The photos we’re referring to a href=”http://www.radaronline.com/photos/image/28030/2009/11/angelina-jolie-and-brad-pitt-take-kids-trick-or-treating”>are on Radar Online

Radar Online has exclusive pictures of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and three of the Jolie-Pitt children out trick-or-treating on Halloween night in Los Angeles – go to Radar to see the amazing pictures! All of them are dressed up, and these photos are making me laugh so hard. First up, fan favorite (and future Empress of Everything) Zahara is dressed up as Bat Girl. I think her weapon of choice is her hardcore “Eat it, bitches” face.

Just Jared claims that Angelina is supposed to be dressed as “the walking dead”, but to me, she just looks like a younger version of herself. Her hair is … powdered, maybe? And I think her outfit might be from her wedding to Jonny Lee Miller. Maddox was in camouflage, naturally, but he was allegedly a “dead army soldier”. Kind of gothic for an 8-year-old, but he is Angelina Jolie’s son, after all. Shiloh got to trick-or-treat too – she was apparently dressed as a “jet fighter”. She looks like a mechanic to me.

The absolute best, most amazing costumed Jolie-Pitt was none other than Brad, though. Between the hazard-orange jumpsuit, the turban, and what looks like a vodka cocktail, Brad seems to be aiming for “Most Outrageous Gloria Swanson drag ever”. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get the real reference. Apparently, Brad dressed as DJ Lance Rock from the show Yo Gabba Gabba on Nickelodeon Jr.

How would you like to answer the knock on your door Halloween night to find Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and the kids standing outside in full costume trick or treating?!

That’s exactly what some families in the Los Angeles-area experienced Saturday night as Brangelina and their brood got into the spirit of the holiday and dressed in colorful costumes as these photos – exclusive to RadarOnline.com – show.

Brad’s hilarious costume includes beads in his beard and his bright orange outfit made him stand out during the dark night.

In our exclusive photos Angelina sports grey hair with blood on the site of her face – sorry, nice try to scare us, but you still look gorgeous!

Zahara is dressed in a Batman costume and carrying her candy in a plastic pumpkin.
Maddox, who loves toy guns, is dressed in camouflage and Shiloh also appears to be sporting the military theme.

Brad drove the family into a neighborhood near the Hollywood Hills where they trick or treated. They did not have security with them.

Some people on the street recognized the Brangelina crew and stared but all was well as the Pitt-Jolie clan had a blast.

[From Radar]

Where was Pax? Where were the babies? Well, I can understand leaving the babies at home. They aren’t old enough to go trick-or-treating, although it would have been hilarious if Angelina had dressed up like Britney Spears, and dress Knox up like Sean Preston, because those babies look alike. But Pax is old enough to go trick or treating! Maybe he stayed home to pass out candy? Maybe he just doesn’t like Halloween? Maybe he knew that his dad would steal everybody’s thunder? Who knows.

In Touch’s uncool Bermuda Triangle is much of the same crap they’re been shoveling for the past … what is now?… four years and ten months or so. I suppose the twist is that they’ve joined their normal “last straw” story of “Brad is sick of Angelina, must run back to Jennifer Aniston as fast as his little legs can carry him” with a more current story. This version is about Brad’s motorcycle accident over the weekend – according to IT, he got in the accident because he was in such a rush to meet Aniston. Oh, yes. The gerbils are leaking stories all over the place! Allegedly, Brad texted Jennifer to set up a meeting to talk about her rumored reunion with John Mayer. IT’s source claims Brad thinks Mayer is “nothing but trouble” but Jennifer is “rubbing the relationship in his face”. Ugh. So he asked for a meeting, and then got into an accident, and they didn’t meet, I guess. Whatever.

