy playgrounds' when they are staying in hotels.
He added: 'They're expert travellers. The older ones are getting very adept at packing up and taking along the books or toys they like to have with them wherever we're living. They know the routine by now and so it's much easier for me to organise everyone while Angie can pay more attention to getting the twins ready.
'They also love staying at hotels because it's this pretend world for them that they get to be part of. It's quite something to watch them create their own little fantasy playground wherever we go - running around, jumping, playing make-believe. I love it! Most of the time!'


From Daily Mail

Doting dad Pitt

Brad Pitt loves spending mornings with his six children. The actor is trying to enjoy every moment he can with his and Angelina Jolie's kids - Maddox, 11, Pax, eight, Zahara, seven, Shiloh, six, and four-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne because he knows they won't be young forever. "I would describe it as a beautiful and controlled form of chaos," he said. "Sometimes you're tired and you kind of function on automatic but I really appreciate this time where the kids are still young and they're forming right in front of your eyes." - showbizspy.com




From OK Germany via entertainmentwise

Brad Pitt: 'I'm Blunt With Angelina Jolie When Something's Wrong'

Actor opens up about relationship with Hollywood siren

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are one of the hottest couple's in showbiz with many wondering how the hunk managed to tame the sultry sex symbol, who was once one of the wildest stars in Hollywood.

According to Brad he's not scared to stand up to his fiancee and can be “blunt” when they're is something wrong. The star, who is currently promoting new movie 'Killing Me Softly' told German OK! Magazine that he's not scared to stand up to Ang.

"We always say openly and sometimes bluntly if there is anything wrong. We are so unbelievably close to each other - in the way we think and the way we live," he revealed.

Speaking of what he loves about his partner of seven years, who he has six children with, Brad went on: "And I admire Angie for her ability to stay cool in times of crisis, she always knows the answer. I'm much more unbalanced in that way! But these are the things I'm learning from her - at least I try."



 (WENN)

With such a spotlight on their relationship Brad admitted at times it can be difficult to handle their brood of children and with six under 11, just leaving the house can be a military operations.

"Believe me, every time we want to leave the house to do some shopping it's like planning an escape. It's as if there's money on our heads?," he explained.

"I'm happy that at least the older kids aren't afraid of the paparazzi any more and are used to it."
But it's not just leaving the house that puts Brad under pressure, he recently admitted the children are impatient for the couple to tie the knot having got engaged in April this year.

Speaking at a press conference for his new movie earlier this week, he said: "I will admit we have had some pressure from our kids. We didn't realise how much it means to them, and in getting engaged, we didn't realise how much it means to ourselves."





From USAToday

Brad Pitt is a man on the move

The Oscar-nominated superstar deftly navigates a life in the spotlight and the beloved 'chaos' of six kids at home.

