Gwyneth Paltrow (in Preen) joins director Jon Favreau and costars Robert Downey Jr. and Terrence Howard at the Iron Man photocall at Hassler Hotel on Wednesday in Rome, Italy. The 35-year-old actress added Dsquared heels to her LBD.

Here are some early reviews:

“Iron Man doesn’t do much wrong – it’s got some great action sequences, some amazing special effects, is pretty loyal to the comic, and most of all, features an insanely terrific performance by Robert Downey Jr.” — Moviehole

“Iron Man is a well done action flick with a killer cast and serves as the right introduction to a franchise-worthy character.” — BlogDance

“From the beginning, you can tell Downey is perfect for this role. Downey’s Tony Stark plays the extremely intelligent, extremely rich tycoon with both dramatic gravitas and comedic perfection.” — Correct Opinion

Iron Man bursts into theaters nationwide for the first time at 8PM on May 1st, all around the country.

40+ pictures inside of Gwyneth Paltrow in Rome… More Here! »

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow (in Stella McCartney) attends the photocall to the movie Iron Man at the Ritz-Carlton on Tuesday in Berlin, Germany.

Gwyneth Paltrow, 35, plays Robert Downey Jr.’s secretary and love interest Virginia Potts. She read many of the Iron Man comics owned by her husband Chris Martin (who is a major comics fan), to prepare for the part.

Iron Man is scheduled to be released May 2, 2008.

15+ more pics inside of Gwyneth inspring Iron Man…

Robert Downey Jr. plays a black man in the new movie Tropic Thunder.

Downey, 42, plays overly committed actor Kirk Lazarus, a white man cast to play a black soldier in a satire of the performing profession.

“If it’s done right, it could be the type of role you called Peter Sellers to do 35 years ago,” Downey told Entertainment Weekly. “If you don’t do it right, we’re going to hell.”

Tropic Thunder hits theaters on August 15th.

DO YOU THINK this movie will be PRETTY FUNNY or WILDLY OFFENSIVE?

Vanity Fair marks the 14th year of its gigantic annual Hollywood Issue.

On top of all the starlets on the cover, everybody who’s anybody is featured in the inside photo spreads: Renee Zellweger, Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts, Emile Hirsch, James McAvoy, Marion Cotillard, Jodie Foster, Tang Wei, Josh Brolin, Casey Affleck, Eva Marie Saint, Ben Foster, Omar Metwally, Julie Christie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert Downey Jr., Keira Knightley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem.

Check out the scans below!

FYI: Vanity Fair canceled its most lavish bash for the Oscars because of the writers strike. “After much consideration, and in support of the writers and everyone else affected by this strike, we have decided that this is not the appropriate year to hold our annual Oscar party,” said a Vanity Fair spokesperson. “We want to congratulate all of this year’s nominees and we look forward to hosting our 15th Oscar party next year.”

BLOODY HELL

Peep these first shots of Robert Downey Jr. looking like a bloody mess on the set of The Soloist, which is currently shooting in Los Angeles.

The Soloist is a drama about a schizophrenic, homeless musician from Skid Row, Los Angeles who has dreams of playing at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The film, directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice), is set for release later this year. Jamie Foxx and Catherine Keener also star.

Peep this new movie still of Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges (pictured below).

Downey plays Tony Stark/Iron Man, Gwyneth Paltrow plays his secretary and love interest Virginia Potts, Terrence Howard plays jet pilot James Rhodes and Jeff Bridges plays Obadiah Stane/Iron Mongerm, Stark’s mentor, and now his main business rival.

Iron Man rolls into theaters on May 2nd. More Here! »

Matt Damon and wife Luciana Barroso leaves the kids at home and enjoy a double date night out on Friday with actor pal Robert Downey Jr. and his wife Susan.

The cute couples had romantic dinners together at Quattro Gastronomia Italiana Restaurant in Miami, Florida.

If you’re in Canada, you can catch Matt @ 8 p.m. on CTV. He’s hosting the One X One Gala fundraiser, which filmed in Toronto in September.

The star-studded event honored luminaries who have helped make the world a better place for children. This year’s award recipients included Richard Gere, Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, supermodel Petra Nemcova, National Chief Phil Fontaine and entertainer Wyclef Jean. Jean also performed at the gala, along with Shakira, the African Children’s Choir and prodigy Nikki Yanofsky. This was the second consecutive year Matt hosted the event in Toronto.

The December 2007 issue of Esquire celebrates “Performances of the Year” with two sexy covers circulating!

Cover stars: Denzel Washington from American Gangster, Cate Blanchett from I’m Not There, Javier Bardem from No Country for Old Men, Robert Downey Jr. from Zodiac, Emile Hirsch from Into The Wild and Jake Gyllenhaal from Rendition.