Brad Pitt is foraying into a new eco-friendly enterprise — biodegradable soap.

The actor and father of six is teaming up with Kiehl’s to make Aloe Vera Body Cleanser, according to People magazine. The liquid cleanser will sell for $16.50 for a 6.8-ounce bottle, with 100 percent of the net profits going to JPF Eco Systems, a global environmental charity created by Kiehl’s and Brad to maximize awareness of environmental sustainability.

Brad will not be featured in any ads for the product, but he did write a note that appears on the label.

Brad’s handwritten note reads: Kiehl’s formulated this product to minimize the impact we have on our environment. All proceeds will go to benefit green initiatives around the globe.

People also notes that Brad already uses Kiehl’s Silk Groom and Creme de Corps Body Lotion.

The Aloe Vera Body Cleanser will debut in October. According to Kiehl’s Web site, the product is formulated without parabens, SLS and dyes, and the bottle is 100 percent Post Consumer Recycled.

Brad is one of several stars, like Natalie Portman, who are taking a new direction in celebrity endorsements. Instead of using their famous faces just to sell designer clothing or their own perfume lines, these stars are raising awareness that eco-friendly products can also be stylish. Gwyneth Paltrow, who is featured in a new ad campaign for Tod’s wearing dead foxes, could take a lesson from her ex-fiance.

Of course, Kiehl’s might sell a lot more if there were ads featuring Brad in the shower sudsing up with the cleanser.

Not that Brad isn’t above paid celebrity endorsements. His American commercial for Heineken aired one time, during the 2005 Super Bowl. He’s also been featured in ads for products like Edwin Jeans and Sanyo in Japan.

But since hooking up with Angelina Jolie, Brad seems to be pursuing his more socially conscious side. He is active in restoring New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and works with Global
Green and Habitat for Humanity.

Header is a still from Snatch with a photo of the product from Keihls.com.

Jessica Simpson has been sued twice for failing to represent brands she was contractually obligated to. In April, 2006, a clothing company filed suit against her for $100 million for not wearing the JS by Jessica Simpson jeans they paid her millions to endorse and for naming another brand when asked what her favorite denim brands were. In February of this year, a fitness DVD company sued for father for breach of contract for blocking the release of an exercise video they paid Jessica to star in.

Jessica’s latest endorsement deal is with a Dallas beer company called Stampede. She’ll be promoting their light beer. Maybe she’ll remember to not drink other beers in public since she’s has a 15% share of the company:

Ms. Simpson will serve as a spokeswoman and appear in ads in stores for Stampede Light Plus, which is made by Dallas’ Stampede Brewing Co.

But she won’t be just another pretty face: Ms. Simpson is taking a 15 percent stake in the brewer. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“She’s the face of the brand now,” said Lawrence Schwartz, Stampede’s president and chief executive, who says sales have more than doubled in the past year.

Stampede’s marketing is focused on its vitamin content, which it describes as “functional additives.”

“As an entrepreneur, I am always looking for ways to diversify my portfolio with good ideas and good people,” Ms. Simpson said in a statement. “Yes, I work out and take care of myself, but I also like a cold beer once in a while.”

[From Dallas Morning News via Us Weekly]

Jessica Simpson is now a country singer and a beer spokeswoman and she’s dating a quarterback who plays for the Dallas Cowboys. It seems like she’s going back to her roots - or maybe she’s digging to find something she can really succeed at. Her clothing and shoe lines are doing pretty well, though.

Jessica Simpson is shown out at Mr. Chow on 8/11/08 with her friend and hairdresser, Ken Paves. Credit: PRJ/Fame Pictures

The fabulously sexy burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese is set to launch a new line of lingerie through Wonderbra that captures her 1940s-era style. Dita will be featured modeling the sexy panties and bras on the ad campaign and has issued a statement on her philosophy on why women wear lingerie.

Available to buy from mid September, the collection was created by Dita herself and includes three different ranges - Multi-Teese, Spot-Teese and Satin-Teese - all inspired by lingerie from the ’40s and ’50s.

‘I am very proud of the lingerie that I’ve created for Wonderbra, because it has all the beautiful detail of sexy, sensual and glamorous lingerie, but the fit is perfect to wear under your everyday clothes,’ says Dita.

‘I love it when you can go about your daily business with the knowledge that you have a little secret of your own on underneath. Lingerie shouldn’t be something you just put on for your lover; you should do it for you. It’s not about seducing men, it’s about embracing womanhood.’

