San Francisco director Phil Kaufman and stars Geoffrey Rush and Kate Winslet traveled to the Berlin Film Festival to showcase "Quills." At a post- screening party, many of the male guests, including a 7-foot transvestite, came dressed as the Marquis de Sade. But not Rush -- he had his fill of powdered wigs, ruffles and brocade suits making the film. His Oscar nomination could result in wider distribution for this deserves-to-be-seen picture.

E! News Daily aired a clip of Kate kissing Geoffrey Rush at the Quills press conference in Berlin last Saturday!

After viewing the tape more than once, it is unclear exactly what she did, as she turned her back to the cameras. It was an entertaining moment, though!

Kate introduced tonight's program by saying (in an American accent), 'It's E Entertainment!'

More captures (thumbnail links to larger pics!) are posted on the 'Quills At Berlin FF' page.

Early this year there was an incredible kerfuffle over the actress Kate Winslet, who told the Radio Times that she wanted to lose a few pounds after she'd had a baby. Her fairly innocuous - but oddly newsworthy - statement was greeted with horror by the press, some of whom took the stand that Ms Winslet was just promoting anorexia with her loose talk. After about 10 days of exhaustive discussion, the many columnists who involved themselves in this issue appeared to decide by majority that Ms Winslet was 'letting people down' by fussing about her weight. They of course, were not doing the same by also fussing about her weight.

All this was even more perplexing since the press had just been full of fulsome praise for Madonna and her sleek appearance at a concert three months after giving birth, and pictures of Catherine Zeta Jones, slender in a corset, at the same post-partum stage. The difference can only be that Madonna and Ms Zeta Jones are considered iconic, and therefore expected to represent a superwoman, while Ms Winslet is more girl-next-door and therefore charged with making us feel better about last night's binge.

[T]he dichotomies between seeming aspiration and extra poundage are similar. It is quite a phenomenon, this one in which an economically booming population grows more and more decadently unfit, while at the same time adoring and financially rewarding a god-like group of thin or healthy types. One can't help feeling that the mind as well as the body, and the body politic as well as the department of health, must be a little less than tip-top for such a state of affairs to develop.

The story of de Sade and his thirst for infringement attracted the director Philip Kaufman. 'Quills' comments upon the world of writing, the non-existence of God, the urgency of artistic creation and the rapture, which for the divine Marquis can only be conceived sexually.

Interviewer: 'Can acting be a constant erection?'

Kate Winslet: 'Acting for me is something that I absolutely love… um … And, yeah, you know, when… when it's really exciting and the acting is the best, it can be completely fantastic!'

Geoffrey Rush: 'It's never happened to me at all on stage. I've never felt that good. But it's not a bad analogy. On a good day, if you lose yourself in a creative play, it's as good as sex.'

"Poor Leonardo - Kate Winslet Doesn't Like Acting in Love Scenes"

The actress Kate Winslet doesn't appreciate having to shoot love scenes in which the audience must believe that a devastating passion overcomes you. Indeed, the actress has revealed it's not an exercise that she is mad about. She finds it very embarrassing and very tiring. Was she wanting to say that the love scene with Leo DiCaprio in 'Titanic' had an effect on her as freezing as an iceberg? Leo's fans won't be happy. A myth collapses again.

The pen of scandal, a hymn to freedom and infringement against all kinds of censorship. The title of the film is 'The Pen of Scandal,' 'Quills' in the USA, directed by Philip Kaufman. It aroused a lot of discussion. We have seen it in Berlin. The film tells the story of the Marquis de Sade. This theme was often dealt with by famous directors such as Pasolini and Bunuel. This de Sade is rich, greatly ironic. The film stars Geoffrey Rush, Michael Caine and Kate Winslet, who is a chambermaid captivated by the complex personality of de Sade. A role very far removed from 'Titanic', we asked Kate Winslet, now a young mother. 'That's right. I liked the research,' she admits. 'Playing this character was fascinating. Today de Sade is no longer a taboo but a discovery. The complex universe of the Marquis de Sade is revealed by the pleasure of the imagination. And this is no more forbidden now than it was a long time ago.'

