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ARTICLESWATTS: 'KING KONG IS THE ULTIMATE MAN'Australian actress NAOMI WATTS is convinced KING KONG symbolises the "ultimate man" because the ape offers complete protection. The 21 GRAMS beauty has complete empathy with her character ANN DARROW's feelings of love towards Kong in PETER JACKSON's remake of the 1933 classic - and she views their relationship just like any other. She says, "He's the ultimate man! I mean, perhaps he's lacking in social graces but so much of their relationship is like any other relationship. "He's ferocious and angry but he's also loving and protective. There's a point in the story where she chooses him. "She says, 'Take me,' because she's in this environment that's completely wild and dangerous. It's not opportunistic or manipulative, it's, 'I feel safe with you.' That's when their relationship changes." ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami 
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WATTS SINGS JACKSON'S PRAISES
NAOMI WATTS found working with director PETER JACKSON on their upcoming KING KONG remake a rewarding experience, because he encourages his cast and crew to voice their opinions. Watts, who plays struggling actress ANN DARROW in the latest version of the 1933 classic, was left impressed with Jackson's commanding but kind manner. She says, "He is incredibly strong, but he's not intimidating or overpowering like a lot of directors. He's very welcoming; you feel safe to expose your ideas - which sometimes can be really s**t, but you want to voice them anyway in case he thinks they're good. "The greatest thing a director can do is to empower you. Peter helps you to trust your instincts." ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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Hollywood heavyweights to lead AFI Awards comeback
By CLAIRE SUTHERLAND 15oct05 A MULTIMILLION-dollar makeover will transform Australia's premier film and television awards into a star-studded extravaganza next month. A glittering event - to be hosted by Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe - is planned for the rejuvenated Australian Film Institute Awards on November 26. Readers of The Advertiser will have the chance to vote in a new People's Choice category. A 1950s behind-the-scenes glamour theme will underpin the awards, billed as a Golden Globes-style entertainment showcase. The cream of Australia's acting talent will be invited, including Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Guy Pearce and Geoffrey Rush. The party for about 800 will begin at the new Waterfront City development at Melbourne's Docklands before moving across to the biggest soundstage at Central City Studios. The invitation-only dinner will be produced by concert promoter Paul Dainty. Dainty this week signed cosmetics giant L'Oreal Paris as a major sponsor. He has also secured Channel 9 to broadcast the event on the night. The AFI had traditionally run the awards ceremony itself, with previous years' events criticised for being lacklustre and tedious. Last year's awards could not secure a free-to-air TV broadcaster. But Dainty has overhauled the event for 2005. An enormous red carpet will stretch from the waterfront piazza to the new Pavilion - an enormous permanent tent structure - where guests will enjoy cocktails before the ceremony, to be held at Soundstage 1 at Central City Studios. "It's going to be the biggest and greatest AFI Awards we've done for many years," AFI general manager Geoffrey Williams said. Dainty said the evening would be punctuated by performances from international music acts as well as three or four big "moments". "It will be a glittering event," he said. The entrants list is the strongest in years with The Proposition, Little Fish, Look Both Ways and the South Australian-filmed Wolf Creek all likely to be represented when nominations are announced next Friday. The Advertiser is an AFI Awards media partner. ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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Film's Web site conducts experiment with visitors
It collects users' reactions to images as part of a brief psychological examination. By Chris Marlowe / Hollywood Reporter A picture is worth a thousand words, but the Web site for the film "Stay" lets people choose only one as part of a promotional drive based on an online psychological experiment. At www.staythemovie.com, visitors are asked to type in the first word that comes to mind when they see each of 10 images from the movie. Then the site displays what everyone else typed for that image, scattered around in oddly hypnotic eddies with similar responses appearing in larger letters than less common reactions. "The really cool aspect of it is that it's part psychological test and part art project," says Jeffrey Godsick, 20th Century Fox executive vice president of marketing. "This relates to the psychological aspect of the movie, the thriller aspect of the movie and also a current of the movie that you're not always sure what's going on. It's organically tied to the nature of the movie." Those who participate also will find themselves haunted by the experience in a literal way. When they encounter an ad for "Stay" elsewhere on the Internet, the spot will include words they associated with the 10 images. "Your own characteristics affect which ads are served," Godsick says. "It's provocative and intriguing, and that will cause people to think about the movie." To succeed, the marketing had to reflect the unusual movie's visual appeal and stylish ambiance while remaining subtle, he says. The element of discovery also encourages word-of-mouth, he adds. Fox worked with Deep Focus on the project, and Godsick says it was the first time Fox has used anything like it. The graphic representation of associations is based on a concept called search engine clustering. "Stay" opens nationwide Friday. It stars Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling and is directed by Marc Forster. ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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No point in 'Stay'ing: Thriller lacks answers
