Kelly Rowland, Britney Spears and Zoe Saldana lead the fashion pack as the ladies turn to the dark side at the MTV Awards

By Sophie Forbes

Last updated at 11:43 AM on 29th August 2011


She has been charming Britain with her witty personality and sparkling charisma as a judge on the X Factor.

And last night Kelly Rowland returned to the U.S stepping out in style at the MTV Video Music Awards.

The former Destiny's Child singer looked absolutely show-stopping in her plunging Falguni & Shane Peacock dress.

Show stopping: Kelly Rowland chose a feathered and embellished Falguni & Shane Peacock dress which she teamed with a pair of spiked Christian Louboutin heels

The short frock boasted a feathered skirt, long sheer sleeves and gold embellishment and Kelly teamed the stunning outfit with a pair of spiky black Christian Louboutin peep-toe heels.

The X Factor judge isn't the only star to step over to the dark side for the award ceremony and the singer was joined by Britney Spears, Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez were also sporting the mysterious look.

Avatar actress Zoe Saldana donned a rocker style black studded cocktail dress by Barbara Bui with a plunging V shape neckline.

Classic: Both Zoe Saldana and Britney Spears chose dark cocktail dresses for the fun afternoon event

Black beauty: Selena Gomez looks stunning in a Gothic inspired black lace creation as she walked the white carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards tonight

Dark side: JoJo donned a black puff ball dress with Jessie J choosing a black sparkling corset and Jersey Shore's J-Woww choosing a dark metallic creation

A sparkling Britney Spears looked stunning and back at her best in a black sequined Moschino mini dress and matching booties as she beamed for the cameras.

Selena Gomez stepped out in a stunning Gothic style high-necked black lace creation.

She paired the intricate Julian MacDonald dress with gold stiletto pumps by Brian Atwood and a gold Ofira cuff and matching earrings.

Back to black: British singer Adele donned a 60s inspired empire waited dress while You Tube sensation Rebecca Black chose a black shorts and cardigan combo

Dazzling: Disney stars Demi Lovato and Victoria Justice both chose silver sequin cocktail dresses

Selena was just one of many female celebrities who chose to wear black for the evening - in fact black was the dominant colour on the carpet.

She accessorised with snake skin heels by Balenciaga and a gold clutch.


Other ladies who turned to the dark side included singers JoJo, Adele, Rebecca Black and Jessie J while Jersey Shore's J-Woww put a spin on the following in a dark metallic wing-sleeved cocktail dress with a plunging neckline.

Geisha girl: Katy Perry donned a pastel coloured mini dress and matching parasol which complemented her pink hair

Colourful: Katy Perry wore four different outfits throughout the awards

Metallic dresses seemed to be a favourite of the Disney stars with both Demi Lovato and Victoria Justice rocking sequinned silver minis.

There were some celebrities who chose to add a splash of colour to the otherwise dark carpet fashions.

'Chivalry is not dead': Russell Brand escorted wife Katy down the red carpet and helped her up onstage for her pre-show interview, while Britney cosied up to her man Jason Trawick

E! host Maria Menounos dazzled in a bright green draped dress which showed off her tanned skin and lean legs.

Jersey Shore's Snooki out her assets on display in a curve defining orange and gold strapless design by Lending luxury and rapper Kreayshawn added a touch of cute with a fun Disney themed dress.

Curves ahead: Newlywed Kim Kardashian arrived solo wearing a backless KaufmanFranco gown

Glamour: Mother-to-be Beyonce showed off her baby bump in a bright orange Lanvin gown, while Katie Holmes wore a short Alaia dress

Other trends on the carpet included pastel colours which were worn by Katy Perry (in Versace Atelier), Nicki Minaj and Jersey Shore's Deena.
While both newlywed Kim Kardashian and Miley Cyrus bucked the cocktail dress trend by choosing long floor length and backless gowns.

Grown up: Miley Cyrus wore a printed backless Roberto Cavalli gown

Here come the boys: Taylor Lautner (left), Justin Bieber and Joe Jonas all rocked their individual style on the red carpet

Boys will be boys: Joe Jonas posed with Joel and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte

Beyonce stunned the crowd by debuting her growing baby bump in a vibrant red flowing asymmetric Lanvin gown as she affectionately rubbed her tummy.
The 29-year-old superstar had not officially announced that she was expecting and her arrival, with bump, on the carpet was the night's number one talking point.

