Ashton Kutcher was in the UK a couple of weeks ago promoting his new movie No Strings Attached, which is released here tomorrow. I attended a press conference where Ashton and director Ivan Reitman talked engagingly about filming the romantic comedy. The actor also spilled about pressing pause on his love of technology for romance, and how he created chemistry with his leading lady Natalie Portman. Here's what he said:

• On his relationships when he was a teenager: “I was a fumbler —I didn’t really have a girlfriend girlfriend until I was a senior in high school so, I really didn’t… I was kinda nervous about the whole thing. I didn’t manage very well.”
• On what relationship advice he'd give other people: “I’m just trying to make mine work. I think that great relationships are great partnerships and those come in all kinds of shapes sizes, forms, ages, and whatever it is. And the only tip I have for anyone in a relationship or partnership is work on it when it’s good. It’s very easy to try to take that break when things are going good but that’s the time that you have to keep working on it, because you keep it good.”
• On romance: “Romance is personal. The carrots [my character gives Natalie's] in this film are in place of flowers because she didn’t want them, so it meant something to her. Romance is just that, it’s usually not some grand gesture, it’s usually something that’s very very simple but very very personal. Romance is an island right next to care, and when you care about someone and you know them and you can feel them, then you know just what’s right. And generally it’s something that would be very unimpressive to a room full of strangers.”

To read Ashton's thoughts on working with Natalie Portman and his comments on how social media affects romance in the 21st Century, just read more

The red band trailer for Bad Teacher dives right into the NSFW jokes, showcasing Cameron Diaz as a teacher who's not afraid to drop F-bombs on her student's term papers or smoke pot in the school parking lot. It's unclear why she's even in the profession to begin with, though her career gets new meaning when she sets her sights on a fellow teacher (Justin Timberlake, doing his very best impression of Glee's Mr. Schuester), who appears to be rich.

Though the preview made me chuckle a few times, the plot line appears to be pretty flimsy, and Diaz's shtick gets tired after a minute and a half. I'm all for letting the ladies tackle the raunchy comedy and leaving the guys (Jason Segel rounds out the cast as a gym teacher with a crush on Diaz) to play the watered-down roles, but I'm hoping this comedy has a little more substance than what we're seeing here. See for yourself (I warn you again, it's NSFW) when you read more

George Clooney is featured in the current edition of Newsweek magazine to chat about his work in Sudan. The actor's philanthropic work has taken him to Africa on multiple occasions, even landing him a face-to-face meeting with President Obama. George has become increasingly vocal about his humanitarian efforts when he's not on the red carpet or enjoying the luxurious perks of his movie star status. He opened up about his take on celebrity, got honest about his past drug use and womanizing ways, and admitted to feeling "unclean" after Oscar campaigning. Here's more:

• On using celebrity to help: "Celebrity can help focus news media where they have abdicated their responsibility. We can't make policy, but we can 'encourage' politicians more than ever before. There is more attention on celebrity than ever before — and there is a use for that besides selling products."
• On being followed by cameras: "If they're going to follow me anyway, I want them to follow me here."
• On getting involved in Darfur: "I had just come out of Oscar season — I had two movies up — and you really do campaign, like kissing babies. So by the time it's over, you sort of feel unclean. You want to do something that makes you feel better."
• On why he won't run for office: "I didn't live my life in the right way for politics, you know. I f*cked too many chicks and did too many drugs, and that's the truth. That's gonna be my campaign slogan: 'I drank the bong water.'?"
• On relief workers: "These guys have a day job that pays them nothing and is dangerous. My day job pays very well, and the worst thing that happens is you get some bad food from craft service."