Glitz and the Pitts

What would Winslet pull out for the Baftas?

It was all eyes on Kate Winslet at the Baftas last week. Would she be able to remember the names of her very famous fellow nominees? Who’s the other one, who, who? Ah yes, Angelina Jolie. It’s surprisingly easy to forget one of the world’s most famous living actresses when you’re put on the spot without your cue cards.

We watched in anticipation, waiting to see if she would break down in great, big gushing sobs like she did at the Golden Globes. It was a half hiding, half watching viewing experience, a bit like watching an episode of ‘The Office’ and screwing your face up at the cringe worthy bit.

I’m usually a fan of the self-confessed ‘girl from Reading’ but Ms Winslet’s sobbing Globes speech really was toe curling. In three minutes on stage she undid a whole career spent proving she does actually have talent. Ignoring the titanic sell-out that was ‘Titanic’, she’s shown she can do some pretty decent roles in independent movies like ‘Hideous Kinky’.

Speaking of Ricky Gervais, he was the one who gave us Ordinary Kate who proved she could swear in ‘Extras’. So where once we were had ‘cursing Kate’ we now have ‘crying Kate’. Personally, I preferred the potty mouthed nun – but then again, that could be a confusing case of fact blurring into fiction or the other way around. At least, I think that the nun was her ‘in character’. When they said ‘cut’ and the backstage swearing started I presumed that was the real life Kate so it’s easy to see where the confusion comes from.

Back to the Baftas. Where our Kate is bravely containing any emotional outbursts and, thankfully, didn’t even allude to any fellow actresses – and kept it to within the time limit. Apparently, the trick is in the preparation and this time she’d practiced. Funny, it may be ten years since Gwyneth’s sobbing Oscar acceptance speech but we all still remember that – Kate, be warned.

The Baftas are to the Brits what the Oscars are to the Americans and it was good to see ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ bagging no less than seven shiny golden masks at the Royal Opera House awards ceremony. The award winning film about winning a million has, it seems, won over audiences and cinema goers everywhere… except in India.

Also honoured at the Baftas was legendary off-the-wall director Terry Gilliam. If you’ve seen ‘Monty Python’, ‘Brazil’ or ‘Life Aquatic’ you’ll know exactly how crazily inventive this madcap genius is – and if you haven’t, then rent them, immediately. Artist Steve McQueen also got a gong for his film ‘Hunger’. “As good a first film as I’ve seen,” according to Slumdog director Danny Boyle. The multi-talented Turner Prize winning McQueen who’s representing Britain at the Venice Biennale this year is evidently one to watch.

Sunday night in with the awards on the telly, I perked up a bit. The Royal Opera House, you say? I was at the very same venerable Covent Garden venue just the night before for a very thrilling performance of La Bayadere. By my reckoning, Brad Pitt was sitting in my seat. A mere 24 hours earlier and he would have been perched on my lap. If only I’d had the foresight to sleep under my seat I could have popped up at the opportune moment and introduced myself to the Pitts. You’ve gotta love London – a city where you’re always just two steps away from becoming best friends with Hollywood’s hottest A-list celebrity couple.

[Thanks to Maggiejumps on Flickr for the image]

A Room with a View

The ‘Cash in the Attic’ team would have a field day in Westminster Abbey’s Triforium - a secret hideout high above the church floor – and they might even find the odd stained glass window here, a mint condition angelic stone corbel there worth a bob or two. The Abbey Dean wants to open up this attic room – minus the pigeon droppings, hopefully – to the public for the spectacular view looking down, but the tricky bit is how we’re all going to make our precarious way up there without breaking every health and safety rule in the book!

A Walk on the Wild-ish Side

London Zoo’s new kiddies’ attraction is like a mini safari for little animal lovers except perfectly safe, parents are assured. Animal Adventure does exactly what is says on the tin, offering children the chance to climb up to where red pandas live, crawl underground alongside aardvarks and cosy up to ferrets while the grown-ups await their return from the wild! It’s all in the name of nurturing nature-loving youngsters and a great idea for entertaining them during school hols…opens at Easter.

Curtain's Up on a Glittering Year!

We do so love David Tennant but apparently he’s just one or two performances short of an Olivier, having had to pull out of most of the RSC’s West run of ‘Hamlet’ with a slipped disc. But let’s not let that spoil our fun as we’re reminded – once again – by these London-focussed awards just how fabulous our West End theatre is. Shakespeare holds his own alongside glitzy drag queens (La Cage aux Folles) and Broadway hits sweep into town (August: Osage County) to battle it out with the Donmar – all in a day’s work!

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