The Flip Side

Courtney Cox and David Arquette

From looktothestars.org

The clock is ticking for actors Courteney Cox and David Arquette, who have pledged to raise $1 million in two weeks to benefit the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation (EBMRF).

Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) is a genetic condition that causes skin and linings to break and blister at the slightest touch. Sufferers battle daily with fluid loss and infection of the open wounds. In worst cases, they’ll die of skin cancer before the age of 40, many in infancy.

“Now is such an important time to put the spotlight on EB and ensure that research can continue at a fast pace,” Cox told the Associated Press.

Both Cox and Arquette are honorary board members of the foundation, as are actors Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Jackie and Adam Sandler and singers Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani. Kate Beckinsale, Orlando Bloom, Rashida Jones, Eva Longoria and James Marsden have also joined the challenge to bring much needed attention to the painful disease.

Cox and Arquette have a personal link to EB as someone close to them suffers from it. To raise funds for EBMRF on an ongoing basis they have co-designed a necklace with a butterfly, a symbol for hope and freedom, etched onto a small silver pendant, on sale at SATYA boutique in New York and online at www.satyajewelry.com.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

I’m so impressed words just can’t convey…

From Fox News:

According to the first federal filing for the Jolie Pitt Foundation, the couple put over $8 million into their tax-free instrument. Pitt put in $4,402,317. Jolie donated $4,123,613.

So, you see, all that talk about their making charitable donations? It was true, after all. What a relief. For once, there’s a happy ending.

Their first years’ donations totaled a whopping 2,367,935. The biggest amounts were $1 million apiece to Doctors Without Borders (International Division) and to Global AIDS Alliance.

The smaller grants went to Namibia Red Cross Action Program ($137,935), which is nice, since the couple caused chaos there when camped out during the birth of baby Shiloh; $100,000 to the Daniel Pearl Foundation (the couple made the movie “A Mighty Heart” about Pearl — this was a sop to his widow, Marianne, whom Jolie played); another $100,000 to Global Green USA and to the Epidermolysis Bulloma Medical Research Foundation; $5,000 each to two orphanages visited by Jolie; and $20,000 to an art park in Los Angeles.

The best thing about this first year’s filing is that the foundation’s expenses were a mere $27,000. It’s likely that next year, when the paperwork is done, there will be more staff expenses. Still, it’s an impressive start.

George Clooney

Not only does he talk the talk, he walks the walk…

ROME (AP) — George Clooney’s humanitarian organization has donated $500,000 to a U.N. food aid agency to help it continue flights in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region, the agency said Thursday.

The Rome-based World Food Program said that the money came from Not On Our Watch, founded by Clooney and other stars — including Brad Pitt and Matt Damon — to press concerns about Darfur. The group has raised more than $9.3 million for the region.

Earlier this week, the World Food Program warned that lack of funds this year would force a halt to the flights ferrying urgently needed supplies in the region at the end of March.

“This is a critical time for the program. Without immediate additional funding, humanitarian aid in the region will be crippled,” Clooney was quoted as saying in a U.N. statement.

Over the past year, the World Food Program has been feeding between 2 and 3.2 million people in Darfur. The number of people in need could double with the May-October rainy season, the agency said.

“This contribution will make a difference to the millions of vulnerable women and children trapped there, and we hope it will inspire other donations,” WFP’s Executive Director Josette Sheeran said.

No, not the Farscape type of Peacekeeper, the U.N. type.  I think he’s done plenty for Darfur to get that title.  Let’s hope he continues to do his thing.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named actor George Clooney, who has campaigned for refugees in Darfur, as a U.N. “messenger of peace” on Friday to promote the world body’s peacekeeping efforts.

Clooney is the ninth U.N. messenger — people chosen from the fields of art, music, literature and sports who have agreed to help focus attention on the United Nations’ work.
U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said Clooney would have a special emphasis on peacekeeping. She said he had been “recognized for focusing public attention on crucial international political and social issues.”

Clooney, who is currently in Sudan , will receive his designation on January 31 at U.N. headquarters.

With fellow actors Don Cheadle and Brad Pitt, Clooney, 46, has used his celebrity status to raise money for refugees through their “Not On Our Watch” charity and draw attention to the crisis in Darfur in western Sudan .
The United Nations is trying to deploy a peacekeeping force in Darfur , where international experts say some 200,000 people have been killed and more than 2 million driven from their homes in fighting between Sudan ’s government and Darfur rebels.