5:22PM EST November 28. 2012 - NEW YORK – Brad Pitt bounds into a suite at the Waldorf-Astoria, doles out a quick handshake that turns into a hug, and sprints to one of the three windows in the room. He pulls open the curtains and looks at the sleet and rain hammering Manhattan 29 floors below him. Like any commuter, Pitt is concerned about annoying travel delays and getting to work on time.
"I gotta get out of here. I go straight to set," he says, referring to the London re-shoots of the zombie flick World War Z. "I just buzzed in and am buzzing out. I hit the plane this afternoon."
Yes, this is what the most famous actor in the world is really like. Shockingly, weirdly, almost off-puttingly accessible. Once you get past the thick layers of security – necessary, as evidenced by a hotel employee who had earlier flipped out in ecstasy after seeing Pitt in person – and peel back all your expectations, fed by years of panting tabloid coverage of everything Pitt, you meet a guy who's friendly, a bit tired, and exceedingly pleasant.
"He's the most normal guy. I spent a lot of time with him on those Ocean's movies – he doesn't do anything to drum up that insanity. He lives in the middle of that and he's somehow found a way to not go crazy. He's not crazy," confirms his friend Matt Damon, who had just seen Pitt. "I don't know if that's his family or his upbringing and now it's become his children and his wife. It's incredible – seeing him yesterday, he's the same great guy from Missouri. I don't understand how he keeps doing great work. It would seem to me that you would lose your ability to be a human being. I genuinely don't know how he's still such a great guy, such a real guy."
Ask Pitt that question and he just laughs. That's probably the better and smarter alternative to furiously and futilely fighting the constant scrutiny lavished on him and his family, fiancée Angelina Jolie and their six kids, Maddox, 11, Pax, 9, Zahara, 7, Shiloh, 6, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 4.
"We're a double whammy, Angie and I. I jumped into this thing somehow as a tabloid magnet. I'm not sure what I did," says Pitt. "We stay blissfully naïve to all of it. You can't do anything about it. More importantly, I trust my decision-making process. When you have that other feedback, those other comments, they're always in the back there. They color your thinking in an unpure way. I don't like that. I don't want anything steering me right or left. I find it a much healthier way to live and my decisions are better, because they're strictly mine."
He applies that same instinctual approach to his career. It's how and why he signed on to star in Killing Them Softly, a Mob drama directed by Andrew Dominik that opens Friday. He'd worked with Pitt on 2007's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Dominik had sent Pitt a text, asking if he was interested in playing a cool-headed and practical hit man. Pitt said yes. The next day, they hashed out the deal at Pitt's L.A. home, sans agents or managers.
"I don't know if I've ever made one happen faster. Andrew is a friend of mine and someone I trust with anything and everything," says Pitt.
What fuels his decisions? "It's more about the company I keep. But I liked this idea. Selfishly, for me, it's getting to do something more urban from my upbringing in the old Ozarks," he says. "I thought it was a very provocative telling. People came in. We did it for no money. We shot the whole film in five or six weeks. It's pretty fun."
Dominik first approached Pitt because they had a history together, and a rich working relationship. Plus, he says, Pitt has that ephemeral quality you can't really quantify. You know it when you see it.
"He always seems to retain his mystery on screen. There's something unattainable about Brad. There's something mysterious about him," says Dominik. "Brad is a naturally very generous guy. This time, he gets to play a selfish (expletive) and gets to take a holiday from himself. You have to cast Brad as someone exceptional. Here, he's the enforcer. He's a cool part."
In person, too, says Dominik, Pitt is just as disarming. "He's really hard to buy a gift for. He gives a lot. It's hard to receive," says the director. "I find Brad to be very straightforward, very stubborn. He's a contrarian. He's not frightened. That might be unusual for a movie star in his situation. He's very fearless. When things have been difficult in my life, he's been there. I admire the way he handles himself."
Would Pitt go into acting today, if he knew what the industry was like and the impact fame would have on his life?
"Now, at this age? No, but not because of acting. I have other, quieter interests," says the Oscar-nominated actor, who works with the Make It Right foundation, which builds green homes for lower-income families, and dabbles in architecture, jewelry and furniture design.
Pitt doesn't come across as angry or bitter or fed-up with his supersized existence, which is based in Los Angeles, New Orleans and a chateau in France. His life just is what it is. The fans are who they are. And things, he says, have calmed down – somewhat.
"It's changed a little bit. Now, being older, it's actually sweeter. It's nicer in some ways. Somewhere in the middle it got really ugly, the grabbing, not seeing that there's a person there," he says. "That was coming from the bounty hunt for pictures. It's an older generation now. We're all getting older."
His birthday is next month and in one year, he turns 50. To say Pitt is aging gracefully is to call Chanel just another clothing line. "I'm actually kinda doing it. Talk to me in 10 years when the knees aren't working at all," he says.
As for his upcoming nuptials, Pitt remains circumspect, telling reporters only that it may happen soon. His home life, says the actor, revolves around his brood. He and Jolie take turns working; she just shot the fable Maleficent in England.
"We keep the family together and one of us can always be home with the kids. By the way, it's a really nice break. Mom worked all summer. I got to spend a lot of time with them. We got to come up and spend time at mommy's work. It's just the way to do it," he says.
When told about this reporter's problems with toddler tantrums, Pitt nods. He gets it. And he also understands the mess that kids usher in, and the inability to keep any area of any dwelling toy-free.
"After two, you just throw in the towel. It's just nice. Once you get to three or four or five or six, it makes it a little bit richer," he says of his children. "There's a few more sounds in the house. I love it. I love the chaos. I love the big family. I love the chaos in the house. It's so full of light. As long as you've got a place to be a quiet, but you don't because they take over those areas too. It's not your home anymore."
And what about the obsession with crayons or markers? Yes, Pitt's been there.
"Oh man. One of them ended up with a Sharpie. I walked into our room and am washing my hands in the bathroom. I look over. What's that on the sink? I trace a line across the wall, across the shades, the bathtub, into the bedroom, along the wall, up over the bed. Someone had covered the entire place and ended in big scribbling at the end," he says, not naming the culprit. "It was a she. It was two shes. One inspired the other to keep going."
He's adorable when discussing his kids, just another doting and bemused dad telling stories about them and Jolie, as long as they're not for publication. As the interview wraps up, Pitt checks the time, glancing at the stunning gold timepiece on his left arm.
"My missus got me this watch. It's an old one," he says.
Clearly, Jolie knows her man. If there's one thing to note about Pitt, it's the difficulty in finding a good present for him. Dominik says he's impossible to buy for. Pitt agrees.
"I don't want people to buy me gifts. I feel guilty. I'm not good at accepting gifts. I feel uncomfortable. Buy me a drink!"






