Movie stars just wanna have fun like the rest of us, and this week the great Australian actress Cate Blanchett seemed to have a lot of fun and even a few laughs at lunch with a powerhouse table of women. Dining in the back room at Michael's with the star were a number of stars in their own right: Diane Sawyer, Candice Bergen, fashion's Vera Wang, Vanity Fair's Marie Brenner, uber-editor and talk show host Tina Brown, "Sesame Workshop's" Sherrie Westin, film producer and Tribeca Film Festival head Jane Rosenthal, stage and film designer-producer-director Julie Taymor and PR maven Peggy Siegal.

Cynthia McFadden, a new co-anchor with Sawyer for ABC's "Primetime Live," was host. The ladies created quite a stir as they made their way to the table, greeting the likes of Chris Matthews, Tom Brokaw, Ed Bradley and Vogue's André Leon Talley.

Blanchett is much admired for films such as "Veronica Guerin" and "Elizabeth." She is Oscar-nominated for her portrayal of screen legend Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator."

McFadden, a longtime Hepburn friend and co-executor of her estate, praised Blanchett's portrayal, said she didn't have a clue what Hepburn might make of the movie, but was moved by Cate's rendering of Kate. McFadden confessed to Blanchett that if it hadn't been for ABC's film critic Joel Siegel, she might never have seen the film: "Joel told me I better go, because he thought Kate Hepburn was about to win her fifth Oscar." McFadden even presented to Blanchett a pair of white gloves given to her many years ago by Hepburn for good luck on Oscar night. All of which prompted Cate to shed a few sincere tears.

It is always fun to meet a big star when they have ethereal beauty and real talent. Blanchett has both, along with wit and intelligence. Sort of like the woman she plays on film. Oh, and she eats French fries, too.