In case you haven't heard, Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are in a movie together. I've seen so many promos and articles and trailers and interviews related to The Other Boleyn Girl, I'm a little weary and don't know if I'll even see the film, which opens today.

But the Los Angeles Times' recent "Scarlett versus Natalie" photo gallery gave the hype machine a different twist. Each photo is accompanied by facts on a particular topic (like horses, muses or education), and then a winner is declared in that area — like this:

Muses

George Lucas turned Portman into a full-fledged international star when he cast her as Padme Amidala, the woman who would become the mother of Luke and Leia, in the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy.

Woody Allen has fallen under the spell of Johansson, casting her in “Match Point,” “Scoop” and the upcoming “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” in which she reportedly has a steamy sex scene with Penelope Cruz.

"Scarlett is just a naturally great actress,” Allen has stated. ”She can do no wrong and is incapable of a bad moment. She’s very sexy, very pretty. She was just touched by God."

Winner: Johansson. Although “Star Wars” made Portman a household name, Allen is a far better director than Lucas, who seems ill at ease directing humans.

Well, fine, but Allen puts me ill at ease with his daughter-marrying ways, so I'm not sure ScarJo really wins on this point.

View the whole gallery here. One thing the Times doesn't mention is that both Scarlett and Natalie think same-sex marriage is A-OK. In a recent interview with W magazine, they spoke up on the subject: … continue reading

I’ve always admired Natalie Portman. Besides being this generation’s go-to gamine and heir apparent to Audrey Hepburn, her public persona has been one of a smart, responsible, civically minded and non-panty-flashing young star. At 26, she already has a Golden Globe, an Academy Award nomination and a Harvard degree. So if even Natalie is having a hard time getting good scripts, you know something is rotten in the state of Hollywood.

While doing press with co-star Scarlett Johansson for their new film The Other Boleyn Girl, Natalie bemoaned the lack of good roles for women.

“I’ve recently been getting frustrated. [turns to Scarlett] I don’t know if you’ve had this experience, but we’re probably seeing a lot of the same variety of what’s out there, but I mean the number of roles for strippers or prostitutes — or the opposite — which, is like, 'She’s the moral center of the film! She’s the pure one. She’s the one that makes the man realize who he should be,’ you know? That sort of dichotomy exists so strongly, it’s like the virgin/whore thing evident to the greatest extent. So that’s really been bothering me.”

Ahh, the old Madonna/whore complex. Not sure what to do with that pesky female character, script writers? Make her a virginal maternal figure. Oh, you want to get teenage boys into the seats? Then totally make her a slut. Heck, this stuff practically writes itself. While Natalie has managed to avoid most of the stereotypical traps many actresses fall into early in their careers, she has had a couple roles that fell roughly along those old battle lines.

So what’s a young actress looking for a long career to do? Well, besides working with a foundation that finances women-owned businesses in developing nations and starting your own vegan shoe line? She just has to keep looking. … continue reading

I'm usually in need of inspiration on Mondays. What better way to get it than to peruse some pretty pictures? Let's start with the new poster for The Other Boleyn Girl, starring Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman.

I think that green dress must really be the other Boleyn girl, because it's taking up the whole damn poster. And Scarlett's lips are looking huge, even for her. But who am I kidding? All I can really see here are the names Johansson and Portman on the same poster. I'm in. … continue reading