Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman are still promoting the hell out of their f*ck buddy film, No Strings Attached, which is out this Friday. Ashton has a new interview with Redbook [via US Weekly] in which he reveals that he waited before having sex with Demi and was friends with her first or something. Maybe she just wasn’t into him at first and thought he was an idiot. It’s hard to tell what he’s saying exactly, because he’s not the most articulate person. That’s probably why he prefers communicating in short bursts of text speak.

“My relationship was a relationship first,” the 32-year-old actor tells Redbook. “Well, there wasn’t anything physical happening for awhile, but from the get-go it was more than friendship. It was a deeper connection than that.”

The Iowa native — who once dated January Jones and the late Brittany Murphy — claims that all men reach a point where they want to leave their bachelor days behind them.

“I think guys wind up…not wanting another guy sleeping with the girl they’re with,” he reasons. “But eventually everyone wants something more. We all have that desire for something special, something committed. We all want to be The One.”

[From US Weekly]

Yeah, guys like Ashton want to make sure they’re the only guy “sleeping with the girl they’re with,” but they don’t want that “girl” to be the only girl they’re sleeping with. It doesn’t work both ways for them.

In another interview, Kutcher talks about how his “youngest daughter” went on a date, and was prescreened by him. Kutcher’s “youngest daughter” would be Tallulah Belle, who turns 16 next month. I wonder if Bruce Willis is going to have a little talk with Ashton for not only claiming Tallulah as his daughter, but for weaseling his way into the traditional boyfriend-screener role that Bruce has so willingly taken on in the past. Who would you find more intimidating, Die Hard or Dude, Where’s My Car?

“I think holding the door for the girl that you are having casual sex with is very romantic,” Kutcher told me during a recent one-on-one interview we had in Los Angeles.

“My youngest daughter just went on a date with a kid,” Kutcher continued. “I made him come in. He said hello. He walked her to the door at the end of the night and did all the right things. So that gives me hope.

“I think this movie does point out, though, that we have to stop acting like casual sex isn’t happening, and start to be realistic about what a modern courting relationship is like,” Kutcher went on to say.

[From Hollywood News via Huffington Post]

According to Ashton, casual sex is happening somewhere out in the world and in his movies, but not in his own home either in his current relationship (the one he’s honest about) or in his “youngest daughter’s” relationship. Maybe he should put the smart phone down and take some lessons on public relations. He might be able to make a coherent point.

Ashton, Demi and Tallulah are shown on 10/14/08. Other photos are from 1/11/11. Credit: WENN.com

Natalie Portman won best actress at the Golden Globes last night for her role as a damaged ballerina in Black Swan. She was wearing a pink satin Viktor & Rolf dress emblazoned with a giant red fabric rose at the bustline. The dress was prettier on camera, but it was a bizarre choice and didn’t particularly flatter her. It wasn’t awful I guess.

There’s some talk about Natalie’s acceptance speech, during which she went on about her co-star and now fiance, Benjamin Millepied, the “the ballet K-Fed.” Ben had a live-in girlfriend with a baby at home when he met Nataile on the Black Swan set, so it might not have been the best idea to make a reference to the way they fell in love, but Natalie did it anyway. (Update: The guy didn’t have a baby at home. My bad!)

At first Natalie gave a shout out to her grandma Bernice in Cincinnati and mentioned that her mom and dad were there at the Globes. She thanked them “for bringing me into this world and giving me such a wonderful life.”

Then she started talking about Benjamin, as she’s been known to do throughout this press tour. “Thank you to Benjaim who is helping me continue this creation of creating more life. Benjamin choreographed the film and also you might remember him in the movie as the guy when they ask ‘would you sleep with that girl?’ he’s like ‘no.’ He’s the best actor, it’s not true, he totally wants to sleep with me.” [guffaws]

Natalie thanked her manager and her fellow actors including “Mila ‘Sweet Lips’ Kunis,” which was cute. She then gushed over the film’s director, Darren Aronofsky, and that’s when she started to bug me.

