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Brad Pitt’s foundation to help redevelop closed KC school

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:16:59 GMT

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - A housing redevelopment project will transform a shuttered Kansas City schoolhouse with help from actor Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation. Pitt, a Missouri native, and his organization Make It Right has helped rebuild parts of storm-damaged New Orleans with eco-friendly green housing.

They have branched out to other neighborhoods in need of redevelopment, and now Pitt's group will contribute $2.3 million of the $14 million project that will turn the 103-year-old Bancroft School into a new apartment complex with 50 units, a community center and offer healthcare services in the Manheim Park neighborhood.

Tax credits will also help cover the costs. Tim Duggan, an architect involved with the project, said Kansas City's Green Impact Zone drew the attention of the foundation. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, has spearheaded the project.

Duggan said this foundation was interested in the opportunity for a focused investment in a sustainable development.

Stephen Boyd calls Tracy Avenue in KCMO home.

"This is the fifth time I have lived on Tracy ... strange phenomenon, but it is true," said resident Boyd.

Most of his neighbors over the years have moved out.

"It is bittersweet memories of this era gone by," said Boyd.

Boyd attended the Bancroft School on East 43rd Street and Tracy Avenue.

It is now listed as a dangerous building, but it will see new life.

"This is certainly going to move in the right direction to cleanup one block, one neighborhood at a time ... that is what this will help do," said Councilman Jermaine Reed.

And for Boyd, he feels having Pitt back the project means change for the better will come to his block.

"It is encouraging when you have seen the urban decay for so long, the urban blight ... it is encouraging to see progress like that," said Boyd.

Pitt was not in Kansas City for the announcement. However, he is expected to attend the ground-breaking ceremony in June. The hope is to have the project completed by spring 2013.

Looking for longevity, not Oscar: Brad Pitt

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:38:18 GMT

Every actor yearns to win at least one golden statuette in his lifetime, but actor Brad Pitt, 48, has bigger things on his mind than taking home an Oscar. Currently busy bagging accolades for his role in the multiple Oscar-nominated biographical sports drama, Moneyball, Pitt is competing in the Best Actor category of the awards.

In the film, that opens in India on February 24, Pitt portrays baseball team manager Billy Beane, who assembled a competitive team by taking a sabermetric approach — a specialised analysis of the game.

Ask him about the Oscar glory and the actor says, “It’s good fun when your number comes up. It’s really fun when your friends’ number comes up too. It’s just as fun because then you can stay home. You know it’s (the Oscars) not the focus. To me it is more important to have longevity.”

He adds, “The thing that I think we miss the most is the degree of difficulty in films beyond what will be in record books as the best picture of the year or whatever.”

Would he ever like to direct that kind of film? “No. I have no aspirations for directing whatsoever. I am far too much of a perfectionist and it would drive me and my family crazy. I’d never see them and it’d take me three years to do it.”

Crediting his directors for his enviable career graph, he says, “If you look closer, you’ll realise I have been smart enough to work with directors who are smarter than me, ” he laughs. At the same time, there is stuff that he and his partner Angelina Jolie have done in films that Pitt wouldn’t want his six kids to google. “They can’t Google mom or dad. It’s blocked. You know because of all the dirty stuff that’s there,” he says, adding that he doesn’t regret making those choices. “I want to keep moving on. I can’t go back five minutes even to pee. That’s not in my nature,” he says.

Brad Pitt's group helped by zero-energy homes

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:19:38 GMT

Since actor Brad Pitt founded the non-profit Make It Right in 2007 to build low-cost, sustainable homes for New Orleans' Hurricane Katrina victims, green building has exploded nationwide. On Friday, two builders are announcing plans to offer affordable homes designed to produce as much energy as they use -- one of which is a stylish modern prefab to benefit Pitt's charity.

California-based LivingHomes, a developer of high-end, ultra-green, factory-built homes, is debuting its lowest-cost model ever -- the C6 -- that will be available in most states. The 1,232 square-foot. $179,000 prefab, which is about half the size of the average new U.S. home, has three bedrooms and two baths as well as a courtyard that blends indoor and outdoor living. Part of the proceeds from each home's sale will be donated to Make It Right.

"This is by far the most energy-efficient home we've built," says LivingHomes' CEO Steve Glenn, noting it's designed to earn the top or platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. He says it's also the easiest and fastest one to build, since it's fully constructed by Cavco -- a manufactured housing company with factories nationwide -- in less than two months and installed on-site in one day.

Also late this week, Scottsdale-based Shea Homes, the developer of Trilogy resort communities and a builder in eight states, is announcing the launch of its "no-electric bill" home aimed at the age 55-plus, Baby Boomer set. The "SheaXero" will combine energy efficiency with solar panels to produce all the power the house is expected to need.

