Amy Adams
Must Sizzling Star
AGE
34
WHY HER
Adorable in this summer's Night at the Museum: Battle of the
Smithsonian, Adams cooks up another funny and flawed heroine in Julie &
Julia (out Aug. 7), playing a disillusioned 21st-century New Yorker who
discovers her culinary calling thanks to Julia Child.
MENTOR MERYL
In J&J, Adams shares no scenes with her Doubt costar Meryl Streep (who plays Child in the 1950s), but the acting legend was often on her mind.
''When I'm in a hard scene, I always go, 'What would Meryl do?''' says
Adams. ''Whether she's there or not, she is my invisible mentor.''
THE RING AIN'T THE THING
Finally! — a female-driven comedy free of the tired old gotta-find-a-man
trope. ''I loved that it examined these two women looking for a purpose
that wasn't love,'' says Adams. ''It's about self-discovery.'' The food
wasn't bad either. ''It was the best-smelling set I've ever been on.
Roast chicken, French onion soup, you name it. We ate a lot.''
NEXT
Adams recently wrapped Leap Year, a romantic comedy due in 2010 about an American who travels to Ireland ''to propose to her boyfriend on leap
day,'' the actress explains. ''It's an Irish tradition.''
ON HER MUST LIST
A certain American Idol finalist: ''I loved Adam [Lambert] so much I
couldn't even breathe. I just loved his theatrics. I'm a Glambert.''
Maya Rudolph
Must Drama Convert
AGE
36
WHY HER
After seven years on Saturday Night Live, the comedian is showcasing her
serious side as a mom-to-be (opposite John Krasinski) in the dramedy
Away We Go. ''I said to John, 'You know I'm not an actress, right?''' she
recalls of their first day on set. ''I knew I had it in me, but I just
hadn't tried it out yet.''
THE WATERWORKSWith her résumé made up almost entirely of comedies, Away We Go marks a rare instance where Rudolph cries on screen. ''It was really hard,'' she
says. ''I felt like I was literally squeezing and waiting for it to
squirt out.''
NEXT
She's filming the Adam Sandler-Chris Rock comedy Grown Ups.
ON HER MUST LIST
M.I.A.'s album Kala. ''It makes me feel so powerful I could drive my car
through a wall — but in a good way.''
Justin Bartha & Bradley Cooper
Must Best Buddies
AGES
30, 34
WHY THEM
The real-life pals are Hollywood's new high rollers thanks to their
roles in the comedy hit The Hangover. ''From the moment we wrapped, I
knew it was a special movie,'' says Bartha.
A FINE BROMANCE
Bartha and Cooper met on the set of 2006's Failure to Launch. ''We've
been friends ever since,'' says Cooper. ''We have holidays together!''
WAKING UP IN VEGAS
Sixteen-hour shoots in the scorching Nevada sun made it easy for The
Hangover's cast to look roughed-up on screen. ''I feel like we lived what
we shot,'' says Cooper. ''We get the s--- beaten out of us in this movie.
And we kind of did in real life.''
NEXT
The dynamic duo will reteam this fall in the anthology film New York, I
Love You (Oct. 16). As for flying solo, Bartha stars opposite Catherine
Zeta-Jones in the upcoming film The Rebound, while Cooper is the object
of Sandra Bullock's affection in All About Steve (Sept. 4) and is in
talks to play Face in an A-Team remake.
ON THEIR MUST LISTS
Cooper calls Breaking Bad ''the best show on TV.'' Bartha prefers another
AMC drama, Mad Men.
EW.COM POLL
What's the Must movie sequel of 2009?
43% The Twilight Saga: New Moon
41% Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
12% Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
2% Angels & Demons
2% Terminator Salvation
Zoë Saldana
Must Space Siren
AGE
31
WHY HER
Denying the allure of the smoldering actress who captured the elegance
of Star Trek's xenolinguist, Uhura, would simply be illogical.
NAVIGATING THE CULT
''A driver freaked me out once when he said, 'I used to be a stand-in
years ago. I was a Klingon.' He proceeded to stop at a corner, walk me
to the back of the car, and open the trunk. I got really afraid. Turns
out he travels with all his memorabilia in the car.''
NEXT
She'll appear in Avatar (out Dec. 18), playing what director James
Cameron describes as ''the ultimate smokin'-hot alien Amazon warrior.''
Nicely cast.
ON HER MUST LIST
Rockers Kings of Leon. ''It's my driving music. Love the real rock & roll!''