“Darren I met you ten years ago when we talked about this for the first time. Thank you for continuing to work on this movie and then to give me such a beautiful, beautiful gift with this role. Every time we finished our takes you would say ‘now do this one for yourself.’ And that gave me such beautiful inspiration as an actor to not just be a muse – that I could create on my own as well. I love you so much and you’re the most wonderful and I’m so grateful to you.”

It’s pretty typical as far as speeches go, but it could do with some toning down. I’m kind of hoping she doesn’t win the Oscar, although it’s likely that she will.

Also, doesn’t Darren Aronofsky look like the creepiest guy at the porn convention?

Angelina’s poker face fail:

Here’s Natalie’s acceptance speech, which is from Hulu so it only plays for US visitors. Sorry about that!

On Friday night, VH1 aired the forgotten awards show, the Critics Choice Awards, otherwise known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards. The Critics Choice sort of represent the consensus of the critics’ thoughts on the year-in-film. The ceremony has improved over the past few years, and this year they actually had a decent production budget and a surprising good house band with Maroon 5. The breezy two-hour show handed out awards quickly and all in all, I enjoyed watching it while I downed a couple of cocktails with my dog (my dog was not drinking).

The big winners:

Best Picture: The Social Network
Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network
Best Actor: Colin Firth
Best Actress: Natalie Portman
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale
Best Newcomer: Hailee Steinfield
Best Ensemble: The cast of The Fighter
Best Made-for-TV Movie: The Pacific

My favorite parts:

* My favorite acceptance speeches were from Melissa Leo and Christian Bale, surprisingly. Bale is really impressing me lately – you can see that he’s making a real effort to NOT be a jagoff. This is Bale’s version of an Oscar campaign – simply not being surly and difficult. Actually putting on a suit and showing some humility and humor about being honored. His acceptance speech was lovely, and he honored the town of Lowell, Massachusetts and the Ward family, and then he got emotional about his family, specifically his wife Sibi. As far as Melissa Leo’s win, she is just an awesome broad, a wonderful character actress and I enjoyed her because she just seemed to be having the time of her life.

* Matt Damon was honored with the Joel Siegel Award, which recognized his humanitarian work with Water.org, the global clean-water initiative that Matt co-founded. Matt looked great, his speech was simple and humble, and he knows how to laugh at himself – he was pretty much roasted by the two presenters of the award, Jimmy Kimmel and Emily Blunt.

* Quentin Tarantino! He got some kind of special lifetime achievement award that gave him special recognition for his extraordinary use of music in film. He seemed genuinely touched to receive the award, and I always enjoy hearing him speak – he’s a talker. And a genius. It was good to see him!

Here are some photos of the winners – for some reason, I can’t find any photos of Christian Bale or Matt Damon. Sorry, CB!

Photos courtesy of WENN.

There’s a hilarious story in this week’s In Touch Weekly all about how Natalie Portman’s friends are “concerned” that Benjamin Millepied is simple “the ballet K-Fed”. While this has been discussed openly on blogs – I think LaineyGossip used a very similar turn of phrase – it’s interesting to see tabloids really go after Natalie’s baby-daddy like this. Is it a sign that the tabloids don’t respect Natalie? Or is it a sign that Benjamin really is sketchy?

Does Natalie Portman have a Kevin Federline situation with her choreographer fiance Benjamin Millepied? Friends of the actress are concerned that Benjamin may not have the best intentions.

“He’s a self-promoter who’s loving the spotlight,” says a friend of Natalie. “Her friends are worried she’s in over her head.”

“I don’t think he even thought twice about leaving his girlfriend – which isn’t a very good sign of character. He seems like a social climber who was all over Natalie the moment they met.”

Amongst Natalie’s friends, Benjamin is inviting comparisons to another dancer-turned-star-baby-daddy: “They’re calling him the ballet version of K-Fed!”

“Unfortunately, he’s the father of her baby, and her pals think that she wouldn’t be getting married if she wasn’t pregnant, and that it’s all going too fast. They’re nervous that Natalie will wake up one day and wonder what happened.”