**** Good, movies are rated on a five-star scale By Tiffiany Hargis/Movie Critic October 27, 2005 Director Marc Forster who made the movies "Finding Neverland" and "Monster's Ball" branched out to try a new genre. The psychological thriller "Stay" has an excellent cast starring Ewan McGregor ("The Island"), Ryan Gosling ("The Notebook") and Naomi Watts ("The Ring"). Unfortunately, the cast was the only aspect of the film used to bring people to the theaters, and the movie suffered greatly for it at the box office. The trailers and premise given to the public before the movie was released did not incite curiosity like the studio hoped, but the lack of any substantial plot in the trailers made potential audiences wary and drove them to this week's victor at the box office and the safer movie "Doom." However, I am in the same predicament. The reason everything surrounding the film was so indefinite was the entire movie could have been ruined for all viewers with just one wrong word. "Stay" has to be one of the hardest movies to summarize in fear of giving anything away. I will do my best to describe as much as possible without spoiling anything for anyone. The film begins with Henry Letham (Gosling) sitting in the middle of the road in front of a burning vehicle with traffic piling up behind it. Then it flashes to Sam Foster (McGregor) waking up. This is the first of many editing techniques used to parallel Henry and Sam's lives. Sam substitutes for a fellow psychiatrist, Beth Levy (Janeane Garofalo), at a university and meets Henry. Henry is getting counseling for torching his car among other mentally disturbing things. In this particular session, he says he has been hearing voices and cannot tell them apart from real voices. Also, Henry admits he will kill himself on his 21st birthday, which is Saturday at midnight. The story then becomes a race against time as Sam tries to find Henry and anyone who knows him before Saturday. On his quest, Sam has an encounters with Mrs. Letham (Kate Burton) who believes Sam to be her son as she disappears and reappears through out the house; Dr. Leon Patterson (Bob Hoskins) who Henry believes to be his dead dad; and Athena (Elizabeth Reaser) a waitress who Henry was planning to propose to. While Sam is off trying to find Henry, Lila Culpepper (Watts) sits at home and paints while she worries for her boyfriend, Sam. Lila is an artist and a professor at the university where Henry attends. She at one point tried to commit suicide and feels attached to Henry even though she has never met him. Sam also was her doctor when she attempted to kill herself, and he was the one to save her life. As the time draws closer to Henry's 21st birthday, Sam begins to question reality. He sees things that have already happened, people disappear and time shifts become fragmented and dreamlike. All this begins to mentally torment Sam to a point of screaming "I don't know what's real anymore!" Here lies the theme of the film, the point where reality meets fantasy. The merging of reality and fantasy also seems to be the movie's hardest concept to understand. The film does not offer any clues to what is really going on until the very end, which makes the movie hard to follow. In the conclusion of the film, everything comes together, and it becomes a more clear as to what is truly going on. The film does not offer any direct answers. The end of the film will not resolve every question the audience has, but the uncertainty is half the fun. It will make one stay awake in bed thinking of many different reasons why things happened the way they did and drawing conclusions that can never be entirely proved. This is definitely a film that needs to be watched more than once. "Stay" is not as mind-blowing or unpredictable as "The Sixth Sense" or "Vanilla Sky," but it is highly entertaining and is beautifully made. It is a movie that makes a person wonder and think. Any movie to break moviegoers out of their apathetic and zombie-like viewing patterns is tremendously appreciated. ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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A Big Gorilla Weighs In
By SHARON WAXMAN Published: October 27, 2005 LOS ANGELES, Oct. 26 - In hiring Peter Jackson, the Oscar-winning director of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, to remake the monster classic "King Kong," Universal Pictures took a daring leap, paying him $20 million to direct, produce and be the co-writer of the film. With seven weeks to go before the movie's release, the risks are becoming clearer. After seeing a version of the film in late September at Mr. Jackson's studio in New Zealand, Universal executives agreed to release "King Kong" at a length of three hours. The film is substantially longer than Universal had anticipated and presents dual obstacles: the extra length has helped increase the budget by a third, to $207 million, while requiring the studio, owned by General Electric, to reach for the kind of long-term audience interest that made hits out of three-hour movies like "Titanic" and the films in Mr. Jackson's "Rings" trilogy. Hollywood blockbusters have increasingly relied on big releases that bring in as much as half of their ticket sales on the