Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are about to release their latest production, their twins, into the world. Like every expectant mother they have things to plan – what hospital will my baby be born at? Breastfeed or bottle feed? Which magazine will buy the pictures for the most cash?

The bidding for the Brangelina twins pics has reached a whopping $15 million — and will probably go a lot higher.

Our magazine spies tell us only PEOPLE and OK! are left standing in the bidding war. One spy says the pics are so valuable they would “print blank pages” the rest of year to get them.

Can a weekly mag actually recoup all that cash? Probably not, but it doesn’t matter. The prestige is what counts.

No deal has been inked yet. Brad’s peeps didn’t return our calls. A PEOPLE rep says, “We’d love to see the photos in PEOPLE. We wish the family well” OK!’s rep refused to address a dollar figure, but admits they’d be “foolish” not to make a play for the photos.

We’re told the $$$$ Brad and Angie get will go to charity.

TMZ

$15 million dollars is going to be wonderful for the charity it will go to, but that is a lot of money for pictures of two little babies. Particularly when babies just look like babies, they aren’t really very interesting. Jennifer Lopez was paid $4-6 million for her twins by People, the same magazine that bought Shiloh Jolie-Pitt’s picture for $4.1 million, which is the most expensive picture of a single child to date.

The bidding for the pictures got very heated following the innacurate reports that Angelina had given birth at the weekend. If the price is already around $15 million, by August these pictures could give several charities a financial boost.

I don’t believe those babies are due as late as August, but if they are, I’m feeling really sorry for Angelina Jolie. Sure, pregnancy might make you feel sexy, but she is just enormous for someone around the seven month mark, even taking into account that those are twins.

At the end of March the price of the pictures was put around $10 million, so maybe the price really has reached $15 million.

The new trailer has come out for Burn After Reading, an upcoming comedy which counts such luminaries as Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, John Malkovich, and Frances McDormand among the cast. It’s the story of a gym employee, played by Pitt, who finds a CD with the memoir of a CIA agent, Malkovich. McDormand is Pitt’s sidekick and friend from the gym where they work, and they try to blackmail Malkovich, with of course hilarious results. It’s directed and written by the Coen brothers, who are responsible for such great films as The Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou, and Intolerable Cruelty. It looks funny as anything and I can’t wait to see this film. It’s due out in the US on September 12, and in some European countries in October.

OK! Magazine is reporting a rumor that Angelina Jolie had her twins over the weekend in the Aix-en-Provence region of France, which would be near Brad and Angelina’s newly leased $60 or $70 million estate. (Depending on which reports you believe.)

OK! says we should take this with a grain of salt, and that it’s just an unsubstantiated rumor for now. The details are pretty sketchy:

There may be nothing more than wishful thinking to reports coming out of France this morning that Angelina Jolie, who was due to give birth to twins some time in the next three to four weeks, has indeed already delivered her fifth and sixth children.

According to rumors, the Oscar-winner gave birth on Sunday in a Catholic clinic in the Aix-En-Provence region of France. No further details are forthcoming at this moment.

[From OK! Magazine]

OK! reminds us of the rumor that Brad and Angelina were married in the French Quarter of New Orleans in March. It turned out that the wedding was for a couple from New Orleans’ elite and that all it took was a few blocked roads and an expensive wedding for the story to get started. Maybe there’s a wealthy French woman or even another celebrity who arranged to have secrecy surrounding her birth and it’s not Angelina at all.

Angelina has said that she will disappear for a couple months after her twins are born. Dustin Hoffman leaked the news that she was due August 19, but that could have been a cleverly arranged setup by Brad and Angelina to ensure that they have time alone after the birth. It’s hard to tell how far along she is, especially if she’s having twins.

Update: D-Listed is reporting that Angelina named the twins Isla Marcheline Jolie-Pitt and Amelie Jane Jolie-Pitt.

Update 2: The Insider claims to have a source that confirms that Angelina had her twins and that those are indeed the names. Congratulations to the happy family if all this is true.

