Two years ago, at 31, Kate Winslet became the youngest actress ever to earn five Oscar nominations.
This go-round, either of her two new movies—Revolutionary Road, which re-unites her with Leonardo DiCaprio, or The Reader—could put a statue in her hands.
Winslet talks about having been a fat girl, getting checked out by the moms at her kids’ school, and going one-on-one with DiCaprio for her husband, director Sam Mendes.
Casually dressed in a gray T-shirt, black pants, and flats, Kate Winslet has just descended from the rooftop deck of the downtown-Manhattan loft that she shares with her husband, film and theater director Sam Mendes, and their two children.
The family set up house in a formerly rough neighborhood several years ago, long after the trannies and sex shops had been replaced by art galleries and high-end clothing boutiques. She admits she has just been upstairs indulging in her only known vice—smoking. Winslet, 33, rolls her own cigarettes; she picked up the habit on the set of Sense and Sensibility when she was 19. “I don’t smoke around my kids,” she’s quick to point out. “Like that makes it any better that I smoke at all, because obviously it doesn’t. But I don’t smoke in the house. I mean, I had a cigarette this morning, which is because I hadn’t been. Coffee and a cigarette: bingo!” She pauses. “I’m not sure if I want you to print that,” she says. Then she laughs.
For someone whose résumé includes five Oscar nominations—at 31, she became the youngest actress to have achieved that milestone—Winslet exhibits a refreshing lack of pretension. Hang around her for five days or only five minutes and you get the same woman: unfiltered, frank, sometimes blunt, though her British accent and her musical intonation make her speech, even the way she uses the word “fuck”—and she does use the word a lot, for comma, period, and exclamation point—sound like poetry.
10. Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling
You didn’t think we’d write a list of our favorite movie couples without mentioning these two, did you? Tender, passionate, and deeply romantic, McAdams and Gosling in “The Notebook” simultaneously break our hearts and give us reason to believe in love. We’d be thrilled to see them together again on-screen and in real life.
9. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal
Sadly, we know this is a coupling we won’t ever get to see again, but since this is a fantasy list after all, we couldn’t pass up the chance to gush about these two together. Watching Heath and Jake roll around in the hay in “Brokeback Mountain” proved to us that guy-on-guy action? So effing hot.
8. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon
They weren’t a romantic couple, but in “Thelma and Louise,” the mother of all chick flicks, Davis and Sarandon reignited Girl Power and proved that sometimes the deepest love is platonic in nature.
7. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes
On their own — or with other people — neither of these two thespians are the most likable on our list, but together, as they were in the 1996 remake of “Romeo and Juliet,” they’re totally captivating. Gone are all signs of the pretensiousness we’ve come to expect from Danes in her more recent movies, and DiCaprio’s over-acting is diluted to tolerable measure with his co-star’s sweet subtlety.
6. Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman
Sure, they played a couple in the middle of a divorce and nasty custody battle in the 1979 film, “Kramer vs. Kramer,” but the tenderness between them — not to mention the amazing Academy Award-winning acting — is something we need more of today. Plus, they’ve both had such impressive careers in the nearly 30 years since, we think there’s a great chance to catch lightning in a jar again if these two were to ever reunite on-screen.
5. Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray
Le sigh! Has there been a more bittersweet love story in recent cinematic history than between these two in “Lost in Translation”? While we love Bill Murray is nearly anything in which he appears, Scarlett Johansson’s luster just isn’t as shiny without him by her side. Together, they have a chemistry that is more kindred spirit than hot passion, a connection we yearn to see more of in this day of gratuitous sex overload.
4. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
So iconic as a couple, they don’t even need last names, but as Mr. and Mrs. Smith in the 2005 movie of the same name, the sexiest couple alive proved to viewers exactly why they belong together. The chemistry between them is palpable, and watching them together, most of us don’t know whom to envy more — her for getting to kiss him, or him for kissing her.
3. Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne
They steamed things up together in the 1993 Tina Turner biography, “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”, earning Bassett an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, and Fishburne his first Oscar nomination. Fishburne has stated about Bassett: “An electrifying thing happens when the two of us work together. I haven’t experienced it with anyone else.” We experience it, too, Laurence. And we want more.
2. Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp
Surely there’s enough water under the bridge for these two, who broke their engagement in the early ’90s, to reunite on the big screen again. They were perfectly sweet and enchanting together in the 1990 movie “Edward Scissorhands” and the sight of those big, soulful eyes they both share is enough to elicit a deep sigh from even the most stoic.
1. Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey
Forget Kate and Leo; we want to see Kate and Jim together again. “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is one of the few movies we’ve seen Jim Carrey in that hasn’t made us want to claw our eyes out. In fact, Carrey was downright charming, something we’re pretty sure he needs Winslet to pull off. So, what are they waiting for?
The British actress has sketched a portrait of her curvy behind for the upcoming Paint4Poverty charity auction.
Potential bidders can view and make an offer for Winslet’s pencilled posterior at website www.paint4poverty.com. The highest bid currently stands at $1,200.00.
