Stage veterans Natalie Portman and Stanley Tucci will be honored at the Gotham Independent Film Awards, to be held on Monday, November 30 at Cipriani Wall Street. Joel and Ethan Coen’s A Serious Man received two nominations — one for Best Film and one for Best Ensemble Performance. Other nominated films include The Hurt Locker, Big Fan, Amereeka, Tyson, Adventureland, Cold Souls, and The Maid.

Yes, Natalie Portman actually enjoys food. And she’s going to prove it in the upcoming season of Top Chef: Las Vegas. E! Online reports that the V for Vendetta actress will be appearing on the cooking show when it returns to the airwaves. In addition to Portman, the new season of Top Chef – which debuts on August 26 — will feature guests such as illusionists Penn & Teller and renowned restaurateur Wolfgang Puck. Padma Lakshmi will be returning as host.

Former President Bill Clinton is bringing his Global Initiative University to the University of Texas next month. Clinton plus celebrities including Matthew McConaughey and Natalie Portman will convene nearly 1,000 college students, about 100 university presidents as well as nonprofit and youth leaders and social entrepreneurs to address global issues and brainstorm ways to make a difference. The three-day meeting, from Feb. 13-15, will be held at locations including the UT Alumni Center and Gregory Gym, the Austin Convention Center and Rosewood Park and Recreation Center. The first such event was last March at Tulane University.

Natalie Portman has collaborated with a U.S. fashion firm to launch a range of vegan footwear. The Natalie Portman Collection – made in partnership with specialty shoe retailer Te Casan and the actress’ stylist Kate Young – will feature 20 pairs of limited edition, hand-crafted designs that are completely animal-friendly, with a price tag of $200 (GBP100) each. The Closer star says, “As a vegan, I don’t wear leather, fur, or feathers. Shopping for clothes hasn’t proved too difficult, but finding chic footwear has definitely been a challenge.” Yaniv Shirazi, Te Casan president, adds, “We met with Kate and Natalie to discuss what Natalie was looking to do and it was immediately clear that this would be a fantastic collaboration. “There are so few animal-free collections out there, and Natalie’s ideas were really great, in terms of style.” The line will debut in stores February 01 (2008) with 100 per cent of proceeds benefitting The Nature Conservancy, an organisation dedicated to protecting the environment.

The Oscar ceremony will be on tonight. If you’re able to, be sure to watch it. I’m not able to, though, because I live in Europe, and the Oscars will be shown during the night (when I’m sleeping, ’cause I’ve got school tomorrow, you know).
FINGERS CROSSED FOR NATALIE!!
Next report will be in the morning of February 28.