Charlize Theron in daring dress split to the navel at Gotham Awards

Taking the plunge! Charlize Theron almost takes a tumble as she trips over stage light... in daring dress split to the navel at Gotham Awards

• The Tree of Life and Beginners shared the top prize for best feature film
• Academy Award winning actress Theron is honoured with a career award
• Oscar front-runner The Descendants starring George Clooney wins nothing

By Chris Johnson

Last updated at 7:38 AM on 29th November 2011

Falling out of her dress was the least of Charlize Theron's concerns as she arrived to an awards show in New York tonight.
Instead,the 36-year-old actress brought new meaning to the phrase 'tripping the light fantastic' as she stumbled over an erroneous stage lamp at the ever-so classy Cipriani Wall Street venue.
The South African beauty almost went south as she wandered around the grand building on her way to the red carpet at the Gotham Independent Film Awards, clad in a daring black and white dress split to the navel.

Scroll down for list of winners...

Whoops! Charlize Theron almost falls over after tripping over an erroneous stage lamp at the Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York tonight

Luckily, she was well fastened into her plunging outfit, which obediently stayed in place as she skipped and hopped over the obstruction.

Clearly the towering actress had failed to notice the light, which was set beneath one of the pillars inside the Greek-style building.

The Academy Award winning actress joined a plethora of stars at the event tonight - where she herself received a career award honour - and at which The Tree of Life and Beginners shared the top prize for best feature film.

Tripping the light fantastic: The actress managed to recover just in time, though, with her daring dress staying obediently in place

Who put that there? Charlize was revered for her grace... until tonight

After a spell away from the big screen - her last film being Astro Boy in 2009 - Theron will make her movie comeback with Young Adult, set for release next month.

It will see her play the role Mavis Gray, a writer of teen literature and one-time school bully who returns to her small hometown to recapture her youth.

Once there, she is set on a mission to reclaim her now happily married high school sweetheart, played by Patrick Wilson.

Not much on Theron: The 36-year-old actress slipped into a daring black and white dress split to the navel for the show, where she was honoured with a special tribute award

Walking tall: She teamed the look with a pair of towering gold shoes, which were clearly an effort to walk in

Theron with her mom: Charlize poses with her proud mother Gerda inside

Patton Oswalk also stars in the movie - and posed for photographs with Charlize tonight on the red carpet.

Charlize is also currently filming Snow White & The Huntsmen, playing the role of the Evil Queen. Twilight star Kristen Stewart is portraying the titular role.

The Gotham Awards is a key event for independent movies which also marks the start of the film-awards season culminating in the Oscars.

On stage: Theron regained her poise and posture for an appearance on stage with actors Patton Oswalt, one of her co-stars in her upcoming movie Young Adult

Heading out: Pictured here, left, leaving her New York hotel before the event and, right, earlier in the day clad in an orange jumpsuit

The honours for Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, a mystical period drama starring Brad Pitt, and the Christopher Plummer film Beginners, which stars Ewan McGregor as a man whose elderly father (Plummer) comes out of the closet, scored upset victories.
Alexander Payne's The Descendants, a well-reviewed Oscar front-runner which stars George Clooney in a family drama set in Hawaii, was nominated in three categories but won none.
Instead Beginners, directed by relative neophyte Mike Mills, also won best ensemble performance at the New York-based awards, co-hosted by Edie Falco and Oliver Platt.

Be my date: Gary Oldman, with wife Alexandra Edenborough, was honoured with a special tribute award - as was Theron, pictured right with co-star Oswalt

Legs on show: Executive Director of the Independent Feature Project, Joana Vicente, posing with quirky actress Tilda Swinton

Dressed to impress: Edie Falco, who starred in The Sopranos, was host for the night. Tilda wore a customary edgy design

Mills lauded his cast, singling out Plummer by saying there was 'no good reason for Christopher Plummer to believe in me. But he did.'
The best documentary honour went to Better This World, about two boyhood friends from Texas accused of attempting to bomb the 2008 Republican convention.
The Gotham Awards are held annually by the Independent Feature Project, a non-profit organization founded in 1979 that supports independent filmmaking.

