Today actor Brad Pitt’s organization Make It Right (MIR) released 14 new designs that will be among the 150 houses reconstructed in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. With this second round of schematics, MIR is offering residents the opportunity to rebuild affordable duplexes in addition to the single-family schemes introduced in 2007.

“We always wanted to expand the design catalog, and doubles is a typology that’s used throughout New Orleans and the Lower Ninth Ward,” says MIR executive director Tom Darden.

“It’s a demand we were eager to meet.” The duplexes are expected to house extended families as well as renters. The duplexes were designed by 14 architecture firms, including eight that are new to the MIR program. The studios include: Atelier Hitoshi, Bild Design, Billes, buildingstudio, BNIM, Constructs, Elemental, Gehry Partners, GRAFT, Kappe Architects, MVRDV, Pugh + Scarpa, Waggonner & Ball Architects, and William McDonough + Partners (a longtime consultant to MIR and responsible for its Cradle-to-Cradle criteria).

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It’s official: Julianne Hough is ‘Footloose.’ The ‘Dancing With the Stars’ pro and country music songstress is set to play the female lead opposite ‘Gossip Girl’ hunk Chace Crawford in Paramount’s upcoming remake of the 1984 Kevin Bacon classic.

Though it opened in only two key overseas markets this weekend, ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen‘ is already the No. 1 movie at the foreign box office, scoring an impressive $20 million from just 846 theaters. Looks like Optimus and co. are primed for another worldwide hit.

Brand spanking new Linsay Lohan bikini busting pics, yay!. Gisele Bundchen shows off her damn hot/perfect booty. Britney Spears jumps into a pair of short shorts. Wow, the new 90210 Babes all in bikinis.

Brad Pitt and Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Moneyball‘ is out of the game. The baseball flick — about Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane, who assembled a contending ball club on a shoestring budget — was set to begin filming today in Phoenix, but Columbia Pictures has pulled the plug on the pic due to studio head Amy Pascal’s dissatisfaction with the latest script rewrite. Guess even Brad Pitt strikes out sometimes.

Rumor has it that Brad Pitt could be the future Mayor of New Orleans... but is it true?There's baloney in this jambalaya! Pitt's has been very active in efforts to help rebuild the Big Easy after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, but he won't be running for office... at least not now, anyway.

"Brad Pitt for Mayor" t-shirts have become all the rage, but citizens of New Orleans will have to settle for the "Curious Case of Benjamin Button" star being their beloved resident and supporter, not in City Hall.

A top Louisiana scholar has launched an Internet campaign to promote Brad Pitt as the Mayor of his adopted New Orleans.

Tulane University professor Dr. Thomas Bayer feels sure the movie star would make a great elected city leader - and he has listed his 13 Reasons Brad Pitt Should Be Mayor online. He's dedicated to Pitt's public office potential.

His reasons include, "If we elect Brad Pitt mayor, Angelina Jolie would be the First Lady of New Orleans," and, "Publicity and photo opportunities will chase our Mayor, instead of the Mayor chasing publicity and photo opportunities."

Professor Bayer also points out, "We will not have to rename a street to honor his name, as Pitt Street already exists."He hopes his efforts will prompt Pitt, who moved his family to New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, to add his name to the mayoral ballot for the April, 2010 election.

And Bayer isn't alone - top city businessman Josh Harvey has had 'Brad Pitt for Mayor' T-shirts printed.Pitt shot The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in New Orleans and has donated money to rebuild housing in the devastated 9th Ward of the city.

Brad Pitt revealed his love for David Yurman jewelry and sunglasses at Cannes. The designer of luxury jewelry and sunglasses got a huge boost in buzz when Brad Pitt wore two David Yurman rings, the Petrvs Scarab with Black Jade and the 18K Rose Gold with Pave diamonds.
David Yurman also shows a fantastic collection of sunglasses that may also appeal to the inner Brad Pitt.
Sunglasses bearing the name Phantom and Shadow offer the signature David Yurman cable detailing and all use the superior Zeiss lens with UVA/UVB protection for those peircing Brad Pitt eyes.

Brad Pitt as Mayor of New Orleans?

Don't laugh. The idea may not as far-fetched as you think.

