Keira Knightley, Jude Law up for European Film award

BBC NEWS
11 November, 2013



Keira Knightley, Jude Law and Naomi Watts are among those nominated at this year's European Film Awards.

Knightley and Law are both being recognised for their leading roles in the screen adaptation of Anna Karenina.

Watts, who recently played Princess Diana, has been nominated for her role in tsunami film The Impossible.

Belgian film The Broken Circle Breakdown is leading the field with five nominations including best film and best director.

Paolo Sorrentino's La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty), which has been selected as the Italian entry for the best foreign language film at the Oscars, has four nominations.

Other best film nominees include The Best Offer, Oh Boy!, Spanish/French fantasy film Blancanieves and French Coming of Age film La Vie D'Adele: Chapitres 1 & 2.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24896683

A Royal Christening in Britain Amid a Refrain of Coos

NEW YORK TIMES

By KATRIN BENNHOLD

Published: October 23, 2013

LONDON — Some spent the night in the English rain, huddling under tarpaulins and keeping warm with flasks of tea outside St. James’s Palace. It was all to secure a good view of Prince George of Cambridge on his christening day Wednesday. The prince had not been seen in public since he was born three months ago.

Apparently it was worth it. “Aww,” the crowd cooed loudly when the prince, third in line to the throne, arrived with his parents, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, the former Kate Middleton. The sun was out and the prince was dressed in a lace and satin replica of the christening gown made for the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria in 1841. “He looks like a girl,” one delighted onlooker commented.

A royal christening has perhaps a special significance in a country that has its own church. Ever since Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church and established a more accommodating version in 1534 so he could divorce and re-wed (several times), Britain’s royals have been the guardians of the Church of England.

Prince George, in other words, will not just be king one day, he will be defender of the faith and supreme governor of the Church of England.

The archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Justin Welby, baptized the prince, whose full name is George Alexander Louis, with water from the River Jordan in a 45-minute ceremony. Archbishop Welby said he hoped that the event would inspire more Britons to come back to church. In a video released on YouTube ahead of the service, he said Prince George would be joining two billion people around the world in the “family” of the church, adding that “the great good news is that God doesn’t care who we are.”

If tradition was on ample display in some ways, in others it was conspicuously absent.

READ MORE HERE:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/24/world/europe/royal-christening-draws-patient-crowds-in-london.html?_r=0


Prince George to wear replica of 172-year-old christening gown
http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2013073013840/prince-george-replica-christening-gown/

Prince William, Prince Charles, and the Queen all wore the same Honiton lace and white satin gown to mark their entrance into the Church of England. The christening of Prince Edward Albert of York (later King Edward VIII), pictured left in the arms of Queen Victoria, with the Duke of York (later King George V) and the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), demonstrates the incredible history behind the robe. On the right, Queen Elizabeth II is seen with her parents on her christening day in May 1926. Photo: © Getty Images

Princess Diana - The Diana Tapes

PRINCESS DIANA, TAPE #1

PRINCESS DIANA TAPE #2

PRINCESS DIANA TAPE #3

PRINCESS DIANA TAPE #4

PRINCESS DIANA TAPE #5

PRINCESS DIANA TAPE #6

TO SEE THE REST GO TO: http://www.youtube.com/user/mihilranathunga?feature=watch

Princess Diana movie is totally wrong about our romance says lover Dr Khan

EXPRESS
By: Giles SheldrickPublished: Mon, August 26, 2013

THE lover Princess Diana called “Mr Wonderful” last night panned a Hollywood film about their romance, dismissing it as “completely wrong”.

World-renowned cardiologist Hasnat Khan said he had been left sickened after watching a trailer for the blockbuster movie which is out later this year.

Dr Khan was Diana’s lover for two years before their relationship broke down shortly before her death alongside Dodi Fayed in 1997.

The film - simply called Diana - claims to chart her burgeoning romance with the heart surgeon.

But angry Dr Khan, 54, said: “I don’t see this movie doing at all well.

“It is based on gossip and Diana’s friends talking about a relationship that they didn’t know much about, and some of my relatives who didn’t know much about it either. It is based on hypotheses and gossip.”

The intensely-private surgeon shed fascinating new light on their brief relationship, saying the pair had discussed moving to his native Pakistan together.

He was left cold after seeing a still image of actors Naomi Watts and Naveen Andrews at the Harefield Hospital in Middlesex, where Dr Khan and Diana they first met.

He said: “I could tell immediately those were never our mannerisms at all, with my hands folded behind the back and all that.

