Brad, Angelina, Maddox, Zahara and Pax out in New Orleans on 12/26/07 to see a movie. Credit: Fame

In Angelina’s Vanity Fair interview ahead of the birth of her twins, she said she had help with the kids but it was during the day and no one stayed overnight. She called the helpers “ladies who work with us,” and said there was a Vietnamese teacher, a woman from Belgium “of Congolese descent,” and an art teacher from America. The article came out in late May, and the news had just been released that Brad and Angelina were moving to that huge estate in France. They were staying at Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s French villa around that time. It seemed logistically impossible to me that they would have three women available to them everywhere they moved who did not stay overnight. German celebrity magazine Gala printed an article after the birth of the twins that they were looking for a nanny. Some of the tabloids have made references to Brad and Angelina’s “nannies,” but if they do have anyone they keep them virtually hidden. Brad’s family visited after the birth of Knox and Vivienne and his mother was probably a big help.

In her May interview, Angelina made it seem as if she and Brad had a very laid back parenting style, and said that their focus was art and communication: “Artists raise their kids differently… We have art around the house, we have books, we go to plays, we talk. Our focus is art and painting and dress-up and singing. It’s what we love. So I think you can see how artists in some way raise other artists.”

Artists aren’t known for being particularly orderly. TMZ reports that Brad and Angelina’s house is a wreck and that the only help they have on the weekends is a chef and security staff, who often end up on babysitter duty. They also say that the famous family is planning on moving back to Brad’s home in Hollywood. I wonder if the mess they’re said to be leaving at the chateau has anything to do with that:

We started getting tips about Brad Pitt and Angelina Joile — that they never let the kids go out in public with nannies because they want the public to see them as hands-on parents, which means the kids would basically be held hostage in the house unless their parents take them out. Absolutely not true.

We have really good spies in this department and here’s what we know. As it was put to us, “Brad and Angelina don’t give a f**k what the world thinks of how they’re raising their kids.” We’re told their entire life revolves around the kids, and the houses they stay in are “dirty from the kids” — with toys everywhere, food on the floor and fingerprints on the walls.

We’re told during weekends, there is a “minimal staff” at home — a cook and security, and that’s it. The homes they stay at are often in the hills or at the beach, and security’s top job is making sure the kids don’t hurt themselves.

The Hollywood Hills home Brad has owned for years will soon become home base. We’re told the main advantage is it’s completely enclosed and the kids can roam on the property.

The best line — “They live like people in Simi Valley, only with more zeros on the price of the home.”

[From TMZ]

It seems like with a lot of kids you have to be really regimented if your goal is to keep the house clean. Some people prefer to focus on the kids and go with the flow, though, and the house reflects that. You have to wonder if the supposed damage to the estate is a motivation for Brad and Angelina to move back and if they’re having any issues with their landlord. If they do move back to Hollywood it should be a lot easier for them to find help.

In other Jolie-Pitt news, one of dad Brad’s photos of his family will be featured on the cover of the November issue of W Magazine. W is the Magazine that scored that somewhat controversial 50s-style shoot with Brad and Angelina in July, 2005 called “Domestic Bliss.” Do you think that Brad and Angelina are just responding to all the requests for publicity or are they actively seeking it? Pitt has Burn After Reading by the Coen brothers coming out in the US on September 12. It looks wickedly funny and also features George Clooney, Frances McDormand, and John Malkovich.

Brad, Angelina, Maddox, Zahara and Pax are shown out in New Orleans on 12/26/07. They went to see the movie “The Waterhouse” and also picked up KFC. Credit: Fame

The Anthony Pellicano trial is underway and the first interesting detail involving one of his famous clients was revealed in court. Pellicano was a private investigator to celebrities and Hollywood bigwigs who was involved in illegally wiretapping targets as well as bribing law enforcement officials and generally scamming, blackmailing and doing whatever he needed to do to get information and cash. He even would double-cross clients and get dirt on them to sell to the tabloids, according to some sources. His high-profile clients included heads of movie studios, directors, and celebrities like Tom Cruise, Sylvester Stallone, Farrah Fawcett and Steven Seagal.

Comedian Chris Rock was a client of Pellicano’s, and asked the PI for help with a woman who falsely accused him of fathering a child with her after a brief fling and then later accused him of rape. It’s clear from Rock’s conversation with Pellicano, excerpts of which are below, that their relationship was consensual and that he was set up.

