Scarlett Johansson

He’s Just Not That Into You co-star Bradley Cooper is now a Scarlett Johansson fan.

Bradley made his Broadway debut three years ago in Three Days of Rain, acting opposite, Julia Roberts. The Broadway and big-screen actor thinks that the 26-year old Scarlett may have the potential to star in a B’way play, and he would just love to star opposite her.

“Scarlett Johansson is a phenomenal actress,” Bradley said of his He’s Just Not That Into You costar. “If she ever wants me to do anything with her again, I’ll do it. I’d love to do a play with her.”

And although this is an Oscar week (month more like it), Bradley’s focus is still on the stage, and a play is exactly what he hopes to be doing this fall in New York.

He revealed to Mark Malkin of E! Online that it’s looking that he will be onstage co-starring in the upcoming Broadway production of The Understudy, which he first did last summer with Kristen Johnston and Reg Rogers at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts.

“I made a pact with myself that every two years, I have to do a play,” he said, quickly adding with a laugh, “If I’m lucky to get one.”

But as of now, unfortunately, there are no plans for ScarJo to be in The Understudy with him.

In HJNTIY, Bradley plays Ben, the married man that Scarlett’s character, Anna, takes a fancy to. He is married to Beth, played by Jennifer Connelly, but since she doesn’t show interest in bed, he then gets attracted to the flirty and sexy yoga instructor, Anna.

With a director, Woody Allen, who is famous for his beautiful (and award-winning) movies, and a very impressive cast (Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, and Rebecca Hall to name a few), Vicky Christina Barcelona, should be a movie worth watching out for. Here are some other reviews of the film:

For this film, Allen takes his vision to Spain and follows the fortunes of two holidaying friends, whose lives are turned upside down by a chance encounter with exotic abstract artist, Javier Bardem.
The one thing that has remained utterly consistent about Allen’s films is his ability to attract unbelievable casts.

Apart from Bardem, he directs Penelope Cruz to arguably her best ever English language performance and he renews his rewarding artistic relationship Scarlett Johansson, who lights up the screen like an angel whenever she is in his hands.

- Michael Green, The Flintshire Chronicle

The movie is enjoyable as a quick distraction but ultimately forgettable. The script does not feel tight enough and you never develop sympathy for Cristina, which is not Johansson’s fault as she does the best she can with the character provided. Javier Bardem deserves better roles than this since he mostly acts out a caricature of a Spanish artist. Rebecca Hall shows promise as Vicky but is also constrained by playing “Woody Allen light” that pales next to many of the director’s better and more inspired portrayals. Fans of Allen’s work will still probably require a viewing as this is one of the director’s better films in recent years, but that is only because it is fairly harmless next to disappointments such as Hollywood Ending (2002) or Celebrity (1998).

Vicky Cristina Barcelona does not necessarily squander its talented actors but does not really showcase their skills either with the exception of Penelope Cruz. Fans of Woody Allen expecting a brilliant return to form will be dissatisfied. But, if the setup of the movie seems interesting, it is worth a rental with the proper expectations.

- Robert Searle, HDR Review

Movie review time people! Now I know that Vicky Christina Barcelona was released a year ago, in 2008. But the DVD version has been released, and it is one of the titles to look out for. So, to help you decide whether this ScarJo starrer is worth your time and money, here are a few reviews to help you.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Weinstein/Genius)—Woody Allen writes and directs this romantic tale set in Barcelona. Friends Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), spending their summer in Spain, are two young American girls with different viewpoints on romance who fall for the same Casanova artist, Juan Antonio Gonzalo (Javier Barden). Things get really saucy with the appearance of Penelope Cruz as Juan’s ex-wife who comes back into his life. Cruz won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar as Maria Elena.

- The Acorn, What’s New in DVD

“Exhilarating, captivating and enjoyable… Woody Allen’s latest comedy about the vagaries of passion, set in Barcelona, shows that lovely Spanish city off to its best advantage, just as it does its lead actors.”