Taking a turn: Actress Elizabeth Olsen glittered in a layered gold dress with a flesh-coloured underlay

Honoured: Felicity Jones took the prize for breakthrough actor for her role in Like Crazy, pictured on stage receiving the award from Melissa Leo

The awards provide a focus on the year's top independent movies heading into award season.
Felicity Jones took the prize for breakthrough actor for her work in Like Crazy, playing a British student separated from her American boyfriend after her visa expires.
Dee Rees won the breakthrough director award for her debut non-documentary feature, Pariah, about a New York City African-American teenager confronting her sexual identity.

Girlfriend won the audience award, while Scenes of a Crime, the story of a man appealing a life prison sentence, was named best film without a distribution deal.
Special tribute awards were given to Theron, Gary Oldman, A Dangerous Method director David Cronenberg and Fox Filmed Entertainment CEO Tom Rothman.

Green goddess: Jones looked pretty in her pastel-coloured dress, teamed with platform heels

Given a nod: Christopher Plummer, left, received top honours for his film Beginners along with director Terrence Malick (who did not attend) and his movie The Tree Of Life. Pictured, right, Zachary Quinto

Films and performances singled out at the Gothams often reflect those nominated for Independent Spirit Awards, another key set of honours for indie movies organised by Los Angeles-based group Film Independent, which announces its annual nominations for the year's best on tomorrow Tuesday.
Last year's top Gotham winner, Winter's Bone, an ultra-low-budget indie that cost about $2 million, went on to score four Oscar nominations including best picture.
Presenters at the awards included Alec Baldwin, Stanley Tucci, Melissa Leo and Tilda Swinton.
Other VIPs in attendance included Elizabeth Olsen, who glittered in a gold dress and Tilda Swinton, who donned a customary edgy outfit consisting of a trench coat with wire detailing.

Lending their support: From left, Actress Judy Greer, Sarah Paulson and Shailene Woodley

Walking the red carpet: From left, actresses Jennifer Carpenter, Vera Farmiga and Lake Bell

2011 GOTHAM AWARDS: WINNERS

Best Feature: TIE The Tree Of Life by Terrence Malick and Beginners by Mike Mills
Best Documentary: Better This World, directed by Kelly Duane and Katie Galloway
Best Ensemble Performance: Beginners
Breakthrough Director: Dee Rees for Pariah
Breakthrough Actor: Felicity Jones in Like Crazy
Best Film Not Playing At A Theatre Near You: Scenes From A Crime directed by Blue Hadaegh and Grover Babcock
Audience Awards: - Girlfriend, directed by Justin Lerner
Special tribute awards: Charlize Theron, Gary Oldman, A Dangerous Method director David Cronenberg and Fox Filmed Entertainment CEO Tom Rothman

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2067452/Gotham-Independent-Film-Awards-2011-Charlize-Theron-takes-tumble-trips-stage-light--daring-dress-split-navel.html#ixzz1f5KHnTce

Charlize Theron on why she's not looking for love

'I'm single for the first time in my life': Charlize Theron on why she's not looking for love

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 5:44 PM on 14th November 2011


Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron is enjoying being single for the first time in her adult life.

The South African star is embracing her single status, admitting that it's the first time she has been unattached since she was 19.

In an interview in the December issue of US Vogue magazine she said: 'This is the first time in my life. From the time I was nineteen, I've been in relationships, literally gone from one to the other within a month.

Making a splash: Charlize Theron appears in the latest issue of U.S. Vogue

Self discovery: The star says she is enjoying being single for the first time in her adult life

Enlarge

Cover girl: The issue is on newsstands nationwide November 22

'It's been good for me. I'm a creature who's really found her comfort zone in relationships.'

She added: 'It's been nice to rediscover myself. I had to make a real conscious effort to do it - it's hard. It's much easier to lose yourself in flowers and cigarettes and coffee with somebody else.'

The 36-year-old dated actor Stuart Townsend for almost 10 years before they split in 2010.

She says she pulled back on her career in a bid to try and save their union when the relationship began to go downhill.

