2011 Mar 26

Winslet’s cookery lessons on TV show set

Kate Winslet improved her skills in the kitchen while shooting new TV show Mildred Pierce — she received chicken-chopping lessons from celebrity chef Tom Colicchio.

The Titanic actress takes the title role in the upcoming HBO drama, playing a young mother in the 1930s who opens up a bakery to earn extra cash.

Producers drafted in famed cook Colicchio to teach Winslet an authentic retro technique for cutting up meat — and she was delighted to learn new culinary skills.

Winslet tells GrubStreet.com, “I cook anyway, so I was very fortunate with that. I was working with the culinary experts, and they just could see that I’m obviously used to being in the kitchen. And that definitely did help, I have to say, especially when I had to do things quite swiftly and deftly in the kitchen and make it look as though she had been doing it for years.

“(Colicchio) really actually came up with a particular way of portioning up the chicken that isn’t really done so much these days, so it didn’t look too contemporary. We didn’t want it to look like I had been taught by a culinary expert, and Tom was very good at being aware of that, and how important that was for the character.”

And Winslet has continued using her new-found skills in her kitchen at home.

She adds, “I never buy chicken in pieces anymore, I always buy a whole chicken. I’m like, I know how to do this!”

Source: Yahoo! News UK

2011 Mar 25

First pic from Polanski’s “Carnage”

Off-screen trials and tribulations aside, the prospect of a new Roman Polanski film is always mouthwatering – and we’re delighted to bring to you the first pictures from the Polish maestro’s new film, the all-star drama Carnage.

Formerly known as God Of Carnage, but presumably renamed once it was decided that geeks wouldn’t mistakenly pay to see the movie in the belief that it’s about a terrible Spider-Man villain, Carnage boasts a frankly stunning cast in the shape of Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz. They play two couples who come together one evening to discuss the behavior of their children, only for things to quickly become heated.

GALLERY LINKS:
• Carnage: Promotional Stills

2011 Mar 25

“The Golden Hat” by Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet is putting together a book called “The Golden Hat” with celebrity self-portraits to raise awareness and support for autism. The book will be published by Simon & Schuster in November 2011.

Winslet has amassed a collection of photos from an amazing array of her friends and renowned personalities who have donned this special hat, taken a self portrait, and passed the hat along from one person to another. Among the participants whose photos are featured in the book are Anna Wintour; Ben Stiller; Brigitte Lacombe; Christina Aguilera; David Souffan; Demi Moore; Don Cheadle; Elijah Wood; Ellen Page; Javier Bardem; Joseph Gordon-Levitt; Jude Law; Julianne Moore; Kevin Bacon; Kyra Sedgwick; Laura Dern; Live Schreiber; Maggie Gyllenhaal; Maria Sharapova; Marion Cotillard; Meryl Streep; Michael Kors; Naomi Watts; Pedro Almodóvar; Peter Sarsgaard; Ricky Gervais and many, many more.

Source: The Golden Hat Foundation

2011 Mar 25

Winslet to write book for autism awareness

Actress Kate Winslet is planning to write a photo book to spread awareness about autism.

After narrating the documentary A Mother’s Courage: Talking Back to Autism, about an Icelandic woman’s fight to find a way for her autistic son to communicate, Kate established the Golden Hat Foundation, which offers speech training to those who live with the disease, Contactmusic.com reports.

A single mother of two children, Winslet is now stepping up her dedication to the cause and writing a book called “The Golden Hat”, which pays homage to a poem her friend’s autistic son wrote.

The book will include celebrity snapshots of stars like Meryl Streep and Javier Bardem wearing hats and it will hit stores in November this year.

Source: newKerala.com

2011 Mar 25

Sneak previews of “Mildred Pierce” parts 1 and 2

2011 Mar 25

Gallery: A few more pics from “Mildred Pierce” press conference

Added 4 new HQ pics of Mildred Pierce press conference to the gallery:

GALLERY LINKS:
• Press Conference & Photocalls: Mildred Pierce Press Conference

2011 Mar 23

Evan Rachel Wood: “Kate Winslet helped me with my nude scenes”

The actress says her Mildred Pierce co-star gave expert advice on stripping down for the camera

As Evan Rachel Wood prepared for her very first full-frontal nude scene, the young actress was lucky enough to have her Mildred Pierce co-star, Kate Winslet, walking her through the rough spots.

“She coached me through my first nude scene,” Wood, 23, told E! News at the N.Y.C. premiere of the HBO miniseries. “I mean, she’s done it all. She was literally next to the camera (giving a thumbs-up).”

Winslet’s best advice to the actress, who plays her daughter in the series? Cover up where you can.

“I looked at Kate and she was like, ‘You’ve got to do it. Trust me, it’s so brave,'” Wood told Fancast.com. “‘Put a merkin (a pubic wig) on and you’ll be fine.’ Let’s just say, I had to wear a wig because it was in the ’30s, and everything had to look like it was in the ’30s,” she laughed.

Winslet, an Oscar winner who’s gotten naked for the cameras more than once, also told Wood she should keep the number of extraneous people on the set to a minimum.

“You keep the room as empty as possible,” Winslet advised. “Just kind of being there for her, really, and letting her know there was someone to hold her hand and throw a robe over her at the right moment… made her feel better.”

Source: iVillage