Other stars include jazz musician Jamie Callum, Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and British TV presenter Chris Tarrant
Online bidding will end on October 11th at 5pm (GMT), and the artwork will then be auctioned at Bath’s Guildhall, in England, on October 13th.
Thrilling. Gentleman, get out your checkbooks!
source: Kate Winslet’s butt auction [female first]
The Way We Were (1973) Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford play a couple who fall for each other because of their differences, then break up because of them, too. This scene catches them at the height of their doomed romance and begs the question, if a nice Jewish girl and a hot WASP can’t make it happen, who can?
The Blue Lagoon (1980)
Ever tell a guy, “I wouldn’t sleep with you if you were the last man on earth?” Luckily for Emmeline (Brooke Shields)—stranded on a deserted island with Richard (Christopher Atkins)—the last man around was hot.
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
A handsome young Navy pilot-in-training (Richard Gere) picks up a local girl (Debra Winger) in a bar. Takes her to a motel. Rips off her clothes. Devours her. Rewind!
Risky Business (1983)
Tom Cruise plays a college-bound teen seduced by a call girl (Rebecca De Mornay). Their steamiest liaison: on a train. And, no, he didn’t jump up and down on the seat afterward to proclaim his love for her.
Dirty Dancing (1987)
After a summer of flirtation, the oh-so-innocent Baby Houseman (Jennifer Grey) finally gets up the nerve to say “Dance with me” to beefy Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). Dancing, et cetera ensues—emphasis on the et cetera. No matter how many times you’ve seen this scene, it’s always hot. The time of her life, indeed.
Say Anything… (1989)
After John Cusack pulls out all the stops to woo the object of his obsession (who could forget the scene in which he held a boom box over his head and serenaded her with In Your Eyes?), he finally gets to kiss the girl. It’s enough to make anyone want to go find her own devoted nerd.
Ghost (1990)
Shortly before he’s killed in a tragic mugging, a man (Patrick Swayze) seduces his wife (Demi Moore) while she’s sculpting pottery and shows just how skilled his hands are. How many women signed up for ceramics class after this aired?
Love Jones (1997)
When a photographer (Nia Long) gets turned on by shooting a couple making out on a bridge, she heads home and ambushes her boyfriend (Larenz Tate) while he’s on the phone. Without saying a word, she starts undoing his belt buckle—reminding women everywhere of the power of the silent seduction.
Titanic (1997)
As star-crossed lovers on the ill-fated ship, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio fall for each other on an epic scale. But it was this scene, in which they make love after he sketches her nude portrait, that kept our love for Leo afloat for the next 10 years (including that unfortunate pasty, bloated period).
How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)
On vacation in Jamaica, a Type-A stockbroker (Angela Bassett) has a torrid affair with an islander (Taye Diggs). When they get into a fight, she follows him into the bathroom to apologize and steps into the shower with him, fully clothed. Five ultra-sexy minutes later, she does get her groove back—and so did we.
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
In order to act in a play during an era in which women weren’t allowed on stage, an enterprising young woman (Gwyneth Paltrow) poses as a man. When the writer (Joseph Fiennes) discovers her true identity, he seduces her, takes off her clothes and utters the classic Shakespearean line, “Wowza!” (or something like that).
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
When Andy Stitzer (Steve Carrell) finally gets to have sex with the love of his life (Catherine Keener), it’s without any tooth-knocks, fumbling hands or awkward facial expressions. Just a sweet, happy moment of shared intimacy: Oh, yeaaaah.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
By the time this movie premiered, the world knew Brad had fallen in love with Angelina for real. So how could you not watch this scene and feel like you’d just been given front-row-seats to a very private moment?
The Departed (2006)
This Best Picture Oscar winner also had the year’s hottest love scene, in which an undercover cop (Leonardo DiCaprio, looking H-O-T again) hooks up with his shrink (Vera Farmiga)—who’s moving in with her boyfriend (Matt Damon). Yes, complicated. Loads of bad guys and good guys to keep track of. Lucky for viewers, Leo’s a little bit of both in this scene.
* Babel
* The Departed
* Letters from Iwo Jima
* Little Miss Sunshine
* The Queen
Best Actor:
* Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond
* Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
* Peter O’Toole, Venus
* Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness
* Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Best Actress:
* Penelope Cruz, Volver
* Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
* Helen Mirren, The Queen
* Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
* Kate Winslet, Little Children
Best Supporting Actor:
* Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
* Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
* Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond
* Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
* Mark Wahlberg, The Departed
Best Supporting Actress:
* Adriana Barraza, Babel
* Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
* Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
* Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
* Rinko Kikuchi, Babel
Best Director:
* Alejandro González Iñárritu, Babel
* Martin Scorsese, The Departed
* Clint Eastwood, Letters from Iwo Jima
* Stephen Frears, The Queen
* Paul Greengrass, United 93
Best Original Screenplay:
* Babel
* Letters from Iwo Jima
* Little Miss Sunshine
* Pan’s Labyrinth
* The Queen
Best Adapted Screenplay:
* Borat
* Children of Men
* The Departed
* Little Children
* Notes on a Scandal
Foreign Language Film:
* After the Wedding
* Days of Glory
* The Lives of Others
* Pan’s Labyrinth
* Water
Animated Feature:
* Cars
* Happy Feet
* Monster House
Music (Score):
* Babel
* The Good German
* Notes on a Scandal
* Pan’s Labyrinth
* The Queen
Music (Song):
* “I Need to Wake Up” – An Inconvenient Truth
* “Listen” – Dreamgirls
* “Love You I Do” – Dreamgirls
* “Our Town” – Cars
* “Patience” – Dreamgirls
The Oscar field has predictable faces — Helen Mirren, Eddie Murphy, Forest Whitaker — but some of the snubs caused the biggest shocks. No Best Picture nomination for ‘Dreamgirls.’ No Best Supporting Actor nomination for Brad Pitt. No Borat!
