This is the first promotional image of Meryl Streep in character as Britain’s former prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. I had kind of forgotten that Meryl was doing this film, because I remember when the project was announced, there was a ton of controversy because: A) Meryl is American, B) Meryl’s personal politics are quite different than the staunchly conservative prime minister’s, C) Because Thatcher is quite sick these days, and the film reportedly will show some of that (I think it’s dementia) and D) Thatcher’s family is PISSED that this film is happening. But, whatever, it looks like the film is a go, and I have to say, Thatcher’s family should at least be slightly relieved that an actress of Meryl’s caliber is playing Thatcher. Meryl looks great, in my opinion. Meryl released a statement with the first promotional image:

“The prospect of exploring the swathe cut through history by this remarkable woman is a daunting and exciting challenge. I am trying to approach the role with as much zeal, fervour and attention to detail as the real Lady Thatcher possesses – I can only hope my stamina will begin to approach her own,” says Streep.

[From Deadline]

See? Meryl is handling this with respect, I think, and people might be pleasantly surprised. Oh, and Jim Broadbent is playing Dennis Thatcher. The film is called The Iron Lady. Which… I don’t know? I don’t really like that title. I get that it was her nickname and everything, but it’s just a “meh” title.

Promotional image courtesy of Deadline. Additional pics by WENN.

Cher is the December cover girl for Vanity Fair. She’s promoting her role in Burlesque, which looks like an even more budget version of Showgirls, only with more pancake makeup, I think. VF released some excerpts from the interview, and it sounds like no subject was off-limits for Cher, for which I give her credit. A lot of stars of Cher’s caliber and worldwide acclaim could just phone it in and demand that a lot of subjects be off-limits (hello, Madonna), but not Cher. She discusses in detail her struggles with her daughter’s gender reassignment from Chastity to Chaz, as well as Sonny Bono, aging, fashion and why Meryl Streep is a “stupid bitch”. Here’s more:

Cher tells Vanity Fair West Coast editor Krista Smith that she can’t believe “Sonny and I still aren’t in the [Rock and Roll] Hall of Fame, and it just seems kind of rude. Sonny was a good writer, and we started something that no one else was doing. We were weird hippies before there was a name for it, when the Beatles were wearing sweet little haircuts and round-collared suits…. We influenced a generation, and it’s like: What more do you want?”

As for her daughter turned son, Chaz, Cher says, “If I woke up tomorrow in a guy’s body, I would just kick and scream and cry and f-cking rob a bank, because I cannot see myself as anything but who I am—a girl. I would not take it as well as Chaz has. I couldn’t imagine it.” While Cher remains a proud mother, she admits to Smith that she still gets confused: “She’s a very smart girl—boy! This is where I get into trouble. My pronouns are f-cked. I still don’t remember to call her ‘him.’”

Of her secret to remaining in the spotlight for the past five decades, Cher tells Smith, “I feel like a bumper car. If I hit a wall, I’m backing up and going in another direction. And I’ve hit plenty of f-cking walls in my career. But I’m not stopping. I think maybe that’s my best quality: I just don’t stop.”

Cher opens up about her feelings for Sonny, and their tumultuous marriage, saying that Sonny “told me when we were together, ‘One day you are going to leave me. You are going to go on and do great things.’ … I wouldn’t have left him if he hadn’t had such a tight grip—such a tight grip.” Cher tells Smith that Sonny treated her “more like a golden goose than like his wife…. I forgive him, I think. He hurt me in so many ways, but there was something. He was so much more than a husband—a terrible husband, but a great mentor, a great teacher…. If he had agreed to just disband Cher Enterprises and start all over again, I would have never ever left. Just split it down the middle, 50-50.”

Other highlights of the article include:

Cher on Sarah Palin and Jan Brewer:
“I got so obsessed with [C-SPAN] that it was kind of interfering with my life. Sarah Palin came on, and I thought, Oh, f-ck, this is the end. Because a dumb woman is a dumb woman.” On the subject of Arizona governor Jan Brewer, Cher says, “She was worse than Sarah Palin, if that is possible. This woman was like a deer in headlights. She’s got a handle on the services of the state, and I would not let her handle the remote control.”

