Social Star Awards, hosting by Jessica Alba and Jeremy Piven start in less than 15 hours. Stay tuned if you can for live streaming below!

When we started our phone conversation with Jessica Alba last week—she from nearby her Beverly Hills home, Shop Around from our DC office—we felt like we were talking to a girlfriend. She was nice, down-to-earth, disarmingly real, and pretty damn funny, which was refreshing because that’s how we felt about her new book, The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to You.

Unlike most celebrity lifestyle how-to tomes, Alba’s is surprisingly helpful, well-written, resourceful, and realistic. The 31-year-old mom of two offers tips and insight into creating an eco-friendly and healthy lifestyle for herself and her family—and does it in a way that doesn’t make us roll our eyes at the sheer impossibility of it all (ahem, Gwyneth Paltrow). We meant to talk clothes and trends with Alba, since she’ll be in Bethesda on Friday signing copies of her book at the Front Row fashion extravaganza, but she was so fun to talk to about her writing process and her future in acting that we didn’t get a chance. Plus we already know the girl can dress.

Your new book seems really well-researched and thoughtful—how did you become an expert in this sort of eco-friendly lifestyle realm?
Well, I wouldn’t call myself an expert, necessarily. I gathered the information over five years, and then it took about one year to format it and turn it into a book. And it was so difficult to gather [the information], which I did along the way as things affected me throughout my own life and personal experiences.

But you were able to dissect it and filter it into a book that is really easy to read, even for those of us who aren’t familiar with these sorts of toxic versus non-toxic issues.
The information is pretty dense, and unless you’re a scientist, you’re going to be like, “What the heck are you talking about?” But I knew there were things that weren’t good and that I wanted to avoid that touched parts of my life, from beauty to food to materials for my home. So it was such a daunting process to decipher it all, but I felt it was super-necessary. I mean, I wish I had this handbook and guidebook when I was learning and a new mom.

We also like that we could find what we needed quickly—moms often have limited time and patience for a book loaded with data.
It’s meant to be very useful and user-friendly—you can pick up a chapter that you care about and that’s relevant to you. I wanted all the charts to be color-coded, and all the chapters with an icon to identify them; it’s easier for me, so I figure it’s easier for everyone else. The enhanced e-book is even more user-friendly—all the charts pop up as you click on them, and I created little videos for each chapter; the still photos come to life, and that’s kind of fun. I asked the publisher if we could do more than the normal digital version of a book. I wanted a more robust experience.

You’ve been building this lifestyle brand, the Honest Company, for a few years now. Does that mean you’re transitioning away from being an actress?
It’s funny, because it wasn’t a conscious decision, it sort of just happened this way. I’m still so passionate about acting and having that as a creative outlet, and it’s a big part of who I am; I’ll never stop acting. But it’s my time, and where I was in my life, this business was a priority and a passion of mine over going to auditions and trying to get roles. I’m still doing movies; I’m about to start another at the end of this month, a period piece set in the ’60s. [Having my kids] was the best time of my life. I love it—I feel more fearless as an actress after becoming a mother, which is quite liberating. I’m ready to take on heavier roles, where before I was nitpicky and afraid of so many things. I don’t have that filter anymore. I think as you go into a new, different phase, things do change, and that’s influenced who I am and my choices. It happened organically.

So are you plotting to be the Martha Stewart of your generation? Any more books in the works?
I think if I was going to do any more in a series, naturally it would be something I can do easily, that I’m passionate about. A cookbook would be good, and probably not as time consuming. That would be a process where I just say, “I’m going to spend three months, rent a house somewhere, and just bang it out.” Something that would encompass baby to toddler to family, make a more robust book—that’s something I could totally do, about healthier food choices and recipes that aren’t so scary and daunting.

A film starring Luke Wilson and Jessica Alba is shooting throughout Boulder County — including possible sites in Longmont, Lyons, Niwot and Hygiene — for the next several weeks, according to numerous sources.

Shooting of “Dear Eleanor,” produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, was scheduled to start on May 14, according to a website for the casting of extras.

Caleb Applegate, a producer of the film, said he preferred to limit publicity about the shoot, largely for the sake of security. He said the crew will be in Boulder County “a little while” and will include many locations.

“We’re going to be all over the place,” Applegate said. On Friday, he wrote on Twitter, “T-4 days until filming …”

DiCaprio is not expected to visit the shoot, Applegate said.

