Scarlett Johansson Gets Busy

After being rejected for admission to Tisch School of the Arts for the Fall 2003 semester, Scarlett Johansson decided to take the opportunity to focus on her career. This was apparently a great move on her part, as Johansson's career has gone into full swing and continues to blossom.

Johansson became well known for her role as Grace in the Robert Redford film, "The Horse Whisperer." That was her seventh movie role, but one that definitely made people take notice.

Since not getting accepted to the college of her choice, Johansson has made eight movies and done voice work in others, and she shows no sign of slowing down.

She just completed work in a Woody Allen film, "Scoop," where she plays an American student in London who has an affair with an aristocat; the movie is due out Fall 2006.

Scarlett Johansson teams up with Hilary Swank and Mia Kirshner in a new look at an old murder mystery also due out in 2006 - "The Black Dahlia."

More movies on the horizon for Scarlett Johansson:

Scoop (2006 / completed)
The Black Dahlia (2006 / post-production) .... Kay Lake
The Prestige (2006 / pre-production)
The Nanny Diaries (2007 / pre-production)
Amazon (2007 / announced)
Borgia (2006 / announced)

Learn more about and see more Scarlett Johansson at FreshDames.com

Hilary Swank Splits from Husband

After nearly nine years of marriage, Oscar winning actress Hilary Swank has called it quits with her husband, Chad Lowe, according to a recent by Marc Malkin, "The Insdier."

It was this time last year that Swank won the Oscar for Best Actress for the Clint Eastwood hit movie, "Million Dollar Baby,". In her acceptance speech, she tearfully thanked Lowe, "last, but not least" -- referring to her glaring omission during her speech at the Oscars in 2000, where she forgot to acknowledge him while accepting her statuette for "Boys Don't Cry."

Chad Lowe won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in 1993 for his role in the TV series "Life Goes On." More recently he had a small role in the 2002 Richard Gere film "Unfaithful."

Swank and Lowe married in September of 1997 and have no children together.

Swank's manager, Troy Nankin, told Malkin that "Hilary and Chad have decided to separate but they are hopeful they will be able to get through this tough time."

Scarlett Johansson Signs with L'Oreal

Four time Golden Globe nominated actress Scarlett Johansson just signed an exclusive, worldwide contract to become the spokesperson for L'Oreal.

"It's wonderful to be working with L'Oreal, a company that has celebrated independent women for years," said Johansson. "I'm very excited to be part of this campaign, which is modern and fashion-forward."

"Scarlett is a wonderfully gifted actress, and she is also well-known for her incredible sense of style," says Carol J. Hamilton, president of the L'Oreal Paris division of L'Oreal USA, Inc. "She shines with self-confidence and elegance, making Scarlett the perfect choice to represent L'Oreal Paris and the famous phrase 'Because I'm Worth It'."

Johansson will first represent L'Oreal Paris' HIP High Intensity Pigments(TM), a new cosmetics collection for women who love color.

Johansson is a New York native who made her professional acting debut at the age of eight in the off-Broadway production of "Sophistry," with Ethan Hawke, at New York's Playwright's Horizons.

Johansson earned acclaim at the age of 14, starring in Robert Redford's "The Horse Whisperer" and hasn't stopped gaining recognition since. She went on to star in Terry Zwigoff's "Ghost World," garnering a "Best Supporting Actress" award from the Toronto Film Critics Circle. Johansson was also featured in the Coen Brothers' dark drama "The Man Who Wasn't There," opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Frances McDormand.

Her additional credits include Rob Reiner's comedy "North;" the thriller "Just Cause," with Sean Connery and Laurence Fishburne; and a breakthrough role in the critically-praised "Manny & Lo," which earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for "Best Female Lead."

Johansson was recently seen in the Weitz brothers' film "In Good Company," as well as opposite John Travolta in "A Love Song for Bobby Long," which garnered her a Golden Globe nomination (her third in two years). She was recently seen in "The Island" opposite Ewan McGregor for director Michael Bay and she portrayed the title character in "Girl with a Pearl Earring," a film adapted from the novel of the same name about the painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth).

The new commercial featuring Scarlett Johansson will make its first appearance on January 16, 2006. What's the significance of that date? Wouldn't you know, that is when the 63rd annual Golden Globes will be telecast.

