Brad Pitt Going Green in New Orleans

Coming off the heels of Brad Pitt's and Angelina Jolie's recent purchase of a fabulous French Quarter home, complete with a beautiful French Quarter courtyard, Brad Pitt's Green Project is set to break ground on construction of a new environmentally-friendly home in, what's become one of the most reported on of devastated neighborhoods in New Orleans, the Lower Ninth Ward.

The Brass Band was a playin', 1000s of schoolchildren a playin', and bundles of hay a layin', as the ceremony and news conference began on Brad Pitt's newest foray into social/humanitarian causes. It was quite a little brew-ha-ha. And although Brad Pitt wasn't in town to be a part of the festivity, in a telephone interview he shared some thoughts about he and Angelina Jolie living in New Orleans, the situation in New Orleans, and how he sees the Global Green Project becoming an example to the world. Additional commentary and reporting provided on the filming in New Orleans of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," which he's calling "a love letter to New Orleans."

"Living in the French Quarter is a thrill for us," he said. "We have some semblance of real family life. People have been very, very gracious with us. If we're on the front deck, people go by and say, 'Hi.' Then they go on their way, very friendly." (Times Picayune) Sounds like he's getting the hang of that ole New Orleans 'sacheting' down the street, and waving and talking to people you know as you go.

And in contrasting what life at home in New Orleans to where he was at the very moment of the phone call he said, "Let me tell you, we're in this house in Prague right now and there's about 12 cars of paparazzi outside and some tourists with video cameras," Pitt said Wednesday in a phone interview. "I can't describe why we're allowed to live a more normal life (in New Orleans)." (See Brad Pitt Misses Y'all, Doug MacCash, New Orleans' Times Picayune for more of the phone interview) Like other famous people that live in the French Quarter, you just learn that New Orleans is the biggest little city going.