first weekend. But long films receive far fewer showings per day, and the most successful ones, like "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" (2001) by Mr. Jackson, which took in $315 million at the domestic box office for New Line Cinema, have remained in theaters for well over half a year. The film industry and Universal could use a big seller. Hollywood has been struggling this year at the box office, with overall revenue down more than half a billion dollars, about 8 percent, from last year's total, according to Box Office Mojo, an online tracking service. Industry experts attribute the decline to a migration of audiences to other forms of electronic entertainment, whether television, DVD's, video games or the Internet. Universal has had a mediocre year at the box office. The studio had a hit in the summer with the comedy "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," but has endured disappointments, like the drama "Cinderella Man," and has had lackluster results with films like "The Perfect Man," "Kicking and Screaming" and "Doom," which opened last week to a tepid $15 million. Asked about the length of "King Kong," Universal executives said they saw it as an advantage in an era when jaded moviegoers are hungering for something extraordinary. "This is a three-hour feast of an event," said Marc Shmuger, vice chairman of Universal Pictures, who described the film as a tragic love story between the ape and Naomi Watts, who plays Ann Darrow, an actress. "I've never come close to seeing an artist working at this level." Set for release on Dec. 14, "King Kong" retells the classic beauty-and-the-beast tale first filmed in 1933, with its lasting image of Kong atop the Empire State Building, and remade in 1976. Along with Ms. Watts, it stars Jack Black, Adrien Brody and a 25-foot, computer-animated gorilla. This time around, the picture depends upon another oversize talent in the person of Mr. Jackson, who was granted an unusual degree of control at a time when studios are trimming costs and tightening their grips on most productions. Not only did Mr. Jackson produce and direct, and also write with his longtime partner, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens, but his companies Weta Digital and Weta Workshop also created the physical and computer special effects in the film at Mr. Jackson's studio in New Zealand. Twentieth Century Fox and Paramount took a risk in granting the director James Cameron a similar degree of control over his famously overbudget 1997 film "Titanic," and eventually came up winners. In that case, Mr. Cameron's three-hour epic, a love story set in the midst of the ship's sinking, went on to break box-office records and win 11 Oscars. With "King Kong," Universal executives say they are convinced that they have an epic of comparable worth, even though they were surprised by the length. "I anticipated it would be long, but not this long," the Universal chairwoman, Stacey Snider, said. As recently as late September, she expected about two hours and 40 minutes, she said. But on Wednesday she expressed delight with the picture she's got: "This is a masterpiece. I can't wait to unveil it." The increased length, Ms. Snider said, means that the movie will cost $32 million more than planned, adding to expenses that had already gone up $25 million from an original $150 million production budget. Who will pay for these budget overruns has been the subject of intense negotiations over the last two weeks, with representatives of the studio and the director haggling over who was responsible, according to those involved in the negotiations. Ms. Snider said that as of Wednesday, all had been resolved, with the studio more or less splitting the $32 million expense with Mr. Jackson. In an e-mail message, Mr. Jackson appeared to disagree, saying instead that he would be paying for those expenditures, which were mainly associated with extra digital-effects shots. Referring to his partner, Ms. Walsh, Mr. Jackson wrote: "Since Fran and I believed in the three-hour cut and wanted to take responsibility for the extra length, we offered to pay for these extra shots ourselves. That's what we're doing." He did not say how much that would be, but said the extra effects shot would cost "considerably below $32 million." A spokesman for Universal responded, "We are working together to cover overages." In granting Mr. Jackson immense latitude, Universal relied not just on his skills, but also a huge fan base, much of which has followed the production through the director's frequent communications on a Web site, www.kongisking.net. But few elements of the film have been seen by the larger public, and even Universal executives saw a finished version of King Kong's face - with its expressive eyes, broadly fierce nose and mane of computer-generated hair - only in recent days. Universal lost an opportunity to capitalize on a "Kong" revenue stream when an anticipated deal to release the film on Imax screens in December, at the same time the movie would appear in regular theaters, failed to materialize, and Imax chose to show Warner Brothers' new "Harry Potter" film, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." "We think 'King Kong' will be a big movie," Richard L. Gelfond, co-chairman of Imax, said, "but unfortunately we could not agree on deal terms, including the box-office split." Ms. Snider said Imax could not guarantee space in its theaters at the time of Kong's release, and acknowledged that both the studio and Mr. Jackson were disappointed. A spokeswoman for NBC Universal said Bob Wright, the chairman, has been told of the rising cost and length of "King Kong." "Bob is more than aware of what is going on with this production and other major productions, and he has enormous confidence in the leadership team at Universal Studios," said the spokeswoman, Anna Perez. Ms. Snider said she did not think the three-hour length would be an obstacle for moviegoers. Three-hour epics, she said, are Mr. Jackson's "brand." Exhibitors have long complained that very long films make it harder to draw audiences, though in this difficult year at the box office, they have complained louder about not having enough good films to show. Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, which tracks the box office for theater owners, agreed that long movies posed problems. "But if it's a really fine film, it won't be a detriment to its success," he said. ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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'Stay' utilizes unique storytelling that reveals and mystifies
By Ian Pugh Published: Friday, October 28, 2005 One of the special things Stay accomplishes is that it essentially states up front that it will contain a super-secret twist ending. Something is happening; something that will never be clear to us until the final moments of the film. In fact, from its opening scenes, Stay admits many things: that it contains dizzying, often discomforting imagery and that it will certainly not be told in a conventional manner. However, it shows impeccable bravery in its forthrightness: it demonstrates that it has so much more going on than its final twist; though it is the final piece, it is not the entire puzzle. Sam Forster (Ewan MacGregor, pensive and forceful) is a psychiatrist temporarily filling in for a fellow doctor and friend (Janeane Garofalo) who is suffering from depression. The patient du jour is Henry Letham (Ryan Gosling, consistently on the verge of a breakdown), a nervous, masochistic young man who supposedly torched his car on the Brooklyn Bridge. They briefly talk, with little results Henry is clearly suspicious of Forster's intentions, but is more concerned with the plight of his own reality. However, long after their lone appointment ends, Henry keeps coming back to Forster, spouting out random gobbledegook, mostly concerning ominous warnings about his life and threats of suicide. Sam looks to his girlfriend Lila (Naomi Watts), an ex-patient and suicide survivor, for advice in how to deal with the young man. He soon becomes distant from his friends and family in his quest to find out more, as more facts come to light, Sam finds his world literally collapsing in on itself into a jumbled mess of incoherent images and impossible events. What is real? How is everything connected? The primary concerns of Stay may remain unanswered even as the credits roll. Even as all of the plot has revealed itself, questions continue to spring up. How can we explain Henry's encounter with a blind professor (Bob Hoskins), who Henry claims is his father? With its many themes including obsession and solving the mystery of another human being (not to mention a few spiral staircases here and there) the film contains some shades of Hitchcock's Vertigo, another film that bent reality in bizarre and unexpected ways. Though perhaps Stay can be considered even less coherent: plenty of strange, flashy camerawork; screwed-around chronology and a particularly jarring image of three identical women carrying three identical briefcases. However, Stay does not come across as some artsy piece of student film pretension, but much like Hitchcock's masterpiece, maintains a consistently thought-provoking tone even through outwardly confusing moments. It is unusually kind to the open-minded viewer. If you cannot understand everything fully (something that can happen very easily), one of its greatest virtues is that it gets your mental cogs moving and allows room to question the film on a philosophical level. It even invites viewers to openly criticize and question the film's aesthetic sense - a strangely unique occurrence indeed. I never really "got" Naomi Watts as an actress (a little too wistful and flighty for me), and even here, her character is abnormally saddled with a lot of the faux-intelligence that plagues many films that pretend to be intellectual. Stay seems particularly conscious of this fact, and becomes critical of itself. Fortune cookie imagery becomes literal, as if suggesting that it is not living up to an intelligent audience's expectations. But how much of the film is really a criticism of itself? Who is really doing the criticizing? And what, precisely, is being criticized? And I'll stop there, because despite the fact that the film is scarcely about the super-secret twist ending, it's something that the viewer should discover on his or her own. Still, Stay is a film that demands deeper thought; it is the rare occurrence of self-conscious movie, in how briskly and diligently it encompasses our hopes, dreams and fears into two hours. In this respect, it may be one of the first "true" biopics; rather than recounting a sequence of notable events in a person's life, the film eventually encompasses the true aspects of a person's life: what we think about ourselves, what we think about others and what they think about us. It's all a fascinating excursion that neatly summarizes people who we don't even know and, it appears, scarcely know themselves. -- 5/5 Triangles Stay Ewan McGregor, Janeane Garofalo, Naomi Watts Directed by Marc Forster 20th Century Fox ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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Here is part of a unknown article in a New Zealand magazine.
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Naomi Watts, the new face of David Yurman’s advertising campaign.
