The world premiere of Mamma Mia! held at the Odeon Leicester Square in London, England was a huge success with hundreds of fans all the way from Waterloo to the celebs spending tons of Money, Money, Money on their wardrobe, hair and jewelery. Meryl Streep can do no wrong in her acting career. On the red carpet however, she’s made bigger mistakes than Barbara Walters letting Rosie O’Donnell leave The View.

My first thought is: “Didn’t her stylist see Madonna’s Nothing Really Matters Video? WTF? It’s been done!” My second thought is: “Damn, those Christian Louboutin shoes are kickin’! ‘Atta Girl!”

Amanda Seyfried looks like a barmaid who had to work late on St. Patrick’s Day.

Judging by Colin Firth’s wife Livia Giuggioli’s dress, she really isn’t that happy to be there or that busy of a bee. I mean if she were, she wouldn’t have to advertise it.

Christine Baranski looks lovely, dignified and uber classy. LOVE the color, LOVE the couture trojan feel (yes, I just said Couture Trojan), and any amateur would have paired this sheath with silver shoes, but Ms. Baranksi took the high road with the Midas touch.

Pierce Brosnan looks completely dashing. I’m not digging the busy floral print on wife Keely Shaye-Smith’s dress. She runs the risk of having Colin Firth’s wife trying to pollinate her at the after party.

Mamma Mia opens nationwide in the US on July 18th and Knowing Me, Knowing You, we’ll both be there.

Here’s the trailer:

Thanks to WENN for these pics.

A few weeks ago, while in Las Vegas on a business trip, I got roped into seeing the stage musical “Mamma Mia,” featuring the music of 70’s pop band ABBA, by some Indian businessmen with whom I was traveling. I was not expecting much. However, I admit that by the end of the production, I discovered that I had enjoyed myself. A few weeks later I learned that “Mamma Mia” is being made into a movie musical, starring none other than Meryl Streep. I never even knew she could sing! Early reports confirm that Streep, who just turned 58, gives a powerhouse performance in the film- complete with singing, dancing, and even full splits.

Filmed last summer in Pinewood Studios and on location on the picturesque island of Skopelos in Greece, the movie version is a glorious and deeply silly confection.

Reports from early test screenings are universally positive - the audiences who have seen it at a secret showing in San Diego came out raving about the transfer of the musical to the big screen.

The surprise?

That Meryl Streep, at 58, is athletic, has a big voice - clear, true and strong - and delivers the goods on Abba’s classics without a trace of embarrassment. It is, obviously, her first musical, and the deep thinkers in Hollywood are amazed by the way she is apparently happy to demolish her reputation as a serious-minded Oscar-winning grande dame.

And yet Streep, who is known for her hard-to-live-with perfectionism and love of tricky bits of acting technique and odd accents, emerges from this film as a woman who is accomplished at physical comedy and actually funny when the occasion demands.

‘Meryl is very good - it’s a revelation,’ says one who has seen the film, in which she plays Donna, the mother of a bride-to-be who is confronted by three potential fathers on the eve of her nuptials.

It transpires that Streep saw the stage show in New York with her daughter as a birthday treat and wrote a fan letter to the producers afterwards.

[From The Huffington Post]

I don’t know if “surprise” is really the right word to describe her work in this movie. After all, Streep is one of the finest actors of her generation. I think she could pretty much do anything she sets her mind to on film. In “Angels in America,” the HBO miniseries, Streep played everything from Ethel Rosenberg to a Jewish rabbi. She’s also playing Julia Child in the upcoming biopic. Hopefully people will give “Mamma Mia” a fair shot, even if it stars women over 35 and doesn’t feature CGI monsters. Hey, if “Sex and the City” can bring in audiences, maybe Meryl can too.

The stars were out to support Meryl Street at the Film Society’s Tribute to the two-time Oscar-winning actress at Avery Fisher Hall in NY last night. The Film Society’s website says that the evening honored Streep’s “remarkable career with selected film highlights, onstage salutes by friends and colleagues and personal remarks by Meryl Streep.”

The night featured a “Cocktail Buffet” and “Supper Dance” along with the tribute to Streep. Proceeds went to the Film Society.

I love Amy Adams and think she looks gorgeous here. She really was lovely at the Oscars and her look is both classy and playful.

Other luminaries at the event included Uma Thurman in a black wrap dress with a subtle silver chain belt, and Glenn Close in a floor length navy gown with an elegant button down jacket. I’m not too fond of Streep’s dress and think the cut is not flattering for her, but the night was all about her so she gets a pass.

Thanks to PRPhotos for these pictures.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes looked like brother and sister at the premiere of Lions for Lambs at the AFI Fest in Hollywood last night. Tom has grown out his Nazi bowl cut while Katie’s short dark bob looks suspiciously similar. Add the matching outfits and they’re like any other couple that ends up looking alike, perhaps intentionally. Katie mercifully wore flats, which made her about even with Tom instead of towering over him like she did at the Berlin premiere of the film.

In terms of Tom and Katie’s home life, Cruise recently gave some statements to the press that show he’s mastered the art of revealing enough to create a news blurb without really giving too much information. He praised his wife’s acting ability and said that they’re good at coordinating schedules. He also admitted he doesn’t get a lot of sleep without complaining about it:

With his first anniversary fast approaching, Cruise said married life was “all very good, all very lovely,” and that he feels “lucky” to be wedded to Holmes, his third wife.

“I have a lot of respect for her as an artist, as a woman,” he said. “She’s a very strong, gracious woman.”

When it comes to juggling his responsibilities as a husband and father with his career as a leading man and studio mogul, Cruise admits that life gets busy.

“Just like everybody else, you just work it out,” he said. “We’ve gotten pretty good at organizing everything. I don’t sleep much anyway.”

[From EOnline]

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt should take note, because Cruise provides enough general information to make it mildly interesting without revealing any weaknesses for tabloids to run with.

Cruise plays a Congressman in Lions for Lambs, which weaves different stories around the fates of two college students fighting in Afghanistan. Lions for Lambs is directed by Robert Redford and is out in the US on November 9. It also stars Michael Peña and Meryl Streep.

Here’s an introduction to the film, told by the young actors.

Thanks to PRPhotos for these pictures. Also shown are Will Smith, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Samantha Mathis, and David Beckham. What’s up with Beckham’s outfit? Is it deliberately messy or is he just unable to dress himself when Posh isn’t around?