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LEONARDO DiCAPRIO has tipped friend and co-star KATE WINSLET for glory at next month’s (Feb09) Oscars, insisting the honour is "long overdue" for the actress.
The British beauty has never won an Academy Award, despite being nominated five times; three times for Best Actress and twice for Best Supporting Actress.
But DiCaprio is convinced she will get a nod for a gong at next month’s ceremony when the shortlist is announced on Thursday (22Jan09) - and he is adamant Winslet deserves to win a trophy.
He tells WENN, "I absolutely do - I think that she is well deserved of that.
She’s been nominated so many times. She’s such a talent, and able to convey so much complexity in her performances. It’s long overdue." Winslet walked away with two top awards at last week’s (11Jan09) Golden Globes, which is usually an indicator for Academy Award success, scooping Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for her roles in Revolutionary Road and The Reader respectively.
And the actor, who was at the ceremony with Winslet, was ecstatic to see her recognised for her hard work on the movies.
DiCaprio adds, "It was an unbelievable achievement. Not only one award, but two in one night is (amazing)."

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SIR ELTON JOHN has reportedly asked troubled singer AMY WINEHOUSE to perform at his 2009 Academy Awards party to ensure his notorious bash is one of his best ever.
The singer annually hosts a flamboyant gathering after the Oscars to raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and previous performers at his event have included acts like Mary J. Blige and James Blunt.
And John is desperate for Winehouse to be his guest of honour after hailing her as one of the greatest performers he’s ever seen.
A source tells British newspaper The Mail on Sunday, "Elton is aiming to book the best cabaret on the circuit and he’s really keen to book Amy."

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HARRY POTTER star RUPERT GRINT will seek refuge in crossword puzzles to ease the tension of filming kissing scenes with EMMA WATSON in the forthcoming wizard film.
The 20-year-old actor, who plays misfit wizard Ron Weasley, is set to shoot the saucy scene with Watson in February (09) for the series’ seventh instalment Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows.
Grint used word puzzles to break the ice with Welsh actress Kimberley Nixon as the pair filmed steamy bedroom sequences for their new movie Cherrybomb.
And he’s hoping a stack of crosswords will ease the stress of kissing his long-term pal Watson.
He says, "As I’ve known Emma for so long, I reckon it will be 10 times worse.
I really love the seventh book, but there is no way it will be tame with the Hermione stuff.
"I don’t think it’s (the Cherrybomb scene is) quite up there with Dan’s Equus (co-star Daniel Radcliffe’s naked Broadway performance), but it was quite a surreal experience, especially as we were sharing the bed with half a dozen camera crew. But, yeah, I was quite nervous, I think we both were.
"It was a new thing for the two of us - though, weirdly, I remember Kim and I doing a crossword in between takes. That definitely took our minds off the deed. I’ll have a stack of crosswords at the ready (for Watson)."

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DEV PATEL has branded his SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE co-star FREIDA PINTO his "soulmate" for helping him come to terms with his newfound celebrity.
The 18-year-old’s part in the hit film - his very first movie role - has catapulted him to international fame, garnering him critical acclaim and a number of industry awards and nominations.
And Patel has credited ex-model Pinto with helping him survive the whirlwind media attention.
He says, "We’re soulmates because we’re both in this surreal situation. She is very beautiful… I haven’t got a girlfriend but Freida, my co-star, is gorgeous." But the teen is keen to deny speculation the pair has sparked an off-screen relationship: "There’s no romance. I’ve never had a girlfriend. I’ve always been focused on acting. But for now I’m having the time of my life."

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Veteran actor ROBERT REDFORD is in talks to bring his Sundance Film Festival to the Middle East.
The star co-founded the annual event in 1978 in a bid to bring attention to independent films, and it’s since become one of the top showcases for new projects from both American and international filmmakers.
Now Redford has been approached by film bosses in Abu Dhabi about lending the event’s name to a festival there - and he is convinced the cultural exchange would enrich the United Arab Emirates city.
Speaking at this year’s (09) festival in Utah, Redford says, "It makes total sense we would extend our mission into the Middle East. We are in discussions, but nothing has been signed."

