It almost doesn't do it justice to say that Brad Pitt has still got it, when he so very clearly will always still have it.
The 52-year-old actor was spotted filming scenes for his upcoming movie, Five Seconds of Silence, in London on Thursday, looking absolutely ageless as he rocked a handsome clean-shaven look with combed-back hair.
Of course, one thing that definitely contributed to Brad's timelessness alongside co-star Marion Cotillard in the World War II drama, was the 1940s-style attire -- a brown jacket, green vest and gray slacks.
Then again, at this point, it's hard to think of a look the gorgeous guy can't pull off. In January, the heartthrob humanitarian was spotted filming for the Netflix film, War Machine, where he looked like a total action hero with silver fox hair.
The A-lister looked especially youthful on the London set of his upcoming drama "Five Seconds of Silence" on Thursday, defying his 52 years with a smooth, clean-shaven face and side-parted locks.
Sporting a dashing ensemble complete with tailored wool slacks, brown suede jacket and gray fedora, Brad looked era-appropriate while filming the WWII flick alongside his co-star and fellow Oscar winner Marion Cotillard.
Marion, who plays Brad's wife in the romantic thriller, was a 1940s vision all her own in a fuchsia beret, belted trench and chic leather gloves.
The actors portray secret agents who fall in love during a mission in North Africa, but Thursday's photos had a more domestic appearance as Brad held an infant in his arms with Marion looking on.
Brad's ageless appearance also made waves back in January at the Golden Globes, when he took the stage with his "Big Short" castmate Ryan Gosling in a classic tux.
"Five Seconds of Silence," directed by Robert Zemeckis and also starring Lizzy Caplan, is due in theaters on Nov. 23.
Angelia Jolie had better watch her back because her always-handsome hubby Brad Pitt seems to have found a new love interest—onscreen, that is. On Thursday in London, the 52-year-old actor was photographed walking down a picturesque street with a sweet baby and Dior favorite, Marion Cotillard. The two A-listers were on the set of their new film, Five Seconds of Silence, and the above and below images prove the dynamic duo know exactly how to rock ‘40s-era outfits with ease.
According to People, Pitt stars as Max Vatan and Cotillard as Marianne Beausejour, two assassins who find romance while taking on an action-packed mission in North Africa. We’re sure the film, also starring Masters of Sex star Lizzy Caplan, will be a hit, but it’s their looks that have our hearts aflutter.
Pitt’s yesteryear getup consists of loose fitting, yet precisely tailored, gray pants with a dapper mix of blue-toned layering pieces and a brown suede jacket. The hat further tops off the style of the period ensemble. Cotillard delivers old school, sensible glam in a camel robe coat with a set of mismatched accessories that include brogues and a maroon beret.
Another shot finds Pitt dressed in uniform as a military officer of sorts. Swoon.
Five Seconds of Silence is set to hit theaters later this year on Nov. 23.
Pitt, 52, proved his striking good looks are truly timeless when he was spotted on the set of his latest film, Five Seconds of Silence, in London on Thursday.
The actor, 52, cut a dashing figure as he shot scenes for the World War II-era drama, donning a '40s-inspired ensemble complete with a brown jacket, grey pants and green sweater. To top off his look, Pitt wore a classic grey wide-brimmed hat.
Pitt filmed scenes with costar Marion Cotillard, who also wore an equally impressive vintage outfit for the day.
In one shot, the pair are seen walking alongside each other as Pitt carried a baby on his shoulders.
Five Seconds of Silence follows Max Vatan (Pitt) and Marianne Beausejour (Cotillard), two assassins who fall in love with each other during a dangerous North African mission. Their future, however, is thrown off course when secrets from their past come to the light.
The film, also starring Lizzy Caplan, is due to open on Nov. 23.
Holy hotness! Eternal heartthrob Brad Pitt proved age really ain’t nothin’ but a number while filming scenes for his upcoming movie Five Seconds of Silence on Thursday, March 31, in London.
In new photos from the set of the World War II drama, the 52-year-old actor looks oh-so-handsome donning a ‘40s-inspired ensemble comprised of a brown suede jacket, gray slacks and a green sweater vest teamed with a matching striped tie.
In the pictures, Angelina Jolie’s gorgeous husband is seen walking with costar Marion Cotillard, who also wears vintage garb. In one shot, the seemingly ageless Pitt (who plays French-Canadian agent Max Vatan in the Steven Knight-written film) smiles as he holds an adorable baby girl over his shoulders.
This isn’t the first time the Big Short star has stunned Us with his youthful appearance. Earlier this year at the 2016 Golden Globes, the dad of six channeled Benjamin Button with his noticeably smooth baby-face. At the time, viewers took to social media to rave about Pitt’s age reversal.
“What ever potion, lotion or magic witch doctor Brad Pitt is using to look so young, I WANT IT. #GoldenGlobes,” one fan tweeted, while another noted: “Brad Pitt REFUSES to age. Seriously. The dude looks damn good for *I lost count* years old. #GoldenGlobes.”
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Truly just like Us! Brad Pitt went shopping at a London-area hardware store on Monday, March 28, and eagle-eyed fans were shocked to see the megastar perusing the store like any normal person.
The Big Short actor, 52, stopped by the West London location of B&Q with two of his kids, according to the Daily Mail, and was photographed perusing the gardening section of the store.
"Brad Pitt was at my work today," a store employee tweeted, alongside a snap of Pitt staring at him near a bunch of potted outdoor plants.
Another observer who was at the hardware store told the Daily Mail: "He just looked like any other regular dad going about his Bank Holiday Monday. The kids were extremely polite and he kept moving them out of the way so other people could get on with their shopping. You’d never guess it was one of the most famous men in the world."