In Touch also say Angelina’s “retaliation” against “Brad’s independent streak” is to reconnect with her two ex-husbands, Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton. Some source overheard Billy Bob telling friends that he and Angelina speak all the time, and apparently, Angelina may still talk to Jonny. Which doesn’t sound that weird, because she and Jonny seemed to have maintained a genuine friendship for many years after their divorce. IT claims that “Angelina knows Brad gets jealous” of her relationships/friendships with men, and she speaks to men on purpose, knowing it will get him riled up. Whatver.

The National Enquirer also had a story revolving around the Triangle and the motorcycle crash, but it was kind of boring. The gist was that Jennifer Aniston was really scared that Brad could have hurt himself, while Angelina was all “meh”. Meanwhile, Life & Style‘s take on the accident was courtesy of a named eyewitness/resident of the building that Brad went to wait for help. Talia Schwartz claims: “He told the building manager that Angie was going to kill him because she thinks motorcycles are too dangerous.” Uh… but Angelina rides motorcycles too.

My favorite Brangelina tabloid story of the week comes from Star Magazine. It’s just as credible as all the other ones (re: not so much), but it made me laugh, and my mood definitely needs improvement. Star reports that while Brad and Angelina were staying in France, they got “married”. But not really… they just had a fake ceremony with Maddox acting as the justice of the peace. Seriously!

Brad and Angelina held an intimate, romantic marriage ceremony at their French chateau, with all six of their kids by their side.

“They threw themselves a wedding for the sake of the kids,” an insider tells Star. “Maddox has been pressing his parents to get married for a long time. It wasn’t legally binding, but it was important for them to have a special ceremony to let the kids know they’re just like married people.”

The ceremony was conducted by 8-year-old Maddox, who put Shiloh, 3, in charge of the rings. “He was adorable when he mispronounced the word ‘bearer’ and told Shiloh, ‘You’re the ring bear.’ She was thrilled,” the insider says.

Zahara was the flower girl, Pax got to be best man and 15-month-old twins Knox and Vivienne giggled as they watch the ritual unfold in the Grand Hall of the magnificent Chateau Miraval.

“Mad was so honored to marry Mommy and Daddy… He learned all about traditional wedding vows and memorized a lot of it. But he ended up reading off a piece of paper.” Brad and Angie also read their favorite poems and stories aloud.

The bride wore a simple, flowing white dress while the groom was dashing in a suit. “All the kids wore costumes… Shiloh had her sword, Maddox was in a camouflage army top while Pax dressed in an Adidas outfit. Zahara wore a dress and a plastic Disney tiara.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, November 9 2009]

The wedding meal provided to the wedding party was home-baked bread, salad and cheeseburgers. And one cake, which led to a food fight – “Angie couldn’t stop laughing… Shi had cake in her hair!” Star also claims that Brad got emotional, like a little girl. He apparently called his family and told them about the “wedding” and now he and Angelina are thinking about doing it for real. Yeah… I don’t think that it will happen, but the image of Shiloh as “ring bear” and Zahara in her tiara is a good one, isn’t it?

The Enquirer has a really funny story this week called “Guys Crave Man Caves”. It’s all about how some big male celebrities are getting in touch with their inner dude and installing special “man cave” areas in their homes. The celebrities listed as “fans of the man cave” are Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Nicolas Cage. A man cave is described as “a private area in the home, where a guy and his buddies can gather”. Growing up, some of you might have referred to this as “dad’s den” or “the garage” or “the bar”. Tsk, tsk. Now you know the proper name!

Nick Beste, a 22-year-old Minneapolis entrepreneur, is promoting the man cave movement, and selling everything from “barbecue stuff, we got meats, we got poker stuff, home bar stuff – anything a man would want.” I love that “meat” is considered a necessity for the man cave. Judging from the multiple “man cave” sites (this one is sad, but this one is pretty cool), I think American men consider a “man cave” to simply be a small, fully-stocked bar and a few stools. And meat, of course. Maybe a radio. Whatever works, I guess. Here’s more about the “movement”:

Brad Pitt reportedly spent $200,000 on his Man Cave. The father of six likes to get a little rest and relaxation now and then by inviting other young dads, including Matt Damon, to play in his Malibu Man Cave.

