Brad and Angelina and their four children are said to be headed to Berlin. They bought a 6,500 foot attic apartment in the former east Berlin back in February, and according to a British newspaper notorious for making up quotes, Brad supposedly told a friend he’s trying to design a house south of Berlin and wants to give his children a quieter life.

According to British newspaper The Daily Mirror, he said: ‘We bought this beautiful house in Berlin, and another one I am trying to design myself close to Potsdam.

‘We already have so many projects waiting and I am trying to travel and get inspiration all over the world and prepare myself.

‘We also don’t want our kids to go to school in Hollywood - it will be best if they can go to school in Berlin. We love the city. Berlin is so quiet and balanced, away from paparazzi.”

[Opodo Travel News]

I could not find these quotes on The Daily Mirror website, but there’s a report about this article in German language paper Bild, and they said that these are quotes that “a friend” of Brad’s claims he said. They are not direct quotes, they’re supposedly from a source, so it sounds to me like someone is filling in details that aren’t there.

The Bild also has another story about their “Dream Island” house. The German magazine Gala speculates that Brad and Angelina might build a house on the Schwanenwerder penninsula, which is in the southwest corner of Berlin, halfway between the center of Berlin and Postdam. This might be what The Mirror is talking about, but it’s not exactly Potsdam and is still part of Berlin. (Thanks to my husband for these details, he went to college in Berlin and lived there for years.) It’s also not a given that Brad and Angelina are building a home there, they haven’t bought any property, and it’s just the most exclusive part of Berlin, which is why Gala says they’re likely to live there. Here’s a link to the Google Map of the Schwanenwerder penninsula.

Brad and Angelina already have that nice apartment in the city, and that could be the “house” Brad supposedly referred to. Other reports have them giving up their careers and Brad becoming an architect based on these suspicious scant details. Whatever the case, I don’t know if The Mirror has any insider information and we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

My husband is up for a job in Berlin and we might move there soon too.
.
Header image is from of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt helping Shiloh into a private jet at Champniers Airport in Charente, France on July 24. Thanks to Splash News.

The latest issue of the Enquirer claims that Brad and Angelina are getting ready to get married next Spring despite their declarations that they aren’t going to tie the knot and don’t see the necessity of doing so.

They’re said to be planning a $220 million prenup to protect their immense assets in the case of divorce and to ensure that their children are taken care of. Brad and Angelina are also said to want another biological child and one more adopted one to bring the number of children in their family at least six.

I’m kind of gullible and believed this at first, but then the Enquirer had to go and drag George Clooney’s Italian villa into it, and that’s a sure sign it’s bullshit - or maybe part of it is true and they got overeager for details.

“They don’t want anything left to chance,” an insider told The ENQUIRER. “They are straightening out all their financial arrangements before the big day so they can kiss at the altar knowing they have taken care of every eventuality…”

For now the couple want to keep the precise location of the wedding a secret, even from close family and friends, but The ENQUIRER has learned they favor an April ceremony in Italy.

“They’ve loved Italy ever since they spent time there while on a break from filing, and they’ve talked about a small wedding in Tuscany of near George Clooney’s mansion in the Lake Como region,” divulged the insider.

Angelina has also told friends she might like a simple ceremony in Vietnam, close to the orphanage where they adopted their latest adoption to the family, 3-year-old Pax.

The prenup hasn’t been finalized, but the two superstars have been ironing out their financial positions on paper. Brad’s fortune has been estimated at $150 million and Angelina’s at about $70 million…

“When they get married, they will have every last penny accounted for,” said the insider. “They are responsible parents and don’t want any confusion about what will happen should the marriage fall apart. They will ensure that Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh and Pax won’t want for a single thing for the rest of their lives. On top of that list, hopefully, will be a happily married mom and dad…

“They are planning a quiet celebration just for family and close friends,” revealed the insider. “Neither wants the kind of big fanfare that accompanied Tom Cruise’s wedding to Katie Holmes.”

[From The National Enquirer, thanks to The Bosh]

Maybe if the Enquirer had some details in there about how they figured out that there was a prenup in the works, like there was a lawyer somewhere working on it, I would believe it. Insider quotes don’t really cut it.

Meanwhile Life and Style says that Angelina is wasting away and that’s she’s dizzy and has headaches stuff. They say she is eating only watermelon and grapes.

They also include the fake quotes from Brad about how great Angelina’s body is, “Angelina is a sublime and unique work of body art. If the procurer for the Louvre saw her, he’d want to exhibit her.” [Details from Life and Style via Gossip Rocks]

That quote was reprinted in The Mirror today, and I’m pretty sure it came from a supposed interview with Brad Pitt and a journalist in a bar that never happened. It’s hard to Google for the exact facts, but from what I remember that’s a fake quote from a few months ago.

