Brad Pitt project calls for duplexes

Actor Brad Pitt has said that by the end of 2009 he would like to see 100 homes built in the storm-wrecked Lower 9th Ward neighborhood.

There’s still a long way to go, but Pitt’s dream of seeing dozens of families thriving in one of the neighborhoods hardest-hit by Hurricane Katrina is slowly becoming a reality. More than two dozen homes are either finished or under construction, and duplexes are on the way.

On a recent visit to the site, Pitt met with architects commissioned by the Make It Right Foundation to design duplexes that will sit among the new homes.

On Wednesday, a group of New Orleans activists and civic leaders planned to give Pitt’s effort a boost with a $150,000 donation, the average cost to build. Source. Thanks Sandra.

The World’s Most Influential People/Time Magazine 2009

During the civil rights movement, the distinction was made between those who would “talk the talk” — i.e., attend parties, fundraisers and speeches — and those who would be willing to “walk the walk” — that is, use their bodies as a backstop for nightsticks and clubs.

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the news media and New Orleans itself were inundated with people who were willing to talk the talk. And from this gaggle of talkers emerged one who took the long walk with our city.

Brad Pitt found, after listening to residents, that this horrible man-made disaster created an opportunity to build something better than what had existed before. From starting the Make It Right Foundation, which is building hundreds of affordable and sustainable homes in the Lower Ninth Ward and elsewhere in the city, to his advocacy on behalf of New Orleans with congressional leaders to his filming of the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which featured our city so beautifully, Pitt has remained committed to the people of New Orleans. Read more. Thanks Sandra.

New candids

NIAGARA FALLS, Ont.—People magazine may have named him “Sexiest Man Alive” twice, but even Brad Pitt looked a little goofy in his blue Maid of the Mist poncho.

The superstar actor was in Niagara Falls, Ont., on a picture-perfect afternoon to take in the sights of the world-famous cataracts Saturday. In tow were two of his sons, Maddox and Pax; his parents, Bill and Jane, and his bodyguards. The group enjoyed the attractions while remaining relatively under the radar.

Not with them was Pitt’s equally famous partner, Angelina Jolie, who has been filming the thriller “Salt” in Albany.

“He was looking good,” sighed a star-struck Melissa Harris, 17, of Niagara Falls, Ont., as the hunky actor rushed past her. She conceded she was a little chagrined that she didn’t have her camera with her for the celebrity sighting.

A pair of German tourists also recognized the famous dad and delightedly snapped photos with their cell phones.

But for the most part, Pitt remained largely unnoticed— just another dad enjoying a tourist attraction with his family. Read more. Thanks La_miga.