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.

The Cannes Film festival officially ends today after two weeks of premieres, parties and glamor on the French Riviera. The top prize at the festival, the Palm D’Or, will be announced at 7:30 pm Central European Time, which is 6 hours ahead of EST. Frontrunners are generally thought to be Steven Soderbergh’s Che and maybe Clint Eastwood’s Changeling, although past winners were often complete surprises and it could go to any of the deserving films in competition.

On Friday night, Michelle Williams made her second red carpet appearance and looked a little more somber than on Thursday, when everyone was heralding her return to the red carpet after the death of her daughter’s father, Heath Ledger, in January.

In an article about the seedy side of Cannes, author Liz Jones mentioned that the photographers at the premiere of Williams’ film were shouting questions at her about Heath. Her description is sad:

I see Michelle Williams braving the red carpet to promote her new film as shouts from the paparazzi, begging her to give just one soundbite about the death of her former fiancee; Heath Ledger, rain down on her narrow shoulders like hail.

[From The Daily Mail]

Williams was at the premiere of Synedoche, New York, with a screenplay written by Charlie Kaufman, who also wrote Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Adaptation. She appears in the film along with Samantha Morton, Catherine Keneer, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. When I saw these photos I got confused, because I thought the photocall pictures we published earlier were from Williams’ film Wendy and Lucy, but it turns out they were for Synedoche, and that Williams is in two movies at Cannes this year. According to IMDB, Synedoche, New York is about “a theater director [played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who] struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.”

Also shown are photos from the premiere of The Palermo Shooting Saturday, where the stars of the film along with plenty of lesser-knowns showed up. Shown are Milla Jovovich, Campino, Dennis Hopper, Kerry Washington (who was also at the Synechdoche premiere), Phoebe Price (who I know primarily from D-Listed), Dennis Hopper’s super skinny wife Victoria, some chick named Jana Pallaske in a ridiculous pink feather dress, Sarah Marshall, and Zhang Zilin.

amfAR’s annual Cinema Against AIDS gala was held last night in Cannes. The celebrities were out in gorgeous gowns to support a good cause. This year’s gala featured a formal dinner and live auction run by Sharon Stone and Harvey Weinstein. Guests were also shown a clip from Madonna’s Malawai documentary about AIDS orphans, I Am Because We Are. Last year’s event raised a whopping $7 million. A table at this year’s benefit ran from $40,000 to $150,000, with all proceeds going to amfAR, which funds AIDS research. [Details from amfar.org]

Pictured at the event are Natalie Portman, Madonna, Sharon Stone, Dita Von Teese, Milla Jovovich, Rose McGowan, Petra Nemcova, Joely Richardson, Diane Kruger and actor Joshua Jackson, Allegra Versace, Donatella Versace, Samantha Morton, Juliette Lewis and Renzo Rosso, Christian Slater and Tamara Mellon, Eva Herzigova, Ziyi Zhang, Dennis Hopper, and Diddy.

Thanks to WENN for these photos.

Michelle Williams, 27, made her first red carpet appearance since her daughter’s father, Heath Ledger, died of a prescription drug interaction on January 22. People Magazine reports that she made a last-minute decision to fly to Cannes to promote her film, Wendy and Lucy. She wore “vintage Chanel Haute Couture” to the premiere of the film last night, and appeared refreshed and happy at a photocall with her co-stars today.

“It was decided on Monday night that she could come to Cannes, and she got on the next plane to arrive just in time to get dressed and come to our premiere,” said a rep for Wendy and Lucy. “She came in and had a long nap and then came to the screening.”

Williams, 27, was radiant in a vintage Chanel Haute Couture dress. She will remain in Cannes at least through Friday night to promote another festival movie in which she appears, Synecdoche, New York, before flying back to the United States to resume filming a Martin Scorsese movie in Boston.

[From People]

Williams is the star of the film Wendy and Lucy, which IMDB describes as “a narrative feature about woman whose life is derailed en route to a potentially lucrative summer job. When her car breaks down, and her dog is taken to the pound, the thin fabric of her financial situation comes apart, and she is lead through a series of increasingly dire economic decisions.” Williams’ performance has been well reviewed. Cinematical notes that she didn’t attend the screening for the film, and that it is thought that she attended the screening for Adoration next door.

I love her hair like that, it’s lovely in soft controlled waves. She looks beautiful and relaxed, and this seems like a good time for her to resume her career and start making public appearances again.

Also shown at the photocall are Samantha Morton, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener. Thanks to WENN.

