Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and all their kids were in Brad’s hometown of Spingfield, Missouri late last week according to the local paper. No one paid much attention to the news or tried to spin it into some standoff between Angelina and her mother in law after the holidays because we all had our hands full with Britney’s breakdown.

The famous family even dined at a pizza joint with Pitt’s family, and supposedly no one took their picture or asked for an autograph. I find that hard to believe. They get the gossip magazines in Missouri. They’ve got to know how much photos of the Jolie-Pitts are worth, and everyone has cellphone cameras. It sounds more like an advertisement for how great Springfield, Missouri is than a true account of how Angelina and Brad just hung out there totally ignored.

The entire Pitt clan — including oldest sibling Brad Pitt and his family — were out Wednesday night for food and camaraderie at Arris’ Pizza on Republic Road.

The group included Jane and Bill Pitt; their adult kids Brad, Doug and Julie Neal; Doug’s wife, Lisa; Julie’s husband, Rob; and Brad’s partner, Angelina Jolie; and the eldest Pitts’ brood of 11 grandkids.

Brian Keppy, Arris’ kitchen manager, was working when the family came in during the dinner rush.

“Yeah, we got a phone call. They just came in like anybody else. They pretty much took up the whole back section,” he said.

Other patrons left the family alone, and the Pitts didn’t seek attention, Keppy said. No one took photos or asked for autographs as far as he knows. That includes staff members who didn’t have to be told to treat their famous guests like everyone else.

“It was nice and low key. It just looked like one of those holiday (family) things,” Keppy said.

Lisa Pitt says the family enjoyed being able to go out together. It helped that one of Arris’ owners, Joe Kremer, is their neighbor, she said.

“Arris’ is awesome. Everybody was hungry, so it was great,” Lisa Pitt said.

“The kids had so much fun. They got to relax and eat out with their family.”

Though she’s sure people noticed them, especially because of all the kids, she confirmed that no one bothered them in the packed restaurant. That’s actually pretty typical when Brad and Angelina visit Springfield, Lisa Pitt said.

“We went to the movies last year when they came and people were just so cool. Even when we go shopping. I think everybody here is so used to the family,” she said.

Compared to other places Pitt and Jolie live and travel, Lisa Pitt said, “I think they really, really appreciate Springfield” as an escape from the spotlight.

[From the News-Leader.com]

Angelina and Brad might bring loads of tourism to Springfield, Missouri. They might not be there at the time, but people could flock to the place hoping to get a glimpse of these rare birds. After hearing how Brad and Angelina managed to escape the ever-present paparazzi other celebrities might try to claim Springfield as their own, essentially ruining the place, like Aspen.

Wherever the Jolie-Pitts visit they bring attention to the place. A struggling toy shop owner says that Brad and Angelina’s well-documented purchases helped bring his business back from the brink:

His store in North Hollywood is called The Blessing, but shop owner Arturo Jimenez was praying for a financial miracle to help him survive the holiday season. It arrived when Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt walked in the door in early December. The power couple purchased $70 worth of toys including a monster truck and two dolls and then told Arturo to keep the change from $200, reports Splash News. Since news of Angelina and Brad’s visit got around, new customers have been flocking to the family run store. “It’s a blessing, something I asked God for,” Arturo told tmz.com. “I prayed to God, send me a sign. She’s an angel!”

[From In Touch, print edition, January 14, 2007]

If it’s good enough for Brad and Angelina, it’s good enough for the rest of us. Our consumer choices are controlled by celebrity endorsements, and like sheep we flock wherever our saintly shepherds guide us. Watch as Arris’ Pizza in Springfield, Missouri is also hit with a sudden influx of customers. If only Britney didn’t ruin it for the struggling business by going crazy that week.

Brad and Angelina are shown at the Beowulf premiere in London on 11/11/07, because the management of Arris’ Pizza didn’t realize that they could get more money for pictures then they could manage in increased business.