Madonna's lucky star Andrea Riseborough shines bright at the Venice Film Festival

Andrea Riseborough was sitting on the terrace of the fabled Excelsior Hotel on the Venice Lido on Wednesday and nobody noticed.Twenty-four hours later, she was on the red carpet with Madonna, and this time the world sat up and paid attention.
Riseborough, who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, is a sensation in Madonna’s great love story W.E. about the romance between Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII.

A star is born: Actress Andrea Riseborough with W.E. writer and director Madonna

Andrea plays Mrs Simpson, who later became the Duchess of Windsor, and it’s one of those career-changing roles. I predict her days of being able to sit on the Excelsior terrace unrecognised are over.
Yet Riseborough’s success is due, in part, to a chameleon-like ability to transform herself that she has always possessed.
Watching an early screening of the film the other day I had the strangest sensation that I was seeing the real Mrs Simpson mixing cocktails. Andrea can crawl under the skin of the person she’s portraying.
And when she played the young Margaret Thatcher in The Long Walk To Finchley, she made us believe she was the real Iron Lady. It’s a rare gift.

Red carpet line-up: Madonna with her W.E cast at the film's premiere in Venice

Overnight sensation: Andrea Riseborough, pictured here with Madonna, became instantly recognisable after the film's screening

But filming W.E. sometimes left her feeling ‘heartbroken’.
‘I hadn’t realised how lonely Wallis Simpson was and how empty her life became when she was in exile with the Duke of Windsor,’ she told me on that empty terrace.
That comes through in Madonna’s film. All those pugs, those frocks, those gems, that mountain of embroidered linen, all those houses . .. they were substitutes.
She knew that was how it was going to be the moment the King told her he would abdicate. ‘I will have to be with him always and always and always,’ she wrote to her Aunt Bessie in a moment of pure despair.

Gowning glory: The two women adjust their show-stopping dresses as they take their place on the red carpet

Seeing the film a second time I felt that even the irritating modern-day parallel love story involving Abbie Cornish and Oscar Isaac works — most of the time — because of the passion of the actors and, it must be said, their director.
I still think that ten minutes could be carefully edited out and everyone would be happier.
But the score is superb. Abel Korzeniowski composed most of it with a couple of haunting piano pieces by Yann Tiersen.
And I think W.E. is likely to garner Andrea some best actress award heat — and possibly some awards interest for Madonna, too.
The film opens in the UK in January, but it will have a special gala at the BFI London Film Festival next month.

Yo-yo dieter Mischa Barton looks hot again

Mischa Barton has gained and lost weight several times since her successful run in The OC finished in 2006.But she's been looking like a vision of her former svelte self lately.
The 25-year-old showed off her flat stomach in a cropped white T-shirt and skinny blue jeans as she strolled the streets of Los Angeles.

Out and about: Mischa Barton showed off her toned stomach in a cropped white T-shirt but ordered a takeaway at a cafe in Los Angeles

But she may want to lay off the takeaways if she wants to keep her figure.
Mischa carried a plastic bag with a polystyrene carton inside and what looked like an iced drink.
Her skin looked flawless but her two-toned hair looked like it could do with some highlights as her dark roots showed through.

Mischa has copped a lot of flak over the years for having cellulite.
Several pictures show the starlet with dimpled thighs.
The smoker Mischa is not often seen without a packet of cigarettes which may provide a clue as to why the young actress should be blighted by the stubborn fat.

What now? Mischa has a handful of film projects coming up but has not enjoyed major success since The OC finished in 2006

The nasty habit is one of the reasons that can be attributed to the premature emergence of her cellulite.
Mischa claimed on set of photos of her in a bikini in Australia had been retouched.
Her rep said: 'Those photos are doctored. I'm not saying she's perfect, nobody is. But they've given a 22-year-old woman the legs and bottom of an 80-year-old.
'Look at the shots that were taken shortly before on a beach in L.A. Did she develop all that cellulite in a couple of weeks? There's a lot you can do with Photoshopping.'
Mischa was sporting a much fuller figure during the opening of the Harrods sale in 2009 but sources claimed her face had swelled because she had had a wisdom tooth removed.

