I’m a bad Brangeloonie, because I completely forgot that World Refugee Day was coming up. It’s June 20th, every year. And every year since she became a goodwill ambassador for the UNHCR (the United Nations High Commission on Refugees) in 2001, Angelina Jolie has done some sort of activity or event to note World Refugee Day. The past few years, she’s been filming PSAs (in addition to doing press and attending events) – you can see 2009’s Jolie PSA here. And if you go here, you can see her 2010 PSA for Pakistani Relief. Anyway, here’s her 2011 World Refugee Day PSA:

Not bad. CB usually refuses to watch them because they make her cry, but I convinced her that she needed to see Angelina’s styling for this one, which is much improved. Some of these PSAs, it’s like Jolie is being recorded in someone’s dank basement. They actually prettied her up for this one.

As for the content… “Every day, thousands of people run from war, persecution and terror… Even one is too many. One family forced to flee is too many, one child growing up in a camp is too many, one refugee without hope is too many.” It’s noble, and the repetition of “one” is because this is for a new UNHCR initiative for the One campaign.

Here is the main donation page for the UNHCR, and here is the donation page for the USA-UNHCR page.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Here is the first ad for Angelina Jolie’s newest ad campaign, for Louis Vuitton. Several months ago, it was announced/rumored that Jolie had signed on to a Vuitton campaign for a sum of around $10 million. Soon after, she and a few of her kids flew to Cambodia, where she was photographed by Annie Leibovitz for the campaign. I like the image a lot, I like how Jolie looks subdued and not fancy and made up. What I hate are her feet. She’s a beautiful woman with one glaring flaw that comes up in too many photo shoots – her feet are totally jacked and gigantic. It’s weird. Anyway, WWD got the preview of the campaign, plus an interview with some LV people:

She’s barefoot, wearing her own clothes, no makeup and toting her own elegantly weathered monogrammed Alto bag. Yet Angelina Jolie looks radiant and completely in her element, reclining on a wooden boat in a verdant, lakeside landscape in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province. Jolie discovered the country in 2000 when she filmed “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” and it sparked her humanitarian activism.

She’s the latest celebrity to pose for Louis Vuitton’s popular “Core Values” campaign — and surely the only one who brought four children to the photo shoot, some of whom had to be shooed out of Annie Leibovitz’s frame.

“People are not used to seeing Angelina in this situation,” said Pietro Beccari, Vuitton’s executive vice president, unveiling the image exclusively to WWD. “I like the fact that it’s a real moment. This travel message we give through personal journeys is a fundamental one for the brand.”

The ad is slated to break in the International Herald Tribune on Wednesday, followed by a range of news, general interest and lifestyle publications, including Vanity Fair.

Beccari declined to disclose budgets for the media buy, or comment on reports Vuitton paid the American actress millions for the shoot. He would only say Jolie donated an undisclosed portion of her fees to a charity.

The campaign is expected to run for at least 18 months alongside a few other recent “core values” personalities, including Bono and Sean Connery. Vuitton introduced the advertising concept in 2007 as a way to trumpet its travel roots and showcase its perennial monogrammed leather goods as a balance to its fashion-driven marketing — and to reach a broader audience. Other personalities who have posed for Vuitton include Mikhail Gorbachev, Keith Richards and Catherine Deneuve.

Also on Wednesday, Vuitton plans to post a teaser on its Web site, louisvuittonjourneys.com/cambodia, foreshadowing an interview with Jolie that will be posted later in the month. In it, she is expected to discuss how her visit to Cambodia was a life-changing experience, awakening her to the plight of Third World countries. She adopted her eldest son, Maddox, from Cambodia and she and husband Brad Pitt established the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which is active in community development and conservation in the country.

“This campaign is about a very special person and a very special journey,” Beccari said.

And a storied handbag. Beccari showed off several paparazzi shots of Jolie toting the Alto carryall, which is believed to be at least six years old. The style is no longer in production, but “we are considering to re-edit it,” Beccari noted.