Cher on her family and drugs:
“It’s weird, because both of my children had the same drug problems as their fathers—same drug of choice. My father was a heroin addict, and my sister’s father was an alcoholic. But it jumped us…. I didn’t not do drugs because of moral issues. I tried a couple of drugs, but I never felt good out of control. I have the constitution of a fruit fly. I can’t do coffee, but I can do Dr Pepper.”

Cher on aging:
“I think Meryl [Streep] is doing it great. The stupid bitch is doing it better than all of us! But I don’t like it. It’s getting in my way. I have a job to do, and it’s making my job harder…. I’ve been screaming at the top of my lungs at my family, ‘Work out! Work out! Old age is coming!’ At some point you will need the strength. Who would have ever thought you would get this old?”

Cher on parenting and whether her children are still angry with her:
“I think Chaz is pretty much finished with it, and I think Elijah has a little longer to go, but they both really love me a lot. But it’s hard… One time, when Chaz was little, we were on a field trip, and she said, ‘I’m so pissed off, Mom. You can never not be Cher—we can never just do something.’” She concludes, “So your kids pay. I did the best I could do, and yet it was definitely lacking.”

Cher on paying taxes:
“I would be willing to pay a lot more taxes, because I make a lot more money, but I don’t want to give them more to just f-ck things up more. It really should fall on people like me to get together and do things to help the people in this country. If you’re not worrying about how to put food on your table, you [should be] worrying about why other people don’t have food on their table. I remember a great America where we made everything. There was a time when the only thing you got from Japan was a really bad cheap transistor radio that some aunt gave you for Christmas.”

The December issue of Vanity Fair will be available on newsstands in New York and Los Angeles on Thursday, November 4, and nationally and on the iPad on Tuesday, November 9.

[From Vanity Fair]

I mean… at some point, Cher became the half-dressed old lady who sits on her front porch, screaming obscenities at the mailman. When did that happen? She’s still kind of fabulous though – and you can tell she’s joking about SOME of this stuff… like calling Meryl a “dumb bitch”. Just FYI, they are close friends! They’ve been tight ever since they did Silkwood back in the 80s. As for Chaz, you can tell Cher really is struggling, but that she still loves Chaz so much, and she’s willing to accept him however he comes.

Forbes just released their list of the highest paid actresses for the last year (from June, 2009 to June, 2010) and 46 year-old Oscar winner Sandra Bullock is at the top by a wide margin. Bullock earned $56 million, and much of that is due to an agreement she made for a percentage of the profits for The Blind Side in exchange for a lower salary. Bullock’s earnings were also buoyed by the success of The Proposal. Tied for second on the list is Reese Witherspoon, who earned $32 million for her upcoming films How Do You Know and Water for Elephants along with her gig as an Avon “brand ambassador.” Cameron Diaz also brought in $32 million for her take of the Shrek franchise along with Knight & Day. Jennifer Aniston is surprisingly fourth with $27 million despite the mediocre success of her films last year. (Don’t yell at me for that, I’m just paraphrasing the source.) And in fifth place is Sarah Jessica Parker, who took home $25 million for her perfume line and her part in driving a once-enjoyable franchise into the ground.

Where is Angelina Jolie, you ask? Well she’s tied with Julia Roberts for fifth and sixth place with $20 million. That’s pretty damn successful no matter how you look at it. (And many will look at it while chanting in a sing-song voice “Jen beat Angie. nya nya nya nya nya”). Here’s more from Forbes:

Sandra Bullock–$56 million
With two hit movies (The Proposal and The Blind Side) and an Oscar win, Bullock should have been sitting on top of the world. She is financially. With $56 million she’s the highest-earning actress. But a messy breakup with cheating husband Jesse James turned her into tabloid fodder. Bullock overcame adversity with news of an adoption and a return to public life at the MTV Movie Awards.