Other production builders have also debuted affordable, zero-energy homes as green building appears to be gaining market share in a still sluggish housing industry. Green homes, which comprised 17% of new residential construction last year, are expected to increase to 29% to 38% of the market by 2016, according to a report last week by McGraw-Hill Construction, a part of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

By value, the McGraw Hill report said this growth equates to a five-fold increase -- $17 billion in 2011 to $87-$114 billion in 2016. It attributes the hike to consumers' interest in "higher quality" and lower utility bills as well as the decreasing costs of building green -- down from an extra 11% in 2006 to 7% today.

At LivingHomes, Steve Glenn says the new C6 is "less than half the costs of our lowest cost home." He says his company has learned from its own experience and from its partnerships with both Cavco and Make It Right on how to get the most bang for the buck.

The model's average price of $179,000 does not include the solar panels needed to make the homes zero-energy nor does it include the costs of transportation, assembly, permitting and site preparation. Those items could add another $50,000. Land is also not included.

Glenn says the homes are not only energy-efficient but also sustainable because they use Cradle-to-Cradle inspired products such as cork flooring and natural wood millwork. "Many of the products are available at The Home Depot," Glenn said, citing their affordability and accessibility should replacements be needed.

The C6 was inspired by the modern homes built by developer Joe Eichler throughout California in the 1950s and 1960s that were organized around a courtyard accessed through multiple sliding glass doors. It has floor-to-ceiling glass, clerestory windows, light tubes and transom windows, as well as a lighting control system accessible from an iPhone.

Glenn says there are much cheaper prefab homes available, but they're not nearly as stylish. "We're targeting people who really value design and sustainability," Glenn says, adding his customers are likely to shop at Whole Foods, drive a Toyota Prius and practice yoga.

Two C6 show homes, sponsored by The Home Depot, are now on display in California. One appears Feb. 18 to Feb. 25 at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, which is the site of the upcoming TED 2012 Conference, and the other as part of Modernism Week in Palm Springs from Feb. 17 to Feb. 26.

Brad Pitt Onstage: Best Cast Presenter at SAG Awards 2012

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:11:16 GMT

Brad Pitt speaks onstage during the 2012 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Pitt introduced the SAG Award for Best Cast, which went to Tate Taylor's The Help. The SAG Awards ceremony was broadcast on TNT/TBS from the Shrine Auditorium on January 29 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Shearer/WireImage.)

The Help's Best Cast winners were the following: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Chris Lowell, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen, Ahna O'Reilly, Mike Vogel, Cicely Tyson, Allison Janney, and Bryce Dallas Howard. Additionally, Davis and Spencer were chosen as Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

Brad Pitt, for his part was a Best Actor contender for Bennett Miller's baseball drama Moneyball, featuring Robin Wright and Jonah Hill. Pitt's competition consisted of Jean Dujardin for Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist, George Clooney for Alexander Payne's The Descendants, Demián Bichir for Chris Weitz's A Better Life, and Leonardo DiCaprio for Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar. The winner was Dujardin, who also took home the Best Actor BAFTA this past Sunday.

The Help's Best Cast competitors at the SAG Awards 2012 were the following: The Artist (Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, Penelope Ann Miller, Missi Pyle, James Cromwell), Paul Feig's Bridesmaids (Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Jill Clayburgh, Melissa McCarthy, Matt Lucas, Ellie Kemper, Chris O'Dowd, etc.), The Descendants (George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Judy Greer, Robert Forster, Beau Bridges, etc.), and Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris (Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, and Carla Bruni).

Brad Pitt and George Clooney: How Good of Friends Are They Really?

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:06:47 GMT

George Clooney and Brad Pitt played devoted partners in crime in Ocean's Eleven (and Twelve and Thirteen), they started a Darfur charity together, and obviously neither one has to be jealous of the other's looks.

But are the actors, who introduced each other's films at the Golden Globes this year and seem to be having a ball showing up at all the same events, actually the best of buds when the cameras are off? Do summers spent shooting caper flicks on the Italian Riviera mean nothing anymore?! Of course not, Clooney says, but he and Pitt aren't necessarily bosom buddies.

"Brad is one of the great guys," the Oscar co-front-runner said in a recent sit-down with The Hollywood Reporter when asked just how close he and Pitt are in real life. "We're good friends, but it's different from what people think—meaning we don't spend a lot of time together. He has been to my home in Como; we motorcycle together. But until recently, I hadn't seen Brad in a year."

Even though Clooney doesn't hold Pitt quite as close to the vest as he does Rande Gerber, Richard Kind and some of the guys he knew when he wasn't "George Clooney" yet, those two don't actually have to be in the same room to keep the bromance going.