[From WWD]

This dude is probably talking about these photos of Angelina and Brad shopping for Shiloh’s fifth birthday party, in which Angelina’s LV bag can be seen. I have to admit, I’m not a tremendous fan of LV’s monogrammed pieces, BUT I like the idea of this ad campaign, and I think it’s done very well. I just wish I wasn’t focusing on her feet so much.

Photos courtesy of Fame & WWD/LV.

Several weeks ago, in a post about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie shopping for Shiloh’s fifth birthday, I threw in some quotes Brad had given about the tornados and floods in Missouri, and specifically the devastation in Joplin. I just cut-and-pasted from Fox News, and many of you pointed out that Brad might have made a mistake, or perhaps Fox News made a mistake, because it seemed like Brad was quoted talking about “JOPPA” Missouri. Which doesn’t exist. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize for that mixup. I still don’t know who made the mistake.

Anyway, Brad grew up in Missouri, as we know. And Brad and Angelina have ended up using their charity, The Jolie-Pitt Foundation, for both domestic and international causes. When the foundation makes domestic contributions, it’s almost always in and around Springfield, MO, where Brad’s parents and much of his family live now. His brother Doug is a prominent businessman, and his parents are very active in the Springfield community, and Brad (and Angelina) have supported many local causes (to see some of our coverage, go here and here and here). Now that so many Missourians are struggling in the wake of flood and tornados, Brad and Angelina have once again made a substantial donation:

Through their foundation, Springfield native Brad Pitt and partner Angelina Jolie on Friday contributed $500,000 to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, to bolster the recovery effort in Joplin.

“Rebuilding after a disaster is a long process,” said Brian Fogle, President of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. “As our neighbors in Joplin begin to deal with the devastation, this donation from the Jolie-Pitt Foundation gives them the hope and confidence they will need to rebuild their lives, homes and community.”

The money will be used to support mid- and long-term rebuilding efforts in the storm-ravaged city.

“With the devastating loss of thirty percent of the city, the Joplin community faces great challenges ahead. Having spent much of my childhood there, I know these people to be hardworking, humble and especially resilient,” said Brad Pitt. “The locally based Community Foundation of the Ozarks will be working shoulder to shoulder with these Joplin residents for the long haul as they rebuild their lives. We, too, hope to further help with these rebuilding efforts,” Pitt said.

Added Jolie: “Our hearts go out to the families in Joplin who have lost so much.”

The CFO fund now stands at more than $1 million.

[From KSPR]

I know some people are going to bitch about this, so whatever. I’m not even going to rise to defend Brad and Angelina to people who froth at the mouth over literally ANYTHING they do. For those of us who find it interesting, I’d like to point out one of the many reasons why I love Brad and Angelina’s pattern of giving. It’s not JUST the amount of money they donate, or the people that they’ve helped, or the attention to vital causes that impresses me. I’m consistently impressed with the fact that they not only donate to draw attention to emergency situations, but they also focus money on long-term rebuilding and recovery projects. They don’t just think about what people need this week (although they do give extensively to emergency crisis situations) – they’re also putting money into projects for people in need months and years down the line. I love that.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

A few weeks ago, Brad Pitt gave an interview in which he seemed to indicate he was softening on the idea of marrying Angelina. He said, in part, “The kids ask about marriage. It’s meaning more and more to them. So it’s something we need to look at.” When I read that, it barely registered. But other people freaked out and there were twenty-million stories about BRANGELINA WEDDING ZOMG. Didn’t it just seem like Brad was simply talking in general terms…? Anyway, Life & Style has picked up the wedding gauntlet and run with it. According to L&S/Hollywood Life, Brad has issued an ultimatum to Angelina: Marry me now or ELSE!

After six babies and six years together, has Brad finally convinced Angelina to tie the knot? A new report says yes! But guess what she wants to exchange instead of rings!

If you thought the madness surrounding the royal wedding was insane, just picture what it will be like when the most famous parents in Hollywood, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, walk down the aisle! The A-list couple has had a change of heart when it comes to marriage, and it’s all thanks to their six kids and her desire for more!

