- Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Brad Pitt embracing aging for the wisdom it brings

Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt said Tuesday he enjoys getting older because age brings wisdom.

“Me personally, I like aging. With age comes wisdom. … I’ll take wisdom over youth any day,” he told a news conference during a visit to South Korea to promote his latest film, “Moneyball,” Agence France-Presse reports.

“I think, certainly, being a father changed everything for me,” said the actor, 47, who has six children with Angelina Jolie.

Parenthood means a changed perspective for him, he said - an interest in taking care of himself and mornings being around for their children.

“Moneyball,” an adaptation of Michael Lewis’ 2003 best-seller “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game,” is scheduled to be released this week in South Korea. Mr. Pitt said the film’s box-office success elsewhere was not merely celebrity-driven.

“Popularity is good for the opening weekend, but what we’ve been really happy with [for] this film is that it keeps playing weekend after weekend, crossing generations and genders,” he said.

“And that tells us we have something more than a film, [more than] a celebrity-driven film or a subject-driven film. It’s really a good movie, and it’s really fun, and it’s a good laugh, and it’s got meaning in it.”

Mr. Pitt said he is interested in shifting from acting to the production side of moviemaking but was not putting an exact time limit on his acting career.

During an interview with an Australian current-affairs show in Tokyo, he had said he would quit acting at age 50.

Diddy, Sharpton to speak at funeral for Heavy D

Rap mogul Diddy and the Rev. Al Sharpton will speak at late rapper Heavy D’s funeral on Friday, and BET Networks plans a tribute for him at the Soul Train awards, the Associated Press reports.

Diddy said in a statement that he was “heartbroken by the passing of my dear friend.”

“He was a wonderful human being, who inspired and paved the way for a Hip Hop generation,” the statement said. “We were like brothers - I will miss him more than words can express.”

A private funeral for the rap legend will be held at the historic Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, just north of New York City.

Heavy D, born Dwight Arrington Myers, died at a Los Angeles hospital last week after collapsing outside his home. He was 44.

The New York-born rapper was the titular member of Heavy D and the Boyz, which had hits with “Now That We Found Love,” “Who’s the Man” and “Somebody for Me.” He was one of the genre’s top stars in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

BET also announced Monday that the Soul Train Music Awards in Atlanta will pay tribute to Heavy D, with Kurtis Blow, Naughty by Nature, Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh, DJ Eddie F, Whodini and Daddy-O of Stetsasonic participating.

James Taylor trying theater in ’A Christmas Carol’

James Taylor is out to prove he can do more than write a catchy tune.

The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is taking up acting after more than four decades in the music industry, according to the Associated Press. Mr. Taylor is to play Bob Cratchit next month in a Massachusetts theater group’s annual performance of “A Christmas Carol.”

Kate Maguire is artistic director of the Berkshire Theatre Group. She told the Berkshire Eagle she had to coax the 63-year-old Taylor into taking the role. Mr. Taylor’s wife, Kim, is returning for her second year as Mrs. Cratchit. Their two sons also are in the production.

Mrs. Maguire said to persuade Mr. Taylor, she told him how much it meant to her to perform on stage with her own daughter.

The Taylor family has a home in the Berkshires.

Sting launches free app marking career milestone

Sting has launched an app for the iPad, and he’s not charging for it.

According to the Associated Press, the singer introduced Sting 25 in honor of his 25-year solo career at the Apple Store in New York’s Upper West Side on Monday. The “Appumentary” is a digital documentary of Sting’s career. It features more than four hours of music videos, concert footage, interviews and more.

Sting said he’s releasing it for free “because we don’t know how much it’s worth.”

The app also has video from Sting’s 60th-birthday-party concert last month at New York’s Beacon Theatre, which featured performances with Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga.

At Monday’s event, Sting performed the song “Fragile,” dedicating it to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and saying, “In some way he’s created our future.”

Neil Diamond to perform on float in Macy’s parade

Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond is to perform on South Dakota’s float in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, according to the Associated Press.

Mr. Diamond is known for songs that have become anthems at ballparks and bars. The Grammy Award-winner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year and is among the artists to be honored next month at the Kennedy Center Honors.

The South Dakota Department of Tourism’s “Mount Rushmore’s American Pride” float will feature Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Black Hills National Forest and Badlands National Park in an effort to entice more visitors to the state.

KOTA-TV reports that the float is just the second state float to be accepted into the famous parade.

Compiled from web and wire reports.

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