Brangelina -- and 350 pals -- take a private train to Glasgow

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie created their very own A-List Express on Tuesday: The star couple and their children boarded a private train in London and headed for Glasgow, Scotland, with about 350 friends.

By "friends," we mean various production staff and crew from Pitt's latest flick, "World War Z," in which the father of six attempts to stop a zombie apocalypse. Against a ticking clock, natch.

The gang arrived at the Euston train station in two SUVs with their little ones -- Maddox, 10, Pax, 7, Zahara, 6, Shiloh, 5, and twins Knox and Viv, 3 -- and two big smiles, said the Daily Mail.

The three-car chartered train run by Richard Branson's Virgin made the five-hour journey to Glasgow, where production will resume, with exteriors dressed to look like Philadelphia.

Amenities on board included standard suites and bathrooms, a gift shop and a dining car, though no official sleeping quarters were available. The train is often used to cart professional sports teams, People noted.

The Pitt-Jolie clan and the film team were greeted upon arrival by about 100 fans. 

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-- Matt Donnelly
twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photos: Passers-by, left, take pictures of a set for "World War Z" in Glasgow, which is standing in for Philadelphia. On the movie's set in Malta in June, Brad Pitt, right, walked past his stand-in. Credits: Reuters

Angelina Jolie surprises Sarajevo Film Festival crowd

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt surprised the crowd at the Sarajevo Film Festival on Saturday, walking the red carpet together before Jolie took the stage at the closing-night ceremony to receive an honorary Heart of Sarajevo award.

"I told Brad in the car I was afraid I was going to cry," Jolie said, her voice breaking as she waited, eyes full of tears, for a standing ovation to die down.

The award was given to the actress "for the great impact she has in the world of cinema" and "her active engagement in the complexities of the real world we live in," festival director Mirsad Purivatra said. Jolie, who has visited Bosnia as a U.N. goodwill ambassador, chose the country as the setting for "In the Land of Blood and Honey," her directorial debut about the war there in 1992-95.

"I am so honored to be here at this festival," she said after receiving the gold, heart-shaped award. "There is no greater example of the strengths of the artists and the festival that began during the war and grew stronger every year." (See her acceptance speech below.)

Jolie, whose presence at the festival had been unannounced, also presented the festival's best actor Heart of Sarajevo to Austria's Thomas Schubert for the movie "Atmen."

The mother of six recently said she doesn't need acting as much as she used to, telling the Financial Times, "I'm older and I know who I am ... and I'm less interested in the character helping me answer something ... than in being able to answer it for myself, as a woman, as an adult, with my family."

Her partner, Pitt, whose work in "Tree of Life" made headlines at the Cannes International Film Festival, has been in Malta working on the zombie movie "World War Z."

 

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-- Christie D'Zurilla
twitter.com/dzurillaville

Reuters contributed to this report.

Photo: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrive on the red carpet before attending the closing ceremony of the 17th Sarajevo Film Festival. Credit: Elvis Barukcic / AFP/Getty Images

Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt marriage plans alleged again. Really.

A new report that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are finally getting married is making the rounds — coincidentally, or perhaps not -- in the wake of the shutdown of Britain's News of the World tabloid Sunday.

We link the events only because NOTW was the tab that in January 2010 breathlessly reported Pitt and Jolie were absolutely, positively breaking up. That episode had a happy ending for the couple's charity when the paper paid an undisclosed but presumable satisfactory pile of cash to settle the ensuing violation-of-privacy claim. That suit was supported by a statement from the divorce lawyer who'd been named in the story that he'd in fact never even met the couple.

The most recent Brangelina marriage report — and there have been more than a few over the years — comes from "three separate sources" who told Us Weekly, anonymously, that an "intimate and informal" ceremony "could" take place at the couple's home in France.

Hey, anything's possible, right?

Brangelina have famously said they would not wed until same-sex marriage is universally legal in the U.S., though Angie admitted to ABC News last summer that she and Brad might marry if their kids asked them to. "The kids ask about marriage," Pitt told USA Weekend in May. "It's meaning more and more to them. So it's something we've got to look at."

That said, Pitt reiterated his marriage-equality stance last week, noting in a statement that while it was "encouraging that New York has joined the movement to grant equal marriage rights to its citizens" he still hoped that "someday soon this discrimination will end and every American will be able to enjoy their equal right to marriage."

In other rock-solid celebrity news, neither Charlie Sheen nor Wesley Snipes is currently dead, while as of a few days ago, Prince William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, remained married.

Not that anyone said they'd split, of course. But hey, anything's possible, right?

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Twitter.com/dzurillaville

Photo: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at the "Salt" premiere in Hollywood on July 19, 2010. Credit: Jason Merritt / Getty Images.

