Carrie Fisher: "Ms. Fisher relaxes backstage amid candy-colored stripes on the walls, an electrified neon strip in the bathroom (a nod to the theater's disco past) and "Star Wars" kitsch scattered around, including a painting of a white poodle with Princess Leia buns."

Gina Gershon "worked with interior-designer and artist friends to brighten the room, including placing a movable window frame over a large photo of the ocean to create an 'ocean view.' She added a machine that plays sounds of seagulls and crashing waves."

Julia Stiles, meanwhile, was totally down-to-earth: "the most striking feature ...is the photo of Serena Williams screaming at a line judge during the U.S. Open in September. 'It is a reminder for me to go out there and not censor strong emotions that I might be having on stage,' says Ms. Stiles."

Hey, I'm all for personalizing a space - thanks to a steady diet of Dorothy Draper's Decorating is Fun, I had a totally tricked-out dorm room. We all know what wonders a scented candle, a few cushions and extra-long sheets in a fetching shade can work. But...what happens after the show closes? Is the next star going to be staring at a random, be-bunned poodle and an ersatz "ocean view?" We say, what was good enough for Margo Channing is good enough for us: dressing screen, scads of flowers, greasepaint and a wise-cracking dresser are the hallmark of the true star.
A Dressing Room of One's Own [Wall Street Journal]

[London, May 12. Image via WENN]

The story of the aging diva Margo Channing and the conniving up-and-comer Eve Harrington is such a contrast to the petty squabbles of Bride Wars et al that's it worth seeing again if only as an antidote. Sure, Bette Davis is a tour de force, Anne Baxter is despicable, George Sanders' jaded journalist Addison DeWitt is iconic. But more than great performances and sparkling dialogue — and the movie won 6 Oscars, including Bestie — this is a "women's film" in the right way: of smart women, played by smart women. Shake the martinis, light the Lucky's and fasten your seatbelts: it's going to be a bumpy night. [NYT