NEW YORK, NY USA 11/22/2005 NEW YORK, Nov. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- David Yurman, acclaimed for its lifestyle advertising campaigns, announced today that celebrated actress Naomi Watts has signed a multi-year contract to star in the company's campaign set to break in spring 2006 magazines. "Sybil and I have long respected Naomi for her rare combination of great beauty, talent and character. We are great fans of her screen work and are thrilled she has agreed to be the face of David Yurman," said David Yurman. Naomi Watts said, "I am very excited to be working with David Yurman and have long admired his beautiful advertising. And, of course, his jewelry collections are absolutely exquisite." The campaign, produced by Lipman, was photographed by Peter Lindbergh in St. Barts. Naomi Watts is the most recent in a distinctive roster of women featured in Yurman advertising including Kate Moss, Amber Valetta, Naomi Campbell, Ed Burns and Riley Keough. "I've long been a fan of Naomi for her depth of talent. She is a wonderful actress and I, like many people out there, am really looking forward to seeing her in King Kong," commented David Lipman. Naomi Watts was born in England and raised in Australia since the age of fourteen. Her breakthrough role occurred in 2001 when David Lynch cast her in the critically acclaimed Mulholland Drive. In 2003, Watts was nominated for an Academy Award for her starring work in 21 Grams. She will play Ann Darrow in the December 14th release of King Kong and will star with Edward Norton in The Painted Veil, slated for 2006. ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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WATTS' UNDERWEAR EMBARRASSMENT
Actress NAOMI WATTS suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction backstage before her appearance on US late-night TV show THE TONIGHT SHOW yesterday (28NOV05), when she couldn't find the right underwear. The Aussie star had planned to wear a revealing gown on the show, but had to alter her outfit plans at the last minute when she misplaced her flesh-coloured pants. Wearing a silver gown instead, she stepped out on the show and told host JAY LENO, "I was gonna wear this dress that you had to have a certain colour underwear and so I said, 'Do you have any spare underwear, y'know - like a flesh-coloured G-string?' "Sometimes those sorts of things are hanging around in the wardrobe department. They had something... this was it." She then held up a large pair of off-white granny pants. Leno joked, "That's what happens when you have gay guys in the wardrobe department." ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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WATTS AND SCHREIBER TO WED?
KING KONG beauty NAOMI WATTS is reportedly set to wed her beau LIEV SCHREIBER. The couple have enjoyed a low-key relationship, with British-born Watts only recently breaking her silence on the romance. And while representatives for the screen stars have yet to comment, pals say Schreiber has already proposed. A source says, "Naomi not only said yes, but she wants to get married as soon, and as secretly, as possible. "Liev doesn't want to waste any time. He is absolutely thrilled Naomi is going to marry him. He says it's something he's been wishing for almost since their first date. And he's already told her that he wants to have lots of babies. Right away!" 21/12/2005 21:32 ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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Naomi Watts is 'engaged'
Staff reporter Thu, 22 Dec 2005 'King Kong' beauty Naomi Watts is enaged to her boyfriend Liev Schreiber, according to friends. The World Entertainment News Network reports that the couple have enjoyed a low-key relationship, with British-born Watts only recently breaking her silence on the romance. Friends say Schreiber has already proposed, but spokespeople for him and publicity-shy Watts have yet to comment. "Naomi not only said yes, but she wants to get married as soon, and as secretly, as possible," a source reportedly said. "He is absolutely thrilled Naomi is going to marry him. He says it's something he's been wishing for almost since their first date. And he's already told her that he wants to have lots of babies. Right away!" ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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WEDDING FOR WATTS?
COULD there be a double wedding for Aussie best pals Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts? After talk that Kidman has accepted boyfriend Keith Urban's proposal, rumour has it that King Kong star Watts is also planning a wedding with actor-boyfriend Liev Schreiber. A source told Star magazine: 'Naomi not only said yes, but she wants to get married as soon, and as secretly, as possible. Liev doesn't want to waste any time. He is absolutely thrilled Naomi is going to marry him. 'He says it's something he's been wishing for almost since their first date. And he's already told her that he wants to have lots of babies. Right away!' Watts, 37, and Schreiber, 38, started dating in May after meeting at a gala party. They had been low-key about their relationship until recently, when Watts declared: 'We understand each other very well and we're at very similar places in our lives.' The couple are set to co-star in the upcoming romance The Painted Veil, a film adaptation of the W Somerset Maugham novel. ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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WATTS PREGNANT?