[From Marie Claire]

It’s official: I have a huge crush on this woman! Heck yeah, I could get more than a little gay for Dita. Not only does she have great fashion sense and impeccable taste, but she’s got a great attitude about sex appeal. I’m even willing to overlook the fact that she was married to king freakazoid Marilyn Manson- call it a temporary lapse in judgment. I am definitely going to check out her lingerie when it’s available. By then, I’ll be 5 months pregnant and won’t be able to fit into anything- but maybe I’ll buy some pieces as motivation to lose the baby weight.

Note by Celebitchy: How Photoshopped does Dita’s waist look? I know that kind of figure can be sort-of achieved through extreme corsets, but I’ve seen her performance photos and her waist is not that out of proportion to the rest of her body.

Paula Wagner and Tom Cruise at the premiere of “I Am Legend” on 12/11/07. Credit: WENN
Tom Cruise’s partner, Paula Wagner, has stepped down from her role as CEO of United Artists. Wagner has known Cruise for decades. She was his agent at CAA and helped him pair with Oliver Stone for 1993’s Born on The Fourth of July. The two formed their first production company, Wagner/Cruise Productions, in 1989, through which they put out the Mission Impossible movies, Vanilla Sky, and War of The Worlds. She’s been a staunch Cruise defender and friend for nearly 20 years.

Cruise and Wagner were only part owners of United Artists, along with the studio MGM. There must be all kinds of bureaucratic issues with sharing the helm with another movie studio, and we shouldn’t read into this to assume Cruise and Wagner were vying for control.

It’s believed that Cruise will now take control of United Artists. UA has $500 million in financing through Merril Lynch that is only available to them specifically, so it’s not likely that MGM will try to get rid of the division. Merril Lynch is also funding UA due to Cruise, and MGM wouldn’t replace him and risk losing all that money.

Paula Wagner on Wednesday announced that she will be exiting as chief executive officer of United Artists.

She will retain an ownership interest in UA.

Wagner’s departure raises questions about the future of United Artists — and what will happen to the $500 million Merrill Lynch revolving fund that was allotted for UA films but that has barely been tapped.

Since Wagner and Tom Cruise became co-owners of the company with MGM, Wagner tried to greenlight movies but frequently butted heads with MGM. Harry Sloan was concentrating on his own slate, which he was developing with head of production Mary Parent, and trying to raise financing for MGM pics.

MGM execs insist that Wagner could have greenlit anything she wanted but wasn’t developing aggressively enough.

It’s possible the studio will once again go into hibernation and that the UA coin will go to MGM. However, one studio source insisted UA isn’t going to fold, adding that MGM couldn’t disband the division and tap its Merrill Lynch financing even if wanted to because the funds were raised specifically for UA-generated projects.

MGM execs insist that Cruise will now take a stronger day-to-day role at United Artists, though he seems to be focusing on his acting. (Given Wednesday’s developments, Cruise’s satiric portrayal of a venal movie mogul in Paramount’s “Tropic Thunder” could be interpreted as a personal exorcism of those duties.)

One MGM exec insisted that UA will continue to run with Cruise at the helm, partly because his presence is crucial to Merrill Lynch’s backing of the company. The star even made a presentation to the investment bankers.

For the moment chief operating officer Elliott Kleinberg, production prexy Don Granger and recently appointed MGM/UA marketing chief Michael Vollman will continue to run their departments. But in order to meet certain Merrill Lynch milestones, UA development and production needs to speed up rapidly. That suggests that an aggressive production exec will be brought in to jump-start production.

Since Cruise and Wagner’s arrival at UA, the relationship between United Artists and MGM has always been wary, if not tense. And Wagner’s exit wasn’t a total surprise in the community: Rumors of a Wagner-Cruise-UA shakeup or split have been in the air for weeks, though they were flatly denied at the time by the Cruise camp and CAA.

[From Variety via WeSmirch]

Variety notes that Cruise and Wagner are said to be getting along fine. It’s sounds like the main problem they’re having is finding good projects to produce and working with MGM. They’ve only put out Lions for Lambs so far, and that made just $63 million total. They’re also working on that Valkyrie film, which keeps getting pushed back amid rumors that it’s not that good. MGM just announced that Valkyrie will come out at Christmas instead of in February of next year, though. Maybe Wagner negotiated that more favorable release date as part of her departure. I wonder how Valkyrie will fare up against Marley and Me.