Update 3: People has an exclusive that Angelina didn’t have her babies, and since they’re at the top in the gossip hierarchy I think I’ll believe their version.

Angelina Jolie is shown on 5/20/08 at a photocall for The Changeling, thanks to WENN.

It turns out that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie aren’t nearly as impulsive when it comes to their real estate purchases as we thought. The couple were widely reported to have purchased a 1,000-acre 35 bedroom estate in the south of France, running them about $60 million. Which certainly isn’t that much for the couple, but is a sizable investment, nonetheless. However People is reporting that Brad and Angie actually made a much more sensible decision – choosing to lease the place for the next three years.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have signed a long-term lease for a chateau on the French Riviera, according to reports.

The couple, who have four children and two more on the way, signed a three-year lease on the 880-acre estate called Chateau Miraval, where neighbors will include Johnny Depp and David and Victoria Beckham, according to the French newspaper Nice Matin.

The estate, reportedly valued at $70 million, comes with its own vineyard, olive groves, lake, moat, 20 fountains and even a forest to help ensure privacy.

“They’ll have total privacy, which is exactly what they’re after,” a source told E! Online. “No one will ever be able to get pictures of them relaxing at home, it’s just impossible.”

At the Cannes International Film Festival, Jolie, 32, who is expecting twins this summer, told reporters that she was thinking of giving birth in France, and that French is the “second language” in the family’s home. A rep for Pitt and Jolie had no comment on the estate.

[From People]

Angelina has said that the couple wants to adopt more children after she gives birth to their twins. They’re also considering starting a foster home. I know it’s cheesy as hell, but I am once again nominating myself for adoption or fostering. I can be remarkably immature, I’m sure I’ll fit in great with the kids. And one of my housing requirements is that the grounds be surrounded by a moat. Which the Chateau Miraval reportedly has, so it seems like the perfect deal.

It seems like Brad and Angelina will definitely be spending the bulk of their next few years in France. Their children attend the Lycée Français schools, which are based on the French national curriculum. And there are over 400 schools worldwide, making it somewhat familiar when the kids move from school to school. Clearly the Jolie-Pitts have a special spot in their hearts for France – and their new home will give them a good deal of privacy as well.

As we reported earlier today, Angelina Jolie claims that she’s still not sure where she’ll give birth, but says she’ll probably lay low for a month or two after her twins, thought to be fraternal girls, arrive. She says she also wants to adopt again and that they may even start a foster home, although not necessarily on their own property.

The Jolie-Pitts can add another sprawling mansion to the homes in which they can choose to raise their children around the world. They have a home in New Orleans’ French Quarter, a mansion in Los Angeles, an expansive apartment in the former East Berlin, and can now count a 1,000 acre estate in the South of France among their real estate holdings. Given that they’ve been staying at the estate of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in France, it’s not a far stretch to assume that they’re planning to remain in that area after their newest babies arrive. Their new digs sound just as amazing as you would expect for a multi-home estate and land that costs $60 million, and includes a moat, lake, vineyard, 20 fountains, indoor pool, 2 gyms, and plenty of surrounding forest to discourage the rabid paparazzi:

Expectant parents Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have plunked down a cool $60 million on a sprawling 1,000-acre estate in the south of France. With 35 bedrooms, plus a vineyard, lake, forest and moat, Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh and the soon-to-be-born twins are going to be playing house in high style.

“It’s called Chateau Miraval in a village called Brignol, which is near from Aix-en-Provence,” a source tells E! News. “And it’s absolutely unbelievable.

“Brad and Angelina are thrilled, they love the place and have already been furniture shopping to fill the place as it’s massive,” the insider added. “They’ve already spent almost another million on furniture and the whole family can’t wait to move in.”

The pre-Roman estate also boasts a swimming pool, billiards room, indoor pool, his-and-hers gyms, sauna and jacuzzi and a huge banquet hall.

Magnificent cascading stone-walled terraces have been replanted with 13 different varieties of olives, and water is everywhere on the sprawling estate—20 fountains, aqueducts and a stream that runs through hidden tunnels, passes through the moat and fills the lake.
Except for the ponies and goats grazing in the nearby fields, “the house is surrounded by a forest so they’ll have total privacy, which is exactly what they’re after,” the source tells E!