“You could just tell from that picture that it is all just presumed about how we would behave with each other, and they have got it completely wrong.

“There wasn’t any hierarchy in our relationship. She wasn’t a princess and I wasn’t a doctor.

“We were friends, and normal people stand like friends with each other.

“That one still picture told me a lot about how they will portray things in the film and I can see it is wrong.”

 Single Dr Khan said the pair were so smitten with each other they talked about moving to Pakistan where he would set up a heart hospital and she would work with women’s charities.

Talking about the Princess’s early death he said: “There are a hundred could-have-beens.

“She could be living very happily and married and having more kids, with me or with someone else. It could have led in that direction.

“I try not to think about these things. I can’t change anything now.”

Every year, around the anniversary of his former lover’s death, Dr Khan retreats to Pakistan to escape reminders of the tragedy.

His relationship with Diana broke down just weeks before her death on August 31, 1997, with Dr Khan unable to commit to marriage and the intense media scrutiny leading the pair to call time.


READ MORE HERE:http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/424718/Princess-Diana-movie-is-totally-wrong-about-our-romance-says-lover-Dr-Khan

Princess Diana death: Scotland Yard studying new information

Princess Diana, pictured, Dodi Fayed and their chauffeur died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Photograph: Tim Rooke/Rex Features

THE GUARDIAN

Lin Jenkins

The Observer, Saturday 17 August 2013 16.39 EDT

The Metropolitan police are to assess new information about the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed in a road crash in Paris in 1997.

Scotland Yard did not elaborate on the information, or its source, but Sky News said it had come from the former parents-in-law of a former soldier and had been passed on by the Royal Military police.

The information, which is thought to include the allegation that the Princess of Wales, Fayed and their driver Henri Paul were killed by a member of the British military, will be assessed by officers from the Specialist Crime and Operations Command.

The force said in a statement on Saturday night that it was studying information into the deaths that it had recently received and was "assessing its relevance and credibility".

"This is not a reinvestigation and does not come under Operation Paget," it said, referring to the police investigation into previous allegations of murder, led by former Met police commissioner Lord Stevens, which reported back in December 2006. It rejected claims of murder and said Paul had been drinking and was driving too fast. Diana, Fayed and their chauffeur were killed when their car crashed in a road tunnel while being pursued by photographers, after the couple left the Ritz hotel on 31 August 1997.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/aug/17/princess-diana-death-police-information

Naomi "kept character" for Diana

INDEPENDENT WOMAN

DUBLIN

03 AUGUST, 2013

King Kong actress Naomi Watts was so determined to portray Diana, Princess of Wales accurately that she stayed in character even off camera, her co-star has revealed.

Canadian star Cas Anvar plays Diana's boyfriend Dodi Fayed in the movie about the last two years of her life and he has revealed that making the film was an intense experience.

 "I had heard about Naomi before, that she was part British and part Australian, and I was expecting a little bit of banter but she was so in character even when we weren't shooting.

"She was so poised and gracious and in control in the same way Diana was always in control. That was actually a very powerful energy as the other actor and it helped me interact with her."


READ MORE HERE: http://www.independent.ie/woman/celeb-news/naomi-kept-character-for-diana-29469988.html

‘Diana’ Trailer: Naomi Watts is the People’s Princess by Kofi Outlaw (SCREEN RANT)

Watts already has been nominated for two Oscars, but is definitely angling for a third with her new film Diana, a biopic memoir about the last two years of Princess Diana’s life, following her divorce from Prince Charles.  Watch the teaser trailer for the film above; the movie comes by way of German director Oliver Hirschbiegel (The Experiment) and acclaimed UK playwright-turned-screenwriter, Stephen Jeffreys.

Much like The Iron Lady Teaser Trailer, this teaser for Diana is meant to succinctly introduce Watts in the role of an icon – and it’s a strong match, if this footage is anything to judge by. Of course, unlike that initial Iron Lady trailer, this teaser does not go so far as to show any scenes of Watts actually speaking, which is sure to be a rather large hinging point for the millions of Diana fans out there, who will be scrutinizing every frame of this film.

.

READ MORE: http://screenrant.com/diana-trailer-2013-movie-naomi-watts/

Emily Blunt - Emily Blunt Linked To Princess Diana Role 18 March 2013 (CONTACT MUSIC)

Emily Blunt has been tipped to follow in the footsteps of Naomi Watts by playing Diana, Princess Of Wales in a new film.

The movie adaptation of Diana: Closely Guarded Secret is being developed by producer Stephen Evans, the brains behind 1994 royal drama The Madness of King George.