Vistors say Brad’s “cave” features a vintage Wurlitzer jukebox, and an array of flat screen TVs and motorcycles. He also has another essential – a “kegerator” designed to keep beer kegs chilled.

Nicolas Cage enjoys a Man Cave filled with rare Superman comics. And Johnny Depp keeps guitars in his Parisian cave – alongside cases of wine from his vineyard near St. Tropez.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, November 9 2009]

Johnny Depp’s man cave sounds like the coolest, right? I’d also consider Johnny’s spectular yacht and private island to be some kind of Man-Cave-related accessories. I mean, Johnny is so f-cking cool, he doesn’t just have a man cave, he has a man-island! As far as Nicolas Cage’s man cave, did anyone feel a little twinge of sadness? The idea that Nick has a man cave where he stores all of his comic books is just so… dorky. Good investments, sure. But it’s still a little nerdy, rather than “man-cave-esque”. And Brad? Well, of course his man cave involves kegs. A while back, I remember reading something in one of the tabloids that basically claimed Brad had built himself a man cave in the French chateau too – and that one involved video games and wine. And reefer, probably.

Thanks to Man Cave World for these excellent cave photos. Note that’s it’s not really a man cave unless you’ve got a 4 foot tile parrot on the floor.

Brad and Angelina are shown on 5/20/09 in Cannes. Credit: WENN.com

Tuesday night, Brangelina left the kids at home and went out for an adults-only evening. First, they went for a “romantic dinner date” at Cecconi’s, an Italian restaurant in Hollywood. Eyewitness accounts have them holding hands and looking “as if they were having plenty of fun throughout their romantic date.” X17 seems to be the only agency with photos of the date night. They both look nice. And both are in shades of black and maybe navy (hey, it‘s a start). And Brad left his fedoras and newsboy caps at home! Hurray!

After dinner, it seems Brad and Angelina stopped by a book party for Nicholas Kristof’s (and his co-author Sheryl WuDunn’s) Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Women Worldwide. Kristof is more Angelina’s friend than Brad‘s. Kristof is a columnist for the New York Times, and he spends a lot of his time working on and writing about many of the subjects Angelina is involved with – refugees, poverty, education, women’s rights internationally, human rights, et cetera. Jolie and Kristof have done appearances together on behalf of the Council on Foreign Relations (of which they are both members), and it was after a CFR panel discussion that Kristof took to his NYT blog to defend Angelina against what he saw as an unfairly snarky Daily Beast column. Here’s more about the book:

From two of our most fiercely moral voices, a passionate call to arms against our era’s most pervasive human rights violation: the oppression of women and girls in the developing world.

With Pulitzer Prize winners Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn as our guides, we undertake an odyssey through Africa and Asia to meet the extraordinary women struggling there, among them a Cambodian teenager sold into sex slavery and an Ethiopian woman who suffered devastating injuries in childbirth. Drawing on the breadth of their combined reporting experience, Kristof and WuDunn depict our world with anger, sadness, clarity, and, ultimately, hope.

They show how a little help can transform the lives of women and girls abroad. That Cambodian girl eventually escaped from her brothel and, with assistance from an aid group, built a thriving retail business that supports her family. The Ethiopian woman had her injuries repaired and in time became a surgeon. A Zimbabwean mother of five, counseled to return to school, earned her doctorate and became an expert on AIDS.

Through these stories, Kristof and WuDunn help us see that the key to economic progress lies in unleashing women’s potential. They make clear how so many people have helped to do just that, and how we can each do our part. Throughout much of the world, the greatest unexploited economic resource is the female half of the population. Countries such as China have prospered precisely because they emancipated women and brought them into the formal economy. Unleashing that process globally is not only the right thing to do; it’s also the best strategy for fighting poverty.

Deeply felt, pragmatic, and inspirational, Half the Sky is essential reading for every global citizen.