Wagner is possible too much of a “yes” person to successfully work with Cruise on bankable movies. Valkyrie is a vanity project with Scientology undertones and a war movie, which are typically hard to sell to the public. If Cruise is paired with more money-minded partners he can probably put out a few more hits. The only problem is that he’s likely to insist on starring in them.

Paula Wagner, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are shown at the Mission Impossible 3 premiere on 5/4/06. (This was right after Katie had Suri.) Credit: Chris Hatcher / PR Photos

I’m not the biggest Oprah fan, but I have to admit that she is a hugely successful woman. While the New York Times recently claimed Oprah was losing ratings and not selling many copies of her O Magazine, I don’t think her empire is close to collapsing yet. Sales might be down, but her show and magazine are syndicated all over the world.

Oprah is giving out some advice in one of her infrequent interviews for people looking at building their own empire - follow your gut, and be polite.

She claims none of her business ventures have come out of forethought: “I haven’t planned one thing — ever. I have just been led by a strong instinct, and I have made choices based on what was right for me at the time.” She also doesn’t judge a business venture by its profitability. “I don’t care about money,” said the woman who’s worth $2.5 billion. “It throws people off all the time in business meetings. They start shuffling papers.”

She also believes in treating her staff well. At Harpo Inc. in Chicago, employees are treated to Google-esque office amenities. “There is a cafe on premises as well as Club Harpo, a workout facility, and the Spa at Harpo.” And according to Winfrey, “I don’t yell at people, I don’t mistreat people. I don’t talk down to people, so no one else in this building, in this vicinity, has the right to do it.”

WWD

Oprah added that she has only ever missed three meetings in her life – she doesn’t like to disappoint.

Oprah isn’t kidding when she says it is good to work for her – last year she took her staff on a trip to Hawaii to thank them for their help. All of them. Of course, she occasionally ropes one of her staff to join her on a diet or exercise regime, which would not be fun, particularly since your failure would be up for scrutiny on international television. At least when I gain 5 pounds I do it in the privacy of my own home.

Oprah adds that at one point she made lunch runs for her staff because they were so busy – which is when she decided to turn the business into a large scale empire rather than keep it a small ‘family’ production.

Black Enterprise named Harpo Inc the 2008 BE100s Company of the Year. In 2009 Oprah will launch her own television network, OWN or Oprah Winfrey Network, in the United States.

The world’s most obnoxious gossip blogger/celeb wannabe, Perez Hilton, doesn’t need anymore encouragement, what with his website, his own VH1 show and numerous red carpet commentaries, but he’s getting it anyway. This time, it’s in the form of his own fashion line at that Emo mall staple, Hot Topic.

Notorious blogger and “Queen of All Media,” Perez Hilton, can now also call himself a “designer.”

On Tuesday, Perez announced plans to introduce a clothing and accessories line, to be sold exclusively at Hottopic.com and in all Hot Topic stores nationwide.

Perez Hilton for Hot Topic will feature women’s t-shirts, hoodies, accessories and footwear. Hilton, who’s real name is Mario Lavandeira, said the decision to put his name behind a line of clothing and accessories seemed like a natural next step.

“2008 is all about expanding the Perez Brand,” the blogger explained. “I talk about clothes all the time on my website. I have a good eye for what’s hot and what’s not.”

Hilton says the success of his website encouraged him to look beyond the boundaries of cyberspace.

“It seems natural to make products that my readers will love and hopefully some guys will rock it too,” he said. “Some people might even call me a perfectionist, well that person would be me! I’m very passionate about my brand. I have extremely high standards and I like to get my hands dirty!”

The line, which debuts on June 6, will range in price from $1.75 to $46, and will include products like Gossip Gangster Flip Flops, Perezcious Pink and Purple Lip Gloss and P-Nasty Shades–just to name a few.

The celebrity blogger also plans to sell tote bags, socks and earrings, and says fans will even be able to buy their own Perez Hilton journal, so they can be as nasty as P-Nasty himself.

“I’m most excited to finally see on the shelves products that are good and affordable for my readers,” Hilton said. “I actively sought out Hot Topic for that reason.”

[From OK! Magazine]

I really don’t understand this. Stop encouraging him, people! And furthermore, who the hell thinks this man knows anything about fashion- he can’t even dress himself! While he has a point about the ghastly clothing lines by B- and C-list celebs that are crawling out of the woodwork, this is a man who dressed like an ice cream man for his big birthday bash, and on his best day is a poster boy for the unwashed hipster slob movement. Well, now that I think about it, I guess that’s why Hot Topic wanted him so bad.

