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Jessica Biel doesn't have a tough time playing strong characters, but she does have a tough time finding great scripts written for women.

The actress talked to me about the challenges of finding those great roles in Hollywood during the promotion blitz for her new animated flick "Planet 51." In the film, she plays a teenage girl who is fiercely independent and questions authority when the government tries to convince everyone that aliens are taking over.

It's a strong role she relished playing. "I wanted to be in this movie  because I liked the idea that the character was a strong woman that young girls could look up to as a role model," she said.

But Biel also confided in me that although this script was a blessing, it was also a rarity. "It's rare to see good scripts that show good strong women. In Hollywood the number of well-written and great scripts which show women in strong positive roles are rare. On top of that there are so many talented women and there are not enough projects for everyone to really blossom. It's so disappointing that there isn't more material out there for actresses."

Lets hope that changes for Biel and the rest of the actresses in Hollywood!

John Travolta and his daughter Ella Bleu Travolta received mad love in Hollywood last night! The Los Angeles premiere of Travolta's upcoming comedy "Old Dogs" happened at the El Capitan Theatre with a sea of A-listers showing up in support of the film.  In addition to Travolta, his wife Kelly Preston and daughter Ella Bleu, Robin Williams also stars in the film. The movie centers around two bachelors and business partners, played by Travolta and Williams, whose lives change dramatically after one of them becomes the legal guardian of twins.

Williams, Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks, Seth Green, Forest Whitaker, Kevin Nealon, Lori Loughlin, Dax Shepherd, Jenna Elfman and Billy Idol all showed up to the premiere along with Travolta and his family. And like all premieres the stars of the movie were complimented, but the spotlight wasn't on them, but rather on Ella Bleu Travolta whose co-stars acknowledged her good acting skills  and generally agreed she shined in the role.

Williams said: "His daughter is really good. She really was good in the film and just watching him watching her was really good to see. " And Green said "I do think it's great that their daughter is genuinely a good actress and takes it very seriously. She did a good job."  Loughlin, who co-stars in the film, doted on her as well, "I think this is a really wonderful opportunity for Ella to make her film debut with both of her parents and I think it's so special for John and for Kelly to have this forever on film with their daughter at such a precious little age".

Sounds like Ella is on the fast track to becoming the next "IT" girl!

Don't you hate it when you see a story about your favorite actor, TV show, or movie, and you want just one question answered, but you have to sift through unimportant crap to get what you want? Well, I'm not going to do that to you when it comes to "True Blood."  I recently had a long chat with the hit cable show's creator, Alan Ball, and I got straight to the point early on in the interview. I asked the questions that are on everyone's minds: What is going to happen in Season Three, AND what is up with our favorite characters - Bill, Sookie, Tara, and Sam?

Well, I won't lie: he didn't show me the script or give me a play-by-play of each episode in the upcoming season. BUT he did dish a little to me:

"I don't think people will be disappointed in Season Three. We are taking everybody to some new places. We are revisiting some old relationships that maybe we thought were over. There's going to be a lot of new characters coming in. I can tell you that you will see Werewolves. We'll find out a little bit more about exactly what Sookie is, which is that she is not entirely human. Bill and Sookie's relationship will be put to a serious, serious test. Sam's gonna meet his biological family. And I think Tara will find true love eventually, but I'm not sure she will find it in Season Three. "

Season Three of "True Blood" begins filming in December,  and won't hit the screen until the middle of next year. So until then... you'll just have to feast off of those few morsels.

When you get an opportunity to sit down with Gerard Butler and Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, you don't walk. You run! And that's exactly what I did!

I was given the difficult task (cough) of interviewing both of them at the junket for their new film "Law Abiding Citizen," which opens nationwide on October 16th. I have interviewed Foxx many times before. He's always animated, and bounces in and out of character at times. But overall his interviews are definitely memorable. I'd never met Butler before, but being that he is a great actor and not bad on the eyes I was certainly looking forward to it!

I knew the interview was going to go very well when Butler answered my first question about what it was like to work with Foxx and director F. Gary Gray like this: "They loved working with me! I think it was a hugely beneficial experience for them.  No, I'm joking." Butler seemed to be in a joking mood when talking about his co-stars, but got serious when we turned the talk to his film and the justice system in America.

His character takes revenge and becomes a killer after his family is murdered and one of the killers essentially gets off because the prosecutor seeks a plea bargain. Butler confided that even though he is on the other side of law in the flick, he actually favors plea bargaining. Butler studied law back in his homeland of Scotland, and has an honors law degree and a diploma in legal practice. "There's a lot to be said for plea bargaining... in terms of saving huge resources to the legal system with unnecessary court cases."

