RENÉE NEWS - FEBRUARY 2004

Renée Zellweger Wins Oscar for 'Cold Mountain'
reuters.com
Sun Feb 29, 2004 09:23 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Renée Zellweger won the Oscar on Sunday night as best supporting actress for her scene-stealing role as the scrappy, plain-spoken farmhand Ruby Thewes in the epic Civil War romance "Cold Mountain."
And for Zellweger, fast becoming one of Hollywood's most sought-after actresses, the third time was the charm. She was previously nominated for best actress as the insecure heroine of "Bridget Jones's Diary" and as the homicidal hoofer Roxie Hart in "Chicago."

The 34-year-old Texas-born actress made her big-screen breakthrough as the object of Tom Cruise's affections in the 1996 hit comedy "Jerry Maguire."

A host of roles in widely divergent projects such as the delusional soap opera fan in Neil Labute's offbeat comedy "Nurse Betty" and as Meryl Streep's daughter in "One True Thing" followed.

In "Cold Mountain," based on the novel by Charles Frazier, Zellweger plays the tough but loyal farm girl sent to help Nicole Kidman manage her deceased father's farm amid the deprivations and cruelties of war. Critics raved about her scruffy, earthy performance.

But range isn't surprising for an actress whose early work included "Dazed and Confused," "Reality Bites" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation."

Zellweger has been a favorite of the Golden Globes voters, who have honored her for three years in a row.

Now she can add Oscar to her awards-crammed mantelpiece.

Renée Zellweger wins supporting-actress Oscar
The Associated Press
Posted February 29, 2004, 9:24 PM EST
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Renée Zellweger won the supporting-actress honor at Sunday's Academy Awards for her performance as a hardy Confederate handywoman in "Cold Mountain."

Persuasive Power
latimes.com
February 29, 2004

THE OSCARS

Renée Zellweger couldn't be persuaded to sing the nominated "Chicago" song in last year's show, but Oscar producer Joe Roth has convinced her to do something tonight that's possibly more difficult: walk down a spiral staircase in high heels.

Carolina Herrera Dresses Renee Zellweger for the 76th Annual Academy Awards
February 29, 2004 02:00 PM EST

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 29, 2004--CAROLINA HERRERA expects to dress the following celebrity attending The 76th Annual Academy Awards taking place Sunday, February 29, 2004 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland. The Awards ceremony will be broadcast live by the ABC Television network beginning at 5:30 (PST).

RENEE ZELLWEGER nominated for "Best Actress in a Supporting Role" for her performance in Cold Mountain, wears a CAROLINA HERRERA white strapless silk zibeline draped bodice column gown with bow back detail.

Jewelry: CARTIER

Shoe: Manolo Blahnik

Stars, Stand-Ins Rehearse for Oscars
abcnews.go.com
Feb. 27, 2004

LOS ANGELES  — The day started with a fake Oprah Winfrey and a real Tom Hanks.
Stars and star stand-ins rehearsed walking, talking and smiling on Thursday amid the massive sliding walls and glimmering staircases of the Academy Awards stage in the Kodak Theatre.

Renee Zellweger arrived backstage to prepare for a real daredevil act descending a glowing, center-stage staircase in high heels and a gown.

She's nominated in the supporting actress category for "Cold Mountain," but she seemed more nervous about possibly tripping down the steps in front of tens of millions of people while presenting another award.

Earlier in the week, Roth confided to another presenter, Julianne Moore, that no other actress would agree to do the stairs. "I asked Jamie Lee Curtis," Roth said. "She said, 'No. Dress. Women. Heels. Stairs. No.'"

Zellweger giggled as she took her place backstage. No gown, just slacks for now.

She asked if she could lean against one side of the staircase for support, then pretended she might hop onto the railing and slide down on her backside.

"It's more 'Oscar' to come down the center," a stagehand deadpanned.

She raised her hands in the air and crossed her fingers, then fretted that her "Chicago" director, who had coached her through the Oscar-winning film's fancy footwork, would scold her if she appeared awkward.

"Rob Marshall is going to be watching this, and if I look down he's going to kill me," Zellweger said. "And if I don't then I might kill myself!"

