Mirren, Bates, share life lessons

Kidman, Woodley feted at InStyle event

LOS ANGELES, Oct 25, (AP): Lupita Nyong’o, Helen Mirren and Kathy Bates shared life lessons with three generations of actresses at Elle magazine’s Women in Hollywood awards.

Nyong’o discussed the value of mentoring. Bates highlighted the importance of humility. Mirren imparted general life tips such as “at the blackjack table, always split aces, eights and nines,” and “ignore anyone who judges the way you look.” She also vowed to become “the nastiest of all nasty women.”

The three Oscar winners were recognized alongside Amy Adams, Felicity Jones, Anna Kendrick, Aja Naomi King and Kristen Stewart on Monday at the magazine’s 23rd annual celebration of women’s creative contributions in Hollywood. The honorees each appear on the cover of Elle’s November issue.

“In a million years, I wouldn’t have dreamed that I would be on the cover of a fashion magazine,” Bates said. “Ace Hardware, maybe.”

The 68-year-old actress told a story about the days after she won her Oscar for 1990’s “Misery.” The studio sent a limo instead of a town car. Fans on the street asked for her autograph. A bodyguard insisted he accompany her when she took her little dog for a walk to “do his business.”

Bates said she was mortified when she realized she didn’t have anything with her to pick up after the dog. She used a discarded piece of paper she found on the ground ó one with her autograph on it.

“It’s been a wonderful night of patting ourselves on the back, and it’s great, we need to do that,” Bates said. “But humility also goes a long way.”

Mirren said the Elle honor inspires her to do more.

“I don’t look at this truly meaningful award as a recognition of what I’ve

and “Zero Dark Thirty.” Chastain’s odds could have improved after Paramount revealed that Viola Davis will campaign in the best supporting actress category. The lead actress race is tight, with Natalie Portman (“Jackie”), Emma Stone (“La been fortunate enough to accomplish in the past,” she said, “but as a reminder to step up my game in the future.”

Nyong’o was introduced by her former mentor, director Mira Nair, and the actress talked about the experience of becoming a mentor herself.

Nyong’o worked as an intern for Nair in Africa more than 10 years ago. While starring in Nair’s latest film, “Queen of Katwe,” Nyong’o found herself guiding the young actors on set in Uganda ó particularly Madina Nalwanga, who plays the title character.

“I learned in the most intimate and personal way how powerfully we can affect young girls with our choices,” Nyong’o said.

She encouraged the women at the private dinner ceremony to “demonstrate a larger vision of self-worth to those we mentor and teach.”

“Show young women than building community is stronger than the individual instinct to survive,” Nyong’o said. “That it’s not even who gets what piece of the pie, but about creating the pies ourselves and then making more for those in need.”

Ben Affleck introduced Kendrick by calling her “pants-wettingly funny” and “one of the most relevant actors working today.” She praised her fellow honorees, even imitating Stewart, and noted that none of them are taller than 5 feet 6 inches tall.

“I know that because I Googled it,” she said.

Dakota Fanning introduced Stewart, calling her “one of my best friends in the world.”

The sprawling stone grounds of the Getty Center might have seemed an imposing space, but the second annual InStyle Awards held Monday night in

La Land”), and Annette Bening (“20th Century Women”) all expected to vie for attention. (RTRS)

LOS ANGELES:

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An English-language Los Angeles still had the feel of a cozy, albeit extremely glamorous, family reunion.

Everyone knew or had worked with someone else at the event honoring the red carpet style and industry image of the likes of Nicole Kidman, Tom Ford, Priyanka Chopra and Shailene Woodley.

Kidman, on site to accept the Style Icon award, was one of the first to arrive and quickly found a friend in fellow Australian Isla Fisher, who grabbed her by the hand and whisked her off of the red carpet to chat and giggle.

Keith Urban arrived later in the evening after he finished filming a segment for Jimmy Kimmel and bee-lined for Kidman, who had found a quiet spot on the bustling patio with Fisher and her “Big Little Lies” co-star Laura Dern. He waited patiently for the photographers snapping photos of the three women to pause before breaking in to give his wife a big hug.

While accepting her Style Icon award later in the evening, Kidman credited her mother for inspiring her interest in fashion, which, she said she took a break from for a few years. Recently, however, Kidman’s daughter implored her not to pick her up from school in jeans and sweatpants, and the spark came back.

“I started to invest in all of that again, and I’m so glad I did because I love it. Dressing and fashion and all of those things make you feel special,” she said.

Indeed, fashion took the center stage Monday, with Usher presenting a Breakthrough Style Star award to Priyanka Chopra, and Julianne Moore giving a Fashion Stylist honor to her longtime stylist Leslie Fremar (who, Moore said, once came to her home at 2 am to cut her out of a Balenciaga dress).

remake of Takashi Miike’s Japanese spy thriller “Shield of Straw” is in development, three years after the film was a finalist for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp is teaming with All Nippon Entertainment Works, Japanese partner Nippon Television, and Chris and Paul Weitz’s production company, Depth of Field, to develop, finance, and produce the remake.

The producer of the original work, Nippon TV’s Naoaki Kitazima, will produce the film with Depth of Field’s Chris Weitz, Andrew Miano, and Dan Balgoyen, alongside ANEW’s CEO Sandy Climan and EuropaCorp. (RTRS)

LOS ANGELES:

The Makoto Shinkai animation “Your Name” topped the Japanese box office for the ninth successive weekend. For the Oct 22-23 frame the Toho release made $4.56 million, boosting its cumulative total to $157 million. This makes it the 9th highest earning film ever released in Japan, foreign or domestic.

Highest ranking among new releases, at number two, was “Ushijima The Loan Shark The Final,” which earned $1.35 million admissions from 184 screens, with Toho releasing. The film is the fourth and presumably last installment in the series based on Shohei Manabe’s grittily realistic comic about people caught in various economic undertows. (RTRS)