Monday, February 23
In the press room, Kate Winslet was asked whom she would like to pass the gutsy nude-scene torch to, and Winslet took a long time to answer. "I got to go for a woman actually and be really controversial. Susan Sarandon."
Winslet said she still feels like a "Reading [England, her hometown] girl," telling backstage that her parents, who were at the Oscars, were pretty excited about her mother winning a pickled onion competition. She posed with her Oscar in front of the microphone for the local Reading paper. "This is for you," she said.
As for the possible actor's strike, Winslet says "I really, really hope we don't strike right now. Not for us actors here, but for the actors like my dad who depended on the occasional voice over or commercial job."
Back to the nude scenes, how was it for her to do a nude scene with her husband as director? "He saw me nude before he ever met me, so honestly he's used to it."
Posted 2/23/2009 by Ryan
Related: Kate Winslet | The Reader
8:02 Heath Ledger's family spoke backstage about the late actor's Oscar going to his daughter Matilda. According Heath's father, Kim Ledger: "With the Oscar you're all aware what they do in this specialcircumstance for somebody when somebody passes away, then the nextof kin, in this case Matilda, will be the recipient really. But shecan't sign for it until she's 18, so it stays in trust here or inAustralia. We'll work that out, but possibly in trust here untilMatilda turns 18." Onstage, Slumdog wins for the 6th time, this time with Best Song winner "Jai Ho."
8:08 Backstage, Richard King, winner in Sound Editing for the Dark Knight said those who worked on the movie "wanted director Chis Nolan to be nominated." Onstage, Japan's Departures wins for Foreign Language Film. Domo Arigato again, Mr. Roboto. Wherever you are.
8:15 Resul Pookutty, Sound Mixing winner for Slumdog, talked about the "history" he spoke of in his acceptance speech. "No technician from India has been nominated," he said. "I am the first technician from India to be nominated and to win. It is an honor." Another feel-good story from the feel-good movie on a hot streak of wins.
8:23 Best Director presenter Reese Witherspoon, whose dress made it look like she was wearing a backpack, gave out the award to...Danny Boyle for his incredible work on 28 Days Later, er, Slumdog Millionaire, making the tally a strong 7 awards, clearly the movie with the most awards. Sorry, Button. There's still the Actor in a Leading Role and Best Motion Picture awards.
8:29 Time for the big run-out of awards, with both Leading Actor and Actress awards, and Best Motion Picture. First up, Leading Actress. And the Oscar goes to...Kate Winslet for The Reader, winning over 15-time nominee Meryl Streep."I'd be lying if I didn't say I'd practiced this speech before, I think I was probably eight years old and staring into the bathroom mirror. This [the Oscar] would have been a shampoo bottle. Well, it's not a shampoo bottle now," said Winslet.
8:37 Now it's time for the men. This year's version of clips from the actual performance, the round table of big name presenters, here included Michael Douglas, Ben Kingsley, Robert DeNiro, Anthony Hopkins and, well, Adrian Brody, as well. Sitting behind Mickey Rourke is Twilight's Robert Pattinson, who could not look more bored. And the award went to...Sean Penn for Harvey Milk. "You commie, homo-loving sons of guns," Penn told the crowd. " Then Penn went political, talking about the "signs of hatred" which were held by protesters near the Oscars saying such loving quotes as "God Hates Obama" and had no love for the gay community. Penn ended with a shout-out to "brother" Mickey Rourke, who many thought would be the winner tonight, a small reward for the upset.
8:50 The Best Motion Picture category went back to clips, before handing the award to the clear favorite...Slumdog Millionaire. Hope you enjoyed a great Oscars. Stay tuned to Reelzchannel.com for Oscars wrap-up!
Posted 2/22/2009 by Ryan
Related: Kate Winslet | Danny Boyle | Sean Penn | Slumdog Millionaire | Milk | The Reader
Tuesday, January 8
One day after confirming the rumors that she is indeed with child, Nicole Kidman has dropped out of her next project, the film adaptation of Bernhard Schlink's The Reader, in which she was to star opposite Ralph Fiennes. The story, which was an Oprah's book club pick years back, is about a German teenager who has an affair with a somewhat mysterious older woman in post-WWII Germany.
The movie had already started shooting on location in Germany when Kidman cancelled due to her pregnancy, but she had yet to get in front of the camera. No word yet on whom her replacement will be.
All we'll say is there is just about nothing that would get between us and a love scene with Ralph Fiennes--baby be damned. Then again, from what we recall of the book, her love scenes wouldn't be with him, but the actor who played the younger version of his character. So maybe it isn't that big of a sacrifice after all.
Source: Variety.
Posted 1/8/2008 by reelz
Related: Nicole Kidman | The Reader
Saturday, August 18
Looks like opening a sci-fi remake isn't enough to keep Nicole Kidman satisfied this weekend. The hard-working Aussie Oscar winner has signed on to star opposite Ralph Fiennes in The Reader, reports Variety.
The Reader is the story about a German man who recounts his post-WWII romance with an older woman. It was adapted
by David Hare (The Hours) from a novel by Bernhard Schlink, which we happen to remember was on Oprah's (first) book list.
The WWII novel-turned-film romance is well-trodden ground for smoldery Fiennes, who steamed up the screen in both The English Patient and The End of the Affair. Couple that with director Stephen Daldry (The Hours) and producers Anthony Minghella (The English Patient, Cold Mountain), Sydney Pollack (Cold Mountain, Sense and Sensibility) and Scott Rudin (The Hours, Closer), and we're getting ready to swoon already.
Posted 8/18/2007 by reelz
Related: Ralph Fiennes | Nicole Kidman | Stephen Daldry | The Reader