Us Weekly exclusively revealed in January that Pitt and Angelina Jolie, as well as their six kids, Maddox, 14, Pax, 12, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 9, and Vivienne and Knox, 7, were packing their bags and moving to London for "at least six months" while the A-list hunk films the World War Z sequel.
A source told Us that while in London, Jolie "plans to focus on political projects dealing with the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe." Among her many roles, Jolie, 40, serves as a United Nations Special Envoy for Refugee Issues.
Of course, the power couple — who secretly tied the knot in September 2014 — consulted their kids before making the move overseas. “They’re participating more in the choices of where we go," Jolie told The Guardian in a November 2015 interview. "And if we have to go somewhere where they’re going to miss their friends, we try to get them back for a period of time — or we try to have their friends come out." The family has lived in New Orleans, New York, Malibu and their Chateau Miraval in France.
The Big Short star, 52, gave shoppers a post-Easter surprise on Monday, when they spotted him rummaging through the shelves at a west London branch of hardware chain B&Q in search of DIY equipment.
"Nobody knew he was in the store until he went to the till," a staffer at B&Q tells PEOPLE. "Then everybody was like 'Oh my God, it's Brad Pitt! What's he doing in here?!' "
The dad of six, who's currently in the British capital filming an untitled World War II spy drama costarring Marion Cotillard, hinted that deep down he's just a regular Joe when he picked up some drill parts from the store.
While wife Angelina Jolie did not join Brad for the lunchtime excursion, he was ably supported by son Knox, 7.
"It was totally random. He just puttered around like any other customer," says the staffer. "Nobody knew he was coming, so nothing special was laid on. But then he's just a person like everyone else, isn't he? He just has a different job and earns a bit more money than most.
"He was very down to earth and polite and his son was very well behaved," the employee adds. "They were not 'movie starry' at all."
This is not the first time that Brad has displayed his hands-on approach with Knox. Earlier this month, he treated him and twin sister Vivienne to a pottery painting session in London – and even took the time to create a "Brad Pitt original" himself.
"It was just Brad and the twins doing the painting together," a source tells PEOPLE of the excursion, which happened a day before the U.K. celebrated Mother's Day. "They were in the pottery cafe for a couple of hours and seemed to have a lovely time. They were very happy."
Brad Pitt opens up to Oprah about partner Angelina Jolie and their six kids.
On how fatherhood has changed him: “[I'm] tough as nails. I’m impervious to poo, snot, urine, vomit. You can’t get me. You cannot break me down.”
On quick outings being a thing of the past: “We don’t go to the mall. It’s like a half-an-hour just to get everyone buckled in and make sure they’ve got their snacks, and Z.Z. [Zahara, 3] has got a blanket and Shiloh’s got her silky. Angie‘s militant about it. She’s right on top of it. Thank God, because I’m always forgetting something.”
On 2½-year-old daughter Shiloh’s Peter Pan obsession: “She only wants to be called John. John or Peter. So it’s a Peter Pan thing. So we’ve got to call her John. ‘Shi, do you want …’ – ‘John. I’m John.’ And then I’ll say, ‘John, would you like some orange juice?’ And she goes, ‘No!’ So, you know, it’s just that kind of stuff
MARCH 28, 2016 4:14 PM BY JULIE MILLER It was the 90s. . .
Say Brad Pitt offered to provide a sample of his genetically perfect DNA for your offspring. You would certainly blurt/shriek “YES” before he even finished the formal offer, for fear he might think better of such a gesture. Who cares whether or not you are in a committed relationship with someone offering his own DNA—you will have hours to work out these issues in the car while driving Brad Jr. to and from his lucrative child modeling gigs, right?
Well, maybe not everyone would be so quick to snap up Pitt’s sperm sample. Take, for example, this Grammy-winning singer-songwriter who recently admitted that the actor offered to sire her child some two decades ago.
That singer-songwriter? Melissa Etheridge. In the late 90s—1997 and 1998, to be exact—Etheridge’s then-partner Julie Cypher gave birth to two children whose biological father was later revealed to beDavid Crosby of Crosby, Stills & Nash. But in a recent Australian interview with Studio 10’s Angela Bishop, Etheridge confessed that Brad Pitt also offered to be the biological parent to her offspring.
“Well actually, [Brad Pitt] was such a good friend of mine. And we did consider it,” Etheridge said. The reason she and Cypher ultimately decided against it, however?
“I looked and I saw how badly he wanted children and I thought, ‘I don’t want to share this with someone who really, badly wants children because my children don’t need another parent—they have two.’”
Etheridge has shared this information with her children, who, as you can imagine, are devastated by the missed genetic opportunity.
“Of course, my teenagers now are like, ‘I could have had Brad Pitt [as my dad]!” My son said, ‘I could’ve been amazingly handsome!’”
But Crosby was the better choice, Etheridge explained, because he already had kids.
“It’s one of the reasons why David Crosby and his wife are so perfect—because they [already] had children. They were looking to do this as a gift. And my children are lovely and gorgeous anyway.”
While it is uncertain how Etheridge and Pitt first met, the singer performed at his 2000 wedding to Jennifer Aniston. Etheridge admitted several years back that she had not spoken to the actor since he married Angelina Jolie. “But we were very close before that,” she said, adding, “I have reached out.”
He is one of the world's most famous and recognisable men.
Yet Brad Pitt was miles away from an A-list soirée, star-studded film-set or prestigious award ceremony - as he headed to a London branch of B&Q on Monday.