Like a yo-yo: Mischa has gained and lost weight several times in the past few years since The OC finished in 2006. Seen here in 2007 and in 2009.

The look was a complete turnaround from her appearance earlier that year where she looked frail and gaunt after dropping from a healthy size 12 to a size 6-8.
Mischa, who has three small-budget movies coming up, has led a colourful life since The OC ended.
In 2008, she was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and possession of Cannabis after she was pulled over police in West Hollywood.
She told Ryan Seacrest's radio show the day after: 'I was pulled over... just that.
'Obviously, I’m 100 percent responsible for my actions in this case and I’m really disappointed in myself.
'I don’t know what to say about it, except that I’m not perfect and I just don’t ever intend to do something this stupid again.'
Mischa was sentenced to three years of unsupervised probation and the marijuana charge was dropped.
She was also ordered to complete a three-month alcohol-education class and pay a fine of $2,000.
Mischa had a short spell in a psychiatric hospital in 2009 after being sectioned under America's 5150 law.
It allows a psychiatrist to confine a person if they believe they are a danger to themselves and others.
Mischa explained: 'If they feel you are depressed or a danger to yourself they can hold you on a 5150.
'I am terrified of needles and they wanted to pump me full of drugs and I said, "No, absolutely not. I don't want to be here," and got into a fight with the nurses, and that led to my 5150.'

Pippa picks up a parking penalty again

Since she sashayed down the aisle at her sister's wedding, Pippa Middleton has become used to being the centre of attention.But yesterday the 27-year-old must have wished her antics were not so eye-catching - after she was spotted by a parking warden.
Pippa parked her convertible £40,000 BMW Z4 outside Scott's Restaurant in Mayfair while she attended a meeting. But when she returned, she found a ticket on the windscreen.

Fined: Pippa Middleton takes a parking ticket off her windscreen after she was spotted by a warden in London

It is not the first time Pippa - nicknamed Her Royal Hotness after her role as maid of honour at her sister Kate's wedding to Prince William in April - has had car trouble.
Just weeks ago, the same car was clamped near to her home in Chelsea.

 

There have been reports that Pippa is planning to upgrade the Z4 soft-top to an armoured car for protection.
Her millionaire parents Michael and Carole were said to want to buy Pippa a £95,000 bomb-proof Audi or BMW for her safety after she has been propelled into the spot light following the Royal Wedding.

Locked: The bailiff sets to work clamping Pippa's same flash BMW in posh Chelsea, where she lives, just weeks ago

It shall not be moved: Pippa's Z4 was clamped in Chelsea weeks after the Royal Wedding

Like her sister Kate, she has become a fashion idol with the clothes and accessories she wears flying off the shelves after she's pictured in them. So no doubt, hand bag makers Modalu were delighted she was carrying one of their bags, aptly named the 'Pippa', when she made her parking gaffe yesterday.
While her sister settles into a quiet married life on Anglesey, Pippa has been spotted enjoying nights out in the capital.
Last week, she partied with her boyfriend Alex Loudon at Public nightclub, favoured by young royals Prince Harry and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

That dress: Pippa became a household name when she sashayed down the aisle at her sister's wedding

New Lady Gaga Video: 1 September 2011, Strips Naked

Lady Gaga has ditched the crazy hair and make up - and pretty much everything else - in a series of newly released 'fashion films' that she made to coincide with her music video for her song, You And I.
In the first of the films, entitled Haus Of U featuring Nymph, the 25-year-old singer strips off to just a simple silk slip and poses raunchily shows off her tattoos as she poses lying on her back.
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Baring all: Lady Gaga leaves little to the imagination in pictures from her new music video collection for You And I

In the rest of the black and white shots, Gaga dances and poses like a ballerina, displaying her toned and lithe figure.

