Brad Pitt is taking a few days off from playing stay-at-home dad while Angelina makes Wanted to visit New Orleans and talk about his efforts in the area. I know I've already talked about how hot he looked during his Ann Curry interview, but just look at him gesture -- le sigh. This morning part one of the interview aired on The Today Show. The full video is below, but here are highlights:
- On rebuilding New Orleans: I know a lot of the people here. I care very much for the area. I met a 60 year old man who...said [to me], 'I did everything right. I got a job. I bought a home. I raised my kids in that home. They did the same. Now...we're all split apart and we've been wiped out...What do I do?' And he's right...that's unacceptable. So any debate on 'should we rebuild, should we not' -- I'll take you on."
- On the lessons of Katrina: It's a justice issue. What we saw [with] Katrina is that there is a portion of our society that's being overlooked. And so, in the aftermath, we're not going to be able to bring back the friends and family that are lost. We're not going to be able to bring back their heirlooms and their photographs. But maybe, this is a question we presented, maybe we can provide a better way of life. Maybe we can find some good out of this. And that has to deal with justice and fairness.”
Brad's only in NOLA for a couple of days before he's set to appear this weekend in the Hamptons. This doesn't mean his philanthropy work for the week is done, however, as he is hitting up the NY summer destination for a charity event to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims hosted by himself and Angelina.
To watch the video of Brad's interview just read more
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Without those kids he's an annoying sh!t.
1isnt this deja vu?
2That's really great that he's doing this. I know there are others that volunteer and give money and their time, but it's really admirable because as a celeb he is in the public eye and can bring more attention to charities, etc.
3Good morning good morning everybody in the news this morning good morning.
4Oh and he's effing HOT!!!
5I really like what he is doing to help NO.
6Wasn't this on the Today show?
7doesn't ann curry work for the Today Show?
8Brad is looking pretty good. Nice to see he's still giving his time to help everyone.
9Why is it that attractive men love to wear ugly hats?
10doesn't ann work on Today???
11Who knew Brad had a brain?
::swoon::
12DILF DILF DILF Good Lord this man is heavenly.
13Big Interview this morning...which one of my oldest, worn out undershirts should I wear??? Hmmm, oh this one has no pit stains..Good!
14nya all those comments about brad are starting to convince me of how much of an idiot brad is, without shi and pax he looks like an idiot still think hes hot
15I know pink bet you AJ wrote it out for him lol. Was Ann Curry AJ's lover at some point??
16He sounds very concerned and compassionate.
17It's great that he is bringing back attention to New Orleans because they still haven't recovered!
18Has anyone on this board been able to volunteer in New Orleans?
I really want to because I live so close and so many of the displaced are here in my town, but I'm not even sure where to or how to start.
Just looking for feedback.
19Anything good for New Orleans is good to me!!
20I think it shows a certain kind of ignorance when people bash a celebrity for being passionate about helping others. While seeing Brad with his kids is "cute" it doesn't say anything about him as a person. This does. He's always been extremely well spoken and what he's trying to do for NO should be applauded not dismissed with absurd "he's an idiot" comments.
21lula - i'm with you. I want to know how we can volunteer - this would be a great experience.
22Love Brad or hate him, his philanthropic side is always nice to see.
23Today Show, not Good Morning America...
24Today Show, not Good Morning America...
25I don't gush over celebs just because we see pics of them supposedly doing charity work but any help that he can provide and any attention that he draw to that situation in NO is great.
26It's great! He's very humble.Nice to know that there are celebrities who are very much aware and concerned about what is happening not just in his country but around the world and most importantly, walk the talk. i am proud to be your fan, brad.
27Brad should of written that 60 year old man a check; his whole family could probably make do with what Brangelina spend in a week on hotel rooms.
28Well, we don't know if he donated money, but he's bringing attention to the problems and hopefully this will get the government's attention.
Did you all hear about FEMA storing the ice that never reached those needing it? $12.5 MILLION DOLLARS on storing the ice and then MELTING it. Yes, melting it. I saw it on CNN. I will place a link in my next comment because then my message will get flagged.
So basically, it's not Brad Pitt's responsibility to give this man money, it's the government who is failing these people.
29I agree with Italygal. What he is saying is true. Our government (and the people that support it) dealt with Katrina in this mindset, "Everyone who can afford to leave will, and those that don't are just too lazy (poor) to take care of themselves."
I have actually been in a crisis situation where myself and the people of my community were suddenly stranded with no drinking water, and without the National Guard bringing it to us, we would have died. I guess my home state has more lobbying pull than Louisiana.
In Katrina, a "State of Emergency" was declared 3 DAYS before it hit. That meant the state was crying out, "Help us Federal governement! We can't evacuate these people on our own!" Because of lack of Federal funding to maintain the levees, both state and Federal KNEW the levees wouldn't hold. The government was incredibily lazy, and treated the poor and handicapped of N.O. like they were an expendable commodity. Disgusting. And yet now, how much has changed as a result of this deadly incompetance?
