Christina is featured as the guest editor for the October 2009 issue of “Pilfered” magazine! You can see a digital copy of the magazine at their website, PilferedMagazine.com…

Check out the picture of Christina from the magazine, below!

New York City has always been the most filmable and filmed city on the planet, and for millions who aren’t familiar with the city, the New York they know is the one movies show them. The new film New York, I Love You, a pastiche of a dozen New York stories starring some recognizable faces, isn’t going to change that, and it doesn’t want to. It is an unabashedly romanticized look the city through the eyes of 11 international directors who were given the following guidelines: Each story had to be visually identified with one or more New York neighborhoods; each story had to involve some kind of love encounter; there would be no fades to black at the end or beginning of any segment. They were then given two days to shoot, and seven more to edit. The result is at times abstract, at times funny, but always a reminder of New York’s enduring beauty of New York as a place. After the jump, a roundup of the best and the worst from New York, I Love You.

The Best: Twist Endings. Of all the vignettes, there are a few that end with a gotcha moment, and before you have time to process the revelation, the next vignette has already begun. The reveals aren’t Sixth-Sense-earth-shattering, and are more sweet than shocking, but when the happen, your lips will undoubtedly expand in opposite directions, in what is otherwise known as a smile.

The Worst: Fake accents. First it was Hayden Christensen doing his best (which is actually his worst) Brando-as-street-hustler impression. Christensen has done this kind of thing before, but if you’re playing a street-wise pickpocket, it’s probably best not to try sounding like one. Natch for Natalie Portman, who plays a Hasidic Jew about to get married. Again, not all orthodox Jews need to sound vaguely Israeli. Finally, as a Russian bellhop, Shia Labeouf didn’t completely botch the accent, but to play one of the only few ethnic roles in a movie about a city known for its diversity, did you need to get the guy from Transformers?

The Best: The glamorization of smoking: When Bradley Cooper is nervously awaiting a previous one-night-stand (Drea de Matteo) in a bar in the Village, he steps outside to calm his nerves in the brisk night air. Several characters meet and share moments over cigarettes outside of bars around the city. And apparently in this New York, smoking in bars is still allowed. In the opening vignette, Hayden Christensen and Andy Garcia light up in a Tribeca bar in broad daylight. Needless to say, I wanted a cigarette immediately after. Score one for Big Tobacco.

The Worst: Where are all the black people? Sure, there’s that one Haitian cab driver, but come on, this is New York City. Forget the main characters, I can’t even remember a black actor in a supporting role. Even Allen Hughes, who along with his brother, made the urban classics Dead Presidents and Menace II Society, had his lovers played by Bradley Cooper and Drea de Matteo. For shame!

The Best: Ethan Hawke. Playing what has to be a glorified version of himself, Hawke is a stranger who meets Maggie Q outside a SoHo restaurant by lighting her cigarette (see, smoking rules!). What follows is his stream-of-consciousness attempt to charm her pants off, literally. What starts off as some sly detective work to see if she’s feeling him (she’s not) and if she’s single (she’s not) descends into Hawke expanding on his mastery of the clitoris, as if he were explaining Kierkegaard. But in one of those twists mentioned earlier, Maggie Q gets the last laugh.

The Worst: Where’s Brooklyn? Cloris Leachmann and Eli Wallach and take an elderly stroll through Coney Island, but what about the rest of Brooklyn? Sure it shows some bridge-crossing, but what happens when you get to the other side? Contrary to what this movie tells you, young people do live in New York, and they live in Brooklyn.

Honorable Mentions: Blake Lively for having the humility to pop up in a five-second cameo, same with Christina Ricci; Brett Ratner for directing the most entertaining vignette; Chris Cooper and Robin Wright Penn, who are simply exquisite together.

From BlackBook

I have added 22 photos of Christina from the RAINN fundraiser that was held in Washington, D.C earlier this month into our photo gallery. You can view them by clicking on the thumbnails below!

Long after finding fame at age 11 as Wednesday Addams in the film version of “The Addams Family,” Christina Ricci has found her voice in public policy. After playing a victim of sexual abuse in “Black Snake Moan,” Ricci, 29, was asked to become the spokeswoman for the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN). Last week she zigzagged around Capitol Hill to ask lawmakers for their support for legislation relating to rape and sexual abuse.

How did you first hear about RAINN?
When I was 15, I was reading about Tori Amos in Rolling Stone magazine, and she talked about how she, along with Scott [Berkowitz, RAINN’s president], had co-founded RAINN. And after that, they’ll ask us as actresses, “If you come to this fashion show, we’ll donate $10,000 to your favorite charity.” And I always picked RAINN. And I always had an interest in rape crisis intervention and what happens to women when rape is untreated, and rape-trauma syndrome. And then I did a movie that was all about rape trauma syndrome, and after that movie, RAINN invited me to become even more active and to become their spokesperson.

Have you ever been to Capitol Hill before?
I’ve been to the Hill once before, so this is my second time. It’s intimidating as all hell, every time I come, but then it always turns out to be a great thing. I feel so fortunate to be … one of the few Americans that actually can go and meet with people and say, “This is what I care about — please help us.”

Are you nervous about meeting members of Congress?
It’s just intimidating. I mean, I barely graduated high school, and I’m an actress, so we’re not by nature that intelligent. But when there are things that really matter to you, it’s great to know that you can actually take part in making a difference. I can’t volunteer and be an advocate because I’m not anonymous, so this is how I can help in this situation.

