Emotional Colin dedicates Hollywood star honour to wife Livia

He's arguably the sexiest man in British film - winning hearts from the moment he emerged from a lake, dripping wet in Pride and Prejudice. And now Colin Firth has been recognised in the United States.  The Hampshire-born star was moved to tears as he was presented with a star on the Hollywood star of fame. He dedicated the honour to his wife, Italian producer Livia Giuggioli (pictured above) – during an emotional speech.

"I want to thank everybody that has accompanied me on this extraordinary journey, but probably more than anybody I could ever imagine – Livia, who has walked every step of this with me joyfully and truthfully," he said.

He added – before dabbing at his eyes: "When I look down there at the star, it's her name I see."

Colin's award is the 2,429th star, which is located in front of the Pig 'N Whistle pub, next to his friend Emma Thompson's.

"Actually that's almost as good as the thing itself," he said, obviously proud that passersby will see their two names together.

He joked during his acceptance speech: "I have a feeling I'm going to be here when I'm about 93 under a pile of blankets asking for spare change.

"And trying to convince anyone that will listen that I'm the guy whose name is on the sidewalk – failing to recognise that the old lady next to me is Emma Thompson."

Also attending the ceremony were Colin's The King's Speech co-stars, Guy Pearce and Claire Bloom (pictured above). The film is expected to do well at this weekend's Golden Globes, at which Colin is tipped to win Best Actor for his portrayal of stammering King George VI. He's also widely mooted to be in the running for an Oscar nod for the role.

 Hello

Bad Rooneey Girl

And more from Rooney Mara W Magazine stills:

W Magazine courtesy

Rooney Mara is a very, very bad Girl with dragon tattoo

Spoilers! 
With The Social Network driving full-steam-ahead towards a big night at the Oscars in February, director David Fincher is taking a break from filming the American film adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo to make the obligatory pre-Oscar press rounds. Lucky for us, that means lots of Fincher interviews, including a rather extensive one with Steve from earlier this month. Recently, Fincher and Dragon Tattoo star Rooney Mara sat down with W magazine (via JoBlo) to discuss their film adaptation of Larsson’s “Millenium Trilogy” and give us our first official look at Mara as the heroine of the books, Lisbeth Salander. Among the details offered up on the film, they revealed that their version of Tattoo will have a few differences from the book:

The script, which captures the novel’s bleak tone (its original Swedish title was Men Who Hate Women), was written by Academy Award winner Steven Zaillian, who wrote Schindler’s List, and it departs rather dramatically from the book. Blomkvist is less promiscuous, Salander is more aggressive, and, most notably, the ending—the resolution of the drama—has been completely changed. This may be sacrilege to some, but Zaillian has improved on Larsson—the script’s ending is more interesting.

For more from Mara and Fincher, including who might’ve directed The Social Network had Fincher passed, hit the jump. [Update: We have updated this article with five new images]

One of the main things that grabbed Fincher’s interest when reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was that the villains in the film are big businessmen:

“Fascism has worked its way out of politics,” Fincher said, “and gone into high finance. Today Woodward and Bernstein would be investigating corruption in the financial arena. I was interested in that. And, of course, the girl.”

The role of heroine Lisbeth Salander is no easy task, and Mara definitely had her hesitations before actually reading the material (an “androgynous, bisexual computer hacker with multiple piercings and a distinctive tattoo on her back” doesn’t exactly sound like a cake walk):

“Before I read the book, I didn’t think I could do it,” Mara said. She was calling me from Zurich, where the production moved in early December. “I locked myself in a room for a week and read all three books, and decided I really wanted to be Lisbeth. But I thought I had no shot at it.”

For Fincher, Mara was always the perfect fit for Salander:

“I wanted her from the beginning,” Fincher stated. “Rooney may be a trust-fund baby from football royalty, but she’s levelheaded and hardworking. It’s so odd how who people are comes out in auditions. We didn’t make it easy for Rooney, and there was no way to dissuade her.”