Highest-paid actresses: Angelina Jolie, Sarah Jessica Parker rake it in

The annual list of highest-paid actresses in Hollywood has hit -- and it looks like lunch this year is on Angelina Jolie and Sarah Jessica Parker.

The big-screen women tied for top-earning actress, clocking in with $30 million each earned from May 2010 to May 2011, according to the annual ranking compiled by Forbes magazine.

The list relies purely on income to rank the luminaries, among them Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Cameron Diaz.

What's notable about Jolie's take is that her dough comes solely from film-related income (read: the only surefire movie star) earned on star turns in "Salt" and "The Tourist" as well as her directorial debut, a yet-to-be-released Bosnian love story called "In the Land of Blood and Honey."  

Parker, while just as successful, counted cash from perfume lines and a design collaboration with Halston Heritage.

Like the next actress, Aniston has had her share of non-blockbusters, but "Just Go With It," costarring Adam Sandler, marked her fourth-highest domestic opening, Forbes noted. Witherspoon didn't hit big with the romcom "How Do You Know?" but still cashed the same size check as Jen: $28 million.

Julia Roberts came in on their heels at $20 million, followed by Kristen Stewart of "The Twilight Saga" at the same rate. Producer-actress Katherine Heigl earned $19 million for toys for daughter Naleigh, and Diaz took in $18 million as a cushy "Bad Teacher" bonus.  

Sandra Bullock folded about $15 million, while her kissing partner Meryl Streep clocked in at $10 million.

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Photos, from left: Sarah Jessica Parker, Reese Witherspoon and Angelina Jolie. Credits: Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images, left; Getty Images, center; Vadim Ghirda / Associated Press, right

 

Brad Pitt gets a set visit from Angelina Jolie, Zahara and Shiloh

Some of Brad Pitt's best gals came to visit him Tuesday on the Malta set of his new flick, "World War Z."

Angelina Jolie, who on Sunday visited recent refugees from Ethiopia, Somalia and Libya at the Lyster Barracks detention center in Malta in her role as a U.N. goodwill ambassador, packed up eldest daughters Zahara, 6, and Shiloh, 5, to visit dad Pitt on his lunch break.

The 90-minute visit occurred in the capital city Valletta's downtown district, according to People, where the girls met their father's costars: a bunch of zombies.

"World War Z" follows Pitt's character as he collects stories of human survival 10 years after a zombie outbreak threatened mankind. Incidentally, the Ministry would totally do the same kind of legwork, attending premieres and parties in bunkers at Grauman's Chinese and stuff.

The little Jolie-Pitts got to meet the undead extras while holding hands with their mom and dad. The production will reportedly move later in the summer to Glasgow, Scotland, where we can only hope Maddox, Pax and twins Knox and Viv will get to peep some bagpipe zombies.

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-- Matt Donnelly
twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photo: U.N. goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie visits refugees at a detention center for asylum-seekers in Malta on Sunday. Credit: Jason Tanner / U.N./Getty Images

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie donate $500,000 to Joplin tornado victims

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to the rescue: The generous pair is at it again, this time donating $500,000 to help Joplin tornado victims in Missouri.

The big give makes sense, considering Pitt grew up in nearby Springfield, Mo. In fact he spent much of his childhood in the Joplin area, sharing in a statement, “I know these people to be hardworking, humble and especially resilient.”

The destructive May 22 twister brought 200 mph winds and destroyed more than 8,000 homes and 400 businesses. Adding to the city’s woes, several residents have contracted a rare, yet lethal fungus in the aftermath of the disaster.  The death toll so far has reached 151.

“Last year 42 million people worldwide were displaced by natural disasters,” Jolie added. “So often these disasters seem far away, but now the need is for thousands of people displaced right here at home. Our hearts go out to the families in Joplin who have lost so much.”

The Jolie-Pitt Foundation funds will benefit the Joplin Recovery Fund via the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.  The organization “will be working shoulder to shoulder with these Joplin residents for the long haul as they rebuild their lives.  We, too, hope to further help with these rebuilding efforts,” Pitt said.

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Photo: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images

Angelina Jolie's 'Salt' gets a sequel order

The ball is officially rolling for Angelina Jolie to reprise her role as spy Evelyn Salt.

Sony Pictures has ordered a sequel script to 2010's "Salt," which saw Jolie as a government operative defending her name (and life) against claims of being a sleeper agent.

Screenwriter Kurt Wimmer has begun writing a follow-up, according to Deadline, as the first film's ending left Ms. Salt wide open for more action.

Jolie is reportedly interested in returning for another movie, pending the story and other elements aligning to her satisfaction. "Salt" racked up about $300 million at the worldwide box office.  

