LOS ANGELES – When we think of Gwyneth Paltrow, we tend to envision something of acting royalty, a classic princess branded by artful roles in "Shakespeare in Love," "Great Expectations" and "Emma."
In her latest role, however, Gwyn plays a superhero sidekick in "Iron Man" — and she can't believe people are surprised at seeing her in a sci-fi adventure flick.
"Everyone has the wrong idea of me. I have absolutely nothing against doing a movie with all kinds of special effects. As long as the people involved are going to make me better at what I do, I’ll do any genre," a somewhat offended Paltrow responded when asked why she was finally doing a "different" type of film. "Maybe not porn, but anything else."
It is just as well that Paltrow's co-star Robert Downey Jr. kept her "on her toes" and kept their on-screen relationship "sexually charged." Otherwise, he would have ended up on the Oscar-winner's black list.
"Oh, man, I have had to work with people I have had zero chemistry with, and it’s like pulling teeth," she added with a groan. "Because sometimes it’s just not there and when it is there, it’s like flying. It feels like you can do anything, and when it’s not there it’s a struggle. I’ve had that quite a few times."
Oh, and one more thing: What really went on inside Beyonce and Jay-Z's recent surprise wedding?
"I take the fifth — I can’t sell my friends down the river," she said, although that wasn’t the only topic she chose not to discuss.
"I miss my children so much when I’m traveling — it’s horrible. Let’s not talk about it in case I start crying," Paltrow said softly with a smile.
Britney’s Right to a Bikini
Britney Spears may have built an empire on her beautiful little bod back in the day, but a lot has happened since she released "...Baby One More Time" in 1998.
She's 26, has been married and divorced, had an annulment, given birth to two boys and lost custody of them, which she'll address at a hearing on Tuesday, attended rehab and reportedly has been battling some kind of mental illness.
Unlike so many Hollywood starlets who mysteriously whip back into shape instantly after having a baby, Brit has chosen to do things at her own pace. After years of bizarre behavior and ongoing court battles and stress, Spears has taken action recently to get those trademark abs back through daily workouts at Bally's Fitness Center coupled with dance classes at North Hollywood's Millennium Dance Studios.
She might have a long way to go, but is there a need to criticize the pop princess for having fun in the sun with a headline like the one that appeared in the British Daily Mail: "Britney Takes a Break From Gym and Hits the Beach… Only to Spill Out of Tiny Bikini"?
Click here for the bikini pics.
But this isn't the first time Spears has been attacked for her "excess." Just recently, she became the center of tabloid talk with pictures showing her cellulite, not to mention the media circus surrounding her skimpy wardrobe choice at last year's VMAs.
So is it time we just compared Brit to "normal" women her age rather than expecting her to be "typical" of Tinseltown?
"It's disgusting -- rather than focusing on how much better Britney is doing, a lot of press still want to bring her down by picking at the flaws," said a source close to the Spears camp. "She's really trying and she does see these articles and it's discouraging. Is it hard to support her for once?"
That's right. You go, Brit — you do have a right to wear a bikini and not be brought down by it.
Dina Lohan Joins Jennifer Lopez to Accept Award as a 'Top' Mom
Lindsay Lohan may have had more than her share of romps into rehab and naughty nights, but that hasn’t stopped her media-loving mom, Dina Lohan, from being honored as a one of Long Island’s Top 20 Celebrity Moms.
Erica Logiudice, president of Mingling Moms on Long Island, N.Y., announced Monday that mama Li-Lo will accept the award at a special ceremony on Tuesday night (just in time for Mother’s Day), alongside other big-name mommies from the fields of sports, movies, television, fashion, business and music.
The celeb mothers being honored for doing their duties include Billy, Alec, Daniel and Stephen’s mama, Carol Baldwin; music mogul Billy Joel’s mom, Roslind Nyman Joel; Natalie Portman’s mom, Shelley Stevens Hershlag; Mariah Carey’s mother, Patricia Vian; Eddie Murphy’s mother, Lillian Robinson; Jerry Seinfeld’s mother, Betty; and supermodel Christie Brinkley’s mother, Marge Brinkley.
"We thought assembling such a list would be a great tribute to the women who were behind the scenes of these superstars' tremendous careers," Logiudice told Pop Tarts in a statement.
Jennifer Lopez also is being honored with a "Celebrity Mom of the Year" title for giving birth to her twins at a Long Island hospital and raising them in a local neighborhood.
Tori Spelling Hospitalized
Tori Spelling is almost ready to give birth again; however, her pregnancy term certainly has had a few "bumps" of its own.
Pop Tarts has confirmed that Spelling was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center two weeks ago with dehydration and stomach flu.
According to an insider, Tori started to "space out" and didn't want to take any chances; thus, she immediately was rushed to the hospital. A rep for the former "90210" actress said she is now recovered.
Spotted or Snapped a Star? Got a Good Scoop? E-mail poptartstips@gmail.com.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox