Scarlett Johansson helps out Sri Lankan Dalit School

Actress Scarlett Johansson has donated a huge sum to a school in Sri Lanka.

The 22-year old who travelled to Sri Lanka and India with aid workers from international charity group Oxfam, was pained to see the plight of children in the poverty-stricken school.

Johansson told PlanetGossip.eonline.com that the time she spent with the kids at a Dalit school was the most cherishing part of her trip.

"The most gratifying opportunity was visiting a Dalit school. The Dalit community is considered the lowest status in the caste system, and children as young as four are working the fields," Contactmusic quoted her, as telling the site.

With the actress' donation, the school will be supported for the next three years.

Scarlett Johansson: A Modern-Day Marilyn Monroe?

As she strode down the red carpet in a black strapless Louis Vuitton, Scarlett Johansson was the very definition of old Hollywood glamour on Monday night at Elle magazine’s Women In Hollywood celebration.

And perhaps it’s fitting that Scarlett’s style has often garnered comparisons to the starlets of generations past, as some have even compared her to Hollywood’s most notable female icon.

“You have been called the modern day Marilyn Monroe,” Access Hollywood’s Shaun Robinson told Scarlett on the red carpet. “That’s such a title. When you think about that, how do you feel?”

“Well I’m a huge fan of Marilyn,” Scarlett said. “She was always so glamorous and hopefully, it’s not the tragedy that reminds everybody. Certainly, she had an incredible sort of seamless sexiness and grace that was just divine.”

But does the 22-year-old actress see in herself what so many others do?

Scarlett Johansson honoured at 'Women in Hollywood' celebration

SOME of Hollywood's leading ladies gathered at a magazine ceremony marking the achievements of six actresses and a director.

Guests at Elle magazine's annual 'Women in Hollywood' celebration on Monday night included 14-year-old acting newcomer Keke Palmer and 82-year-old screen legend Lauren Bacall.

'It's great that the focus is on women, who are functioning, who are all working, who are productive,' Bacall said.

'I've always been in favor of that, and I've always known that women are capable of going as high as they want to go.'

The seven honorees were: director Julie Taymor and actors Bacall, Diane Lane, Kate Bosworth, Jennifer Connelly, Amy Adams and Scarlett Johansson.

'There's this idea (Hollywood) is this deep, dark place. In reality, I think that it's a reflection of society in general,' said Johansson, 22, when asked how she has avoided running into trouble like Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.

Like Johansson, Diane Lane, 41, started her career early on, as a teen in 1979's 'A Little Romance.' Over the decades, she has seen improvements for Hollywood women of all ages, she said.

'There's a lot more opportunity for young women, and that's great, and I like to think that I was there to help pave a few stones,' Lane said.

'It's wonderful to have all the different stages of a woman's life acknowledged and appreciated.' Each honoree, perhaps not coincidentally, has at least one major movie coming soon.

Amy Adams has two: the Disney romance 'Enchanted' and the action-drama 'Charlie Wilson's War' with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

She said both films are spoils of her 2005 Oscar nomination for 'Junebug.'

'The opportunities that it presented are really fantastic,' she said of the Oscar experience.

The honorees are profiled in November's Elle magazine.

Scarlett Johansson slams rude fans

Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson has hit out at inconsiderate fans, who invade her privacy.

The actress claims fame brings out the worst in people, and their behaviour leaves her desperate to avoid being recognised.

She says, “It’s weird to be a recognisable face. I find it can bring out the worst in humanity. You’ll be having an intimate dinner with a friend and there’s somebody on the table behind with a camera phone pointing at your face.I would never take a photo of someone without asking. So it does surprise me sometimes how inconsiderate people can be. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that.”

Scarlett Johansson: All About Her Life

Johansson was born in New York City on November 22nd, 1984. Her father, Karsten Johansson, is a Danish-born architect, and her paternal grandfather, Ejner Johansson, was a screenwriter and director. Her mother, Melanie Sloan, a producer, comes from a Jewish American family from the Bronx. Johansson's parents met in Denmark, where her mother lived with Johansson's maternal grandmother, Dorothy, a former bookkeeper and schoolteacher.Scarlett Johansson is the youngest of four siblings -- she has an older brother and sister, as well as a twin brother. As might be expected of an acting prodigy,Scarlett had an unusually early interest in performing: she wanted to be an actress since age 3, and was acting professionally when she was only 8 years old. After taking classes at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute for Young People, Scarlett made her stage debut in the early 1990s in the off-Broadway production of Sophistry, alongside Ethan Hawke.