As you may recall, there were a large number of actresses vying for the part of Salander. Regarding the rigorous audition process, Fincher talked about how he sprung one of the most difficult scenes from the film on each actress to see if she could handle it:

An interesting tidbit about The Social Network gleaned from the article was the fact that, had Fincher passed, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin would have made his directorial debut on the project:

“I read it on a Sunday night, and e-mailed Sorkin: You’ll have to put your directorial debut on hold.”

If you’ve checked out the special features on The Social Network Blu-ray, then you may have seen that Fincher did eventually give Sorkin his shot at the director’s chair. When filming a couple of pick-ups on the very last day of production on The Social Network, Fincher left the set and told Sorkin to direct the scene himself (Sorkin will indeed get his directorial debut sooner rather than later, as he’s currently set to write and direct the John Edwards biopic The Politician).

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is currently filming in Europe and stars Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Stellan Skarsgaard and Robin Wright, with a release date set for December 21st.  The Social Network is out on Blu-ray and DVD now.

Collider.com
W Magazine

Details about Miss Middleton and Prince William Royal Wedding

Prince William and Kate Middleton have released details of their upcoming royal wedding, revealing they will lead a procession through the streets of London after the nuptials before enjoying a private reception hosted by The Queen.

The prince proposed to his fiance during a holiday in Kenya in October and they are set to wed at the U.K. capital's Westminster Abbey on 29 April.

A statement, released by Clarence House via Twitter.com, has now confirmed the couple's itinerary for the big day.

Following a morning ceremony at the abbey, the couple will be driven in a carriage procession to Buckingham Palace, where British monarch Queen Elizabeth II - the prince's grandmother - will host a reception. William's father Charles, Prince of Wales will then treat guests to a private dinner and dancing at the palace.

The statement, released over a series of posts, reads, "Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton have made more decisions on their upcoming wedding. Miss Middleton will travel to Westminster Abbey by car. The route will include The Mall, Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall and Parliament Square. The wedding service will begin at 11am. The Archbishop of Canterbury will marry Prince William and Miss Middleton, and the Bishop of London will give the address. The Dean of Westminster will conduct the service.

"The couple, now married, will return along a Processional Route in a carriage procession to Buckingham Palace. On arrival at the Palace, friends and family will gather for a private reception, hosted by The Queen.

"The Prince of Wales will host a private dinner, followed by dancing, at Buckingham Palace in the evening, for close friends and family."

29 SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT KATE

Lucky Kate Middleton! Christmas is barely over before she  will be showered with presents again on January 9, which is her 29th birthday.

You may think you already know a lot about her, but here are 29 surprising facts about the brunette from Berkshire.

1. She is marrying into a family renowned for its bright blue eyes, but hers are actually green

2. Kate owes her glowing complexion, which still looks dewy and fresh even after a night of clubbing, to avoiding alcohol. She doesn't  touch a drop.

3. One of the best-tressed women in Britain, her glossy curtain of long, straight hair is the result of an expert blow-dry. At school and In her early years at  university she had an unruly mop of kinky curls she has now learned to tame.

4. Kate is a demon on the piste. She can outski and outlast William on any black run.

5. Like Princess Diana, her favourite sport is tennis. She even played on a court outside t he rented house in Cornwall where she and her family celebrated Christmas a year ago.

6. While often seen stopping off at a Tesco  in North Wales, Kate is actually a Waitrose kind of girl. When at home in Chapel Row, Berkshire she drives off to the next village which boasts her favourite supermarket.

7. Kate grew up in a modest red brick semi in the small village of Bradfield Southend in Berkshire, where her family lived until July, 1995. It was even more modest when Kate's parents moved there in 1980, later adding a side extension used as a playroom for the three Middleton children. 

8. Not surprisingly, Kate's favourite colour for clothing is blue. She chose the blue Issa dress she wore on her engagement day, as she jokingly explained, 'to match my sapphire engagement ring.'