You remind her of 'Titanic' with DiCaprio. She is Kate Winslet, very far removed from her romantic character. Winslet is the literary accomplice of the Marquis de Sade in the film 'The Pen of Scandal' by Philip Kaufman. This latest contribution on celluloid has aroused a lot of controversy in the USA because of the controversial and censored person [de Sade]. 'The Pen of Scandal' is one of the surprises shown at the Berlin Film Festival. 'It's without any doubt,' says the beautiful Kate Winslet, 'one of the most difficult and funny movies that I have played in. To read de Sade today confirms the incredible modernism of an author who had discovered ahead of his time the irony of infringement.' The scandal performed by Geoffrey Rush and Michael Caine was defined by the American critics as funny, tender, intriguing, subversive, strange. 'Certainly more of an education, at least in this version, than a lot of the stories offered on screen today,' concludes the pretty actress. 'De Sade is a powerful, unconventional person who transcends time.'

Kate is featured in two sections of the Feb 16 issue of OK! Magazine:

1) Top Twenty Celebrity Valentines - Kate and Jim are the #9 couple.

2) The 'OK! News In Focus' section has two of the great photos we've seen of Kate and Mia at the airport the end of January, along with a cute, brief article.

…Other specialty pics will get some theatrical bang from various Oscar noms… "We're anticipating a significant bounce so we're going up to about 200 runs," Fox Searchlight distrib prexy Steve Giulula said of 'Quills'. The Marquis de Sade biopic hit a previous platformed peak of 223 screens over the Christmas holidays.

"Hybrid Intermedia Swims With Sharks"

London - Intermedia is walking the high wire between Frankfurt and Beverly Hills without a net. The company is on a mission to justify its $1 billion valuation on Germany's Neuer Markt by transforming itself into a new kind of Hollywood player... With up to nine pics shooting in the first half of 2001, at a combined budget of $400 million, Intermedia's output is right up there with the most prolific of the majors... It is also investing in the producing talents of several actors, including Nicholas Cage, Sean Connery, Kate Winslet, Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon... "The business plan of our company is contingent on our producers actually producing, and doing it well," Intermedia head of production Basil Iwanyk.

The risks are evident from Michael Apted's 'Enigma' a $20 million-plus Brit period movie which, despite some good reviews, got the thumbs-down from US buyers after its Sundance premiere... "I don't think the independent distributors trust them [Intermedia]," says one Euro distrib. "Their long-term plan is to set up the company in such a way that they can get their money out and move on. As a distributor you want to deal with people who have got their eye on the ball, who care about box office, as well as presales."

"Oscar Nominations 'Good News' For British Awards"

The head of Bafta believes this year's Oscar nominations will bring added attention to the Orange British Academy Film Awards. Simon Relph said they showed it was still very much a level playing field. Sir Elton John, Kate Winslet and Goldie Hawn have been confirmed as attending the awards in London on February 25. "With categories so wide open even more attention will be focused on next Sunday's Orange British Academy Film Awards," said Mr Relph. "A notable exception from the Oscars' Best Film and Best Actor categories is British film Billy Elliot. Billy Elliot figures prominently in the Orange British Academy Film Award nominations, including both Best Actor and Best Film, whilst only being nominated for a Best Director Oscar."

Thanks to Morgan for emailing me the tip on this photo! I scanned it from the February 20 issue of the National Enquirer.

Though they can be counted on the fingers of one hand, there are some solid, long-lasting partnerships - Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward together for nearly 40 years, Mel Gibson, married for 21 years and father of seven children to wife Robyn. So celebrity life-long love is possible - even if unusual. And, happily, what successful celebrity relationships get right is just what we ordinary people also get right when we make love work. They take their time to make the right choice - Rene Russo isn't sleeping with her fiance Dan Gilroy before the wedding because, according to Rene, "I wanted to make sure that if I was going to get married it wasn¹t going to be about sex." They give and take with each other - Kate Winslet has been quoted as saying of husband Jim Threapleton, "He completely accepts me for who I am." They learn how to work with each other - Uma Thurman and husband Ethan Hawke are working on a film together with Ethan directing his wife. She says, "He is great and so inspiring to work with... it's a perfect set-up - him, me and our daughter." So if you're looking to make the year until next Valentine's Day your best love year yet, copy these celebrities in making love work. And do your very best not to copy all the rest.