Step by step, as rehearsals for the 76th annual Academy Awards continue through the weekend, lots of other stars will practice the fine art of not falling down.

OSCARS minus three
NY Post - Cindy Adams
February 26, 2004

Renée Zellweger, who lost the "Best Actress" prize last year and found solace in the paws of her dog, Dylan ... has just annexed a cat named Grady to help her along with the Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for "Cold Mountain".

Dylan passed away last summer.

DreamWorks' Oscar Attack
eonline.com
by Sarah Hall
Feb 24, 2004, 11:50 PM PT

As the 2004 Oscars rapidly approach, the folks at DreamWorks are making it clear that they really, really want Shohreh Aghdashloo to triumph over Renée Zellweger in the Best Supporting Actress category.

The studio is so staunchly behind Aghdashloo, in fact, that it took out a full-page ad in Daily Variety last week, seemingly with the intent of prodding Oscar voters into voting for the Iranian-born actor over her competitor, Zellweger.

Aghdashloo is nominated for her role in DreamWorks' House of Sand and Fog, while Zellweger earned her nod for her work in Miramax's Cold Mountain.

The ad in question featured excerpts from four newspaper, magazine and TV reports that stated that Aghdashloo was deserving of the Oscar.

Three of the excerpts specifically said that though Aghdashloo should win, Zellweger will win.

Industry bigwigs were less than impressed.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Monday that it was considering penalizing DreamWorks for the alleged attack strategy. Potential punishments ranged from stripping the studio of some of its Oscar tickets to the more severe step of disqualifying a DreamWorks film from Oscar contention.

Bruce Davis, the executive director of the Academy, called it an "attack ad," and denounced DreamWorks for its underhandedness.

"It's certainly a new and unwelcome step downward in campaigning," Davis told the Los Angeles Times. He said several Oscar voters had reacted to the ad "with varying degrees of surprise and amazement."

"Discussing concepts like fair play and decorum with certain marketing people is like discussing salad with your cat," Davis said.

Meanwhile, despite the hoopla, the offending ad was unlikely to sway many voters--Oscar polls closed Tuesday at 5 p.m., and most Academy members had already submitted their ballots prior to the ad's publication.

But DreamWorks cofounder Jeffrey Katzenberg was quick to apologize for the studio's indiscretion in any case.

"The ad was a mistake. It shouldn't have happened," Katzenberg told the Times. "In a year in which everyone has pledged to take the higher road, we made a very bad and ill-advised mistake."

DreamWorks marketing head Terry Press denied that the studio had acted out of spite.

"We can be accused of stupidity, but not maliciousness," Press told the Times. "It's an ad promoting Shohreh. We didn't take out an ad saying 'Don't vote for Renée Zellweger.'"

In fact, the studio is currently doing business with Zellweger--she provides one of the lead voices in their animated feature, Shark Tale, due to hit theaters in October.

Zellweger is said to be aware of the ad, and "disappointed" by it, according to her spokesperson.

The actress has been nominated for three consecutive Oscars. This year she's out to win--and she's determined not to let a newcomer like Aghdashloo stand in her way.

Zellweger told the Austrian magazine News that she thinks this is her year to take home a trophy.

"I've certainly earned the award," Zellweger said. "Last year I was nominated for Chicago, but I left empty-handed. I think this year Hollywood will be fair."

Fairness in Tinseltown? We suppose stranger things have happened...but not often.

Zellweger to Present Oscars
people.com
February 23, 2004

With the Academy Awards less than a week away, the evening's lineup is beginning to come into focus.
Last Tuesday the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences added several more names to the growing list of celebrity presenters and performers who will take the stage Feb. 29 during the 76th Academy Awards ceremony.

One of them is Renee Zellweger, said show producer Joe Roth. Zellweger, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Civil War epic "Cold Mountain," is no stranger to the Academy stage in recent years. Last year she was nominated for Best Actress for her role as Roxie Hart in the musical "Chicago." In 2001 she also received a Best Actress nomination for the lead role in "Bridget Jones's Diary," which she will reprise later this year in "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason."
 