Charlize continued: 'It was sinking, and I had to give it a fight. I really wanted to try and make it work. That was the priority. I wouldn't do it any different way.'

The actress plays the Evil Queen in the highly anticipated fairytale adaptation, Snow White and the Huntsman.

The star is now ready to work on new romantic comedy, Young Adult written by Diablo Cody and directed by Jason Reitman.

Vogue’s December issue is on newsstands in the U.S. on November 22.

Ex: Charlize and Stuart Townsend split in 2010 after 10 years together

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2061395/Im-single-time-life-Charlize-Theron-shes-looking-love.html#ixzz1diJQoaxO

Humanitarian Charlize Theron dazzles at event for her African aids charity

Beautiful, talented AND a heart of gold: Humanitarian Charlize Theron dazzles at event for her African aids charity

By Alanah Eriksen

Last updated at 11:15 PM on 13th October 2011


She's not only one of the most beautiful woman in the world, as well as a talented actress.

But Charlize Theron also has a heart of gold, which she proved last night at an exhibition for her aids charity last night.

The South African beauty looked glamorous at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Hollywood in a black lacy Marchesa dress.

Committed to making a difference: Charlize Theron at the REACH: 24 Portraits By Randall Slavin event, which benefited her charity, The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project

The 36-year-old paired the above-the-knee number with a nude slip to protect her modesty and hed a tiny clutch.


Her trademark blonde hair was styled to the side and her make-up was minimal with just a hint of copper eyeshadow.

Humanitarian: Charlize, who is a United Nations Messenger of Peace, started her charity in 2007

Working hard: Charlize spoke at the event which showcased unseen work from Californian artist Randall Slavin, including photographs of Clint Eastwood, Bill Clinton and Pear Jam front man Eddie Vedder

The actress spoke at the event, called REACH: 24 Portraits by Randall Slavin, which showcased unseen work from the Californian artist.

Pieces included photos of Clint Eastwood, Bill Clinton, basketballer Kobe Bryant and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder.

The event benefited the United Nations Messenger of Peace's Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, which she started in 2007 with the help of the Entertainment Industry Foundation.

Showing their support: Actresses Michelle Monaghan and Jamie Chung joined a host of stars at the event

It aims to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS, as well as sexual violence among Africa's youth.

Fiery: Michelle went for a tousled look for her auburn waves

The actress was joined by a host of stars last night, including actresses Michelle Monaghan, Gabrielle Unio, Sanaa Lathan, Jamie Chung and comedian Sarah Silverman.
The charity's Twitter page showed the actress' admiration for the photographer yesterday.
'Thank you to @randallsslavin for his amazing work and every one for their support tonight,' it said.
'Full update tmrw with photos from the event!
Earlier, it had said: 'Everybody at CTAOP is getting excited about the event tonight! We'll be tweeting and posting photos this evening so stay tuned.'
Randall added: 'Just want 2 thank evryone who came out 2night 2 support me & @charlizeafrica at the @annenbergspace. twas an amazing night ill never forget.'
Singer Ciara, who was also at the event, tweeted: 'Perfect Night! Charlize’s event was beautiful! She was so sweet! It’s all about making a difference when we can!”
Randall's work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine and his work has appeared in GQ, Esquire and Rolling Stone.

Glitz and glam: Actresses Sanaa Lathan, left, and Gabrielle Union pose together and comedian Sarah Silverman shows her dark side in this dark number

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2048774/Beautiful-talented-AND-heart-gold-Humanitarian-Charlize-Theron-dazzles-event-African-aids-charity.html#ixzz1ahmi4HDm

The celebrity stylists on $10,000 per day

March of the Zoe-bots: The celebrity stylists on $10,000 per day

By Caroline Graham and Peter Sheridan

Last updated at 10:00 PM on 23rd July 2011


At first glance it appeared to be a typical Hollywood party in the grounds of a grand Beverly Hills mansion.

Standing by the sun-dappled pool, Demi Moore nursed a Diet Coke as she discussed motherhood with Goldie Hawn's actress daughter Kate Hudson.

