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KATE WINSLET is so elated to have finally won an Academy Award, she is refusing to let the statuette out of her sight.
The star was named Best Actress for her role in The Reader at Sunday’s Oscars (22Feb09) - taking the prestigious prize home for the first time after losing out five times previously.
She was then photographed clutching the golden award at aftershow parties and it accompanied her as she appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s U.S. TV chat show the following day (23Feb09).
And she refused to pack it away in her suitcase as she flew to New York, arriving at JFK airport with the prize in a protective cloth.
Winslet even rebuffed photographers’ pleas to uncover her new honour, insisting: "I have to show my kids before I show anybody else!"

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Singer LILY ALLEN is harbouring a secret ambition - she wants to star opposite DANIEL CRAIG as a BOND girl.
The Smile hitmaker admits she would love to play a feisty femme fatale in 007’s next big-screen outing.
And failing that, she is happy to settle for second best - singing the theme song.
Allen tells Britain’s New! magazine, "Any girl would admit she wants to appear in a Bond film. I’m no different." Taking a swipe at the title song for 2008’s Quantum of Solace, performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys, she adds: "All singers would love to do it. Who remembers the last one? It was a washout."

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GEORGE CLOONEY felt safe as he travelled through a dangerous area of Africa - despite the United Nations (U.N.) withdrawing his security escort.
The actor, a U.N. goodwill ambassador, visited the African state of Chad with two journalists in an unofficial capacity last week (begs16Feb09), as part of his pledge to highlight the plight of refugees in the war-torn Darfur region.
New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof, who is documenting Clooney’s travels, sparked concern after publishing a column in the paper on Wednesday (18Feb09) that alleged Clooney’s party was susceptible to kidnap or attack after the U.N. decided to "pull" the star’s guards.
But Clooney insists he never felt his wellbeing was at risk.
He tells U.S. TV host Larry King, "That’s sort of what happened (the U.N. pulled Clooney’s security). You know, the truth is this wasn’t about my safety. My safety - I was never in jeopardy.
"I was with journalists who wanted to go into some areas that weren’t particularly safe. And we decided that we would go. And that wasn’t necessarily part of what the U.N. was looking to do.
"And so we, you know, just went on our own… Our safety was never an issue. It was fine." U.N. bosses maintain that because Clooney was not travelling as part of his goodwill ambassador role, he did not qualify for the organisation’s official protection.

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Eighties rockers FAITH NO MORE have confirmed they are reuniting for a European tour later this year (09) - just three months after dismissing talk of a comeback.
The group split in 1998 following the release of their final disc, Album of the Year.
Internet rumours surfaced in December (08) claiming the band was preparing to reform in 2009 - but they were quickly shot down by bassist Billy Gould, who insisted he hadn’t spoken to his former pals in months.
However, according to Idolator.com, a publicist for frontman Mike Patton has confirmed to the site they are reforming, with tour dates scheduled for Europe this summer (09) - although there are no plans to take the roadshow across the Atlantic to the U.S.
The site adds guitarist Jim Martin will not be part of the new line-up after quitting the band in 1993.

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R&B veteran KEITH SWEAT hopes his reality TV show focusing on his attempts to reunite DRU HILL proves a hit with TV executives - because he wants the one-hour special to become a series.
In Keith Sweat’s Platinum House, which aired on Atlanta, Georgia network Peachtree TV on Monday (23Feb09), the legendary star brings together Sisqo, Nokio, Jazz and Tao for a full-scale reunion and new album as they attempt to patch up their differences.
The How Deep Is Your Love singers have been largely absent from the music industry since the release of their last disc, Dru World Order in 2002.
They have seen two bandmates, Woody and Scola, depart the group and hired new star Tao last year (08) in preparation for a comeback.
Their chart return has been plagued by tensions within the latest line-up - and every development was recorded for the reality show.
But Sweat hopes that by exposing all of their issues on camera, they will have attracted more interest in the programme, and in turn land a deal to make the show a more long-term fixture.
Speaking before the show aired, he said: "This is like the springboard to other syndication opportunities, other arenas like VH1, TV One and E! Entertainment.
"It just depends on how well it�s accepted� But I think the idea is strong. People wonder, �Where is SWV? En Vogue? New Edition?� People wonder about these groups. You know, �Why did Guy break up? Did they really not like each other?�"

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COLDPLAY, KINGS OF LEON, JACK JOHNSON and reformed rockers MIDNIGHT OIL are to perform simultaneous charity shows in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, to benefit the victims of the recent bush fires and floods Down Under.
The acts will take to stages set up at Sydney Cricket Ground and Melbourne Cricket Ground for the Sound Relief shows on 14 March (09).
Rockers Jet and Wolfmother will play both venues.
Midnight Oil isn’t the only band reforming for the shows - Icehouse and Split Enz will also perform.
All proceeds from the concerts will be donated to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal and the Premier’s Disaster Relief Fund Appeal.
Australia’s environment minister Peter Garrett, who also fronts Midnight Oil, says, "(The money raise will) give people affected by the terrible events what they dearly need."