[From Random House]

So, anyway, Angelina and Brad stopped by the book party and once again it seems like X17 was the only agency to get pics. The party was at the Pacific Design Center, which I can only suspect is how Angelina got Brad to come. “Hey, baby, you can look at pretty architecture pictures while I pose for pictures with important people.” And pose she did – she held the book with its cover out (as she’s done before) like a game show hostess (seriously). Then she gave a good quote to help Kristof move some copies: “For female readers it gives a new sense of what it is to be a woman. For husbands sons and fathers, it will infuriate and astound you. You will not want to put it down.” Thank you, Angelina Epic-Soundbyte. Kristof seemed pleased with the added coverage his book got. He tweeted this morning “Drinks with Angelina Jolie last night, and I’m stunned by the celebrity websites today.”

As for all of the other stuff about Angelina Jolie and the books coming out about her, Lainey at LaineyGossip summed it up better than I could.

UPDATE: Life & Style has an exclusive statement from Andrew Morton about the book he’s writing on Angelina. He denies the tabloid claims that he will report that a 16-year-old (or younger) Angelina had a sexual relationship with her mother’s adult boyfriend. The story was first reported months ago in Star Magazine, but has gotten some kind of second wind in the tabloid and legitimate press in the past few weeks because both the Morton and the Ian Halperin books allegedly deal with this statutory rape/“seduction” issue. Morton says the story is “about as true as I’m sitting on this horse.” Which, I suppose, we’re supposed to know that he’s not sitting on a horse? I guess. My other guess is that this story was started, promoted and distributed by Ian Halperin, who is an established hack and fraud.

Brad and Angelina are shown on 5/20/09 in Cannes. Credit: WENN.com

Because it’s a slow gossip day, let’s enjoy looking at some new Brad Pitt pictures. Brad was hanging out in Studio City, California yesterday, fresh off of his weekend motorcycle accident. Brad’s so monochromatic. I told you guys! After I saw pictures of Suri Cruise all in red, I knew monochromatic would be making a comeback, and here we are. Brad in shades of gray. I think he looks pretty hot, but I want to note two things. First, I think Brad carries his wallet in his front pocket (note the square bulge in his front pocket)… probably so we can see his cute ass. Secondly, he’s not wearing a newsboy cap! Instead, he’s wearing some kind of … fedora? Is he Dick Tracy? Is he investigating The Case of the Missing Newsboy Cap?

As for his scruff, I actually think he trimmed it. It was looking totally wild a few weeks ago, and it looks more controlled now. I find that for most women, it doesn’t even matter about the guy, they already know if they like scruff or beards or goatees or whatever. I know that I’m completely open to it. The first guy I ever loved had a very fussy little goatee, and since then, I’ve always loved facial hair. While I wish Brad would really trim the front part of his beard, I like the scruff generally.

Back to Brad’s weekend accident. While the initial reports had a paparazzo maybe causing the accident, Radar put up a compelling video of the incident, and I can say in good faith that the accident was entirely Brad’s own fault. He was trying to ride between a row of parked cars and a row of cars waiting at a stop light. He clips one of the parked cars, and he goes down. He looks pretty dumb doing it too. So what was with all of the reporting that a paparazzo cut him off or whatever? Weird. It seems after that little incident, Brad has upgraded to a Camaro SS (photos of the car here and here). The Camaro looks pretty bitchin’. If we were living in 1976. Or whenever Dick Tracy lived!

Here’s Brad in Studio City yesterday afternoon. Images thanks to Fame Pictures .

On Saturday, Brad Pitt got into some kind of accident while riding his new motorcycle around Los Angeles. There are a few different versions of what happened, and I really don’t know which one to believe. Radar claims that Brad was rear-ended by a photographer following him, while Us Weekly and X17 (who apparently had photographers on the scene) claim that Brad was cut off by a photographer in a Toyota Camry, who was apparently driving in a very uncool way. Meanwhile, TMZ claims that no other paparazzo or anyone else was involved in the crash.

