Brad Pitt: It's All About Family

Brad Pitt could be doing any number of things with his life right now, but for the star of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, there's only one thing on his mind: his family with Angelina Jolie.

"I have this fantasy of my older days, painting or sculpting or making things," he tells Rolling Stone in a new interview. "I have this fantasy of a bike trip to Chile. I have this fantasy of flying into Morocco. But right now, more and more, it's about getting the work done and getting home to family. I have an adventure every morning, getting up."

Work hasn't always been colored by commercial or critical success for Brad, with a string of duds like Meet Joe Black and The Devil's Own in the late '90s—a fact he'll openly admit.

"I got lost in the wilderness of fame a bit," he says. "There are all of these opportunities you're supposed to be taking. And I got really discombobulated."

"I normally need my kids to do this," he mutters, as he attempts to connect my iPod into his stereo. "They're so beyond me in technology, it's hard to keep up. Our seven-year-old was searching the word 'weapons' on Google the other day and ended up on some white-supremacist site. I'm sure now we're on all kinds of watch lists."

But the busy dad is excited about his latest film, which sees him aging backwards from an old man to a baby.

"I find Benjamin is about those universal things we all share �?that 95 percent that makes us all the same, wherever we are in the world," he reveals. "Our loves, our hopes, but also the loss that we all walk around with and hide very well, and the ultimate notion that we're all expendable. To me, it's a counterstatement to this divisive period we've been in, where we focused on the two, three, four, five percent of ways in which we're different."

Suspect Cleared in Ruffalo Shooting

An attorney for Shaha Mishaal Adham, who the Beverly Hills Police Department named as a suspect after Mark Ruffalo's brother Scott Ruffalo was shot last week in the head, says his client has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

"This was an accidental shooting by someone that plays with guns," lawyer Ronald Richards told the Associated Press. He said the police had been "more than impartial with the facts," and that Adham had only been a witness to a game of Russian Roulette.

Richards claims that Scott Ruffalo's wound was self-inflicted and that Adham left after retrieving her car keys. Scott died Monday after being removed from life support, and his family released a statement thanking well wishers.

"Mark Ruffalo and his family deeply appreciate the outpouring of prayers and support during this most difficult time of the passing of Scott Ruffalo, beloved son, brother and husband. The funeral service will be private. A memorial fund has been established in Scott Ruffalo's name."

The family is asking that donations be made to:

Scott Ruffalo, Family Fund

c/o Altman Greenfield & Selvaggi, CPA's
200 Park Avenue South 8th Floor
New York, NY 10003

Jessica Biel is turning her stardom towards a good cause, partnering with her family's Make the Difference Network and Auction Cause to host an auction on eBay to benefit Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

The assortment of items to bid on is a veritable treasure trove of celebritynames, among them: playing 18 holes of golf with Justin Timberlake and Butch Harmon; going to Adam Sandler’s movie premiere and after party for Bedtime Stories; a 1 ½ hour dance lesson and tickets to the next season of Dancing With the Stars from ballroom dance champion Maksim Chermovskiy; lunch and a dance lesson from So You Think You Can Dance? finalist Twitch; a chance to meet DJ Paul Oakenfold at his VIP Party at Rain in Las Vegas and tickets to Jeremy Piven’s sold out Broadway play Speed the Plow.

Check out the online auction on eBay now through Dec. 18. W

Brad Pitt Embraces Turning 45

Brad Pitt isn't afraid of getting old. Then again, if we looked like this hunky father of six, we wouldn't be either!

At Monday night's premiere of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in L.A., Pitt--who's approaching his 45th birthday-- told Extra he's definitely looking forward to his golden years.

"I like wisdom that comes with age," Pitt said in an interview airing tonight. "I wouldn't trade it for youth any day."

In the upcoming film, which is based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pitt plays a man who is born old and gets younger as the film progresses. It required not only a lot of makeup, but tons of patience.

"My mornings started very early," Pitt recalled. "Getting up at 3 in the morning and sitting in the chair for four or five hours."

Brad also cleared up the rumor that Angelina Jolie presented him with a $12,000 motorcycle, calling the reports, "not true at all."

Ever the jokester, Brad recently appeared on pal Ellen DeGeneres's show, encouraging her to send Chippendales to the office of his good friend and fellow prankster George Clooney--which she did.

Of his little practical joke, Pitt said, "It's a pre-emptive strike. It's coming anyway. You got to get something." Asked about Clooney's look-a-like facial hair, Pitt replied, "He's a handsom dude, what can I tell you? I can't get this guy out of my slipstream. I get a mustache. He gets a mustache."

It seems like Pitt had warm words for everybody, including his Interview With a Vampire co-star Tom Cruise. When asked if he'd ever work with the Mission Impossible star again, Pitt said, "Of course. He's a friend of mine. He's a strong one, that guy...I loved what he did in Tropic Thunder. The ending is hilarious."  

Only a few months after announcing their split, Madonna and Guy Ritchie have reached a settlement in their divorce, according tothe singer's spokeswoman.