Backstage notes from the SAG Awards
hollywoodreporter.com
Feb. 23, 2004

Things looked a bit familiar for Renee Zellweger backstage at the SAG Awards. "It looks the same back here, the same setup," joked the "Cold Mountain" star and best supporting actress winner who was making her second appearance on the SAG winners' stage in as many years (she won best actress honors last year for her role in "Chicago"). "I ran into Catherine (Zeta-Jones), which helps." Zellweger, fresh from London where she was filming the sequel to "Bridget Jones's Diary," admitted that she needs some help understanding all the gifts that the awards season delivers. "It's an honor; it's a surprise. It's hard for me to wrap my head around the invitations to these ceremonies and what they actually mean," she said. "It really, really is profoundly moving because it's hard to understand how to get so lucky."

Zellweger take supporting-acting prizes at SAG awards
10th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
The Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles
Sunday, February 22 8:00 PM

Hollywood's A-listers, including Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, and Renee Zellweger, were on hand to present the prestigious awards and take home one of the fabulous Backstage Creations gift baskets. Along with "who are you wearing," one of the most talked-about items in the entertainment industry today is "what's in the presenter gift baskets?" The gift baskets are almost as coveted as the Actor® awards which were handed out on February 22, 2004 at the 10th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®.

Renee Zellweger, a nominee for outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role for "Cold Mountain," presented for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading theatrical motion picture role.

She also went on to take the supporting actress honor for the Civil War saga "Cold Mountain".

Zellweger, who won the guild's lead-actress award last year for "Chicago", was honored for her salty turn as a Confederate handywoman determined to survive the hardships of the war.

"I was spoiled for riches on this experience," said Zellweger, who thanked co-stars Nicole Kidman and Jude Law and director Anthony Minghella. "It was such an honor to go to work every day beside you."

The awards boost Zellweger's prospects at next Sunday's Academy Awards, where she is nominated in the supporting category.

Happy Valentine's Day Renée
February 19, 2004
reneesfansite.com

The flowers took some 6 days from Feb. 12 to get to Renée, thanks to a florist chain that Failed To Deliver on time!

But two is better than one ... Thanks to Olympic Flowers in LA who delivered a back-up within 3 hours ...

Oscarmania
Thursday, February 19, 2004
FOX NEWS        
By Roger Friedman

For all the reasons that "Cold Mountain" didn't get a Best Picture nomination, Renée Zellweger should win Best Supporting Actress. She turned in tremendous performances in "Jerry Maguire," "Bridget Jones' Diary," "Nurse Betty" and, most unforgettably, "Chicago." For those movies alone she deserved recognition. But in "Cold Mountain," she nails it, once and for all.

I was listening to a radio ad for "Cold Mountain" the other day, one that featured some of Renée's lines. Just hearing her voice as Ruby made me smile. Zellweger is really a breath of fresh air that sweeps into the stagnant, sorrowful atmosphere created by Anthony Minghella, and gives life to a movie haunted by ghosts. I can't think of anyone else in any other film this year for whom you immediately want to cheer upon seeing her or him enter the picture.

Now, there's a lot to be said for Zellweger's peers in this category, including the always-perfect Marcia Gay Harden ("Mystic River") and newcomer Shohreh Aghdashloo ("House of Sand and Fog"). It's not hard to sing Harden's praises, but she's already won for "Pollock" and she's guaranteed several more trips to the big show.

Aghdashloo is a striking newcomer who may have only this opportunity for an award. She has been a welcome and ingratiating figure on the Oscar campaign circuit, full of grace and warmth. She's also quite beautiful.

But this is the year of the Zellweger. What fun it will be to see her win in the supporting category this year, and the lead category in years to come.

Zellweger and Moore for Oscar night
February 18, 2004
The Sydney Morning Herald

Two of Oscar's favorite leading ladies, Renee Zellweger and Julianne Moore have been named as presenters on Academy Awards night.

Zellweger is nominated this year for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Cold Mountain. Last year, she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role in the Best Picture winner Chicago and in 2001 she was nominated for her leading role in Bridget Jones' Diary. Her other film credits include Down with Love, White Oleander, Nurse Betty, One True Thing, Me, Myself and Irene, Jerry Maguire and Whole Wide World.

Actress Julianne Moore will be making her third Oscar show appearance as a presenter .