Reese Witherspoon–$32 million
Witherspoon’s face hasn’t been seen on the big screen since Christmas 2008, when she starred with Vince Vaughn in Four Christmases. She’ll return this holiday season with a new James Brooks comedy titled How Do You Know? co-starring Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson.

Cameron Diaz–$32 million
Thanks to her work in the Shrek films Diaz has a nice, steady income, but she also gets big bucks to appear in romantic films like the action comedy Knight & Day, co-starring Tom Cruise. Diaz also stars with ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake as a foul-mouthed educator in the film Bad Teacher.

Jennifer Aniston–$27 million
Box-office stinkers like Love Happens and The Bounty Hunter can’t stop America’s sweetheart. Aniston still gets tons of press attention and decent-sized upfront paydays for romantic comedies like Just Go With It, co-starring Adam Sandler. Aniston also earns from Friends re-runs and a lucrative deal with Glaceau Smartwater.

Sarah Jessica Parker–$25 million
Between the TV series and movie franchise, Sex and the City will keep Parker in Manolos for years to come. The actress also has a successful line of perfumes that brought in $24 million the U.S. in 2009. Parker is now helping to design clothes for fashion label Halston.

Julia Roberts–$20 million
Roberts is no longer the draw she was in the days of movies like Erin Brockovich and Runaway Bride. Instead she is focusing on more personal movies like Eat Pray Love, based on the bestseller by Elizabeth Gilbert. Roberts will star opposite Tom Hanks for the second time in Larry Crowne, about a man reinventing himself.

Angelina Jolie–$20 million
The mom of six is a constant tabloid presence with 38 magazine covers in the last 12 months. She also makes movies. Jolie lost some ground this year because she didn’t have a new movie in our time frame. But she continues to cement her bankability with big thrillers like Salt and The Tourist, co-starring Johnny Depp.

Drew Barrymore–$15 million
Barrymore made her directorial debut in 2009 with the film Whip It. Unfortunately it didn’t whip up much business at the box office, earning only $17 million globally. Still, Barrymore is working hard to build a career behind the camera. She was the executive producer on the successful film He’s Just Not That Into You.

Meryl Streep–$13 million
At 60 Streep is still big at the box office. She had two hits in 2009 with Julie & Julia and It’s Complicated, which earned a collective $350 million at the global box office. She also earned a record 16th Oscar nomination for her work as chef Julia Child. The actress has no firm plans for her next film.

Kristen Stewart–$12 million
The 20-year-old Stewart is recognizable to teens around the world as Bella, the human caught between a vampire and a werewolf in the Twilight series. The movies have so far earned $1.6 billion at the box office and made Stewart a star. She stretched her wings this year with the rock biopic The Runaways, playing Joan Jett.

[From Forbes]

I love that Sandy is first and that Reese is second. I know Reese bugs a lot of people but I admire what a hard working little go-getter she is. She kept her head up during a very public divorce where her husband acted like a passive aggressive douche and came out richer and more successful for it. Ditto for Sandra Bullock. In terms of the projects Reese was already paid for, I hope that Water for Elephants is half as good as the book.

It doesn’t make sense to me how Julia Roberts and Sarah Jessica Parker made so much bank, but that’s because I can take or leave the pair of them. Their contributions to the field of entertainment last year were too meager to warrant that much dough. As for the “Jennifer made more than Angie” stories that are bound to follow, the whole triangle makes more sense to me now. You have two of the top five highest paid actresses with a personal beef with each other over another very popular highly paid movie star. Of course the tabloids are still milking that for all it’s worth.

A few weeks ago, I read that Meryl Streep was interested in player former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. I didn’t write about it at the time because it all sounded very theoretical, like the movie probably wouldn’t get made and that Meryl was just talking out of her ass about her dream roles. But I was wrong – it looks like an Iron Lady bio-pic is in the works, with Meryl attached. The problem? Margret Thatcher isn’t doing so well, and the Thatcher family has grave concerns that the whole project is going to turn into some disrespectful “Left-wing fantasy”.