"For Some, Oscar Forgot to Pay a Visit," by Timothy M. Gray, Reuters

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - For many showbizzers, the road to Oscar is the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Every year, there is speculation about Oscar ''snubs.'' But somebody had to come in sixth place -- especially in the wide-open 2000 race… Some of the most talked-about omissions on Tuesday were in the best film category, where ''Almost Famous,'' ''Billy Elliot,'' ''Cast Away'' ''Thirteen Days'' and ''Wonder Boys'' had often been mentioned. Other no-shows include directors Cameron Crowe (''Almost Famous,'' though he's up for original screenplay) and Lasse Hallstrom (''Chocolat''); actors Jamie Bell (''Billy Elliot''), Michael Douglas (''Wonder Boys'') and Sean Connery (''Finding Forrester''); actress Bjork (''Dancer in the Dark''); supporting thesps Bruce Greenwood (''Thirteen Days''); and supporting actress Kate Winslet (''Quills'').

…Other somewhat notable absences include Michael Douglas, for either his turn as the American drug czar in Traffic or as a Pittsburgh professor-writer struggling with writer's block in Wonder Boys; Kate Winslet as the Marquis de Sade's laundress Madeline [LeClerc], who smuggles his last writings out of an asylum in Quills; and Gillian Anderson, who early on had heavy buzz for her portrayal of an early 20th century New York socialite who loses everything when she is rumored to be the mistress of a wealthy man.

"Rush Returns Home to Oscar Nomination"

Being nominated for another best actor Academy Award has left Australia's Geoffrey Rush a touch nervous. Rush, who already has an Oscar for his role as pianist David Helfgott in 1997's Shine, garnered another nomination today for his portrayal of the Marquis de Sade in Quills. "It's a kind of exciting nervousness. Like the role itself," he said. "When you working with exciting people like Phil Kaufman, who's continually goading and teasing and playing and collaborating with you, and you're surrounded by Kate Winslet, Michael Caine and Joaquin Phoenix it sort of becomes enjoyable pain, enjoyable nerves." Rush said this year he felt he was representing not just himself but the entire cast and crew of Quills, who he described as a "very rare, sophisticated, complex, stylish piece of adult entertainment. There is probably a degree of disappointment (director) Phil Kaufman, who is one of the great, under-rated, unsung, most interesting American film makers, missed out on a nomination. So I'm up there representing him too," Rush said. Rush was flying back from the Berlin Film Festival when the nominations were released today. He learned of his nomination when met by journalists at Melbourne Airport at 6.30am (AEDT). "They said: 'Congratulations you've received an Oscar nomination' and I said: 'Oh, have I'," Mr Rush told AAP later today. "Then they said: "Do you feel inexplicable joy? I'd just spent 26 hours flying from Berlin that's not quite how you feel after that kind of travel, but it certainly was a good start to the day… It's a cliche to say 'It's an honour to be nominated' but it's the truth."

"We are tremendously proud of the extraordinary talent that came together to make 'Quills,' and pleased that the Academy has, once again, recognized the brilliance of Geoffrey Rush," said Searchlight President Peter Rice.

Martin Childs, nominated in Art Direction said, "Philip Kaufman, Doug Wright and the Marquis de Sade ganged up to make everyone on 'Quills' do stuff we didn't know we had in us. It is great to be recognized for it." Martin Childs received an Academy Award in 1998 for his Art Direction on "Shakespeare in Love" in which he collaborated with Jill Quertier.

Jill Quertier, nominated in Art Direction (Set Decorator), said "This is a particularly exciting nomination, because the last film I worked on was 'Shakespeare in Love' also in collaboration with the talented Martin Childs. So, I am thrilled to once again be part of a winning team and delighted to have worked with Martin whose sets continue to be so exciting and challenging."

Jacqueline West, nominated in Costume Design, said "To be nominated for an Academy Award, the heart of the best in the astonishing process of filmmaking, is an honor in itself that I will hold more dear than any other experience. I am so humbled for myself, and yet so proud of all the people from Fox Searchlight, the cast and crew, whose heartfelt effort went into the making of 'Quills.'"