Last year, Moore received Oscar nominations for her leading role in Far from Heaven and for her supporting role in The Hours. She received nominations in 1997 for her supporting role in Boogie Nights and in 1999 for her performance in The End of the Affair. Her other film credits include The Shipping News, Magnolia, World Traveler, Hannibal and An Ideal Husband.

It doesn't have to be big to be bling-bling
telegraph.co.uk (17/02/2004)
This year's biggest stars sparkled with tiny pavé-set diamonds, reports Carol Woolton

While best actress Scarlett Johannson teamed her Marilyn Monroe-style peroxide hair and vivid lips with a £2 million parure of diamonds by Moussaieff, Renée Zellweger, accepting the best supporting actress award on Sunday night, looked equally dramatic - and sparkle-free. All the other stars, however, opted for an elegant, dress-down combination of a pair of shimmering, diamond-drop earrings and a simple bracelet.

Zellweger emotional after Bafta accolade
Sunday, February 15, 2004
[ananova.com]
 

Renée Zellweger has fought back tears of joy as she accepted the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the Baftas.

Zellweger, who beat Emma Thompson and Holly Hunter to pick up the gong, was given the accolade for her role as a farmhand in American Civil War epic Cold Mountain.

She appeared emotional when she walked on stage saying: "My heart, I'm sorry."

She has just finished filming the Bridget Jones sequel and said of her win: "I'm completely surprised, my head has been in Bridget Jones and I woke up this morning and remembered 'oh, today's the day', this is completely unexpected and a massive honor. To be recognized by the Bafta Academy is a big thing."

The 34-year-old actress looked curvy in her black strapless Carolina Herrera dress, having piled on the pounds to play Bridget.

She now plans to throw herself into an exercise regime to shift the weight and get back to her normal size 6 figure. "It's not so much for the physical transformation but just because I enjoy being more active and I haven't been permitted for quite a long time," she said.

She thanked the crew "especially Jude (Law) and Nicole (Kidman). It was a privilege to work alongside you."

She said of the film's British director Anthony Minghella: "I have admired you for so long. I was beside myself when you called and invited me to be part of this experience with you. Thank you for all that you taught me and continue to teach me. It was truly an honor to be in your beautiful film."

Host of stars set for Orange Baftas
Friday 13th February 2004
[www.ananova.com]

A host of stars are set to attend The Orange British Academy Film Awards in London on Sunday night.

Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen and director Peter Jackson are among the celebrities who will be at the awards in Leicester Square.

Love Actually writer and Director Richard Curtis will also be at the awards where he'll be joined by two of the stars of the film - Emma Thompson and Bill Nighy.

Also attending the event at the Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square will be Paul Bettany, Benicio Del Torro, Jude Law and double nominee Scarlett Johansson.

Renee Zellweger, nominated in the Best Supporting Actress role for Cold Mountain, is also due to attend. Uma Thurman, Tim Burton and Holly Hunter are also confirmed for the awards ceremony.

The Orange British Academy Film Awards, which is being hosted by Stephen Fry, will be shown on BBC1 at 9pm.

Revlon's 2004 5k Run/Walk for Women
February 12, 2004
reneesfansite.com

New York - The annual 5k run/walk event that Ms. Zellweger co-hosted for the last two years will, once again, take place in New York City's Times Square on May 1st, 2004.  Detailed information is available at the official website www.revlonrunwalk.com.

We remain hopeful that Renée will be able to join us again this year.

reneesfansite.com is fielding the "RZ team" as we did last year. If you can be in the New York area on May 1st, you are welcome to join our team and walk, run and spend the morning with us. A dedicated page will be posted on this site to honor those who join us and help fight for the cure!  You can also support our team with a donation!

About the event and the RZ team

Zellweger says audiences want top roles for women
Sun 8 February, 2004 20:02
By Erik Kirschbaum

BERLIN (Reuters) - Renee Zellweger says she believes there's a simple reason films are featuring more strong women characters -- it's what audiences want.

"People making films are recognizing there is value in portraying female characters that way, audiences are interested and there's a market for those sorts of films," the American actress told Reuters in an interview on Sunday.

"They are beautiful stories. I think things are definitely changing."