Regardless Angelina is really thin, but whether Brad is worried about her or if she only eats watery fruit is up to question.

The story is that Angelina was working on adopting a Vietnamese baby since she paid a surprise visit to the country in November of last year. Everyone was a bit surprised to hear that she’s filed for adoption of a infant boy there using single status, and is not listed Brad as a co-parent. While she lives with Brad they are unmarried. Brad has also gone through the legal steps to adopt Angelina’s two adopted children, Zahara, 2, and Maddox, 5.

The NY Post stirs the pot a little by saying that Angelina is being favored by the Vietnamese government, because surely she wouldn’t be granted an adoption when filing as a single mother but cohabitating with the father of a biological child:

She filed for adoption as a single parent even though she lives with boyfriend Brad Pitt, who is the adoptive father of Jolie’s Cambodian son, Maddox, and Ethiopian daughter, Zahara, as well as the biological father of their daughter, Shiloh. (Shiloh and Brad are pictured above on the New Orleans set of the film “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”) The State Department says it abides by Vietnamese rules when it comes to adoptions there. But, “This is a clear contradiction of Vietnamese law, and such situations would not be allowed for other couples,” said Tatiana Beams, an international adoption advocate. “Most co-habitating couples who try to adopt as a single parent are either turned away from agencies or face difficulties.”

A short while ago Angelina made a little sideways dig at Madonna in a statement about her controversial adoption from Malawai. She told a French magazine that she “would never take a child away from a place where adoption is illegal,” but tried to make nice by saying she has “been horrified by the attacks [Madonna’s] been subjected to [for adopting Davie].”

Page Six pointed out at the time that the agency Angelina used to adopt Maddox from Cambodia was convicted of fraud with the result that adoptions from Cambodia became much more difficult. They said she shouldn’t talk smack since her adoption record is not without its bumps, either.

It seems like she is using her celebrity status to expedite her latest adoption, something that the NY Post is quick to point out. The countries and adoption agencies are all too willing to bend the rules for some cash and publicity, though, and special favors seem inevitable for celebrities.

Here are pictures of Brad and Angelina in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam on 11/23/06. Pictures from SimplyBrad.com.

How cute is this picture of Shiloh and Zahara in a double stroller? The famous family was spotted out for a stroll in New Orleans without big brother Maddox.

BRAD PITT looks every inch the doting dad as he wheels two of his children in a buggy.

Partner ANGELINA JOLIE has her hands full too with two cups of coffee — while adopted daughter ZAHARA munches away on crisps.

Film hunk Brad, 43, pushed Zahara, two, and nine-month-old baby SHILOH during a family stroll near their £2million home in New Orleans.

Dressed all in black, Fight Club star Brad looked typically trim. Angelina, 31, is still coming to terms with the cancer death of her mum three weeks ago, but put on a brave face.

Thanks to JJB for the pictures and the heads up on the article.

The National Enquirer reports that Brad Pitt is feeling confined within his fishbowl life with ever-shrinking starlet Angelina Jolie and their three children. They use his understandable grumpiness at paparazzi in the days following Angelina’s mother’s death as evidence, and drag out the old story that he’s frustrated with Angelina’s jealousy over his ex, with the added detail that he wants out of the relationship.

I don’t really buy that, and think they’re just jumping to conclusions based on public knowledge about the couple.

The one thing they do say that seems like legitimate news to me is the fact that Pitt initially refused to kiss a pretty redhead for a scene in the movie he’s currently filming in New Orleans, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. He eventually gave in, but why would he say no at first? There must have been some reason behind it.

Here’s what The Enquirer says about Brangelina’s relationship and Brad’s refusal to kiss an actress for a scene:

“I just can’t take it anymore. I want out!”

Those are the anguished words of Brad Pitt - who’s in the middle of a meltdown and desperately seeking a way out of his fishbowl life with Angelina Jolie.

Concerned pals say they realized Brad had nearly reached the breaking point when the normally mellow actor exploded at photographers - twice!

And they blame Brad’s emotional crisis on the constant public scrutiny connected to having too many kids too fast, his guilt over dumping ex-wife Jennifer Aniston and Angelina’s raging jealousy…

Some insiders are wondering if the effects of Angelina’s jealousy have now spread to the set of Brad’s latest movie.

According to a source on the set of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” the highly professional actor stunned director David Fincher by refusing to kiss a gorgeous redhead specifically chosen for a scene filmed on Jan. 22.

“Brad looked at her and said, ‘Nah, I don’t think so,’” explained the set source.