A source revealed to MailOnline that the 52-year-old Fight Club star was in the hardware store with two of his six children, while Twitter user @Harish1234321 shared an image of the star in the shop.
The Tweeter, using the handle Harish, appeared to work in the store and during his shift on Easter bank holiday Monday, he was left bewildered at his star spot. Posting the snap of the A-lister standing at the checkout, Harish added the caption: 'S***test photo ever, but Brad Pitt was at my work today'.
Meanwhile, a source who was also in the store, exclusively revealed to MailOnline that Brad was enjoying his casual shop alongside two of his six children.
The insider said: ‘He just looked like any other regular dad going about his Bank Holiday Monday. The kids were extremely polite and he kept moving them out of the way so other people could get on with their shopping. You’d never guess it was one of the most famous men in the world.’
He might be a multi-millionaire Oscar-winner but Brad Pitt's family make him feel like the 'richest man alive'.
The 50-year-old actor says becoming a dad to Maddox, 13, Pax, 10, Zahara, nine, Shiloh, eight, and six-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, changed him completely and he loves helping his children grow up.
Brad - who along with his wife Angelina Jolie earned a reported $280 million alone in the past six years - told Psychologies magazine: 'You learn to value the basic beauty of family, of watching your children grow and evolve. It's the most beautiful thing you can experience. I feel like the richest man alive since I've become a father.'
Hot! Brad Pitt Greets Fans Outside The Daily Show!: Well hello there!! Always good to see an A-lister still have time to meet and greet their fans, isn't it?? And that's exactly what Brad Pitt was doing when...
Brad Pitt is aware that his portrayal of a baseball-team manager in the new film Moneyball is somewhat different from his previous roles. After all, the actor has played a Nazi-hunter, a vampire, a cowboy hitchhiker, a detective on the trail of a serial killer, the Greek warrior Achilles, a terrorist, an assassin and the outlaw Jesse James. He has ridden on horseback and dodged both flying glass and flying fists for physical roles in movies like Troy, Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Fight Club.
By contrast, Pitt spends most of Moneyball sitting in a chair and making deals over the phone with other baseball teams. The movie, based on the 2003 Michael Lewis book, stars Pitt as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A's. In 2002, Beane figured out how to use analytics and statistics to compensate for his team's payroll, which was relatively small compared to what other major-league teams had to spend — and won 20 games in a row to set a new American League record.
Pitt tells Fresh Air host Terry Gross that as soon as he read Lewis' book, he knew he wanted to make Moneyball into a film.
"I was taken with these guys who out of necessity had to challenge the conventional wisdom of their industry," Pitt says. "They were a team [with] a payroll of $38 million, and they're playing against teams that have $120 million with another $100 million in reserves. And there's no way to have an equal fight. So what these guys had to do was re-question baseball and baseball knowledge. They had to take everything apart and start over again."
Pitt also served as one of the film's producers. He says he looked to Beane, who still works for the A's, for insight into how to separate his dual roles on set. Beane is famous for making personnel decisions for the A's but not watching his team play because he can't bear the suspense of possibly seeing them lose.
"He describes it as not wanting to make an emotional decision — that when he watches, he gets too involved — and he wants to understand the process and the outcome of that process, and then make a clear, level-headed decision afterward," says Pitt. "I watch the films during the editing process over and over again, and I can distance myself from the actor up there. I know when something's working or when it's not working."
Pitt began his own acting career in 1987, with roles on TV shows like Growing Pains and Dallas. His first film appearances, in 1991's Thelma and Louise and 1992's A River Runs Through It, helped pave the way for larger roles in films like Interview with the Vampire, Legends of the Fall, Seven, Sleepers and Fight Club.
In 2009, Pitt starred in Quentin Tarantino's film Inglourious Basterds as Nazi hunter Lt. Aldo Raine. Raine famously had a scar on his neck that looked like he had been slashed or strangled by a wire. But if you're curious about its origins, Pitt says you might have to wait awhile.
"[Tarantino] said it would never be explained in [Inglourious Basterds] and if he ever does what he called a prequel-slash-sequel, then we'll reveal it then," he says. "He talks about [a sequel], but he's got several things percolating at once."
As for his own career? Pitt says he's not sure yet what he'll do next.
"I want to keep mixing it up," he says. "I find that the next film is always informed by the last film you finish."
Interview Highlights
On his childhood religious experiences
"It was Sunday school and do good and Bible study and daily prayer. But it was always something I wrestled with personally. I was very curious about the world even at a young age, and I don't know at what point I became aware that other cultures believed in different religions, and my question was, 'Well, why don't they get to go to heaven then?' And the answer was always, 'Well, everyone gets a chance — meaning at the word of God as it was described to me then. And that didn't sit well with me then. But in times of trouble or discord, it's a great comfort. And it wasn't till I left home that I really came to the conclusion that it didn't make sense to me for many other reasons."
On leaving religion and finding comfort
"Within time, you get comfortable with yourself and with the unknown — that we're not going to know until that time comes. And that's enough for me. I wrestle with this a lot even now because I don't want to step on anyone's religion. My family is still very dedicated. At the same time, I take great issue with it when it starts defining policy or ultimately becomes separatist. ... It's been the basis of our main conflicts throughout history."
On going to L.A. two weeks before he was supposed to finish college
"I knew where I wanted to go. I had a direction. I always liked those moments of epiphany, when you have the next destination."
On his favorite films
"I loved Saturday Night Fever when I was a kid. I couldn't believe people talked that way. It was just a whole new culture I didn't understand. I snuck into it. It was an R-rated film. So it holds a special place. The films on my playlist today would be Dog Day Afternoon. [One Flew Over the] Cuckoo's Nest was a huge one with me. I would say [Dr.] Strangelove always cracks me up."