Adding a splash of colour: Maria Menounos chose a bright green draped dress, Snooki rocked an orange and gold strapless dress from Lending luxury and Mike Newton wore a gold mini dress

GTL: The cast of Jersey Shore brought the tight and bright style to the awards

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2031268/Kelly-Rowland-Britney-Spears-Zoe-Saldana-lead-fashion-pack-ladies-turn-dark-MTV-Awards.html#ixzz1WPtmbnOb

Zoë Saldana Kicks Ass - Interview

Zoë Saldana Kicks Ass

Aug 23, 2011 9:33 PM EDT

After lead roles in ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Avatar,’ Zoë Saldana takes on her most bad-ass character yet—a vengeance-seeking assassin in ‘Colombiana,’ which opens Friday. Saldana opens up to Marlow Stern about Britney Spears, losing her dad, and being black in Hollywood.

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Whether or not you believe Zoë Saldana is the biggest black actress in Hollywood—a case made stronger by the prolonged absence of Halle Berry—she’s certainly one of a very small handful of black actresses who can play the lead in a Hollywood film, let alone the highest-grossing movie of all time (see: Avatar).

The 33-year-old Queens native, born to Dominican and Puerto Rican parents, grew up attending ballet school before making her film debut in the 2000 ballet drama Center Stage. After a string of supporting roles in films like Crossroads opposite Britney Spears, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and Steven Spielberg’s The Terminal, Saldana got her big break starring as the female lead, Starfleet Officer Nyota Uhura, in J. J. Abrams’s 2009 blockbuster Star Trek. That same year she starred as Neytiri, a female Na’vi, in James Cameron’s sci-fi spectacle Avatar.

In her latest film, Colombiana, Saldana plays Cataleya Restrepo—a woman who witnesses her parents’ murder as a child in Bogotá and grows up to become a Jason Bourne-like assassin who seeks vengeance against the Colombian crime bosses who killed her parents.

Saldana opened up to The Daily Beast in a wide-ranging interview about losing her father, what it’s like being a black woman in Hollywood, working with Britney Spears, potential motherhood, Avatar and Star Trek sequels, and much more.

Does your ballet background help with your action roles in films?

Absolutely. Dancing for the length of time that I did, it centered me in such a way to be really in tune with my body, and I just feel like I’m physically able to do things because of my ballet background. Without ballet, I don’t think I’d look graceful at all on screen. And half of my ballet teachers were ones that would make me cry every other day, so that taught me to really take it. I’m a very feminine person, but I have this hard shell, man, and I stay focused and don’t take things personally.

Carlos Somonte / Sony Pictures

Does being a New Yorker also help with your tough-gal persona?

We left New York for the Dominican Republic when I was 10 and stayed there for seven years, then I finished high school when I was in New York. We wanted to go back because New York was our everything. I love the humidity in New York, and having so many different faces and foods. It also gave me a little of a crass spirit, because New Yorkers are very raw.

We don’t take too much shit.

Ev-er!

How did you transition from ballet to acting?

I had lost my passion for ballet a year after I graduated high school. I was 18 or 19, and I felt like I had already reached my peak and taken my body as far as it was willing to go. In my mind I wanted to be such a better dancer. I grew up in theater because I was always onstage dancing, but I felt I wanted to incorporate my voice in my art, so I tried acting and I really liked it.

One of your first early roles was in the road film Crossroads with Britney Spears. Do you look back on that with fondness or embarrassment?

Oh, my God! [Laughs] I have so much pride in that. I played a character I’d never played before—this little Southern belle—and I got to meet an artist that was at her peak at that time. She had the most amazing energy and was always positive and a very discreet person. We were young, too, and got to make a movie about three friends on a road trip. It was so much fun!

"The biggest battle that I have is being a woman in the world."

Did you bond with Britney, and do you two still keep in touch?

Not in that sense, but while we were shooting the movie and a little while after, we stayed in touch. I dig Britney since the beginning—since “Hit Me Baby One More Time.” I’ve been there. [Laughs]

Many of your fellow actors, like Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson, were critical of the 2011 Oscars for having no black nominees and only one black presenter. Has it been difficult to be a woman of color in Hollywood?

I don’t live in that reality. That’s not how I was raised, and I choose not to think like the common people, because then you just become a person that’s half-empty. However, I do understand that there is a problem, and little by little, through evolution, we have been addressing it. But the race issue for me is secondary. The biggest battle that I have is being a woman in the world. That takes center stage for me.

There are very few women top-lining films these days, especially as action stars.