A film about Margaret Thatcher’s life, which is expected to star Meryl Streep, shows the former prime minister as a dementia-sufferer looking back at her life with sadness. Although the prospect of Meryl Streep playing Margaret Thatcher may have pleased some admirers of the Conservative former prime minister, her children have been horrified to discover more about the film.

Mandrake hears that the screenplay of The Iron Lady depicts Baroness Thatcher as an elderly dementia-sufferer looking back on her career with sadness. She is shown talking to herself and unaware that her husband, Sir Denis Thatcher, has died.

“Sir Mark and Carol are appalled at what they have learnt about the film,” says a friend of the family. “They think it sounds like some Left-wing fantasy. They feel strongly about it, but will not speak publicly for fear of giving it more publicity.”

Cameron McCracken, the managing director of the film-maker Pathé, confirms: “It is true that the film is set in the recent past and that Baroness Thatcher does look back on both the triumphs and the lows of her extraordinary career.

“It is a film about power and the price that is paid for power. In that sense, it is the story of every person who has ever had to balance their private life with their public career.”

He says Lady Thatcher’s health will be featured, but insists that it will be “treated with appropriate sensitivity”. He adds of the film: “Although fictional, it will be fair and accurate.”

[From The Telegraph]

First: Always trust someone named “McCracken”. Secondly: Always trust Meryl. I trust Meryl not to make an exploitative or nasty film about Baroness Thatcher (I didn’t know she was a Baroness!). Meryl is the best actress working today, and she’s got the industry pull to ensure that Thatcher’s life and illness is treated with respect. Most likely the screenwriter and director are just using Thatcher’s dementia as a story-telling tool to revisit Thatcher’s life and work. Eh.

Header: Meryl on April 12, 2010. Thatcher on July 1, 2010. Credit: WENN.

Here are some new photos of Jack Nicholson (and Meryl Streep and Mike Nichols) at last night’s big AFI tribute for director Mike Nichols. I love Nichols – he’s done such classics as Carnal Knowledge, Working Girl (a favorite), Postcards From the Edge (sigh, I love that one too), The Graduate, and not-so-classic but still good/great films like Closer, Wit and Charlie Wilson’s War. Nichols is good friends with people like Emma Thompson, Jack, Meryl Streep and many, many others. So the turnout for his tribute was incredible. Look at Jack!

A few weeks ago, a publisher sent me a copy of Hollywood Hellraisers: the Wild Lives and Fast Times of Marlon Brando, Dennis Hopper, Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholsonby Robert Sellers. It was an extremely easy read, and if it’s your kind of thing, I would recommend it. The book had lots of details about all of those guys’ sex lives and there was a lot of interesting gossip from the 1970s that I was totally unfamiliar with. Like, both Warren and Jack pounced on Ali McGraw when she and Steve McQueen split up, even though Ali’s other ex Robert Evans warned both Jack and Warren that Ali was too vulnerable for their shenanigans. Another interesting story? Allegedly, Jack was all over Nicole Kidman right after her divorce from Tom Cruise. Like, Jack really, really wanted Nicole. I don’t know if that’s true, but it sounds truthy, doesn’t it?

Anyway, look at some of my favorite bitches. Emma is so f-cking gorgeous, even if the dress is a repeat Westwood from last year. And MERYL!!! Love, love, love. Julia Roberts’ dress sucks though.

These are photos from last week, when Meryl Streep attended the EPIC Awards in New York City. The awards are given out to celebrate women in leadership positions in media and culture. Meryl was there to present, not receive an award, which is weird. When I think of women who deserve more awards, Meryl’s name pops up first. Apparently, Meryl was lovely and gracious as always, even joking about adjusting her bra strap in front of the packed audience.