From AP via The Telegraph

Brad Pitt on marriage to Angelina Jolie, 'Killing Them Softly', and THAT Chanel ad

His face is hardly wrinkled and he is still one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, but Brad Pitt has admitted that he is becoming increasingly concerned with his own mortality.

Brad Pitt says the spoofs of his Chanel No5 ad are Brad Pitt says the spoofs of his Chanel No5 ad are "fair play"
2:52AM GMT 29 Nov 2012
Twenty years after his break-out role as the heart throb of "Thelma & Louise", Pitt says he is now working as though his expiration date is lurking.
"I'm definitely past halfway," the actor, who turns 49 in December, revealed in a new interview. "I think about it very much as a father. You just want to be around to see (your children) do everything. If I have so many days left, how am I filling those days? I've been agonizing over that one a bit like I never have before."
That sense of urgency has helped fuel some of Pitt's most daring work, including his new film, "Killing Them Softly."
The film is his second with Andrew Dominik, the New Zealand-born director of "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford". In the adaption of George V Higgins' 1974 crime novel, "Cogan's Trade," Pitt plays a hit man operating in a shabby underworld of image-conscious gangsters.
Pitt has starred in surprisingly few blockbusters over the last decade. Instead, he has gravitated toward working with revered directors like Terrence Malick ("Tree of Life") and the Coen brothers, and shaping his opportunities by producing them. His production company, Plan B, produced both "Jesse James" and "Killing Them Softly," as well as many of his films in between.
More often than not, he's sought to downplay his glamour, a track begun with David Fincher's "Fight Club" and extended with ruminations on celebrity (Dominik's "Jesse James") and more character actor roles than most leading men would dare (his ditzy personal trainer in the Coens' "Burn After Reading," his Nazi-killing lieutenant in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds").
"Killing Them Softly," too, is an ensemble, with James Gandolfini, Richard Jenkins, Ray Liotta, Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn.

Even in last year's performance as Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane in "Moneyball" (for which he landed his third Oscar nomination), Pitt deliberately played it low-key.
"Life is more interesting," he said in an interview with the Associated Press published on Wednesday. "I enjoy the fantasy; I enjoy when everyone wins. I just don't contribute to that idea very well, for better or worse.
"There's something subversive in my Christian upbringing or something, my mid-America upbringing. That irreverent urge that makes you want to yell or fart during the Benediction in church. I just can't help it."
And yet, Pitt has simultaneously carried the movie star mantle with seeming ease. Though his relationship with Angelina Jolie, with whom he has six children, has made him a constant tabloid target, he appeared relaxed and unguarded in conversation. He said his celebrity "hasn't bugged me since the '90s," but he acknowledged that he occasionally trades on it: "I mean, I play some smart ball," he said.
"The difficulty with Brad was always: What can you cast a movie star in?" says Dominik. "You have to deal with it. You have to cast him as someone extraordinary, which I guess he is. He's the cool guy in the movie."
Certainly a very un-"Fight Club" thing to do was the recent Chanel ad campaign Pitt stars in, where he smolders in black-and-white and says things like "It's not a journey" into the camera. The spots were mocked on "Saturday Night Live," to which Pitt says cheerfully: "Fair play, fair play." After a reporter admits not knowing much about fragrances, he laughed, admitting: "Apparently, neither do I."
So why do it?
"Never done it before," was the star's reply. "Respect the company. I'm getting old. Last time I'll probably be able to do something like that."
It is a line of reasoning that seems pervasive in Pitt's choices right now, including his current project: "World War Z", a zombie action film reportedly budgeted at $180 million that could give Pitt what his resume is missing: a franchise.