Brad Pitt as Tyler Durdon

Okay, I read this today on www.dailystab.com and can’t believe it.  They did say “wishful plans” right?  Well, if Jared Leto reprises his role as a singing Angel Face, I’ll go see it.

Director David Fincher recently spoke to MTV about his wishful plans to mark the 10th anniversary of the hit movie Fight Club by turning it into a musical.  The violent 1999 drama starred Brad Pitt and Edward Norton as the organizers of an underground fighting ring, and Fincher wants to celebrate the film’s popularity by recreating it for the stage.
He tells MTV.com, “One of the things I want at the 10-year anniversary is to do “Fight Club” as a musical on Broadway. I love the idea of that.”

It appears that in 2004 Fight Club was in development as a musical, developed by Palahniuk, Fincher, and Trent Reznor.  Brad Pitt, who played the role of Tyler Durden in the film, expressed interest in being involved.

Fight Club was first a novel published by American author Chuck Palahniuk and was turned into a movie in 1999 by director David Fincher. The movie became a pop culture phenomenon.  In the wake of the film’s popularity, the novel has become a target of criticism, mainly for its explicit depictions of violence.

Jared Leto as Angel Face

Brad Pitt

Yet more December birthdays.  Today we celebrate Brad Pitt.  We’ll just leave it at that.

Mario Testino

Mario is known as the photographer who can make even the most stoic celebrity smile.  He works primarily in fashion photography but his work with celebs is fantastic.  Here are a few samples.  He has a new portrait book out called “Let Me In”.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (is this not the best photo you’ve ever seen of these two?)

John Taylor

While I don’t usually comment on personal appearance much (except to say that someone looked great for a role or to defend someone who keeps getting trashed in the blogs for looking different than cookie-cutter Hollywood) I wanted to look up a few heart-throbs just to see what they are like today.  Now most of us are well aware of what Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp are like today, but I’m talking about those guys who don’t get as much press these days.  They do get press, but not on the scale of Brad Pitt.  I thought of Duran Duran first because they’ve got some new tunes out one of which I just caught last night.  It’s a great song and reminds me of why I liked Duran Duran in the first place.  The song is called “Falling Down”.  The video is such a flash-back complete with beautiful models.  John was the focal point of the band in my crowd.  According to wikipedia he has been working on music steadily all this time and is devoted to the reformed Duran Duran.

John Taylor back in the day.  He really hasn’t changed much.

Annie Leibovitz

Ms. Leibovitz has a way of making every photo look like a fairy tale.  Maybe because of this she has photographed the Queen of England more times than I can count.  Here are some of her other shots some of which I’m sure you’ll recognize.  She’s done lots of work for “Vanity Fair” (including the famous Demi Moore pregnancy cover) and “Rolling Stone” magazines.  She is probably at the very top of the celebrity photographer list.

Meg White and Jack White of the White Stripes

Nicole Kidman

Angelina Jolie

Brad Pitt

John Lennon and Yoko Ono (probably one of her most famous pieces)

And because she’s so good at that fairy tale look, she was hired to shoot the Disney ad campaign including these shots:

Scarlett Johansson as Cinderella

David Beckham as Prince Charming

Beyonce as Alice in Wonderland

There are a lot of really great celebrity photographers out there (that don’t use cell phones as their cameras) and I plan to hunt down a few of them to highlight and show what really great celebrity photos look like.

You have to love and respect true celebrity photographers.  They actually make appointments with celebs and plan photo shoots and use real cameras.  I have a few favorites and you will probably find some of these shots familiar.  If you haven’t before, you can now put a photographer’s name to the extraordinary shots you’ve seen and loved.  Take the time to look some of them up and you will be amazed at some of the lovely photographs they have taken of your favorite celebrities.  Martin Schoeller takes some of the grittiest photos out there and I really applaud the celebrities brave enough to go before his lens.  You may recognize his style from work he’s done with Rolling Stone magazine.  And how ironic that I couldn’t find one photo of Martin.

Christopher Walken

Jack Nicholson (I had no idea he has such beautiful eyes)

Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

Angelina Jolie

Brad Pitt

Britney Spears

Jim Carrey

Iggy Pop

Rosario Dawson

Adrien Brody