Hey everyone, how are you? I’m back home. Had a great time on vacation: I went to the Greek island Zakynthos. Pretty okay weather but a small and quiet place. But enough about that.

I didn’t realize my girls La_miga and Kimber would have such a busy week keeping you all up-to-date with your daily Brad Pitt news! I can’t thank you enough for your commitment and kindness. Quite the shock to read Brad was in a (luckily small) accident!

Also thank you to all the loyal SB visitors for your welcoming comments towards them. Oh if you want to contact me for anything regarding the website, please do so via the contact page.

Enough babbling, let’s keep our fingers crossed for another great Brad appearance soon!

Paul Newman was the most generous celebrity of 2008.

The late ‘Cool Hand Luke’ actor – who passed away last September – donated more money to charity than any other US star, giving a huge $21m (€14.2m) to various initiatives and campaigns, according to a list compiled by The Giving Back Fund for Parade magazine.

Also included on the list of most generous celebrities are Angelina Jolie and her partner Brad Pitt, Mel Gibson and Oprah Winfrey.

Jolie and Pitt spent an estimated $13.4m (€9m) on good causes including a health clinic in Ethiopia and the redevelopment of New Orleans last year.

The couple also donated $1m (€680,000) to help children caught up in the Iraq conflict, through education programmes via their Jolie-Pitt foundation.

Upon donating the money, United Nations ambassador Jolie said: “These educational support programmes for children of conflict are the best way to help them heal.”

Pitt added: “We hope to encourage others to give to these great organisations.“

Read more/discuss.

• x01 October 27 – “Half the sky” Book signing – West Hollywood, CA.
• x13 October 27 – Cicconi’s Restaurant – Hollywood, CA.

Jay Leno isn’t the only Hollywood celebrity with a hanger full of cars. Los Angeles is full of closet gear heads and, they’re lining up to do 20th Century Fox’s new racing movie, Go Like Hell.

The film is based on recently optioned book called “Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans”. Set in the 1960s, the book is the true story of the Ford motor company’s attempt to beat the exotic Euro auto manufacturers at their own game by hiring a crack team to beat them in European racing. It’s the 60s by the way which manes safety took a back seat to speed and race car drivers were as much daredevils as they were professionals. Blowing up halfway down the track wasn’t out of the question.

What’s most interesting about this project are the number of big names who may be involved. Producer Lucas Foster appeared this week on the Adam Carolla Podcast and talked endlessly about his plans for the film, including who might star in it. Lucas says, “I have a lot of interest from big actors. It would shock you the telephone calls that have come in from people.” In particular Foster says, “There’s a lot of conversation with my good friend, Brad Pitt.” He further confirmed that they’ve spoken to Josh Brolin while mentioning that he’s also interested in Russell Crowe, Matt Damon (for the role of Phil Hill), Eric Bana, and Daniel Day-Lewis.

Read more/discuss.

Thanks intothegrinder.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – OCTOBER 27: Brad Pitt, author Nicholas Kristof, Angelina Jolie and Adam Hicks VP of Communications and Marketing for CARE attend the ‘Half the Sky’ book party hosted by Meredith Corp, Lifetime and CARE at Pacific Design Center on October 27, 2009 in West Hollywood, California.

How did you get involved with the project?

A: I was actually contacted originally by Brad Pitt who at that time was starring in the film and they were looking for a director of the movie. I had an association with his company and somebody suggested my name in association with this, so I met Brad, I spoke to Universal about it and that was how I got involved. So it was bizarre that I ended making the film even though the actor ended up not doing the film, which was quite strange, as he invited me to the party, as it were.

You also had to contend with Brad Pitt leaving the film just before you were due to start shooting. What was that like?

A: Right from the very beginning we had different views on what the film was going to be and I assumed because of the way that he kept going and was involved with the film until a week before we started shooting that was just the way that he was and that he would disagree with you about things and that you would argue about it. And I think that is the way he is, I think he gets himself involved with things and then gets cold feet and argues a bit and it’s sort of backwards and forwards, it’s the way he gets himself to be ready to be in the film. I think that’s what happens, from what I understand, on a lot of his projects. I didn’t think he was not going to do the movie until a week before we were ready to start shooting.

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With all the news today about “Baby Fae,” the California baby who was given the world’s first baboon heart transplant in 1984 and lived 21 days, Speakeasy’s memory was jogged into thinking about the film “Untamed Heart.” We have a soft spot for the 1993 romantic drama, which starred Christian Slater as a sensitive busboy with, yes, a baboon’s heart, because it was the first PG-13 movie we ever paid good allowance money for. The film co-starred a pre-”My Cousin Vinny” Marisa Tomei as Caroline, a waitress who falls for Slater’s character after he rescues her from an attempted rape by a couple of thugs.

Speakeasy tracked down “Untamed Heart” screenwriter Tom Sierchio to talk to him about his inspiration for the film.