"I'm not a franchise guy," he said. "They told me I should be focusing on that, as I'm getting older and cresting the precipice and heading down the other side: 'You should really bank one of those.' I'm just not good at it."
The film is also a far bigger scale production for Pitt and Plan B, and things have not gone smoothly. The ending is being reshot - typically a bad sign for a movie - and Pitt calls the film "a total learning experience for me." When the film finally wraps, he said, "Believe me, I'll be celebrating."
Dede Gardner, Pitt's producing partner, says getting older has only made Pitt more patient.
"He's extremely careful," says Gardner. "I suppose that's one thing that happens if you age with consciousness, to be vigilant."
Their other coming productions are smaller, more director-driven. Plan B is producing the next film by Steve McQueen ("Shame"), "12 Years a Slave," and is slated to again produce a film by Dominik: his planned Marilyn Monroe biopic "Blonde."
Though "Jesse James" made a scant $4 million at the box office, Pitt has stuck with the director.
"Somewhere in the late '90s, it became clear to me that there were many leading men roles that you could plug anyone of us into and virtually get the same thing," said Pitt. "Because there's such an investment of time and thought, I wanted to find stories that were more personal to me and that I believed I could add something that was unique."
"Killing Them Softly," is certainly that, a film that probably would not exist if not for Pitt. Set in 2008, the fiscal crisis looms large, with speeches by US presidents George Bush and Barack Obama inserted as an obvious metaphor. In it, Pitt's character declares: "America isn't a country. It's a business."
Gandolfini, former star of The Sopranos, had twice previously worked with Pitt. "We were both at the beginning of our careers," said Gandolfini. "He's the same guy. He's a good guy, a regular guy."
Despite any concerns about "cresting the precipice," Pitt exuded contentment. His confidence as an actor is high, he said, attributing his ability to "craftsmanship".
In his personal life, he and Jolie are planning to marry, after once saying they would not until gay marriage was legal.
"It's an exciting prospect, even though for us, we've gone further than that," said Pitt. "But to concretize it in that way. It actually means more to me than I thought it would. It means a lot to our kids."
As he approaches 50, Pitt's career longevity even surprises him.
"It's amazing I've stuck with this this long because I'm not usually like that. I hit the road," he said. "Exploring within it has been the thing that's kept me in it."
Source: AP


From Extra
November 27, 2012 The A List

Proud parents Brad Pitt and fiancée Angelina Jolie may have a troupe of aspiring actors on their hands as Vivienne, Zahara and Pax prepare to make their big debut in mom's film, “Maleficent.”

Getty Images
“Extra’s” Jerry Penacoli caught up with Brad at the “Killing Them Softly” premiere and got the scoop on Angelina’s “Sleeping Beauty” flick. “This is a story [the kids] know and love well, and their mommy's Maleficent,” he explained. “And so... they don't see it as anything beyond that, just playtime.”

If the Jolie-Pitt children catch the acting bug, however, Brad and Angie won’t stand in their way. “Whatever they want to do… we'll have them figure it out,” says dad.

Brad is one busy guy. In addition to his dad duties and “Killing Them Softly” press tour, he’s also designing furniture for Pollaro and starring in the upcoming zombie apocalypse movie, “World War Z.”

“This is not your usual zombie… it’s good, it’s good fun,” he said of the horror film.





From People

Brad Pitt: Wedding Will Happen 'Soon'

11/27/2012 at 07:50 AM EST

Put the champagne on ice. It appears Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's long-awaited wedding isn't far off – and that's from someone who would know.

"I am getting more pressure from my kids, and it is something I want to do within their lifetime, but I also feel like the time has come," Pitt said Monday night at the premiere of his new film, Killing Them Softly, in New York.

"The time is nigh," he added. "It's soon. I got a good feeling about it."

Pitt, 48, who has been in London filming World War Z this month, has been with Jolie, 37, for seven years. They have six children together – Maddox, 11, Pax, 8, Zahara, 7, Shiloh, 6, and 4-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne – and got engaged this past spring.

And yet, even with so much history together already, Pitt says the idea of tying the knot with his longtime partner is still hugely meaningful.

"We've had a family, we've raised the kids," he says. "I am surprised how much [marriage] meant to me once you had that."

Reporting by K.C. BAKER







From SheKnows
Since Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie played Mr. And Mrs. Smith, fans have been wondering when they’ll become Mr. and Mrs. Pitt. Pressure from their large brood seems to be winning out over Brad’s previous claim that he and Angie would wait until marriage was legal for all. Now he’s saying it will be “soon.” But how soon?

