I love me some Will Smith. I also love me some Will Smith movies. (Well, except for Hitch. Okay, Hitch and The Legend of Bagger Vance. Okay, Hitch, The Legend of Bagger Vance and Wild Wild West. My point is, I still watch Fresh Prince, okay?!) Anyhoo I’m sort of gagging over his new film Hancock. I mean have you seen the trailers? Now THOSE are some special effects! But what isn’t having a special effect on me is the suit he wore to the Los Angeles premiere of the film. I mean did he keep that from the costume department of Bagger Vance? Where’s his caddy then? I don’t care what they say plaid is not rad. Especially full body plaid. Which leads me to Thomas Jane.

Really, Thomas Jane? Really? Were your overalls dirty so you decided to come to a Hollywood premiere dressed like a trucker? I get that it’s not your movie and I get that you don’t even have a cameo in it, but seriously is it too hard to tuck in a shirt and perhaps shave? I hope this lackadaisical attitude doesn’t rear it’s ugly head in his upcoming film Mutant Chronicles. (Which by the way BETTER be minimally enjoyable… unlike The Mist.) Speaking of mist, thank you Charlize Theron for finally laying off the spray tanning. You look lovely. I don’t get what black nail polish has to do with anything, but I’m gonna look beyond that because your make up looks fresh and appropriate and that necklace is perfect. I’m borderline on that gown, but I love the color and I get what you’re going for…unlike Valerie Bertinelli. This worries me. Valerie Bertinelli looks like Barbra Streisand’s Mini-Me. Why is she wearing a drape? I mean seriously! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: “Clothing should be draped, not drapes.” This tells me she does not believe in her Jenny Craig’d fabulous body which really breaks my heart, because she looks amazing. I’m just sayin’ I would think if she just lost 40 pounds and is a spokesperson for a weight loss program AND she’s back on red carpets that she would be showin’ it all off to get some new fabulous jobs… aw, well. Maybe she’s just taking it one day at a time…And that’s just what Lisa Raye should be doing. I love the new hair (I actually have that same hair in a box in my closet), but what is up with that hot tranny mess of an ensemble? (Minus the sandals of course: LOVING THEM!) It’s part bridesmaid, part summer teen and part tablecloth all in one!

As I look at it now it looks like this entire red carpet is a mess. Does Justine Bateman think she’s still on the set of Satisfaction? Has Kevin James gone Gangsta Rapper on us? Is Minnie Driver about to break into a routine from Flashdance? Did Queen Latifah just happen to be doing her cardio down Hollywood Boulevard and made a wrong turn and ended up on the red carpet? Does Amanda Peet not realize her makeup is that of a cracked out rocker on a 10 day binge? Has Virginia Madsen FINALLY proved to us once and for all what really IS black and white and red all over?

(Sigh, I am exhausted)`

Special thanks go out to Jason Bateman for being the real hero of the red carpet of a superhero movie. He looks like a true star at an actual premiere for one of the summer’s hottest films. Thank you Jason…and I miss Arrested Development more than you will ever know. (Is it true there’s rumored to be an A.D. movie in ‘09? Please say yes, PLEASE!)

Boy Harvard sure is a popular place for actresses these last few days. Yesterday both Paris Hilton and Charlize Theron spent the day at Harvard University. Paris accepted her award as the Harvard Lampoon’s Woman of the Year, while Charlize was given the slightly more prestigious Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year award. Neither actress attended college - or even graduated from high school - but both seemed to get a kick out of their respective honors. Since it’s Harvard, I feel like I should spell it honours. We’ll go fancy today.

So what is she going to do with her prize, the coveted Pudding Pot?

“I’m going to make a stew [in it], and then I’m going to eat it,” [Theron] told reporters at the event, hosted by Hasty Pudding Theatricals (the nation’s oldest collegiate theater group, known for burlesque musicals featuring cross-dressing men). “I’m going to look at it and remember today and how much fun I had.”

Fun, indeed. Her Harvard hosts gave her apple cider – in honor of her role in The Cider House Rules – and, she joked, “I think it was laced with something, which made it much better.”

Still, the actress seemed torn when asked which was the biggest honor, the Pudding Pot or her Academy Award for Monster. “I know you want me to say that the Oscar sucks and this is better,” she said. “There are no men in drag at the Oscars like there are here. I’ve never been surrounded by so many fake breasts.” Then again, considering Hollywood’s penchant for plastic surgery, she added, “Actually, I think I was at the Oscars.”

[From People]

Interestingly, Hasty Pudding has been giving the Woman of the Year award since 1951, but didn’t start handing out awards to the men until 1967. Wikipedia notes that the awards are usually treated with great seriousness by the honoree, who always attends. Apparently a satellite feed is not encouraged. A parade is always given in the winner’s honor. When John Wayne was asked to be the parade marshall in 1969, he somehow obtained an M-113 armored personnel carrier and rode it into Harvard Square. And he wasn’t even Man of the Year. While Charlize Theron appears to have left all military vehicles at home, she did wedge herself in between two cross dressers for some lovely photo ops.

Here’s Charlize at Harvard yesterday.

No matter how intelligent we are, everyone has moments of stupidity, where we say shockingly dumb things. I have been accused by more than one friend of being the dumbest smart person they’ve ever known. Probably due to by tendency to walk into doors, walls, and oncoming traffic. Though I’d never thought about it, I’m now incredibly grateful that there were generally only a handful of people around to watch me do or say really dumb things. Charlize Theron is not so lucky. People tend to actually listen to what she says. Which sucks for her. The upside is that they listen because she’s rich, famous, and beautiful, so it seems like it’s probably worth the trade off. During promotion for the release of “The valley of Elah,” Charlize gave an interview to the Daily Mail in which she talked about the special time she spent in Budapest with boyfriend/husband (depending on who you ask) Stuart Townsend. Except she was actually talking about Istanbul. Oops.