And how many female directors do we have? Very, very few. That’s the biggest thing we need to be addressing. When it comes to color, I’m never one to sit and complain and point things out, I want to be the one to change things.

Being cast as the female lead in Star Trek was really your big breakthrough. How did that change things for you?

It was awesome. I got to go to space! I was in heaven. I’m a sci-fi girl. If I can have anything in life, I’d want tons of great science-fiction movies and stories. It’s so progressive, beautiful, and imaginative.

What’s the deal with the Star Trek sequel?

It’s going down sometime next year, and we all can’t wait to go back. When did we know about Super 8? When it was already in theaters! [J. J. Abrams] is very discreet, not only to the world but also to his cast, and it’s not cool all the time, but it’s awesome in the end. You’re curious. I’m like, “Are you going to kill me off? Am I going to marry Spock? Is Captain Kirk going to want to kiss?” You think about all these things!

What sort of stuff did you geek out on when you were younger?

Oh, just sitting down with adults and reading books by Gabriel García Márquez or Stephen King, and talking with my family and friends about what we thought about a certain book. I would geek out about that. They’d be sipping their wine while I’d be sipping a Coke.

And you followed up Star Trek with the highest-grossing movie of all time, Avatar. Is there going to be a sequel?

Oh, yes! [Laughs] But I don’t know when. [James Cameron] is such a perfectionist, so I don’t think he’s going to greenlight any scripts where he doesn’t feel completely confident about the story.

That experience must have changed things for you. Did the offers start pouring in? Or were you disappointed that they weren’t?

Hmm … it’s a little bit of both. It definitely gave me the exposure and the respect of all the people I’d grown up admiring, but at the same time, filmmaking is a very big industry, so if you want something, sometimes it falls into your lap and sometimes you have to go out and get it. It’s the nature of the beast. I wouldn’t want it any other way, because it always keeps you hungry and grateful for doing what you’re doing.

It’s also been reported that you experienced a mental breakdown after promoting Avatar.

That’s actually been very misconstrued and taken out of context. What I explained in that interview was that it was such a beautiful experience, but you were on such an emotional roller coaster, since it was so overwhelming and amazing, that the body and the mind just needs a little break. I felt a little tired, but I didn’t go get depressed or get on pills. It’s just after you’ve been releasing so many endorphins, you kind of crash a little bit.

What attracted you to this kick-ass role in Colombiana?

To work with a filmmaker like Luc Besson was a dream come true. I grew up watching La Femme Nikita, The Professional, The Fifth Element. I thought it would challenge myself to play a role that’s very difficult and agile, but also very frail and broken.

She is a character who experiences great loss. Have you ever experienced similar feelings of loss?

Yes, but not through the hands of violence, thank God. I lost a parent when I was very, very young. You can always identify with any kind of loss when you’ve had that. I was 9 when my father passed away. Through the eyes of a 9-year-old, you’re devastated, but you still find things to make you laugh because the adults are the ones who are bearing all the pain for you. You still have this innocence, so you fall in and out of consciousness about the reality all the time. One day, you’re 18 or 19 years old and that’s when it hits you.

Was your father’s passing why your family moved to the Dominican Republic when you were 10?

After my mom found herself a widow, and needing to raise these three young girls in a time when New York was a little dangerous—the late 1980s—my mom made the executive decision to move the entire tribe to the Caribbean. And it was the best thing she did. We were very distraught about it because obviously you want to stay home and keep your friends, but as long as we were together it didn’t matter. I wouldn’t change a single thing. Once we were there and got used to it, being there in the soil and embracing your ancestry was amazing.

And how handy are you with the steel now after Colombiana and The Losers?

I can shoot, so I do go out with my friends and my family and we go to the range on a nice Sunday afternoon, but I’m not a meathead. I’m not going to start punching walls.

Have you ever been in a real-life fight situation?

I’m from New York, are you kidding me? My sister was a paramedic, all of our friends were cops, firemen, or paramedics, and we would go to Irish pubs since before I was meant to be drinking, so of course I’ve seen a couple of fights.

But have you ever come to blows with someone?

[Laughs] I’d rather not answer that, but I wouldn’t fight for myself. I would just fight if somebody that I loved was being threatened.

I read some bizarre criticism about how Colombiana was anti-Colombian because of its depiction of gang violence in Colombia.

So if you consider that a movie about a character that was born in Colombia is negative towards Colombia, then yeah. But other than that, I don’t see why that would be an issue. It isn’t a stereotypical, ignorant movie about a country that’s so beautiful and so amazing. It’s a movie about vengeance and a girl who lost everything in her life, and it just happens to be set in Colombia. But I really hope in my heart that the Colombian community will watch this movie and just be taken for a great ride.

Congratulations on your recent engagement. After Star Trek and Avatar, did you feel like you had attained a certain level of professional success, so you decided to shift your focus to the personal?

I don’t know! I guess it just worked out that way. I feel very, very blessed. I found something that I’m actually good at doing and that makes me happy, and I found a good family and people in my life that are amazing.

Not to get too tabloid-y on you, but is motherhood the next mountain to climb?

You know, the sky’s always the limit. I’ve always known that I wanted to be a parent, and I have a niece and three nephews that I’m absolutely crazy about. So if that’s in my books, I’d welcome it very, very gladly.

Like The Daily Beast on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for updates all day long.

Marlow Stern is the assistant culture editor of Newsweek and The Daily Beast and holds a master's from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has served in the editorial department of Blender magazine, and as an editor at both Amplifier Magazine and Manhattan Movie Magazine.

For inquiries, please contact The Daily Beast at editorial@thedailybeast.com.

Avatar star Zoe Saldana reveals how starring in the biggest box office hit ever gave her a breakdown

'I couldn't stop crying':Avatar star Zoe Saldana reveals how starring in the biggest box office hit ever gave her a breakdown

By Mike Larkin

Last updated at 12:16 AM on 9th August 2011



Avatar actress Zoe Saldana has revealed she had a mental breakdown after starring in the hit movie shot her to A-list stardom.

She had a huge 2009 that saw her star as Uhura in Star Trek and Neytiri in the James Cameron blockbuster, which became the highest grossing film of all time.

But the stress of working and promoting the film took such a toll that she lost control in a hotel room while getting ready to film another movie.

Breakdown: Zoe Saldana revealed she suffered a breakdown due to the stress of becoming an A-list star following the success of Avatar it emerged today

She told Latina magazine: 'The year after Avatar was just emotionally overwhelming. I was travelling all over the world, waking up in different time zones.

'Your body gets exhausted, and by the end of the year I just collapsed.'

Covergirl: Actress Zoe Saldana makes the revelations in this month's edition of Latina magazine

But the she reached her lowest ebb while getting ready to make Columbiana, which is released in the US at the end of the month.

She said: 'I was in Paris training for Colombiana, sitting in my hotel room, and I couldn’t stop crying.

'I couldn't stay awake. I must have slept for an entire month.'

But the 33-year-old also admits that she could not bear to take a break and thrown away years of slog to reach the pinnacle of the acting word.

She said: 'I just want the best filmmakers in the world to tell me, 'You're good, kid, you're legit.'

'The recognition will never get old, and I'll never get accustomed to it.

'I don't ever want to, because that will mean I'm taking it for granted.

'That's why I work, not for the luxuries or the awards.'

But she admits she has came up with a unique coping method to deal with all the rushing around she has to do as a A-list movie actress.

She said: 'I just stay at home and do absolutely nothing.

'When I was younger, that would have made me feel like such a failure. Now that I'm older, I know what it means to shut down.

'I don't shower if I don't want to. I don't answer e-mails.

Zoe's Avatar: She starred as Neytiri in James Cameron's record-breaking blockbuster hit

'It's a healthy way of being selfish. You know you're old when gardening, the Food Network and voice notes from your nieces and nephews blow your mind.'

The New Jersey actress also believes having a small group of close friends, rather than getting mixed up in the Hollywood party scene, has helped her.

She said: 'If you surround yourself with good people, if you’re having a bad day – which everyone does – they will protect you, and it will never reach any kind of surface.

'But if you surround yourself with people who don’t really love you and care for you, they’ll be the first ones to expose you. That’s dangerous.'

Thor blimey: Zoe appeared onstage alongside Marvel star Chris Hemsworth at the 2011 Teen Choice Awards

The Death at a Funeral star also said the key to her successful 12-year relationship with her fiance Keith Britton is down to them not allowing outsiders to get them down.

She said:'I think the only reason we’ve made it this long is because we don’t listen to anybody but ourselves.

'We’ve still managed to sustain a relationship in a world where half of the people we know are divorcing or going through problems.