Foxx's take on the U.S. justice system, after playing a very myopic district attorney, was a little different. He said "Plea deals are anything that you make of them. You can make any kind of plea deal you want." Since the movie can be considered as an argument against plea deals, I asked Foxx what he wanted audiences to take away from the film, and he was brief, funny and to the point: "All I can tell you is this, don't ever go to jail. Don't go to jail because you will be sitting behind somebody braiding somebody's hair."

Enough said. Gotta love Foxx for keeping it real with humor!

I recently had the chance to see the comedy "Couples Retreat" starring Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman and Kristen Bell.  A married couple, played by Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell, convince their friends to travel with them to a tropical island for a couples retreat vacation.

The movie is your typical relationship comedy with basically a few more laughs attached to it. But it wasn't the movie that caught my attention rather it was the interview I had with Vince Vaughn. You see, Vince is engaged to be married, so that fact that he co-wrote a screenplay about married folks with relationship problems is a tad bit ironic. When I pointed this out to him and asked him about his own relationship and how he balanced it with the pressures of Hollywood, he said it was easy: he simply put Hollywood first! Now that made everyone in the room laugh. He went on to say it's all about the junkets, movie premieres and movie shoots. He said that's what comes first for him while his personal relationship and family come second. Quite the consummate joker on and off camera. But after a few seconds of laughter, Vaughn got serious and said that it was all about being a real person and never losing sight of that. The soon to be married man said that you simply have to treat your mate with respect and kindness and put that person first!

Boy his fiancee sure has herself a winner!

Wherever there's an awards show in Hollywood, you can rest assured that stellar parties follow!

Last night there were several parties around town but perhaps the best  post Emmy Awards shindig was the "Entertainment Tonight-People Magazine Emmy party." Kathy Lee Gifford summed up the mindset of most folks attending the party: "(People) are really looking forward to drinking.  I mean come on!"  Mary J. Blige said: "I think everyone should eat what they want and do what they want and don't worry about it until tomorrow."

Good advice that dozens of celebrities took as they walked the red carpet and hung out at the party which was held at Vibiana's in downtown Los Angeles... just blocks away from where the Emmy awards were held at the Nokia Theater. By the time the awards show ends and stars walk the red carpet they are relaxed and a lot more fun.

Take Jay Alexander who is a judge on "America's Next Top Model." He told us that most men who attend award shows wear drab clothing. He then enlightened me about the "Mangown." So, what is a "mangown?" According to Alexander, it's an outfit for a male that's not your typical tuxedo and adds a lot of pizzazz.  Rex Lee  of "Entourage" was also a bit humorous when he said he loved this year's telecast because "it only went five minutes over its allotted time." 

Leave it to the comedians to give me the best interviews at the party. Joel McHale of "Talk Soup" and the new NBC hit show "Community" couldn't stop talking about how much he loves watching CNN's Anderson Cooper. He also assured me that if I didn't do a good job interviewing him then he would let me know. It was a very funny yet awkward moment.  Kathy Griffin said while Neil Patrick Harris did a great job hosting the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards he certainly DIDN'T do a better hosting job than she did a week ago at the "Creative Arts Emmy Awards." Hmmm... lots of fun but definitely no modesty at these parties!

The Entertainment Weekly-Women In Film pre-Emmy party, considered by some to be the unofficial kick-off to Emmy week, is the biggest mix of stars you'll see this week before the actual Emmy awards on Sunday.

Sharon Stone, Olivia Wilde, Cicely Tyson, George Lopez, Seth Green, Rachelle Lefevre and Sarah Silverman were just a few of the stars walking the red carpet at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood Thursday night.  The event lasted several hours and was a casual environment but the attire was definitely DRESSY. Tons of press showed up,  cameras in hand knowing the party would be a gold mine for video and stills of some of the best celebrities in Tinseltown.

For many of the stars in attendance,  it was a way for them to show support of for TV magazine "Entertainment Weekly." Ask any television star and they'll tell you how the magazine has helped shape their career by putting them on the cover or doing a multi-page article on their show. George Lopez told me "Entertainment Weekly is huge, bigger than CNN. But seriously you can't make it in this business without them." And Shannen Doherty admitted "Entertainment Weekly has put me on the cover over the years so I just had to come out to support them too."

So now one Emmy party down... and several more to go!