In any case, the result seemed to be pretty much the same. Brad lost his balance and ended up hitting either a parked car or the car in front of him in traffic. The damage to both his bike and the other car is likely minimal to none, and Brad was wearing his helmet. Brad pulled his bike over to the side of the road, and went into a nearby apartment building where he called his assistant, who later picked him up. Brad temporarily left his bike at the scene of the accident, but X17 also reported that Brad was “shaken” by being cut off, and may have had some words with the paparazzo in the Camry. Radar also reported that Brad exchanged insurance information with the owner of the other car:

Following the frightening but fortunately minor motorcyle spill that Brad Pitt took Saturday morning in Los Angeles, the actor was as cool as one of his movie characters as he dealt with the aftermath.

Brad carefully checked out the damage to his brand new chopper, politely chatted with some fans who offered assistance and made arrangements to get his chopper trucked home.

Brad was reportedly accidentally clipped by a photographer’s car. In his maneuver to get away from it, he rear-ended a car in front of him. That sent Brad and his bike to the asphalt.

Even though the incident wasn’t Pitt’s fault, he naturally did the right thing and exchanged insurance info with the driver he collided with.

[From Radar]

Considering this is the first time I’ve ever heard of Brad having any kind of accident on one of his motorcycles, I tend to think there probably were some kind of extenuating circumstances involving a paparazzo who likely did something to endanger Brad and/or other drivers. Or, you know, maybe Brad was having problems with a new bike – reportedly, this bike was just delivered to his Los Angeles home just a few days ago. Perhaps he wasn’t comfortable with it yet. That happens to me whenever I get a rental car. I’m too dumb to take a moment when I first get in the car to familiarize myself with where everything is, and I end up almost getting into an accident while I try to find the wipers while I drive. I guess the other possibility is that Brad’s a bad driver, and he couldn’t handle his gear. Whatever… I’m glad he’s okay. And I’m glad he was wearing his helmet too!

Brad Pitt is shown before and after his motorcycle accident on Saturday, October 24, 2009. Credit: FAME.

With Angelina Jolie’s rumored involvement in both The Tourist and Gucci, of course the rumors have come back around to her career somehow equaling problems with Brad. This spring I developed a little working theory about Angelina’s work schedule and the tabloids, and I think I’m right. It seems that whenever Angelina is working and Brad isn’t, the tabloids have a field day with stories about how Angelina’s career is destroying Brad’s soul. Granted, there are still breakup rumors when Brad’s working and Angelina isn’t (or when both aren’t working), but there’s an extreme fervor to it when it’s Angelina on a film set. Part of it could simply be that there are better pictures when Angelina is working – when she filmed Salt in New York and Washington this spring, there were so many photos of her running around on set, while there was only a few of Brad here and there, usually with the kids. With those kinds of pictures, the tabloids can run endless stories about how Brad wants Angelina to spend more time with the kids.

For her part, Angelina has given the tabloids some ammunition about her work schedule. In the past, she’s said that she was taking time off, but then signed on for another role. When she was promoting Changeling, she said that she was aiming for one film a year. For the most part, when she gets asked about her schedule, she adds a “probably” or a “maybe” in there, and she’s just talking about how her schedule looks at the moment. My point? She usually pretty honest, but she has contradicted herself a few times. BURN HER, right? After she filmed Changeling in November-December of 2007, she didn’t walk on to a set again until March of this year, for Salt. And it looks like Salt is the only film she’s going to do this year, and it will be her only film for a two-year period (or longer). However, both The Tourist and Gucci will likely film next year, if Angelina ends up signing on for them.

Anyway, on to In Touch’s “Brangelina’s in trouble because Angelina won‘t just stay barefoot and pregnant and never work” story.

For Brad Pitt, this could very well be the final straw. After promising Brad she would take a break from movie work and be a full-time mom to their six kids, Angelina has gone back on her word yet again. Friends say Brad’s so furious over this betrayal that he’s considering ending their troubled relationship once and for all.