Brad Pitt and Angelina JolieChristmas/Christmas Eve

Smart celebrities know if they want to be left alone on their wedding day, it’s best to do it when something bigger is going on. So what could possibly be bigger than the most highly anticipated nuptials of our generation? Christmas. Think about it. All the paparazzi and reporters will be nestled, all snug in their beds, while Brad and Angie decide to wed. These two celebrities are famous for shunning the popularity that surrounds them, so we could see them huddling around the Christmas tree with their offspring, exchanging vows — in front of a Santa impersonator, perhaps?

Any Friday between now and New Year's

For the same reason stated above, Brad and Angie may be planning a Friday-in-December wedding. Remember when headlines about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ divorce circulated on a Friday? Afternoon, no less? That was brilliant. It still made headlines, but all us entertainment writers in the industry had already checked out for the weekend, and were kind of pissed when we had to go back to work and write about Tom Cruise’s third failed marriage. Getting married on a Friday is a close second to Christmas — it would get covered more than a Christmas wedding, but reporters wouldn’t be happy about it.

Pretty much any day in December

There are several interesting anniversaries in December that Brad and Angie may want to honor by joining in holy matrimony. Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day. Brangelina loves nothing more than stirring up a little awareness. Dec. 3 is International Day of People with Disabilities. With all the couple’s humanitarian efforts, perhaps they’ll get married on Dec. 10, which is Human Rights Day. Brad and Angelina have strong ties to Africa — Angie’s humanitarian work, their first pictures as a couple were in Africa and their daughter, Shiloh was born in Africa. Perhaps they will marry on Dec. 12, which marks Independence Day in Kenya. Our bet is that they will marry Friday, Dec. 14, which as everyone knows is haven’t-you-guys-been-together-for-seven-years-and-don’t-you-already-have-six-kids-and-you’re-probably-already-married-and-no-one-would-give-a-rip-if-you-weren’t-Angelina-Jolie-and-Brad-Pitt-day. (OK, so we may have made that last one up.)

New Year's Eve

Again, this holiday will serve as the perfect diversion with most people either in New York City or watching the gathering in Times Square on TV. People are so hung over on New Year's, it could be a week before people even catch on to a Brad/Angelina marriage. Angie’s New Year's kiss to Brad might also be her first kiss as his bride. Talk about a memorable way to ring in the New Year!



Wednesday, October 17, 2012

bits

It seems they're all back in L.A.  That hopefully means there will be some film-related announcements soon. Salt 2, Cleopatra, Gertrude Bell or something completely new.

Posted by M. Frederic
SPOTTED!!! The ever so fabulous and beautiful Angelina Jolie shopping at M.Fredric Kids in Studio City today! Picking up some adorable threads by Ella Moss Flowers By Zoe Monster Republic & more!

M. Fredric is touted as a Los Angeles retail haven and one stop shop for all of Hollywood. Shop online to access all the latest trends and celebrity styles. Women | MAN | Kids


SPOTTED!!! The ever so fabulous and beautiful Angelina Jolie shopping at M.Fredric Kids in Studio City today!...




Sama Eyewear, one of bluPRint’s incredible clients, is a go-to brand for Angelina Jolie, who is frequently spotted in her Sama “Gossip” shades.
 [Photo Credits: www.PeopleStyleWatch.com]

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Killing Them Cannes Interviews: Dad, not Director


Brad Pitt: "Lunch is an adventure for us"

Looking handsome, as always, in jeans and a white t-shirt, having just changed from a grey suit he wore on the red carpet, Pitt, 48, wears his signature long hair touching his shoulders and looks happy to be on the Riviera, not too far from his home in southern France. He's at the famous Cannes film festival to promote Killing Them Softly, in which he stars in and produces. In a good mood, he jokes about not having had a lot of sleep, taking work shifts with his long-time partner and mother of his brood of six kids, Angelina Jolie.

Q: How are you?
I’m still up a bit since last night.

Q: Cannes does that to you doesn’t it?
Yeah it does.

Q: Has it been a long day for you already?
So yeah, up since last night. I’ll try to be as coherent as possible, if it makes no sense, rewind this. (laughter)

Q: It looks like it’s becoming a tradition for you, coming to Cannes. It’s almost every year now right?
I thought you were talking about staying out all night. (laughter) Yeah, I enjoy Cannes, I enjoy Cannes very much. It’s a place that has great appreciation for the filmmaker, as I do, it’s great being in competition with other filmmakers I admire, and we are on the Riviera for Christ’s sake.

Q: So we saw you last year. What changed since then?
Nothing, doing the same thing and I worked a lot last year, this year mom is working a lot and I get to be dad.