'It’s like that song we both love by Frank Sinatra – we did it our way!'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2023942/Avatar-star-Zoe-Saldana-reveals-starring-biggest-box-office-hit-gave-breakdown.html#ixzz1UVg6DrJ4

Chris Evans' leading lady Hayley Atwell takes the plunge in red dress at Captain America premiere

Dressed to kill: Chris Evans' leading lady Hayley Atwell takes the plunge in red dress at Captain America premiere

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 3:47 PM on 20th July 2011


She trained solidly for six days a week so she could convince everyone she could 'kick butt' for her role in Captain America.

And Hayley Atwell, who plays Chris Evans' leading lady in the comic book movie, did just that at the film's premiere in Los Angeles Last Night.

The 29-year-old actress poured her curves into a plunging three-quarter-length red dress for the event as she posed with her co-star.

Leading couple: Chris Evans and co-star Hayley Atwell pose on the red carpet at the premiere of Captain America: The First Avenger in Los Angeles last night

Taking the plunge: Hayley looked stunning in a low cut red dress while Evans donned glasses and a Navy blue suit

Duchess actress Hayley plays the part of freedom fighter Peggy Carter in World War II set movie, Captain America: The First Avenger.

Speaking about her role during filming, she said: 'I'm training at the moment six days a week to make her a bit more military and make it convincing that I could kick butt.'

She said of the character: 'She can do everything Captain America can do, but backwards and in high heels.

'She's an English soldier through and through, although she always looks fabulous.'

Glamorous ladies: Hayley teamed her look with beige heels while Vanessa Hudgens, who does not appear in the film, leant her support in a short gold dress

Captain America tells the story of a scrawny, bullied orphan named Steve Rogers who is chosen for a top secret government project during World War II in which he becomes a test subject for a super serum.

The serum transforms him into a strong and able soldier named Captain America, and he leads the U.S. Army in its fight against the Nazis.

Evans, who plays the title character in Friday's release of the movie, put on 15 lbs of muscle to play the role.

The film also stars Dominic Cooper (as Howard Stark) and Samuel L Jackson (Nick Fury).

Parading their pins: Today presenter Maria Menunos looked fabulous in a form-fitting patterned dress while Avatar star Zoe Saldana slipped into shorts

Here come the boys: Co-star Dominic Cooper Samuel L. Jackson

Other celebs who came out in support of the movie included High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens, who looked stunning in a plunging gold dress.

Today Presenter Maria Menunos was also on hand in a form-fitting patterned dress while Avatar actress Zoe Saldana put her legs on show in short shorts and a matching jacket.

Having literally built Evans into what the film's director Joe Johnston called 'the perfect human specimen,' the movie makers had to figure out how the 6ft tall actor with the muscled-up physique could convincingly portray the pre-serum Steve Rogers, a scrawny kid of a mere 90-something lbs.

One option for was to superimpose Evans' head on a skinny body double, much like the technology employed by filmmaker David Fincher in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button when Brad Pitt had to age backward.

Joining in the fun: Robert Downey Jr and 90210 star Matt Lanter supported the event even though they are not in the movie

There was no way to take a year off because its backers at Marvel Studios have been on a tight schedule rolling out their superheroes one by one - including the recent Thor - so audiences will be familiar with most of them when they join forces in next summer's The Avengers.

'Chris moves in such a unique way; he doesn't move like anybody else,' Johnston told Reuters.

'The body double could not move like him. As hard as he tried to watch Chris and duplicate the movements, it just wasn't the same.'

That was perfectly fine with Evans, who was not keen on having another actor involved in creating the iconic role.

Happy couple: Chris Hemsworth, star of Thor which is also in the Marvel Comic books franchise, and his wife, actress Elsa Pataky

'The beginning part of the movie is so crucial to get the audience invested in who Steve is, I didn't want to share that part of the performance with another actor,' Evans, 30, told Reuters. 'I talked to Joe about it and thankfully, he agreed.'

Instead of the body double/superimposed head, the filmmakers used a 'shrinking' technique and computers to basically erase portions of Evans' strong physique on screen.

'We filmed over 250 shots of Chris and used digital technology to 'shrink' him down to what we called 'Skinny Steve,' Johnston explained.

'It's pretty amazing,' added Evans. 'They took shape out of my jaw line, they shrunk my skeleton and they made my shoulders less broad.'

Looking dapper: Evans play the titular role in the movie which is released on Friday in the U.S.

Brawn: The American actor put on 15lbs of muscle to play the part, seen here with co-star Atwell who plays a World War II freedom fighter

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2016720/Chris-Evans-leading-lady-Hayley-Atwell-takes-plunge-red-dress-Captain-America-premiere.html#ixzz1Sij3rqHJ