Angelina Jolie may not know that some of her most fervent fans live in the Philippines. And they aren’t women who idolize the international film star or men who dream of wooing her away from Brad Pitt, these fans live in rice paddies… and they are asking the 32-year-old actress to lend them a helping hand.
A left-wing Filipino farmers group trying to call attention to thousands of rural people who have been displaced by increased military operations wants Jolie to adopt their cause. The Farmers’ Movement of the Philippines, or KMP, wants the United Nations to send Jolie – a UN goodwill ambassador since early 2001 – to their dilapidated villages so she can look into the rising number of internal refugees in the country.
According to news reports, the KMP wants Jolie to witness “the real situation of internally displaced people in the country.” KMP leaders say more than 10,000 people have been forced to leave their homes this year alone because of increased military actions and threats.
No word on whether Jolie will answer the call from the Filipino farmers, but the military is speaking out on the issue. An armed forces spokesperson told local news reporters that insurgents are to blame for the problem and stressed that the military operations currently underway aim to run after rebels, not displace civilians.
Do you think Jolie should go?
BILLY JOEL’S NEW ANTI-WAR SONG
Here’s a music story with a unique twist.
Award-winning singer Billy Joel has a new single out—an anti-war tune called “Christmas in Fallujah.” Only listeners shouldn’t expect to hear the legendary crooner’s voice anywhere on the song.
Why?
The 58-year-old Piano Man claims he was too old to sing the new song, which he says he was inspired to write after receiving letters from soldiers in Iraq. In the end, Joel asked 21-year-old Long Island singer Cass Dillion to record the single.
“I thought it should be somebody young, about a soldier’s age,” Joel said on his website. “I wanted to help somebody else’s career. I’ve had plenty of hits. I’ve had plenty of airplay. I’ve had my time in the sun. I think it’s time for somebody else, maybe, to benefit from my own experience.”
Dillon told local reporters he was “beyond thrilled” when approached by Joel to sing the song and didn’t waste any time getting into the recording studio.
“Christmas in Fallujah” is on sale on Apple’s iTunes.
Proceeds from the song will be donated to Homes for Our Troops, which builds homes for severely wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.