Here's another report on Kate in Berlin, from 'People News':

Sir Anthony Hopkins and Kate Winslet, representing the films 'Hannibal' and 'Quills' respectively, said 'Ich bin ein Berliner' for the last time, as the city's film festival closed at the weekend. Notable absences included Ridley Scott, who attended his mother's funeral on Saturday, and Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julianne Moore and Johnny Depp, who all pleaded 'shooting commitments', which translates roughly as 'awful Teutonic winters do not tempt me away from my LA pool'. Kate Winslet received a career award, which seems a bit early in the day, and was accompanied by her husband, who is usually on babysitting duty.

This Friday, the UK version of the US celebrity fashion and beauty magazine [InStyle] goes on sale, hoping to carve out a niche in the already-crammed women's-magazine market... It is said that around 70 per cent of the UK version will be made up of stories imported from the US - the number of glossy, gorgeous, home-grown superstars with international kudos is limited, it seems. Candidates that might make the grade include Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant, who have all appeared in the US title - and are likely to open their front doors to InStyle alone.

"Sundance Films Still Searching For Distributors"

Despite the fact that 80 films were screened at the Sundance Film Festival last month, only eight filmmakers signed deals with one of the major indie distributors, Miramax, Fox Searchlight, Artisan Entertainment or Lions Gate, USA Today observed today (Monday). "Most films still out there are high quality, but they have questionable commercial quality," Mark Ordesky, president of Fine Line Features, told the newspaper. Several film makers are reportedly still plugging away, many of them dropping their prices in hopes of scoring any sort of distribution deal at all, according to the newspaper.

"Kate Winslet Kisses Geoffrey Rush!"

'If you read on page 25 that you have a tongue kiss with Kate Winslet, then you take on the role,' confessed Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush at the press conference. One sees that [kiss] on screen during the Marquis de Sade film 'Quills'. We got to see the genuine tongue kiss at the 'Quills' press conference. Because de Sade portrayer and Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush had hardly expressed it [the above quote], when Kate Winslet, who was sitting beside him, jumped up and gave to her colleague a juicy tongue kiss. This was very much to the joy of the journalists, who welcomed this presentation with applause.

Much more exciting was the tragic/comedy about the Marquis de Sade running outside competition with the title: 'Quills-Power of the Obsession.' The film by Philip Kaufman shows grandiose acting performances from Australian Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush and from 'Titanic' star Kate Winslet. Both actors were present at Berlinale and gave the festival gloss without false glamor.

"Foreign Born Actors Have Strike Loophole," By Josh Chetwynd and Andy Seiler

Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Hurley, Geoffrey Rush, don't grab those picket signs just yet. As the possibility of an actors' strike grows closer, foreign-born stars may have a loophole as big as Canada and Europe combined.

Actors and actresses who are not U.S. citizens could work in movies shot and financed outside the country during the strike, according to the Screen Actors Guild. (The SAG contract ends June 30.) Other stars who might qualify: Anthony Hopkins, Ewan McGregor, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Neve Campbell, Mike Myers, Patrick Stewart, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Jackie Chan, Rupert Everett, Chow Yun Fat, Judi Dench and Sean Connery.

The films not only must be purely foreign-financed and -filmed, but also can't have distribution deals with Hollywood until after the strike, says guild spokesman Gregg Krisman. As a result, budgets would be lean. "If these movies are 100% financed overseas, don't expect films budgeted much higher than $10 million," says entertainment consultant Rich Ingrassia of PricewaterhouseCoopers. "Nobody would want to take a risk much greater than that without U.S. distribution - or at least some U.S. money involved."

Marcia Gay Harden, who has won three different awards in this category for her portrayal of the abused wife of [Jackson] "Pollack," was curiously missing from the SAG selections; instead, SAG went with a less likely Oscar contender: Kate Winslet of "Quills." Otherwise, SAG's candidates seem ripe for Oscar's attention: Kate Hudson and Frances McDormand, both for "Almost Famous," and the effortless efforts of two British actresses working on reserve: Julie Walters in "Billy Elliott" and Judi Dench in "Chocolat." If there's any variation of this, it could be Catherine Zeta-Jones by virtue of 1) getting a lot of ink last year and 2) being part of "Traffic's" powerhouse ensemble. Left by the wayside: Elaine May in "Small Time Crooks," Laura Linney in "The House of Mirth," Frances McDormand in "Wonder Boys" and Lupe Ontiveros in "Chuck & Buck."

