andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

We all remember Xena – but now get ready for Natalie Portman: Warrior Princess.

The 27-year-old actress is joining the cast of Universal’s “Your Highness,” a medieval farce starring Danny McBride and James Franco.

As previously reported, the movie will follow an arrogant and lazy prince (McBride) and his more competent brother (Franco) as they go on a quest to save their father’s kingdom.

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Natalie Portman’s directorial debut is set to open the short film program at the upcoming Venice International Film Festival.

The 17-minute “Eve” stars seasoned actors Lauren Bacall and Ben Gazzara and is described by Venice organizers as “a civilized comedy.”

It will screen in an out-of-competition slot on Sept. 1, with Portman expected to be on hand.

The 65th annual Venice International Film Festival runs Aug. 27 to Sept. 6.

Portman, 27, has starred in a number of films including “Closer,” “V for Vendetta” and “The Other Boleyn Girl.” She appeared last year in the short film “Hotel Chevalier,” a prequel to “The Darjeeling Limited.”

Natalie Portman will join Jack Hanna for a special Animal Planet documentary on endangered gorillas.

“Saving a Species: Gorillas on the Brink” will follow the pair as they journey deep into Rwanda’s rainforest to observe some of the mere 700 gorillas still in existence.

According to the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, mountain gorillas suffer from human-induced injuries and illness associated with poaching, war, and habitat loss.

The show will air tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET on Animal Planet.

Before you rush to theatres next weekend to see Wes Anderson’s fifth feature film, The Darjeeling Limited, be sure to watch the short film that precedes the story.

The 13-minute short entitled Hotel Chevalier stars Jason Schwartzman (one of the Darjeeling leads) and Natalie Portman. It was made a year before filming of Darjeeling even began. Originally intended to stand alone as a short film, Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums) realized that Schwartzman’s character was perfect for the feature film he was envisioning.

Portman appears nude in the short, and has a tiny cameo in Darjeeling. Though it is not necessary to see the short to understand her relationship with Schwartzman?s character in the full-length film, Anderson says Chevalier does flesh out the story.

“My ideal thing would be to have the audience member come over to my apartment and watch the short on my computer and the next day they’d watch the movie in the theater,” he told the Wall Street Journal.

Hotel Chevalier premieres tonight at Apple stores in selected American cities, but will be available starting tomorrow as a free download on iTunes.

Natalie Portman is fast becoming this generation’s Audrey Hepburn – literally. The 25-year-old Portman, who is often compared to the iconic Hepburn, was photographed modelling the famous black column dress Heburn wore in 1961’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” for the cover of an upcoming issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

Portman paired the Givenchy-designed dress with pearls and her hair is swept up a la Holly Golightly’s signature beehive.

The dress will be auctioned off by Christie’s in London on Dec. 5 and proceeds of the sale will go to the City of Joy Aid charity for India’s poor. It is expected to go for as much as $130,000.

Portman told Harper’s Bazaar that the dress made her feel very elegant: “I mean, you can’t possibly measure up to Audrey Hepburn; there’s no comparison. But the elegance that she exuded was transmitted to the dress, you know, the feeling, the emotion of it.”

“I was so nervous that I wasn’t going to fit,” She added. “Everyone kept telling me how small it was, and I’m not the type who can starve myself. I’m small, but it’s not like I’m see-through.”

Natalie Portman misses her bald head, contactmusic.com reports. (Editor’s note: so why doesn’t she just shave it again?)

Portman, 24, shaved her hair off for a role as Evey Hammond in V For Vendetta and admits to missing the low maintenance style.

“I miss the feel of it, stroking it and the attention it got,” Portman said. “It was also great not to have to worry whether your hair was out of place for a while.”