“She says she wants to put her family first – but when a good role comes along, she forgets all that. Brad thinks she’s being selfish,” says a pal.

Another friend says Angelina is throwing herself into work “as a way not to dwell” on her crumbling relationship with Brad. She has struggled with low points in the past, and her pattern has always been to immediately find a movie to throw herself into, even once admitting that her chosen roles are her form of therapy. “Pretending to be someone else for 14 hours a day makes her problems feel less real,” says the friend.

Instead of putting in [the effort to make their relationship work], Angelina has chosen to escape – and Brad’s now teetering even closer to splitting up with Angelina for good.

[From In Touch Weekly, print edition, November 2 2009]

I should also mention that Brad has filmed three movies to Angelina’s one movie in the past two years. But Brad’s the one whose “angry” and “betrayed” because of her work schedule, right? I have a more interesting story – Brad actually seems like some kind of quiet, respectful feminist who is totally cool with and supportive of his partner’s career. Why is that angle never represented? Probably because that’s not the kind of story that will appeal to In Touch’s readership who are, I can only assume, suffering from some kind of brain damage and are unable to remember that every single IT Brangelina story involves some kind of epic “last straw”.

Brad and Angelina are shown at the BAFTA Awards on 2/8/09. Credit: WENN.com

A few weeks ago, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie traveled to Syria to visit Iraqi refugees living in makeshift homes on the border. Angelina was traveling in her role as goodwill ambassador to the UNHCR, while Brad seemed to be simply supporting her. Not only did they make the stop for the UNHCR, they did some sight-seeing while in Syria, visiting a famed Damascus site, the Khan As’ad Pasha. After the Syria visit, they stopped in Jordan and caused quite a bit of commotion by taking the twins out for an ice cream run. Fan photos of Knox and Vivienne spread throughout the world, and it looked like they had just stopped in Jordan for fun.

But ice cream wasn’t the only thing on the agenda. It seems that while in country, Brad and Angelina were also invited to visit something called an “SOS Children’s Village”. From what I can tell, the SOS Children’s Village is for orphaned, refugee or otherwise unwanted children living in a family-style arrangement amongst other kids. The SOS Children’s Village site is here, and here’s the press release about Brangelina’s visit:

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were invited to make a special visit to the SOS Children’s Village in Amman, Jordan, by Her Majesty Queen Noor. While it was Brad Pitt’s first visit to an SOS Children’s Village, Angelina Jolie was glad to return.

Children and mothers of the SOS Children’s Village in Amman were overjoyed to receive the visit of a very special friend on 1 October: UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie had decided to drop by again, this time in the company of her partner, the actor Brad Pitt. While Ms. Jolie had already visited the village in 2003, committing to covering the running costs of one family house, it was the first time Mr. Pitt had ever been to an SOS Children’s Village.

Having been invited by Her Majesty Queen Noor Al Hussein, who is the Honorary Chairman of SOS Children’s Villages Jordan, the couple stated that they were having a wonderful time in Jordan with their children, and Ms. Jolie went on to say “The SOS model of providing care for children without parental care is one of the best, as they are still in a family setting within their own country. We hope more people learn about their programmes and give them support”.

H.M Queen Noor Al Hussein introduced the SOS Children’s Villages model to Jordan in 1983, and has worked tirelessly to help the organization flourish in Jordan ever since.

“We are very grateful to her Majesty Queen Noor for all she has done for displaced Iraqis since 2003 and appreciate the dedication of King Abdullah and Queen Rania to their incredible humanitarian initiatives” added Angelina in recognition to the Royal family’s effort

In 2007, Angelina Jolie visited SOS Children’s Villages’ trauma therapy centre at the Oure Cassoni refugee camp in Chad, one of twelve camps providing shelter, food and treatment for severely traumatised women and children who have escaped the horrors in Darfur. Ms. Jolie wanted to see the situation with her own eyes and make the international community aware of the plight of the people from Darfur. Just a few months later, SOS Children’s Villages was one of three agencies working in Chad who received a one million dollar donation from the Jolie/Pitt Foundation.