[From In Touch Weekly, print edition]

It’s looking more and more like Benjamin is going to get the blame if and when the whole thing goes up in flames. But Natalie is old enough to know better – so what does it say about her IF Benjamin is such a K-Fed-esque tool?

In other Natalie news, she gave an interview to People Magazine about her baby superstitions and whether she’s going to work after baby: “I’m very superstitious. I’m very Jewish that way. We don’t do that.” “That” being talking about what the gender is and plans for the nursery. She also says: “I’ll be out of the public eye after [the baby's born],” Portman said, adding that she will be laying low for a while and will just take any future career opportunity “as it comes.” But… but… she’ll have to make the money! Ballet K-Fed must be supported financially!

Photos courtesy of WENN, Details and Google Images.

As I said in the Ashton Kutcher-Demi Moore post, I’m splitting up the photos from the No Strings Attached premiere. This is the Natalie Portman post – because just like I could talk about Demi’s hair forever and a day, I could also talk about how much I’m enjoying Natalie Portman’s bad pregnancy style. Granted, this Vena Cava dress is probably one of the better things she’s worn since her belly “popped” but that’s not really saying much. I don’t mind loose-cut black gowns on pregnant women. Ladies have earned the right to be comfortable, and to not shove their “bumps” in our faces. My problem with Natalie’s dress is whatever the hell is happening at the neckline. Nude fabric and red halter/piping? The hell? I’m just going to say it: Natalie has a piping problem. There. It’s out there.

Here’s a closeup of Natalie’s engagement ring – it’s very fancy. Not my style, but I appreciate the craftsmanship.

And if you’re worried about Natalie doing to much in her condition, first of all, hahahahaha. She loves doing all of this. This is her Oscar campaign. Second of all, these events are all that she’s doing. Natalie told reporters: “I’m just doing these events, and then I’m going to try to take it easy.” She also said: “I told [director] Darren Aronofsky, I was like, ‘First you got me skinny, and now you’re getting my fat,’ because he introduced me to my fiance. It’s the greatest gift he ever gave me.”

One last Portman thing – her ad for Miss Cherie Dior has come out. It’s pretty sexy – she’s topless and throwing a little sexy bitchface. Nice.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Natalie Portman is the cover girl for the February issue of InStyle Magazine (see cover here). The interview is kind of meh, because Natalie likely did it before she announced her engagement and her pregnancy, so she’s talking around specifics. But she sounds really nice and wholesome here:

Has Natalie Portman let slip the reasons she fell for her fiancé and Black Swan costar, Benjamin Millepied? While she hasn’t spoken directly about their relationship, she does reveal in a new interview what she wants in a mate.

“I look for all the same things I would in a friend,” she says in the February issue of InStyle. “Obviously, you need the sexual attraction too, so it’s like your best friend who you are also really attracted to.”

Portman, 29, also confesses to an adventurous streak. Asked what she’d do if she could be anonymous for one day, she has a surprising answer: “I would make out in the park!”

“That’s the thing I would most enjoy doing in New York, and it’s something I’ll never do,” she adds. “I’d also have loud, public conversations with my friends about personal things. Even if no one is paying attention – and most of the time, no one cares – you never know who is at the next table.”

She also cringes at the “super-awkward” solo sex scene she did for Black Swan, saying, “anyone who tells you otherwise is not being honest … or they’re a little off!”

As for what’s on her to-do-list for the next 10 years, the actress – who also stars in the upcoming romantic comedy No Strings Attached, with Ashton Kutcher – says she wants to be “in a happy relationship, with children.”

It seems that Portman, who is pregnant with her first child, is on her way to achieving that goal.

[From People]

Even though I’ve been questioning Natalie’s choices, I honestly do hope that she and Benjamin Millepied are happy together and that this whole thing doesn’t end up being a catastrophe. Even though he’s begun to strike me as rather douchey, maybe they fit together perfectly…?

Photos courtesy of WENN and Fame.