"A couple of years ago, he really nailed me," Clooney said of Pitt. "He did one of those shows and they asked him when he was going to marry Angie, and he said, 'I'll marry when George can legally marry [a man].' He really got me badly, something I have had to deal with the past few years. But I could give a s--t. I have to live in the world that I care about and that's all that matters." And for the record, he told THR, he hasn't definitively ruled out getting married again. "I don't even think about it, really," he said.

But guess who could have been teasing Clooney from afar for the last decade?! The Descendants star also revealed in the interview that, when casting Ocean's Eleven, the pieces came together easily, except for one.

"Steven Soderbergh and I would go to people's homes and sit down and say, 'Here's what we think.' We sat down with Matt Damon and Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, and they all signed on and it all worked out easily," Clooney recalled. "But we also sat with Johnny Depp, and we didn't get him. I think the part was for a Brit, and he didn't want to do it."No offense to eventual Brit-player Don Cheadle, but...bloody 'ell!

Brad Pitt: Making 'Moneyball' And Being Billy Beane

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:18:17 GMT

In the Oscar-nominated film Moneyball, Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, a baseball manager obsessed with turning his cash-strapped team into a contender. Pitt says that drive is what attracted him to the role that has earned him a best-actor nod.

"He was a guy who had been devalued by the sport as a player and now is working as a GM for a small-market team," Pitt says. After an unsuccessful big-league career, Beane struggles to find a level playing field in a sport where money tilts the table. "There is such a gulf in what these teams have to spend on talent [that] they can never play equally — they can never have a true competition."

Beane is fully consumed by his job, divorced and trying to stay in touch with his daughter — not exactly a well-rounded character. But Pitt says that's what makes him interesting.

"I like him for his idiosyncrasies — that he can't watch the games without getting too emotional, that he often has food down his shirt, that he tends to break a few chairs now and then," Pitt says. "These things make him human."

Those idiosyncrasies are evident in a scene between Beane and the owner of the Oakland A's. He's asking the owner for more money to sign better players, and his frustration and even desperation are clear. Yet he smiles.

"What I like about that scene is he knows he's losing the argument," Pitt says. "He's getting more and more frustrated and therefore getting more and more pushy and trying every Hail Mary he can to get in there and reason — to the point where he almost insults his boss. And he's got no other cards to play, and maybe that's the [reason for the] smirk — it's a no-win situation."

Scouts Onscreen: An Insider's View
Moneyball is based on a true story, but Pitt says such films walk a line between approximating reality as it happened and letting the world of the film become its own reality.

"They're in this dynamic flux every day," Pitt says, "and the day you shoot that day informs the day after, what you're going to shoot next."For example, in a scene between Beane and his scouts when they discuss picks for the upcoming draft, Pitt says, you can see how the process of research for the film changed the outcome.

"We had a work session where about 30 scouts came in and out," Pitt says. "We're all riffing, and after it, [director] Bennett Miller said, 'Look at these faces: This is what we have to do — we gotta get these guys in the scene.' "

In the film, Beane sits at a table with actual scouts and veterans of baseball, all middle-aged or well beyond. Beane, in his mid-40s, is probably the youngest at the table. When he explains his picks for the upcoming draft, it's Beane's instinct against the experience in the room — and the scouts react with realistic skepticism.

Pitt says that though Moneyball had the talents of screenwriters Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin going for it, they weren't baseball insiders. "The [scouts] could lend an authenticity that's even beyond what we had on the page," Pitt says.

Producing Moneyball
Pitt is listed as a producer on the film, but despite the clout that comes with that credit — and with being an above-the-title star — he says he always works for the director. "I just take credit for being smart enough to find a guy as smart as Benett to tell the story," Pitt says.

Miller joined the production midstream as its third director, after several stops and starts. Before Miller, David Frankel and Steven Soderbergh had both been set to direct.

"We came up to the last minute," Pitt says. "We were supposed to be filming days before, [but] the studio didn't like the price. They had no problem with the story, but at that price, they could not justify it. And we could not bring it down to a price that both sides would be happy with, so we had to start over."

Asked if the experience of making the film had any similarity to that of Billy Beane putting together a championship baseball team, Pitt chuckles.
"A little bit, yes," he says. "I dare make those comparisons, but we often said 'the making of' would be as interesting if not more interesting than the film."

Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender and George Clooney Turn BAFTA Awards Into Total Hunkfest

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:13:16 GMT

And while eyes are drawn toward the music tonight at the Grammys, E! News caught up with Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Chris Hemsworth in London, on the 2012 BAFTA Awards red carpet. So where to begin with so many Hollywood hunks in one place? Let's start with Fassbender's naked parts:

So was it a difficult task to bare all of his treasures to millions of people in Shame?