“We went to Turkey. When we got over there, we rented a car and we drove all the way to Budapest,” the 32-year-old told London’s Daily Mail of her spring 2006 trip with actor beau Stuart Townsend. That would have been one impressive drive, considering the capital of Turkey is about 660 miles from Budapest. “By the time we got to Budapest it was like the Cannes Film Festival, I’d never seen anything like it,” she said. Charlize, that was the popular Istanbul International Film Festival you attended.

She also described visiting a Turkish bazaar where she purchased various local rugs. In one sighting, a tipster from A Socialite’s Life observed Charlize throwing down $380,000 on silk and traditional Turkish rugs at Istanbul’s historical Grand Bazaar. “When we travel, it’s like backpacking,” she said of her desire to keep a low profile. “We don’t stay in fancy hotels. We like to go and be part of the culture.”

[From Page Six]

I think a lot of people’s grasp of geography tends to fade as they get further and further away from the fifth grade. I would excuse a lot of geography errors if Charlize were just discussing them in theory, but she was giving a long anecdote about a place that was supposedly special to her, and in which she’d spent a good deal of time. On the other hand, she travels to so many different places, between work and pleasure, that I can’t help but excuse the minor relatively gaffe. Thought the comment that she and Townsend try to keep a low profile and act like they’re backing is pretty funny. I am by no means the expert traveler I wish I were, but I’m pretty sure that spending $380,000 on Turkish rugs isn’t exactly in line with the backpacking lifestyle. If Charlize thinks that’s keeping it low-key, it makes me wonder what she means when she says she doesn’t stay in fancy hotels. Probably the Hilton instead of the Four Seasons.

Will Smith plays a down on his luck superhero in the upcoming film John Hancock (According to IMDB the working title is Tonight, He Comes). The film also stars Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron as Smith’s sort-of love interest. Theron is married to Bateman in the film, and IMDB says that Smith’s superhero has a “questionable” relationship with her character. It might be more of a flirtation than a full blown affair:

A hard-living superhero (Smith) who has fallen out of favor with the public enters into a questionable relationship with the wife (Theron) of the public relations professional (Bateman) who’s trying to repair his image.

IMDB also includes the keywords “interracial relationship” with this movie, which isn’t something that would occur to me independently. I remember reading that Eva Mendez was chosen for Smith’s love interest in Hitch because American audiences would supposedly accept a Latina in a relationship with an African American guy, but a Caucasian wouldn’t fly. Can anyone remember an interracial relationship in a recent film that wasn’t the focus of the film - like it was just either matter of fact or secondary to the plot? There’s Monster’s Ball I guess.

About.com points out interracial relationships in films and tv shows like Hitch, Guess Who?, ER, Lost, My Name is Earl, Grey’s Anatomy and Will & Grace, and says that they’re becoming more commonplace, but most of those are TV examples. It still doesn’t seem common in movies.

Here’s an article at MTV news about interracial relationships in film.

Thanks to Splash News for these pictures of Smith on set in LA.

There’s not a lot drama in Charlize’s life and she manages to stay out of the tabloids most of the time. It’s nice to see these pictures of her shopping instead of out at a club or event, although she looks rather pissed to be photographed.

Charlize was spotted wearing what looked like an engagement ring to several recent events, and although there was no announcement we assumed that she was engaged to her boyfriend of four years, Irish actor Stuart Townsend. It doesn’t seem like much has come of that, and if she does have a ring she’s not wearing it out everyday as there’s no sign of it on her left hand in these pictures.

Theron may sign on for a thriller by “Crash” director Paul Haggis, about a father who discovers his son is not AWOL as the army claims, but has been murdered;

Here is Theron’s wedgie picture.

Pictures from Celebrity Nation.

Charlize Theron sported darker hair and is still wearing that engagement ring we first spotted back in late April. A new interview from Scotland, where she has been attending the Edinburgh film festival, calls her boyfriend of four years, Irish actor Stuart Townsend, her fiance. It’s stated in a matter-of-fact manner despite the fact that this news hasn’t been announced:

Theron’s engagement has been under the radar in Hollywood, although she wore a ring on ther left ring finger to the opening of Club Social Hollywood in late June and may be waiting for the press to pick up on it.

She is producing and starring in a new film about Cuban music artists, her first in over two years. She quipped on stage at the Edinburgh film festival that she was moving to Scotland, as she was surprised that they gave her whisky to drink during a press conference.

Since wer’re the first ones to spot this we’re calling it a sort-of exclusive.

Here is Theron at the film festival on August 17, 18, and 19th. [via]

Britain’s The Independent has a thoughtful article about Charlize Theron’s career. They say that there will always be younger, prettier actresses in Hollywood and that Charlize really hasn’t hit it big despite winning an Oscar and scoring more serious roles. She’s stuck in between sweet young things like Scarlet Johansson and more seasoned actresses like Nicole Kidman:

The Independent is nitpicking Theron’s career. She’s achieved a level of success that everyone else only dreams about. She’ll reach Kidman’s status. In fact she’s almost there now.

So let’s move on to these recent pictures of Theron forgetting to wear a bra when she’s out with her mom. [via] If The Independent is right and she hasn’t yet found her niche, do you think she’s trying to tell us something by going out like that? Also, isn’t it curious that she holds her coat in her left hand, covering her ring finger, while holding her mom’s hand with her right?