Well, it looks like this tragedy of a maternity dress was designed by Vionnet, usually a solid label. What would possess a hip fashion house to put gold bedazzling on a faux collar and cuffs? Ugh. Anyway, it’s All Natalie, All The Time, and it will be through the awards season. She was at the Palm Springs International Film Festival with her fiancé Benjamin Millepied, although he’s not in any photos from the event. Which is interesting, isn’t it? He shows up for her, but she issued the memo: “No famewhoring. All of these events are about ME, not you.” I guess we won’t be seeing another “I’m a dancer-director-writer-producer-chef” interview anytime soon? Anyway, during her awards acceptance speech, Natalie gushed a bit about Ben:

Natalie Portman got a little verklempt about her husband-to-be on Saturday. Accepting the Desert Palm Achievement Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the tight-lipped pregnant star couldn’t help gushing about Benjamin Millepied, the dancer/choreographer whom she met while making Black Swan.

As Frenchman Millepied, 33, looked on from the audience, Portman, 29, got teary-eyed as she thanked her fiance who “partnered me in the movie and who now partners me in life.”

About three months along with Millepied’s child, Portman concealed her baby bump with a Vionnet dress and proudly wore her stunning engagement ring — UsMagazine.com revealed the first pics on Friday — as she accepted her trophy.

[From Us Weekly]

At the film festival, Natalie did additional press too. When Parade Magazine got a hold of her and asked what her future career plans were, she replied “I’m cooking a child.” I guess meaning that she’s taking time off? She also spoke about her Oscar dreams: “It’s obviously a big honor [to win an Oscar]. The company in which it puts you even to be mentioned among these other women is a huge, huge honor and a huge compliment. It’s just an extremely flattering, just meaningful to be among these people I really respect and admire.” Wow, she REALLY wants it. More than any other potential Best Actress contender. I wonder what that means for her chances?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Natalie Portman promoted Black Swan at the Palm Springs International Film Festival this weekend – these are photos from the photo call on Saturday. I think Natalie got the memo about her bitchface, because she was really exerting the effort to smile for the cameras. Natalie, we understood about the bitchface retroactively, because of your pregnancy. We get that you were uncomfortable. And many of us even liked your bitchface!

Anyway, Natalie showed off her bump in this absolutely hideous maternity dress. I get that she’s probably trying to look a bit matronly and mature, just to be classy and not have it “all hanging out” while pregnant, but still. There is no reason for such a pretty girl to wear this budget-looking disaster. If the white piping on the hem and the white gauze with the black bodice weren’t tacky enough, the designer went and added GOLD accents on the collar and cuffs. Absolutely and unconditionally tragic.

At the festival, Natalie took home the “Achievement Actress” award and she also presented Javier Bardem with the “International Star Award”. When asked about impending motherhood, Natalie said: “I have no idea what it is going to be like so I’ll feel it out.”

Last thing… she was wearing her engagement ring, and I was trying to crop a photo to get a good angle on it. Here’s the best that I got, and if you want to see a better photo of the ring, go here to Us Weekly:

Photos courtesy of WENN.

The photos of Natalie walking down the street are new – and boy, in these photos, she looks pregnant all of a sudden, doesn’t she? She might even be further along than I assumed. Anyway, while I was pouring through this week’s National Enquirer, I glanced through their smallish story about Natalie Portman’s engagement. They pretty much had the same story that we’ve heard before about how Natalie and Benjamin Millepied started out – that Benjamin was already in a relationship with a dancer named Isabella, and that there was overlap between Isabella and Natalie. In yesterday’s Us Weekly story, a source close to Natalie made it sound like Benjamin should just take the hit on that – “That’s on him” – meaning that Natalie is innocent, I suppose.

And then the Enquirer ended their story with a piece of gossip I had completely forgotten: Natalie was rumored to be one of the big reasons for Sean Penn and Robin Wright’s final split in 2009 – Natalie and Sean were rumored to be quite hot and heavy for a short time in the Spring of 2009, and the stories even including eyewitness accounts of their public makeout sessions. Allegedly, Robin considered the affair “the final straw”. The rumors of Sean and Natalie’s alleged romance were so strong in fact, that Miss Privacy issued a vehement denial that she and Sean had any romantic connection whatsoever. “That was on him” perhaps.