This morning it was announced that Meryl is the now the most elite actress in the world. She’s just been named an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. This is the only time in the organization’s history that they’ve let an actress – and only an actress – in, traditionally going for directors (like Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen) or writers (like Toni Morrison) or artists (like Jasper Johns). Honestly, I’d heard of this organization before, but I had no idea it was this big of a deal:

Meryl Streep has another academy to thank. The star of films such as “Sophie’s Choice” and “Julie & Julia” has been named an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, an elite club that includes Toni Morrison, Stephen Sondheim and Jasper Johns. Not even two Oscars, seven Golden Globes and a lifetime achievement prize from the American Film Institute prepared Streep for this.

“I have to say that I was stunned, and when they sent me the roster of people in the academy I just burst into tears,” Streep said in a recent telephone interview. “I couldn’t believe that I’d be even allowed in the kitchen.”

The 112-year-old academy announced Monday that Streep and conductor James Levine had been elected to a special category, established in 1983, for “Americans of great distinction in the arts whose work falls outside the traditional departments” of music (composition), literature and art.

Directors Woody Allen (with whom Streep worked in “Manhattan”) and Martin Scorsese and choreographers Twyla Tharp and Paul Taylor are among the current members. While Allen and former member Orson Welles both worked extensively on screen, Streep is the first to be chosen solely for acting.

“Both of this year’s inductees are performing artists, and both are at the peak of their careers,” said poet and Academy President J.D. McClatchy. “James Levine’s conducting and Meryl Street’s acting are extraordinary examples of insight, depth and virtuosity.”

Architects Fumihiko Maki of Japan and Alvaro Siza of Portugal were added to the academy’s honorary category for foreign artists. Inductees into the main body include authors Marilynne Robinson, Francine Prose, Thomas McGuane and Richard Powers, composers Tania Leon and Fred Lerdahl, architect Thom Mayne and painters Thomas Nozknowski and Peter Saul. Members are elected for life (openings are created when a member dies) and encouraged to serve on committees that distribute prizes, but there is no responsibility beyond agreeing to join.

Streep sums up her own category: “I’m in a particular subset of members that’s not even allowed to vote.”

The inductees demonstrate again how far the academy has changed from its frankly snobbish roots, when modernists, women, non-whites and Jews were not welcome and the presence of a “lowly” actress, even one as talented as Streep, might have set off mass resignations. Saul, for instance, is a founder of Pop Art whose lush and sometimes lurid works include “Donald Duck Crucifixion” and “Sex Deviant Being Executed.”

“I was quiet surprised and even shocked when I got the news because I always thought of myself as a `bad’ artist and that the academy was a place devoted to `good’ artists,” he said. “I felt a bit uncomfortable for a moment, but then I thought, `What the heck, why be childish?’ So I went with it.”

McGuane, whose novels include “Keep the Change” and “Ninety-Two in the Shade,” has been previously cited by the academy. He received an award in 1972 for his novel “Bushwhacked Piano” and remembered speaking at the ceremony with Bernard Malamud, Walker Percy and Eudora Welty.

“All those people are gone but remembering them and that event has made this a gratifying personal landmark,” he said.

New members will be inducted at an afternoon ceremony next month at the academy’s beaux arts complex in upper Manhattan, just off the Hudson River. Author Calvin Trillin, elected to the academy two years ago, will be a featured speaker. Streep plans to attend.

“I just hope to have lots of cocktails and talk about high-fallutin’ things,” Streep said.

Like they do in Hollywood.

“Uh, yeah, of course.”

[From The Huffington Post]

Well, good for her. If it was going to be an actor, it should be Meryl. Or Jack Nicholson. But Meryl is probably better. You know what I was thinking about regarding Meryl recently? She’s only 60 years old. She’ll be 61 this year – and God willing, she’s healthy and will be healthy and able to work for another 20 years. Let’s be unkind and say that Meryl only does a movie a year for the next twenty years – how many more Oscars is she going to be nominated for? My guess: Meryl has at least five Oscar-nominated performances in her, at least. And I can guarantee, if she doesn’t win her third Oscar sometime soon, the Academy is just going to give her one of the lifetime achievement awards or the Thalberg Award, or something, just so that we can appreciate Meryl even more.

