Natalie Portman Stays (Mostly) Silent on 'Black Swan' Controversy

Ahead of the release of "Your Highness," out today, Natalie Portman talked about many things, like her upcoming baby and her views on marijuana ("I love stoner comedies. I smoked weed in college, but I haven't smoked in years," she told Entertainment Weekly).
But the one thing she's remained tight-lipped about is the controversy around her "Black Swan" dancing double, Sarah Lane, who said last month that she did the work that won Portman a best-actress Oscar for her starring role in the film.

"I had a chance to make something beautiful with this film, and I don't want to give in to the gossip," Portman told E! News Wednesday when asked about Lane. One of Lane's gripes is that Portman didn't thank her in her Oscar acceptance speech, but Portman said she doesn't "remember my Oscar speech at all, and I'm actually too embarrassed to watch it."

In March, Lane, a soloist with the American Ballet Theatre, told Entertainment Weekly that the public had been misled about how much dancing Portman did in "Black Swan."

"On the full-body shots, I would say 5 percent are Natalie," Lane said. "I mean, from a professional dancer's standpoint, she doesn't look like a professional ballet dancer at all and she can't dance in pointe shoes. And she can't move her body. She's very stiff."

Lane lamented how she was listed in the credits as an extra rather than a dancing double. She also said producers from the film asked her to stop giving interviews before the Oscars. After her comments made headlines, she wrote a blog for the Wall Street Journal clarifying her point that Portman's limited training did not equip her to portray a pro ballerina.

"I'm not trying to instigate conflict here," Lane wrote. "The truth is that no one, not Natalie Portman, or even myself can come anywhere close to the level of a professional ballerina in a year and a half. Period."

 

Christie Brinkley Reached Out To Billy Joel! Model Christie Brikley Sex Ex Helped Her Get Stage Role!

 CHRISTIE Brinkley says her ex-husband Billy Joel gave her tips before she auditioned for her role as Roxie in the Broadway version of musical Chicago.
The mother-of-three, 57, has revealed the Uptown Girl hitmaker told her how to make the best of her singing voice.
“He helped with my projection,” she said.
Brinkley — who has appeared on more than 500 magazine covers — also revealed that dancing in the show had “definitely” improved her figure.
Brinkley was criticized for her dancing in the 1983 video for Joel’s hit Uptown Girl – but insists she has improved since.
Christie recently insisted she is in no rush to find the man of her dreams.
“Most of the time, I’ve got my kids with me, so I’m not as prone to meeting people,” she said.
“And then, you never really know if someone is talking to you because you’re a celebrity. It’s not my number one priority.
“I always knew I wanted to be a mother … it takes a lot of work.
“My work makes me a better mom. It gives me a little door to step out of my parenting and bring the excitement from that day back home.”



See a nice shot:

Jennifer Lopez is Terrified of the Ocean

Jennifer Lopez is keen to compete in another triathlon - as long as she doesn't have to swim in the sea.

The singer/actress and American Idol judge admits the swimming part of her 2008 triathlon was the toughest part of the feat - because she's terrified of the ocean.

Lopez tells the Globe, "I'd love to do another one, but I don't want to swim in the ocean again. That was the worst part for me.

"I would swim in a pool, even if it is 100 laps... It was a great fear of mine to swim in the sea. I conquered that fear once, but I wouldn't do it again."

Two of her favorite songs-->

Jennifer Lopez - Waiting For Tonight:

Jennifer Lopez - If You Had My Love:

Meg Ryan - Meg Ryan Scheduled To Make Directorial Debut On 'Into The Beautiful'

Best fake orgasm ever:

Meg Ryan - Actress Meg Ryan is scheduled to make her directorial debut on "Into the Beautiful". According to Variety, Wendy Finerman  of "Forrest Gump," and "The Devil Wears Prada" and Nathalie Marciano have signed on to produce the film. "I'm often drawn to pictures that make you laugh and cry," Finerman told Variety. "I think this is the perfect project for Meg to bring to life. She's poignant and funny and heartfelt."

Sexy Meg Ryan:



Shooting for "Into the Beautiful" is scheduled to begin in September in New York. Are you looking forward to Meg Ryan's directorial debut?

Amanda Bynes's Pet Pomeranian Dies

Amanda Bynes 's dog Little Angel has died. Just four months old, the caramel-colored pomeranian went missing on Tuesday.

"[She] got out of my house somehow and is LOST," theEasy A actress, 25, tweeted to her 53,000 followers. "If anyone finds her I BEG you to please contact me thru Twitter."


Then, later that day, Bynes shared sad news. "Little Angel is in heaven now," she wrote. "RIP. I love you."

Ashley Judd talks of neglect, abuse in memoir

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actress Ashley Judd says in a new memoir that she had a lonely, painful childhood that included sexual abuse and thoughts of suicide while her mother Naomi Judd and sister Wynonna sought to build a career as country music stars.

In excerpts of "All That Is Bitter and Sweet," and in a TV interview on the "Today" show on Tuesday, Judd spoke of feeling neglected and emotionally abused while constantly moving homes with the Judd country legends.

"My family of origin, the one into which I was born, was also brimming with love but was not a healthy family system. There was too much trauma, abandonment, addiction and shame," the "Double Jeopardy" actress writes in the memoir, which was published on Tuesday.

Judd, 42, wrote that she was molested by a family friend as a teenager, witnessed inappropriate sexual behavior between her mother and her new boyfriends, and said drugs were regularly available in her home.

Many of the memories, including times when she played with her mother's gun after school and thought about shooting herself, were repressed and were recovered when Judd underwent therapy in 2006.

Judd told "Today" in an interview that the goal of her book was to better explain the humanitarian work she does around the globe involving impoverished and abused women in brothels, slums and refugee camps.

"I was really encouraged by people I trust to include some of my own story, because why I love (humanitarian) work really baffled people, and so I eventually got willing to put it there," the actress explained.

Naomi Judd said in a statement to the "Today" show: "I love my daughter. I hope her book does well."

Ashley Judd called her mother's attitude to the revelations "exquisitely gracious."

Naomi Judd and her country singer daughter Wynonna are set to reveal details of their own tempestuous relationship in a six part TV documentary series starting on the Oprah Winfrey Network on Sunday.