30Here is an article from 2005 stating how FEMA wouldn't release the ice:
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/US/09/04/katrina.blame/index.html
Here is an article about the $12.5 million to store and melt the ice.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-15-katrinaice_n.htm
31Exactly Jillness.
Brad made an excellent point during the interview, that the level of catastrophe in NO was not a natural disaster, it was a man made disaster. And the goverment treating it as something that couldn't have been prevented is appalling. They absolutely could have contained the damage of Katrina, from supporting the levees to helping the city evacuate to providing those who couldn't evacuate with emergency support. And that's not even getting into what the survivors had to endure while cooped up in the Superdome. The whole thing is heartbreaking.
So everyone here who wants to be petty and hate on Brad for his past transgressions, go ahead. It just makes you look small.
And I know, I'm getting worked up about this but as someone who helped out in the days and months after Katrina hit, to see someone actually DOING SOMETHING productive and giving it his all is beyond amazing. Brad has been at this for two years now and his level of commitment can't be questioned.
32I agree with italygal, I think what he's doing is great and is bringing attention to a cause that seems to be forgotten by most America, and I don't think he's an idiot at all. I think he's compassionate, and caring because he seriously be somewhere on a beach on shopping in Beverly Hills and not at all concerned about real life, so kudos to him. BTW, he's so hot and this makes him even more so. I'd really like to go help rebuild down there too.
33Well said, Italygal!
34I agree with italygal. Plus i just love Brad. he is so smart, funny and hot (even with the hat). I am glad to see him doing good
35No real comment other than he looks damn good here. And I'm NOT a Brad or Angelina fan at all.
36i love, love, love that brad is bring attention to NO. it makes me like him even more (if that's possible). too bad i missed the interview. i wish my bosses would get lost so i can watch the clip online.
blob - brad writing a check out to that guy wouldn't have helped the overall situation down there.
37Most people have either forgotten about Katrina or just don't care to help them anymore.
I live in Texas right now and all I hear from my fellow suburban moms and dads is, "Ew, did you see there are new refugees in town?" Anyone black who shows up in the neighboring apt complex is a "refugee" from NO. People here are soooooooooooooo tired of them coming and are soooooooooooooo rude about it. They're even building a new school in my subdivision that blocks out the apt complex so that we don't have to deal with the "refugees." How is that for philanthropy? It kills me every time I hear it.
So while Im not a Brad Fan, I am glad that someone is still trying to bring attention to a problem that has not been solved.
38fashionstar - I do agree with you, BUT, I think it's fine to do charity work AND go shopping and on vaca. We shouldnt expect people to only be one or the other. He tries to do both and I find that admirable.
39I agree that people who are one dimensional are not full people. I assume you're talking about people like Paris and Britney.
its actually funny to look at comments that he is an idiot because he cares
40I personally think that Katrina was a travesty that just highlighted the problems withing the system. And it's all good to talk but really at the end of the day if administration feels it's done enough there is nothing Brad or Oprah can do short of rebuilding it themselves. NO has had tonnes of coverage but the sad fact is that it just wasn't important enough now if this was Dubya's hometown you can bet your a** that something would have been done. Therefore i won't be applauding Brad for spotlighting NO because heck it's been spotlighted before. I just want to see if something like this weer to happen in a less chocolate city would people act the same way!!
41Bravo Italygal! You are totally dead on... He is actually DOING something for the greater good of the people in N.O. unlike our government who has done nothing but give empty promises. If this had happened in Malibu the entire area would have been rebuilt within 6 months. What does that say about our governments priorities!
42Enough already about Brad building houses in NOLA. We know, we've given him pats on the head, let's move on...
43I don't advocate moving on from the rebuilding of NOLA at all.
I think the issue is too important. Whether or not a person wants to praise Brad Pitt is up to them, but I love the discussion of something I feel is important and should be handled.
44Brad just has no personality. I mean him and Angelina belong together. They are both weird and boring people. It does annoy how everyone thinks he is this great family man, when he left his wife for someone else. He's just a jerk, and It's annoying that him and Angelina try to do all this charity work to look like good people, but I think when a man leaves his wife or cheats on her that says a lot a/b someone personality, and in a negative way.
45What does his past relationship with Jennifer Aniston have to do with New Orleans?
46I think that its annoying that him and angelina try to do all this good stuff, when deep down they do bad things to good people. Got it.
47I think it's time to let it go. At any rate I'm not going there.
Anyway, I feel it's good to continue to focus on NOLA because that's what we're supposed to do in order to push the government to do it's job. Eventually, if we as citizens keep sounding the alarm, government will wake up and realize it has no choice but to act.
48Oh, Jeez Blondie, it's been two years. Can we move on, for God's sake? Do you hate everyone who has divorced? You say he cheated but you have no proof of that. There are so many people who have done so much worse in this world. Can we please just grow up and let that go?
I really can't believe people still bring that up. It's ridiculous.
49This is just the Darfur story again for me. Fast forward a few years and not much will have changed, it's rare that governments do what they ARE SUPPOSED to do. Makes me sick.
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