- Claudia Puig, USA Today

“Allen has set out to amuse and divert us and discover secrets of human nature, but not tragically deep ones. He is a little like Eric Rohmer here. The actors are attractive, the city is magnificent, the love scenes don’t get all sweaty, and everybody finishes the summer a little wiser and with a lifetime of memories. What more could you ask?”

–Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

“The performances of Bardem, Cruz, Johansson and Hall are delightfully inventive… This may not be vintage Woody Allen, but it’s certainly the best thin he has done in a long time.”

–Richard Mowe, Box Office

Because of her sexy image and come-hither look, Hollywood actress, Scarlett Johansson has been painted as a promiscuous woman. Bit contrary to that belief, the 25-year old vixen has said that no, she is not promiscuous, but she’s not strictly a monogamist either.

On December of 2006, when Scarlett was still 23 years old, she told Allure magazine about her stand on relationships (remember, this was before He’s Just Not That Into You).

“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not promiscuous,” she said to Allure in December 2006. “There does seem to be a mistaken belief out there that I am sexually available somehow – which is not to say that I’m not open-minded about sex,” she said when asked about her real self against the one painted by the public.

“Yet,” she goes on to say, “I wouldn’t say I’m a serial monogamist, either. I mean, I went through periods of time when I was, ah, single. But when I’m in a relationship, I’m in a relationship.”

Then again, she reveals, “I do think on some basic level we are animals, and by instinct we kind of breed accordingly. But as much as I believe that, I work really hard when I’m in a relationship to make it work in a monogamous way.”

I think that it’s refreshing to know that even back then, at a young age, ScarJo has already a solid personality and a solid stand for what she believes is right. She stood up against the image that the media and other people had for her and tried to live up for what she said. So now, as a married woman at 25, I think that the Scarlett-Ryan relationship would last, if both parties somehow make an effort to stay together.

Scarlett Johansson is seeing red! And I am not talking about her reddish-brown hair. Nope! She’s seeing red because of anger. And that anger is such that she is willing to sue a magazine for it.

ScarJo got so angry over Us Weekly’s “outrageous and defamatory” allegations. What are these allegations about that got her so riled up? Well, Us claims that the famous actress had undergone plastic surgery.

This is what the blonde-turned-brunette’s publicist had to say:

“US Weekly’s cover story regarding Scarlett Johansson and its clear implication that she has had plastic or cosmetic surgery on her nose is an outrageous and defamatory fabrication lacking any conceivable basis or proof, despite vehement denials by Ms. Johansson prior to publication,” reads a statement from her rep. “Not surprisingly, US magazine cannot provide the dates when she supposedly had this surgery, who performed the surgery, or what was supposedly done — all because there simply is no truth to the story. The publication made a pathetic attempt to validate its story by using two cover photos of Scarlett that were taken years apart with obviously different make-up and lighting, and then relying on an “expert’s opinion” (based solely on looking at the two photos) on what “might” have been done. It wasn’t.”

“Scarlett has always been straightforward with the press regarding her body image, and she is very concerned that her fans (and perhaps even her employers) will feel mislead. Thus, she feels compelled to take immediate legal action against Us Weekly.”

Hmmm…if I were Us I would be scared…very scared! Remember when Scarlett had it in mind to sue a website that bore her name? She won that case. And unless Us starts to beg forgiveness or make a sort of settlement with her camp, then this looks like another ScarJo victory. Think about it, Us had no facts to support their claims, no statements from reliable witnesses, only allegations and implications. And an angry Scarlett is a scary Scarlett and I don’t think even the top online casinos can make her feel better…err… peace Scarlett!

So? Whose side are you on?

Remember when it was rumored that Justin Timberlake and Scarlett Johansson were dating? Well, let’s take a walk down memory lane and revisit those times in 2007 when Justin allegedly dropped his then-girlfriend, Cameron Diaz, and went off not to play online casino but to “flirt” with and “cozy up to” another blonde, Scarlett Johansson.