The Rock 'n' Rolla director will be walking away from his marriage to the Material Girl with a hefty sum, "at least" 50 million pounds or $76 million, rep Liz Rosenberg tells the Associated Press. The twosome had an estimated worth of $525 million, with Guy holding his own fortune of $35 million.

''I'd assume it's one of the largest payouts ever in a divorce settlement,'' Rosenberg says of the agreement, which tops even the amount paid to Heather Mills by Paul McCartney.

While details have yet to be released regarding the children they currently share custody of, Rocco and David Banda, Guy will get the couples' country home as well as their London pub, the Punchbowl.

Drinks on Guy, everyone!

Tom Cruise: "I Could Have Handled That Better"

More than three years after their now-infamous verbal sparring match on The Today Show, Tom Cruise and Matt Lauer played nice during their interview on Monday morning.

"This is not Rocky II," Matt said about the much-hyped one-on-one. "This is not a rematch."

If anything, Tom's mood during Monday's live interview was apologetic. "I went back and I looked at it," he said of the June 2005 face-off that saw the Oscar-nominated star launching into an anti-psychiatry rant on the hit morning show. "After looking at it, I really thought... you know, it's not what I had intended... In looking at myself, you know, that came across as arrogant."

Tom later added, "That's one of those things you go, 'Okay, I could have absolutely handled that better.'"

However it wasn't all doom-and-gloom for the Valkyrie star. "It was a subject matter that's important," he explained. "And now it's something that's being debated in the public."

For Tom, it's not a matter of being on the wrong side of the issue �?but rather a matter of not doing a good job of explaining his point of view. "I didn't communicate it the way I wanted to communicate it," he told Matt. "That's not who I am; that's not the person that I am."

Having gotten a reality check from the negative publicity that followed the original interview, Tom says he's learned to keep his priorities straight.

"I'm here to entertain people," he explained. "That's who I am and what I want to do."

But don't expect the outspoken actor to stay silent on the topic of his controversial religious beliefs. He's just going to pick his battles more appropriately.

"I think there's a time and a place for it," he told Matt about his speaking on behalf of Scientology. "When people are tuning in to hear about my movie, that's what I'm here to talk about."

Off the topic of Scientology, Matt asked Tom if he and wife Katie Holmes are planning on having a baby brother or sister for their daughter Suri anytime soon.

"That's a question for the women," he laughed. "It's really their choice, isn't it?"

As his ex-wife Reese Witherspoon continues to get more and more serious with boy-toy Jake Gyllenhaal, actor Ryan Phillippe's romance with Australian actress Abbie Cornish took an interesting turn over the weekend when the pair hit the streets of Sydney over the weekend.

Ryan, who has all-but-admitted to dating Stop-Loss co-star Abbie, flew into the Australian metropolis on Sunday, where she was waiting at the airport for his arrival.

This is believed to be the first time Ryan has been Down Under with his Aussie sweetheart, and a report in the Herald-Sun claims that the Flags of Our Fathers star is planning on spending the Christmas holiday with her.

Following the news that seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong is expecting a baby with girlfriend Anna Hansen, a spokeswoman for his cancer foundation has confirmed that the baby was conceived the good ol' fashioned way!

"The baby was conceived naturally," spokeswoman Rae Bazzarre said in a statement to the AP on Wednesday.

Armstrong's three other children with ex-wife Kristin were conceived through in vitro fertilization with sperm he froze before undergoing chemotherapy for testicular cancer.

Of the news, Lance said in a statement, ''Anna and I are thrilled to confirm that we are expecting in June and our families are ecstatic and grateful. We are very much looking forward to what 2009 brings on many fronts. We appreciate respecting our privacy, as we are both eager to celebrate the holidays as a family.''

Three years after retiring following his last Tour de France win, Armstrong announced in September his return to competition and the Tour de France in 2009. He called his comeback an attempt to raise global awareness in his fight against cancer.

DJ AM Sues Over Plane Crash

DJ AM has just filed a lawsuit in the plane crash that killed four people and seriously injured him last September.

According to TMZ, AM, a.k.a. Adam Goldstein, claims as the jet reached takeoff speed the pilots became aware one or more of the tires had blown. The suit says, "Rather than proceed to takeoff, they decided to abort and/or reject the takeoff in a negligent manner." The plane overshot the runway and burst into flames.

DJ AM is suing the estates of the two pilots, Sarah Lemmon and James Bland, both of whom were killed in the crash. He's also suing Clay Lacy Aviation, Global Exec Aviation, Inter Travel & Services Inc. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co, and Learjet.

AM wants pain and suffering, lost earnings, property damage, past and future medical and health-related expenses, and punitive damages.

Travis Barker has also filed a similar suit.