On selling photos of his children to raise money for charity
"I know some of these guys who are in that 'stalkerazzi' world, and you really have to separate them from the paparazzi in our industry. That's another breed. They have their heroes who got the big, scandalous shot, which just promotes more of that. It's a very strange thing to be selling photos of something that's very intimate and personal. And those of which you want to protect. We have to plan an escape every day just to get out of the house — kind of a Mission Impossible with decoys, and that's the life we live in, and that's the one we asked for. But we knew there was a bounty on our head ... and we know the lengths they go to to get that shot. So we figured, 'Let's cut it off in the beginning,' and instead of that money going to people I do not respect, we would make some good out of it."
Preheat the oven to gas mark 6/200°C/400ºF. Line and butter two 21cm / 8 inch sandwich tins.
Mix the egg yolks, 100g / ½ cup of the sugar, the butter, flour, cornflour, baking powder, bicarb, and lemon zest in a processor. Add the lemon juice and milk and process again.
Divide the mixture between the prepared tins. You will think you don't even have enough to cover the bottom of the tins, but don't panic. Spread calmly with a rubber spatula until smooth.
Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until peaks form and then slowly whisk in 200g / 1 cup of sugar. Divide the whisked whites between the two sponge-filled tins, pouring or, more accurately, spreading the meringue straight on top of the cake batter.
Smooth one flat with a metal spatula, and with the back of a spoon, peak the other and sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over the peaks. Put the tins into the oven for 20-25 minutes.
With a cake-tester, pierce the cake that has the flat meringue topping to check it's cooked all through. (It will have risen now but will fall back flattish later.) No sponge mixture should stick to the tester. Remove both cakes to a wire rack and let cool completely in the tins.
Unmould the flat-topped one on to a cake stand or plate, meringue side down.
Whisk the double cream until thick but not stiff and set aside. Spread the flat sponge surface of the first, waiting, cake with the lemon curd and than spatula over the cream and top with the remaining cake, bronze-peaked meringue uppermost.
With or Without You Bono wrote the lyrics during his first night visiting Côte d’Azur in 1986, while struggling to reconcile his responsibilities as both a married man and a musician. His wanderlust in belonging to a musical act was often at odds with his domestic life. While writing the lyrics, he realized that neither facet of his life defined him, but rather the tension between the two did. He explained that the final lyric is about "torment" and how repressing desires only makes them stronger. credit: WIKIPEDIA
What does U2's most famous song "With or Without you" mean?
This 1987 hit single often went through mixed interpretation, but as confirmed by the songwriter Bono himself that the song is about his struggle to reconcile his responsibilities both as a married man and as a musician on road.
He cannot let go of either of it at the same time he cannot go on with it. That is why it says 'I can't live with our without you'
Brad Pitt is used to living it up at his £35m estate in the South of France, or any of the half a dozen homes he owns all over the world, but the leading man has downsized his vision and indulged his passion for architecture to build a £130,000 house he hopes will be a model for sustainable living.
It's all for a good cause, of course, and Pitt had help from Frank Gehry, no less, the architect better known for the shimmering Bilbao Guggenheim Museum in Spain.
Their pink house stands in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina when it tore up the Louisiana city in 2005.
Pitt promised to build 150 such houses after the disaster left thousands of people homeless. He set up the Make It Right foundation and called on his impeccable contacts in the architecture world to come up with designs. This is the first house designed by Gehry, a Canadian-born architect more used to creating concert halls and skyscrapers.
The building incorporates a three-bedroom and a one-bedroom house and includes a rooftop patio covered with a canopy of solar panels. Its price is typical for its size and location, despite its big-name backers.
This is more than a pet project for Pitt. He has secured funding from philanthropists including Steve Bing, and, in 2009, met President Barack Obama to promote his dreams of green housing as a national blueprint that might attract federal money.
Gehry, meanwhile, said in a press release that he approved of the finished product: "I love the colours that the homeowner chose. I could not have done it better."
Pitt has long been a student of design and architecture, lavishing millions on his homes with his wife, Angelina Jolie. In 2005, he was rumoured to be involved with Gehry in plans to build a tower in Hove, on the East Sussex coast, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, the scheme didn't get very far.
He is modest about his work in New Orleans, telling talk show host Ellen DeGeneres (to whom he sold his Malibu home for about £8m) in March: "This took a lot of very smart people coming in and attacking the situation... I get far too much credit for bringing [them] together."
He also joked about his architectural ambitions for at least one of his six young children. "Yeah, I'm pushing them that way," he said. "When you see them drawing crayon houses, 'That's a beautiful house, honey.' You just keep pushing them.'"
not mine.credit and source: INDEPENDENT UK
As an actor, Brad Pitt tried to breach the walls of Troy. In real life, the Hollywood star wants to reshape Hove as a member of the design team behind one of Britain's most daring architectural projects.
Pitt, the 41-year-old star of movies such as Fight Club, Ocean's Eleven and Troy, is designing a restaurant and a penthouse as part of architect Frank Gehry's controversial £250m redevelopment of the Hove seafront. The actor is not a qualified designer; he studied journalism at the University of Missouri before embarking on a film career. But in interviews he has often talked about his passion for architecture and the work of leading practitioners such as Gehry and Rem Koolhaas.
Pitt and 76-year old Gehry met in 2001 and have become close friends. The actor has even taken time out from the movies to study computer-aided design during an "informal apprenticeship" at the Canadian-born architect's Los Angeles offices.