9. Kate belongs to the 'Less is more' school of makeup, avoiding face powder for a natural, dewy look with only a trace of eyeliner and mascara.

10. In the seaside farmhouse she shares with William on Anglesey Kate has recreated the cosiness and comfort of the farmhouse north of St.Andrews where they first lived alone together during their last 18 months at university.

11. Sharing clothes with her mother  is one way canny Kate saves money. She turned up at the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2006 wearing a brown fur hat, which Carole Middleton donned for Prince William's graduation from Sandhurst the following December.

12. She is a High Street rather than a high fashion girl. She bought that much-admired white overcoat from Reiss.

13. To avoid the London paparazzi, she has been shopping in the Reading Mall, just a few miles from her family home. 'We see her here all the time,' one shop assistant told Hello!

14. High maintenance she is not. Her nails are kept short with a natural polish.

15. Apart from her sapphire and diamond engagement ring, Kate has always liked inexpensive, ethnic jewellery. But that seems set to change once she marries and has a tiara on her glossy hair.

16. Kate left Marlborough College with three A levels, two A grades in mathematics and art, and a B in English.

17. While William spent his Gap Year in exotic places like Kenya and Peru, art lover Kate went to Florence in September, 2000 for a 12 week Italian course at the British Institute.

18. While in Italy Kate shared a flat with several girls, including singer Chris Rea's niece Alice Whitaker.

19. Kate's artistic bent emerged while working for the High Street chain Jigsaw. In 2007 she designed a £42 silver and rose quartz necklace with the help of jeweller Claudia Bradby

20. Kate shares her January 9 birthday with singers Joan Baez and Crystal Gayle as well as the late President Nixon.

21. Like Prince William, Kate drives an Audi.

22. Kate first holidayed with William's family when she joined him and Prince Charles in Klosters in 2004.

23. The first time she met the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh was at Peter Phillips' wedding in May, 2008.

24. William's pet name for Kate is 'Babykins.'

25. Her name for him is 'Big Willie.'

26. Fun-loving Kate revealed her daring side when she turned up wearing Bunny ears at a Rampant Rabbit party at St.Kitt's nightclub in Chelsea three years ago.

27. The Middletons live in a leafy village in a detached house surrounded by fields and woodlands. Behind the house is an area large enough for Prince William to land his helicopter on a flying visit.

28. Kate is the tallest bride to marry into the royal family for many decades. I am 5ft.8 and Princess Diana gave me a crick in my neck when I gazed up at her. Kate is even taller, around 5ft.11inches.

29. At St.Andrew's boarding school  in Berkshire, Kate starred in an end-of-term play in a Victorian melodrama opposite a leading man called William. When a fortune teller predicts she will meet a handsome, wealthy man she asks, 'Will he fall in love with me and marry me? Oh, how my heart flutters."

Amazingly, this prediction really did turn out to be true.

Hello magazine 

ИЗДАТЕЛСКА КЪЩА „ХЕРМЕС”

представя

ШАФЕРКИ

от Джейн Костело

На хоризонта изгря нова звезда на чиклита.

Запомнете името Джейн Костело, защото ще го чувате все по-често!

Не тръгвайте на море без тази книга!   

За автора

Радвам се, че книгите ми карат хората да се смеят на глас.

