Sophia Loren in Los Angeles.

Sophia Loren Exclusive: A LIFE Legend Today

Of the many celebrities LIFE magazine featured in the 1950s and ’60s, Sophia Loren was a standout and a photographers’ favorite. She was the subject of seven cover stories and countless more inside spreads, always exuding supreme confidence, beauty, elegance, and a passion for la dolce vita. Those enviable qualities famously caught the eye of LIFE lensman Alfred Eisenstaedt decades ago — and today they captivate LIFE.com editor-at-large Jeff Vespa, who had the honor of photographing the actress, still stunning at 76, during her most recent stay in Los Angeles. In the States to visit her sons and to attend an Academy-hosted tribute to her career — she won the Oscar nearly 50 years ago, for her heart-wrenching turn in Two Women — Loren graciously let LIFE into her world once more. . .

Check out the full gallery on LIFE.com.

Jessica Alba on the cover of LIFE

At the end of a secluded cul-de-sac in Los Angeles, inside her lush, light-filled home, one of Hollywood’s sexiest stars spends a Saturday doing the unthinkable: cooking for a bunch of people on her day off. But for Jessica Alba, whom you’ll next see kicking butt in the action-exploitation flick Machete (Sept. 3), this is far from drudgery. It’s a precious opportunity to play hostess, a role close to her heart. Among those lucky enough to score an invitation to the 29-year-old actress’ private dinner party on August 21 was photographer Jeff Vespa, who captured, exclusively for LIFE, a side of the star she was eager to share: Here, check out Alba, radiant and relaxed, as she shows off her kitchen skills, kicks back with an art book in her living room (pictured), and enjoys the view from what she calls her “woman’s room.”

Check out the full article by clicking here: http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/47701

Tom Cruise on the European tour for "Knight and Day"

The typical press junket for a movie usually involves a boring L.A. hotel room, an intimidating schedule of back-to-back interviews, and a star weary of being asked the same questions over and over again. But as moviegoers have known for a while now, Tom Cruise is anything but typical. To promote the new action/comedy/romance Knight and Day, Cruise and his costar Cameron Diaz revisited two of the cities in which they filmed — Salzburg, Austria, and Seville, Spain — and helped journalists curious about the movie to experience it in a unique, hands-on way. LIFE photographer Jeff Vespa was there, trailing Cruise and Diaz in the two days leading up to their big red carpet moment, the Knight and Day world premiere. Here: After a full day of racing around on a motorcycle in Seville — more on that in a bit — Cruise settles in beside costar Diaz and his wife Katie Holmes at the June 16 premiere.

Check out the full gallery on LIFE.com – http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/44871/tom-cruises-european-adventure

Kristen Stewart, Sundance Star

At the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, where she is promoting her upcoming movie The Runaways (about the young Joan Jett and her band), Kristen Stewart is among the stars who dropped by photographer Jeff Vespa’s studio. As the festival continues (it runs through Jan. 31), check daily to see Vespa’s portraits of the stars. Click here to see the gallery on LIFE.com – http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/39032/sundance-from-the-portrait-studio.