Zellweger, who won a best supporting actress Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for a brilliant performance in "Cold Mountain", said she and its star Nicole Kidman had become friends while working in Romania on the film they dominate.

The film, which also stars Jude Law, opened the Berlin Film Festival on Thursday. Zellweger plays a tough-minded mountain farm girl who befriends Kidman.

Zellweger, 34, is currently filming the second Bridget Jones film and said she sometimes wonders what the long-term impact of gaining some 20 pounds (about 10 kg) for the leading character will have on her health.

"You have to be careful. It's a pretty dramatic change. It definitely has its effects. Hopefully the long-term ones will be minimal," she said.

"Hopefully the old beater in there is doing okay with all the cholesterol that I've been introducing into the system the last few months," she said, tapping her heart.

She said gaining weight and then going in the opposite direction to play a slim musical star in "Chicago" was all part of the job -- and women are no less dedicated than actors such as Robert De Niro, whose weight ballooned for "Raging Bull".

"You do what you think is necessary to authenticate an experience creatively," she said. "I've been able to play really interesting characters. It's just doing what the job requires."

Zellweger said she wasn't disappointed about not winning an Academy Award -- "Cold Mountain" is her third nomination. She said she and Kidman, who beat her in the Oscar race last year, were anything but rivals and grew close on the set.

"We were fast friends," Zellweger said. "It's an interesting way to get to know somebody. We weren't having cocktails or going to a party. We were meeting up at the barn to shovel manure. It was a really isolated part of the world.

"It was an intellectual exchange. It was a creative exchange. And it's very rewarding. I enjoyed it. I care about her and count her as one of my friends."

Zellweger defended efforts to guard her private life.

"I have a hard time with red carpets and people shouting your name," she said. "I'm not so good at it. It's not that certain parts are not exciting and fun. But that's not why I do this job. I can't imagine my personal life holds any value to people who don't know me. I honestly can't see that it would."

Protests hold up Berlin opener
Feb. 06, 2004
hollywoodreporter.com

BERLIN -- The 54th Berlin International Film Festival got off to a raucous start Thursday when student protesters stormed the Berlinale Palast venue before the opening-night gala screening of "Cold Mountain."

This year's Berlin opener was a few watts short of the razzle-dazzle of last year's, when "Chicago" packed the red carpet with stars. "Mountain" director Anthony Minghella and cast members Philip Seymour Hoffman and Brendan Gleeson showed up for the event, but above-the-line talent Nicole Kidman, Jude Law and Renee Zellweger were unable to attend.

Who Wears the Pants?
Liz Smith
February 6, 2004

I DON'T WANT all those tabloid editors like Bonnie Fuller to worry [sic] that the marriage of Hollywood and what passes for "high fashion" will ever end. I notice that Wednesday morning, the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Philippe de Montebello, has invited the fashion press to breakfast to learn about the Costume Institute exhibit, "Dangerous Liaisons, Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century" coming in April. Asprey is underwriting, and this is the annual big Met fund-raiser that keeps the museum humming.

Get these honorary chairs - Jayne Wrightsman and Lord Jacob Rothschild. (They know everything about furniture of any century!) Add Anna Wintour and movie star Renée Zellweger as co-chairs, with help from such financiers as Lawrence S. Stroll, Silas Chou and Edgar Bronfman Jr.

And if Renée weren't star wattage enough, last but not least - Jude Law is chairman of the after-dinner dance. Can Jude dance? Is Mel Gibson Catholic?

Cold Mountain Soundtrack now available on this site.
 

The soundtrack to the film Cold Mountain arrived in stores Tuesday Dec. 16, featuring two new songs from Alison Krauss. Known for helming the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, T Bone Burnett produced the project, which also includes new music from Norah Jones, James Taylor and the White Stripes' Jack White. The film Cold Mountain, starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger, was released nationally on Dec. 25. You can purchase your copy of the soundtrack here and save though our affiliation with amazon.com.

Bridget Jones Picture of the day

reneesfansite.com continues to post a rare new picture from the set of "Bridget Jones' Diary : The Edge of Reason" every day. Please visit, view or download as you please.

Link: Bridget Jones' Picture of the Day

email: Phoenix