“The kids ask about marriage,” reveals Brad, “It’s meaning more and more to them. So it’s something we’ve got to look at.” And Angie, 36, agrees. “Children are clearly a commitment,” she says, “a bigger commitment [than marriage].”

So, Brad has used Angelina’s “biggest commitment” — their six kids Maddox, 9, Pax, 7, Zahara, 6, Shiloh, 5, and 2-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne – to persuade her to finally tie the knot. “Brad has told Angie that he doesn’t want to add another child to their family until they get married,” an insider shares with Life & Style. “And she’s fine with that.”

One thing she’s not fine with is a wedding ring! “She’ll exchange necklaces or charms instead,” reveals another source.

So, will Brangelina have a beautiful ceremony at their lavish French chateau, which has a 16th century chapel on the grounds?

[From Hollywood Life]

Er… honestly, and let me just let my Brangeloonie freak flag fly, I’ve always wondered which one – Brad or Angelina – was more opposed to getting married. At first, when they got together and Angelina was pregnant with Shiloh, I thought that Angelina was the one who didn’t really care about getting married, and that Brad was the one to want to nail this thing down. But over time… I tend to think that Brad is the one who is more reticent about marriage. I think Angelina is the one who not-so-secretly wants to get hitched. Basically, I doubt this story simply because I don’t buy these dynamics. I think Angelina is the one more in favor of marriage.

By the way, an unnamed insider tells Gossip Cop that Brangelina have “no plans for a wedding, by the end of the year or otherwise.” It doesn’t really mean much, but there you go.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Hide yo’ wigs! Angelina Jolie is officially doing a sequel to her hit film Salt. Jolie starred as (SPOILER) a covert Russian spy living in America who ends up helping and defending her adopted country. Did I ever talk about my feelings on Salt? I didn’t like it very much. I thought the whole storyline and general feel of the film was extremely dated, like the film was a half-decent Cold War film circa 1984. If the film had actually been set in 1984, I think I would have enjoyed it better. Considering it was supposed to be a modern spy story… it didn’t make much sense. I did like Angelina’s wigs, though. And yeah, I get a kick out of her giving everyone beatdowns. But the plot was nonsensical from a purely “one person can completely take out all White House security – FOR REAL?!?” standpoint. So… there’s going to be another one:

Sony Pictures is moving forward on its much speculated Salt sequel. Kurt Wimmer has begun writing it for Angelina Jolie to reprise her role as Evelyn Salt, the CIA agent who spent the first movie running for her life after being outed as a Russian spy. The studio smartly left open a window for a possible sequel at the climax of the original, which was directed by Phillip Noyce. Now, Universal Pictures tried to draft a sequel of Wanted and it didn’t happen. This is different. Jolie wants to do to do the Salt sequel if it comes together right. I’m told that Wimmer has officially signed on and is working away. The original grossed around $300 million worldwide for Sony Pictures.

[From Deadline]

More spoilers: The reason a sequel to Wanted never got off the ground was because Jolie’s character friggin’ dies at the end. It was complete idiocy to try to work Jolie’s character into a sequel.

As for this Salt sequel… well… ugh. I hope they make it feel more modern. I hope there’s actual SPY stuff, rather than Angelina/Evelyn just running around, taking down armies of men single-handedly, because apparently all spies do is run around doing hand-to-hand combat all day (??).

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Angelina Jolie has a pretty big interview in The Independent UK today. Jolie talks about lots of stuff where… if someone else said it, I’m sure it would be a non-story. Because it’s Angelina, though, I’m sure this is going to be a really long day. I kind of thought that possibly made-up interview in The Telegraph was uncontroversial too, but then people started talking about how Brad Pitt is abusive and such. I just don’t get it. Anyway, you can read Jolie’s interview in two parts, here and here. Here are some hightlights:

Jolie on how the American education system doesn’t work for her kids: “”I wish there was a book every parent could read that tells you how to navigate through the school system, and how to tailor the education system for your children and their interests. I’m personally getting a lot more involved with their different tutors and teachers…. I do think we live in a different age and the education system hasn’t caught up with our children and our way of life. But we travel and I’m the first person to say, ‘get the schoolwork done as quickly as possible because let’s go out and explore’. I’d rather them go to a museum and learn to play guitar and read and pick a book they love. I feel that there’s got to be a new way to tailor things more directly to our children. Considering the amount of information we have today, the internet and online books… we as parents need to think about how we can shake it up and make it better.”