On the patio, Lionel Richie's daughter Nicole and her rock-star husband Joel Madden were deep in conversation with the party's host, Rachel Zoe, one of the most powerful women in Los Angeles.

Post-bot to pre-bot: Cheryl Cole's garish look at the X Factor auditions, looks more elegant in Stephane Rolland less than a week later

Rising slowly from her seat, Zoe thanked the assembled crowd for attending the baby shower for her unborn son.

Taking the first package from a huge pile of gifts, a classic turquoise box from Tiffany on Rodeo Drive, a sweet smile of satisfaction crossed her lips as she pulled out a solid gold rattle, a gift from a major studio.

It is the sort of present a studio would normally send to an A-list star. You might never have heard of Rachel Zoe.
But Zoe (it rhymes with faux) is a woman who has built up a £25 million fashion and television empire and is supported by a small army of staff including publicists, her own agent and a manager.

Bright and beautiful: Charlie Anderson dressed Princess Beatrice in Roland Mouret, left, for the Royal Flower Show after she was criticised for her 'pretzel' at the Royal Wedding

Even her assistant has an assistant. For Zoe represents a new breed of 'power player' in Tinseltown: the celebrity stylist.

She was even in attendance when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in Los Angeles earlier this month and her thoughts on the Duchess were widely reported.

'She was beyond fabulous,' said Zoe. 'I can't criticise the way she looks in any way. She is a true princess.'

Putting on the glitz: Stylists such as Rachel Zoe dress Hollywood's top set

What supermodels were to fashion and glamour in the Eighties, Hollywood stylists are to the current decade.

Charging an average of $10,000 a day – around £6,000 – they are feted by studios and stars, often seen as the key factor in ensuring that a film or television show is a hit and that a red-carpet event makes the headlines.

As one executive from a major studio says: 'This is an image business and the better the talent looks, the better publicity a movie is likely to get.

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'But even by Hollywood's normally over-the-top standards, the treatment of stylists is getting out of control. They've got us by the b***s.'

Publicist Amanda Lundberg has worked on campaigns for films including Chicago, Cold Mountain, The Aviator, Kill Bill and Sex, Lies And Videotape.

She says stylists have become like supermodel Linda Evangelista, who once famously quipped: 'We don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day.'

Power players: Even style queen Sarah Jessica Parker is known to use a stylist

Lundberg says: 'Many are very creative. Some are lovely people. But a lot of them are completely gouging us. It's not like they're shovelling coal all day.

'There are hours on end that they're sitting around reading magazines and drinking cappuccino. But they get what they want because they have us over a barrel.'

Indeed, there are no qualifications required, no exams and no regulatory body.

Groomed: Lindsay Lohan and Kate Hudson are known to treat their stylists like royalty

It's a free-for-all where anyone can claim to be a personal stylist – and they do.

While some, such as Britain's Nikki Pennie, who has styled Kate Middleton and Cat Deeley, have trained in fashion, most have nothing more than a keen eye for style and have become stylists by working for a friend.

Yet at the top of their game, stylists can hold stars to ransom, because only a handful of the best can persuade the top designers to relinquish their latest gown, which can put a celebrity's image on the covers of magazines and websites across the globe. Indeed, failing to employ the right stylist – or finding your stylist has an off-day – is to court disaster.

Styled: In full length gowns Cheryl Cole exudes glamour

Take Cheryl Cole. When she arrived for her first day's filming on her ill-fated stint on the American X Factor in May, she had her hair teased into a weird bouffant-style and wore garish purple flares.

What would be just a bad hair day in Britain was immediately seized on in LA, as a Fox studio source explains: 'Cheryl appeared flatters them. Stylists do the legwork for the stars, spending hours hunting down the right clothes to deliver a co-ordinated look for the star.

The best stylists not only have access to the top designers but can also obtain new designs before they are seen elsewhere.

Leading operators, such as Rachel Zoe, can influence street fashion and ensure a celebrity graces the pages of the influential People, InStyle and US Weekly – magazines closely scrutinised by major retailers.

Zoe, 39, is credited with creating the 'boho chic' look of clients including Nicole Richie, Keira Knightley, Lindsay Lohan, Kate Hudson and Kate Beckinsale.