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JULIE WALTERS has called for a debate on the controversial topic of assisted suicide following her role in a TV drama tackling the subject.
The actress stars in the upcoming BBC drama A Short Stay in Switzerland as a doctor diagnosed with a rare degenerative brain disease who ended her life with the help of euthanasia organisation Dignitas.
The drama is based on the true story of retired doctor Anne Turner, who died in 2006 in Zurich, Switzerland, after witnessing the death of her husband from a similar incurable neurological disease.
And Walters was so moved by her character’s courageous act, she is urging the public to openly discuss euthanasia.
She says, "I think it should be debated more. I think for Anne it was absolutely the right thing to do. She was an intelligent, informed, articulate woman who knew exactly what the disease was and had nursed her husband through a very similar disease and watched him die."

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A professional wrestler who featured in MICKEY ROURKE’s new film THE WRESTLER was found dead at his parents’ upstate New York home on Friday (16Jan09), authorities have confirmed.
Relatives found Paul Fuchs, also known as Paul E. Normous, unconscious inside their Rockland County home at approximately 5:20 a.m., according to the Journal News.
Rescue workers reportedly rushed 33-year-old Fuchs to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, New York after relatives frantically tried to resuscitate him.
Fuchs died about an hour later.
Ramapo Police Lieutenant Brad Weidel tells the local newspaper, "It’s being handled like a medically related death."

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Reformed pop stars NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK are considering following in OUTKAST’s footsteps by releasing their solo material under the boyband’s name.
OutKast are known for their unusual recording style and their 2003 album Speakerboxxx broke musical boundaries with both members, Big Boi and Andre 3000, creating solo efforts and then releasing both albums on the same record.
And now New Kids On The Block are considering following suit, as they would all like an exciting new project to work on.
Singer Joey McIntyre says, "We all want to make more music - my creative juices are flowing. Donnie was talking about solo albums and putting them out together like OutKast. Whatever it is that we do after the tour has to be exciting for us. We’re not going to hire a bunch of producers to write songs and we simply sing them."

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LOST IN SPACE actor BOB MAY has died of congestive heart failure, aged 69.
May, who played The Robot in the sci-fi TV series, died on Sunday (18Jan09) morning at the Lancaster Community Hospital in California, reports TMZ.com.
According to the his spokesperson, the actor, who suffered a stroke late last year (08), was taken to the hospital on Friday (16Jan09).
The grandson of vaudeville comedian Chic Johnson, May began his TV career as a stuntman, counting 1955 series Cheyenne and 1963 film The Nutty Professor among his credits.
May starred in the futuristic series from 1965 until 1968, and continued working in entertainment as a stage performer, director and public speaker.
In one of his more recent roles, May appeared on screen playing a clown in comedian Jerry Lewis’ 1980 film Hardly Working.
His other credits include The Time Tunnel, The Patsy, Stagecoach and The New Interns during the height of his fame in the 1960s.
A list of May’s known survivors had not been released as WENN went to press.
(JMA/WNWCZM/CL) WENN - BREAKING NEWS - 18 JANUARY 2009 ————————————————————————–

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HEATH LEDGER was in talks to play JANE FONDA’s ex-husband, activist TOM HAYDEN, in a movie about the Chicago 7 when he died from an accidental drug overdose last year (22Jan08).
The late star’s longtime agent Steve Alexander has revealed Ledger was scheduled to meet with moviemaker Steven Spielberg on the day after his death to discuss the film.
Alexander tells Entertainment Weekly magazine his client and the director were hoping "to explore the idea of playing Tom Hayden".
Hayden and six other activists were charged with conspiracy, inciting to riot, and other charges related to protests that took place at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

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HEATH LEDGER was an eccentric who was high on life, according to the late actor’s best pal, WES BENTLEY.
The two young stars struck up a firm friendship after working together on the film Four Feathers - and fellow actor Bentley admits he never understood many of the tragic star’s bizarre flights of fancy.
Bentley tells Entertainment Weekly magazine, "He liked to go to Vegas dressed snazzy. He’d walk the streets of Vegas and never really have a plan, dressed up in a pink blazer and a tie.
"He liked to get a boat and travel to the Greek islands.
"Some people think he’d party too much and take drugs. It was young energy.
He was high off life."

