Vera DrakeVera DrakeBefore the Oscars get underway, here's the latest gossip on the stars from our man in La-La Land, Sandro Monetti.

Imelda Staunton has been "glammed up" in American ads for Vera Drake in a bid to boost the film's lowly US box office takings. Marketing chiefs at film distributors Fine Line thought the reason audiences weren't turning out in big numbers was that Staunton looked so dreary in character as the dowdy abortionist. So they have replaced the dreary film still on the poster with a photo of Staunton, 49, out of character and all dressed up for her recent appearance at Hollywood's Screen Actors Guild Awards. The shock move seems to have gone down well in the States. "Imelda bears only the vaguest resemblance to the sweet but dreary Drake, yet looked resplendent as herself at the awards," said Los Angeles Times film writer Mark McNamara. Best actress nominee Staunton will be getting all dolled up again for the Oscars.

The actors in wine country comedy Sideways drank real alcohol in the movie's booze scenes. Virginia Madsen switched to red wine after the cherry juice she had been using instead left stains on her teeth. The other three leads opted for real plonk after the substitute, non-alcoholic, wine, made them ill They'll be getting the champagne out, though, if Sideways wins the best picture Oscar on Sunday.

Million Dollar Baby star Hilary Swank is ready to get to work on having her own baby. The 30-year-old Oscar nominee says the time is right to start a family with her husband, Rob Lowe's brother, Chad. "I love babies, I wasn't ready for them in my twenties but I can see that happening now," says Hilary, who has been married to the less successful acting brother for seven years. Theirs is that rarest of things in Tinseltown, a rock-solid marriage, and the brunette adds, "If I wasn't with Chad, I don't know if I could have made it." Before they have a baby, Hilary is getting ready to welcome another bundle of joy - her second best actress Oscar. She won five years ago for Boys Don't Cry and is red-hot favourite to make it a double for the female boxer film when the Oscars are handed out on Sunday.

Oscar nominee Natalie Portman is thinking of not attending the ceremony because she's too nervous. A friend of the Closer star explained, "She doesn't like the glitz and glamour side of the business." Natalie almost didn't make it to last month's Golden Globe Awards because she was panicking about whether her dress was stylish enough. Then, after winning the Globe, she gave an acceptance speech which was a rambling stop-start mess of nervous thank-yous. Natalie, a best supporting actress Oscar nominee for her stripper role in Closer, may not even be in the film business much longer. The Harvard University graduate wants to do other things with her life. She says, "Acting is interesting to me right now, but I know how much I change."

British Oscar nominee Imelda Staunton is currently jobless. The Vera Drake star is hoping her high-profile appearance at the Oscars will lead to a work offer that takes her liking. The best actress nominee is enjoying her first brush with international fame but says, "It's all going to be over in 15 minutes, isn't it? And I really need to get a job pretty soon." After completing Vera Drake, she filmed a role in Emma Thompson's upcoming movie Nanny McPhee, but is now keen to get back to work.

Beyonce Knowles is battling to be fit for the Oscars - where she's due to perform three of the best motion picture song nominees. The bootylicious beauty has picked up the flu bug which has been running rampant through Hollywood. She coughed and spluttered her way through rehearsals but is hoping to be healthy enough on the night.

An Oscar nomination saved Sideways star Virginia Madsen from being homeless. On the very day she received her best supporting actress nod, the bank was threatening to repossess her house. But that same afternoon, Harrison Ford called to congratulate her and offer the 43-year-old blonde the part of his wife in blockbuster new movie The Wrong Element. After accepting immediately, Virginia next called her bank manager and told him she would be able to keep up the payments on her house after all.

Clive Owen's feet might not touch the ground when he gets to the Oscar red carpet on Sunday, as he's been walking on air ever since receiving a best supporting actor nomination for Closer. The 40-year-old Brit hunk has been catapulted onto the Hollywood A-list and big-money script offers are now flooding in. Clive said, "The film's done extraordinarily well and it seems to have done me a lot of good too. The whole journey of this movie has been pretty extraordinary for me."

Hilary Swank doesn't expect to vault straight onto acting's A-list, even if she wins her second Oscar on Sunday night. The Million Dollar Baby star said, "When I won for Boys Don't Cry five years ago, I figured I'd be flooded with great opportunities. I got some but none were the amazing quality I expected. "If history repeats itself, I'd have to say things will be no different this time." The 30-year-old brunette added, "It isn't just the older actresses who can't find suitable roles. Most women have a hard time." Swanks main competition on Sunday is expected to come from Being Julia's Annette Bening. Ironically, they battled it out for the best actress Oscar five years ago when Being's work in American beauty was beaten by Swanks in Boys Don't Cry. Hilary says, "It's funny how that worked out. I'm so thrilled to be in the same category as Annette, she's such a wonderful actress."

Johnny Depp is the only nominee at this year's Oscars hoping NOT to win. Despite being one of Hollywood's most admired actors, the eccentric star has a paranoid fear of public speaking, and the prospect of having to make an acceptance speech fills him with horror. Johnny's best actor nomination for Finding Neverland is his second in a row; he was nominated in the same category last year for Pirates Of The Caribbean. He says, "When I didn't win the thing last year, oh, I was ecstatic. I applauded the winner, Sean Penn, and said, 'Thank God it wasn't me.' On the one hand, I'm flattered to have Oscar nominations but it's not what I'm working for."

Nicole Kidman was the original choice to play Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator. But when filming got pushed back and Kidman had a scheduling conflict with The Stepford Wives, she had to give up the role. Fellow Aussie Cate Blanchett stepped in to take the part, and did such a good job that she has landed an Oscar nomination. Co-star and fellow nominee Leonardo DiCaprio has no doubt Nicole would have done well in the part but says, "Cate was ultimately probably more right for it."

Oscar nominee Cate Blanchett is worrying about what to wear to the ceremony. She says, "It's a bit like choosing your wedding dress. You know people are going to be looking at you and you don't want everyone saying, "Oh my God, what is she wearing?" "I'm not going to go with jeans and a t-shirt. Over time I've developed a relationship with certain designers, so I have some nice outfits to consider, but at the end of the day, I'll leave the choice up to my husband, Andrew (Upton). If he thinks I look good, that's all the approval I need." Cates also using lingerie and champagne to seduce her husband into having more kids. She and Andrew have two sons - Dashiell, three, and Roman, almost one. They'll be leaving them at home to attend the ceremony.

Oscar contender Vera Drake nearly never made it into cinemas - let alone the Academy Awards. The £5m production ran out of money during filming and director Mike Leigh had to send the film crew home while he went, cap in hand, to financiers for money to finish the movie. One potential investor had his cash offer rejected after insisting the film's downbeat climax be changed to a happy ending. But Leigh eventually got enough cash to finish the film his way and was rewarded with Oscar nominations for best director and screenplay - with leading lady Imelda Staunton up for best actress.