When Justin was looking for the femme fatale for his new $1 million video, “What Goes Around,” he zeroed in one actress: Scarlett Johansson. The 25-year old singer, who was then on the rocks with his girlfriend, Cameron Diaz (who is 9 years older than he is), made the younger actress (who is three years younger) agree readily, which was weird in a sense, because even then, ScarJo was already careful in her film choices.

But if one had a crush on the singer/ leading man, then I guess one would readily agree, right? This seemed to be the case because as one friend of Scarlett revealed, “Scarlett has always liked Justin. They’ve always had a flirtation – that’s why Cameron was threatened by her.”

The decision to cast her as the video vixen pushed the Justin-Cameron relationship to the breaking point.

Cameron reportedly dislikes the younger ScarJo because she starred in Lost In Translation, a film where Anna Faris plays a ditzy character that was reportedly based on Cam and because Scarlett subsequently dated her ex-boyfriend Jared Leto.

The young actress had recently split up with Josh Hartnett and was spotted with Justin at an after-party for his then-new film Alpha Dog. Sources in both stars’ inner circles confirm they are in the beginning stages of a relationship. A source adds, “He sees he has more in common with Scarlett and just thinks she’s really cool. They’re both just having fun.”

But she begged to differ when she addressed rumors about her relationship with Justin. “We have a lot of friends in common, and Justin’s a sweetheart, and it’s always good to see him,” ScarJo said, “but there’s a lot of speculation and I try not to read that stuff. I think when two people are single and are seen together, it’s immediately like a crazy feeding frenzy.”

Oh! So that’s it. They’re just friends. Justin-ScarJo never happened. Kapeesh?

This is the last part of The Spirit reviews. But before we go further, I would just like to remind everyone that Scarlett plays Silken Floss, the sexy assistant of the sinister Octopus. Thus the need to review this movie, since it has SacrJo in it. Yay!

So here are the last two reviews:

How did Frank Miller manage to go from fanboy favourite to motion picture pariah in the span of three years? As one of the biggest comic book writer/artists out there today, his work on Sin City and graphic novels like The Dark Knight Returns helped build respect for the entire medium. Unfortunately, after experiencing the mess that is The Spirit, it’s pretty obvious that all of the man’s talent lies primarily on the page and not the big screen.

Frank Miller deserves every bit of credit he’s ever gotten for being a comic book visionary, but — to borrow a line from Dirty Harry — a man’s got to know his limitations. After scripting Robocop 2 and co-directing Sin City with Robert Rodriguez, Miller makes his solo feature film directing debut with The Spirit and this might also very well be his last time directing a major studio film. Yes, The Spirit is that much of a mess. Perhaps not as bad as Battlefield Earth, as some have claimed, but it’s at least on par with 1998’s The Avengers.

- Jim Vejvoda, IGN Movies

The Spirit, Hollywood’s latest hyper-stylised superhero rampage, wants to be mad, bad, and dangerous to know. It gets the second bit right. There’s adapting a comic book into a functional movie, and then there’s just dumping a lot of half-digested ideas onto the screen, which is what director Frank Miller has done here.

I say loonies, rather than villains, because the pair abysmally played here by Samuel L Jackson and Scarlett Johansson keep doing these nuthouse audition pieces – one minute they’re mad scientists grafting miniaturised human heads onto feet, the next they pop up cackling in SS regalia and jackboots. Ta-dah! The Spirit is certainly going all out for bonkers, but it chucks these random conceits into the mix with a mystifying lack of rhyme or reason — it’s all just weird for weird’s sake.

- Tim Robey, Telegraph UK

So, from what I gather, it’s quite a trainwreck of a movie, but if you’re a Scarlett Johansson fan, hey, check it out! Her sizzling sensuality shines and you get to see her don some very sexy-librarian outfits. If you have 2 hours to waste, then go ahead. But if not, well, there are other ScarJo movies out there which are more worthy of your time and effort.