Rock’s case was discussed by an employee of Pellicanos during her testimony in court, and I think that’s why these audio tapes were made public. It pretty funny when Rock says he would rather be caught with a needle in his arm than been accused of rape. No charges were ever brought against him, and it’s unclear what the outcome of Pellicano’s investigation was or whether he successfully pressured the woman to drop the charges:

Ms. Virtue testified that while she was working for Mr. Pellicano, Chris Rock contacted the investigator to find out information on Monica Zsibrita. After a one night stand with the comedian in late 1998, she first claimed to be pregnant with his child (which proved to be false), then alleged her one-night stand with Mr. Rock had not be consensual. This conversation between Mr. Rock and Mr. Pellicano is alleged by prosecutors to have been recorded by Mr. Pellicano.

Rock married wife Malaak in November 1996 but claimed the two were separated at the time of his liaison with Zsbrita. During the call Rock admits taking Zsibrita to LA’s Ivy restaurant for dinner, taking her to Guy Oseary’s for a dinner party with Madonna, Elisabeth Shue and Shue’s baby, and to having consensual sex with Zsbrita at the Beverly Hills Hotel. At the time the below conversation took place, there was still a dispute over DNA testing, as she had kept a Kleenex in her freezer with what she claims was Rock’s semen on it.

During the call, Pellicano reads a police report with Zsbrita’s side of the story and assures Rock the police aren’t taking her seriously. No charges were every filed. As Pellicano reads, Rock can be heard interjecting with his side of the story, which contradicts hers. Highlights, in addition to Pellicano calling Rock terms like “honey,” “brother,” “buddy” and “babe” include:

8:15
CR: “I know the night we went to the Ivy she had on white pants. I only noticed cause my wife’s real classy and subdued and I’m out with a girl with big tits and white pants. It’s just, I know people were like, ‘heeey’.”

14:00
Pellicano (reading from report): “He tried to pull out and ejaculated on her thighs. She immediately got up and went to the bathroom where she cleaned up with a Kleenex. She put the Kleenex in her pocket.”

14:55
CR: I’ve been so set up…
AP: Did you come on her thighs?…
CR: I had a rubber on. I probably took it off right when I was getting ready to come. I probably came on her ass.

22:00
AP: Did you stick it in her? Without a rubber?
CR: No

24:45
AP: Now we got to go get this thing legally, which means we gotta subpoena it.

25:50
CR: It never stops
AP: It’s gonna stop. I’m going to make it stop.

27:25
AP: [On Richard Pryor] I know of him trying to kill himself at least 5 times.

29:05
AP: We’re going to get her one way or the other… Does your old lady know what’s going on?
CR: No. She thinks it’s over, put it that way. She knows of it.

30:05
CR: Rape is just fucking, buzz, you know?… Once you’re accused of rape, you’re just FUCKED, you know?
AP: That’s why i want to blacken this girl up, totally. I want to make her out to be a lying, scumbag, manipulative cocksucker… Stupid bitch
CR: I’m fucked. I’m better getting caught with needles in my arm. WAY better. Needles, with pictures, there’s Chris Rock shooting heroin. Much better blow to the career.

[From The Huffington Post]

It sounds like Rock had something on the side briefly, and had the misfortune of being with a woman who tried to set him up afterwards. He did nearly divorce his wife at one point, but has since reconciled with her, and this report says he had this affair at a time when they were separated.

The other big case that’s been revealed so far involves intimidation of the comedian Gary Shandling after he sued his former manager Brad Grey for bilking him out of profits and stealing from him for years.Shandling testified that there was a public smear campaign against him around the time he was giving depositions in that case and that his assistant would receive strange calls in the middle of the night. The LAPD also ran illegal background checks on Shandling and several of his friends and employees. Grey is now head of Paramount and surely doesn’t want all this exposed.

What I’m really interested in is the Tom Cruise case. Cruise reportedly hired Pellicano around the time he was divorcing Nicole Kidman and I can’t wait until those tapes become public record.

Pellicano is representing himself in court and is doing a piss poor job of it, according to the Huffington Post’s journalist. He’s was in federal prison since 2002 for possession of plastic explosives and hand grenades, for which he received 30 months. Pellicano got out in February and was transfered to LA County jail to face these charges of racketeering and illegal wiretapping. He’ll probably be put back in prison for quite some time once this trial is completed.

Chris Rock is shown on 2/14/08 at the Rosemont Theater in Illinois, thanks to PRPhotos.