Perez Hilton is shown on 4/25/08 with Jordan and Peter Andre, thanks to Splash.

Star Magazine says that Britney Spears has been talking to a designer at the Ed Hardy company about creating her own clothing line. Designer Christian Audiger confirmed to Star that he is talking to Britney about collaborating on a clothing line. Britney was seen at the Ed Hardy offices and a clothing line seems like a real possibility for her.

Britney Spears may soon be releasing her own clothing line — if she seals a deal with Ed Hardy designer Christian Audigier. “I have known Britney for a long time — she is a good friend of mine,” Audigier tells Star. “We’re talking about working together, designing a line of clothing.”

Britney was at Ed Hardy’s corporate offices in Culver City, California on Thursday to meet with Audigier and while she was there she picked out some Ed Hardy duds she liked. “Britney came in to talk with Christian about working on a line together,” Ed Hardy’s Marissa McMillion tells Star. “She was really nice to everyone in the office. Her mom was with her and Britney asked us to send some clothes to her sister Jamie Lynn for her birthday tomorrow (April 4). Britney’s favorite piece was a leopard hoodie and she loved the sunglasses — she put them on immediately. But most of all she was a fan of Christian Audigier’s own line.”

[From Star.com]

Of course Britney loved the leopard hoodie, in July 2006 she replaced her website briefly with a picture of her face morphed into a tigers, like something a child would find fascinating. She wrote at the time “I’m mesmirized [sic] by tigers. Their eyes, their stripes, their constant quest of [sic] survival. They almost have a sense of mysteriousness about them. They pull you in and make it difficult to look away.”

Now Britney will be able to mesmirize us with her fashion sense, which we find difficult to look away from, like a car wreck. The girl can’t put a decent outfit together, and she’s working with a company known for garish tattoo-like designs, so together they’re bound to create some tasteless fashion for the masses. At least she’ll have some money coming in once she inevitably starts blowing it again when her father is no longer in control.

Jennifer Aniston has founded her own production company with partner Kristin Hahn, who worked with her in Plan B Entertainment, the production company Aniston formed with her ex, Brad Pitt. Aniston’s new production company is called “Echo Films,” and they already have several projects in place with Universal films to adapt books for the big screen. Hahn and Aniston explain:

“We particularly like working from books and real-life stories about distinct characters that embody something relatable and relevant about human nature’s double-sided coin of vulnerability and mettle,” Hahn said.

That theme prompted the company’s name, Aniston said.

“We’re drawn to stories about people finding their voice and finding their way because they help us as listeners and viewers do what we feel we’re all trying to do, which is making sense of our lives through the stories of others,” Aniston said. “That’s why we chose the name Echo, to echo back an idea, a challenge, something that resonates through all of us.”

[From Variety]

The Variety article states that most of the films “will be developed as star vehicles for Aniston,” and isn’t that why actors and actresses start production companies? It’s a smart move for her and one that will keep her employed in the industry for years to come. They have at least six projects currently in the works, only one of which Variety notes isn’t going to include her as an actress.

They’re producing two films about marriage problems: “Getting Rid of Matthew,” based on a British bestselling novel about a publicist who tries to befriend the wife of the man she’s having an affair with in order to get rid of him, and “The Divorce Party,” based on an upcoming book about a husband and wife who hold a party on their 35th wedding anniversary to announce their divorce.

Other films in the works from Echo include “Counter-Clockwise,” based on an aging study at Harvard, and “Love: Todd,” about a tennis instructor and his precocious student. Aniston will not appear in “Love: Todd.”

There’s also “Chemistry,” a dramedy about the brain chemistry similarities between obsessive compulsive disorder and romantic love, and “The Goree Girls,” about a all-female band formed from Texas inmates. Aniston will star in that one, according to Variety.

Aniston is shown on set on 3/17/08, thanks to Splash News.

The movie industry must be getting desperate. Cinemas are trying to find new ways to get people to see movies in the theater rather than waiting for them to come out on DVD. These methods include selling “upscale food and beverages” including alcohol, and adding plush, comfy seats. All of this comes with a price to viewers, however: some of these luxury theaters are charging upwards of $35 per ticket.

Get ready for the $35 movie ticket.