Hollywood couple NAOMI WATTS and LIEV SCHREIBER are at the centre of pregnancy rumours after she was spotted visiting a fertility specialist in Australia. The KING KONG actress, 37, and THE SUM OF ALL FEARS actor, 38, have been dating since April (05) and are currently visiting Watts' family in Sydney. During her current stay in Sydney, Watts was seen visiting Chinese herbalist and fertility expert LILY LIU, according to the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper. Watts recently admitted she was desperate for children, but was worried she had left it too late to conceive. She said, "I wish I could have happened a little bit sooner. I have wanted a family since I was 19 - certainly to have children." ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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Will the 'Bond girl curse' strike Naomi Watts?
London: James Bond bosses were apparently so blown away by actress Naomi Watts' performance in the blockbuster hit 'King Kong', that they offering her the role of Daniel Craig's leading lady in the upcoming Bond flick 'Casino Royale'. However, the actress' friends fear that she will turn down the offer because of the superstition that it will jinx her career. According to reports, the actress has already received a phone call from Bond team Eon Productions inviting her to be Russian vixen Vesper Lynd in the upcoming movie, and they want her to do a screen test in the New Year. However, Naomi' friends think that she will turn down the role because of the “Curse of the Bond Girl” suffered by previous 'Bond' babe, Oscar winning actress Halle Berry, whose career took a turn for the worse after starring in 'Die Another Day' in 2002. Berry has failed to land a major hit since then. According to a source, the reason why famous actresses were turning down the chance to appear in a Bond flick was because they did not want to be typecast. “People are worried about being typecast,” The Sun quoted the source, as saying. The movie's bosses have already hit a brick wall while trying to sign Angelina Jolie and another Oscar winner Charlize Theron, who have already rejected the role. ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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Watts in store?
By entertainment editor Andrew Banks 29dec05 IF the gossip mags are to be believed - and lately they haven't been that far off the mark - Australian actress Naomi Watts is pregnant, due to be engaged, may be the next Bond girl and will be nominated for an Oscar in 2006. It's been a phenomenal year for the King Kong star, who moved on from her relationship with Australian actor Heath Ledger (who has since had a baby with Dawson's Creek star Michelle Williams) and formed close ties with The Manchurian Candidate's Liev Schrieber, 38. A source told America's Star magazine: "Naomi is ready to walk down the aisle with Liev - maybe soon. Liev doesn't want to waste anytime. He is absolutely thrilled Naomi is going to marry him." Earlier this month, the screen beauty said her ambition for 2006 was to settle down and raise a family. She told Dark Horizons: "It's not that I want to give up acting, but I do feel I've made so much room in my life for this movie - and it has fulfilled me in many ways but now I want to make room in my life for other things." She added: "I want to start a family. My private life has suffered properly. And so that's sort of what makes me clear about what I need." And now rumours are circling that Watts may be pregnant. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the two visited Chinese herbalist and fertility expert Lily Liu in Sydney recently. Watts and Schreiber are currently shooting The Painted Veil together. Her role as Ann Darrow in Peter Jackson's blockbuster King Kong has drawn critical acclaim, with Watts being dubbed the new Queen of Scream and likely to be nominated for an Oscar in the new year. Ironically, her ex-lover Ledger is being touted for the Best Actor award for Brokeback Mountain. Meanwhile Watts, 37, has reportedly had a phone call from Bond team Eon Productions inviting her to be Russian vixen Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale. It is believed they want her to do a screen test in the New Year. But a source said: "People are worried about being typecast." Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron have already snubbed the role. - with BANG Showbiz ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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Watts lights up Spirit nods
Thesp to serve as honorary chair at indie kudos By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK Naomi WattsNaomi Watts will serve as honorary chair for the 2006 Independent Spirit Awards, to be held March 4 in Santa Monica. Thesp, who will host the annual nominee reception on March 2, was chosen for her commitment to indie film, according to Film Independent exec director Dawn Hudson said. Watts' indie credits include "21 Grams," "Mulholland Drive""Mulholland Drive" and "We Don't Live Here Anymore." Most recently, she starred in Peter JacksonPeter Jackson's studio remake of "King Kong." She'll next be seen opposite Edward NortonEdward Norton in Warner Independent PicturesWarner Independent Pictures' "The Painted Veil" from director John CurranJohn Curran. Film Independent administers the Spirit Awards. This year's ceremony will air live on IFC, while an edited version will be rebroadcast later the same evening on AMC. Celebrity presenters include Terrence Howard, Laura LinneyLaura Linney, Jeremy Piven and Rachel WeiszRachel Weisz. Sarah Silverman will host. Date in print: Tue., Feb. 21, 2006, Los Angeles ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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What will Kong's beauty wear to the Oscars?