As for Adam, the part that went to Slater, Sierchio says he met “quite a few times” with Woody Harrelson about the part (who would later do a popular sketch on “Saturday Night Live” with Dana Carvey that featured the line: “The sun feels good on my baboon heart!”) and that Brad Pitt was “dying” to do the movie. But, says Sierchio, Slater’s 1992 film “Kuffs” had just come out and had a $10 million weekend, so MGM “didn’t have the foresight and went with the sure thing with Christian.” (Reps for Madonna, Harrelson and Pitt couldn’t be reached for comment.)

Read more/discuss.

Thanks intothegrinder.

Looking to be in good shape despite his weekend run-in, Brad Pitt was spotted making his way around Studio City, California on Monday afternoon (October 26).

UPDATE: HQ added, thanks to Kimber.

• x29 October 26 – Studio City, CA.

Brad out and about in Beverly Hills, October 23.

UPDATE: HQ added, thanks to Kimber.

• x180 October 23 – Hollywood, CA.

X17online can report exclusively that Brad Pitt fell off his motorcycle after hitting the back of a car in Hollywood just ten minutes ago.

Brad appeared to be uninjured (thankfully he was wearing his helmet), and he picked up his bike and pulled it off the road. Brad then went into a building just next to the scene of the accident, and X17 photogs on the scene tell X17online that the bike he was riding was the one we spotted being delivered to his house just the other day.

Brad’s assistant just picked him and is now taking him home, and they left the bike at the scene of the accident.

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UPDATE

Brad was hit from behind by a paparazzo driving a Saturn just moments before the incident occurred. The bump by the photographer’s car caused Brad to lose his balance and hit the car in front of him, but it took a few seconds for the tap to jostle Brad off of his bike. As far as we know, there was no damage to the motorcycle or to the car but as you can imagine, Brad was very upset with the pap.

Our photographers witnessed a visibly upset Brad speaking with the guilty pap as he pulled his bike from the street, but it looks like everything is going to be okay, as Brad was smiling when he left the building to hop into his assistant’s car.

Glad Brad is ok!

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After running up a huge gross of more than $250 million worldwide since its late August opening, director Quentin Tarantino’s WWII epic “Inglourious Basterds” is now shifting gears from its initial marketing phase as a “popcorn picture” to serious Oscar contender.

Thursday that campaign seemed to begin in earnest for the Weinstein Co. when Tarantino was honored with the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Kirk Douglas Award for excellence in film at a black-tie gala at the Four Seasons Biltmore resort in Montecito, a voter-rich area with close to 100 Academy members in residence at various times.

Festival organizers threw a lavish cocktail party and sit-down dinner featuring generous clips of such Tarantino landmark movies as “Reservoir Dogs,” “Jackie Brown,” “Kill Bill” and of course “Inglourious Basterds.” Among those in attendance were Douglas and wife Anne, who were seated next to the honoree, star Diane Kruger and the film’s producer, Lawrence Bender. Festival director Roger Durling and board President Jeffrey Barbakow (former MGM/UA head) both made amusing and well-received remarks. Comedian and Santa Barbara resident Dennis Miller shared a table with “Basterds” co-star Samm Levine along with the entire Barbakow clan, including wife Margot and sons Bennett and Max.

A consultant working on the film told me this campaign is a fun one so far, as the pressure is off. The film is already more successful than even their wildest hopes, so awards are just the icing on this particular cake. Considering the strong response the film seems to be getting in the industry, nominations for screenplay, directing, supporting actor (Christoph Waltz, maybe even Brad Pitt, too), editing, cinematography, sound, costumes and best picture are realistic goals in a wide-open season so far, especially if the film’s occasionally graphic violence doesn’t turn off queasy voters. With Oscar maven Harvey Weinstein calling the shots anything is possible, even with internal competition from other expected Weinstein contenders, including the still unseen “Nine,” “A Single Man” and perhaps “The Road” (at least for Viggo Mortensen).

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But not to worry because this won’t affect SimplyBrad.com. My great friends La_miga and Kimber will continue providing you with Brad news and pictures. I want to thank them again very much, this means a lot to me! I will be off to Greece for about a week. See you all soon, keep enjoying Brad, his projects and of course: SimplyBrad.com.

The National World War II Museum in New Orleans unveils a major expansion Nov. 6 with the debut of a new movie theater, live show venue and a celebrity-chef restaurant.
The Solomon Victory Theater houses a new 40-minute movie billed as a “4-D cinematic experience” (think anti-aircraft guns, falling snow, rumbling seats and multiple projection layers — without having to wear goofy 3-D glasses).

The movie, Beyond All Boundaries, tells the WWII story from the perspective of soldiers, journalists and workers at home and features Hollywood A-list voices including Tom Hanks and Brad Pitt.

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