This week, we learned that no one can out-diva New York City herself, try hard as they might. And that when NYC has no qualms about strapping on her sharpest pair of high heels and kicking your ass, even her guardian has little choice but to shyly step aside. More sobering is how she's even helped manage to humble once-wealthy wannabes, driving them to ask for alms. But because that's too real and because the President told us last night that this reality looks poised to settle in for a good while longer, let's instead preoccupy ourselves with more obliviously pleasant thoughts -- the likes of which helped us get through the first miserable eight years of this century. Pleasant thoughts like hand-held video games, leather, and Grace Jones.

Sometime very, very soon (later today?), all this Slumdog Millionaire excitement will finally abate. But let's wring the last few trickles of hype out of the Little Movie That Could, while we can. In light of all that talk of post-Oscar floppery, it looks like Freida Pinto (who may or may not be dating her former co-star) has found a way to beat the bad karma that an Oscar win seems to foretell for all its champs. She's going to follow in Scarlett Johansson's footsteps as Woody Allen's new muse.

Unless you're a heartless monster or an envious, emotionally dead Bollywood goddess who's watching her star fall in slo-mo, somehow finding herself in that new Pink Panther sequel, you really can't begrudge Freida Pinto for upgrading boyfriends. Up until the surprise success of Slumdog Millionaire, she'd been engaged to her Mumbai-based flack. But as we all do once we've successfully achieved the zenith of superstardom and find ourselves unable to tolerate the dead weight of underachieving loved ones, Pinto decided to cut her fiancé loose.

Looking like a mutt among prissy Oscar-groomed purebreds, Slumdog Millionaire has been a breath of fresh air for those who’ve already tired of predicable epic award-baiting pastiches (I'm looking at you, Seven Pounds). And while helmer Danny Boyle and his razor-sharp direction is mostly responsible for the flick's widespread appeal, similarly winsome are the newcomers whose understated performances keep the storyline brisk and smart. Freida Pinto's performance as damsel-in-distress has helped the former model make that tenuous leap into acting. Here she sounds off on Slumdog's success, the fickle nature of destiny and a yen to star opposite Johnny Depp someday.