Pitt and Jolie Visiting New Orleans

A year after Hurricane Katrina, as residents are trying their best to reconstruct their lives and homes, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are planning to be frequent visitors to the city observing the progress, according to an entertainment magazine. The entertainment stars were in New Orleans a few days ago, though only Pitt appeared at an afternoon news conference to announce the winner of the design competition he started in April to rebuild neighborhoods that were destroyed by the hurricane using environmentally friendly designs and construction.

"We`re going to be spending a lot of time down here," Pitt said.Preproduction for his next movie is scheduled to begin in November, and Pitt said he would be in New Orleans for much of January and February for filming. Around that time, he also hoped to break ground on the first phase of the neighborhood redevelopment project scheduled for a section of the devastated Ninth Ward, he said. The designs had to pass certain standards to account for future emergencies and they incorporated architectural influences found in many New Orleans homes, such as gabled rooftops over windows and doors.

The entertainment star was the head of the jury of architects, city residents and others who decided on the top designs that use energy-saving materials such as metal roofing and recycled textiles. More than 100 individuals and architect firms submitted designs for the competition. Six finalists were announced in July, when Pitt got his first up-close look at the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina.

                                 

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