Tulane professor Thomas Bayer hatched the idea as a gag. A local businessman printed a batch of "Brad Pitt for Mayor" T-shirts and it turned into an international story. The rumor continued to pick up steam when the local newspaper featured it as a Cover Story in Sunday's Lifestyle section.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie moved to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina as part of their off-screen devotion to humanitarian causes, hoping to focus national attention on the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast.

He immediately pledged $3.5 million to construct eco-friendly houses for the homeless—including many former radio announcers—in the city's Ninth Ward. The first six of the 150 homes planned opened this year.

Pitt said, "You have no idea what a high it is for me to see the delight on these people's faces when they see how these homes work."

All indications are the New Orleans Saints would have a friend in City Hall if Pitt is elected. He has been spotted frequently cheering on the team at local bars.

One fan who shared a beer with Pitt said, "Brad told us he's really committed to helping rebuild our city. He was really kind and posed for tons of photos. People loved it- especially because he was rooting for the Saints."

In The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, filmed in 2008 in New Orleans, Pitt plays an octogenarian who ages backward. Political insiders say this phenomenon may be a part of Pitt's platform—a promise to reverse the aging process of key Saints players such as Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Jeremy Shockey, and Marques Colston.

Pitt would take office in 2010 and, theoretically, Brees would revert back to his 2008 season when he passed for over 5,000 yards and came within one long completion of Dan Marino's record of passing yards in a season.

Bush would regain the game-breaking form he displayed at USC while on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy and Shockey would produce the prolific mumbers he did as an All-Pro in New York.

Given Pitt's commitment to an eco-friendly environment, the new Mayor of New Orleans could obtain a deal with Saints' ownership to transform the Louisiana Superdome into the world's largest greenhouse in the offseason. Proceeds from cash crops could be used to fund the construction of a lavish new football riverfront football stadium.Would Pitt be able to maintain the lofty standards set by the Ray Nagin administration?

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They’re one of the most generous couples in Hollywood, and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie received a personal phone call from a world leader to thank them for their generosity.

According to reports, Pakistan President, Asif Ali Zardari, called the couple to express his gratitude for their gift of $1 million to people displaced by anti-Taliban military operations in the country’s northwest.

The “Changeling” actress has been the goodwill ambassador for the UNHCR since 2001, and announced the $1 million gift on World Refugee Day. She’s said she pledged the aid to displaced Pakistanis because of the relative newness of the crisis in Pakistan.

The couple has been jointly running the Jolie-Pitt foundation, which made the gift last week.

Sony Corp. halted production of the Brad Pitt baseball film “Moneyball” after director Steven Soderbergh made last-minute script changes, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

Soderbergh will be allowed to offer the film, based on Michael Lewis’s book about Billy Beane, general manager of Major League Baseball’s Oakland A’s, to other studios, said the person, who insisted on anonymity because the decision hasn’t been announced. Filming was to start today, the person said.

The decision reflects growing concern over costs in Hollywood. The studio may have concluded the changes reduced the film’s prospects, Variety reported. Sony Pictures, based in Culver City, California, cut its workforce of 7,000 by 3.5 percent in March. Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros., Viacom Inc.’s Paramount and Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. have reduced production in recent months.

Sony spokesman Jim Kennedy declined to comment. Pitt’s manager, Cynthia Pett-Dante, didn’t return an e-mail message seeking comment from the actor. Michael Adler, Soderbergh’s attorney, didn’t return a phone message.Pitt was cast to play Beane, who turned the A’s into playoff contenders using arcane statistics to evaluate players. Lewis is a columnist for Bloomberg News.

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Brad Pitt gives advice to new dads on how to do it better -- it being parenting. As a father of six, with partner Angelina Jolie, he should know.

Thanks to People magazine, Brad shares three of his favorite parenting secrets:

Bordeaux's Butt Paste solved daughter Shiloh's diaper rash issues.
Baby wipes are his secret to keeping his own Pitt's pits fresh, as well as his babies' bottoms clean.

Carol's Daughter hair products are what he uses for Zahara's hair. Jada Pinkett Smith is the cover girl for the hair products on their website.

The favourites to split first are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, they can be backed at 9/4 with Paddy Power. They seem to be a solid couple but will all of the adoptions take their strain on the relationship or will one of them be unfaithful? We don’t know what will split them up but Paddy Power make them strong favourites.