In the last past couple of years, we saw the rise of some of the comic book universe’s Hollywood counterparts. There were the Dark Night, Sin City, 300, Iron Man, and The Hulk, to name a few. And there’s also the Scarlett Johansson starrer, The Spirit.

She co-stars with Samuel Jackson, Eva Mendes, and Gabriel Macht, just to name a few. The entire movie was shot against a green screen, so expect a Sin City and 300-ish look. Let’s look at a few of the reviews of the 2008 movie, shall we?

This film version of Will Eisner’s ground-breaking comic series, “The Spirit” is a visual explosion ignited by at times campy acting and melodrama so thick it will hurt your teeth. It’s hard not to smile and grimace when one character tells a wounded partner: “Just shut up and bleed.” But the movie could not have been presented properly any other way. This film is about The Spirit’s (Gabriel Macht) unstoppable attempts to do good as he clashes with the never-ending evil of The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson).

- Rick Bentley, McClatchy Newspapers

Though its visuals are unique, The Spirit’s plot is almost incomprehensible, the dialogue is ludicrously mannered, and the characters are unmemorable.

- Rotten Tomatoes

Visually and viscerally, “The Spirit” is less extreme and intense than “Sin City,” and d.p. Bill Pope periodically allows some warmth and color to bleed into his stark palette. There’s no denying the fastidiousness and occasional virtuosity of the overall design, or the lustrous texture of the widescreen images. But all this incessant monochrome has its perils, too: When a man falls to the ground, his body covered with white bloodstains, it’s unclear whether he’s been felled by bullets or by incontinent birds.

- Justin Chang, Variety Film

Scarlett Johansson is slated to do another album this year. And so, I was inspired to look at some of the reviews of her last album, As I Lay My Head. Actually, I’ve listened to some of the song in her album, and surprisingly, she has a good, husky voice, one that can rock you to dreamland.

But anyway, here are some of the reviews:

The girl’s got indie cred, no doubt. Lost in Translation wrapped her in a dynamite alt-rock soundtrack, and she’s sung with the Jesus and Mary Chain. So it makes sense that, for her debut, Scarlett Johansson takes on the indestructible songbook of indie totem Tom Waits. Produced by TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek, the experimental result finds her draped, sonically speaking, in costumes as ornate as those 16th-century period gowns she rocked in The Other Boleyn Girl…she’s a faintly goth Marilyn Monroe lost in a sonic fog. Sometimes that’s fine: “I Wish I Was in New Orleans” is carried by a haunting music-box melody, “Fannin Street” has lush choral vocals bolstered by David Bowie, and “Song for Jo” (the set’s sole original) sweeps the singer along in sound whorls recalling “Tomorrow Never Knows.”

- Will Hermes, Rolling Stone

So, how does Johansson herself sound? More expressive and less tentative than she did on “Summertime”, her track from the 2006 Music Matters comp Unexpected Dreams: Songs From the Stars. While her voice is limited and her pitch occasionally shaky, she has a wide textural range, spanning from low, smooth, and melancholy on “Song for Jo” (the only original, which she co-wrote with Sitek) to bristling and edgy on “Falling Down”, whose melody best suits her voice and Sitek’s production.

- Stephen M. Deusner, Pitchfork Media

Anywhere I Lay My Head, actress Scarlett Johansson’s debut CD, is an extravagant act of camouflage: a covers album where the interesting objective of reimagining Tom Waits songs with Arcade Fire-type soundscapes plays second fiddle to disguising her expressionless voice. With her low monotone, ScarJo aims for Nico but comes off like Sinéad on sopors — never more so than on the zombielike ”I Don’t Wanna Grow Up.” In burying Johansson’s vocals so deeply in the druggy ambiance, producer David Andrew Sitek (of TV on the Radio) means well but ends up obscuring Waits’ great tunes.