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THE CURE rocker ROBERT SMITH has blasted RADIOHEAD for letting fans choose how much to pay for their last album - insisting the concept devalues music.
Radiohead started a new trend in 2007 when they released In Rainbows online, inviting buyers to pay as much as they could afford for the disc.
A number of other bands have followed suit - but Smith insists it’s an "idiotic" concept.
He explains, "The Radiohead experiment of paying what you want - I disagreed violently with that. You can’t allow other people to put a price on what you do, otherwise you don’t consider what you do to have any value at all, and that’s nonsense.
"If I put a value on my music and no one’s prepared to pay that, then more fool me, but the idea that the value is created by the consumer is an idiot plan, it can’t work."

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The handgun found on rapper LIL WAYNE’s tour bus after a 2007 concert will be allowed as evidence in his upcoming trial for criminal gun possession.
The rapper, real name Dwayne Carter, was arrested in July 2007 after a concert at New York’s Beacon Theatre when a police officer said she boarded the bus because she smelled marijuana, and then saw the star attempt to hide a gun.
Wayne pleaded not guilty and was freed on $70,000 (GBP48,275) bail, with his lawyers arguing the officer falsely claimed to smell the drug so she could board the bus.
New York State Supreme Court Judge Charles Solomon on Tuesday (24Feb09) ordered jury selection to begin immediately following the rapper’s U.S. tour, which completes on 12 April (09).
The Lollipop hitmaker, 26, will face one count of criminal weapons possession and one charge of criminal possession of a loaded weapon when his trial begins on 20 April (09).
According to a spokeswoman at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, he will face a maximum prison sentence of 15 years if convicted.

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Popular 1990s soap opera MELROSE PLACE is set to make a return to the small screen.
TV bosses at U.S. network The CW, which brought back a Beverly Hills, 90210 spin-off last year (08), have ordered the production of a pilot episode.
The show, which ran from 1992 to 1999, launched the careers of Marcia Cross and Kristin Davis and was notorious for its sensationalist storylines and extravagant characters.
Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, who won an Oscar for his 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth, has been recruited to direct the update.

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Supermodel ADRIANA LIMA has hinted she’s expecting her first child - 10 days after wedding basketball star MARKO JARIC.
The Brazilian beauty revealed on Tuesday (24Feb09) she had eloped to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and exchanged vows with Jaric, who plays for U.S. team the Memphis Grizzlies, during a secret ceremony on St. Valentines Day (14Feb09).
The couple is planning to have a more public ceremony with friends and family this summer (09).
But Lima has suggested she’ll have another reason to celebrate before walking down the aisle once more, fuelling rumours she’s expecting a baby.
She writes on her MySpace.com blog, "By this point, some people know about my big news! Yes, I like to keep my life personal but I did become married on Valentine’s Day to the love of my life. I am SO happy inside and I want to spread my love! …There are rumors of me pregnant. I just cannot say…YET!"

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Comedienne KATHY GRIFFIN has landed a $2 million (£1.4 million) book deal with an American publishing house to write her life story.
The Life on the D List star, 48, sold the rights to her memoir at an auction last week (begs16Feb09) to Random House’s Ballantine imprint, reports the New York Observer.
Griffin got her first laughs while touring on the Los Angeles stand-up comedy circuit in the 1980s, before she became a well-known TV personality and landed a role opposite Brooke Shields in Suddenly Susan during the 1990s.
Ballantine editor Pamela Cannon has declined to comment on the acquisition.

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THE HILLS star AUDRINA PATRIDGE is appealing for help to find the people who robbed her Los Angeles home on Sunday (22Feb09).
The reality TV star, who purchased a house in the Hollywood Hills area of the city in August 2008, was "devastated" when she came home to find several of her belongings missing, and reported the incident to police.
But Patridge has vowed not to wait on investigators to solve the crime - she’s already posted surveillance footage of the incident online in a bid to catch the culprits.
She writes, "I had a really rough day today - I got home late last night and realized that my house had been robbed. It was pretty devastating! "I spent most of the morning filling out police reports and going through the house room by room making lists of everything that had been taken. Most of the items are replaceable, but they took off with a few very sentimental things too. Definitely not a good way to start the week."

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Late designer YVES SAINT LAURENT’s art haul went under the hammer in Paris, France on Monday (23Feb09), breaking records for private collection sales.
Pieces by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee raised over $260 million (£179.3 million), and one Matisse, titled The Couscous, Blue Carpet and Rose, sold for $40.6 million (£28 million) - the highest amount ever paid for one of the French artist�s works.
However, a Picasso painting, called Musical Instruments on a Table, failed to sell, despite the fact it was the pre-auction highlight.
More than 1,500 art collectors attended the auction at the Grand Palais.
Revered Paris art critic Beatrice de Rochebouet called the auction "the sale of the century�.
Saint Laurent died last year (08), aged 71.