Just FYI, I’m going to do an epic Worst Dressed post later on, and it’s probably going to be crazy long just because of the Parade of Fug coming down the Oscar red carpet. It’s a little unbelievable how horrible the dresses were for the most part… but I digress. This post is for the best dressed, few and far between. So, let’s start with the newest queen/princess of Hollywood, Sandra Bullock (above). I loved this dress, mostly because Sandy was the one to wear it. It complimented her figure, it was a good (not great) color on her, and the detailing was especially pretty. It photographed well, which Sandy doesn’t always think about with her fashion. I think this was a big fashion win.

Now, I gasped when I saw Meryl. This is the kind of dress you wear when you’re the Grand Dame of Hollywood. She looked like a queen, she really did. Beautiful cut on the dress (designed by Project Runway alum Chris March, who also did her Golden Globes dress), and absolutely gorgeous styling – great hair, stellar makeup, and it was just the prettiest I’ve seen Meryl look in a long time.

Penelope Cruz got it right again! I have to admit, I hated her dress last year, when she won, it was much too princess-y. Penelope is at her best when she does glamour and goddess, which is what a blood-red strapless gown says to me. Love the neckline, great hair, great makeup, and the dress moved really, really well. One of my favorites.

I really liked Rachel McAdams’ dress, even though it was on the verge of pissing me off. It was too pale, and it looked dated to me, but even so, I ended up liking it because of the way Rachel pulled it off. I wish she would go darker overall, though. Darker hair, darked colors. But she looked nice.

Kristen Stewart was a good example of a pale girl knowing well enough to go for a jewel tone that wouldn’t wash her out. I thought the dress itself was gorgeous, beautiful cut, the fit could have been a little better, but I suspect that had more to do with K-Stew’s bad posture. It could have made Kristen look too “old” but I liked how little she accessorized, and how simple her hair was. She’s becoming a little fashion maven, I’m so proud.

I loved Cameron Diaz’s dress too, but did you notice how differently it photographed from the red carpet to the Oscar stage? I thought she had changed at first. On the red carpet it looked like a rich gold color, on stage it looked so much paler. But the dress had gorgeous detailing, and Camy was tan enough to pull it off without it washing her out.

I thought Best Director winner Kathryn Bigelow was one of the most elegant women there. And man, does she have a great figure or what? Seriously, this is one beautiful, classy woman. Great color, great fit, great styling. She looked prettier than most of the actresses there.

I thought Queen Latifah looked gorgeous. But I adore whatever the Queen does. I especially liked the pale lilac color – it looked amazing with her skin tone.

I hate to say it, but Demi Moore kind of pulled this off. Yes, in certain light the color washed her out, and yes, it was derivative of Penelope Cruz’s great Versace a few years ago, and yes, she needs to eat a cookie. But it worked.

Yesterday was the annual Oscar nominees luncheon (which CB already put in the links, below, with LaineyGossip). Some of the notable nominees didn’t show up: no Helen Mirren, no Mo’Nique, no Matt Damon, no Penelope Cruz. But lots of my favorites showed up, so let’s look at the photos! There were lots of quotes and red carpet interviews done with the luncheon too, so the quotes come from The Daily Mail, E! online, just FYI.

Here’s Sandra Bullock in a very pretty, conservative grey look. I’m really digging Sandra’s style this awards season, and I think she’s given up trying to be “hip” and now she’s just going for “classy”. Sandy jokes that she would wear a trash bag to the Oscars, saying: “If I have to wear a trashbag, I’ll stud it with rhinestones and I’ll make it work. I’m not panicky for some reason. I think it’s because there are so many beautiful things out there [and] someone will not want to wear it and I’ll get it.”’ Sandra also said: “It scares me more than anything, because you think, “What do I do now? What do I do now that I don’t step backwards – I step forward.” I’ve been thinking a lot about that – what do I do next?’ I feel like because of this honour and what I’ve been given these last couple of months, I really have an obligation not to step back even the smallest bit.”

Next up, we have Carey Mulligan, lead actress nominee for An Education. Carey said that she had no idea what she would be wearing to the ceremony: “I’ve got my dream dresses in my head but I don’t know who will make them.” Regarding her newly blonded hair, Carey said: “This is something I’m working on. This is a work in progress.” She also claimed that she was imposing an alcohol ban on herself at the Oscars, admitting: “I was at the Independent Film Awards in London and I was hammered. I didn’t think I was going to win, so I was like “ah whatever”. Then I got up there and it was lucky I kept it very short and got off the stage, so since then I’ve been very well behaved.” On being starstruck, she said: “I’ve just accidentally bumped asses with Quentin Tarantino, so that’s a surreal thing to happen! I’ve been following Kathryn Bigelow around quite a lot but I don’t know if she’s noticed and it’s been lovely meeting Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren and Sandra Bullock.”

One of my favorites from the luncheon (just fashion-wise) was Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is up for Best Supporting Actress for Crazy Heart. She wore a vintage 1970s Yves Saint Laurent to the luncheon, and it is stunning. So is her sexy husband Peter Sarsgaard.

Here’s my guy Jeremy Renner with his Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow. My Lord, she’s tall! And Renner could be my pocket friend (in my pants):

Mmm… Colin Firth. He’s so pretty. I’m love with the grey in his hair. It’s so, so sexy. Colin said, regarding his first time ever at an Oscar luncheon: “This really is the first time, I’m completely unfamiliar with it – one is in a perpetual daze. On Oscar night – I will be in a daze, I think that’s quite a good place to be actually. I’m sure I’m ecstatic. I’ll probably have a flashback in six months time when I’ll be able to answer that question then.” So sweet.

Jeff Bridges brought his lovely wife to the luncheon. Look how he leans into her. He still loves the hell out of his wife of three decades, and that alone makes me swoon. Don’t even get me started on his beautifully groomed facial hair. I love him!

And last but not least, we have The Immortal, Meryl Streep. How much would you love it if Jeff (above) and Meryl did a romantic comedy? Or a drama. Or a thriller. They need to do something together, because they would be lovely. I hate this dress though. But her hair and styling is gorgeous!

Predictably, the Oscar race for Best Actress is likely going to come down to Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock. They are the two women who have picked up all of the awards thus far – even tying at the Critics Choice Awards, where they first had a big public play-fight, then kissed and made up on the stage. I’ll admit that I don’t know the true feelings Sandra and Meryl have for or about each other, but I’ll admit that their play-fighting is cracking me up. I get the impression that they really do like each other, and neither would be hurt, offended or angry if the other won the Oscar. Thankfully, Sandra has a big mouth, and she told Us Weekly about the war of attrition she and Meryl are waging:

Expect the playful competition between Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep to heat up now that the two both nabbed Best Actress Oscar nods.

They’ve been facing off at nearly every awards show and even smooched when they tied for best actress at the Critics’ Choice Awards last month.

“With Meryl, when this whole thing started, I left her a voice mail going, ‘You’ve got to watch your back. I’m gonna cut you. I’m gonna take you down,’” Bullock tells the Associated Press. “And then she sent me dead orchids and told me to die, so I sent her a case of liquor and told her to toast to white trash.”

Kidding aside, Bullock, 45, said she has no ill will against the other nominees. (She is up against Julie & Julia’s Streep; An Education’s Carey Mulligan; The Last Station’s Helen Mirren and Precious’ Gabourey Sidibe.)

“You have to enjoy being with these women that you admire or love or like or have had friendships with or are just getting to know because you’ve got to take care of each other,” Bullock told the AP.

“No one, at least the people that I’ve met, no one cares about the end result or the statue,” she added. “It’s being able to sit in close proximity with these ladies … and we have to go through this whole rigamarole and we just all look at each other and we get to know each other and you laugh at the absurdity of it all and how they pit women up against each other.”