If Blunt signs on, it could reunite her with her Salmon Fishing in the Yemen co-star Ewan MCGregor, who is tipped for the role of bodyguard Ken Wharfe.

An insider tells Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, "I know Emily has read the script and she has said she likes it."

READ MORE: http://www.contactmusic.com/news/emily-blunt-linked-to-princess-diana-role_3561071

Old Footage of Princess Diana, crying at Princess Grace's funeral

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_y0HNisfhvA

Colin Firth, Helen Mirren: Colin Firth And Helen Mirren To Reprise British Monarch Roles In Separate Gigs (MOVIE LINE)

NEWSWIRE || BY: BRIAN BROOKS || SEPTEMBER 24, 2012 03:25 PM EDT


Colin Firth won an Oscar playing Britain's King George VI in the 2010 historical drama The King's Speech. And Dame Helen Mirren won her Academy Award playing the current U.K. monarch Queen Elizabeth II back in 2006 for her role in The Queen. Now both are set to wear their crowns again in two separate projects.

Firth played Elizabeth II's father, George VI in the Tom Hooper-directed feature about the WWII-era king who ascended the throne after his more dashing older brother abdicated in order to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson in a scandal that rocked the British Empire even as the clouds of war gathered in Europe. Also starring Helena Bonham Carter as his wife, Elizabeth, the film focused on the shy George VI, known to relatives and close friends as Bertie, who overcame a severe speech impediment to help lead his country to face the Nazi threat.


Mirren, meanwhile, will take on the role of George VI's heir, Queen Elizabeth II in a new stage play written by The Queen author Peter Morgan, according to The Guardian. Stephen Daldry will direct The Audience, which will explore her confidential meetings with her long line of British Prime Ministers from her first as a young Queen, Winston Churchill, to the current office holder, David Cameron. In The Queen, she meets with '90s-era P.M. Tony Blair (played by Michael Sheen) around the time of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales capturing a period of great tumult for the British royal family.

Read More at: http://movieline.com/2012/09/24/colin-firth-helen-mirren/

Naomi Watts stars as the British princess whose death in a Paris car crash made headlines around the world in 1997. (THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

LONDON -- The buzz biopic of British icon Princess Diana, starring Naomi Watts as the lady in question, has a new name.


Oliver Hirschbiegel's big-screen portrait, originally touted to buyers during Berlin and then Cannes this year as Caught in Flight, has been retitled as simply Diana.

Shooting on the film produced by U.K. production company Ecosse Films is under way, with Watts starring alongside Naveen Andrews, Douglas Hodge and Juliet Stevenson.



http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/princess-diana-biopic-caught-flight-345555

Naomi Watts takes on Princess Diana's most iconic look in plunging dress and jewels in first official shot from new movie By MIKE LARKIN PUBLISHED: 23:32 EST, 3 July 2012 | UPDATED: 08:49 EST, 4 July 2012 (MAIL ON LINE)

With her blonde hair perfectly coiffed, a jewelled choker sitting around her neck and a plunging black dress highlighting her slim frame, there is certainly no confusion about which role Naomi Watts is taking in on her new movie.

In the first official picture from the upcoming movie about Princess Diana, Naomi takes on what was arguably the late princess' trademark look.

The official shot has emerged after it was announced that the movie, previously reported to be called Caught In Flight, will go by the title of just Diana.


Yesterday, Naomi was seen wearing one of Diana's most iconic outfits as she sported the plunging dress and jewels to film a dinner party scene for the movie in Croatia.

Naomi was locked in conversation at the recreation of a black tie event attended by the then troubled royal.
She appears to be completely flinging herself into the role after initially feeling apprehensive about taking the part.

However, it seems the chance to work with German director Oliver Hirschbiegel, who is famous for his portrayal of the last days of Hitler in his bunker in Downfall, was too good to turn down.

The acclaimed filmmaker said that Naomi is ‘a truly exceptional actress’ who embodies ‘the warmth, humanity and empathy’ of the ‘global icon’ Princess Diana.


Read more:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2168529/Naomi-Watts-wears-Princesss-trademark-plunging-black-evening-dress-films-Caught-In-Flight.html

Prince William Turns 30: Duke Of Cambridge, Second In Line To British Throne, Celebrates Birthday (VIDEO) (HUFF POST)

LONDON -- The man who once was among the world's most eligible bachelors has turned 30 – but things are not so bad for Prince William as he celebrates his birthday with family and friends.

Palace officials say William will mark the milestone in private with his wife, the former Kate Middleton, and perhaps some close friends. They say a low key celebration is planned.

William has been pursuing a military career as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot while easing into married life and taking on more royal duties. He is stationed at an air base in north Wales and was recently on a temporary deployment in the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic.

He and his wife have made a number of public appearances in recent weeks, often representing his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, at events to mark her 60 years on the throne, a year-long celebration called the Diamond Jubilee.

He has seemed increasingly comfortable in public, escorting his wife, formally known as the Duchess of Cambridge, to high society soirees and "meet and greet" events.




READ MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/21/prince-william-birthday_n_1614693.html

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY'S PRIVATE SHOW FOR PRINCESS DIANAThursday May 10,2012 By Lizzie Catt with Lisa Higgins and Jack Teague (EXPRESS.CO.UK)

HUNDREDS of millions will watch him perform at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace next month. But Day & Night can exclusively reveal that Sir Paul McCartney once gave a unique royal command performance for a very exclusive audience made up of Diana, Princess of Wales and her two sons.

The secret gig took place in January 1993. Macca, then 50, was filming the video for his single Biker Like An Icon at Pinewood Studios. Midway through the shoot the security team were told that an unexpected VIP was outside the set asking to come in. 

“We said it was strictly no visitors until we were told, ‘Yeah but it’s Princess Diana,'” Sir Paul’s former spokesman Geoff Baker tells Day & Night. “The Princess entered the set holding the hands of the two princes.” 

And it was Princes William and Harry – then aged 10 and eight respectively – who inspired the impromptu performance that followed.

READ MORE:  http://www.express.co.uk/features/view/319130/Sir-Paul-McCartney-s-private-show-for-Diana

How did Kate’s first royal year compare to Diana’s? One year into Kate and William's marriage, a look at how the two women forged their paths By Rachel Elbaum TODAY.com contributor updated 4/27/2012 3:55:35 PM ET

Separated by a generation, Diana, Princess of Wales, and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, have traveled many of the same paths and faced many of the same challenges.

And even without Diana’s engagement ring on her finger, Kate would inevitably have faced comparisons to her mother in-law. But they share as many differences as they do similarities. “It is almost unfair to compare the two women because of the different roles that they are playing in the royal family,” said Marlene Eilers Koenig, author of “Queen Victoria’s Descendants” and writer of the blog Royal Musings.

“Not only was Diana marrying a man, she was marrying a country. The pressure on Catherine is very different because she is not the wife of the heir to the throne, which comes with its own set of responsibilities.”

After Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles in July 1981, she was given little time to settle down and get used to her new role. Royal duties and appearances piled up immediately. And with little training, the new princess was ill-prepared for the frenzy that awaited her. She made her public speaking debut in October, three months after her wedding. The speech, given at Cardiff City Hall, was written by others and included a few sentences in Welsh. Prince Charles was there.

Kate’s podium debut in March revealed a poised and confident woman : The speech was short, and she wrote it herself. She delivered it solo, as William was deployed in the Falklands, and barely wavered. And though both women wore blue, that's where the similarities ended.


READ MORE:  http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/47186958/ns/today-today_news/#.T5yc9atSTiY

Keira Knightley: Naomi Watts sees off competition and wins the role of Diana, Princess of Wales (Star Plus)

Naomi Watts Beats Out Keira Knightley And Jessica Chastain For Princess Diana Role

Actress Naomi Watts has seen off competition from Keira Knightley and Jessica Chastain to land the role of Princess Diana in a new biopic. Watts will be transformed into Diana, Princess of Wales in filmmaker Oliver Hirschbiegel's upcoming drama Caught In Flight. The film will tell the story of the late royal's personal search for happiness during the last two years of her life before she died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

She says, "(It's) an honor to be able to play this iconic role - Princess Diana was loved across the world, and I look forward to rising to the challenge of playing her on screen."


Read further:  http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2012/02/09/naomi_watts_beats_out_keira_knightley_

Naomi Watts will play Princess Diana in "Caught in Flight (contact music)

Naomi Watts - Naomi Watts Playing Princess Diana In Biopic About Her Last Days

10 February 2012 12:29

Actress Naomi Watts is set to play Princess Diana in the upcoming biopic Caught In Flight. The Mullholland Dr. star is said to have taken over the role of the princess from The Tree of Life actress Jessica Chastain, who pulled out for unknown reasons.

Caught In Flight will be directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, who directed the Oscar nominated 2004 film Downfall, about Hitler's last days. Caught In Flight will also follow a similar theme to Downfall; it is said to be about the last two years of Princess Diana's life, from her failed marriage to Prince Charles to her work as a humanitarian. According to Reuters, the initial plot is much different to the original idea, which was to focus on a secret affair between 'the people's princess' and heart surgeon Dr. Hasnat Kahn.

Read further:  http://www.contactmusic.com/news/naomi-watts-playing-princess-diana-in-biopic-about-her-last-days_1293530

COMING TO THE BIG SCREEN ...£30MILLION DIANA MOVIE (Express)

Princess Diana

Monday February 6,2012

A BIG-BUDGET movie about Princess Diana is being planned by a Bafta-winning British filmmaker.

Hollywood actresses linked to the star role in to the £30million project include Charlize Theron, 36, and Oscar-nominee Carey Mulligan, 26.



The plot will focus on the years leading up to Diana’s 1996 divorce from Prince Charles – but will not include her relationship with Dodi Fayed or her tragic death in a high- speed Paris car crash.

Read more:  http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/300317/Coming-to-the-big-screen-30million-Diana-movie

A big movie is being planned on the life of Lady Diana (Daily Mail)

Princess Diana is set to be played by a leading Hollywood actress in a £30million movie based on the years before her divorce from Prince Charles.

Oscar-winning South African actress Charlize Theron, 36, and Carey Mulligan, the 26-year-old English star of An Education, are both being tipped for the lead role.

British film producer Stephen Evans, who has scored success with The Iron Lady about former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher, is basing the film on Diana's bodyguard's memoirs.

Evans said he wanted to show the world the truth behind what happened to Diana, who would have turned 51 this year, before her 1996 split from her husband.

It will be told partially from the point of view of Ken Wharfe, who could be played by Ewan McGregor, 40.

Wharfe was trusted to look after her sons Princes William and Harry, who called him 'Uncle Ken', and released a controversial book called 'Diana: Closely Guarded Secret' in 2007.

The acclaimed producer, who has been working with the late princess’s private secretary Commander Patrick Jephson on the film, would not reveal who is favourite to play the lead roles.

 

He said: 'It’s a slightly closed book until we get her. We are ¬looking at one or two relatively unknowns we think could play Diana well, and also one or two very famous people.

'How do you know when you’ve found the right person? When you’ve made the movie. You see, that’s the risk.'

His film could be the third Diana biopic to come out in the next two years.

Keira Knightley, 26, and Scarlett Johansson, 27, are rumoured to star in a Pathé film called Diana, while rising American actress Jessica Chastain, 30, is set to star in Caught in Flight.

That film will focus on Diana’s relationship with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan.

Evans told the Sunday Mirror that the film, due for release in 2013, deals with the 11 years of her life 'just after' she gave birth to Harry.


Read more:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2096741/Princess-Diana-movie-Hollywood-blockbuster-divorce-Charles.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Golden Globe Nominee and 'Downton Abbey' Star Elizabeth McGovern Wears Princess Di Favorite (The Hollywood Reporter)

The actress wore one of Jacques Azagury's amazing brocade creations to the BAFTA tea on Saturday -- and she'll wear one of his couture crafted gowns to the Golden Globes, too.     
 

7:38 PM PST 1/14/2012 by Merle Ginsberg        

 

 

 

 

Getty Images

T
he Hollywood Reporter attended this year's BAFTA tea, a tradition held every year the Saturday before the Golden Globes, at the Four Seasons Hotel. And it had quite an amazing turnout, including Leo DiCaprio, Charlize Theron, Michelle Williams, Viola Davis, Meryl Streep and the cast of The Artist. But what stood out most to us in a room filled with the heaviest heavy hitters was the violet dress Downton Abbey's Elizabeth McGovern was wearing, by couturier Jacques Azagury.

PHOTOS: Golden Globe Awards: The Nominees

We found it on the London-based designer's website. It's part of his fall 2011 collection. It has a fitted bodice in a brocade fabric like none we've ever seen before. It's purple on purple. The waist is tight and the skirt on the dress was very full, a very 1947 "New Look" kind of shape, with a lot of drama. It suits McGovern's role on PBS' most popular series.

"He's a real artist," McGovern told THR. "And a very sweet man. I met him in London -- and I'll be wearing one of his dresses to the Golden Globes as well."

This should be a real boost to Azagury's profile, but then, he already dresses Helen Mirren, and his most famous frequent client of all was Princess Diana. His favorite looks that he designed for her are in a special section on his website. Now, how do we get a hold of one of these dresses? They're like art, and we can't believe no star has worn him on a red carpet repeatedly.



http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/fash-track/golden-globes-downton-abbey-elizabeth-mcgovern-281922