On Kung Fu Panda 2‘s adoption story line: “It’s about a search for self. I think that who we are and who we decide to be in life is not defined by our parents, our past, the way we look or where we’re from. We make the choice.”

She‘s low-maintenance: “In my life, I hardly brush my hair very often. I try to be as low-maintenance as possible because of my kids, so I can just get up and get ready and do things and not take too much time.”

Has she found peace? “I don’t know if I have found it. But, especially when you have children, you wake up every morning and, if they are happy and they are healthy, then you have peace. You know that that’s all that you should be worried about. Then from there you work on all these other things that bother you and you try to fix injustices and the bigger issues in the world. But you kind of start from one simple thing to be grateful for.”

On adopting again: “We’re always open if it feels right, but we have a full house and, at the moment, nothing has become clear to us. It’s the same, I suppose, as when somebody decides to get pregnant, there’s just a moment where something becomes clear to you and, at the moment, that’s not what we’re discussing.”

She can sell the crap out of KFP 2: “I brought my kids, aged from two to nine, and after I had to call Jeffrey [Katzenberg] and say: ‘We’re good. This gauge range is two to nine. It’s working!’ My children loved it. I was very curious about how they’d react to the family themes and how my character was raised in an orphanage and then was adopted by Shifu, and in this one Po discovers that he’s adopted. It’s one of the more complex stories and films I’ve ever been involved in, with characters and themes that I stand by and believe in.”

On Tigress: “She is certainly a character that shows a lot of emotional restraint. She’s not relaxed. She’s the opposite of Po. She is somebody that is very good physically but emotionally is very uncomfortable. Part of her voice and part of her personality is closed in that way. You could imagine she doesn’t let herself cry. She doesn’t let herself be hurt. She doesn’t talk about how she feels. She’s quite hardcore. That’s part of her personality. It was an interesting voice to play with but it wasn’t intended to sound a certain way, it just came out, I think, that way because she is repressed.”

On traveling: “I do enjoy traveling, especially to any place we haven’t been where we can stay for a very long time. We love safari adventures and living in tents, we love to go to Asia. Really any place new, something beautiful that’s also physical. We have so many kids that it’s nice to have an adventure.”

She doesn’t take photos: China and South America are next on the list. “I never take pictures, though, and that drives Brad a bit crazy because he’s not on any family photos as he always takes them. I often see all these people taking pictures to capture the moment and I think you miss the moment because you are trying too hard to capture it. I want to live it.”

On what kind of hero is needed today: “That’s a complicated one. Unfortunately, I don’t know if there is one hero. Maybe it’s quite the opposite – we need to find a collective. We need to come together more and find central things between our countries, and between our religions: to try to individually, one person at a time, start working together better.”

[From The Independent UK - two articles]

I guess the stuff about the education system is going to be controversial…? I can never tell with the loonies on either side. My thoughts on Angelina’s education comments: while I appreciate that she was trying to be diplomatic about it, and that she blamed the structure and the machine rather than individual schools and teachers who are struggling, I still don’t think Angelina is in the best position to complain. Yes, I’ve read Jonathan Kozol and I keep meaning to watch that documentary about the DC schools. I get that there are huge problems in the American public school system. But have any of the Jolie-Pitt kids ever tried public school? No! She’s always done the tutor thing or sent them to the Lycee schools (which are private). I feel like she’s blaming the education system for her own vagabond parenting style.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Star Magazine’s cover story this week is all about Angelina Jolie and how she’s down to 99 pounds, because of heroin, I guess. I don’t know… um, the cover is Photoshopped? Like, to a ridiculous level. Now, you guys have been bitching about Angelina Jolie’s weight for… well, for years. But more specifically, many have been complaining about her thin appearances surrounding her publicity tour for Kung Fu Panda 2. Now, while I’ll admit that I winced a little when seeing Angelina’s bony legs a few times, I think her top half looks okay-ish. She’s not crazy emaciated, like she was after her mom died. Her upper arms have some flesh, her cheeks don’t look hallow, and in a few photos, it even looks like she has a small tummy. Could it be possible that after two pregnancies, Angelina just gains weight in certain parts of her body and not others?