[From E! Online]

From the looks of the aerial photos, there are four separate houses and stables on the land. It has an expansive front yard and it should be pretty simple for them to station security around the perimeter at all times. Maybe this will result in the privacy the Jolie-Pitts probably crave. And they’ll have plenty of room to start that foster home.

Thanks to Splash News for the photo of Brad and Angelina’s new estate and WENN for the picture from the Kung Fu Panda premiere on 5/15/08.

It seems that with all the tabloid speculation about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, we rarely get to hear much from the couple, as they don’t do a huge amount of interviews. Angelina has two films that she’s promoting in Cannes, Kung Fu Panda, and The Changeling, and she gave a surprisingly revealing interview that puts a few tabloid rumors to rest.

On her relationship with her father, Jon Voight, who she has been estranged from. She refers to him in the interview as ‘Dad’.

“I think sometimes you have to distance yourself from relationships you feel are unhealthy for you. But we have spoken recently and we are going to try to get to know each other and maybe try not to be this daddy and daughter, but to be there for each other as friends in the coming years.”

On those marriage rumors:

“I turned on the news and heard we were getting married, and thought, ‘That’s odd’! You know, we’re not against it; it’s not something we’re making a stand about or are scared of. It’s just not felt necessary. We’ve both been married before and I think we feel like we are together because we want to be. We want to raise these children together; we’re committed to them and that’s the priority. It’s not about some contract binding us to have to be dedicated to each other, but that we were going to start building this family and be close just because we are. So we don’t need to do it but one day we will. Maybe if the kids start asking - they’ll probably be the ones to make the decision.”

On her relationship with Brad Pitt:

“I actually was dead set against being with another actor before I met Brad.”

Really? “Oh my God, yeah, yeah. I was sure it was going to be a doctor in the field or some kind of human rights activist. The last thing I wanted was the epitome of the attractive male movie star,” she quips.

The so-called “Brangelina” are not only considered Hollywood’s most powerful couple, but Hollywood’s hottest brand.

“We find it silly because we are both so goofy and we know who we are,” Jolie responds, literally shooing away the notion with her long-fingered hand. “The fortunate thing is we have so many kids and so many things that ground us. Brad was laughing on the red carpet and people were asking if we were having a great time, but what he was laughing about was he’d just gotten peed on by our daughter.”

On how she balances work and children:

“We take turns working so one of us is always at home and when we work we limit the hours. We don’t work on weekends. We make sure both of us are at home for at least breakfast or dinner. We adjust everything around family and we’re lucky that we can. I feel for mothers who give birth and have to go to work immediately. We can bring our kids to work, and we only work four months of the year.”

Where she’ll be giving birth:

When the time comes Pitt, of course, will be by her side. As yet she hasn’t decided if the birth will take place in France, she says. They have been staying at a Riviera villa owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen during the festival and, given that they have another Riviera abode on hand, it seems likely rumours that she will give birth in the south of France are correct. In any case, this is possibly the last we will see of the actress for a while: “I plan to disappear for at least a month or two afterwards.”

Will they have more children?

“We keep thinking, ‘is there ever going to be a time when we don’t have kids in the house?’ Maybe we’ll eventually start a foster home or something. We have a clinic that handles children so there are ways of looking after kids without actually physically having them in your home and we’re doing more and more of that. But I think we will adopt again. I’d like to do it again.”

Health scares in pregnancy:

“Yeah, I’m OK, so far I’m just fine,” the 32-year-old says of her pregnancy with twins. “Everybody said I didn’t have to come, but I was feeling all right. It’s not such hard work. I’m sitting and talking a lot and everybody is being nice to me. If anything, being pregnant and not working I’ve had more time to read and study, to do all those things that I don’t when I’m working.”

