Here is a report about the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize Press Conference.

American actress Scarlett Johansson, British actor Michael Caine and other entertainers said they hope their performances Thursday at the Nobel Peace Concert draw attention to laureate Martti Ahtisaari’s style of mediating as a solution to conflicts.

“It is important to remind young people that peace is the only real victory,” Johansson, 24, said at a news conference before the concert.

Johansson, who is co-hosting the concert along with Caine, said mediation should be the alternative to wars such as those being fought in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Director Frank Miller has revealed he rewrote the role of Silken Floss in his upcoming film The Spirit to capitalise on Scarlett Johansson’s talents.

Frank said he adapted Silken Floss – who in the original comic book series was much older – because he was so keen for Johansson to star in the movie.

“I re-wrote Silken Floss completely to reflect something I saw in Scarlett which was blindingly obvious but I hadn’t see many directors use which was her sense of comic timing, her wry humour and thought ‘OK, the character is kind of a repressed astrophysicist, but how did she spend her 20s?’. And I thought Scarlett would be perfect.”

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The press section has been updated with the following new pieces:

• SunTimes
• Moviehole
• Canoe.ca

Here are a couple of interesting quotes from the articles:

“I’m productive, I think, in other aspects of my life, my career maybe. I don’t know. I think that I want to work not just to work. I want to feel like there’s a purpose behind it. It’s hard to find good roles for young women. They don’t come along that often. It’s a kind of weird age group. I’m twenty three and it’s like I’m a young woman, quite a young woman, but I’m at a certain kind of transient phase in my life and things are changing for me. Obviously, I’m growing up. I think it’s a hard time. There are only so many parts available for that. Like I said too, I’ve been focusing on other things that I’ve been excited about.”

“Any time someone makes a huge generalization about you you’re just like, ‘Okay. I guess so.’ But I certainly work with certain non-governmental organizations that I work hard for and I try to use whatever interest that people might have in me to shine the spotlight on these certain causes that I’ve researched and believe in and seen firsthand work. I try to focus on those things that I’m passionate about. I’m hard to distract. It’s probably a good quality and a bad quality, but when I’m focused I’m focused on something.”

It seems Penelope Cruz had the best of both worlds filming Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona as she got hot and heavy with real-life beau, Javier Bardem, and screen siren Scarlett Johansson.

While relationship questions regarding Bardem were off-limits at the film’s Los Angeles press day over the weekend, Cruz (who also brought her big dog to the interviews) admitted that kissing Johansson wasn’t anything special.

“We didn’t talk about it much, then Woody told us how the shot was going to be, but Scarlett and I don’t have any funny stories to tell about it,” Cruz said. “It felt [like] nothing, nothing happened.”

Scarlett, on the other hand, seemed to prefer her girl-on-girl smooch to kissing Bardem.

“Well, Javier was hairier,” she admitted when asked whether kissing Bardem or Cruz was more pleasurable. “I understand the hype around it, but I think it’s just because people are so conservative.”

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Scarlett Johansson can laugh about it now, but the actress says she was embarrassed by the media coverage of her so-called “e-mail relationship” with Barack Obama.

“It seemed to me to be like a product of extreme sexism, and I kept thinking to myself, ‘God, if this was just, like, Kal Penn or George Clooney or any of the other (Obama) surrogates or supporters … there wouldn’t be (any) question about it. Nobody would even talk about it,” she said.

Johansson, a vocal supporter of Obama, told the Web site Politico.com in June that she and the Democratic presidential hopeful had been trading e-mails. Obama later told reporters that Johansson doesn’t have his personal e-mail address, and that his assistant forwarded one message from Johansson to which he replied.

“I was merely trying to express my delight at Obama’s commitment to his campaign in every aspect and his interest and his support (in) his surrogates and his staff and his fellows, and how wonderful and refreshing that is. And it was manipulated into such an unfortunate media frenzy of kind of a nonstory,” the 23-year-old actress said Tuesday in an interview from Los Angeles, where she was promoting her new Woody Allen film Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

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Scarlett Johansson, who in May announced her engagement to Canadian-born actor Ryan Reynolds, says she’s eager to become an honorary Canadian – and hopefully pass through the border quickly from now on.

“I’m very excited,” the Vicky Cristina Barcelona star, 23, tells Entertainment Tonight Canada in an interview airing Tuesday. “I’ve had wonderful times in Canada. It’s a lovely country. It’s a beautiful country and hopefully I’ll be able to get through immigration faster now!”