What’s going on with Angelina Jolie‘s shocking weight loss? At the Cannes Film Festival, jaws dropped when she appeared looking gaunt, bony, and terrifyingly thin. We’re worried for you, Angelina, you’re looking emaciated!

In fact, Star is reporting that the five-foot-seven tall actress’ weight has plummeted to 99 pounds!

“Angie has gotten so skinny and frail, Brad thinks she needs professional help,” a source tells Star, which adds that Brad staged an “intervention,” begging Angelina to get help. “Her face looks sunken. On the red carpet, her arms look like twigs.”

And while the stress of juggling an acting career and motherhood may take its toll on her, it’s her diet that’s the main culprit, according to Star. “Brad is really concerned with her eating habits,” says the source. “She’s existing on cereal bars and fruit smoothies and has slipped to just 99 pounds. She is so thin yet will still go on a carrot-juice fast for days.”

It’s gotten so severe that Brad is “leaving food out all over the place hoping she’ll snack,” and wishing that she’ll gain at least 10 pounds.

[From Hollywood Life]

If she’s really five foot seven (I think she might be an inch shorter, maybe), I doubt that she’s down to 99 pounds. My guesstimate is… 115-ish. With those hips and boobs, my guess is that she’s probably a dress size 4 (in the traditional size system, not The Kristie Alley Size System). And I don’t buy that Angelina does “carrot juice fasts” and junk. She’s not that woman. I will buy that she “forgets to eat” because she’s so busy though.

Star cover courtesy of CoverAwards, additional pics by WENN.

Angelina Jolie allegedly has a new interview with The Telegraph (UK). I say “allegedly” because even though some of the quotes seem new to me, many of the Brangeloonie commenters on Telegraph’s site are claiming that they were pulled from other sources. Perhaps we can agree that even if Angelina didn’t technically say this stuff to The Telegraph, she said it to somebody, and thus, it’s newsworthy? You can read the full Telegraph piece here – I found it to be an interesting, although exhaustive and sycophantic read. Here are some highlights:

Angelina on being told that Johnny Depp considers she and Brad the “Taylor-Burton” couple currently: Jolie smiles when I pass on Depp’s observation. ‘Did he really say that?’ I can’t tell if she’s pleased or not. ‘Well, I’ll take it as a compliment. When we made The Tourist we hung out constantly, although we were boring and just had play dates with the kids. [Depp’s boy] Jack and Maddox played the computer the whole time.’

Jolie on her attatchment to the now David Fincher-helmed Cleopatra project: ‘[Cleopatra] has been very misunderstood,’ Jolie tells me. ‘I thought it was all about the glamour, but then I read about her and she was a very strong mother, she spoke five languages and she was a leader.’ The producer, Scott Rudin, conceived the film with Jolie in mind. Taylor herself was reportedly not pleased. Insiders have said that she rebuffed Jolie’s attempts to get her blessing for the project and hated the idea of the film being remade. ‘My performance will never be as lovely as Elizabeth’s,’ Jolie says. ‘We are trying to get into a different truth about her as a pharaoh in history and not as a sex symbol, because she really wasn’t. Even this idea of her having many lovers – it was possible that it was only two. She is very interesting, but she wasn’t a great beauty.’

On the subject of marriage: ‘We are obviously extremely committed to the children and as parents together,’ is all she will say on the subject. That and that she ‘loves France. I can’t move about Paris as much as I’d like to but the children go out with other people sometimes so that they can have the experience.’

On child-rearing: ‘When Brad and I decided to have a large family we decided we’d only do it if we could be really hands-on and take the kids with us, seeing them every day,’ says Jolie. ‘I am always there on weekends, I only ever work a five-day week, and I am often there for breakfast or dinner. When I’m working they come up at lunch. It’s a special time for Daddy when Mom works for a few months. And Brad is such a great dad. When I’m working he’s putting in the extra dad time, and that’s special for their relationship, too.’

On motorcycles: ‘I have an MV Augusta,’ she says. ‘But Brad is the real rider. He’s really good.’ She also flies a plane. ‘But that said, I love being a woman. I love that I can have children. I love feeling soft, I love being with Brad, I love all the sensitivity and natural emotion.’

On her full-length feature directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey: It was originally being filmed in Bosnia itself but had to move to Hungary when protests broke out over a rumoured inter-ethnic rape scene, which Jolie denies. ‘That was a misunderstanding,’ she tells me. ‘I sat down and decided I would write one day,’ continues Jolie. ‘I didn’t intend on writing anything or directing anything but I wrote a piece and Brad read it and said, “You know what, honey, it’s not too bad. It’s pretty good.” We joked about it, but then the next thing I knew I didn’t trust anyone else with the material and I was directing the movie. I had such a great experience and Brad was so supportive.’

More on Brad: ‘I am very lucky with Brad,’ she goes on. ‘He is a real gentleman, but he is also a real man’s man. He’s got the wonderful balance of being an extraordinary, great, loving father, a very, very intelligent man and physically he’s a real man,’ she says, blushing slightly, ‘in all things that it means.’

On her mother’s death: ‘That will never heal,’ she says, softly. ‘But somebody gave me great advice. They said to me: “You’ll never get over it and you’ll never want to.” My mum was my role model. People called her Marshmallow because she was so soft. But also she was so strong of heart and fiercely protective of her kids. Her integrity was unbreakable. The world couldn’t darken her. And now my daughters are very strong, too.’

The future: Once Kung Fu Panda 2 is released she’ll work on the distribution of her Bosnian War love story and begin developing a film about Churchill and Roosevelt (Sir Anthony Hopkins may take on the role of Churchill). This summer she’ll also star in the new Louis Vuitton advertising campaign, at about the same time as beginning pre-production on Cleopatra. ‘I love my job and I love my family,’ she concludes. ‘But I’m not 20 anymore and I’m going to want to do a lot of other things with my life. At some point I will slow down.’ Just not yet.

[From The Telegraph]

I found the stuff about the Cleopatra movie interesting, because I’m so, so worried about it. I worry that David Fincher will cast Brad Pitt in a role. I worry that Fincher will hire Trent Reznor for the Cleopatra score. I worry that although the film is supposedly based on a book which uses the historical record on Cleopatra, that this will become a cesspool of historical revisionism. That being said, I like the idea of Angelina as Cleopatra. I just wish Clive Owen and Ian McKellan’s names were being bandied about (as Marc Anthony and Caesar, obviously).

As for the rumors about Brad and Angelina finally getting hitched – Brad talked about it in his interview over the weekend. I think it could happen, honestly. And I would pay a lot of money to see Empress Zahara’s flower girl outfit.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

It was a weekend of sequels (which is quite indicative of what is to come during this summer’s movie season record number of franchise follow-ups) at the box office. This holiday weekend’s two new wide releases opened on Thursday instead of the usual Friday. In the end, The Hangover Part II landed an estimated $118.1 million for the four-day holiday weekend (not counting Memorial Day), which is significantly higher than the $80.5 million predicted by Box Office Mojo’s derby game, which also predicted a second-place opening for the Bradley Cooper movie. In the end, Kung Fu Panda 2 summarily landed in second place with a $53.8 million four-day weekend cumulative take.