Online resources list the film’s director as Kevin Connolly, a star of the HBO series “Entourage,” and its cast as including Wilson, Alba, Liana Liberato, Isabelle Fuhrman and Joel Courtney. Sources with knowledge of the production confirmed this.

Courtney, who starred in the Steven Spielberg-produced “Super 8,” posted on Twitter pictures of himself in Boulder on Saturday and Sunday, and he wrote about hanging out in Boulder with Fuhrman, star of the 2009 horror film “Orphan.”

The production has asked the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office for road closures in downtown Niwot and traffic control services in Hygiene, according to sheriff spokesman Cmdr. Rick Brough.

The Niwot closures are scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 18, and all day Tuesday, May 21, on Second Avenue from Niwot Road to Murray Street.

Traffic control in Hygiene is scheduled for an undetermined time during the day on Wednesday, May 22, around North 75th Street and Hygiene Road.

The production has inquired about the process to engage city services in Longmont, according to Longmont Police Cmdr. Jeff Satur.

Members of the production team have visited several sites in Longmont, including the Longmont Performing Arts Center, Dickens Opera House, The Speakeasy bar and Jesters Dinner Theatre, according to people who own or help manage those venues.

“There’s a couple scenes they’d like to do there,” said Scott Moore, owner of Jesters, located at 224 Main St.

Up to 20 members of the production crew visited the theater last week and indicated they might want to use the theater later this month, Moore said. Jesters would stand in for a theater owned by Alba’s character, as Moore understands the scenario.

“Supposedly, this would be the theater she owns and performs at,” Moore said.

Members of the crew visited The Speakeasy, at 301 Main St., about four times, including once when Connolly showed up, said Speakeasy owner Sarah Carrillo.

“He’s cool,” Carrillo said. “He’s much smaller than I imagined him to be, but they were cool.”

Connolly told her The Speakeasy would make a good location.

“He sat down and he was like, ‘This is perfect.’ He said, ‘I love it.’” But she has yet to hear back from producers about shooting there, she said.

Members of the crew had a kind of Hollywood-like “arrogant air” about them when they visited, Carrillo said. When they first came by, The Speakeasy was closed and Carrillo was mopping the floor.

“They walked in and they just blew right past me like I was the cleaning lady,” she said, adding that the visitors were friendly when she introduced herself.

“Dear Eleanor,” reportedly set in the early 1960s, is about two best friends who travel across the country to meet their childhood hero, Eleanor Roosevelt.

A member of the production team who asked to remain anonymous indicated the film has a budget of under $1 million.

Jessica Alba is to host the Social Star Awards in Singapore.

The 32-year-old actress is set to grace Marina Bay Sands when she fronts the first-ever Social Star event, which will see some of the most popular global superstars presented with prizes in recognition of their career achievements.

Jessica – who presenting experience after fronting the 2006 MTV Movie Awards – said: “I’m thrilled to be co-hosting the first-ever Social Star Awards and look forward to seeing everyone in Singapore to celebrate these social media superstars.”

Paul Morrison and Drew Thomson – joint CEOs of Starcount, who are organizing the event – said: “To have Jessica Alba presenting the Social Star Awards is an honor, which reflects the stature of our inaugural event and ensures that it will truly be a Hollywood A-list experience.”

“All eyes will be on Singapore for this premiere of the Social Star Awards, and we’re looking forward to welcoming Jessica to curate an evening of global acceptances and incredible social moments, which will see the Social Star Awards take its place at the top table of global awards events.”

The ceremony has 12 awards up for grabs for stars from across a range of categories – including music, TV, film and sport – and will feature performances from the likes of Aerosmith, Cee Lo Green, PSY and Carly Rae Jepsen.

Also on the agenda are performances from some of the biggest stars on YouTube who have gone viral globally as a result of being viewed, shared and written about on Twitter.

The Social Star Awards will take place on May 23 and will be live streamed on YouTube.

According to novinite.com, Jessica is set to play in movie Autómata. Antonio Banderas already filming in Bulgaria.

Spanish-born Hollywood megastar, Antonio Banderas, has announced at a special press conference that he will shoot his latest movie Automata in Bulgaria.

Banderas further confirmed Automat will be a sci-fi motion picture.