You can read the full interview in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Everytime you read an interview with Angelina Jolie she comes across as the nicest person, although what has she got to be mean about? She’s worth a fortune, is married to Brad Pitt, has a bunch of cute kids, and enough help so she can take care of them and have a satisfying career. Still, she does seem to embrace the fact she is in a position of privilege few working mums could ever aim for.

I think this clears up a few rumors, because Angelina never seems to outright lie. She does dodge issues though - because I’m pretty sure that she has decided where she’s giving birth. It doesn’t matter how much money and fame you have, you can’t expect an entire hospital to shut down at short notice to accommodate you.

The interviewer, Helen Barlow, mentions several times how wonderful she looks, and what amazing cleavage she has. She does seem to look amazing, in a way that most heavily pregnant women can only dream about. Hopefully when she ‘disappears’ for a couple of months following her new babies birth we’ll get at least one picture of her with a bit of a mommy tummy.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are shown at The Changeling premiere in Cannes on 5/20/08, thanks to WENN.

I didn’t learn this until recently, but it is legally possible for one adult to adopt another adult. There are all sorts of reasons people do this: to will rent-controlled apartments, to circumvent laws, etc. But it happens. As such, I will be petitioning Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to adopt me. We already know they’re into adoption. We know they like to adopt in unconventional ways – no common American babies for them. What would cause more of a stir than adopting an adult? Nothing. And I am now damn sure they’ve got the money. And compared to what they’re spending on their other kids, I am a relative bargain.

Brad and Angie have set aside $20 million for the birthing expenses of their twins, according to Life & Style.

Angelina Jolie had been keeping a low profile in recent weeks. But on May 15, after the premiere of her new animated movie, Kung Fu Panda, at the Cannes Film Festival in France, she looked thrilled to be out in public — and showing off her pregnancy. “She seemed so happy,” says an onlooker. “She let Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman [her co-stars] hug her belly.” And as Angie schmoozed with other celebrities, Brad Pitt was by her side. “She looked so comforted by his affection,” says the onlooker. “She was always smiling.”

As her due date nears, Angelina, 32, finally seems eager to talk about her babies. And she and Brad, 44, are clearly willing to do — and spend — anything to bring them into the world secure and healthy. In fact, insiders estimate Brad and Angie will spend at least $20 million in France on security, medical costs and shelter for their growing brood.

“Brad and Angelina love all their children and will do everything to protect them and keep them healthy,” says an insider. “Money is no object when it comes to the kids.” That’s true when it comes to the twins as well. “They can drop thousands of dollars on them in a day,” says the insider. “They’d do anything for them.”

[From Life & Style]

The sample breakdown is pretty damn impressive too. I know they’re worth an insane amount of money, but it still boggles my mind that anyone can go through this kind of cash.

* $332,000 is going toward a helicopter, which remains on call for when Jolie goes into labor
* $3.3 million is the cost for the Florentine-style villa in the French Riviera that the couple reportedly rents
* Nearly $100,000 goes to the nine cars the couple is renting.

[From the Scoop]

I’m sure a large amount of their money goes to security – and one would think the nine cars are a part of that. Can you imagine having a helicopter on call for your birth? At this point, why not just have a hospital built next to your house? I mean they’re spending so much as it is. That’s the only thing more dramatic than a helicopter.

Life & Style points out how happy Angelina has seemed in the last few weeks, and that’s very true. It’s easy to forget she used to be such a dark character. She’s been beaming from ear to ear, despite carrying around 2 fetuses that look bigger than she does. At $10 million a kid, those are two lucky babies.

Here’s Brad and Angelina at the ‘Kung Fu Panda’ premiere in Cannes on May 15th. Images thanks to WENN.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were seen shopping at Toys R Us in Cannes Nice, France today. They browsed the aisles while wearing sunglasses and casual clothing and looked annoyed at the paparazzi trailing them.

What interests me about these photos is that even have Toys R Us in France. We used to live in Switzerland on the border of France and I loved shopping there because it was pretty close to the excellent shopping in America. You do not realize how convenient it is to shop for just about everything in America until you live somewhere where even the grocery stores close at 6:00. But I don’t think my kid could stand it if he went into a whole Toy ‘R Us and was presented with so many options. Maybe that’s why Brad and Angelina left the kids at home - to reduce the begging factor.

