Renée Zellweger at the 21st annual ELLE Women in Hollywood Awards in Los Angeles, California, on October 20.  Mario Anzuoni  / Reuters
Renée Zellweger at the 21st annual ELLE Women in Hollywood Awards in Los Angeles, California, on October 20. Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Zellweger ‘new face’ highlights Hollywood ageing taboo



AFP

The storm over Renée Zellweger’s new-look face has thrown the spotlight on one of Hollywood’s eternal questions: how do you grow old in Tinseltown?

The Bridget Jones star, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2004 for Cold Mountain, appeared unrecognisable at a women in Hollywood awards show earlier this week.

Gone are the sulky pout and rounded cheeks from her turn as the eternal singleton Jones in the 2000 and 2004 movies, replaced by the 45-year-old’s impressively wrinkle-free and slimline face.

She became an instant water-cooler and Twitter trending topic, with endless comments about what plastic surgery or Botox she has had done, while others worried about her health.

Some denounced Hollywood itself for the pressure it imposes on actresses to meet traditional ideals of beauty.

“In Hollywood it’s strange not to [have plastic surgery] if you are a woman. You can’t get work. Movie casting directors won’t hire you if you look old,” said Sasha Stone, the founder of www.awardsdaily.com.

It is a Tinseltown taboo, not to be allowed to age naturally, in contrast to places like Britain and France, said Stone.

“It’s an American phenomenon, an American obsession,” she said.

There is a long list of actresses who have gone under the knife to maintain their youthful appearance: Demi Moore, Nicole Kidman, Meg Ryan, Jane Fonda and Melanie Griffith, to name but a few.

Some have gone a little too far in this pact with the devil, finding themselves with slightly over-rounded cheeks or “trout lips,” with a little too much padding around the mouth.

“When they do their face, they hope to keep getting the A-list parts. They don’t want to play grandmothers. They want the leading roles,” said Stone.

The ideal they are striving for is embodied for example by Jennifer Lawrence, the “Hunger Games” star who won an Oscar at the tender age of 22 last year for “Silver Linings Playbook.”

The obsession with youth is less strong for men, who continue to win leading roles into their older years, including romantic and action parts.

Mickey Rourke’s and John Travolta’s cosmetic surgery is more the exception than the norm.

In 2013, there were about seven million cosmetic surgery operations on women in the US aged 40-54. Botox injections and eyelid reconstruction were the most popular.

Plastic surgeon Ashkan Ghavami, whose Beverly Hills office sees many celebrities, said modern technology only adds to the pressure on actors and actresses.

“Right now we have high definition movies and TV shows where they show you the make-up and the wrinkles. So there’s a lot more pressure on people to look good in real life,” he said.

In his view, Zellweger’s surgery wasn’t a success because her eyelids are too stretched and she has too much Botox.

The actress – who has not confirmed she had work done on her face – called the storm triggered by her latest look “silly.”

"I'm glad folks think I look different! I'm living a different, happy, more fulfilling life, and I'm thrilled that perhaps it shows," Zellweger told People magazine.

Tom Nunan, a professor at the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television, said it was “sad” that a star as big as Zellweger can’t admit to her personal choices publicly.

“Everybody understands a little Botox here and there, a little eye lift,” he said.

UAE Falcons

Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.

 

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Winners

Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski

Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)

Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea

Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona

Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)

Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)

Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)

Best National Team of the Year: Italy 

Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello

Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)

Player Career Award: Ronaldinho

'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdited%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Idries%20Trevathan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20240%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hirmer%20Publishers%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
UAE SQUAD

 

Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani

Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Mohammed Al Attas

Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah

Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue

Profile

Name: Carzaty

Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar

Launched: 2017

Employees: 22

Based: Dubai and Muscat

Sector: Automobile retail

Funding to date: $5.5 million