“David had actually picked the woman personally and didn’t understand why Brad didn’t like her.

“The feeling among the crew was that Angelina didn’t like the girl because she was a stunning redhead. Obviously, Brad has been known to fall in love with a co-star, so he may havebeen trying to avoid any problems at home.”

In the end, Brad was convinced to do the kissing scene, said the source.

[From The National Enquirer print edition, January 19, 2007]

It could just be that Brad thought his character would never be able to score with a woman like that or that he didn’t like the way the scene was unfolding.

I don’t really believe this story because it’s all publically known details about Brad and Angelina - they mention Angelina pulling Brad away from Courteney Cox at the Golden Globes - with the emotional details filled in.

One cute real story about Brad and Angelina is that they wanted to escape incognito from a New Orleans restaurant near their new home there, and staff gave them Mardi Gras disguises so that they could make it home without being recognized.

Star also reports in this week’s issue that Brad and Angelina are not safe in their new digs in New Orleans because they live in a house that faces the street in a crime-ridden area. One of their neighbors was murdered in a foiled heist on January 4th. Brad and Angelina have gotten rid of most of the strong-armed security that got them into trouble in Namibia and India with abuse toward the paparazzi, but they do seem to have a bodyguard or two on hand.

Here’s Pitt on the set of his new movie in New Orleans. I think the middle picture is a stunt double though, because the face looks different. Thanks to SimplyBrad.com for these pictures.

Angelina and Brad have sparked speculation that they’re planning a move to Europe by purchasing a luxury apartment in the former East Berlin:

The couple has been regular visitors to the German capital and have now taken ownership of a luxury 6,500 square-foot attic flat in what used to be East Berlin, according to the German edition of Vanity Fair.

The star - who already has homes in the U.S. and an apartment in Paris, France, with Pitt - wants her adopted children Maddox and Zahara and her biological daughter Shiloh to grow up outside the Hollywood bubble.

Pitt is good friends with German architects Lars Krueckeberg, Wolfram Putz and Thomas Willemeit, who designed his house in Los Angeles.

When Brad and Angelina were in Berlin last spring the paparazzi got some shots as usual, but there didn’t seem to be as many close photos as when they were in Paris. They just bought a home from the 1830s in the French Quarter in New Orleans. It seems like they’re snatching up decoy homes so they can remain a step or two ahead of the paparazzi. Of course collecting and fixing up homes is one of Pitt’s hobbies, so maybe he just wanted a new place to work on.

I’m not that great with the metric system yet, so my husband put Angelina and Brad’s new place into perspective for me: it’s 6 times the size of our 2.5 bedroom apartment, which I find decently spacious.

We love Berlin and go there about twice a year. It’s a great city and Angelina and Brad are sure to find plenty to do there if they actually decide to live in that huge place they bought.

Star is reporting that Angelina’s mom Marcheline Bertrand’s dying wish was for Angelina to marry Brad. How they would know what went on in the private conversations between Angelina and her mom in the hospital is up to question:

Star can reveal exclusively that before succumbing to her illness, Marcheline, who was 56, shared tender last moments with each of them. “Marcheline was heavily medicated, but she was conscious for a lot of the time,” says the source. “Marcheline asked Brad to take care of Angelina and the kids [their adopted children Maddox, 5, and Zahara, 2, and their biological daughter Shiloh, 8 months],” says the source. And she made a similar, equally impassioned plea to her headstrong daughter.

“She spent the most time with Angelina — she told Angelina that her dying wish was for her to marry Brad,” says the source. “Even during her darkest days over the past months, Marcheline [had urged] Angelina to marry him. Marcheline adored Brad and believed he was an angel sent into their lives to take care of Angie.” So now, adds the source, despite Angelina publicly vowing in the past that she and Brad would not marry, “there is no way Angelina’s going to let her mom down.”

I guess the source could have been a nurse or something, but it sounds more likely that Star made it up. US Weekly ran a quote from Angelina’s mom before Shiloh was born saying , “I love Brad. He is wonderful. I am very, very happy and very excited for them,” so it doesn’t sound like that much of a stretch to say she told them she loved them on her deathbed and asked them to get married.

Brad Pitt was seen pleading with the paparazzi outside his Hollywood mansion to leave his family alone in their time of grief. It predictably was ineffective. He must have tried to switch strategies after being understandably a little grumpy with photographers a couple of days ago.

Paparazzi photo agency flynetonline has a video of Brad Pitt leaving an office late at night and trying to make his way to the car while tons of flashbulbs go off. He holds his own useless camera up as a sort of symbol or shield, and says something like “You guys are pissing me off this time… you’re unbelievable.”