Angelina Jolie promised to support the upcoming radio campaign of SOS Children’s Villages “SOS Childhood” by building awareness for the fact that childhood is at risk and that everybody should support this noble cause in every part of the world. The SOS Childhood campaign will start late October 2009 and will last till early 2010, with campaigns to celebrate the 60th birthday of SOS Children’s Villages taking place all over the world and being promoted by scores of radio stations worldwide.

Ms. Jolie, who was named a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in 2001, has visited refugee camps all over the world, raised public awareness for the plight of refugees and displaced persons in regions of conflict and even created the Jolie/Pitt Foundation together with her partner, which donates money to humanitarian organisations seeking to relieve human suffering. SOS Children’s Villages is privileged to count such a dedicated humanitarian among its supporters and hopes to be able to welcome Ms. Jolie and her family again very soon.

[From SOS Children’s Villages Official Site]

It sounds like an interesting concept, these “Children’s Villages”. I wonder how effective they are. Their mission seems to be: “To build families for children in need, to help children shape their own futures, and to share in the development of communitiesy.” These villages are in 124 countries, caring for more than 70,000 kids, with more than 500 villages in total. Their site is very well-run, and they have a donation page.

In one other piece of Angelina news, it looks like the only thing holding up her signing on to The Tourist is the choice of director. Sources say she will officially sign on if director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck agrees to the project, which he probably will. Von Dennersmarck won the Best Foreign Film Oscar for his amazing film The Lives of Others. God, I love that movie. I hope he and Angelina get the chance to work together.

Here are Brad and Angelina with the kids. Thanks to SOS Children’s Village for the pictures.

Earlier today, Angelina Jolie was spotted looking very professional in Los Angeles, heading into Sony Studios (photos here). She totally flew in under the radar, per usual, because pretty much everyone thought she and the whole family were still in France. It’s thought that she was attending a meeting about signing on for the lead role in The Tourist, the gun-toting, ass-kicking suspense/action film she’s been considering for about a week. Looks like Brad’s film Moneyball is probably never going to get made, The Tourist will probably begin filming in a few months, and it will likely be a location shoot in Europe. Perhaps a European Christmas for the Jolie-Pitt clan?

Beyond that, Brangelina’s tabloid drama has taken a backseat to Gosselin, Lohan and TomKat drama this week. There are only a couple of Brangelina stories in this week’s magazine, and both of them feel like stale leftovers. Star’s story is all about how the Jolie-Pitt kids are running amok because Brad and Angelina “don’t feel like spending time yelling at them”. My guess? The Jolie-Pitt kids are little hellions with strong personalities, but I’d bet they’re basically good kids. Empress Zahara runs a tight ship, after all:

The kids do as they please, according to sources. “They have dinner around 11 p.m. And it’s a real smorgasbord of snacks – cheese and crackers, chips, grapes and chocolate.”

Not only is there no set bedtime, but there is no rule on what to wear to sleep – or even where they lay their heads.

“They all sleep in Brad and Angie’s bed. And the kids wear whatever they want. Sometimes Zahara falls asleep in her Sleeping Beauty dress, which has permanent chocolate milk stains on it.”

The wildest of the clan are Maddox and Pax. “The two of them are double trouble. They have every sort of toy known to man, including paint guns, which they splatter all over the walls of the house.”

Maddox tends to get special treatment. In fact, it was his idea to pierce baby sister’s Vivienne’s ears. After he said he wanted to do it himself with a pin, an insider says Angie decided to have it done professionally.

“Brad is starting to get tougher… he does tell them ‘no’ and holds them accountable for their actions. The trouble is they just run to Mom, and she caves.