Преди да стане писателка, Джейн Уолстънхолм (Джейн Костело е псевдоним, измислен от агента й) е работила като редактор във вестниците Ливърпул Еко и Дейли Мейл. На 28 години е назначена за главен редактор на Ливърпул Дейли Поуст, което я прави най-младата жена, заемала тази длъжност в голям ежедневник във Великобритания. Докато е в майчинство с първото си дете, Джейн решава, че е настъпил моментът да осъществи мечтата си да напише книга. Тя постига успех още с първия си роман – „Шаферки”, който влиза в бестселъровите класации във Великобритания и е номиниран за няколко награди. Идеята за сюжета й хрумва на сватбената церемония на една от приятелките й. Тогава тя осъзнава, че сватбите дават богат материал за истории за любов и приятелство. Следващият роман на Джейн Костело – „Почти женени”, достига още по-високи продажби и за него авторката печели престижния приз „Най-добра романтична комедия” през 2010 г., присъден й от Асоциацията на романтичните писателки. Тя получи отличието на тържествената церемония по случай 50-ия юбилей на Асоциацията. Младата писателка е много горда с тази награда, защото победителят се излъчва след гласуване, проведено не само сред читатели, но и сред най-изтъкнатите писателки на дамски четива. Третият роман на Джейн Костело излезе преди няколко месеца и веднага попадна в челната десетка на най-продаваните книги във Великобритания. Макар и все още млада писателка, Джейн Костело е на път да се нареди до големите имена в жанра на дамските четива. Книгите й се издават в 11 страни, всяко следващо заглавие печели нови верни почитатели на авторката, които определят романите й като комбинация между стила и остроумието на Софи Кинсела и романтиката на Сесилия Ахърн.

За книгата

Четири сватби. Три бивши гаджета. Две опасни тайни. И един страхотен мъж.

Иви Харт напрегнато се подготвя да изпълни задълженията си на шаферка на сватбата на една от най-добрите й приятелки. В обичайната за такива моменти суматоха Иви зърва измежду гостите много привлекателен мъж. По-късно тя има възможността да опознае Джак, който успява да я впечатли не само с атрактивна външност, но и с приятното чувство за хумор и висок интелект. Ентусиазмът й е охладен, когато разбира, че той придружава на сватбата красивата и подла Валентина.

Все пак Джак показва, че е сериозно заинтригуван от Иви, но нещата между тях не потръгват гладко. Бившите гаджета на журналистката постоянно се появяват в най-неподходящите моменти, а самата тя непрекъснато изпада в глупави ситуации. А когато Джак не изпълнява обещанието си да се обади, младата жена изпада в отчаяние. Нима Иви вечно ще изпълнява ролята на шаферката и никога на булката?

Блиц интервю с Джейн Костело

Джейн Костело с наградата за най-добра романтична комедия

Опиши живота си със седем думи.

Забавен, интересен, удовлетворяващ, пълен с изненади и изключително изтощителен.

Какъв е девизът ти?

Бъди спокойна и продължавай напред.

Опиши романтиката.

Да си на Малдивите с голям коктейл в ръка.

Кое е най-романтичното нещо, което са ти казвали?

Четиригодишният ми син ми каза, че ме обича толкова много, че иска да живее с мен, докато стане на 100 години.

От какво се страхуваш?

Най-много се страхувам да не се случи нещо лошо на децата ми.

Какъв талант искаш да притежаваш?

Да свиря на пиано.

Кой е най-големият ти недостатък?

Ужасно нетърпелива съм.

А най-хубавото ти качество?

Постоянно се опитвам да бъда по-добър човек.

Кое е най-голямото ти постижение?

Книгите ми. Невероятно горда съм, че съм писателка – нещо, за което мечтая от дълго време.

На какво искаш да научиш децата си?

Никога да не се предават.

Кои три качества са най-важни за теб?

Добри маниери, чувство за хумор и състрадание.

Какво те дразни най-много?

Грубостта.

Кои са любимите ти писатели?

Джейн Остин, Умберто Еко, Стефани Майър, Одри Нифнегър.

Кой е любимият ти литературен герой?

Хийтклиф от „Брулени хълмове”.

Кои са петте ти любими книги?

„Брулени хълмове” от Емили Бронте, „Крадецът на книги” от Маркъс Зюсак, „Малкият остров” от Одри Леви, „Не знам как го прави тя” от Алисън Пиърсън и „Ребека” от Дафни дю Морие.

Кои книги препрочиташ?

Нямам навика да препрочитам.

Какво обикновено ти казват читателите?

Че книгите ми са ги накарали да се смеят на глас. Много се радвам да го чуя.