"I knew there was going to be some compromising situations, but that's my job," and what a dedicated worker he is. Fassbender's Oscars date will be his mother, and, yes—she watched her son get nakie in his latest flick. No big deal.

Now, Brad was super honored to be recognized at the British award ceremony, and made sure to keep hush-hush about Moneyball's baseball plot. Another thing he kept under wraps about were his socks. No, seriously. He was quick to share that his suit was Gucci, but didn't want to show off those covered ankles, but he still got a sweet surprise.

Clooney was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Well, not really, but he was at the awards representing both The Descendents and Ides of March, so who does he sit with since he doesn't "wanna tick anybody off"? Good question. He also was nice enough to explain what a "schlub" is, a term that's not very common with the Brits.

Hemsworth was nominated for the Rising Star award, which is chosen by the public. Pretty cool, right?

He explained that although it is an honor, he felt that one of fellow nominees and Thor costar Tom Hiddleston was sure to win. Unfortunately, neither of them walked away with the prize. But Chris' next movie project will portray him as an English playboy, so we're going to assume that will get some positive feedback.

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie Heat Up “In The Land Of Blood & Honey” Berlin Premiere

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:25:25 GMT

Hollywood’s hottest A-List couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, hit the red carpet together in Berlin for the premiere of Angelina’s directorial debut, In the Land of Blood & Honey. The duo looked fabulous, each opting for some classic red carpet faire. I quite like the gold dress Angie is wearing much more than her Golden Globes dress. This one doesn’t make her look anorexic thin.

Personally, I’m not really digging Brad’s long hair, beard combo. Call me old fashioned, but I like my men with short hair. OK, that’s not true. I just like my Brad Pitt with short hair. I wonder what the Jolie-Pitt children were up to while Mama and Papa red carpeted. I’m assuming some soda-bribery was involved.

Angelina has really been killing it with the great outfits. Why just yesterday she wore the most fabulous coat to her meeting with Berlin’s foreign minister about her role as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. But really, all about the coat. Launch the gallery and tell us if you yay or nay at Brangelina’s premiere outfits.

Brad Pitt's Illegal Gun Cache: Is He Really in Serious Trouble?

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:39:28 GMT

Here's what we'd like to know: since when do the living dead need guns anyway? As one of the producers of the upcoming zombie epic World War Z, Brad Pitt would likely have had to answer for a massive arsenal of live, fully functioning automatic weapons from the film's Budapest set confiscated by Hungarian authorities who claim it could've fallen into the hands of illegal arms traffickers.

But the Hollywood star can now breathe a sigh of relief after Hungary's National Bureau of Investigations announced yesterday that it's dropping the case on a technicality. Per Hungarian media, government investigators failed to identify exactly which "organization or person" had "ownership rights" over the huge cache that was seized by the national anti-terrorism task unit in October, thereby failing to establish which party was criminally liable.

Over 85 guns ranging from AK-47s to sniper rifles along with ammunition were stored in a customs-free area of Budapest's international airport. That is, until Hungarian SWAT moved in to lock them down since the country has a law against transferring such weapons, no matter that they were being used to stage fake zombie firefights.

But here's the funny part: while the bureau couldn't figure out who the owner was so they could press charges, officials there did contradictorily acknowledge to returning the firearms to "their owner." A spokesperson for Paramount Pictures and Pitt's Production company, Plan B Entertainment, were unavailable to comment on the matter.

World War Z, starring Pitt and directed by Marc Forster (Monster's Ball, Quantum of Solace), is slated to invade theaters on Dec. 21.

Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie sell Malibu house to Ellen De Generes

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:58:29 GMT

In one of the more talked-about transactions in Los Angeles, actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have sold their Malibu beach house to daytime host and comedian Ellen De Generes for $12 million.

The 4,088-square-foot house, built in 1962, features walls of glass, dark bamboo flooring, three fireplaces, four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The ocean-view home sits on 1.26 bluff-top acres with a tennis court, a lap pool and beach access.

Pitt, 48, starred last year in the Oscar-nominated "Moneyball" and "The Tree of Life." He will star in the upcoming "Cogan's Trade" and "World War Z."

Jolie, 36, won an Oscar for her supporting role in "Girl, Interrupted" (1999) and was nominated as best actress for "Changeling" (2008). She is the writer and director of the Bosnian war film "In the Land of Blood and Honey" (2011).

DeGeneres, 53, has hosted the talk show bearing her first name since 2003. She listed her Beverly Hills compound for sale last year at $49 million and recently reduced the asking price on her 26-acre equestrian property in Thousand Oaks to $14.9 million.