The press archive has been updated with two new The Black Dahlia related interviews.

Hello everyone! I, Riikka, am now back from my beautiful holiday in Venice. No more trips in many, many months to come and I have a fast internet connection at home now so my regular updates are back for good. I will be making huge updates this weekend but while I am unpacking my own stuff, I will leave you with a link to the new Bob Dylan video starring Scarlett Johansson. It is absolutely lovely! Here’s to hoping a larger resolution video will show up online soon so I can make some captures. A thank you goes out to JuanKi for the link!

And once again – a big clap of hands goes out to my good friend Mariana for updating the site during the past few months! You’re a star!

As some of the fans are already aware, Esquire magazine is running a story where they partially reveal the identity of their Sexiest Woman Alive over the course of six months. Each month they have a partially revealling photo and a 20 question interview. The readers have made the guess in a poll that she is Renee Zellweger (53%) with Scarlett running right behind with 27%. The mystery lady sure does sound and look a lot like our Scarlett but I recommend for you to have a look and make up your own mind.

Esquire – Sexiest Woman 2006

Thanks to Peta informing me that Scarlett made a low-key visit to Auckland, New Zealand last week, which she spent supermarket shopping, buying take-aways and driving around town with Josh Hartnett in an environmentally friendly eco car. Josh is currently in town to film 30 Days of Night and Scarlett accompanied him on set.

The movie Scoop opens today. Woody Allen wrote, directed, ed ited, co-stars in it. Also probably sells popcorn for it, takes your tickets and acts as the pro in the men’s room. In this thing, Scarlett Johansson’s a college reporter who happens to accidentally happen upon a major scoop. And if you believe we weary old broads actually nail exclusives that way, then I have five miles of swampland in Jersey I want to unload on you.

Scarlett Johansson, whom I’ve met before, is as saucy, sassy, gorgeous, fun, talented and bright in real life as in reel life. Our reunion Wednesday was on an escalator. Traveling downstairs to the theater in MoMA for the screening.

“I’ve been working nonstop,” she said, “And I think it’s time I treated myself to a little vacation. What I’m planning to do is go with a couple of my girlfriends to the Caribbean. I have decided I definitely need the Caribbean. I have a decent break right now. Like about six weeks because I don’t start again until September. That’s when we begin shooting The Other Burbleburble Girl. “

Reebok has signed a multi-year partnership with one of Hollywood’s most captivating young actresses, Scarlett Johansson. The 21 year-old beauty has partnered with the brand to co-create Scarlett “Hearts” Rbk, a fashion-forward, athletic-inspired footwear and apparel signature collection debuting in spring 2007 at high-end department stores and boutiques around the world. The line will be grounded in sport and will feature head-to-toe looks designed to take today’s multi-dimensional woman from the studio to the street in style. In addition, the star of acclaimed films including “Match Point” and “Lost In Translation” will be featured in Reebok’s new global women’s advertising campaign breaking in spring 2007.

“Reebok is thrilled to partner with Scarlett because she is a world renowned style icon and truly an inspiration for today’s young women,” said Reebok’s President and CEO Paul Harrington. “Scarlett embodies the pulse points of our brand – individuality, authenticity and a life lived to the fullest in perpetual motion. These characteristics make her the perfect fit for our new women’s footwear and apparel collection and also for our exciting new women’s campaign.”

I have added a new Scoop related interview with Woody Allen to the Press Archives. He confirms that Scarlett’s character is called ‘Sondra Pransky’, and talks a lot about working with the actress.

“She leaves me for dead. I mean, she’s one of those people that always ? offstage or on ? always tops me. No matter how good a line I come up with ? when we’re putting each other down, teasing each other, whatever ? she always nails me last, and best. Of course, that, to me, earns a lot of respect. Because I always think that I’m quick and witty, and so when someone outguns me consistently, I’m just amazed by it. But it’s true ? and everyone on the set will tell you that.”

Read full article here.

Apparently Napoleon and Betsy has stirred up some controversy in the press because of the fact that the movie is about a relationship between a 14-year old girl and Napoleon Bonaparte, her senior of 32 years. Bonaparte was befriended by English teen Betsy Balcombe, to be played by Johansson, when he was exiled to the South Atlantic island St. Helena in 1815. Although he was supposedly a kindly uncle figure to Balcombe, who lived there with her merchant father and siblings, director Benjamin Ross is keen to give their story a saucier slant. Historian Peter Hicks fumes, “It was a platonic relationship. It would be ridiculous to suggest anything else.”

But Ross has hit back, saying, “The facts are very interpretable. I’d be delighted to get historians jumping and down.” ( source )

Andrew Lloyd Webber recently revealed that he had decided to pull out of negotiations to get Scarlett Johansson to play Maria in the new West End stage production of The Sound of Music, because although she had been keen, her “people” were against the plan. ( source )

I have made a decision not to post gossip-y articles on this website but since I’ve received several emails asking about the rumours of Scarlett and Hard-Fi frontman Richard Archer romancing, I decided to comment on it. Firstly, Scarlett and Josh Hartnett just made an appearance together at Sundance so it is fair to assume that they’re still together.

Second, Scarlett has confirmed that the rumours are not true at all. “It’s not even anywhere close to being true!”, The Daily Mail quotes her saying. “I’ve never met him and until all this started, I’d never heard of him.”

In another topic, Scarlett Johansson was voted #28 on AskMen.com’s Top 99 Women of 2006. The list was determined by the rankings of 2.5 million readers and by the staff. View more information here. Thanks to Daniel for the heads-up!