Will Ferrell arrives at the premiere of 'The Goods' in Las Vegas. (photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage.com)

The Two Wandas

Wanda Sykes was on her way to becoming a government bureaucrat with a pension when she decided to change her life and try stand-up instead. Apparently she made the right choice. The comic now stars on 'The New Adventures of Old Christine,' is a regular guest on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' and is getting ready to shoot her stand-up show for an HBO comedy special at the end of the month. She explains the difference between real Wanda and her comedic persona: "Put it this way: It's me, but it's my fantasy me where being on TV — or even doing stand-up — gives me permission to say and behave the way I would like to behave. But Wanda, the everyday citizen walking around the street... well, I can't just walk up to people and tell them where to go and threaten them. That would be very inappropriate." (photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

[metroweekly.com]

Evan Rachel Wood arrives at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Annual installation luncheon in Beverly Hills. (photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)

Speed Demon

When most people refer to the number of words per minute they can fire off for an entry-level job, they're talking about typing. Not Jeremy Piven. The actor credits his current name above-the-title movie role as a car salesman in 'The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard' with years of making every minute of dialogue count. "Listen to me now. Am I a fast talker? Very slow talker in real life," he says. "But working, I do feel the need to give my scenes some sort of pace. And you know, thinking about it, that must come from having tiny roles for so long. I would always see how much I could get into one scene. I still do that. You look at my first 20 movies — 'Singles,' 'Say Anything,' I was talking at the speed of light, like firing buckshot, trying a WHOLE lot of things that might hit." (photo: Theo Wargo/WireImage.com)

[MiamiHerald.com]

Carla Gugino arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of 'Inglorious Basterds' in Hollywood. (photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)

Bit Parts

When 'True Blood' films on location in Louisiana, they not only get authentic heat and humidity, but the occasional native to add a dash of local flavor. For instance, Faciane, a 60-year-old location liaison in the town of Clinton, snagged the role of "Aunt Butch" when she affirmed she could fill the role's requirements. "I said, 'I can run a little bit,'" said Faciane. "They had me running across the street — more like 50 feet, not 30 feet — and it was 10 or 12 times....I had the time of my life, I'm not going to lie to you. I was so pumped up on ibuprofen, it was like, 'I'm going to do this!'"

When word got out, she had to fend off other wannabe stars. "I have had calls here at the office about, 'Do you know when they're shooting?' One lady called and said, 'I want to be in there. I look like a vampire and I want to be in it.' I thought it was a friend of mine and I said, 'Mildred, I don't have time for this.' She said, 'My name is not Mildred,' and sure enough, the lady showed up with this black Mohawk. I mean, you know?" (photo: John Shearer/Getty Images)

[nola.com]

Drea de Matteo and Shooter Jennings arrive at Disney-ABC Television Group Summer Press Tour Party in Pasadena, California. (photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Strong, Silent Type

Gabriel Byrne will find out soon whether silence really is golden. The actor is up for an Emmy® for his portrayal of Dr. Paul Weston on 'In Treatment,' and even though he anchors every 22 minute episode, the good doctor often has to do more listening than talking. "Silence is a powerful weapon in drama," Byrne said in a recent interview. "What you don't say and what you don't reveal can be as powerful as what you do say. My intention is to make [the performance] as real as possible but never forgetting that it's actually drama." He'll find out September 20th just how powerful. (photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.com)

[LATimes.com]

Malin Akerman attends the Supperclub Dinner Party at the Trainwreck Mansion in Los Angeles. (Photo: Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage.com)

Crafty Lady

Even when giving up hints, author Charlaine Harris — whose books inspired 'True Blood' — can't help but stoke a mystery. When an interviewer reminded the novelist of a previous comment she'd made regarding Sookie Stackhouse's odds of ending up with a vampire, the cagey Harris replied: "I said that Sookie will never become a vampire. And a vampire can't give her what she's always thought she wanted; a regular marriage with children ... But that doesn't mean Sookie will end up with exactly what she wants." (photo: Mark Sullivan/WireImage.com)

[OC Register]