Anyhoodle, this week’s Enquirer ends their trip down memory lane with this quote, from a close source: “Once Natalie had her heart set on a guy, nothing is going to stand in her way – including another woman.” BAM!

Photos courtesy of Bauer-Griffin, WENN & Fame.

Natalie Portman is pregnant, engaged, and one of the leading contenders for this year’s Best Actress Oscar. Is it fair to rake her over the coals? Eh. While I’m not her biggest fan, I’m not hugely interested in (metaphorically) beating up on a pregnant woman. Do you sense a big caveat coming? Of course. Considering Natalie’s pregnancy-and-engagement announcement took most people by surprise, the tabloids are doing what they love to do – digging up dirt on someone new. Us Weekly has an interesting story on Natalie and her beloved, Benjamin Millepied, in this week’s issue. Their sources confirm many of the rumors we’ve already heard about Benjamin – that he was very much involved with a dancer when he met Natalie, and that there was some overlap in the two relationships. Us Weekly’s sources also give the impression that Benjamin is, in fact, a fame-hungry star-f-cker who is looking to build a career on his association with Natalie. One more thing – the pregnancy wasn’t planned, and Benjamin only proposed after Natalie got pregnant.

One year ago, Natalie Portman ran in the new year with her new boyfriend, Benjamin Millepied, at a private party in New York City.

“At midnight, they kissed for a long time on the dance floor,” an attendee tells Us Weekly.

Fast-forward one year, and she has two more reasons to smile: she’s pregnant and engaged.

“The pregnancy was a bit of a shock,” says a Portman source, adding that she’s three months along. “He proposed after they found out. They are happy, and all is right.”

But the fairy tale may not be as idyllic as it appears. Insiders say Millepied, a noted ladies man, was still involved with his live-in love, ballerina Isabella Boylston, when he met Portman.

“When he started dating Natalie, he dropped Isabella,” says a source. Indeed, another source says Boylston learned of the on-set affair before Millepied could tell her.

“She was upset,” says the ballet insider. “Their breakup was bitter.”

A pattern? A source recalls that just a few years ago Millepied persuaded a Danish dancer to move to NYC, only to leave her for another dancer. But the Portman source insists no one stole anyone: “He fell in love with someone else. He pursued Natalie. That was on him.”

From the moment Millepied met Portman, he was smitten.

“It was seductive to watch them,” says a source on the Black Swan set. “There was no way the attraction could be missed. I don’t think he could help himself – she’s dazzling!”

As for Portman, she was struck by the dancer as well. “She’s into artsy, smart guys, and he’s an artsy, smart guy,” says the Portman source. However, some worry that Millepied is a little too eager to go Hollywood.

“He could be using Natalie to move up the fame ladder,” says a Millepied source. Meanwhile, others say he has turned over a new leaf.

“He wants to settle down,” says a source. Adds another, “We are looking at a summer baby and maybe a wedding just before or after! Everyone is excited.”

[From Us Weekly, print edition]

My favorite quote is from the Portman source: “He fell in love with someone else. He pursued Natalie. That was on him.” Ah, that’s wonderful. If only everyone thought that way! If only everyone just blamed the cheating guy for being a womanizing douche, and no one ever blamed the woman he was screwing. Notice that the Portman source doesn’t really say if Natalie KNEW Benjamin was already in a relationship when he began pursuing her. Oh, well. “That was on him.”

Also, I agree with some of your theories that Benjamin was the one poking holes in the condoms. He hit the jackpot with this one, didn’t he?

By the way, Natalie was at the People’s Choice Awards last night, but it doesn’t look like she took her bump to the red carpet. Sigh… I think this is probably going to be happening a lot. So many awards shows, so many opportunities for Natalie to remind us that she’s too good to walk a red carpet. Anyway, you can see some shots of Natalie backstage with her bump here, at HuffPo.

Photos courtesy of WENN.