Kate Winslet has been honoured by the Queen for her contribution to the arts and the Queen of Pop, Madonna has made some interesting demands on her MDNA world tour.
Kate Winslet has been honored by Queen Elizabeth II for her contribution to the arts. The actress, who became a household name after her role alongside Leonardo Di Caprio in the blockbuster, Titanic and who won a best actress Academy Award in 2009 for “The Reader” has been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, in the queen’s Birthday Honors List.
Winslet said the honor made her “very proud to be a Brit.”
“I am both surprised and honored to stand alongside so many men and woman who have achieved great things for our country,” the 36-year-old star said.
Another named on the list was actor and director Kenneth Branagh was made a knight and will now be known as Sir Kenneth – not a bad title! Sir Kenneth is noteable as a respected Shakespearean actor whose films as a director range from “Henry V” and “Hamlet” to the comic-book fantasy “Thor.”
Branagh said he felt “humble, elated, and incredibly lucky” to get the honor. It puts him in an elite group of theatrical knights alongside the late Sir Laurence Olivier, whom Branagh recently played in “My Life With Marilyn.”
“When I was a kid, I dreamed of pulling on a shirt for the Northern Ireland football team,” said the Belfast-born, 51-year-old actor. “I could only imagine how proud you might feel. Today it feels like they just gave me the shirt, and my heart’s fit to burst.”
The honors are bestowed by twice yearly by the queen – at New Year’s and on her official birthday in June – but recipients are selected by civil servants from nominations made by the government and the public.
Madonna has recently surprised adoring fans with her onstage antics during the European leg of her MDNA World Tour, but her offstage demands might be the most surprising yet.
According to InTouch Weekly, the Queen of Pop reportedly requires everything from 20 international phone lines to “light-pink roses that have stems trimmed to precisely six inches.” Her 200-person entourage apparently includes a yoga instructor, a dry cleaner and 30 bodyguards.
“Madonna has probably the longest list of requirements of any of the world’s music stars,” an unnamed source told The Daily Star (via The Daily Mail). “She expects things to be just right or it puts her off her stage show.”
Well, let’s face it, we can’t have 53 year-old pop star off her game! What would you demand if you were the Queen of Pop?