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Photo: Angelina Jolie stars as Evelyn Salt in, well, "Salt." A sequel is in the works. Credit: Columbia Pictures

Angelina Jolie feels 'very lucky' to have Brad Pitt

Just as the brood of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt has multiplied, so has their affection, it seems. Jolie is in no short supply of compliments and gratitude for the leading man in her life, a new interview reveals. 

As part of the promotion for "Kung Fu Panda 2," Jolie sat down with Britain's Guardian newspaper to discuss the qualities Pitt possesses as a man, why she loves being a natural woman and what the future of her career holds.

"I am very lucky with Brad," Jolie muses. "He is a real gentleman, but he is also a real man’s man."

"He’s got the wonderful balance of being an extraordinary, great, loving father, a very, very intelligent man and physically he’s a real man ... in all things that it means," she said.

Is it hot in here, or is it just the famous couple? While she appreciates the, uh, capabilities of Pitt, their home life is definitely all about the kids. On the longstanding question of whether she and Pitt will ever marry, Jolie offered a cagey, "We are obviously extremely committed to the children and as parents together."

This summer will see the release of a Louis Vuitton ad campaign starring Jolie and the start of production on her "Cleopatra" update. Just don't expect essence oils and skimpy gold costumes.

"I thought it was all about the glamour, but then I read about her and she was a very strong mother, she spoke five languages, and she was a leader," she said of her new interpretation of the historical Egyptian ruler.

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Photo: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie attend the Los Angeles premiere of 'The Tree of Life" on May 24. Credit: Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Brad Pitt: I'm not like that 'Tree of Life' dad at home [Video]

 

In "Tree of Life," the divisive new film from reclusive director Terrence Malick, Brad Pitt plays an emotionally withholding father who doesn't treat his kids well. He's a tough-love kind of dad -- one who aggressively teaches his boys how to box, and in one scene, even manhandles one of them at the dinner table.

But that's far from how he treats his own six children with Angelina Jolie -- Maddox, 9; Zahara, 6; Pax, 7; Shiloh, 4; and twins Vivienne and Knox, 2 -- he said at the premiere of the new film Tuesday night.

"I certainly don’t raise my kids that same way. I’m painfully aware that my actions leave an indelible mark on them in these formidable years," he said, speaking to reporters on the red carpet at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. "I make sure I don’t bring my crap back home. I want to keep them free. I want them to explore that innocence for as long as possible."

Pitt said he was even worried about how the fake emotional and physical violence on set would affect the young actors who played his sons.

“We had to be careful. Because they are young boys, and you don’t want to scar them in the process,” he acknowledged. “It was explained to them ahead of time that it was playing. ... And in between we made sure we had a lot of time every day throwing the ball around and riding bikes.”

The actor was accompanied to the event by Jolie, and when the glamorous pair arrived, a swarm of cellphone-wielding onlookers and camera crews encircled them. Indeed, it seemed that most of the reporters on the carpet were interested mostly in Pitt's personal life, asking him  about his family rather than his latest film.

When one reporter asked how Pitt planned to celebrate the upcoming birthday of his daughter Shiloh, however, he smiled and began to walk away.

"Oh, no, no, no," he said, unwilling to give away the top-secret plans.

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'Kung Fu Panda 2' movie premiere: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen laugh it up [Video]

Jack Black described what it was like to find his "inner panda" at the "Kung Fu Panda 2" premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Sunday morning. Amid a carnival on Hollywood Boulevard that resembled an inflatable Shanghai, with an endless McDonald's breakfast buffet, Black displayed his animated Zen alongside co-stars Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu and James Hong (who was wearing a handmade noodle-bowl hat).

Also on the carpet: Brad Pitt, Dennis Haysbert, Danny McBride, Jean-Claude Van Damme, composer Hans Zimmer, screenwriters Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, and director Jennifer Yuh Nelson.

The sequel to the popular animated film, about fat kung fu panda prodigy Po (Black) from a noodle-making family, delves deeper into the cuddly hero's psyche and into adoption themes, which resonated with Jolie (tigress) and her family, many of whom are adopted.

"I saw it with all my children ... and they just loved it," she said. "Nothing was surprising to them, it just made them feel good that Po was also like them."

Black, on the other hand, was content to simply goof around. Striking kung fu pose after pose and waving amiably at fans lined up along the carpet, he joked that working in 3-D for the film was no different than his everyday life.

"I guess I'm always in 3-D," he said. "We're in 3-D right now."

The last to wander amiably down the carpet was a very jovial Hoffman (Shifu), who revealed that he had a hard time finding the requisite inner peace required to make the movie until he had to go to work after having a root canal.

"I finally found inner peace," he said. "Not from the root canal. From the drugs."

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Photo: Jack Black at the "Kung Fu Panda 2" premiere. Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images. Left photo: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press