Naturally, these two sequels shall be compared to their respective predecessors. Kung Fu Panda opened in June 2008 to the tune of $60 million (with cumulative $215,434,591 domestic and $632 worldwide grosses) whereas The Hangover opened in June 2009 with an opening weekend of $45 million. However, positive word of mouth boosted Hangover’s subsequent weekends to a fairly unprecedented hold that led to $277,322,503 domestic and $467,483,912 worldwide totals. So anticipation for this sequel was much higher than for the opening weekend of the first movie, and Memorial Day weekend did nothing but extend the party for The Hangover 2. Meanwhile, releasing on this particular holiday weekend probably caused Kung Fu Panda 2 to not live up to previous expectations because the vast majority of schools are still in session (unlike the home-schooled Jolie-Pitt clan), so a Thursday release didn’t mean much in terms of kiddle-related ticket sales.

Also, Angelina Jolie as The Tigress mattered very little, since one can barely recognize her voice at all. She might very well be gorgeous and a talented actress, but Jolie’s voice isn’t very distinctive at all.

However, The Hangover Part II has not only won the weekend but also landed the weekend record as far as comedies go, which is sort of amazing considering that even the trailer revealed the film to be just like The Hangover itself. Indeed, the negative critical reception — 35% approval for the sequel vs. 79% for the first movie — reflects the near-universal consensus that the second film is a virtual carbon copy of the first one. Here’s a particularly apt take from Dustin Rowles at Pajiba:

Movies can reshape our imagination, bring us to tears, render us lovesick, break our psyches, shock and horrify us, or draw out an emotional catharsis. The great power of film is its ability to inspire, to elicit laughter, to provoke thought, or to enable us to appreciate what we have or what’s been lost. The great power of The Hangover II, on the other hand, is its immense ability to make us feel as though we’ve been robbed, ripped off, stolen from, sold a bill of goods, knocked out, anally violated and left for dead. It’s not even that The Hangover II is a bad film; it’s that it’s a film we’ve already f&#*ing seen. Maybe you remember it. It was called The Hangover.

Sequels suggest continuations of stories; The Hangover II is not a sequel. It’s a remake set in a different g**d*mn city. It’s the same band singing the same song. All they did was add someone to play the wood block and tickle Brad Cooper’s balls. The lyrics are slightly different, but no one even had the goddamn decency to change the chorus. It’s not a new movie; they just repackaged the old one. It’s like paying to replace your laptop with the exact same one, only the screensaver is an Asian tranny instead of a stripper Mom. It’s like The Next Karade Kid starring Ralph Machio in the Hilary Swank role. You know what that’s called? The Karate Kid.

What I don’t get it, where is the outrage? People paid $13 to see something they’d already seen. Why weren’t there reports from midnight screenings of audience members ripping out their seats, beating up old women, looting Rite Aids, and throwing batteries at movie theater managers? Have we grown so complacent that we will now idly accept a re-gifted movie? We’re just going to shrug? That’s what we’re doing now? “Hey, why are you getting so worked up? Whaddya expect? It’s Hollywood.” You know what: Go f&@k yourself. Just because you’re a f&@king [redacted] doesn’t give that doucher Todd Phillips the right to treat us all like one.

If you’ve seen the first movie, then you know what’s going to happen in the second film. The chief “difference” here is that it’s Stu (Ed Helms) who is getting married, and the wedding takes place in Thailand instead of Vegas. And you know what they say about Bangkok? “What Happens in Bangkok, shut the f&@k up, douche.”

[From Pajiba]

So far, it’s only the critics who are complaining about the carbon-copy factor, so perhaps The Hangover fans just really wanted to rewatch the original? This would account for the lack of outrage coming from social media sites like Twitter. My suspicion is that The Hangover movies are such a departure from real life that they merely function as a stress-relieving two hours of comedy, and perhaps people don’t care if they’ve heard all the jokes already. Then again, we’ll really have to wait and see what happens with The Hangover 2 next weekend; if the drop off is steep, we’ll know that (for the sequel, at least) word of mouth is negative rather than positive.

Meanwhile, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides landed in third place with $39.3 million for a two week domestic total of $152.9 million and $624 million globally, thanks to the worldwide appeal of one Johnny Depp. Bridesmaids $16.4 million for a three-week total of $85.0 million and Thor $9.4 millionfor a four-week total of $159.7 million.

