{swank}: April 2009

Monday, April 27, 2009

Brad's Personal Photos

Photography by Brad Pitt, W, November 2008

(October 17, 2008, New York, NY) Angelina Jolie opens up to W magazine about how Brad changed her view on having biological children:"I think one of the life-changing things that he did, one of many, is that I was absolutely never going to get pregnant. I never felt that it was the right thing to do. Now I wouldn't trade that experience for the world. It taught me a lot about life, just the process of it, and now we have three other beautiful children that wouldn't otherwise be here. When we first met, he talked about having children in that way. I talked about only adopting children. He stopped talking about having other kids in the other way. So I suppose in my heart I realized that he was happy with them as his children, completely. I knew he would never see them as different, and that gave me a certain peace. Then I suppose I just looked at him and loved him and just felt open to [getting pregnant]. I suddenly wanted to. It's one of those things you can't explain."

Following are other comments from Angelina Jolie's interview:

ON POSING NUDE FOR PITT TO PHOTOGRAPH HER FOR W JUST WEEKS AFTER GIVING BIRTH TO TWINS..."I'm with a man who's evolved enough to look at my body and see it as more beautiful, because of the journey it has taken and what it has created. He genuinely sees it that way. So I genuinely feel even sexier."

ON FINALLY FINDING THE RIGHT MAN IN BRAD..."I do think that I'm good in a partnership now. I think it just needed to be the right man. It's not just that I love being in Brad's company, which obviously I do, but it's that we both roll up our sleeves and take on what we care about in the same way. I have a lot of respect for him, and he helps me to be better and fight hard for things that I love."

ON NEEDING PRIVATE TIME WITH BRAD..."Most nights, someone ends up in our bed. They've just taken over in there - especially right now, because we want them to feel that the babies aren't special in the room. So our door is much more like a swinging door. The kids do knock before entering. We've at least got that part down. Because Mommy and Daddy need some space."

ON HER FAMILY LIVING A GYPSY-LIKE LIFESTYLE..."We have such a big family, such a close family, that we like being with each other a lot. We're happy to spend a lot of time alone and meet new people wherever we go. It's part of how I want to raise them. If you tell them we're getting on a plane tomorrow, they're all excited to pack their bags, and if you say we're not coming back for months, they won't bat an eye. I think they see the world as a home. I've seen Madd run through the markets of Addis Ababa [in Ethiopia] and not notice that it's very poor, or that everyone is African or that he's Asian. It wouldn't matter to him."

ON BRAD'S PHOTOGRAPHY..."I love his photography. Some people have a hobby, and they find the quickest way to it and are very pleased with the outcome right away. But he's someone who will really study the camera-he'll get the most complicated one and really understand the science behind it. And he's very critical of his own work. I'll see a photograph and think it's amazing, but he'll see all the different reasons why it can be better, and he'll work very, very hard to improve it."

Domestic B l i s s

Photography by Steven Klein, W, July 2005

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Grey Gardens

I just watched HBO's film Grey Gardens, starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange. Drew and Jessica play "Little Edie" and "Big Edie" Bouvier Beale, relatives of Jackie Kennedy Onasis and the subjects of a cult 1976 documentary. HBO did an astounding job; it was an incredible film, rendered beautifully. The costumes and art direction were extraordinary. Overall, the film was just so inspiring. I can't say enough good things, and I highly suggest seeing it immediately.

Golden Girl

The tragic news of Bea Arthur's death has swept the world. She was the funniest old woman I have ever known, and I will miss her humor and her voice. Gawker wrote a nice bit about her passing. Read it here. And then watch some Golden Girls reruns. They always make me feel better when I'm sad.

Bea and the Girls.