Posts Tagged ‘Hurricane Katrina’

  • Brad Pitt slammed for his ‘insulting’ houses

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    Brad Pitt has been slammed for helping to build “insulting” homes in New Orleans for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

    The actor began a charity to help those forced out after the 2005 storm.

    Its aim was to rebuild destroyed properties and replace them with safer ones.

    But critics say the design of the new houses is at odds with the neighbourhood.

    Manhattan-based architect James Dart, who was born and raised in New Orleans, said that the homes were “alien, [and] sometimes even insulting”. “The biggest problem is that they are not grounded in the history of New Orleans architecture.”

    But Mr Dart also had admiration for the Ocean’s Eleven actor’s work.

    “He deserves a great deal of credit,” he said, adding that Pitt had “done more for New Orleans” than any government agency.

    Pitt, 45, set up a foundation called Make It Right in 2007 after becoming frustrated by the slow pace of rebuilding homes in New Orleans’ flood-devastated Lower Ninth district. The foundation commissioned 13 architecture firms to design affordable, eco-friendly houses and plans to build a total of 150 for “returning Lower Ninth” residents. However, “just 15 of them are occupied”.

    A spokesperson for the Make It Right foundation did not return calls.

    More than 1,800 people lost their lives and thousands were displaced from their homes when the deadly hurricane tore through New Orleans in August 2005.

    2009.11.30 / no responses / Category: Actors, Brad Pitt

  • Sandra Bullock attends special New Orleans premiere of The Blind Side

    Sandra Bullock appeared at a special charity premiere in New Orleans for her latest movie The Blind Side.

    The football-themed film premiered at an event that also raised money for a high school that was flooded during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

    Bullock said: “We’re investing in a lot of things that we think need preserving. It’s about people giving because they know it’s the right thing to do.”

    Donations from the event were used for such items as band uniforms, scholarships and a health centre.

    The Blind Side, based on a book by Michael Lewis, tells the story of Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher.

    2009.11.20 / no responses / Category: Actress

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