Q: How do you choose a project from the 1,000 scripts that you must get. How do you choose a project and why did you choose this one? 
 I choose it just by feel. That inexplicable feeling that feels like the next interesting thing to go through, something new, something to tackle, something different. Andrew Dominik has become a great friend of mine, and Jesse James remains one of my personal favourites and wanted to do something with Andrew again, and I’ll tell you what, I hate seeing Andrew struggle. I thought he made one of the best movies of certainly that I’ve been a part of and he was really struggling for a while, just to get something made. And so when he came up with this idea and I fit into it, I was thrilled with it. I knew immediately when we first sat down, he came over, told me the story, found this book, it was just at the collapse of the mortgage scandal, and I knew immediately. It’s just an inexplicable feeling.

Q: Women don’t exist in this movie. Why is that?
Well, they are always talking about women, all the characters are deeply affected by the women in their life, or the lack of women in their life and that inability leads to a great sadness in many of the characters.

Q: We remember when you got a life by these two women in Thelma and Louise, that was already some years ago. Did you think at that time that it could be the right decision that put you where you are now?
You are never really thinking that far in advance. I just love movies and wanted to be a part of movies, and there’s so much just trying to figure out who you are in the business and what you want to do with the opportunity, once you get the opportunity. Mainly, it’s chasing opportunity and to be fortunate enough to get that. Then what do you do with it once you get it? And that was the 90s for me.

Q: But do you think when you see one of your own movies like Thelma and Louise and you watch it…
First of all, I don’t. (laughter)

Q: Are there films that your kids can see?
Yeah, there’s some of them that I’ll proud that they will see one day. I hope they will be proud. But I don’t really focus on going back. I don’t really. I figure I will do that when I can’t do this anymore.

Q: Has living in France changed the way of cine-culture and changed the way you appreciate and watch movies?
No, I just find a parallel appreciation in France for filmmakers and that voice, at this specific point of view, and also, an appreciation for a quieter film and a more subtle film.

Q: Talking about money, at the end of the movie you say that this country is about business, so I would like to know, which other priorities are there for you when you choose to produce a movie?
I want to make a movie that says something about our time, the specifics about our time that’s relevant, not necessarily current events, but what and where we are as people. I want to work with filmmakers I respect, because it’s a collaborative sport, and ultimately, the final authorship or the true authorship is the director, so I want to make sure I’m in good hands that way, and I’m going to do something that takes me away from home, as much as a film can do. Those two things specifically.

Q: Would you say you’ve been saved at some point in your life by films? That a movie kind of saved you or gave you a different direction, and if so, what movie might that have been? Or movies in general? Maybe when you were desperate and young…
Yeah, I’m thinking back because it was more of an experience that you have at a younger age, but specifically, I can’t name any. I mean. I think films that showed me another culture that I wasn’t aware of that made me more curious about the world and made me want to get out and travel the world and meet people, people who react to things differently than I do and have a different point of view. I have a distinct memory of seeing Saturday Night Fever as a young kid. I had to sneak in because it was an R-Rated movie, and very strict there, I had to sneak in, what you do is, you buy a ticket for a PG movie, then you act like you are going to the bathroom or something, and then you sneak in while the guy has got his back turned, the ticket taker. And we got in.

Q: Did you want to be Travolta?
No, it was just this idea of this family, this New York family. I am from the Ozarks, we are more country and the idea of this boisterous, gregarious family that are hitting each other and yelling at each other and it seemed ferocious but there’s a lot of love in that and how they relate to each other. I just remember seeing this thing and being really affected by it.

Q: And when did you start thinking about acting, do you remember that? Was that something that came naturally for you?
Well I kind of lamented, it wasn’t on the list of career opportunities where I grew up in any way, and it wasn’t until… I’ve told this story a lot, it wasn’t till two weeks before graduation, and everyone was taking jobs, and I didn’t have a job lined up, nor was I ready to, and it just occurred to me, that I always lamented that it wasn’t an opportunity, but then it just occurred to me, I could go to the opportunity. So literally two weeks later, I had my car loaded up, and 300 dollars in my pocket.

Q: You were supposed to be a journalist, is that right?
I was in the J school, but I really was a bit feckless, (laughter) it was more about, unfortunately for me at that time it was more about getting out of class and of course now, I wish I had certainly studied more.