- Chris Willman, Entertainment Weekly

Sexy Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson has always been vocal about her support to now-President Barack Obama, to the point that she thoughtlessly let out that they exchange emails, which fueled a controversy between the two of them.

But the young actress’s admiration don’t just stop at Presidential candidates. On December 11 of last year, ScarJo praised 2008 Nobel winner and former Finnish President, Martti Ahtisaari for promoting peace in three continents for the past three decades.

“It is important to remind young people that peace is the only real victory,” said the Spirit star.

ScarJo and Michael Caine co-hosted the concert which honored former president Ahtisarri. The event was broadcasted in more than 100 countries and featured popular artists Diana Ross, Feist, and Dierks Bentley.

The 24-year old blonde also stressed that peaceful mediation should be used to resolve conflicts instead of war.

“Not the way the U.S. has handled it the past two terms which is: ‘Don’t discuss,’” she said.

Scarlett said, “I guess we think it is awarded to deserving, smarty pants. What’s wonderful about the concert … is really to make this peace prize sort of more accessible,” when asked to describe the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Scarlett was honored to be asked to asked to co-host the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Norway. She wanted to do something important to show young people around the world that peace is attainable and within our reach,” ScarJo’s close friend revealed to People magazine about her co-hosting job for the Nobel Peace Prize award.

Singer/ songwriter Kate Perry has stated that I Kissed A Girl is a song about appreciating “the beauty of women.”

She says, “everyone takes the song and relates it to their situation, they can see it however they want to see it. Love it, hate it, for me it was about us girls. When we’re young we’re very touchy-feely. We have slumber party sing-alongs, we make up dance routines in our pajamas. We’re a lot more intimate in a friendship than guys can be. It’s not perverse but just sweet, that’s what the song is about.”

And so, here is the lyrics to the platinum- certified song I Kissed A Girl, inspired by, what else, Scarlett Johansson’s luscious lips. Try to see if you can imagine her lips in between the song’s lines. Enjoy!

Verse 1:
This was never the way I planned
Not my intention
I got so brave, drink in hand
Lost my discretion
It’s not what, I’m used to
Just wanna try you on
I’m curious for you
Caught my attention

Bridge:
Us girls we are so magical
Soft skin, red lips, so kissable
Hard to resist so touchable
Too good to deny it
Ain’t no big deal, it’s innocent
(Chorus)

In a time when Hollywood seems to be obsessing on “weight issues,” sexy actress, Scarlett Johansson has also stepped out to give people a piece of her mind.

InTouch magazine cornered the recent blonde-turned-brunette, during one of her red carpet appearance for promotion of her newest movie, He’s Just Not That Into You. The blonde bombshell was praised by the interviewer as being “refreshing” and complimented the fact that she doesn’t “subscribe to the scary-skinny craze in Hollywood.”

To that, ScarJo replied, “That’s the biggest nonsense ever! Count me out. I don’t understand what’s supposed to be sexy there. And besides, I like to eat too much.”

“I have never been on a diet in my whole life,” she added.

Oh! Since she’s not dieting and she “likes to eat too much,” does she battle the excess carbs by hitting the gym? Well, apparently, no. She doesn’t.

“I’ve seen gyms only from the outside. I feel very comfortable with my body,” the 24-year old actress revealed.

Wow! A figure like that, and she doesn’t do a single thing to keep it that way. And I guess that her statement is a good reminder to all the girls and women out there who obsess over their weight, and start to undergo crazy dieting schemes and overt exercise regimes. Scarlett is right, we females do need to be comfortable in our own skin, in whatever size we come in. But, a watching what we eat and getting proper exercise is good for the body and health also, so I’m not totally against dieting and exercising, as long as it’s done in moderation, then there shouldn’t be any problem. Right?

Scarlett is one pretty hit babe to be able to inspire a platinum-certified single. We’ve heard of the “face that launched a thousand ships,” but never of “the lips that launched a platinum single.”