Shoo-ins: Frances McDormand ('Almost Famous', 'Wonder Boys'), Kate Hudson ('Almost Famous'), Catherine Zeta-Jones ('Traffic'). Possibles: Julie Walters ('Billy Elliot'), Zhang Zi Yi ('Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'), Erika Christensen ('Traffic').

Best Supporting Actress Possibilities: (1) Kate Hudson, Almost Famous (2) Ellen Burstyn, Requiem For A Dream (3) Julie Walters, Billy Elliot (4) Jennifer Ehle, Sunshine (5) Rosemary Harris, Sunshine (6) Catherine Zeta-Jones, Traffic (7) Kate Winslet, Quills (8) Judi Dench, Chocolat.

The nominees will be: Judi Dench, 'Chocolat'; Kate Hudson, 'Almost Famous'; Frances McDormand, 'Almost Famous'; Julie Waters, 'Billy Elliott'; Kate Winslet, 'Quills'. Actresses that could squeeze in: Marcia Gay Harden ('Pollock'), Catherine Zeta-Jones ('Traffic') and Laura Linney ('The House of Mirth').

Analysis: The worst category. Dench has become the new Glenda Jackson; she gets awarded for anything she does. The same goes for McDormand, the American Glenda Jackson. Winslet is good in her film but, more to the point, is also a past nominee. Which isn't a good reason to nominate her again. The best of the batch is Waters for 'Billy Elliott,' but I'm afraid this category is owned by Hudson for just about ripping off her own mother (Goldie Hawn) with her performance in 'Almost Famous.' She also seems to be imitating her mother's career arc: 'Almost Famous' is Hudson's 'Cactus Flower.' Hollywood has a weakness for this kind of symmetry. But I prefer Tripplehorn or Linney - neither of whom stands a chance in this category.

"Rush Scores Brosnan Dance and Winslet Kiss"

BERLIN (Reuters) - Geoffrey Rush said on Sunday that kissing Kate Winslet in one film was a great experience but that nothing could beat the chance to dance with Pierce Brosnan. The Australian actor with two movies in the running for ''Golden Bear'' awards at the Berlin Film festival said on Sunday he hoped slow-dancing with Brosnan in a Panama gay bar was a move that would enhance his career.

Rush, a contender for an Academy Award nomination for his strong performance as French nobleman Marquis de Sade in ''Quills,'' joked at a news conference on Saturday evening that he decided to accept the part when he found out he would get to have a romantic encounter with ''Titanic'' star Winslet. ''I was reading the screenplay and got to page 25 where it said I would get to tongue-kiss Kate Winslet,'' Rush said as his co-star laughed. ''I said right then, okay, I'll sign.'' Winslet got up out of her chair and moved down the table to where Rush - who has already won an Oscar in 1997 for his portrayal of an eccentric pianist in ''Shine'' - was sitting and nearly knocked him to the ground with a deep kiss.

On Sunday, after the world premiere in Berlin of the film ''The Tailor of Panama'' Rush was asked why he agreed to the starring role alongside Brosnan, better known as James Bond. ''I was reading the screenplay and got to page 47, where it said I would get to dance with Pierce Brosnan,'' Rush deadpanned. ''And I thought my career is really on a roll now.''

Also, the protagonists and the director of 'Quills', the film based on the last years of the Marquis de Sade, was screened, starring Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix and Michael Caine. Philip Kaufman said, 'A script so incredibly written as this one needed the best actors in the world, so I am proud to have been able to work with these four.'

Pundits' Predictions Summary - Who'll Receive Nominations on Feb. 13:

[Most votes] Kate Hudson, Almost Famous; Frances McDormand, Almost Famous; Julie Walters, Billy Elliot; [Next] Judi Dench, Chocolat; Kate Winslet, Quills; [Runners-up] Marcia Gay Harden, Pollock; Elaine May, Small Time Crooks; Catherine Zeta-Jones, Traffic.