Emma Stone

Even with a stylist and glam squad in tow, celebrities are not impervious to the occasional red carpet misstep. Young starlets in particular can test trends that don't suit them, or they surrender to the safety of cookie-cutter ensembles that sometimes make it difficult to set them apart from the crowd. But relative newcomer Emma Stone is neither over-the-top nor predictable. The 24-year-old actress has gracefully navigated her way through premiere and award show appearances looking polished, age appropriate and never over-styled.

It wasn't a disaster — more of a mishap. But it was almost as if ABC forgot that the Oscars red carpet is the longest-running fashion runway in history. Keyboard critics took to social media to throw a collective hissy fit about the network's coverage, which was the only live broadcast of arrivals during the hour before the show started, due to a newly extended exclusivity deal. That magic hour is, of course, when the biggest stars in the best gowns typically arrive. But when fashion fans might have been seeing or hearing about Angelina Jolie's stunning black velvet Atelier Versace gown, they were instead treated to an awkward Nick Nolte attempting to answer questions about a pet crow that he may or may not own. It was a missed opportunity — to put it mildly.

It wasn't a disaster — more of a mishap. But it was almost as if ABC forgot that the Oscars red carpet is the longest-running fashion runway in history. Keyboard critics took to social media to throw a collective hissy fit about the network's coverage, which was the only live broadcast of arrivals during the hour before the show started, due to a newly extended exclusivity deal. That magic hour is, of course, when the biggest stars in the best gowns typically arrive. But when fashion fans might have been seeing or hearing about Angelina Jolie's stunning black velvet Atelier Versace gown, they were instead treated to an awkward Nick Nolte attempting to answer questions about a pet crow that he may or may not own. It was a missed opportunity — to put it mildly.

The style stakes are heating up this red carpet season, and at the SAG Awards on Sunday night, it was the risks that paid off. The sea of sameness we saw at the Golden Globes gave way to major individualized fashion statements. Emma Stone's dress -- by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen -- was a total knockout because of its "exploding lace" bustier, as the fashion house describes it; and the fresh, mid-calf length, all the better to showcase a killer pair of peep-toe shoes.

As she walked into a soundstage on the Paramount Studios lot last winter, Emma Stone looked around uneasily at all of the talented, beautiful young women surrounding her — Amanda Seyfried, Kristen Stewart, Rebecca Hall. Stone had been selected as one of nine actresses to watch by Vanity Fair magazine and was posing for a group cover image shot by Annie Leibovitz. "It's like, Carey Mulligan and Anna Kendrick, and girls that have been nominated for Oscars and you know, I'm like, 'I was in "The House Bunny," hey!

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Thursday. Is Jim Carrey kidding with his creepy video love letter to Emma Stone? ( Los Angeles Times ) Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs has stepped down. ( Los Angeles Times ) One of the actors from "Treme" has been found dead in the Mississippi River. ( Los Angeles Times ) L.A.'s mayor says he's going to take further steps to aid the city's local film and TV industry. ( Los Angeles Times ) Does someone like "the Situation" ever have a chance of getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Thursday "Harry Potter," Emma Stone and Katy Perry take multiple trophies at the People's Choice Awards.  ( Los Angeles Times ) In case you missed the telecast, here's the best and worst of the People's Choice Awards. ( Los Angeles Times ) Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and the Foo Fighters are slated to play the Grammy Awards. ( MTV ) Meanwhile, rumors are swirling that Adele might join the Grammy lineup too. ( Los Angeles Times )

A Scotsman's dream with her red hair and emerald eyes, self-possessed and slyly jocular Emma Stone grabs an outdoor seat at a Johnny Rockets in West Hollywood. She doesn't need a menu; she has it memorized. "It's my favorite restaurant," the 20-year-old comic actress says as she tops off her order with a peanut butter-vanilla malt.

"Sorry I look like a hooker," deadpans Emma Stone, her lips a shade of candy apple red, as she rushes into the bar at the Sunset Tower hotel. She's wearing the bright lipstick, she explains, because she has just come from taping an interview with Jay Leno, the umpteenth late-night appearance the 22-year-old actress had booked in recent weeks to promote the three films she is in this summer: "Friends With Benefits," "Crazy, Stupid, Love" and "The...

The style stakes are heating up this red carpet season, and at the SAG Awards on Sunday night, it was the risks that paid off. The sea of sameness we saw at the Golden Globes gave way to major individualized fashion statements. Emma Stone's dress -- by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen -- was a total knockout because of its "exploding lace" bustier, as the fashion house describes it; and the fresh, mid-calf length, all the better to showcase a killer pair of peep-toe shoes.