In an interview with Vanity Fair last year Pitt said: "I'm really into architecture, structure and design. Give me anything and I'll design it. I'm a bit nutty with it." Pitt added: "I've got a few men I respect very much and one would be Frank Gehry. He said to me, 'If you know where it's going, it's not worth doing.' That's become like a mantra for me. That's the life of the artist."
Pitt is expected to travel to Hove in August, when the planning application for Gehry's project is submitted, or later this year when it is considered by the city council. There are even rumours the actor may buy the luxury duplex penthouse he is helping to design.
Josh Arghiros, joint managing director of Karis Holdings, the company that is developing the King Alfred site, said: "Brad is looking for a place to live in Britain and it may well be that he'll take one of the flats in Brighton. I haven't got a clue what style he'll go for. I understand from Frank that Brad's design aspirations coincide with Frank's aspirations for the project. I understand he has really good taste."
Mr Arghiros conceded Pitt's involvement had generated some welcome publicity for the project, but denied it was the equivalent of a celebrity endorsement.
"We've known about this for two years - it has only just come out because Frank has talked about it," he said. "We could have exploited it if we were being cynical about it. But he [Pitt] is genuinely excited about the project - it has captured his imagination. Everyone wants to be part of it because it's so bloody brilliant."
A spokesman for Brighton and Hove city council said it would welcome the Hollywood star if he did buy one of the penthouses and took up residence in the East Sussex city. He would be in good company - Hove's celebrity residents include Paul McCartney and DJ Fatboy Slim.
Outraged
Gehry's iconoclastic designs include the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and Maggie's Centre, a cancer daycare centre, in Dundee. But his bold plans for the King Alfred site - a 1930s sports centre on Hove's seafront - have outraged some residents since his company was chosen to redevelop it in 2003.
Gehry's initial design was centred on four 120-metre towers that are supposed to resemble crumpled Victorian dresses. The development also includes a £26m sports centre and more than 700 flats.
The height of the towers was reduced after protests from residents and only two are now proposed. But their radical sculptural design, described by one critic as "transvestites caught in a gale", remains unchanged.
The council spokesman said it was hopeful Pitt's involvement might broaden interest in the King Alfred redevelopment.
"Many people know about Frank Gehry as an architect and many more will know about Brad Pitt the actor," he said. "So it will bring the project and our ambitions to a wider audience."
Pitt made his public debut as a designer in March last year when he appeared with Gehry at a Los Angeles architectural forum. He was introduced as part of Gehry's "dream team", a consortium that was preparing an £800m plan to transform part of downtown LA. Pitt is believed to be advising Gehry on cinema, sports hall and restaurant designs.
Pitt's new role may be part of a wider trend among Hollywood actors who used to turn to the stage or rock'n'roll as an antidote to Tinsletown's superficiality. Earlier this week Star Wars actor Hayden Christensen revealed he was considering giving up acting for architecture.
"I don't find Hollywood interesting, so I'm thinking about studying architecture instead," Christensen said. "A film is a product and as an actor you can only sell it if you sell yourself."
Stars with style
Brad Pitt
Born
Shawnee, Oklahoma, US
Age
41
Career highlights
Johnny Suede, Fight Club, Ocean's 11
Career lowlights
Seven Years in Tibet, Meet Joe Black
Why he matters
'He combines the matinee idol looks of Gary Cooper with the sex symbol loveliness of Marilyn Monroe'
Frank Gehry
Born
Toronto, Canada
Age
76
Career highlights
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao; Walt Disney concert hall, Los Angeles
Career lowlights
Experience Music Project, Seattle
Why he matters
'One of the most prominent contemporary American architects with his open, curvilinear, diverse and sometimes playful west coast style'.
Becker's Blog: Architecture: Can you make it?: A question I have asked myself recently is do you have go the whole way with the 7 years of Architecture to make it successful? Some famous ...
February 28, 2008 Who would have guessed that Brad Pitt, one of the most photographed celebrities, likes to shoot photos? One of the images here (camera friendly star) shows Pitt holding a Lomo camera with a fisheye lens (180 deg coverage). For his last birthday, Angelina Jolie gave him a reconditioned Polaroid camera that was modified to shoot 4"x5" film and adjust for distortion. It's called a Littman 45 single and the prices start at $3000.
I wonder what his images look like? Does he re-shoot old movie scenes like in this month's Vanity Fair magazine? Does he shoot pictures of his sexy wife? Does he take self portraits? He must be pretty vain because, after all, how many people show up for a magazine interview shirtless?
I bet that Vanity Fair's photographer who shot the new "Rear Window" still (shown here) using a digital camera. Who wants to mess with film when digital gives you immediate gratification. With digital you also don't give the Target clerk a chance to see your.... art.
An engagement ring used to serve as a token of financial commitment and a placeholder for virginity. Today the world embraces it as a symbol of love, passion, and closeness between two consenting adults. A wedding ring signifies eternal love, eternal commitment and (hopefully) eternal happiness.
Right vs. Left: A Cultural Perception
Across the globe it is generally recognized that an individual (or couple) can choose to wear wedding and engagement rings on whichever hand they please.
Right or left hand - neither is correct or incorrect, it is a matter of personal preference. Wearing your engagement and wedding bands separately is culturally and socially acceptable to most people. Different cultures observe different rituals.
In the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Iran, Chile, Italy, France, Sweden, Slovenia and other Commonwealth nations an engagement ring is generally worn on the left hand. In other countries such as Germany, Greece, Russia, Spain, India, Colombia, Venezuela, and Poland it is most often worn on the right hand.