The song’s singer/writer, Kate Perry revealed to Steppin’ Out Magazine that she was inspired to pen her hit, I Kissed A Girl, when she opened up a magazine and saw a picture of Scarlett Johansson.

“I Kissed A Girl was inspired when I opened up a magazine and I saw a picture of Scarlett Johansson,” she reveals.

She continued, “I was with my boyfriend at the time, and I said to him, ‘I’m not going to lie: If Scarlett Johansson walked into the room and wanted to make out with me, I would make out with her. I hope you’re okay with that?’”

When Allure told her that her lips were Kate’s inspiration, the actress replied, “That’s flattering, but my lips are kind of taken,” referring to her marriage with hubby, Ryan Reynolds.

“I had no idea (about the song). I should get a cut!” she said jokingly.

But, as usual, when the topic of how she met her husband came up, ScarJo clams up and cuts off the conversation.

“Nobody knows,” she says. “It’s private. It’s our story.”

She has always been privy to her marriage, but at least she talks about her plans for the future.

“I always wanted to get married and have kids,” she says. “I just never had any preconceived idea about what that would be like … My life seems to be happening naturally.”

Scarlett fans may not need to wait long to see their idol back on the big screen. Tongues have been wagging that ScarJo is set to star in the sequel of summer hit, Iron Man.

The award-winning actress might be replacing The Devil Wears Prada actress, Emily Blunt for the role of Black Widow. Emily, who is the previous choice for the role, may have to step down because of conflicts in her schedule, since she is also slated to do Twentieth Century Fox’s Gulliver’s Travels. But, Emily and her representatives are trying hard to make both movies work for her.

According to a report on EntertainmentWeekly’s Hollywood Insider blog, Emily’s scheduling conflicts between Gulliver’s Travels and Iron Man 2 have led Marvel to discussions “with other actresses, most significantly Scarlett Johansson, to take her place.”

According to EW, “Marvel will not confirm, but sources around Hollywood say Johansson has indeed met with the filmmakers.”

If Marvel pushes through with Scarlett, she would play lethal redhead Russian spy/assassin, Natasha Romanavo, a.k.a. the Black Widow, who is Tony Stark’s love interest and the anti-heroine to Iron Man. For this movie, as a KGB operative, she was ordered to steal an anti-gravity device and in so doing, wreaks havoc in the world.

There is no confirmation from the studio just yet, considering that Gwyneth Paltrow, who starred in the first Iron Man movie has not seen the script yet.

“They don’t tell me anything. I could be, like, a costume assistant in it. I know nothing,” Gwyneth, who played Pepper Potts, said.

It’s always nice to hear when famous people make an effort to do something worthwhile, because they have the power to actually influence other people to do the same. But it’s one thing to say something encouraging and actually doing something to encourage others to participate in some worthy cause.

Scarlett Johansson is one celebrity who actually does what she says. As an ambassador for (RED) organization, an AIDS awareness and prevention group, the 24-year old actress has been actively participating in their cause, not just as a face too look upon, but as a volunteer, who took a first hand account in working with the sick and needy.

In September of last year, Scarlett visited Rwanda on behalf of the (RED) organization. As a representative, she wanted to have a better understanding of the health crisis and to draw more attention to the country’s fight against AIDS.

She said, “I came here with an open mind, wanting to listen, understand and learn; I leave with the overwhelming understanding that the small action of making a (RED) choice in your purchases in the West has an enormous impact on the lives of people in countries like Rwanda.”

Scarlett knew that seeing this health crisis first hand was the only way to truly understand what she was fighting for and supporting, saying, “It’s not until you’ve had the privilege of meeting healthcare providers who are fighting the daily battle, heard from people who are now getting antiretroviral drugs to stay alive, and met mothers whose babies are born healthy because they received treatment that stopped the transmission of HIV, that you understand that we absolutely can do something to reverse the AIDS crisis in African countries.”