A picture of his partner Angelina Jolie on her way to make arrangements for her mother’s funeral came out today. Jolie’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, just died, but for celebrity watchers like us it’s just another day.

Pictures from Flynet Online.

Jennifer Aniston is going to appear as a guest on the final episode of Courteney Cox’s FX show Dirt. She was said to be encouraged to appear by producers asking her if they should create a cheating Brad Pitt-like character to ridicule on the show. Aniston was said to be all for it, and word is that the plot will include a married celebrity falling for his sexy female co-star, just like Brad and Angelina:

An insider told The Enquirer: “Jen wants to be on ‘Dirt.’ She just hasn’t decided who she wants to play or when she’ll do it.

“But insiders say she [Jen] will definitely want her [Courteney] to include a Brad-like character, as well as an Angelina character.

“I think Jen would like to have her ex-hubby squirming in his seat seeing some guy dump his adorable - and adoring - TV star wife for a sexy co-star!”

The idea of Jen appearing on “Dirt” was a joke at first, said the source.

But after Courteney asked Jen if she wanted to play herself, someone suggested getting an actor to play Brad - and the idea took off.

“A thinly veiled character based on Brad would be a natural for ‘Dirt,’” said the source.

[From The National Enquirer print edition, January 29, 2007]

The article is worded kind of tentatively, like someone thinks it would be a good idea rather than it being a done deal, so we’ll have to see. They’re right though, it sure would boost ratings.

Our posts about the Aniston/Pitt/Jolie triangle are always heated. I’ll add to the controversy by mentioning that while googling something else I ran across a website that discussed the different ways that people cheat by examining high-profile celebrity infidelity. They claimed that the way Pitt left Aniston was “emotional cheating” and that it is often the most dangerous. A relationship expert said if you suspect your spouse of having an emotional affair with a friend or coworker you should not wait for it to progress and should confront it right away.

Another site I found detailed the many ways Pitt’s “friendship” with Jolie undermined his marriage, and how it’s a lesson to jilted wives everywhere. Note that I am just reporting this in response to a lot of heated comments on it and am not saying I agree. Personally I think that relationships end for a lot of reasons, and I have the kind of hoaky notion that things happen for a reason and that no one party is to blame. A lot of people are firmly in one camp though, and that article lays out the arguments for team Aniston.

Brad and Angelina are shown at the Bridge of Life Museum of Bio Diversity in Panama City on 12/28. Pictures from SimplyBrad.

Update: Sorry for beating a dead horse you guys, but it’s still fun. Now there’s news that Aniston and Cox are going to play lovers in Aniston’s guest episode. Given their friendship with Sheryl Crow, it doesn’t seem so far-fetched to me.

It Ain’t the Algonquin … but it’s worth pulling up a chair

Security was tight. For the first time, NEWSWEEK’S annual OSCAR roundtable was held in public, at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. We made sure to keep a few of the celebrities’ names secret, and arranged for all of them to arrive via an inconspicuous side entrance to the theater.

I’m actually a little hard pressed to get my celebitchy all the way on for this really rather charming Oscar roundtable with Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Helen Mirren, Forest Whitaker, Penelope Cruz and of course — Leonardo DiPorkChop. All possibly up for nominations tomorrow at 5:30 AM EST.

Everyone really plays to type –but they are excellent performers:
Mirren is earthy and witty; Brad is wickedly self-deprecating (with a little chummy Clooney deprecating thrown in for kicks); Penelope is charmingly honest and has good stories with great punchlines; Cate Blanchett is a touch too ethereal and hair twirly (from some angles gorgeous from some others … very like a haddock); Forest Whitaker is the leaven in the lump (and clearly Paris Hilton’s role model for success as a wonky eyed wonder) … and Leo DeCaps once again takes himself far too seriously – Brad takes him down a couple of pegs more than once – but his need for peggage far outstrips any one man’s efforts. Listen I liked him in Gilbert Grape … but its been rapidly downhill since.

I’m not a huge Pitt fan, but his off screen demeanor is starting to win me over.

On the minus side - I don’t know who the interviewers are … but they are pretty low brow and both have a terrible nasal intonation and that same oddly ingratiating manner that the bearded creep on “The Actors Studio” has … really makes your skin crawl … but it does also highlight what attractive speaking voices (except for the Porkchop) these actors have – I kind of started to get the grouping .. I guess we will see tomorrow morning who powers through to the Finals.

Highlight:
Mirren and Cruz sharing padded butt stories — I did not see that one coming.

It’s most definitely worth a listen, watch, and read (ain’t the multi-media web grand — just coming at you in all directions).