Movie stills courtesy of AllMoviePhoto

Brad Pitt has a new interview in USA Today’s Weekend section, and they’re claiming that this is his first big interview since 2009. Which can’t be right…? Let me think… the only film he had out last year was Megamind, and I guess he didn’t do that much press for it. So… maybe, sure. He’s done press for Make It Right NOLA though, and it feels like he gives a handful of interviews a year for whatever reason. Anyway, the full USA Weekend piece is here – it’s a nice read, with Brad mostly talking about family life, being a father, etc. Here are some highlights:

Brad on his kids: “Kids hold up a mirror to you. You can’t make excuses. You’ve got to make sure they’ve brushed their teeth and eaten a good breakfast. You want to be present if they wake up with a bad dream.”

Brad on danger & the paparazzi: The responsibility weighs heavily on the now-middle-aged actor. In a display of emotion any parent would relate to, Pitt says fears about his kids’ safety “keep me up at night.” But unlike in most families, Pitt’s worries have an added dimension. “We’re hunted,” he says, flexing his tattooed, muscular forearm as if contemplating retaliation. “Our kids have to live behind a gate. Outside, there are people with cameras. “But I’ll take the trade-off. I never knew I was capable of experiencing so much love.”

How is family has changed him: Parenthood is increasingly central to Pitt’s sense of self, influencing everything from the movies he chooses to make — “I want to leave some work behind that my kids will be proud of” — to his vision of the future with Jolie. Though he has said the couple would wait to wed until gay people could do so legally, he now acknowledges that the timetable may change. “The kids ask about marriage,” he says, sinking wearily into a sofa. He takes a sip of cappuccino. “It’s meaning more and more to them. So it’s something we’ve got to look at.”

His kids aren’t growing up like he did: “On the road, we’re a military mobile unit,” he says. “The kids have got their stuff down to one backpack, and they’re each responsible for their own bag. Mom does the packing; she’s quite gifted at that. Puts in just what we need — nothing extra.” The family migrates between the multi-house Los Angeles compound he calls “our base camp” and film sets around the globe, spending downtime at a 1,000-acre estate in southern France. “We’re pretty nomadic,” he says. “We go where the crops are.”

More on their lifestyle: Pitt concedes that his family life “seems a bit extreme.” But “I like extremes. I guess I’ve always operated that way.” Still, he says, “Angie and I do everything we can to carve out some semblance of normalcy for them, to re-create the kinds of moments that were special for us. It’s not unusual for the kids to be covered in paint. We have mud fights. It’s chaos from morning until the lights go out, and sometimes after that.”

Education? The older kids are home-schooled, but their parents try to create opportunities to socialize. The family sometimes sneaks past the paparazzi to an undisclosed location for a football game with friends.

Brad on private time with Angelina: Pitt and Jolie carve out time to nurture their own relationship as well. “There are no secrets at our house,” Pitt says, his blue eyes crinkling in a slightly wicked smile. “We tell the kids, ‘Mom and Dad are going off to kiss.’ They go, ‘Eww, gross!’ But we demand it.”

On aging: As he navigates his fifth decade, Pitt has begun to ponder the long term. “Will I be acting when I’m 80?” he asks rhetorically. “Definitely not.”

Goals for the future: A passionate amateur photographer and architect (whose Make It Right foundation is building environmentally sustainable homes in New Orleans for low-income residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina), he aims to explore those vocations more deeply in the coming years. He also wants to improve his French and his cooking skills — now limited to bacon, eggs and flapjacks. But Pitt won’t be trading in biker boots for house slippers anytime soon. “I hope to keep riding motorcycles,” he says with that devilish grin, “until I can’t stand up anymore.”

[From USA Weekend]

I guess the biggest news is that Brad and Angelina announce to their kids when they’re going to go off and have some private time. I think it’s cute. I’m sure there are people who will hate it, but meh. As for Brad’s continuing insistence that he’s going to stop acting at some point… he just needs to stop talking about it. So does Angelina. I’m tired of both of them “announcing” that they’re going to “stop at some point.” It feels like they’re doing a fake-threat to see how much love they get.

Photos courtesy of Fame & WENN.