It's a Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad World
Suddenly Mr. Everywhere, Brad Pitt opens up about his marriage, annoying rumors and getting pumped for his Troy nude scene

Seen Brad Pitt lately? Probably. That was him on Oprah Winfrey's chatfest, touting his new film Troy; enjoying a night on the town in Chicago with Ocean's Twelve costars George Clooney and Matt Damon; dropping in to visit the kids on MTV's Total Request Live; and hanging backstage at a David Bowie concert in Manhattan May 3. After a two-year break from moviemaking, Pitt is returning to the spotlight and talking about his marriage to Jennifer Aniston (it's good), their baby plans ("It's time, it's time"), the joys of wearing a skirt in the movies ("They're not bad") and how he whipped his much-gawked-about body into shape for his Troy nude scene. Yes, nude scene. "Buck naked," Pitt says.

He looked at it as a challenge. "I wanted to see how far I could take it," he says, muscling up for the role. "I was turning 40 [last December], and I figured there was an impending midlife crisis on its way." So bring on a diet and exercise (details at right). And could that impending midlife crisis be behind tabloid reports of a fling between Pitt and Angelina Jolie, 28, his costar in the upcoming thriller Mr. and Mrs. Smith? It's all bunk, says Pitt, adding that he and the missus have learned to shut out the gossip. "Jen and I have seen so much [tabloid fodder] come and go," he says. "We just stay away from all that stuff."

Pitt told Winfrey his relationship with Aniston, to whom he has been married for almost four years, is "an extraordinary friendship." Still, he admits to a wait-and-see approach to their marriage. "Jen and I always made a pact, that we'll see where this [relationship] is going," Pitt tells the current Vanity Fair. "I'm not sure it really is in our nature to be with someone for the rest of our lives, just because you made this pact." (Last year she famously told W magazine something similar. "Is he the love of my life? I think you're always sort of wondering...") Sometimes, no question, there are logistical problems: While filming Troy, based on The Iliad, Pitt was away from home, in Morocco, Malta and Mexico. On May 6, when Aniston sat down with her fellow cast-mates to watch the final episode of Friends, he was away again, this time filming the sequel to Ocean's Eleven in Amsterdam. Aniston plans to fly over after the finale airs, he says, with a copy of the show.

Back home, the couple already have a designated nursery, called "the Room," in their 12,000-sq.-ft. Beverly Hills house. "I finally think I'm at a place where I won't mess a kid up too much," says Pitt, adding that he'd love to have plenty of girls. "I just feel I have something to offer now. I was a bit of a drifter, a little bit flaky in younger years."

HOW BRAD GOT THAT BOD
For his role as the hero warrior Achilles in Troy, Brad Pitt suffered like a mere peon. "[The training] was brutal," says Pitt, "but after three months I finally started to enjoy it." A longtime smoker, Pitt began by giving up cigarettes (he's since resumed) and took up a high-protein, low-carb diet. From there, fitness coach Gregory Joujon-Roche sculpted Pitt with an on-call team, including a nutritionist, chef, masseuse and chiropractor. "We had to tweak Brad into this incredible, godlike shape," says Joujon-Roche, who charges $4,000 to $5,000 a week. "But at the end of the day it's Brad who did the work." That work included weightlifting, running, yoga and sword-fighting, which Joujon-Roche credits for much of Pitt's transformation. "Forget the gym and weights," says Joujon-Roche. "You want to get cut? Take up sword-fighting!"

Roddick's Fire Rescue
Tennis star Andy Roddick was asleep in Rome's swank Grand Hotel Parco dei Principi on May 1 when, at about 5 a.m., he awoke and smelled smoke. Roddick, 21, opened the door to his sixth-floor room and "was greeted by black smoke coming at him," says his mother, Blanche—who, amazingly, he called by cell phone in Florida as events unfolded. Although the fire proved serious—three hotel guests died—"Andy stayed really calm," says Blanche. "I think it's the athlete's training—he just stayed focused. "Thinking fast, the athlete gathered people in the hallway and took them to his balcony. Then he helped another group climb or jump 10 feet from the floor above to his balcony so that a rescue ladder could reach them. "He was sore from catching people," says his sister-in-law Ginger Roddick. "He didn't have his shoes on, so his feet were a little cut up, but he was fine." Roddick, the last one down, was back on the court the next day.

MOTHERHOOD & HOLLYWOOD

GWYNETH PALTROW
How does an expectant Hollywood star prepare for the new role of motherhood? First, ditch the diet, says Gwyneth Paltrow, due in June. Known for sticking to a strict macrobiotic diet—Paltrow hadn't eaten white bread or dairy in three years--the 31-year-old mom-to-be told pal Sadie Frost on Frost's British talk show, What Sadie Did Next, that when she "got pregnant, it was like 'pass the biscuits.' " Indulging in grilled-cheese sandwiches, Chinese takeout and banana toffee pie now, Paltrow also takes yoga class almost daily with husband Chris Martin.