Q: What do you think about the message that a violent role like yours gives? Does it glorify the drug dealers? Does it send the wrong message?
It’s a violent world we live in, and I don’t know how you feel but I don’t agree with trying to hide that or cover it up. That being said, it’s also a metaphor for business, and business can be Darwinian, it can be very cut throat, and so the killings are very metaphorical in that way for me. But it’s not a nihilistic violence either. There is some care and thought for the other person to try and make it comfortable for them, try to make it easy on them, it’s just an unfortunate part of their business. And murder, or being murdered is a potential outcome in a life of crime, and that’s it. That’s just the rules. From the characters point of view.

Q: The economic downturn is the theme in the film. Is that something that concerns you personally? Do you see evidence of it? I mean walking around Cannes, there are more homeless people in the streets here this year. But you lead a very different life, is it a concern of yours?
Yeah absolutely, this film, I think why I was interested in it, and Andrew has a different experience coming off of Jesse James. For me, it was when the whole mortgage scandal started being uncovered and a lot of people were losing their homes, and it was really upsetting. It was due to deregulation, which created this epidemic or opportunity for greed, for just human nature, yes, but it’s also under the rules of capitalism it was okay. It brings up the question of then what is responsible capitalism. And beyond that still, there was criminal behaviour, and yet there have been no repercussions and it’s hard to make your peace with.

Q: So as a producer, you are very wise where you spend your money and we can see that. I’m wondering if at home, you are also that wise in terms of teaching your kids the value of money, of course you have a lot of money…
Sure, of course, one of the many things that we try to impart into our kids is to prepare them for life on their own and have respect for the world at large.

Q: But you give a lot of money to charity as well, so this is not only keeping the money, but giving it to people who really need it right?
Well, I’ve often said this. I really feel like I’ve hit the lottery, and the more I travel, the more I understand what opportunity I have, and most people don’t have that opportunity, and I believe that it is not, nothing more than luck and that you need to pass that.

Q: But it can’t be only luck. I mean, there must be something else?
Well, the fact is that wherever you are born, the latitude and longitudinal lines of where you are born, determines your opportunity in life. It’s not equal. We may have been created equal, but we are sure not born equal.

Q: Did you ever feel that when you earned your first big check, that you could have done the wrong thing - maybe you wouldn’t be wise? Maybe you would have spent it all?
Well that’s certainly another story, I may still do that. (laughter) I have a growing family. I don’t know.

Q: You are going to shoot two movies with Michael Fassbender, is that right?
Yeah.

Q: And I would like to know what you would feel about him, if you like him, and also Steve McQueen, you seem to work with a lot of Brits.
Steve McQueen is, he’s got an amazing feel, I love Steve McQueen. Hunger. He’s just got an amazing touch. And I feel like he’s one of those great painters that just paints a certain part but you get the whole profile, you get the whole figure. Anyway, I think it’s an important film and I think, we think we’ve dealt with slavery, but in real life, we really haven’t we really, in my country we really haven’t.

Q: But only as a producer would you…
I’m going to do a small cameo.

Q: Now that Angelina has made her debut as a director, with her film, is there something you would…
And writer. But no, I wouldn’t.

Q: Why not?
I got too many good friends that are doing it. I would be too obsessive, too much of a perfectionist. It’s just not a good idea.

Q: Hers was a movie about war, but it was a very family oriented movie in a way. Do you agree?
I don’t think of it in either terms. She’s a force and a distinct commentary about the visions and the lasting effects and the story was meant to pull people together. She always has purposes just beyond the story itself. She cares deeply about the country she goes to.

Q: Do you have approval for each others’ works?
Yeah sure, I mean, we help each more in like figuring it out, the cracking it. But yeah, absolutely, I want her approval, I want her to like the movie, I want her to be proud of her man.

Q: So the time coming up for you now, because you are always changing shifts, that you will be home for the next year?
Yeah, mom is working.

Q: Are you also looking forward to that at all? Is it also a holiday to be away from the whole chaos?
It’s all great. You get to be with the kids more.

Q: What sort of things do you do?
Just normal stuff. I mean, lunch is an adventure for us. (Laughter)

/Viva Press


Brad Pitt's 'Killing Them Softly' at Cannes

By Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY




CANNES, France – Angelina Jolie did not make it to the Cannes Film Festival for the premiere of Brad Pitt's Killing Them Softly. But as far as Pitt was concerned, his family was very much in the picture.

Just before Pitt entered the festival hall for the film, he snapped a shot of the scene — hundreds of fans and photographers focused on him. An electronic postcard for the Jolie-Pitt clan.
"I don't like being separated from my family. So you send photos back and forth," Pitt says. "That's the great thing about technology." 