That’s the estimated admission charge for a new deluxe cinema opening in October in South Barrington, one of 50 Gold Class Cinema multiplexes coming from a joint venture headed by Australian conglomerate Village Roadshow.

The theaters will boast boosted amenities, including plush reserved seating, digital projection and sound, and upscale food and beverage offerings with seat-side waiter service. No auditorium will have more than 40 seats.

”It’s an absolutely different environment than anything else that exists,” Village Roadshow CEO Graham Burke said.

[From The Chicago Sun Times]

I beg to differ. There is a place where I can watch a movie in high definition, with my favorite “upscale” foods and beverages, in an intimate setting. It’s called my living room. And I don’t have to pay 35 stinkin’ bucks to go there! Are you kidding me? Yeah, high-end movie theaters sound like a GREAT business to get into, with the economy in the dumper.

I am not the only one who has problems with this concept. State representatives from several areas where these theaters are taking off are saying that serving alcohol at movie theaters is a bad idea.

Movie theater owners from California to Massachusetts are increasingly giving patrons the option of sipping a beer or a glass of wine with an expanding array of snacks.

About 150 first-run theaters serving alcohol have opened within the past three years, bringing the total of such establishments from 14 in 1997 to more than 400 today, says Patrick Corcoran, director of media and research for the National Association of Theatre Owners.

The growth is happening, Corcoran says, despite concerns that those theaters could draw underage drinkers — concerns that have kept some theaters in Illinois, Idaho and California from selling alcohol.

“The boyfriend’s 21 and the girlfriend’s 19, and next thing you know, she’s already had three drinks underage,” says Alderman John Hanson, who voted against a proposal last year by a theater in Bloomington, Ill., to serve alcohol.

The increase in alcohol at the movies comes amid a decline in ticket sales in the USA and Canada. About 1.40 billion movie tickets were sold last year — up slightly from 1.395 billion in 2006 but lower than the 1.52 billion in 2003, according to the theater owners’ association.

[From USA Today]

These people are clueless! Here are some sure-fire ways to get people to go to the movies:
1) Make good movies. A couple of weekends ago, my daughters were bored and the only family-appropriate movie we had to choose from was that Raven Symone-Martin Lawrence atrocity, “College Road Trip.” It was painful, folks. I don’t know if alcohol and upscale food would have made the suffering less on that one.

2) Get rid of rude patrons who refuse to STFU during the movie! I’ll tell you this: if I paid $35 to see a movie and the people around me were blabbing nonstop- either with the people next to them or on their cell phones- I might choke someone. If the cinema management would kick out these morons, I might actually start going to the movies again.

3) Get rid of all those annoying commercials! I am willing to deal with 20 minutes of coming attractions, but not commercials. We see those at home on TV every night- we don’t want to sit through them at the movies too!

Photos from Cinemablend and USA Today.

A pregnant Jessica Alba appears in a new music video for her boyfriend Cash Warren’s social networking site, IBeatYou.com. The video features different site members and employees lip syncing to the Panic At The Disco song “Back to the Streets,” and it’s both entertaining and clever.

When I saw the video I was pretty skeptical about whether the site would be any good, but it’s like the Facebook applications meets YouTube and it seems to be both a good concept and a fun website. I haven’t seen anything like it yet. Facebook has interactivity, but it’s limited because it’s hard to tell which applications are worthwhile and you have to add them and they send all those spam invites to your friends. With IBeatYou you can compete with other users on contests that you make up, using your own ideas, photos, and videos you upload. It’s mostly flash-based and seems easy to use. It’s hard to run a successful web-based business but I bet this will take off.

Alba posted this message on her myspace telling people to check out the site:

The statement reads, “Hey guys! Hope everyone had a great Easter. It’s hot here in socal (South California). Being preggers in this heat takes everything to another level.

“We shot a quirky group lip dub music video for ibeatyou. Check it out!! We invited a bunch of users from the site and put this together last Saturday. Be well guys and check out our music video…hope you get a good laugh.”

[WENN via Hollywood.tv]

Alba has been looking grumpy when she’s been photographed out lately, but the paparazzi really bug her so you can hardly blame her. She was a good sport to appear in the video and it looks like her boyfriend’s business might be a success. She at least brought a lot of attention to it and helped him out by appearing in their video, which is currently entered in the “Best Group Lip Dub” contest on the site.

Alba is shown with Cash at a surprise birthday party for basketball player Baron Davis on 3/22/08, thanks to WENN. Davis is Cash’s partner in IBeatYou.