Followers of Zoe's style – big hair, big sunglasses, skeletal frame, hippy-chic clothing – even have their own nickname: they are the 'Zoe-bots'.

Another celebrity stylist in the 'Zoe-bot' revolution is Charlie Anderson, a former style editor on Tatler magazine.

Charlie was hired by Princess Beatrice after her fashion faux pas at the Royal Wedding in April, when the Princess famously wore a beige hat dubbed 'the pretzel' by critics.

Charlie styled her in Roland Mouret for Elton John's White Tie & Tiara ball and a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show.

Mick Jagger's girlfriend L'Wren Scott started out as a stylist and transformed her access to celebrities into a successful fashion designing career. She met Mick when she was styling a shoot.

She continues with the job, 'but only for fun these days, I only work with friends' – such as Sharon Stone, Nicole Kidman and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Top names: Gwen Stefani and Angelina Jolie use the top set of stylists in Hollywood

The names of other top stylists mean nothing to those outside Hollywood circles – Andrea Lieberman (Gwen Stefani ) , Jennifer Rade (Angelina Jolie), Kate Young (Natalie Portman, Alicia Keys), Christina Ehrlich (Penelope Cruz, Amy Adams), Jeanne Yang (Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise, Christian Bale), Leslie Fremar (Charlize Theron, Reese Witherspoon) – but it is no exaggeration to say that in LA they are power players.

A publicist who worked on the last Pirates Of The Caribbean film complains: 'It's galling when you get on the plane and have to trudge past them to go back to coach [economy class].

'You start to wonder why you went to university. I should have gone to the Cleveland School of Primping and Shopping.

'Sometimes the stylists are harder to deal with than the talent. They want first-class air fares, five-star hotels, limos and daily expenses.

'I had one stylist ask if the studio would pay for a dog-sitter while she worked with the client.'

Stylists now demand first class treatment as stars such as Charlize Theron rely on them

That said, the days of red carpet disasters are largely over. Who could forget such highlights from the past as Cher's see-through gauze and sequins, or Bjork laying an egg in a swan dress?

Celebrities are so close to their stylists that when Madonna adopted baby David Banda from Malawi, she said her stylist Shavawn Gordon was prepared to act as the child's 'second mother' should Madonna ever become incapacitated.

Amy Astley, editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, defends the stylists: 'They are critical to the fashion industry and people like Rachel Zoe are incredibly important.

'She has kickstarted many of the trends you see today. She, and others like her, have opened up the fashion industry so it's not just for insiders.

'Now everyone knows about labels because they read about stars wearing them.'

When Madonna adopted son David Banda from Malawi, she said her stylist Shavawn Gordon was prepared to act as the child's 'second mother' should she ever become incapacitated

Sometimes it seems that Zoe has got her hands on the holy grail of the styling trade.

Despite recently giving birth, she continues to film a TV show, The Rachel Zoe Project, which is screened on cable network Bravo, has just launched a Rachel Zoe Luxe line of clothes and accessories on the QVC shopping channel, and her company, Rachel Zoe Inc, employs 14 people full-time.

Roger Berman, her husband of 13 years, laughs: 'Then there are her intellectual-property attorneys, labour attorneys, corporate attorneys, transactional attorneys, business managers, agents and a PR rep.

'Let's just say that the company is far exceeding our expectations.'

Philip Bloch, the stylist of choice for women including Jennifer Lopez and Salma Hayek, says: 'To be good in this business, to demand the $10,000, you have to love what you do.

'You have to love the celebrities, the glamour and the myth of Hollywood. I was talking to Sandy the other day about how the celebrity stylist thing has gone crazy.'

Sandy, if you didn't already know, is actress Sandra Bullock. 'Stylists have the power. We are a direct link to the celebrity and we can tell the studios how to handle that celebrity.

'We're the new power-brokers and when a studio is paying $100 million for a movie, what's 10,000 bucks a day to keep the star happy?'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2018032/March-Zoe-bots-Celebrity-stylist-Rachel-Zoe-10-000-day.html#ixzz1SyS4Ndso