Scarlett Johansson's first film role came in 1994's North, starring Elijah Wood, another child star survivor. The following year she played Sean Connery's daughter in the thriller Just Cause, and then in 1996, she appeared in If Lucy Fell and Manny & Lo. For the latter film, Scarlett was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress in 1997. That year she added Fall and Home Alone 3 to her burgeoning list of credits.

Acting career

Johansson began acting during childhood, after her mother began taking her to auditions. She made her film debut in 1994's North. After appearing in several films during the late 1990s, Johansson garnered praise and widespread attention for her performance in 1998's The Horse Whisperer and 2001's Ghost World.

She won the "Upstream Prize" for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for her performance in 2003's Lost in Translation. The same year, she was nominated for two Best Actress awards at the Golden Globes, one for drama (Girl with a Pearl Earring) and one for comedy (Lost in Translation). She was also nominated for Best Actress for both films at the BAFTAs, and won Best Actress for Lost in Translation.

Johansson was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in June 2004. In the same year, she starred in the films The Perfect Score, In Good Company and A Love Song for Bobby Long, the last of which earned her a third Golden Globe Award nomination. Johansson was involved for a short time with the film Mission: Impossible III, but was not officially cast because of scheduling conflicts, although a falling out with the film's star, Tom Cruise, had been both widely reported and publicly denied. She was replaced by Keri Russell.

In July 2005, Johansson starred with Ewan McGregor in Michael Bay's The Island, making her debut as a female lead in a mainstream action film. In the same year, she starred in the Woody Allen-directed drama Match Point, which opened in December. Johansson received her fourth Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress for the role, but lost to Rachel Weisz.

Johansson's next film, Scoop, another collaboration with Allen, was released on July 28, 2006. The same year, she appeared in Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia, a film noir shot in Los Angeles and Bulgaria. Johansson has noted that she was a De Palma fan and had wanted to work with him on the film, even though she thought that she was "physically wrong" for the part. Her reviews were mixed: CNN.com noted that Johansson "takes to the pulpy period atmosphere as if it were oxygen,"[9] whereas the Kalamazoo Gazette referred to Johansson as "miscast".

On January 14, 2006, Johansson hosted Saturday Night Live. Also in 2006, Johansson starred in a short film directed by Bennett Miller and set to Bob Dylan's "When the Deal Goes Down...", released to promote Dylan's album, Modern Times. Johansson's thriller The Prestige, opened on October 20, 2006.

She made a return appearance on Saturday Night Live on April 21, 2007, during which she dueted with Andy Samberg for a version of "Something to Talk About".

Her newest film, The Nanny Diaries, in which she stars alongside Alicia Keys, opened on August 24, 2007. In post-production as of August 2007, Johansson stars opposite Natalie Portman and Eric Bana in The Other Boleyn Girl, playing Mary Boleyn. Also in August 2007, she is filming her third Woody Allen film, his "Untitled Spanish Project", in Barcelona.

Johansson has signed on for three new projects. She was cast to the femme fatale Silk N Floss opposite Gabriel Macht in Frank Miller’s noir comedy adaptation of Will Eisner's comic The Spirit. The movie is scheduled to go into production October 2007. She will also portray Mary, Queen of Scots in a film scheduled to begin production in March 2008 and appear as a pilates instructor in He’s Just Not That Into You, with Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Justin Long. The film is directed by Ken Kwapis and produced by Barrymore.

Music career

In 2005, Johansson was considered for the role of Maria in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End stage version of The Sound of Music, though the role ultimately went to newcomer Connie Fisher after she won BBC's talent show "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" Released May 8, 2006, Johansson sang the track "Summertime" for Unexpected Dreams - Songs from the Stars, a non-profit collection of songs recorded by Hollywood actors. She also performed with The Jesus And Mary Chain for a special Coachella Reunion Show in Indio, California in April 2007.