So to complete the postcard to Jolie and their children — Maddox, 10, Pax, 8, Zahara, 7, Shiloh, 5, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 3 — you could say, "Wish You Were Here. Dad rocked it in Cannes."
KillingThem Softly, which also stars Ray Liotta, James Gandolfini and Richard Jenkins, received a 10-minute standing ovation from the adoring French audience. That left director Andrew Dominik feeling a little awkward.

"It's so weird," Dominik says as he settles down at a table with Pitt to discuss the movie. "You handle it so well. It is not easy to have people focus on you. I stand there feeling like an idiot."
"Oh, no," Pitt responds. "I still feel like an idiot."
"But you hide it so well," Dominik says.

The two have developed a relationship since working together on 2007's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. While Pitt was filming 2011's Moneyball, Dominik sent him the crime novel Cogan's Trade. Then he pressed the issue via his own technology.
"I sent him a text saying: 'That book I sent you, I'm going to do it. Are you interested?' " Dominik says. "He wrote back, 'Yep.' It all took two text messages."

Says Pitt, "He just came over (to Pitt's home), laid out the story and we were done."
"And then we were doing our bit for the economy," Dominik says.

In Killing Them Softly, set during the economic turmoil of 2008, Pitt's Mob enforcer is sent to clean up after a robbery of a Mob-protected poker game causes a loss of faith in the underworld micro-economy. His bloody bailout gets the Mob economy back on track, but the brutal cleanup means that Goodfellas bad boy Liotta whimpers his way through a ferocious beating.

"I don't know how many times I've seen that scene, but it's just unsettling for me," Pitt says. "Even (at the premiere), it was pretty tough. Ray is used to giving the beating (in movies). That's what we'd expect from him."

Even with solid reviews at the festival for the Mob flick, Pitt's personal life often overshadowed the movie. Questions about his upcoming wedding to Jolie — the two became engaged in April — made some of the biggest headlines of the week.

Pitt handles the questions with grace, even if he doesn't enjoy them. But the attention can be good for a movie, especially an independent film like Killing Them Softly.
"It's good and bad," Pitt says. "You work around it."

For the record, Pitt said at a news conference that the couple have "actually, really, truly" not set a date for the wedding, despite rumors of a date in August.

But when they do start planning, you can bet that the kids will be back in the picture. "Yes, we'd like to make them a part of it, a big part of it. Beyond that, I don't know."



Brad Pitt: 'My kids come first'

By Helen Russell  on Thursday 24 May 2012




Brad Pitt has insisted he has no plans to follow his fiance Angelina Jolie and move into directing, saying that being a dad to their six strong brood is his number one role.

Brad Pitt spilled the beans on his work/life balance at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday during promotion for his new film, ‘Killing Them Softly'.

Speaking about his current work schedule, Brad Pitt said: 'It's enough for me. I want to also be a dad, first and foremost. After two days it gets itchy, I miss them.'

Moving into directing would be the logical next step for the actor but Brad Pitt yesterday confirmed there was 'no chance' he would follow fiance Angelina Jolie by getting behind the camera.

Angelina's directorial debut ‘In The Land Of Blood And Honey’ was released last December to huge critical acclaim, but the star later admitted that she had a 'complete meltdown' while making the movie as the experience was so stressful.

Wisely, Brad has decided to opt himself out of the directing game.

Family-man Brad told reporters how he just couldn't bear to be apart from his children Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne for the length of time needed to direct a movie: 'I just know how I'd be, I see how much time it takes to mount the thing and put it together. It wouldn't be a good match.'

'It makes sense on some level, but I really enjoy being a creative producer and I enjoy my day job.' Brad told Reuters.

Phew! Looks like there will be many more Brad Pitt movies to come!

The 48-year-old Fight Club actor also admitted that he was a big fan of the Cannes Film Festival yesterday, saying: 'Here it's artistic merit first and less about an opening weekend. They have such respect for the auteur, and you know it's going to get a really respectful viewing.'

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Showbiz Kids

17 of Hollywood's Most Famous Offspring



The apple doesn't fall far from the tree with these famous parents and their talented children. From Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith's triple-threat kids, to Jon Voight's daughter Angelina Jolie who's joined her pop as an Oscar winner, these famous families have passed the talent on from one generation to the next. 


Angelina Jolie grew up in the film industry because of her father, Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight. Like father, like daughter, she became an Academy-Award winning actress. She has topped “most beautiful” lists and “world leader” lists, while being mom to six. The actress recently stepped behind the camera for her feature directorial debut with In the Land of Blood and Honey, and has announced that her next film will be Disney's Maleficent.