Archive for the 'Charity' Category

Brad Pitt supports same-sex marriage

According to reports, Brad Pitt has donated $100,000 to support gay marriage rights. Angelina Jolie’s for-equality partner made the donation to fight Proposition 8, an initiative on California’s November ballot that would overturn the state Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage. Brad Pitt said in a statement,

“Because no one has the right to deny another their life, even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn’t harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8.”

This latest donation just came after he and Angelina Jolie announced that they had donated $2 million to help fight H.I.V./AIDS and tuberculosis in Ethiopia.

Brangelina donates $2 million dollars!!

According to reports, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation just donated $2 million to the Global Health Committee to make a help center in Ethiopia, and this will be named after their daughter Zahara (she was adopted from Ethiopia). Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are doing this for the kids affected by tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. The center will be modeled after Maddox Chivan Children’s Center in Cambodia (named after their oldest son), where children receive medical, education and social services. Angelina Jolie said in a statement:

“Our goal is to transfer the success we have had in Cambodia to Ethiopia where people are needlessly dying of tuberculosis, a curable disease, and HIV/AIDS, a treatable disease.”

Brad Pitt, meanwhile, said; “It is our hope when Zahara is older she will take responsibility of the clinic and continue its mission. The fact that poor people continue to die in our world today of TB, a curable disease, because of lack of access to drugs and care is unacceptable.”

Brangelina in top 10 of ‘100 Most Powerful’ list

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And they were a new entry at that! Amazing huh?? The Daily Telegraph reported last Wednesday that Vanity Fair’s annual list of the world’s 100 most powerful and influential people listed Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in their top 10. The list is scheduled to appear in the October issue of the magazine.

THE VANITY FAIR 100 (2007 ranking in parentheses; only top 20 shown)

1. Vladimir Putin, Russian Prime Minister (new entry)
2. Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. (1)
3. Sergey Brin (3), Larry Page (3), and Eric Schmidt (new entry), Google
4. Steve Jobs, Apple, Disney, and Pixar (2)
5. Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway (5)
6. Jeff Bezos, Amazon (23)
7. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai (new entry)
8. Roman Abramovich, Millhouse Capital (30)
9. Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt, actors, activists (new entry)
10. Al Gore, eco-warrior (19)
11. Bill Clinton, Clinton Foundation (6)
12. Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York, Bloomberg L.P. (9)
13. Bernard Arnault, LVMH (8)
14. Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks SKG (7)
15. Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren (13)
16. Steve Ballmer, Microsoft (returning)
17. François-Henri Pinault, PPR (new entry)
18. Barry Diller & Diane von Furstenberg (15), IAC; Diane von Furstenberg (15)
19. H. Lee Scott, Wal-Mart (12)
20. Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman Sachs (new entry)

Roseanne Barr apologizes to Brangelina, sort of

Just one day after insulting Jon Voight, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt on her blog, to comedienne “sort of” apologized to Hollywood’s top couple — but she didn’t extend the peace sign to the Jon. The elderly actor has also slammed Roseanne Barr in reaction to her post via a statement to a TV show. Anyway, back to Roseanne’s “apology”. Last Tuesday, in a blog post titled “I do not know Brangelina,” the former TV star wrote:

“[I] do not mean to personally impugn them as they might be good people in the flesh, but the media’s images of them are smelly and vile, and I must always attack the media’s representation of what is good or cool.”

Roseanne Barr further blogged, lashing out against bloggers and the media, who were quick to report on her vile remarks. She said:

“Those who inhabit the media world of glamour and entertainment and fashion and gossip are horrid people who have no talent of any kind, and yet think of themselves as tastemakers.”

In the blog post that drew severe reactions, the comedienne criticized Angelina Jolie for stating that she was undecided on a presidential candidate and was waiting to hear more information. Roseanne Barr also took aim at Brad Pitt, calling him “vacuous,” and noted that the couple make “forty million dollars a year in violent psychopathic movies and give away three of it to starving children,” referring to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which has raised millions for charitable causes.

Brangelina to build AIDS clinic in Ethiopia

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Aside from their usual charitable reasons, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are building one for their daughter Zahara Jolie-Pitt to manage when she grows up. The actress will be making a trip to Ethiopia soon to discuss building the AIDS clinic as part of the work of the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, a charity Angie set up with her partner Brad last 2006 for humanitarian aid around the world. The mother of six told Britain’s Hello magazine:

“We will be building a Tuberculosis/AIDS clinic in Ethiopia. The one we plan for Zahara to take over when she is older.”

Angelina Jolie also hopes to take son Maddox to his native place Cambodia as part of a separate charity trip that the family is planning once newborn twins Knox and Vivienne Marcheline grow up a little. The stunning actress shared,

“The next trip for our foundation will most likely be Asia to follow up on the situation in Burma and our work in Cambodia. The boys have been asking to go there, so we will take them when Knox and Vivienne are a bit older.”

