Sophia Loren & Penélope Cruz: Glamorous Nine Premiere + Steve Guttenberg & Burt Young: Tom Sherak Homage

Sophia Loren, Penélope Cruz were present at the Rome Premiere Party of Rob Marshall’s musical Nine, co-hosted by Martini, at the Martini Terrazza on Jan. 13.

Federico Fellini’s 8½, on which the Broadway musical Nine is based, starred Marcello Mastroianni, Loren’s frequent love interest in movies from the mid-1950s to the late 1970s – in addition to a reunion in Robert Altman’s poorly received Ready to Wear in 1994. Curiously, Loren never starred for Fellini even though both were at their height during the same period.

Also present at the Rome premiere party were numerous Italian celebrities, including former Miss Italy and actress Francesca Chillemi; filmmaker Francesca Comencini, whose father, Luigi Comencini, was one of the greatest figures of the Italian cinema of the ’50s and ’60s; producer Riccardo Tozzi (My Brother Is an Only Child, Don’t Tell) and Daniele Liotti (who starred in the 2005 television miniseries Il bell’Antonio).

Photos: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images for Martini (Cruz / Loren); Elisabetta Villa/Getty Images for Martini (Liotti / Comencini / Tozzi)

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Penélope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, and, inevitably, Sophia Loren attended the Rome Premiere Party of Rob Marshall’s Nine, co-hosted by Martini, at the Martini Terrazza on January 13, 2010.

Adapted from the Broadway musical which itself was Inspired by Italian icon Federico Fellini’s 1963 autobiographical classic 8 1/2, Nine has been generally panned by film critics in the US, where the musical has done poor business. A handful of Golden Globe nominations failed to help the (reportedly) $80 million production get even close to recovering its cost at the American box office. After 34 days, Nine has grossed a mere $18.4 million in North America.

Penélope Cruz received a best supporting actress Golden Globe nomination for her performance in Nine, but lost to Mo’Nique in Precious. Cruz is also in the running for the SAG Awards, which will be held on Sat., Jan. 23. Mo’Nique will surely prevail there as well. Even so, Cruz may get an Oscar nomination next Feb. 2. She has been nominated twice before: as best actress for Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver (2006) and she won the best supporting actress Oscar for Vicky Cristina Barcelona last year.

Nine, which is also up for a best ensemble SAG Award, opens in Italy on Friday, Jan. 22.

Photos: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images for Martini (Cruz / Marshall); Elisabetta Villa/Getty Images for Martini (Chillemi)

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Sophia Loren and Penélope Cruz hold hands at the Rome Premiere Party for Nine, co-hosted by Martini, at the Martini Terrazza on January 13. Directed by Rob Marshall, the musical Nine stars Loren, Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Judi Dench, and Fergie as the women in Daniel Day-Lewis’ life.

The film is based on the popular Broadway musical, itself an adaptation of Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2, which starred Marcello Mastroianni. Also present at the Rome premiere party were numerous Italian celebrities, including actors Michele Alhaique and Claudia Zanella. Alhaique, who has a supporting role in Nine, has a recurring role in the Italian television series Medicina generale.

Nine opened today, Jan. 22, in Italy.

Photos: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images for Martini (Cruz / Loren); Elisabetta Villa/Getty Images for Martini (Alhaique / Zanetta)

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Marion Cotillard (above), Sophia Loren and Penélope Cruz were present at the Rome Premiere Party for Nine, co-hosted by Martini, at the Martini Terrazza on January 13. Directed by Rob Marshall, Nine stars Cotillard, Loren, Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Judi Dench, and Fergie as the women in Daniel Day-Lewis’ life.

The film is based on the Broadway musical, itself an adaptation of Federico Fellini’s 1963 classic 8 1/2, which starred Marcello Mastroianni. Nine, which did poor business in the United States, opened Friday in Italy. At the moment, James Cameron’s Avatar is the top box office hit in the country.

Photos: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images for Martini

Steve Guttenberg & Burt Young + Sylvia Miles & Patricia Clarkson: Academy President Tom Sherak Reception

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak (left) poses for the camera with two-time Academy Award nominee Sylvia Miles and Academy Award winner Michael Douglas. Sherak was in New York City at a reception with the Academy’s New York-based members at the Academy Theater at Lighthouse International on Monday, January 25.

Sylvia Miles’ two best supporting actress Oscar nominations were for Midnight Cowboy (1969) and Farewell, My Lovely (1975). Michael Douglas won the best actor Oscar for Wall Street (1987). Oliver Stone is currently working on a sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), in which Douglas reprises his role as Gordon Gekko. Also in the cast: Shia LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan, Charlie Sheen, Susan Sarandon, Josh Brolin, and Frank Langella.

Below, Sherak is seen with Oscar nominee Burt Young. Young received a best supporting actor nod for Rocky (1976).

Photos: Steve Mack/AMPAS

Burt Young, Tom Sherak

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak (center) is picture above with filmmaker Julie Taymor and Academy Award nominated actress Patricia Clarkson. Sherak was in New York City at a reception with the Academy’s New York-based members at the Academy Theater at Lighthouse International on Monday, Jan. 25.

Julie Taymor was nominated for an Academy Award in the best song category for her and Elliot Goldenthal’s composition “Burn It Blue” from Frida (2002), which Taymor also directed. Patricia Clarkson was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Pieces of April (2003).

Below, Sherak is seen with Steve Guttenberg, of Three Men and a Cradle and Police Academy fame.

Photos: Steve Mack/AMPAS.

Steve Guttenberg, Tom Sherak

In the above photo, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak (left) is seen with John Leguizamo, who’ll next be seen in Brad Anderson’s Vanishing on 7th Street. Sherak was in New York City at a reception with the Academy’s New York-based members at the Academy Theater at Lighthouse International on Monday, Jan. 25.

Below, Sherak is seen with actor Steve Guttenberg and producer Jean Doumanian. Among Guttenberg’s credits is the box office hit Three Men and a Cradle. Doumanian produced Woody Allen’s Small Town Crooks (2000) and Sweet and Lowdown (1999).

Photos: Steve Mack/AMPAS

Steve Guttenberg, Jean Doumanian, Tom Sherak