Meg Ryan

What's LIFE like after fame? It's hard not to wonder that while sitting in a hotel room talking to Meg Ryan, who back in 2000 earned about $15 million a movie and stood tall with Julia Roberts at the top of the list of actresses with the most box office clout. Then came the breakup with husband Dennis Quaid, amid her public fling with "Proof of Life" costar Russell Crowe, and a few poor career choices and then time off. Public sentiment seemed to curdle for the woman who once was perennially dubbed "America's sweetheart," mostly because she had the temerity to break from the stereotype that moviegoers had projected on her after her adorable turns in such films as "When Harry Met Sally . . . " and "Sleepless in Seattle."

It's early August, and with a day of filming just underway on the set of "The Mindy Project," the show's star, Mindy Kaling, is holed up in her studio office talking to a reporter about a topic that weighs heavy on her heart: the way the show's staff undervalues the brilliance of "You've Got Mail. " "That movie is the best. No, like, I want you to bold, underline and highlight that," she said, sitting just a few feet from an unframed poster of the 1998 romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan that hangs on an office wall.

It's early August, and with a day of filming just underway on the set of "The Mindy Project," the show's star, Mindy Kaling, is holed up in her studio office talking to a reporter about a topic that weighs heavy on her heart: the way the show's staff undervalues the brilliance of "You've Got Mail. " "That movie is the best. No, like, I want you to bold, underline and highlight that," she said, sitting just a few feet from an unframed poster of the 1998 romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan that hangs on an office wall.

If you're a particular kind of writer, the kind with a taste for "social observation" and a belief in the divine partnership of unbridled humor and unapologetic honesty, Nora Ephron, who died Tuesday, almost certainly fell into the category of Central Influence. If you're a particularly lucky writer, Nora was not only an influence but a sort of literary mother hen with a cashmere-clad wing outstretched. She was a connector, a cajoler, a cheerleader - maybe even a friend. I was among those lucky ones.

Paramount Pictures is delaying the April 25 release of its Meg Ryan drama "Against the Ropes," citing concerns about its ability to promote a hard-to-sell movie as war breaks out. "The environment right now is not conducive to publicity and advertising exposure while people's focus is elsewhere," said studio motion picture group Vice Chairman Robert Friedman.

Actress Meg Ryan, known for her leading lady roles in romantic films, has been having an on-again, off-again relationship with her Bel-Air home since she listed it in 2008 for $19.5 million. Well, it's on the market again, this time for $11.4 million. The listing describes the classic Spanish-style house, built in 1931, as having undergone a "museum quality restoration. " The two-story home features such period details as stenciled beam ceilings, arched doorways and ironwork.

A man accused of breaking into a home he believed belonged to actress Meg Ryan pleaded no contest to trespassing charges Friday in Malibu Superior Court. John Michael Hughes, who once falsely told a judge that he and Ryan were married, faces up to one year in prison when he returns to court for sentencing next week. Ryan has said she never met Hughes.

At first glance, Meg Ryan looks like a woman you've seen around--maybe dancing at a local disco or waitressing at a roadside cafe. She's slim, blond and has the kind of deep-blue eyes that promise heartaches on hot summer nights. The 25-year-old actress has deceptive looks and an apparent ability to slip between drama and comedy. She has the teasing sex appeal of Melanie Griffith and the charm of a young Goldie Hawn, but her secret is not something taught in acting school.

She'D take Manhattan -- if she could. "I find it kind of rough being here," says Meg Ryan. She's not referring to the specific Venice restaurant where a shaft of harsh midafternoon sun has just intruded. She's speaking of the literal and figurative urban sprawl that goes only two blocks west to meet the Pacific but goes so far in the other three directions that it legendarily makes human connection strained.

The words "inspired by the life of" can cover a multitude of on-screen sins, and most of them are on display in the Meg Ryan-starring boxing drama "Against the Ropes." It's not that there's anything wrong with filmmakers working from the premise articulated by producer Robert W. Cort, who says in the press notes that "we all knew this was not going to be a biographical film.... We didn't want that."

The passing of Nora Ephronat the age of 71 has evoked a slew of remembrances for the late writer and director. It also has stirred up some of the more trenchant pieces of dialogue from a three-decade film career in which she was credited on hits such as “Heartburn,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “You've Got Mail” and “Julie & Julia.” Here is a small sampling of some of the choicer bits, and a poll where you can weigh in on which Ephron movie...

Actress Meg Ryan, known for her leading-lady roles in romantic films, has been having an on-again, off-again relationship with her Bel-Air home since she first listed it in 2008 for $19.5 million. Now it's on the market again, this time for $11.4 million. The listing describes the classic Spanish-style house, built in 1931, as having undergone a "museum-quality restoration. " The two-story home features such period details as stenciled beam ceilings, arched doorways and ironwork.

There is something weirdly endearing about Meg Ryan's woman in denial in "Serious Moonlight," blissfully confident that she can reclaim her husband's heart despite the mistress she's just discovered, despite the divorce he is demanding. He rages, she's understanding; he roars, she bakes cookies; he negotiates, she shows their wedding slides. Of course there is the small matter of Ian, the cheating spouse played by Timothy Hutton. He is forced to wage this battle while tightly duct-taped to a chair, then a toilet (be careful what you ask a woman on the verge . . .)

Actress Meg Ryan , who will star opposite Timothy Hutton in the December comedy "Serious Moonlight," also seems to be getting serious about selling her Bel-Air home. She has put it back up for sale at $14.2 million -- a 27% price reduction from what she was asking a year ago. The Spanish-style house, built in 1931, has been restored and features stenciled beam ceilings, arched doorways and ironwork. French doors open to city and ocean views, a loggia, a dining pavilion and the swimming pool.

Update: Actress Meg Ryan has put her Bel-Air home back up for sale at $14.2 million. She had listed the compound in October 2008 at $19.5 million but withdrew it from the market at the end of February. The Spanish-style house, built in 1931, has been restored and features stenciled beam ceilings, arched doorways and ironwork. French doors open to city and ocean views, a loggia, a dining pavilion and the swimming pool. The four fireplaces include one in the guesthouse.

Film to stage: "Sleepless in Seattle," the 1993 romantic comedy that starred Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, is being developed as a musical headed for Broadway, producers said Tuesday.

"Sleepless in Seattle" (citywide), a real charmer, is a romantic comedy about an ultimate long-distance relationship. Emphasize "romantic." Emphasize "comedy." It delivers both. The "Sleepless" lovers--Tom Hanks as Sam, the insomniac Seattle widower-architect, and Meg Ryan as Annie, the streetwise Baltimore journalist--not only live in different cities on different coasts, they don't even know each other.

Meg Ryan: In some copies of Thursday's Calendar section, an article about actress Meg Ryan in "The Women" misspelled the name of the 1930s play's creator, Clare Boothe Luce, as Clare Booth Luce.