Benicio del Toro, Franka Potente and Julia Ormond were among the stars representing the film Che at a photocall in Cannes today. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Che is actually two films in one, Argentine and Guerilla and lasts a whopping four hours and 18 minutes. Most critics are raving about the film and Del Toro’s performance, and say it’s a front-runner for the top prize at the festival. Che depicts the overthrow of Cuban dictator dictator Fulgencio Batista, and has plenty of battle scenes and action.

41 year-old Benicio del Toro is Che Guevera. German actress Franka Potente, 33, plays former Stasi operative Tamara “Tania” Bunke Bider, the only woman to fight with the rebels under Che. You may know Potente as Jason Bourne’s love interest, Marie, in the first two Bourne films or as Lola in the 1998 German film Run Lola Run. She’s a great actress and I’d love to see her in more Hollywood movies.

Also shown are Julia Ormond, Rodrigo Santoro, Catalina Sandino Moreno and director Steven Soderbergh. Thanks to WENN for these photos.

Sharon Stone showed up to support Madonna at the premiere of her vanity project charity documentary I am, Because in Cannes. Madonna wore a questionable v-neck striped sequin gown with cut out shoulders and an oversize black vinyl belt. Her dress changed from black to white and the ends of the sleeves and skirt were cut in icicle-like strips. It looked like a figure skating outfit adapted for evening wear.

According to IMDB, I am, Because is “A look into the lives of Malawi’s 1 million plus orphans in the wake of the AIDS pandemic.” Madonna chronicles the start of her “Raising Malawai” organization in the film, which has faced criticism for promoting and possibly being a front for the Kabbalah cult that she supports. She also covers her discovery and adoption of half-orphan, David Banda, in the film.

In an interview with Ann Curry about the film last month, Madonna said “I got to a point where I thought ‘I have so much and it’s a great tragedy if I don’t use what I have to make the world a better place’”

When Curry asked Madonna how she responded to critics who would call her charity work a “fad or trend,” she answered “My reinventions are part of my evolution, and my growth as a person. There are aspects of it that are frivolous and there are aspects of it that are real.”

Interesting that Madonna’s films are getting more attention now than her husband’s, director Guy Ritchie, whose career has floundered since they married in 2000.

Thanks to WENN for these photos.

I always saw Scarlett Johansson as very glamorous – yet very down to earth – sort of starlet. To hear her in interviews, she seems intelligent and appears to have depth rarely seen by celebrities her age. But apparently those qualities don’t preclude her from being a diva. She made such exorbitant demands of her accommodations at Cannes that the studio promoting her film “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” was unable to foot the bill. Scarlett chose to stay home rather than compromise.

Scarlett Johansson was left at home in New York after a film studio refused to pay for the star’s bloated demands to attend the Cannes Film Festival to launch Woody Allen’s latest movie. The French branch of Warner Brothers Films, distributers of Vicky Cristina Barcelona in France, had spent weeks negotiating with Johansson’s representatives about flying her to Cannes.

They were willing, and happy, to pay for flights, hotel, provide a limousine, arrange for designers to show her gowns and for her to share hair and make-up designers with costars [Penelope] Cruz and [Rebecca] Hall. However, Johansson demanded her own exclusive make-up consultant at a cost of 5,000 Euros a day, which was felt a tad too much for a four day trip where looking after the star’s tresses and powdering her nose would cost a total of 20,000 Euros.

Then there was the problem over an hotel. The film’s director and his leading ladies were delighted to be staying in the centre of Cannes to make it easier for them to attend screenings, public events and to do interviews for TV and press. Johansson wanted to be at an hotel way out in the sticks, some 25 to 30 miles away.

“It was crazy. Penelope and Rebecca were going to be working very hard and it wasn’t acceptable that Scarlett would be having to come in from that distance every day, most likely turning up late and it would have thrown schedules into a lot of confusion. Also, I think, while Woody’s terribly fond of Scarlett, he was a little upset that she wasn’t being a team player”, an executive connected to the film told the Daily Mail.

[From the Daily Mail]

Keep in mind the source is the Daily Mail, and they enjoy putting a particularly pessimistic and critical spin on any story they can. Yet Scarlett wasn’t at Cannes, even though she’s widely been reported to be Woody Allen’s newest muse. That’s quite the slap in the face to him. The film did get rave reviews, and many said it was a return to form for Allen. However she has agreed to do the traditional press and promotion for the film in the U.S.

Hopefully Scarlett won’t be demanding makeup artists that cost $10,000 a day for the press junket. Woody Allen famously said Scarlett wore too much makeup. Maybe he could send her some Maybelline and tell her to suck it up.