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Brangelina twins on PEOPLE mag!

brangelina-twins-people-cover.jpgFor sure, you probably have a copy of People magazine’s latest issue already. It’s ALL ABOUT THE TWINS after all! Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s twins, that is =) Inside the mag are all the details about Knox Leon Jolie-Pitt and Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt’s arrival to our world. Friends of Brangelina were also interviewed with regards to the babies. And if the couple need a night out alone, at least one famous friend has already volunteered to help. Says Angie’s pal Wyclef Jean,

“I’m willing to babysit for them!”

Though the musician (he partnered with Brangelina for his Yéle Haiti charity) says he has no doubt they can handle their brood of six now that twins Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Léon are here. Wyclef adds,

“They will do well. I have a lot of well wishes for them.”

Meanwhile, Michael Kelly, who appears with Angelina Jolie in the upcoming Clint Eastwood-directed drama The Changeling, shared to People:

“I saw her with kids on-set and she’s just such a wonderful mom. You see her with the kids and it’s like, ‘Yeah, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.’”

Anyway, here’s a video of people who already bought (and read and enjoyed!!!) People magazine’s Brangelina twins coverage.

Jolie-Pitt Foundation donates $1 mil to Iraqi kids

WOW!! That will certainly go a looong way in Iraq! It just proves that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s love for children is by no means limited to their own eh?? =) The Education Partnership for Children of Conflict announced last Wednesday that the $1 million is to help kids affected by the war in Iraq. The organization will distribute the donation, made through the couple’s Jolie-Pitt Foundation, to four charities working on behalf of children who have lost parents, homes and schools in Iraq. Children in the U.S. who have lost parents in the conflict will also benefit. Angelina Jolie said in a written statement from Education Partnership for Children of Conflict (which she co-chairs):

“These educational support programs for children of conflict are the best way to help them heal. We hope to encourage others to give to these great organizations.”

The money will be divided between the Armed Services YMCA Operation Hero Program, which provides military children with counseling and educational support; Women for Women International, which will provide books, school supplies and other basic necessities to Iraqi women and children; the International Rescue Committee, which will repair three schools and offer classes for more than 2,500 students; and NineMillion.org, which will give school uniforms and learning materials to more than 2,000 displaced Iraqi kids. Last year, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation gave more than $300,000 to support the International Rescue Committee’s relief program for Darfur refugees.

Angie’s PSA for World Refugee Day

PSA is public service announcement dear readers =) And the very pregnant Angelina Jolie recorded one for World Refugee Day (held on June 20) to help raise awareness about the plight of millions of people at risk. The “Wanted” actress joined UN’s refugee agency during a February 2001 visit to war-torn Sierra Leone in West Africa, prior to filming Beyond Borders with Clive Owen. Since then, Angelina Jolie has been the Goodwill Ambassador to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. You can view her PSA below:

In the PSA above, Angelina Jolie explains what life is like for millions around the world while emotive scenes of refugees flash on the screen. Here’s what she says: “They have survived war, they have survived displacement, they have survived rape, they have survived hunger and disease. For those who have survived and for those who did not, we are thinking of you on this day.”

Billy Bob Thornton happy for Brangelina!

angelinajolie-billybobthornton.jpgAngelina Jolie recently confirmed that she and partner Brad Pitt are expecting twins later in the year, and guess who was happy with the news? No, not Jennifer Aniston! Hehe! Billy Bob Thornton, who Angie divorced 5 years ago, reportedly told OK! Magazine that he’s thrilled with her twin pregnancy. He said,

“I think she was always meant to be a mother in so many ways. I’m just so happy for her. I’m happy for the kids to have a mother like her and a father like him [Brad Pitt].”

Besides praising her for motherhood, Billy Bob also praised Angelina Jolie for her charity and humanitarian efforts. He said, “I’m astounded that somebody has that kind of passion and that much energy for something that actually does affect people and help people out.” The two first met on the set of 1999 movie Pushing Tin and they married in 2000. Yeah, Angie has a penchant for marrying her co-stars!

why Brangelina deserves the “most influential” title

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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were ranked No. 21 on TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. And their good pal George Clooney wrote an article explaining how and why they were deserving of the honor. Here’s a snippet of the article:

“As a team, actors Brad Pitt, 44, and Angelina Jolie, 32, have served as our goodwill ambassadors worldwide. They brought help to Pakistan in 2005, after a catastrophic earthquake killed tens of thousands of people and left millions homeless. They have tended to the poor and sick in Africa. And they’ve raised global awareness—and contributed $1 million of their own money—for the victims of atrocities in Darfur. Brad co-founded Not on Our Watch, an organization set up to focus global attention on Darfur and other hot spots.

Angelina has worked tirelessly through the United Nations on behalf of refugees around the world, touring border camps in Africa, Asia and Latin America and lobbying on Capitol Hill. The couple cares for three adopted children, from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam, in addition to their biological daughter.”

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