Attention, all you avid Naomi Watts fans who think the Aussie actress was robbed, simply robbed of a well-deserved Oscar nomination. Turns out the “King Kong” heroine will be attending the 78th annual Academy Awards show on March 5 after all. According to Academy Awards telecast producer Gil Cates, she will present an award, joining the ranks of Uma Thurman, Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman. Not bad company. Watts, whose films include “Mulholland Drive,” “The Ring” and “I Heart Huckabees,” got a best actress Oscar nod for her role in "21 Grams." She’ll next be seen in "The Painted Veil" based on a W. Somerset Maugham novel and costarring Edward Norton and her new beau Liev Schreiber. But enough about upcoming moves. What will the beast's beauty wear to the gosh-darn Oscars? 
Photo: Naomi Watts looks like a real Hollywood classic in a Rochas '30s-inspired silk frock at the New York "King Kong" premiere. But what will her Oscar outfit be? (Jamie McCarthy / WireImage) Here’s her designer track record. The world fashion tour “Kong” promotion included an edgy Jean Paul Gaultier gown at the Tokyo premiere. But Watts went ultra-elegant in Rochas, wearing '30s-style fashion flashbacks at the Paris and New York premieres. At past Oscars, Naomi’s definitely shown some skin. Her first Oscar carpet stroll in 2002 was in a sultry bondage-inspired black lace-up bodice gown by Tom Ford for Gucci. In 2004, she went all classic with upswept hair and a glittery gold strapless Versace couture gown. Will Watts fly fellow Aussie designer Collette Dinnigan’s flag this year? Will she go classic with Christian Dior or maybe Chanel? How about Marchesa, which has a slinky retro feel and would win casting points with movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, since his girlfriend designs the line. Or perhaps Naomi will fall for something fashion headline-grabbing, like Roberto Cavalli. Our chips are on a vintage-inspired Rochas, reminiscent of her “King Kong” period wardrobe, guaranteed to soothe her Oscar-disappointed fans and the savage-breasted style critics. ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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Global Green USA Campaign Highlights Clean Air Solutions
Who: Jennifer Aniston, George Clooney, Will Ferrell, Paul Giamatti, Jake Gyllenhaal, Felicity Huffman, Frances McDormand, Joaquin Phoenix, Winona Ryder, David Strathairn and Naomi Watts What: A record 25 Academy Award nominees and presenters are expected to participate in the 2006 "Red Carpet, Green Cars" drive-up campaign to support cleaner air and healthy environmental practices. Celebrities will arrive in high mileage, low emission vehicles like the Toyota Prius Hybrid, the new Camry Hybrid and the new Lexus GS 450h, all of which release 80% fewer emissions than the average new car sold today. Oscar nominee David Strathairn, up for Best Actor for his role in Good Night and Good Luck said, "I think we all should do whatever we can to use environmentally friendly products." Where/When: 78th Annual Academy Awards(R) Sunday, March 5th, Kodak Theater, Hollywood Contact: BIG Imagination Group Kathy Kniss, kkniss@bigla.com, (310) 204-6100 x21 Rogers & Cowan Julie Nathanson, jnathanson@rogersandcowan.com, (310) 854-8191 Beth Morris, bmorris@rogersandcowan.com, (310) 854-8133 Global Green USA Ruben Aronin, raronin@globalgreen.org, (310) 612-5663 For more information on Global Green and fuel-efficient vehicle choices, visit http://www.globalgreen.org. SOURCE Toyota Web Site: http://www.globalgreen.org ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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Cate's mates rally
March 02, 2006 THEY'RE two giants of Aussiewood, and they're also great friends. 
Great friends...Naomi Watts (left) and Cate Blanchett in New York. Picture: STUART RAMSON Aussie actor Naomi Watts was among the star-studded crowd that turned out in New York last night for the debut of Hedda Gabler, the Sydney Theatre Company production starring Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving. The 850-strong Brooklyn audience gave the performance a standing ovation and afterwards the King Kong star paid her respects, hugging Blanchett at a post-play party. Watts, who turned up with boyfriend Liev Schreiber despite his reported fling with Winona Ryder, told her friend that listening to so many Australian accents made her nostalgic for home. Sadly, the debut was marked by interruptions from ringing mobile phones at crucial moments, which particularly annoyed Martin Scorcese, who scowled at one phone's owner. Scorcese was among an A-list crowd heaping praise on the STC production, saying it was "extraordinary, really beautifully put together". Those wowed by Blanchett's performance included Marisa Tomei, John Turturro and Jonathan Rhys Meyers while Australian Ambassador to the US Dennis Richardson and New York Consul-General Ken Allen were also in the crowd. ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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Liev Schreiber & Naomi Watts: This is the second or third report of trouble for the duo. And because they are pretty low profile, I think there has to be something to it. Today's New York Daily News reports that although the couple is still publicly together, they've hit a rough patch.