In the summer of 2007, Johansson spent about a month in Maurice, Louisiana recording an album at Dockside Studio, a rural 12-acre complex. The album, entitled Scarlett Sings Tom Waits, consists entirely of Johansson's cover versions of Tom Waits songs. It is being produced by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio, features members from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Celebration, and is scheduled for release on October 7, 2007.

In 2006, Johansson was the leading lady in Bob Dylan's music video for "When the Deal Goes Down". In 2007, she appeared as the leading lady in Justin Timberlake's music video for "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around Interlude," nominated August 2007 for video of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Advertising work

Johansson endorsed the Calvin Klein perfume "Eternity Moment" and was featured in several commercials and printed advertisements for the product. One of the commercials was featured in her 2005 film The Island. She became the face and spokesperson for Louis Vuitton in early 2005 and has appeared in three of their ad campaigns: Spring 2005, Spring 2007 and Fall 2007. In January 2006, she was named as a spokesperson of L'Oreal.

In July 2006, Reebok signed a deal with Johansson to co-create "Scarlett 'Hearts' Rbk," athletic footwear scheduled for a debut in the spring of 2007. Johansson will also be featured in Reebok's global women's advertising campaign, also in the spring of 2007. The company's press releases described Johansson as a "world renowned style icon" and an "inspiration for today's young women."

Media appearances

Johansson appeared on the controversial cover of the February 2006 issue of Vanity Fair in the nude with fellow Hollywood "it girl" Keira Knightley and world-renowned fashion designer Tom Ford.

In March 2006, she topped the U.S. edition of FHM's poll of the sexiest women alive (in the UK edition Johansson was third). In 2007, Maxim named Johansson #3 in their Hot 100 issue, In November 2006, Johansson was named "Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire. She was featured at #3 in Maxim's Hot 100 for 2007.

Personal life

Johansson is a Democrat and campaigned for John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. She was later quoted as saying, of George W. Bush's re-election, that "[she was] disappointed. I think it was a disappointment for a large percentage of the population."[31] Johansson has also taken part in the anti-poverty campaign ONE which was organised by U2 lead singer Bono.

Johansson has previously stated that she has a connection to older men, and could not see herself dating anyone under the age of 30. She has also noted that she does not discuss her personal life with the press, specifying that she feels "it's nice to have everybody not know your business." However, this has not stopped Johansson from sharing "select" opinions and personal details. Johansson's ex-boyfriend (and member of the band Steel Train), Jack Antonoff, has included lyrics that refer to Johansson in his band's song "Better Love." Antonoff also references Johansson in the song "2 O'clock." She has been linked to many famous men, including Derek Jeter, Benicio del Toro, Jared Leto, Justin Timberlake and most notably her Black Dahlia co-star Josh Hartnett. The pair dated for around two years until the end of 2006, with Hartnett citing their busy professional lives as the reason for the split. She is currently dating Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds.

Johansson has repeatedly said that she does not believe in monogamy, and that it is not human nature to be with just one person. She has also said that "contrary to popular belief... [she is] not promiscuous" and she works "really hard" when she is in a relationship "to make it work in a monogamous way." She gets tested for HIV twice a year, and has specified that she feels "it's part of being a decent human" and that she finds it "disgusting" and "irresponsible" when people do not do so.

Johansson has claimed to be a fanatic for cheese, saying: "My greatest vice is cheese. Nothing else reigns over my life." She has criticized the media and Hollywood for promoting an image that causes unhealthy diets and eating disorders among women, saying that she thinks "that being ultra-thin is not sexy at all. Women shouldn't be forced to conform to unrealistic and unhealthy body images that the media promote."
When asked about her religious affiliation, Johansson has answered: "That's a very personal question. I would rather not answer." She has, however, specified that she celebrates a "little of both" referring to Christmas and Hanukkah. She has noted that she dislikes it when celebrities thank God or Jesus in their award acceptance speeches. She described herself as Jewish when she was talking about Woody Allen. "I just adore Woody," she says. "We have a lot in common. We're New Yorkers, Jewish. We have a very easygoing relationship".