Orthodox Christians and Eastern Europeans also traditionally wear the wedding band on the right hand. Jewish couples wear the wedding ring on the left hand, even though it is placed on the right hand during the marriage ceremony.
In The Netherlands, Catholic people wear it on the left, all others on the right; in Austria Catholic people wear it on the right hand, but Old Catholics often wear it on the right. In Belgium, the choice of hand depends on the region of the country.
In Scandinavia, women wear three rings, one is for their engagement, the other is for their wedding vows and the third stands for motherhood.
Muslims do wear wedding rings, but this is a Western and not an Islamic tradition - one that Muslims have adopted. The ring that male Muslims are allowed to wear can be made from any material except gold. Platinum rings are allowed. In a Muslim tradition there is no difference on which hand the ring is worn - usually the right, but there is no set rule or tradition.
In China the bride and groom wear their wedding rings on the opposite hands. The bride wears hers on her right while the groom wears his on the left. This is based on the Chinese custom of “nan zhuo, nu you.” The Chinese believe that since the woman is the one in charge of the family household her ring should be worn on the right hand because the right hand exerts more influence.
Finger meanings
According to ancient Chinese philosophy:
The thumb represents your parents
The index finger represents your siblings
The middle finger represents yourself
The ring finger represents your life partner
The little finger represents children
If you close your hands, with all your fingers tip-to-tip except the middle fingers, which you bend inside you will be able to:
Open your thumbs: your parents are not destined to live with you forever.
Open your index fingers: your siblings are going to leave you to have their own life and family.
Open your little fingers: your children will also settle someday with a family of their own.
Finally, try to separate your ring finger. You can't do it, since as husband and wife, you are destined to be together forever.
There is however, a less romantic and more anatomic explanation for this:
All of the other fingers have two extensor tendons, while the ring finger has just one. All four fingers have the extensor digitorum communis that straightens the fingers. The small finger has the extensor digitorum minimis and the index has the extensor indicis proprius. The ring finger does not have a secondary tendon.
Love vs. Eternal Togetherness
What you are going to read here applies to all rings, not just those made by us. The reason we are willing to share this information with you is that we are not a retail store in the conventional sense of the word. We are not afraid to "lose a sale" by telling you the truth. There is no sale to lose. We see plenty of damaged jewelry and we feel that our obligation is to inform you before you make the vital decision...
Wearing two rings next to each other will eventually damage either one of them or both.
It might take a while, but it will definitely happen. If any ring has diamonds or gemstones exposed you will see the damage faster. Even if you wear a plain solitaire next to a plain wedding band there will be eventually a groove where two meet. Most gemstones are much harder than any metal used in jewelry. When the two grind against each other, stones will prevail over metal.
A ring is oscillating left and right on a finger during the normal course of everyday wear, and you cannot stop that movement. These minute but constant vibrations are what cause the most damage. The only type of ring that is designed to withstand the abuse of continuous wear next to another is the stackable ring.
A stackable ring is a ring where the whole surface of one ring is touching the whole surface of another ring. Of course both surfaces must be smooth and have no stones. The damage will be minimal because the physical force (friction) is spread evenly over a wider surface.
It's often incorrectly assumed that engagement rings modified to fit flush with the wedding band will not get damaged.
This assumption does not take into account a lateral shift. The soft tissue of a finger cannot prevent the rings from shifting up and down in relation to one another. In this case the parts that come into contact are not the smooth sides of the rings. The top of the wedding band will have its stones ripped off by rubbing against stems or prongs of the engagement ring. In turn the crown or basket of the engagement ring will suffer damage as well.
Diamonds are, of course, the most common gemstones used in pavé and they happen to be the hardest material on Earth. Faceted diamonds have even sharper edges than rough diamonds, which are used in industrial oil drills. When two diamonds come into contact, they will chip or crush each other. A diamond coming into contact with any metal will simply grind a groove. Thin metal parts coming in contact with stones (for example prongs) will be cut in half.
So, dear friends, you might think that wearing your wedding band and engagement ring is symbolic of eternal togetherness. Yet, this togetherness is not healthy for either party. Separate the rings, maintain their individuality, show love for your beloved (ring), cherishing it and it will serve you for eternity.
Yet Another Conspiracy
Wearing both engagement and wedding bands next to each other, is often explained as “tradition”. The truth is however, that people in the past were conditioned to wear both rings together completely unaware that instead of ancient tradition, they were in fact following a clever marketing ploy.
Retail jewelers backed by an all-powerful diamond syndicate heavily promoted the idea in order to lock engagement ring customers into returning to the same store for their wedding band.
When both rings sit right next to each other they must look very similar in style. Someone who purchased an engagement ring in a store would hesitate to buy a wedding band at a different store in case it did not match. If both rings are worn on different hands, then the need for an exact match is nonexistent. As a matter of fact most bands made to match an engagement ring would look insignificant and understated on their own.
Another reason for retailers to promote wearing both rings together is that it will reduce the average life expectancy of your engagement ring significantly. This is great for the retailers who get to replace your engagement ring after only a few years. It is not so great for the customer, who not only has to deal with the emotional distress of replacing the original engagement ring, but also has to pay for it.
Engagement rings were very different in the past and styles have evolved significantly in the last few decades. Jewelry became lighter, more intricate, with more (and often much smaller) stones encrusted on every imaginable surface. This kind of design is more delicate and therefore its beauty must be protected by taking extra care. This extra care is nothing complicated or costly, it is as simple as minimizing the contact between any two rings.