COURTENEY COX ARQUETTE
Courteney Cox Arquette, 39, couldn't make it to the April 27 premiere of husband David Arquette's film A Foreign Affair—"She's very pregnant at the moment," he explains—but Arquette, 32, gave a few hints about how he's preparing for the July birth. "I'm downsizing in my storage, just to get rid of stuff I don't need. Just making room for baby, really." Also: "We have a room picked out. It's painted white—a very neutral color." Finally: "I think there's going to be a lot of trips to Disneyland in our future."

HEIDI KLUM
Heidi Klum, 30, had "been out every Saturday shopping and finishing up touches on the baby's room" before the birth of her child, a friend says of the model. The baby was born in a New York City hospital, and "she's super happy," the friend adds. The father is Klum's former boyfriend, Italian businessman Flavio Briatore, 54.

BRAND-NEW SUE
Susan Hawk lost weight during her stint on Survivor: All-Stars, but she still felt flabby in all the wrong places. "Things don't disappear no matter how bad you starve yourself or how many sit-ups you do," says the 42-year-old smoothie-shop owner. So Hawk agreed to undergo an extreme makeover—including a breast enlargement, an eye lift and liposuction on her thighs and stomach—documented and paid for by Extra, scheduled to start on May 6. She has yet to step on the scale—"I'm just going by how my clothes fit, and they are looking really loose"—but says, "I feel good. And I have a waist now!"

5 Things You Didn't Know
As Survivor: All-Stars winds down to a May 9 finale, here are a few fun facts from behind the scenes

1 Tribe members share a single toothbrush. "It didn't matter to me that it was getting funky; I loved brushing my teeth," says Lex, who was less fond of washing his body. "That only made you more attractive to insects."

2 The first meal for most castoffs is junk food. "They gave me a few bags of chips, which were like nothing I ever ate before," says Alicia. "And they gave Snickers bars, and I ate every one. Once it's in front of you, you'll eat it. There's no turn-off valve."

3 Jury members aren't as quiet and somber as they appear to be on the show. "We were making comments, and Jeff [Probst] had to tell us to be quieter," says Kathy. "We didn't care. This is an interesting jury, and we aren't scared to show how we feel."

4 Lex gave himself that Travis Bickle Mohawk. "I decided before the show that if I got voted out but was on the jury, I was going to go, with a Mohawk," he says. "I put the Clippers to my head and shaved down to the skin, When I walked into tribal council, you could g hear a collective gasp."

5 Amber gets excited watching This Old House. Or at least she liked seeing Boston Rob (left), a Construction foreman, build their shelter. "She said it was kind of a turn-on watching someone do so something they do so well," says host Probst.

POP QUIZ

John Stevens
Simon Cowell once commended American Idol contestant John Stevens, 16, for "taking every bullet...like a man." Cowell should know: Often, he was the one doing the firing ("You and Latin music," he opined, "go together like chocolate ice cream and an onion"). Stevens, who was bounced from Idol on April 28, says he's rolling with that punch too.

So the criticism doesn't bother you?

People have a right to their opinions. You've just got to let it roll off your back.

We heard that your mother didn't take the harsh words so easily.

I actually took her aside and gave her a couple of lectures. I told her not to worry about me and how it doesn't bother me.

Did anything good come out of appearing on Idol?

I've become more of a man. I've become stronger emotionally. I'm definitely more confident.

Receive any offers yet?

No, but it's early. Hopefully I'll be signing to a record label or doing a movie.

You seemed to bond with the other teen contestants.

I bonded with everyone, but especially Jasmine and Diana because I was in school with them for three hours a day.

Any fun fan mail?

I've been asked out a couple of times. I've gotten a couple of prom requests.

You're going to your own prom this weekend, right?

Yes. One of the limo services in Buffalo [near his East Amherst, N.Y., home] offered me a free limo for the night, so my friends and I are going.

Your support seems based on teen girls and grandmothers. True?

I do appeal to a large number of older people, and that's not necessarily bad. They do listen to music.

What's next?

I'm going back to high school. I'm going to finish out my junior and senior year, do [an American Idol] tour this summer, maybe take some dancing lessons.

What will happen when you return to Williamsville East High School?

It's going to be nuts. There's going to be a lot of attention, especially from females. I'm prepared to handle that.

ON THE BLOCK

GOING, GOING, GARNER
PRICE: $1.69 million
PLACE: Pacific Palisades, Calif.

SPECS: Jennifer Garner, who grows up quickly in the film 13 Going on 30, has made another adult move—selling the Spanish-style retreat she shared with husband Scott Foley before the breakup of their marriage last year (she now dates Alias costar Michael Vartan). The bungalow was remodeled in 2002.