I'm all ready to interview Charlize Theron for "The Burning Plain" Junket at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills when the first thing I notice is that it's hot inside the hotel suite where the interview is going to take place:  no AC and around 85 degrees Fahrenheit.  There is apparently an AC problem, but you wouldn't have known it by looking at Miss Theron. Her blond, shoulder-length hair was styled perfectly, her make-up was flawless and her dress was conservative yet classic.

After talking about why she took on the role of a mother with a mysterious past who ultimately seeks to bond with her young estranged daughter, it's apparent there's so much more to Theron than her beauty.  In the film, she is plain and very unassuming. She wears little if any make-up on screen and comes across as "every woman".

Theron is known for playing complex women who have dark sides or have been victimized. Think "Monster" and "North Country" and now Sylvia in "The Burning Plain." What's fascinating is that a woman who many people might consider to be one of the most beautiful women in the world, a woman who was the face of Dior Perfume, a woman who graced the cover of VOGUE Magazine would rather be without make-up!! Theron says she's drawn to roles that are unglamorous because they are much closer to what she really looks like.

I believe Theron, but she's still one of the most beautiful people in the world SANS make-up. So I don't consider it hard for her to go around without it.  But what I admire from this talented Oscar winner is the fact that her beauty doesn't define her or control her and she takes chances that push her farther in her chosen craft. Every time Theron's on screen she becomes the character and that in itself makes her beautiful.

I love the Creative Arts Emmy Awards because they're always so unpretentious! Between the Daytime Emmys and the Primetime Emmys this is the one which honors the so-called "behind the scenes" artists and it's always a lot more fun for me!

Saturday's show was no different. Kathy Griffin hosted, which raised eyebrows since she never does anything without making headlines and irritating people. She told me on the red carpet, "Two years ago I got in trouble for my acceptance speech. So the fact that they chose me to host makes me think they are desperate."

I don't know if the organizers were desperate or just plain genius for picking Griffin to host the nearly four hour long show at the Nokia theater in downtown Los Angeles. She opened the show with various skits. One pre-taped clip showed her running into a room crying after losing an award to someone else. But here's the shocker: she runs in naked! Of course, certain areas of her body were pixelated so the audience couldn't see her fully nude. But it was surprising even for those of us used to Griffin's hijinks. Another time she mocked the "Toddlers & Tiaras" reality show by dressing like a kid in western attire.

Griffin's acerbic tone aside, she wasn't the only star of the show. There were 84 categories and lots of awards handed out to very talented people. From music composition to visual effects to cinematography to make-up, the best in the biz were rightfully honored. But the more notable faces seemed to garner the most attention, like Tina Fey  for winning an award for impersonating Sarah Palin and Chris Rock for his HBO special "Kill the Messenger." Justin Timberlake and Michael J. Fox were honored for their guest starring roles on various shows. Fey was the only one on hand to personally accept her award and she used her acceptance speech to take another swipe at Sarah Palin: “Mrs. Palin is an inspiration to working mothers everywhere because she bailed on her job right before Fourth of July weekend. You are living my dream. Thank you, Mrs. Palin.”

Besides Fey's win, Tyce Diorio shined, winning outstanding choreographer for "So You Think You Can Dance?" He couldn't wait to kiss and tell. The minute he arrived backstage, he read a text message from Katie Holmes congratulating him on his win. "Yahoo I'm so excited. Way to go. Yes Yes Yes. We are here cheering for you. I'm so excited for you. You deserve it. Talented. This made my year. Way to go." The two had become friends after Holmes appeared on the show.

Hmmm... an Emmy Award and then a text from Katie Holmes? And get this... he's slated to dance with Janet Jackson at the MTV VMAs later tonight in NYC. Doesn't get better than that!

So, I have to brag for a second... okay, maybe more than a second. For the first time in my broadcast career I got my picture taken! I know what you're thinking. How could I have JUST gotten my picture taken for the first time?

Well, let me clarify. Today was the first day that an actor I  interviewed asked to take my picture. I was covering the "Coco Before Chanel" junket and actress Audrey Tautou pulled out her camera after our interview. She plays the legendary fashion designer in the flick.  You'll probably remember her from "Amelie" or as Tom Hank's companion in "The Da Vinci Code".

Tautou told me she was taking pictures of people today for her personal album.  Now an actress turning the lens on a journalist is nothing new. Many do it in Hollywood when paparazzi follow them ad nauseum. But it's always nice when a star really likes a journalist... especially when the journalist is moi!

(okay you can barf now)