How did she feel about also being nominated as worst actress of the year for All About Steve from the Golden Raspberry Foundation, host of the annual Razzies. She is honored.

“If I win, I am so showing up,” she told USA Today. “I have to enjoy that as much as getting an Oscar nomination. It is the great balance in our business.”

[From Us Weekly]

Okay, the part about “I sent her a case of liquor and told her to toast to white trash” is hilarious. I’ve never heard that before, and I’m totally going to steal it. I love, love, love that Meryl and Sandra are having fun with their “war” and I also love that Sandra doesn’t take herself so seriously that she’s offended by the Razzie nomination. To be fair to Sandra, I don’t think it’s her year at the Razzies. That bitch belongs to Megan Fox.

In other Bullock-related news, she told People Magazine that she found out she had been nominated for her first Oscar when her publicist called and woke her up. Do I believe this? Not really. I can’t imagine being nominated for an Oscar, but if I knew there was a possibility, you know my ass would be getting up and watching the program.

Meryl and Sandra at the Critics Choice on January 15, 2010. Credit: WENN.

For true Project Runway addicts – like me – any news of fan favorite Chris March is welcome. Chris was a contestant on the fourth season of Project Runway, and he made a huge impression on pretty much everyone. He got his start as a designer making costumes for plays and shows, and making outfits for drag queens. And his style never really evolved from there – everything had to have feathers and sequins (or human hair) and everything was drama and costume. But Chris won people over with his sweet, funny, generous nature, and he came across as a totally cool guy, even as he lost to little Christian Siriano.

Anyway, don’t cry for Chris! He got to design one of the most photographed gowns from the Golden Globes. That’s right – Meryl Streep got in touch with Chris to design her Globes gown! Isn’t that wonderful? I bet Meryl watches Project Runway (like me). I bet she loves it (like me). Seriously, I bet she and her daughters watch it together and obsess, like me and my mom do. Project Runway is an awesome mother-daughter bonding activity. Anyway, back to Meryl – Chris says that she was really cool and she loved his vision for her. As well she should – Chris’s dress was lovely, age-appropriate and still sexy.

Dressing a Golden Globes winner is nothing short of a dream come true for any budding designer. And, Sunday night, that dream became a reality for Project Runway’s season four alum and fan favorite Chris March as Meryl Streep took the stage in his design!

The designer, who met the actress through her hair and makeup team, was called about a month ago to work on a design for Meryl’s double-nomination at the Globes.

“I wanted to faint!” Chris tells PEOPLE about receiving the call. “I have always wanted to design something for someone like that, and it was a great and amazing opportunity.”

Soon thereafter, Chris met with Meryl to discuss his vision. “I liked the idea of putting a belt on an evening gown–I think it gives [a gown] a modern twist. I sketched it out quickly and she really liked it,” Chris says.

And while Meryl might be one of the biggest stars in Tinseltown, Chris says meeting her was anything but intimidating. “She is the sweetest person you can imagine. She’s very friendly and welcoming and I wasn’t nervous at all.”

After turning out Meryl’s dress in under a month, all the hard work paid off when Chris watched the Julie & Julia star take the stage to receive her Golden Globe for best leading actress. “I almost had a heart attack when Colin Farrell read her name. It was very exciting to see her come up on stage wearing a dress that I made with my own two hands,” says Chris. “I thought it made her look tall and thin and comfortable and confident. It looked great!”

[From People Magazine]

Aw, that’s so sweet. You know what I learned from watching Project Runway? Besides “everything!” That there were a few huge designers who got their start much like Chris – by making over-the-top costumes, and then transitioning into ready-to-wear and street fashion. I think the name that kept being repeated over and over to Chris was “Halston”. In any case, I’m so, so happy for Chris and I’m so glad he didn’t screw up his big Golden Globes debut. He kept Meryl’s gown low-key yet chic, and she looked very comfortable and sexy. I love them both so much!