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Singer KATY PERRY was left red-faced when a vote-counting error meant she was wrongly announced as the winner of Best International Song award at the NRJ Music Awards - when the award was intended for RIHANNA.
The singer went on stage at the event in Cannes, France on Saturday night (17Jan09) to collect the prize for her hit I Kissed a Girl from Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, thanking the audience and telling them it was her first award.
But just 90 minutes later the mistake was revealed when the ceremony’s French host, Nikos Alliagas, had to announce the blunder to the audience.
He explained, "We are terribly sorry, but we made a mistake. It wasn’t Katy Perry who was supposed to pick up the Best International Song, but Rihanna with Disturbia. We hope Rihanna and Katy Perry won’t be too upset and we apologise for all the fans who voted for them. The wrong name was put in the envelope.
We’re really terribly sorry. Katy Perry will have to give her (award) to Rihanna." Luckily Perry didn’t leave the ceremony empty-handed, as she legitimately scooped the Best International Album prize and was allowed to hold on to it.
Umbrella hitmaker Rihanna was unable to attend the ceremony, where Enrique Iglesias, the Pussycat Dolls and the Jonas Brothers also picked up awards.

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Singer LILY ALLEN was so devastated after miscarrying her first child she checked into a psychiatric clinic last year (08).
The pop star fell pregnant in late 2007 with her now ex-boyfriend - Chemical Brothers DJ Ed Simmons - but lost the baby in January 2008.
Allen sunk into a deep depression after her loss - and turned to professionals at a U.K. facility to help her come to terms with the tragedy.
She says, "(I was in a) nuthouse. Psychiatric clinic. I stayed there for three weeks. I was really depressed because of the miscarriage and I’d kind of lost the plot a bit. It was quite a nasty time." But the star insists the clinic put her on the road to recovery, adding: "It was quite nice being in there. No one could get to me; no one knew I was there." And the 23-year-old, who split from millionaire art dealer Jay Jopling earlier this month (Jan09), still dreams of becoming a mother: "I want to take them to school and make breakfast and packed lunches."

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Rocker JEFF BECK has ruled out a JEFF BECK GROUP reunion with ROD STEWART and RON WOOD - because he thinks reformation of bands is a bad idea.
As his former bandmates plan a Faces reunion, the guitar great insists he won’t be following suit.
He says, "Reformation of bands is never my idea of a good idea. Leave well enough alone, especially 35 years after it happened.
"It usually indicates there isn’t anything else happening in someone else’s career, otherwise you wouldn’t entertain it - let’s face it. We weren’t together in the heyday of money. We were playing small clubs and dives and broke up just before Woodstock, so we never had any big money gigs." But he isn’t ruling out a low-key get together: "It would be fun if we did it in private to see if it would sound any good, but leave it well enough alone and remember it for being groundbreaking at the time." And Stewart tells Rolling Stone magazine he’s given up on bring the Jeff Beck Group back together.
He says, "Woody was playing bass and I was singing and it sounded f**king brilliant. We did Rock My Plimsoul and I Ain’t Superstitious, and everybody was glued to it. But Jeff phoned me up two days before the show and said he didn’t want to do it. He cancelled. I’ve given up trying to reunite the Jeff Beck Group."

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BRITNEY SPEARS was the big winner at the NRJ Music Awards, scooping two gongs at the prestigious ceremony in Cannes, France.
The Toxic hitmaker, who wasn’t in attendance for Saturday’s (17Jan09) prizegiving, was honoured with the Best International Female Artist accolade as well as a Best Video prize for her hit single Womanizer.
Enrique Iglesias was stunned after he was named Best International Male Artist, telling the crowd he wasn’t the deserving winner: "I feel like Akon should have gotten this award
. It’s a great honour for me to receive it." The Pussycat Dolls scooped the Best International Group, beating off competition from rockers Coldplay.
But the British group’s frontman Chris Martin wasn’t left empty-handed - he took home a statuette to celebrate his band’s 10th anniversary.
Delivering his acceptance speech in almost perfect French, the star said: "I’m sorry but my French is like an old car - it’s very slow and very boring to listen to." Explaining his bandmates’ absence, he joked: "I came here alone as my bandmates are on the beach, probably eating ice cream at the moment!" The main winners are as follows: Best International Male Artist: Enrique Iglesias Best French Male Artist: Christophe Mae Best French Group/Duet: Cleopatre Best French New Artist: Zaho Best International Song: Rihanna - Disturbia Best International Album: Katy Perry - One Of The Boys Best International Female Artist: Britney Spears Best International Group/Duet: Pussycat Dolls Best International New Artist: The Jonas Brothers Best Video: Britney Spears - Womanizer