 

For once the singer is without her usual extreme make up and hair, instead opting for a natural and fresh faced look and wearing her hair long and flowing.
The ethereal clip is a direct reference to the music video itself, as the nymph character appeared in the video playing the piano in a field while Gaga's alter ego, Jo Calderone sat atop the instrument drinking whiskey. 

Stripped down: The singer looked unusually fresh faced in the natural looking shots

Vulnerable: She looked more natural that usual in a simple silk slip and barely there make-up

At the end of the clip, Gaga stands in front of the camera, holding her long hair piled on top of her head as colour streams onto the screen for the first time - blushing her cheeks pink and sending he hair a bright yellow.
The fashion film, as Gaga has named them, is the first of five she made at the same time as the music video for You And I and the remaining four will be released over the coming days.
Gaga has become known for her fashion creativity and innovation but not everyone agrees with he sense of style.
Famed New York Times fashion critic Cathy Horyn recently lashed out at the star in one of her columns.

Flex: The singer shows off her dancing prowess in several ballet poses

You and I: Gaga made a total of five videos for the single which she performed last week at the VMA's

'As funny and as fresh as Gaga was in her speech at the recent C.F.D.A. awards, she looked embalmed in the black Versace harness (apparently from Gianni Versace's final collection), and I don't know why Donatella Versace said she was honored by Gaga's selection...,' she wrote.
The writers candour prompted a response from the equally sharp tongued Gaga in the form of her own column written for V Magazine.
'Doesn’t the integrity of the critic become compromised when their writings are consistently plagued with negativity?' Gaga responded.
'When the public is no longer surprised or excited by the unpredictability of the writer, but rather has grown to expect the same cynicism from the same cynic?'
'In the age of the Internet, when collections and performances are so accessible to the public and anyone can post a review on Facebook or Twitter, shouldn’t columnists and reviewers, such as Cathy Horyn, employ a more modern and forward approach to criticism, one that separates them from the average individual at home on their laptop?'
'Why have we decided that one person’s opinion matters more than anyone else’s?'

Message to her fans: Gaga tweeted her excitement about the project

An American royal wedding? Bush and Lauren mix politics with fashion this weekend

First we had the royal wedding, then the other royal wedding, and then reality TV's royal wedding. Now comes a fourth royal wedding of sorts. This Sunday, David Lauren, son of legendary designer Ralph Lauren, and Lauren Bush, granddaughter of President George H.W. and niece of President George W., will join forces in holy matrimony.
The Labor Day weekend event, held at Ralph Lauren's Colorado ranch, will fuse the fashions of two of America's famed family dynasties. Think cowboy boots and American flags with a few diamonds sprinkled in.
Lauren, 27, met her 39-year-old fiance in 2004, when she was still a student at Princeton University. It was the classic tale of boy meets girl at a fashion gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Girl faces dilemma of taking boy's last name, which is the same as her first. After six years of courtship, David, a VP at his father's company, proposed to Lauren, a handbag designer and philanthropist, on the steps of the Met. She said yes and settled on being the future Mrs. Lauren Bush-Lauren.
The couple waited until after David's sister Dylan held her lavish wedding earlier this summer to steal the inevitable spotlight. This weekend, it's showtime. If you haven't received your embossed invitation yet, here's the wedding crasher version.
When: The ceremony and reception will take place on Sunday at the Telluride ranch. On Saturday, Ralph and Ricky Lauren will also host a rehearsal dinner, picnic, and softball game. On Monday, the guests will enjoy their own private rodeo. (A nod to a former Texas governor, perhaps?)
Where: The Double RL Ranch. You may have caught a glimpse of the sprawling 'rustic chic' digs on an episode of Oprah, or you may have spotted it on your DVD of 'True Grit'. Scenes from the classic Western were actually filmed there. The designer's 17,000-acre hideaway comes replete with teepees draped in American flags, an old West saloon and a scattering of log cabins equipped with Ralph Lauren linens. And that's just on an average day. Expect some unique designer flourishes throughout the property this weekend.
Dress code: Black tie with a "Western twist", according to Page Six. An exception however will be made for the bride, who plans to wear a gown designed by her future father-in-law and his 'assistant' Vera Wang. If it's anything like the bridal dress Lauren and Wang created for Dylan, it's bound to require several ladies-in-waiting to hold the train.
Guest list: 200 guests are expected to attend. Among them: the bride's parents, Neil Bush, and his ex-wife Sharon, along with her date, the Prince of Yugoslavia. Neil's brother George W. hasn't yet confirmed his attendance with press, but George Sr. and wife Barbara have made it known they won't be attending. The New York Post suggests the location's altitude may be one reason for the snub, though the Daily Mail points to the bitter, mud-slinging divorce between Lauren Bush's parents as another potential reason. Other possible guests this weekend include Rick and Kathy Hilton, writer Jay McInerny and designer Cynthia Rowley, all attendees at the Lauren-Bush engagement party earlier this month in the Hamptons. That affair, hosted by McInerny, had a strict all-white dress code. This weekend, friends and family will be rummaging for their denim and diamonds. Talk about a high-maintenance relationship.