It was a Golden Globes red carpet with more fashion fizzles than sizzles. Shades of pale were a popular trend, as were fishtail hems. And there was a certain boring sameness to many of the looks, including Bérénice Bejo's blue strapless Gucci gown, Freida Pinto's blue strapless Prada gown and Mila Kunis' black strapless Dior gown. But for those who dared to make more unconventional choices, it paid off. PHOTOS: Golden Globes 2012 best and worst dressed Charlize Theron embodied the stuff of which Hollywood fairy tales are made.

In Warner Bros.' upcoming action drama "The Gangster Squad," based on a series of Los Angeles Times articles, Josh Brolin plays John O'Mara, a Los Angeles police officer in an elite unit devoted to cleaning up the city's criminal element, specifically targeting a mobster operation run by Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) — the movie's ensemble cast also features Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Giovanni Ribisi and Anthony Mackie, among others. Brolin learned a lot about the film's 1940s setting from his father, actor James Brolin, and from stories he read about the real-life officers of the era. "These guys were pretty brutal back then," he said recently, sitting outside City Hall, where he was shooting scenes for the Warner Bros.

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Thursday "Harry Potter," Emma Stone and Katy Perry take multiple trophies at the People's Choice Awards.  ( Los Angeles Times ) In case you missed the telecast, here's the best and worst of the People's Choice Awards. ( Los Angeles Times ) Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and the Foo Fighters are slated to play the Grammy Awards. ( MTV ) Meanwhile, rumors are swirling that Adele might join the Grammy lineup too. ( Los Angeles Times )

Costume designer Sharen Davis says she struggled somewhat with the glowing Easter-egg palette in this summer's "The Help. " It's based on the bestselling novel from Kathryn Stockett about a young journalist (Skeeter, played by Emma Stone) who writes a book chronicling the domestic help horrors of the Jim Crow South and is filled with young bridge-club-type Southern belles of the early 1960s. Davis, who is originally from the South and who majored in acting in school, says she "got what the characters were about early on. For me to do my job, I need to know how a character feels and how the director feels, and then I work off the character.

Even with a stylist and glam squad in tow, celebrities are not impervious to the occasional red carpet misstep. Young starlets in particular can test trends that don't suit them, or they surrender to the safety of cookie-cutter ensembles that sometimes make it difficult to set them apart from the crowd. But relative newcomer Emma Stone is neither over-the-top nor predictable. The 24-year-old actress has gracefully navigated her way through premiere and award show appearances looking polished, age appropriate and never over-styled.

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Thursday. Is Jim Carrey kidding with his creepy video love letter to Emma Stone? ( Los Angeles Times ) Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs has stepped down. ( Los Angeles Times ) One of the actors from "Treme" has been found dead in the Mississippi River. ( Los Angeles Times ) L.A.'s mayor says he's going to take further steps to aid the city's local film and TV industry. ( Los Angeles Times ) Does someone like "the Situation" ever have a chance of getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

The leading ladies of the upcoming film "The Help" — Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Emma Stone and Jessica Chastain — sat down with The Times last week to discuss their movie, race, and being women in Hollywood. Based on the novel of the same name, "The Help" is set in 1960s Mississippi and arrives in theaters Aug. 10. Stone plays Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, a career-minded college grad who persuades a group of black maids to tell their stories so she can publish them.

Costume designer Sharen Davis says she struggled somewhat with the glowing Easter-egg palette in this summer's "The Help. " It's based on the bestselling novel from Kathryn Stockett about a young journalist (Skeeter, played by Emma Stone) who writes a book chronicling the domestic help horrors of the Jim Crow South and is filled with young bridge-club-type Southern belles of the early 1960s. Davis, who is originally from the South and who majored in acting in school, says she "got what the characters were about early on. For me to do my job, I need to know how a character feels and how the director feels, and then I work off the character.

"Sorry I look like a hooker," deadpans Emma Stone, her lips a shade of candy apple red, as she rushes into the bar at the Sunset Tower hotel. She's wearing the bright lipstick, she explains, because she has just come from taping an interview with Jay Leno, the umpteenth late-night appearance the 22-year-old actress had booked in recent weeks to promote the three films she is in this summer: "Friends With Benefits," "Crazy, Stupid, Love" and "The...

The leading ladies of the upcoming film "The Help" — Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Emma Stone and Jessica Chastain — sat down with The Times last week to discuss their movie, race, and being women in Hollywood. Based on the novel of the same name, "The Help" is set in 1960s Mississippi and arrives in theaters Aug. 10. Stone plays Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, a career-minded college grad who persuades a group of black maids to tell their stories so she can publish them.