Best Picture: “Babel,” “The Departed,” “Letters From Iwo Jima,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “The Queen.”
Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, “Blood Diamond”; Ryan Gosling, “Half Nelson”; Peter O’Toole, “Venus”; Will Smith, “The Pursuit of Happyness”; Forest Whitaker, “The Last King of Scotland.”
Actress: Penelope Cruz, “Volver”; Judi Dench, “Notes on a Scandal”; Helen Mirren, “The Queen”; Meryl Streep, “The Devil Wears Prada”; Kate Winslet, “Little Children.”
Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, “Little Miss Sunshine”; Jackie Earle Haley, “Little Children”; Djimon Hounsou, “Blood Diamond”; Eddie Murphy, “Dreamgirls”; Mark Wahlberg, “The Departed.”
Supporting Actress: Adriana Barraza, “Babel”; Cate Blanchett, “Notes on a Scandal”; Abigail Breslin, “Little Miss Sunshine”; Jennifer Hudson, “Dreamgirls”; Rinko Kikuchi, “Babel.”
Directing: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, “Babel”; Martin Scorsese, “The Departed”; Clint Eastwood, “Letters From Iwo Jima”; Stephen Frears, “The Queen”; Paul Greengrass, “United 93.”
Foreign Language Film: “After the Wedding,” Denmark; “Days of Glory (Indigenes),” Algeria; “The Lives of Others,” Germany; “Pan’s Labyrinth,” Mexico; “Water,” Canada.
Adapted Screenplay: Sacha Baron Cohen and Anthony Hines and Peter Baynham and Dan Mazer and Todd Phillips, “Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”; Alfonso Cuaron and Timothy J. Sexton and David Arata and Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, “Children of Men”; William Monahan, “The Departed”; Todd Field and Tom Perrotta, “Little Children”; Patrick Marber, “Notes on a Scandal.”
Original Screenplay: Guillermo Arriaga, “Babel”; Iris Yamashita and Paul Haggis, “Letters From Iwo Jima”; Michael Arndt, “Little Miss Sunshine”; Guillermo del Toro, “Pan’s Labyrinth”; Peter Morgan, “The Queen.”
Art Direction: “Dreamgirls,” “The Good Shepherd,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” “The Prestige.”
Cinematography: “The Black Dahlia,” “Children of Men,” “The Illusionist,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “The Prestige.”
Sound Mixing: “Apocalypto,” “Blood Diamond,” “Dreamgirls,” “Flags of Our Fathers,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.”
Sound Editing: “Apocalypto,” “Blood Diamond,” “Flags of Our Fathers,” “Letters From Iwo Jima,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.”
Original Score: “Babel,” Gustavo Santaolalla; “The Good German,” Thomas Newman; “Notes on a Scandal,” Philip Glass; “Pan’s Labyrinth,” Javier Navarrete; “The Queen,” Alexandre Desplat.
Original Song: “I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth,” Melissa Etheridge; “Listen” from “Dreamgirls,” Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler and Anne Preven; “Love You I Do” from “Dreamgirls,” Henry Krieger and Siedah Garrett; “Our Town” from “Cars,” Randy Newman; “Patience” from “Dreamgirls,” Henry Krieger and Willie Reale.
Costume: “Curse of the Golden Flower,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Dreamgirls,” “Marie Antoinette,” “The Queen.”
Documentary Feature: “Deliver Us From Evil,” “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Iraq in Fragments,” “Jesus Camp,” “My Country, My Country.”
Documentary (short subject): “The Blood of Yingzhou District,” “Recycled Life,” “Rehearsing a Dream,” “Two Hands.”
Film Editing: “Babel,” “Blood Diamond,” “Children of Men,” “The Departed,” “United 93.”
Makeup: “Apocalypto,” “Click,” “Pan’s Labyrinth.”
Animated Short Film: “The Danish Poet,” “Lifted,” “The Little Matchgirl,” “Maestro,” “No Time for Nuts.”
Live Action Short Film: “Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea),” “Eramos Pocos (One Too Many),” “Helmer & Son,” “The Saviour,” “West Bank Story.”
Visual Effects: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” “Poseidon,” “Superman Returns.”
HONORARY AWARD (Oscar statuette): Ennio Morricone
JEAN HERSHOLT HUMANITARIAN AWARD (Oscar statuette): Sherry Lansing