Growing up, Angie often worked to help support her single mother and, “She doesn’t want her kids to have that kind of life… she gives them their freedom because she wants their ‘souls to evolve.’”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, October 26 2009]

My experience with kids is very limited, granted, but some of this stuff sounds like normal “kids need structure” stuff. Don’t ask me, though. I’m the OCD structure queen, and when I was a babysitter, the kids were always good for me. Because I set the rules, damn it. Although I did used to babysit for a kid with night terrors who used wake up screaming thirty minutes after I put him to bed. I never really considered him a bad kid, just a kid with issues.

In addition to those stories, Star also reports that the kids gang up to terrorize their nanny, using methods that I swear came from The Sound of Music. “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens/Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens/Brown paper packages tied up with strings/ These are a few of my favorite things!” Hmm… I need to see that movie again. Other than that, I only liked the part about Empress Z falling asleep in her Sleeping Beauty dress. How cute is that?

Meanwhile, the other Brangelina story comes from the National Enquirer, and it involves the Bermuda Triangle, white wine and a phone. Only this time, Jennifer Aniston was the one doing the alleged drunk dialing. Their source claims that Jennifer “was hoping for an intimate chat with Brad, and ended up tangling with Hurricane Angelina! When Jen heard Angie’s voice, she freaked out.” Oh, yes. But the source also knows what the two women said to each other: “Jen basically told Angie that she hated her, but Angelina fired back and warned Jen to stop calling Brad and harassing her. Angie screamed, ‘Leave my family alone!’ and ended the call.” After the call, Angelina allegedly read Brad the riot act, and demanded that he cut off contact with Jennifer for good. The Enquirer leaves us with this note: “It remains to be seen if Jen will let go of him or continue to give chase.” Ugh. Seriously? That’s all I’ve got. Just a big, fat “Seriously?!?”

Brad, Angelina, Pax and Maddox are shown on their gerbil shopping expedition on 8/20/09. Credit: Bauergriffinonline

Uh, this is just terrible. Life & Style’s cover story this week is all about how Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have “two more babies on the way”. The cover image is from May of 2008, when Angelina was pregnant with Knox and Vivienne and doing press at the Cannes Film Festival. And the whole “Angelina Confirms” note – apparently, Angelina “confirmed” that she and Brad want more children… when she allegedly spoke to Stylist magazine, an online publication (I think?) that seems, in a word, “sketchy”. All of that being said, I do think Angelina and Brad want more kids, as both of them have said in interviews over the past year. And the actual text of the cover story isn’t really that shocking:

During her recent United Nations trip to Syria to meet with refugee families, Angelina Jolie let a secret slip about how overwhelming her own kids can be. Faced with a mother embarrassed that her five children were out of control, U.N. rep Dalia Al-Achi tells Life & Style, “Angelina told the mom that her children are even naughtier!”

Raising six kids under the age of 9 is a difficult task, and Angie herself admits that life is
“absolute chaos at times.” Which makes her statements in a new interview all the more shocking: For the first time, she’s confirmed that she and Brad Pitt, 45, plan to adopt again — and have another biological child.

“I can see further additions to the family — both adopted and our own,” Angelina, 34, tells the British magazine Stylist in its October issue.

Brad and Angie plan to add two more children, if not more, to their family, confirms an insider close to the couple. “They want one more biological baby and an adopted baby — for now,” the insider says. “But who knows what the future holds. Some people get addicted to drugs and alcohol, but Brad and Angie are addicted to children.”

[From Life & Style]

So even though I think Life & Style’s sourcing and cover editing is total crap, I tend to think the basic gist is right on. I do think Angelina and Brad will end up adopting at least one more kid, and they might even try for another biological kid. Recently, Star Magazine reported that Angelina had her heart set on adopting another African girl because she promised Empress Zahara. I believed the basics of that story, but not the other crap about Angelina and Brad fighting over how many kids to have. I don’t really get that aspect of these stories – Brad’s said in interview after interview that he wants more kids too.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are shown at the German premiere of Benjamin Button on 1/19/09. Credit: WENN.com.