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SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE star DEV PATEL is trying not to let his whirlwind rise to fame inflate his ego after Hollywood’s biggest stars lavished him with praise at this year’s (09) Golden Globe Awards.
Patel, 18, has been nominated for a string of illustrious film prizes for his performance in the hit movie - his first film role - and has even been tipped to take home a coveted Best Actor Oscar at the ceremony next month (Feb09).
But it wasn’t until he received a wave of compliments from A-list stars at the Golden Globes last week (11Jan09) that he realised how famous he has become.
Patel says, "It’s been like a whirlwind. I was taken straight from the airport in my jeans to a posh tea party. I was still holding my passport when I got introduced to Clint Eastwood. I was embarrassed because I felt a bit smelly! "When we got to the Golden Globes it was completely full-on. Demi Moore came up to me on the red carpet. Then Drew Barrymore took me to one side for a 10-minute chat.
"Later, Alec Baldwin said some amazing things. Sting came over and said he loved the film and gave me a lovely hug. Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio shook my hand.
"Even P Diddy recognised me! How mental is that! I’m just some lad from Harrow (in London)!"

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MICKEY ROURKE’s ex-wife has blasted the actor’s hardman reputation by detailing a list of his secret phobias and branding him the most "thin-skinned" man she ever met.
Rourke, who won a Golden Globe last week (11Jan09) for his role in The Wrestler, earned a name for himself as a hellraiser after countless run-ins with police and hot-headed rows with movie executives over the years.
But his former spouse, actress Debra Feur, insists there is actually a neurotic wallflower behind his tough guy image.
Recalling their first meeting on the set of the 1980 film Hardcase, Feur says, "I thought he was absolutely mad. And he was socially inept. He would stare at me, then quickly look away. He didn’t know what to say - even though he was older, he was like a shy child." And after the pair married in 1981, Feur quickly learned Rourke was riddled with fears.
She adds: "He is the most thin-skinned, over-sensitive person I have ever met. When we met he was like a little abused dog. He was so vulnerable.
"He hated flying and he wouldn’t go in the ocean because he was afraid there’d be sharks. He was so nervous. Despite taking up polo, he’s even terrified of horses. He made his name playing sex symbols and fighters but he’d make a much better Woody Allen character. He’s so phobic." Rourke and Feur divorced in 1990.

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Scottish actor DOUGRAY SCOTT had a tough time filming one scene in his new TV mini-series THE DIPLOMAT - he had to photograph his real-life wife lying dead in a coffin.
Actress Claire Forlani plays the actor’s ex-wife in the series, and neither could imagine what type of torture the funeral scene would be - until the day came to shoot it.
Scott explains, "It was eerie. My character has to take a picture of his ex on his cellphone as she’s lying dead in a coffin.
"It was a little bit strange to see your own wife lying in a coffin. It’s not one of the most comfortable things. It was pretty surreal.
"And I don’t think she wanted to stay in that coffin very long, that’s for sure! At least it wasn’t a completely closed coffin. I think that would’ve freaked her out even more." It was the first time the real-life couple, who wed in 2007, had worked together, and Scott admits the shoot, though tough at times, was like an extended honeymoon.
He tells WENN, "It was a year after the wedding and it was great spending time together, especially when you’re on the other side of the world in Australia, where we shot the movie. It’s not easy to commute, so it was good.
"I’d never acted with her before and the good thing about acting with someone you know well is there is a sense of trust there already, which obviously is very good for filming. It can happen that married couples have no chemistry but there was an energy there between us.
"I’d love to work with her again. She is wonderful." The Diplomat debuts in America at the end of January (09).

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