Brad and Angelina may be shopping for Shiloh’s birthday. She turns two on May 27th, and celebrated her first birthday in Prague, where Angelina was filming Wanted. Thanks to Splash for these photos.

Angelina Jolie has really rocked the sexy pregnant mom fashion at Cannes up until now. She’s usually seen in cleavage-baring long dresses with exotic prints, looking effortlessly beautiful. Earlier today she wore a black pants suit that also exuded casual chic. But somehow she decided that the best look for her big premiere was a giant gray mumu with sequins at the bustline and her hair in a fussy puff. Don’t get me wrong, I wish I looked as good on my best non-pregnant day as Angelina does here, but it just doesn’t look like her and it’s slightly off. It’s as if she let someone else style her and kind of gave in to conventional fashion wisdom for pregnant women - hide the bump, elevate the hair - instead of letting her own look shine through. And Brad is also suffering from a bit of the too-stiff look. It’s kind of nice seeing them slightly miss on the red carpet for once. Despite being richer, skinnier, more attractive, and with better accessories than I ever hope to have, they don’t look perfect for every occasion.

Angelina plays a mother searching for her lost son in the film, and she may be going for a matronly look at the Cannes premiere in honor of her character. She said that the role reminded her of her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who died of ovarian cancer last January:

“My mother was very passive in many ways and very, very sweet, but when it came to her children, she was a lion.

“So in many ways, Christine reminded me of my mom, and it was a way to kind of revisit my mother after her passing and spend time with her.”

[From US Weekly]

Thanks to WENN for these photos.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were photographed in their casual best outside the Eden Roc Hotel in Cap d’Antibes between Cannes and Nice today. They were said to be heading for dinner from the hotel where they’ve been staying while at the film festival.

Angelina wore a striking handkerchief print dress while Brad was in a suit with an open collar shirt. Angelina’s film The Changeling will be screened at the Cannes film festival tomorrow morning.

The latest tabloid stories about Brad and Angelina include In Touch’s claim that “Brad Walks Out!” and a more believable story by the National Enquirer that Brad wants Angelina to give birth in the states while she plans to stay in France.

In Touch: “Brad Walks Out!” - story based on Brad having a drink by himself at a bar in France

On May 8 [Brad] became so annoyed with [Angelina] that he took off from Villa Maryland… leaving her alone with the children. He ended up drinking along at Le Pontiu Brasserie, a tiny bar 10 minutes up the coast, which he has frequented before. “He always looks worried and lost in thought, says a witness

[From In Touch, print edition, May 26, 2008]

In Touch goes on to claim that Brad is pissed because Angelina won’t marry him, and that she’s put the wedding on hold indefinitely after promising that she would go through with it.

The article also states that Angelina is getting reflexology treatments in France to ease her stress during pregnancy. And the couple has received deliveries of baby items from London, signaling their intention to stay put in France.

The National Enquirer says that Brad is pressuring Angelina to return to New Orleans or LA to have her babies while she intends to stay put in France:

“Angelina really likes the idea of having the babies in France, away from prying eyes. But Brad is adamant that he feels more comfortable with American doctors. With twins, there’s always the worry about complications,” said the insider.

While Brad would prefer that Oscar-winner Angelina give birth in New Orleans, arrangements could just as easily be made for her to deliver in Los Angeles, said the insider.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, May 26, 2008]

You could see Brad wanting Angelina to give birth in the states while she holds out for a delivery in France. It’s not like they’re getting much more privacy there, though. Judging from the long lens photos taking of her changing by the pool of the estate where they’re staying, they should probably put up a tent or a big barrier to get more privacy. It’s possible they’ll move on yet again before Angelina gives birth, though.

As for Brad “walking out!” he was probably just getting some alone time. I know I like to go shopping by myself. It doesn’t mean I’m leaving my family or anything.

Thanks to Splash for these photos.