Lady Gaga returns to The VMA 2011

The notoriously outrageous fashion icon has been spotted in some suspiciously 'normal' looking outfits in recent months.But when she turned up to the Atom Factory VMA Dinner on Friday, Lady Gaga allayed fears that her whacky style was gone for good.
Her ridiculously high platforms and incredibly low cut top suggested that the star might be gearing up for another show stealing appearance at this year's VMAs tonight.

Low-cut: Gaga's sky-high platforms are hardly news for the star, but it must have been awkward trying to hold everything else in place during Friday night's Atom Factory VMA Dinner

Gaga was in danger of baring all as she posed on the red carpet before the event.
The cut of her pillar box red jacket made it very clear that the singer hadn't bothered with a bra underneath, in fact the ensemble did little in providing any support and the singer was left looking a little deflated.

 

Paired with her shoes, which looked at least a foot high, this display might spark hope for some fans who have felt that her fashion choices haven't quite lived up to standard recently.

Happy to oblige: Gaga gave one lucky fan an autograph and an eyeful as she leaned over to sign their picture

And tonight's VMAs, where Gaga is due to perform, would provide the perfect setting for a return to her classic jaw-dropping flair.
She certainly has a tough act to top.
Last year Gaga dominated headlines after turning up in a dress (with matching handbag) made entirely from meat.
With the sartorial choice which polarised opinion worldwide, Gaga stole the show, and kept tongues wagging for weeks afterwards.

Baring all: Caught in a rare moment when the singer wasn't covering her chest with her arm it was evident just how much her jacket revealed

Understandably, the vegetarian contingent weren't impressed.
When chat show host Ellen DeGeneres, presented her with a 'veggie bikini' on Gaga insisted that she meant no disrespect to anyone that is vegan or vegetarian, and called herself 'the most judgment free human being on the earth.'

'However, it has many interpretations. For me this evening, if we don’t stand up for what we believe in and if we don’t fight for our rights pretty soon, we’re going to have as much rights as the meat on own bones. And, I am not a piece of meat,' she explained.

Last year: Gaga dominated headlines after she turned up to the 2010 VMAs wearing a now infamous dress made entirely from meat

Since then, Gaga made an equally controversial appearance at the Grammys earlier this year.
The singer turned up inside an egg, which she later 'hatched' from during her performance, as a symbolic interpretation of her song Born This Way.
Or perhaps Gaga's male alter-ego, Jo Calderone will make an appearance.