Gabe Ibanez will direct Banderas as Jacq Vaucan, an insurance agent of ROC Robotics Corporation, who is out to investigate robot manipulation. During the course of his investigation he will realize that mankind has degenerated and that, somehow, the Robots are now carriers of the values that once were at the core of humanity.

The cast includes other huge names such as Lady Gaga, Sofia Vergara, Danny Trejo, and Jessica Alba.

The Solution Entertainment Group will kick off sales in Cannes on Southpaw Entertainment, Irish Dreamtime and Envision Entertainment’s How To Make Love Like An Englishman to star Pierce Brosnan and Jessica Alba.

Kristin Scott Thomas will also star in the rom-com about a playboy Cambridge University professor who gets a graduate student pregnant and meets his match in her older stepsister. CAA represents US rights.

Described as a “sexually charged romantic comedy,” the film will see the former James Bond star as a freewheeling Cambridge University professor who starts to think that he should change his ways when meeting the perfect woman (Thomas). The situation is made complicated, however, when he learns that he has impregnated her step-sister (Alba).

Tom Vaughan will direct from a screenplay by Matthew Newman and production is set for early September.

Envision and Merced Media Partners are fully financing. Stepan Martirosyan and Remington Chase of Envision serve as executive producers alongside Raj Brinder Singh and Kevin Scott Frakes of Merced Media Partners, Lisa Wilson and Myles Nestel of The Solution and Jon Amiel.

Southpaw’s Richard B Lewis, Irish Dreamtime’s Beau St Clair and Envision Entertainment’s Grant Cramer produce.

“This has long been a passion project for [producing partner] Beau and me,” said Brosnan. “We are so thrilled that the project has come together with this illustrious group of actors and filmmakers.”

In honor of Mother’s Day, Jessica Alba had tea with her mom Cathy at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills, where the two laughed about Jessica’s rebellious childhood.

From underage drinking to stealing the family car, Jessica turned this relaxing afternoon into a confessional.
“You drank Wild Turkey in 6th grade?!” Cathy said in disbelief after hearing Alba describe an incident with her first boyfriend.

As a mom herself now, Jessica has toned down quite a bit from her wild days, but her mom warns that she’s still not as put together as she seems.

“She loses things,” said Cathy. “This girl has gone through more passports, more credit cards, more keys…”
“I realized now that I don’t have my wedding rings on,” said Jessica, who wed producer Cash Warren in 2008. “I’m like, ‘Where are they?’”

One thing that Jessica has seemed to hang on to is her draw at the box office and now the bookstore. Her book The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to You is available today.

When we first got word that Jessica Alba was working with Tory Burch to create a dress for this year’s punk-themed Met Ball, we were eager to get a behind-the-scenes look at the experience. Luckily, the Tory Burch team agreed to capture all of the memorable moments–from the first sketches to the final look– leading up to the big event.

We talked to Burch and Alba about the design process, what they love about punk, and more, so keep reading to see details of Alba’s fitting and preperation for the red carpet and our exclusive Q&A with Alba and Burch.

How did you collaborate on the dress?
JESSICA ALBA: Tory presented some really beautiful options. We chatted about what materials and silhouettes are most flattering on me, and we put the concepts together.
TORY BURCH: I found a beautiful laser-cut leather and asked Brad [Goreski, Alba's stylist] about whether it would be a good option for Jessica. They liked the idea, and we then came up with several sketches and she picked the graphic cutout fishtail silhouette.

What excited you most about working with each other?
JESSICA: I look up to Tory as a businesswoman and designer. She has exquisite taste, and her pieces reflect that.
TORY: Jessica is an incredible person and a good friend. In addition to being an actor, she’s an entrepreneur and a devoted mother, so we always have a lot to talk about.

Is the laser-cut pattern based on something, or was it designed by the Tory Burch team?
TORY: The laser-cut pattern is a floral design. I love the idea of using a tough material and making it feminine with a floral element.

What about punk culture, music, and fashion inspires you to translate this to your Met Ball gown?
JESSICA: Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen have always been inspirations of mine (even one of The Honest Company’s signature diaper patterns features skulls). My dog is named after Sid Vicious. I love the Sex Pistols and The Pixies. The satirical nature, social commentary, and political issues of the punk movement that are expressed through fashion and music is something that I have always gravitated toward.

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