When jokingly told by ET Canada’s Roz Weston that Reynolds, 31, is “a prince up there,” Johansson responded, “Wow. That’s fantastic. Do I get anything from it?”

Weston quipped that Johansson may receive a crown “made out of beaver” or “possible moose,” to which Johansson responded, “Okay, that’s creepy – an animal on my head. If it’s alive, maybe. Um, I guess so. I don’t know! I’ll take it!”

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Woody Allen’s new film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, may be a sexy romp about a ménage-à-trois, but none of its stars — Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson — wanted to talk romance at the premiere Monday night at the Mann Village Theater in Westwood.

Bardem and Cruz, who reportedly have been dating since last fall, walked the red carpet separately. The pair first worked together on the Spanish film Jamon, Jamon.

“That was 17 years ago, a long time,” was all Bardem would say of working with Cruz again.

Johansson worked the press line minus fiancé Ryan Reynolds and was testy when asked if she has made any wedding plans yet.

“I just got engaged!” she protested. “Give me a little time!”

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Miss Scarlett graces the cover of the August issue of Cosmopolitan in a curve hugging red dress. Both the photoshoot and interview are new and the issue is on stands now. Please feel free to contribute scans if you’ve been able to obtain a copy already.

With a debut album, two provocative new movies, and an engagement all happening at once, it’s safe to say Scarlett Johansson is on a major winning streak. Listen in as she chats about her love of performing, finding a soul mate, and why timing is the key to making a relationship work.

Better lean in. Scarlett Johansson is about to reveal the secret of her much-touted sensual power. In her husky alto voice, the 23-year-old says “It’s kind of like this,” before proceeding to demonstrate the perfect come-hither gaze. She purses her famously pouty lips, drops her chin, and lifts her eyes coyly. But she can only hold the look for about five seconds before dissolving into a fit of laughter.

Sexiness, it turns out, is not something Scarlett takes all that seriously. Acting? You bet. Relationships? Absolutely. Politics? Don’t get her started. But, she says, “I don’t normally think about being sexy. I think, Do I look presentable? Do I look sane?” As if to make the point, she’s shown up to her Cosmo — Cosmo! — interview wearing glasses, an oversize button-down, and flats, her hair swept up into a demure ponytail.

But the truth is, even dressed like a schoolteacher, Scarlett has an innate and magnetic sensuality. That quality is on display in this month’s Woody Allen comedy, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, in which she plays a sexually adventurous American tourist (critics have buzzed about the film, often mentioning her onscreen lip-lock with Penelope Cruz).

In May, she released her first album, “Anywhere I Lay My Head”, a compilation of Tom Waits cover tunes that showcases her sultry voice. Next up, Scarlett takes on the role of a woman confused about love in a romantic comedy based on the bestselling book He’s Just Not That Into You, hitting theaters this October.

Want more? Pick up the August 2008 issue of Cosmo, on stands now!

GALLERY LINKS:
- Magazines: Cosmopolitan – August 2008

Politico.com has published an excellent new interview with Scarlett. In it she discusses politics and her support of Obama. Read the full article here.

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

Of course, there’s always the possibility of a backlash. “Even I’m wary of celebrity endorsements,” Johansson told Politico on Friday. “I don’t want to seem like I’m holier than thou. We all have the same right to vote and, especially in this technical age where we all can broadcast our opinions, we all have the opportunity to entice others to vote.” But, she adds, “if the spotlight is on me, I might as well try to direct it on things and causes that I believe in.”

Johansson is somewhat shocked that he keeps up their back-and-forth correspondence. “You’d imagine that someone like the senator who is constantly traveling and constantly ‘on’ — how can he return these personal e-mails?” she asks. “But he does, and in his off-time I know he also calls people who have donated the minimum to thank them. Nobody sees it, nobody talks about it, but it’s incredible.” She adds, “I feel like I’m supporting someone, and having a personal dialogue with them, and it’s amazing.”

He has followed her career as well, telling her that his favorite performance was her turn in “Lost in Translation.” He’s a “huge movie lover” and “knows who every actor is,” she says.

As for her own involvement with his campaign, she’s pragmatic. “I approach my campaigning for Obama the same way I do my work for other social or environmental causes: I’m hoping to raise awareness,” she explains. “I’m not telling people who to vote for, and I don’t expect that if I did it would swing votes. At least, I hope not. What I want to do is raise awareness of Obama and his policies, and share my own story of how I became involved in his campaign. Perhaps, if they’re a fan, my story might entice them to learn or spark their interest some other way. If I can answer questions or direct people to a website where they can get more information, that’s how I can help.”