Born This Way: Gaga 'hatched' from an egg during her performance at February's Grammy Awards

Gaga revealed Jo in her latest video for the single You And I- a shockingly convincing male version of herself. Using this second identity, Gaga was able to play her own love interest in the video.
She'll certainly want to show the VMA competition that she still has what it takes to keep her Queen of Pop crown
Fellow nominee Adele should prove a tough rival for the Born This Way star.

Ladylike: In an unexpected change of pace, Gaga has been seen out looking gorgeous in some very sophisticated outfits recently

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Adele has been nominated for seven awards for the smash hit from her breakthrough effort, 'Rolling in the Deep', three more than Gaga, who is to open the awards.
Nevertheless, Gaga insists that she feels no bitterness towards the Someone Like You singer.
Talking to MTV news, Gaga said: 'She's a breath of fresh air and she's so exciting and her music is adding another dimension to radio that's so important.'

What's Gaga got in store for the VMAs? She recently unveiled her male alter-ego Jo Calderone in her You And I video- perhaps someone to look out for at the awards?

Stressing the point, she added: 'She's also a truly lovely person- which, to me, is always my favorite.'
Gaga is still leading the way in one respect however.
The star has been nominated for an entirely new award, entitled: Best Video With A Message, for her record breaking single Born This Way.

Competition: Adele's look may be worlds away from Lady Gaga's, but she will prove stiff competition at this year's VMAs, where she has been nominated for sevevn awards to Gaga's four.

Justin Bieber can't keep his hands off Selena Gomez as she presents at the MTV VMA 2011

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez are clearly done with the cloak and dagger antics from the start of their relationship.The cute couple are out and proud - maybe a little too much, judging by Bieber's PDA performance while his girlfriend was attempting to co-host a pre-show at the MTV Video Music Awards tonight.
Disney princess Gomez interviewed her boyfriend in the arrivals hall at the awards ceremony.

Cute couple: Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez appeared together at the MTV VMAs

And while Selena, 19, tried to act professional, Justin found it hard to keep a straight face - or his hands off his girlfriend.

 

The U Smile singer planted an unexpected kiss on Selena as she signed off from their interview.
A giggling Miss Gomez was a little taken aback as her 17-year-old beau continued to kiss her and nuzzle her neck in front of the live cameras and had to forcefully remove herself from his clutches.

Professional: Selena interviewed her boyfriend as part of her co-hosting gig for the VMA pre-show for MTV

Excuse me! As Selena signed off, Justin leaned in unexpectedly and planted a kiss on her

Before the surprise PDA, Selena was the picture of professionalism as an amused Justin answered her questions.
She grilled him on his outfit of red trousers, animal-print trainers and his accessory - a pet snake named Johnson.
'You're up for Best Male Video,' Gomez asked her popstar boyfriend. 'I wan to know -  you're up against Eminem and Bruno Mars, do you feel a little nervous at all?'

Stop! Selena dissolved into giggles as the singer refused to stop nuzzling her neck

That's enough: The Disney princess has to forcefully remove herself from her boyfriend's clutches on camera

'You know, I'm just excited to be in the category with such amazing people,' Bieber answered. 'I'm just happy to be here.'
Selena continued: 'Rumoured to be performing is Jay-Z and Kanye [West], and I know you like them both. Are you excited to see them perform?'
'Very excited,' Bieber replied. 'I heard that it was kind of a last minute thing, but I'm really excited.'

Hands on: Bieber also hugged Selena onstage as he accepted the award for Best Male Video

Bieber also admitted he was looking forward to Beyonce's performance just as much.
Selena let down her guard a little as she prepared to cross back to her co-host Sway, telling Justin: 'Thank you so much. Thank you for hanging out, babe.'
The overly affectionate display didn't appear to annoy Selena too much, as the pair enjoyed another cuddle onstage during the ceremony as Bieber accepted the award for Best Male video.

Star: Gomez arrived early to begin co-hosting duties for the VMA pre-show

Say hello to my little friend: Bieber brought along a pet snake named Johnson