History: Fact & Myth
Pliny the Elder tells us:
"It was the custom at first to wear rings on a single finger only---the one next to the little finger, and this we see to be the case in the statues of Numa and Servius Tullius. Later it became usual to put rings on the finger next to the thumb, even with statues of the gods; and more recently still it has been the fashion to wear them upon the little finger too.
Among the Gauls and Britons the middle finger---it is said---is used for the purpose. However, in our society today this is the only finger that is excluded. All the others are loaded with rings, smaller rings even being separately adapted for the smaller joints of the fingers." {showhide}
The custom of placing the betrothal or wedding ring upon the fourth finger owes its origin to the romantic, albeit false theory that a special nerve or vein ran directly from the finger to the heart. This theory is originally thought to be from the Roman grammarian and Neo-Platonist philosopher, Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius, who in turn received this information from an unnamed Egyptian priest.
Macrobius also explained that the fourth finger is the one protected the most. We don't even want to think what his other fingers were used for. Isadore of Seville, writing in the early part of the seventh century also declared that the betrothal ring was placed on the fourth finger. It seems likely that this rule was generally followed in the Roman Empire up to its end.
Since Roman times the hand used for engagement and wedding rings has changed many times, along with the reasoning behind it. For example:
There is substantial evidence that at an early period among the Gauls, the engagement ring was placed on the right hand, and not on the left.
A skeleton from around the seventh century was discovered in an ancient burial site wearing a gold ring on its left hand which closely resembles our wedding rings of today.
Ecclesiastical rituals in France from the eleventh to the fifteenth century prove, with few exceptions, that the nuptial ring was to be placed on the right hand of the bride (in most of the dioceses, this was upon the middle finger, but in the diocese of Liège it was worn on the fourth finger).
In England, prior to the Reformation, the third finger of the right hand was used, and it was only in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer when this was changed to the left. However, before this, King Edward VI of England had decreed that the third finger of the left hand should be the official ring finger (Clare Phillips, Jewels and Jewelry, 2000).
During the Renaissance rings were strung upon men's necklaces or hung from a thin cord around the neck. Frequently betrothal or engagement rings were even worn on the hat.
A nameless writer tells us the fourth finger of the left hand was chosen for the placement of the engagement ring because this is the weakest finger and it cannot be used independently. A ring on that finger signified subjugation of the wife to the husband. Women are far from being dependent or subjugated, but the finger is still considered the appropriate place for wearing the engagement ring.
The belief that the fourth finger should be used for placement of the ring has existed at least since the fifteenth century.
At the betrothal by proxy of Lucrezia Borgia (her previous engagements to two Spanish nobles were conveniently broken by Pope Alexander VI) to Giovanni Sforza, the record specified that twin gold rings were set with precious stones and that they were placed on the fourth finger of the left hand "whose vein leads to the heart." Apparently that vein was somewhat blocked because just in a few years they were allowed to divorce after he signed a paper attesting to his own impotence.
In the year 1549, those of the Protestant faith switch the wedding ring finger from the right hand to the left hand. However those of the Catholic faith stayed with the right ring finger as the wedding ring finger.
During the reign of George I of England (who ironically was born German and could not speak a word of English) it was not unusual to wear the wedding ring on the thumb, although it has been placed on the fourth finger at the marriage ceremony.
Possibly, this custom may have arisen because exceptionally large wedding rings were favored by fashion at that time. There was one notable exception in which a nobleman entering into a morganatic marriage (marriage between a high noble and a lesser noble or a non-noble) would present his left hand to receive the ring (as in "left-handed marriage").
There is another myth whose existence seems to be an invention of an unknown Wikipedia author that was left unchecked by editors and later copied by a myriad of plagiarist webmasters. It is that Baron d'Orchamps of France.
The Baron was presumably an oracle and international man of mystery –informed his clients that evil influences could be warded off and good fortune attracted if a diamond was worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. You can search online for Baron d'Orchamps and see a list of web sites who shamelessly copied this Wikipedia article without even reading the content.
Solutions?
There is no logic in wearing two matching rings sitting flush because both rings will merge visually into one thick shank. The combo ring will appear lopsided, and most people will assume that the craftsman had one too many Jägermeisteres.
However, for those of you who really must wear your rings together, here are a few suggestions to try and minimize the damage that will inevitably occur.
We do not endorse these solutions and do not recommend using any of them. We list them, so you are aware of the possibilities.
You can permanently attach rings together. This solution is totally void of any logic - in essence you are wearing just one pregnant ring.
However, this will guarantee that neither ring will be damaged unless you recognize that permanently attaching rings is in fact damage. If you are considering this solution you might as well consider a design similar to our "Marianna" style with an air-spaced double band. With enough imagination you can call this a band and an engagement ring in one.
You can choose a fitted style of wedding band - specifically curved to hug the outline of the shank.
You can use a "spacer" which is essentially an extra band with one side fitted to hug the engagement ring and another to be flush against the wedding band.
You can modify your engagement ring design to have your band fit flush with the shank - essentially reducing the design by getting rid of important visual/structural elements, as well as raising the head of the ring to an undesirable height.
You can use a tongue and groove construction (simply a set of strategic hooks) to prevent any relative movement.
"Nabera" is the Okinawa dialect of sponge cucumber. The original meaning comes from "Nabearai (dish washing)". Cucurbit vegetables such as nabera help fix your metabolism and in a region like Okinawa that is burning hot, it's the must-to-eat ingredients in summer. Used for nabe (hot pot), curry, and other soup dishes. "Naberanbushi (sponge cucumber boiled in miso)" is one of the famous Okinawa plates. not mine.credit and source: OKINAWA GOURMET GUIDE
Packed with fruit, spices and marzipan, try making your own version of this classic Easter recipe.
Preparation time
less than 30 mins
Cooking time
1 to 2 hours
Serves
Serves 10-12
Ingredients
For the almond paste
250g/9oz caster sugar
250g/9oz ground almonds
2 free-range eggs, beaten
1 tsp almond essence
For the cake
175g/6oz butter or margarine
175g/6oz soft brown sugar
3 free-range eggs, beaten
175g/6oz plain flour
Pinch salt
½ tsp ground mixed spice (optional)
350g/12oz mixed raisins, currants and sultanas
55g/2oz chopped mixed peel
½ lemon, grated zest only
1-2 tbsp apricot jam
1 free-range egg, beaten for glazing
Method
For the almond paste, place the sugar and ground almonds in a bowl. Add enough beaten egg and mix to a fairly soft consistency.
Add the almond essence and knead for one minute until the paste is smooth and pliable.
Roll out a third of the almond paste to make a circle 18cm/7in in diameter and reserve the remainder for the cake topping.
Preheat oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1. Grease and line a 18cm/7in cake tin.
For the cake, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs until well incorporated and then sift in the flour, salt and mixed spice (if using) a little at a time. Finally, add the mixed dried fruit, peel and grated lemon zest and stir into the mixture.
Put half the mixture into a greased and lined 18cm/7in cake tin. Smooth the top and cover with the circle of almond paste. Add the rest of the cake mixture and smooth the top leaving a slight dip in the centre to allow for the cake to rise. Bake in the preheated oven for 1¾ hours. Test by inserting a skewer in the middle - if it comes out clean, it is ready. Once baked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack.
Brush the top of the cooled cake with the apricot jam. Divide the remainder of the almond paste in half; roll out a circle to cover the top of the cake with one half and form 11 small balls with the other half.
Place the circle of paste on the jam glaze and set the balls round the edge. Brush the cake topping with a little beaten egg.
Preheat the grill to high. Place the cake onto a baking tray and grill for 1-2 minutes, or until the top of the marzipan begins to brown. Alternatively, lightly heat the cake topping using a cook's blow torch, until the marzipan is golden-brown.
Simnel Cake is a special food item associated with Easter. Known since the Medieval Times, a Simnel Cake is a rich fruit cake with a layer of almond paste on top and in the middle. The cake is often toasted.
The cake is made with 11 balls of marzipan icing on top, representing the 11 disciples (Judas is not included).
The cake was traditionally boiled in water, then baked. The Lent fast dictated that the Simnel cake be kept until Easter.
The word Simnel is said to have been derived from the Latin word "simila" which means a fine wheat flour mainly used for baking a cake. Lemon, Ginger and Almond Simnel-Style Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
Three lemons, finely zested plus seven tablespoons of juice
150g of crystallized ginger, finely chopped (or stem ginger, well drained)
250g pf butter, softened
250g of golden caster sugar
Six large eggs, separated
225g of self raising flour, sifted
Two teaspoons of ground ginger
175g of ground almonds
For the white chocolate ganache
300g of white chocolate, broken into squares
150ml of double cream
35g of butter
For the white chocolate butter icing
125g of butter, softened
225g of icing sugar
One tablespoon of milk
50g of white chocolate, melted and cooled
For the marzipan balls
250g of natural marzipan
Edible gold dusting powder
Blue gel food colouring
Purple gel food colouring
Pink gel food colouring
Green gel food colouring
Method
1) To make the cake, preheat the oven to 180°C, 160°C fan, gas 4. Grease the sides of 2 20cm (8in) round, deep, loose-based cake tins. Line the bases with baking paper.
2) Mix the lemon rind and juice with the chopped ginger and set aside. Put the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and using an electric whisk, beat until pale, smooth and creamy.
3) Add the egg yolks, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Fold half of the flour, ground ginger and ground almonds into the mixture followed by half of the lemon and ginger mixture. Repeat with the remaining flour, almonds and lemon and ginger mixture.
4) Using a clean electric whisk, beat the egg whites until white, foamy and stiff. Add a large spoonful to the cake mixture and fold in to loosen the mixture a little. Using a large metal spoon, carefully fold the remaining egg white in to the mixture until well combined. Divide the mixture between the prepared tins and bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes then turn out on to a wire cooling rack and leave until completely cool.
5) Meanwhile, make the white chocolate ganache. Put the chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl. Stand the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (without letting the water touch the base of the bowl) and heat gently, stirring occasionally until the chocolate has melted. Alternatively microwave on high for 1-1 1/2 mins. Add the butter and remove the bowl from the pan. Beat in the butter and cool. Chill for 35-45 minutes or until the mixture thickens to a spreading consistency.
6) Meanwhile, make the buttercream: place the butter, icing sugar and milk in a bowl and beat until smooth and combined. Stir in the cooled, melted chocolate. Set aside at room temperature.
7) When the cakes are cold sandwich them together with a thin layer of the white chocolate ganache, placing the flattest side of the top cake uppermost. Using a palette knife, spread the buttercream all over the top and sides of the cake, making it as smooth as possible. Chill for 10-15 minutes until firm.
8) Using a palette knife spread the remaining white chocolate ganache over the top and sides of the cake. Chill while making the marzipan balls.
9) To make the marzipan balls: Divide the marzipan into 5 pieces, making one piece slightly larger than the rest; divide this into 3 and roll into balls. Sprinkle some of the gold dusting powder over a small plate and roll the marzipan balls in it to coat. Colour the remaining pieces of marzipan using a few drops of each of the colourings. Shape each colour into 2 balls. Arrange on top of the cake and serve.
