Taking Names: Meryl Streep covers Vogue magazine for first time

Meryl Streep covers Vogue magazine for first time

Meryl Streep may be considered one of the finest actresses around, yet she says she believed her career was over 20 years ago.

Miss Streep, 62, tells Vogue magazine she was offered three different roles as a witch after turning 40. She thought it meant women in her age group were “grotesque on some level” and told her husband, “It’s over.”

Miss Streep graces the cover of Vogue magazine for the first time in the January edition and jokes in the magazine that she’s the “oldest person” to do so.

Next she plays former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the new film “Iron Lady.” She portrays Mrs. Thatcher from age 49 to 85. The film opens Jan. 13.

The January issue of Vogue goes on sale Dec. 20.

Lohan says she should have listened to advisers

Lindsay Lohan says she should have listened to her advisers, but her stubbornness led to many of her well-documented legal problems.

Miss Lohan makes the comments in the January-February issue of Playboy magazine, which features mostly nude photos and a brief story about the starlet.

Pictures from the issue leaked online Friday, prompting the magazine to release the issue early on its website.

The story refers to Miss Lohan’s infamous bad behavior - which includes two drunken-driving arrests, five jail sentences and five rehab stints - as youthful misadventures.

Miss Lohan returns to court Wednesday to update a judge on her compliance with strict new probation requirements, which include working at a morgue.

Oswalt says love scene with Theron was ’nightmare’

Shooting a love scene with Charlize Theron would be a dream come true for many actors, but for Patton Oswalt, who co-stars with the Oscar-winning actress in the new movie “Young Adult,” the experience was “a nightmare.”

“Why do I have to be in my underwear next to the most physically perfect person on the planet? Why couldn’t I have been next to John Goodman or Michael Moore in their underwear?” Mr. Oswalt said. “It was a dream that turned into a nightmare.”

The dramedy, which opened in select cities Friday, stars Miss Theron as Mavis Gary, a boozing, delusional author of young-adult novels who returns to her hometown to win back her happily married high school sweetheart, played by Patrick Wilson.

Mavis forms an unlikely bond with nerdy former classmate Matt Freehauf, played by Mr. Oswalt.

Mr. Oswalt said he kept a souvenir from his time on the set with Miss Theron - post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Every time I hear a car backfire, I think I’m getting naked again,” he joked.

The film, directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody, goes into wide release on Friday

Willow Smith wants to empower her fans

Willow Smith is all about kid empowerment.

The young singer says she’s hoping to inspire listeners with her upcoming album “Knees and Elbows.”

“It’s gonna make them feel like they have control over their lives and can do what they want to do and be the person they want to be,” she says.

Willow is already proving that at just 11. The daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith has become a buzzed-about star, thanks to her hit song “Whip My Hair.” She’s also become a fashion trendsetter with her funky clothes. At a recent event, Willow wore her hair closely cropped, with big bangs in the front, and she wore a cropped jacket with decals, including the name of her album, and sequined jeans.

“I get a lot of my style from my friends,” she said, also citing her aunt.

Willow recently teamed up with another fashionista, singer-rapper Nicki Minaj, for Willow’s new song “Fireball.” Willow premiered it for groups of children and their parents at the Sony Store and on BET’s “106 & Park.”

Even though Miss Minaj and Willow are cited for their style, Willow says they didn’t share any fashion tips.

“We just kind of vibed off each other and had fun,” she said.

“Knees and Elbows” is scheduled to be released in April. Willow said it will be “more R&B.” The title ties in to her theme of inspiration: “Everybody falls down and scrapes their knees and elbows but they eventually get back up,” she said.

Mass.: Director inflated costs for film tax credit

A movie director has been charged with inflating expenses in his application for Massachusetts’ film-tax credits, resulting in about $4.7 million in overpayments.

The state attorney general’s office says Daniel Adams was arrested Thursday in Boston. He was arraigned Friday in Boston Municipal Court on charges of larceny and making a false claim against the commonwealth.

In one instance, prosecutors allege Adams reported paying Richard Dreyfuss $2.5 million, when the actor actually was paid $400,000.

Mr. Adams pleaded not guilty and was held on $100,000 cash bail. His lawyer, Steven Topazio, says there was a rush to judgment to arrest Adams before a grand jury finished its work

Mr. Adams is accused of inflating expenses for two films, “The Golden Boys” and “The Lightkeepers.” Both were shot on Cape Cod.

• Compiled from Web and wire service reports.