Did He? Didn't he? Does anybody care?

The "entertainment" pages are all abuzz over the possibility that Brad Pitt was in Wellington at the weekend - this from Stuff:

He may be one of the sexiest men on the planet but Brad Pitt can chow down at a Wellington restaurant and go largely unnoticed.

Despite being one half of the most-photographed couple in the world, the Hollywood superstar is said to have had a quiet meal with three other diners at Indian restaurant Tulsi on Sunday night. But if he had been a Bollywood star he might have been mobbed.

Pitt, the partner of Angelina Jolie and star of such films as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, ate at the Miramar restaurant just a few kilometres away from Sir Peter Jackson's Park Road Post Production studios about 6.30pm, staff said. He dined in a corner booth, ordering chicken korma, butter chicken and a garlic naan.

Tulsi chef Suresh Neautiui, a self-confessed Pitt fan, said he prepared the meal and spotted the star. Workers at the restaurant joked they were unimpressed about the visit by movie royalty.

Vijay Patel said most staff preferred Bollywood celebs to their Hollywood counterparts, and in dim light and with Pitt wearing a cap, staff and the five other diners failed to notice him right away.

Mr Patel said the restaurant's manager did not recognise Pitt at first. "But once he looked he realised it was a Hollywood star."

Manager Makesh Bartwal originally confirmed Pitt had visited, but later called to say he could not be certain as a customer had only told them who Pitt was after he left. "There are so many celebrities that come and we hardly know them because we are not very fond of Hollywood movies," he said.

We suspect that this is more a case of Messrs Vijay Patel and Makesh Bartwal being very canny men with an eye for a marketing opportunity. Not surprisingly, they are milking this story for all it's worth.

We won't be rushing to dine at Tulsi restaurant next time we're in Wellington though. It has nothing to do with Brad Pitt; we just don't particularly like Indian tucker! But doubtless the punters will flock in over the next few weeks, and every single one will be escorted to the seat which Brad Pitt sat in!