"He's been telling people he's having 'girlfriend trouble,'" a source tells the paper. "She's been telling people to keep an eye out for new boyfriends." Rumor has it that Naomi thinks Liev is too controlling. He wants her to stop working and have a baby. He also wants to review all of her scripts and dress a certain way. The rumors were denied from both sides -- but, as you know, that means nothing in Tinseltown. ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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NO.5 NAOMI WATTS
In 2005, the Australian actress, Naomi Watts, earned eleven and a half million US dollars. Most actresses are past it by the time they're thirty, but Watts is a late bloomer. Her breakthrough didn't come until 2001, when the thirty-five-year-old appeared in David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive". Her performance in the 2003 film "21 Grams" gained her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. In Peter Jackson's "King Kong", which was honored the Best Visual Effects at Oscars this year, she plays the role of actress Ann Darrow, who sets her affections on a giant gorilla. She's done her best at tugging on heart strings, as well as purse strings. ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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WATTS JETS TO KIDMAN WEDDING CELEBRATIONS
KING KONG star NAOMI WATTS has followed her best friend NICOLE KIDMAN to Australia to celebrate her upcoming marriage. Kidman is anticipated to tie the knot with country star KEITH URBAN in Sydney on Sunday (25JUN06) and was joined by close pal Watts today (21JUN06) to help prepare for the event and attend a hen party. Watts told reporters, "I'm very excited for my friend," but insisted she wasn't "at liberty to discuss (details)". The pair met as young actresses in Sydney and have enjoyed a close relationship ever since. Other suspected showbiz guests at the ceremony include Australian actors RUSSELL CROWE and HUGH JACKMAN, as well as media mogul RUPERT MURDOCH and his family. ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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Naomi Watts arrives in Australia for friend Nicole Kidman's wedding
Published: Wednesday, June 21, 2006 SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Actress Naomi Watts jetted into Sydney early Wednesday for her longtime friend Nicole Kidman's hotly anticipated weekend nuptials to country music star Keith Urban. The Oscar-winning Kidman is set to marry Urban in a lavish wedding this weekend. Details have been carefully guarded, but local media have widely tipped Sunday night for the big event. Watts - who was born in Britain but raised in Australia - is a close friend of Kidman, who she met when the pair were young actresses in Sydney. The King Kong star arrived on a flight from New York early Wednesday wearing a grey sweater and black pants, her hair pulled back with a purple head band. Watts, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in 2003's 21 Grams, is expected to attend a pre-wedding bachelorette party for Kidman later Wednesday at the $3 million US mansion of Kidman's sister, Antonia, local media reported. "I'm very excited for my friend," Watts told reporters after saying she wasn't "at liberty to discuss" any details of the event. Others reportedly on the guest list are Oscar winner Russell Crowe, X-Men star Hugh Jackman, media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his wife Wendi Deng, and Murdoch's Sydney-based son Lachlan and his wife, model Sarah O'Hare. The two children Kidman adopted with former husband Tom Cruise - Isabella, 13, and Connor, 11 - are due to fly into Sydney later this week, local media reported. Kidman celebrated her 39th birthday on Tuesday with a low-key dinner at her parents' home in the northern Sydney suburb of Greenwich. Kidman and Urban arrived in a black Aston Martin, and were greeted by a handful of fans who braved the southern hemisphere winter cold to catch a glimpse of the stars. The pair are reportedly staying in separate residences in the lead up to the wedding - Kidman in the harbourside mansion she formerly shared with Cruise and Urban at a downtown hotel. It is Urban's first marriage, but the second for Kidman, who ended her 10-year union with Cruise in 2001. Although she has kept details of her wedding strictly secret, Kidman's relations with the media have improved since last year, when she took two Sydney-based photographers to court for allegedly stalking her and planting a listening device outside her home. The case was eventually settled. On Tuesday, Kidman emerged her home and briefly posed for photographs after a media pack sang "Happy Birthday" over the intercom. She later sent bottles of water and a case of beer out to the media group with an attached note saying: "Enjoy! Nicole and Keith." Kidman - who was born in Hawaii but raised in Australia - won an Oscar for her role in the 2002 film, The Hours. Urban, New Zealand-born but who also grew up in Australia, won a Grammy in 2005 for best male country vocal performance. © The Canadian Press 2006 ************************************************************* Have a great day to you ALL. Sami
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