Here’s the rest of the cast of - ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ at the film’s Cannes premiere yesterday. Header of Scarlett at Elle’s ‘Women in Hollywood’ 14th annual event on 10.15.08. Images thanks to WENN.

The Cannes Film Festival is in full swing, with Kung Fu Panda still getting the bulk of the press. Not only is Angelina dominating the festivities with her pregnancy, but saturating the area with people dressed as pandas is a pretty good way to make them pay attention to your film. Apparently Cannes isn’t quite the party scene it used to be, with studios foregoing a good amount of the former lavishness.

The party scene at Cannes is morphing into something a little strange, and hugely diminished, but maybe it’s just good riddance to stupid extravagance. Rumours abound that the primary reason that Blindness scored the opening night gala spot is because Telefilm Canada and other key sponsors were willing to fund the opening night party. There was a lavish dinner at the Carlton Hotel and a funky, late-night fete at the Carlton beach that was populated mostly with Canadians and the French.

The even less desirable closing night position on May 25th falls to Barry Levinson’s little regarded Hollywood comedy What Just Happened? This is a film that was apparently far from the first choice. But its backers agreed to shell out for the party. Hence it gets the out-of-competition closing spot.

Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures is keeping things low-key for the aftermath of Sunday’s premiere of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Variety reported that there will be a filmmakers get-together of just 250 — small by Cannes standards — with no media invited. The theory is that the Indy folks are trying to avoid the Da Vinci Code fate, when critics trashed the film, then celebrated, ruining Ron Howard’s red carpet and the after-party.

[From the Winnipeg Sun]

One of the biggest reasons everyone wants to go to Cannes (versus most of the other film festivals) are the prolific parties. Wait, isn’t it because Cannes is more prestigious? Well apparently it’s more prestigious because of all the parties.

Here are photos from days two and three of the Cannes Film Festival. Anne Consigny, Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni and Emanuelle Devos; Sean Penn and Bono; Petra Nemcova; Jean-Claude Van Damme; Phoebe Price; Natalie Imbruglia; Rachael Leigh Cook and Daniel Gillies; and George Lucas. Images thanks to WENN.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie hit the red carpet at Cannes for the premiere of her animated feature Kung Fu Panda. Angelina looks lovely in a low-cut forest green flowing dress that emphasizes her growing assets while Brad is dapper in a suit and tie, short hair and a goatee flecked with gray. The couple looked happy and relaxed, smiling and laughing as they shared a private joke. Ten to one they’re making fun of Eva Longoria’s ridiculous dress. What the hell is that tulle monstrosity she’s wearing? She looks like a figure skater who’s about to whip off the back of her skirt for her next number after her photo op. And look how she’s posed with her arm out at that awkward angle.

Also shown are Natalie Imbruglia looking like a deer in the headlights, Dustin Hoffman, and Lucy Liu. Thanks to WENN for these photos.

Angelina Jolie is doing press in Cannes for her upcoming animated film Kung Fu Panda. Somehow all of her co-stars are leaking the details of her pregnancy. Yesterday Jack Black let it slip in an interview that Angelina and Brad “would have as many as Brady Bunch when you have these” and Angelina laughed, got a little embarrassed and first said “we’ve confirmed it already [twins],” which may have been an attempt to make Jack Black feel better because he got all wide-mouthed after he realized it was news to the reporter. Then she added, smiling “well, Jack’s just confirmed it actually.”

Angelina said that all of her kids have seen Kung Fu Panda except her “little one, because she wouldn’t sit still” and that they loved it. It is out in theaters on June 6th.

The interviewer, Natalie Morales from The Today Show, mentioned to Matt Lauer that “we were told in a separate interview with Dustin Hoffman that she is due on August 19.”

Jack Black is expecting his second child any day now. Morales also said that Angelina told Black that “a good way to introduce their siblings to the newborn is to throw them all a sibling celebration to make sure that the whole family feels involved.”

If I was Angelina I would be pissed that my due date was out in the open like that. It’s hard enough when you have friends and family waiting for your baby to arrive and bugging you about it. I can’t imagine having the entire world interested and getting all eager for pictures and details. Brad and Angelina never even confirmed the pregnancy and were probably hoping to have at least some mystery about it. When she was pregnant with Shiloh she went all the way to Namibia, rented an entire hotel, had a big tent erected outside, and had her bodyguards threatening photographers hanging around. Now she’s in France where she’s frequently photographed, and we all know supposedly when she’s due along with the fact that she’s having twins. Look for Brad and Angelina to move on again in the next few weeks in order to get some privacy before she has the babies.

Thanks to WENN for these photos from the photocall of Kung Fu Panda at Cannes today and to People for this video and story.