Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire was one of the most-talked about films of 2009, and its breakout star Gabourey Sidibe is hoping to pick up an Oscar® for Best Actress at this year's Academy Awards®. Already a fixture on the red carpet during the busy awards season, Gabi admits that it's not all glamor and glitz. "Red carpets are funny because it's work, but at the same time you run into people that you admire," she says. "When I was getting my nomination certificate at the Oscar® luncheon, Meryl Streep took a picture of me and she's like, 'I just took the cutest picture of you!' And I was like, 'Thanks, Auntie Meryl!' That's such an odd thing to do!"

Gabourey recalls seeing the film for the first time at the Sundance Film Festival with the rest of the cast. "I pretty much disassociated from the character," she says, "and so I was watching Precious and not myself at all. I remember being really proud of her. They say it's a dark movie, but it's actually full of hope and light, and for every small victory that she had, I was really proud and excited for her."