Who would you most like to meet while you’re in Washington?
Oh, my God, if I met Biden, I would lose my mind. He wrote the Violence Against Women Act, and I love him. I think he’s great. And of course, no doubt, I want to meet Obama. But that’s not really going to happen.

Who are some of your political heroes?
I actually love James Carville, but I know he might not be considered by some to be a political hero. His work over the years, I really love and respect him. And I love [Rep.] Ted Poe (R-Texas) for all of the work he’s done for our cause and for children’s rights and no parole for sex offenders. I just love him. And Biden; Biden’s a huge hero of mine. I was so excited when he got picked [as vice president]. I was just overjoyed.

Do you affiliate yourself with a political party?
For now, while I’m doing this kind of work, I prefer to publicly be bipartisan, just because I feel like this is a bipartisan issue. And I don’t feel like the figurehead of it should be at all partisan.

Read the rest of this entry »

Actress Christina Ricci is speaking out to shine a light on sexual violence.

The Addams Family star has joined forces with the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) and was scheduled to meet with members of Congress yesterday.

She also penned an article in the Huffington Post which talks about the deep impact victims of sexual violence have had on her.

“They tell me of the struggles they face every day dealing with feelings, fear and shame, being alone, and the hurdles they’ve had to overcome in healing from the physical, emotional and psychological injuries.”

The numbers according to RAINN and Ricci’s blog post are shocking:

One in six women and one in 33 men will become victims of sexual violence, she wrote.

According to the RAINN website, there were 248,300 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault in 2007, which calculates to 1 sexual assault every 2 minutes.

And the effects can leave life-long scars.

Ricci cited a World Health Organization Report when she wrote, “Victims of sexual violence are more likely to suffer from grave mental health issues than non-victims; the report says the victims are:

- 3 times more likely to suffer from depression.
- 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide.
- 6 times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol.
- 26 times more likely to abuse drugs.”

And according to her post, the coalition to support sexual assault victims is financially stressed. “Rape crisis centers nationwide are financially struggling to meet the growing number of people who need support,” Ricci wrote.

Ricci joined the RAINN group as the national spokesperson on April 25, 2007.

The actress has starred in popular films such as Mermaids; The Addams Family; The Opposite of Sex, a role that earned her a Golden Globe nomination; Sleepy Hollow; Monster; Black Snake Moan; Penelope; and Speed Racer. She also received an Emmy nomination for her role on “Grey’s Anatomy.”

From CBS News

She played the eccentric Wednesday Addams in the film version of “The Addams Family,” so it was fitting that G2 caught up with actress Christina Ricci on Wednesday evening while she was in town as a spokesperson for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), which says it is the nation’s largest anti-sexual-assault organization.

The tiny 29-year-old, who has been the public face for RAINN since 2007, was dressed in a short black minidress and stiletto heels, her pin-straight raven mane slung over her shoulders.

Not exactly the look of a conventional lobbyist, but Miss Ricci said she made the rounds on Capitol Hill to advocate for more funding for rape hot-line centers, where Miss Ricci has volunteered her time and encourages others to do the same.

“It only takes a few hours a month, and you can [take calls from victims] from your couch,” she said.

The “Monster” actress also said, “I am not an active Democrat. I met with Republicans and Democrats. [Supporting rape victims] is a bipartisan issue.”

When G2 showed Miss Ricci The Washington Times’ front-page story on the rape epidemic in the Congo, Miss Ricci expressed her outrage.

“Rape as a means of warfare has been going on for centuries, and I don’t know what we can do to stop it,” she said.

As for sexual assaults in the United States, she says part of her agenda is to institute stricter sentences for sex offenders. When asked what she had in mind, she said, “I don’t know, but people need to understand that rapists are career rapists.”

Among her upcoming professional projects is the film “After.Life” with Liam Neeson, whose wife, actress Natasha Richardson, died in March after a skiing accident.

Miss Ricci, who called Mr. Neeson “a lovely man,” said she plays a woman caught between life and death after a car accident. Mr. Neeson portrays a funeral director in the horror flick, which was shot before Miss Richardson’s sudden death. Miss Ricci said Mr. Neeson “won’t be doing press” when the movie makes its debut.

From the Washington Times

Actress Christina Ricci spoke with us today on ABCNews.com’s “Top Line” about her work as national spokesman for the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.

She’s urging members of Congress to support increased funding for the national sexual assault hotline, which provides counseling to victims of rape and sexual abuse through a network of local affiliates. Many of those state and local partners have seen their funding cut in recent months.

Such services are particularly important to those who don’t have health insurance, Ricci said.

“That’s the thing: This has a lot to do with health care because, you know, people without health care can go to . . . these publicly funded services, these social services, and get the help that they need, the medical help that they need,” she said.

“And if you cut all the funding to them you’re adding just even more stress to the whole health care [system]. I mean, this is really a health care issue. . . . People who are raped tend to are twice as likely to suffer from alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders, suicide.”

Ricci said she got more involved in the cause as an offshoot of her work on the 2006 film “Black Snake Moan,” where she plays the victim of severe sexual and physical abuse.

“I actually did know quite a bit about it, so when I read that screen play I recognized what the character was suffering from,” she said. “And rape trauma syndrome to so many people is so confusing because they don’t really understand the psychology that goes behind what happens to somebody once they’ve been raped and left to deal with this violent crime the rest of their life, without treatment.”

Click HERE to see the video interview with Christina Ricci.

From ABC News