The Littrells Get Back to Normal

It's been a trying week for singer Brian Littrell and his family following the hospitalization of his son Baylee and the six-year-old's subsequent diagnosis with atypical Kawasaki's Syndrome, an inflammation of the arteries around the heart. Not only have Brian and his wife Leighanne had to deal with this personal matter, they've had to do so in the media spotlight, which often gets details wrong in the rush for a juicy bit of news. "There were a lot of stories going around, a lot of wrong information on what was going on," Leighanne tells OK! in an exclusive interview. "I had heard stories that his heart had hardened or people thought he had cancer, and I just didn’t want it to get so blown up." But it's not just the press that's been wrong with the details of Baylee's story. According to Leighanne, before doctor's reached the Kawasaki's conclusion, the boy had been diagnosed with everything from strep throat to hand, foot and mouth disease. One small positive thing Leighanne is taking away from the massive media interest in Baylee's condition is that it's a chance to educate people about the facts and fictions surrounding Kawasaki's. "What I’d like to do is talk to some people about what we went through and make parents aware of our steps and actions so that maybe their kid won’t get misdiagnosed." Now that Baylee is home for the holidays, the Littrells are attempting to get back to a normal life. "We’ve had probably the craziest six days of our entire life and I hope that that’s the worst it gets," says Leighanne. "Baylee's just running around in his Batman costume and he’s feeling so much better and his attitude is fantastic." Of course, all this distress has taken its toll on the actual gift-giving part of Christmas, something the Littrells are trying to make up for now. "We’re trying to order a Santa because we’ve been in the hospital for so long," she tells OK!. "We didn’t get to shop or anything because we were in the hospital so now we’re shopping last-minute for all his family members." So what do Brian and Leighanne want to see under their tree on Thursday morning? Just their little boy. "We’re literally thanking every minute of every day because it's actually the best Christmas present we’ve ever gotten." Be sure to pick up the next issue of OK! for the entire story of little Baylee's battle.

Ben Stiller paid a little visit to a NYC hospital over the weekend after breaking his hand.

"I can confirm that he broke his hand snowboarding," Stiller's publicist Kelly Bush said.

E! News reports the 43-year-old actor/director was admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital on Sunday following the mishap, where he was treated for the fracture.

No other details have been released, but  The New York Daily News reports that one of Mount Sinai's top hand specialists was called in to patch up the Tropic Thunder star.

Tina Fey: Entertainer of the Year

Tina Fey has had quite the year, winning Emmys left and right for her show 30 Rock while making Saturday Night Live fans laugh out loud with her spot-on impression of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

And for all those laughs she's been voted the Entertainer of the Year by the Associated Press, a title that's handed down by newspaper editors and broadcast producers across the country, and given to the person who's voted as as having had the greatest impact on culture and entertainment in the last year.

Tina beat out Robert Downey Jr., who came in second, and Heath Ledger, who came in third for his performance in The Dark Knight.

''She simultaneously entertained us with her wit and put a mirror up to the nation during the election and made us think about what was going on,'' says Scott Shive, assistant features editor at the Lexington Herald-Leader. ''She is the epitome of the smart kid coming out on top for once.''

No Baby Yet for Jen & Ben

She's been looking ready to pop for weeks, and for now,  it looks like she's going to stay that way.

After an early morning visit to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Wednesday that set off speculation that she was about to give birth, Jennifer Garner is back home in Brentwood--pregnant belly still intact.

Garner, who's expecting her second child with husband Ben Affleck (daughter Violet is 2), arrived at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center earlier today holding protectively to her hubby's arm and looking as if she was about to cry bloody murder. But alas, it seems the Alias star was only making a routine visit to her doctor.

The shy couple managd to avoid the paparazzi and sneak home after their appointment, where Jen happily resumed her weekly Wednesday trip the the Farmers' Market in Santa Monica.

So, it looks like--for now--the only thing Jennifer Garner will be popping this New Year's Eve is the cork on that bottle of sparkling Apple Cider.

Happy 2009!

Lindsay & Sam Come Out Swinging

Some see a new year as a fresh start, but Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson might see it as just another year to fight.

TMZ reports that the hot couple had a relationship meltdown at the Miami International Airport, saying the fight started in the American Airlnes Admirals Club and continuing onto their flight to L.A.

"Lindsay was so inconsolable the flight attendants asked if she'd like to disembark," a source tells TMZ, who adds that there was a lot of crying and all the tears to go along with it.

This new tale of the couples' relationship sparring comes on the heels of a few recent rumors that had Lilo & Sam's neighbors up all night with screaming. New Year's resolution suggestion: couples counseling.

Heather Locklear Escapes DUI Charge

In a nice "Whew!" moment, TMZ reports that Heather Locklear's DUI case has been dismissed, and she's pled no contest to reckless driving instead, a lesser offense that will probably only lead to probation and a $700 fine.

The Melrose Place star was arrested in September after a witness saw her driving erratically and called the police. Cops thought she might have been operating her vehicle under theinfluence of prescription drugs, which showed up in her blood tests later.

The lucky actress was represented by popular celebrity lawyer Blair Berk in court this morning, but Heather herself was not to be found in the courtroom. Berk has also fought the DUI battle for celebs like Mel Gibson, Kiefer Sutherland and even Heather's ex, Richie Sambora.