She recently finished production on the Brian DePalma film "The Black Dahlia" opposite Josh Harnett. The movie also stars Oscar winner Hilary Swank, due out later this year.

Lindsay Lohan Admits Drug Use

After vehemently denying that she was having health problems due to excessive dieting, Lindsay Lohan admits that she was battling bullimia.

Lohan also passionately denied that she used drugs, and now admits that she was "dabbling in drugs."

These two issues, among others, pushed the teen idol close to an emotional and physical collapse.

"I knew I had a problem and I couldn't admit it," Lohan, the star of movies such as "Mean Girls" and "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," told Vanity Fair magazine.

"I was making myself sick. I was sick and I had people sit me down and say 'You're going to die if you don't take care of yourself,"' she said in the magazine's latest issue, which hit newsstands on Wednesday.

Lohan said she used drugs "a little" but quickly tried to retract the admission and denied that she had taken cocaine. "I don't want people to think that I've done ... you know what I mean? It's kind of a sore subject," she said.

Lohan's publicist called Vanity Fair the day after the interview to try to get the confession omitted from the article, the New York Post reported.

Lohan was admitted to hospital on Monday after experiencing breathing difficulties in her hotel room in Miami, spokeswoman Leslie Sloane told Reuters.

Sloane said the actress, who has suffered from asthma since childhood, was "resting comfortably" while she remained under observation and expects to be discharged on Wednesday.

Lohan has been asthmatic since she was a child, but has not suffered a major attack in years, Sloane said. Lohan pinned her breathing difficulties and asthma attack to the high humidity at a private club on New Year’s Eve.

High humidity and even thunderstorms can trigger asthma attacks, according to the CDC. About 20.3 million Americans have asthma and 12 million have had an asthma attack in the previous year, the CDC said.

The Vanity Fair article also contains some racy picture of Lindsay. Some websites in order to simply grab the headline are reporting that she is nude.

However racy the photos, it would appear that the professionals at Vanity Fair do not own dictionaries and are confused about the definition of nudity. Lindsay Lohan nude? No, but still eye-catching.

Mariah Carey Top Selling 2005 Artist

While Hollywood struggled to have a good year at the box office, musical artist continued to rack up sales. No one had a better year than Mariah Carey.

After some blitzing of television appearances and some added exposure, Carey's comeback CD, "The Emancipation of Mimi," sold an impressive 108,000 copies in the last week of 2005, ending the year with nearly 5 million in sales.

Mariah Carey's latest album trailed 50 Cent's album, "The Massacre" for most of the year, but closed the year ahead.

Carey and 50 Cent were trailed on the list of 2005's top sellers by Kelly Clarkson (3.5 million), Green Day (3.4 million), Black Eyed Peas (3 million), Coldplay (2.6 million) and Rascal Flatts (2.5 million).

Top Women of 2005

Depending on who's list you read, the most searched female celebrity of 2005 was either Paris Hilton or Britney Spears.

FreshDames.com doesn't care which list you follow, either way, you're in for a pleasing view.

However, we've chosen to follow the Lycos 50 report. The simple reason is that if Paris Hilton was the most overall searched term of 2005, it stands to reason that she is also the most searched women.

Top Women of 2005

Here are the Top 30 Most Searched Women of 2005 with last year's rank in parentheses, according to Lycos 50:

1. Paris Hilton (2)

2. Pamela Anderson (8)

3. Britney Spears (4)

4. Jennifer Lopez (28)

5. Brooke Burke (12)

6. Tara Reid (37)

7. Angelina Jolie (61)

8. Lindsay Lohan (42)

9. Carmen Electra (32)

10. Hilary Duff (21)

11. Jessica Simpson (50)

12. Anna Nicole Smith (31)

13. Christina Aguilera (34)

14. Mariah Carey (-)

15. Anna Kournikova (51)

16. Jennifer Aniston (-)

17. Alyssa Milano (89)

18. Olsen Twins (49)

19. Madonna (90)

20. Beyonce Knowles (64)

21. Torrie Wilson (69)

22. Avril Lavigne (77)

23. Halle Berry (-)

24. Jessica Alba (-)

25. Jennifer Love Hewitt (-)

26. Janet Jackson (1)

27. Denise Richards (-)

28. Trish Stratus (-)

29. Chyna/Joanie Laurer(-)

30. Salma Hayek (-)