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MISCHA BARTON has taken to the internet to address reports about her recent weight loss - assuring fans she has shed the pounds through a balanced diet and exercise.
The actress sparked fears for her health after she was recently photographed sporting a skinny frame.
But the star is adamant she has simply dropped weight through her recently-adopted clean living habits.
She writes on her blog: "Just so you guys know, I’m happier and healthier than ever. Things are really well in Mischa world and I’ve just been watching what I eat.
"I still love my Pilates and yoga, and have cut back on fatty foods a bit. My time in India and Paris really just helped me lose a little bit of weight but there’s nothing drastic going on!" And the 23-year-old maintains that media speculation about her body is actually harmful to her young fans: "I think it’s very unhealthy for young girls to read about and pay attention to.
"To my female fans: Just be happy and secure with yourself and don’t let other people’s perceptions of you dictate the way you live your life."

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KATE WINSLET is shocked HUGH HEFNER wants her to bare all for Playboy - because she doesn’t think she’s sexy enough to grace the cover of the magazine.
The Brit beauty regularly strips off for her movies, including scenes in Titanic and 2008’s The Reader.
Men’s mag mogul Hefner wants to feature Winslet in Playboy, telling reporters: "Thereâ��s no question we would be interested in Kate. Itâ��s a competitive market, more than it used to be, so she would be a most welcome addition in our pages." But the actress has laughed off Hefner’s suggestion, insisting she won’t be gracing the magazine’s cover.
Her spokesperson tells WENN, "This is not a proposal that would interest her." And when website TMZ.com told the actress of Hefner’s offer, she replied: "I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t believe that for one second!"

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GEORGE CLOONEY has met with BARACK OBAMA to deliver 250,000 postcards from campaigners urging the U.S. president to help resolve the crisis in the Sudan.
The actor, a United Nations messenger of peace, was granted a private meeting with Obama on Monday (23Feb09) to discuss the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, where millions of innocent refugees have been killed.
And the star used the talk to hand Obama a stack of letters from activists involved with the Be A Voice For Darfur scheme, which aims to push the White House into taking action in the African region.
Clooney tells U.S. TV host Larry King, "I delivered 250,000 postcards to the president signed by people all across the country who wanted to help give some political capital to and remind this administration of how important this issue is. It was from the Save Darfur people. But it’s from all across the country. And we’re probably going to have another 700,000 by the end of the week." Clooney, who recently toured the neighbouring African nation of Chad, also reiterated to the politician the importance of appointing a diplomat to work for a peace treaty in the war-torn region.
He adds: "I actually met with the President in the Oval Office for about 15 minutes. And I met with the vice president (Joe Biden). Basically, we were just talking about coming back from Chad and right on the border of Darfur…
"We talked about this being an opportunity, perhaps, not just for the United States, but all of us together to work with the international community in a real diplomatic effort to try and bring some sort of peace to this region…
"We had a long talk about the idea of, first and foremost, appointing a high level, full-time envoy that reports directly to the White House so that it’s not just a temporary - you know, what’s happened over the past few years is whenever something spikes, whenever violence spikes, we get an envoy who’s very talented to go and try and solve the problems.
"We need somebody working on this, you know, every day - getting up every morning with their sole job to find peace in the area."

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Hip-hop star THE GAME has put off his plans to retire from the rap game - he’s working on his fourth studio album.
Last summer (08), the Dreams rapper claimed his third disc, LAX, would be his last because he wanted to spend more time with his young family.
The album was released in August and debuted in the U.S. Billboard 200 at number two.
But now The Game, real name Jayceon Taylor, has hinted he’s making a return - by admitting he’s started recording a new project, reportedly titled Global Warming.
At a recent concert, the rapper allegedly told the crowd, "I love y’all, I swear to God I love y’all. I’m not gonna lie, I’m in the studio working on my fourth album." Rumours suggest the forthcoming release will be produced in its entirety by hitmaking duo Cool & Dre.

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Rockers METALLICA were saved from splitting up - by the ROLLING STONES.
The Enter Sandman hitmakers were in limbo following the release of their St Anger album in 2003.
Drummer Lars Ulrich admits the band’s future was "pretty bleak" and he was preparing himself for "something different" when frontman James Hetfield took months off to fight his addiction to alcohol.
But it was the chance of performing on the same bill as the Stones that saved Metallica from meltdown.
Ulrich says, "The big turn around was when the Rolling Stones called us in the summer of 2005 and asked if we would play with them in San Francisco. We hadn’t done anything since the St Anger tour ended seven or eight months earlier. We showed up at HQ four or five days before the gig. None of us had seen each other for quite a while.
"There was no film crew, no producer, no psychiatrist, no minders, no babysitters, none of that s**t. It was just us four guys and we started playing music and rehearsing. And it was so effortless and low key without all the c**p.
"We didn’t have to sit down and talk about how we were feeling and all of that horses**t. That set the tone for the next three years and it’s been great."

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