Kate Winslet Goes Blonde and Glam

Plus, get the gossip on The Apprentice, Ethan Hawke and more

Originally posted Tuesday October 19, 2004 06:00 AM EDT

Kate Winslet Photo by: RICHARD YOUNG / REX

That slender blonde bombshell at the London premiere of Finding Neverland on Sunday night was none other than the movie's star, Kate Winslet, who has publicly shunned Hollywood's the-thinner-the-better attitude. Regarding the eye-catching figure she showed off in a Ben De Lisi dress, "Everyone keeps asking me if I've lost weight. I just had a baby and I'm finally back to normal," she told us. Sounding like any working mom, the actress – who attended without her director husband, Sam Mendes, or her two kids (daughter Mia, 4, and son Joe, 10 months) – said she couldn't talk about her family because it would "make me cry" that she had to leave them behind in Los Angeles. Fellow star Johnny Depp, who plays Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie in the movie (opening Nov. 12), said of Winslet: "She was a dream and a doll to work with."

Speaking from Experience
Taking bets on who will win on The Apprentice this season? We asked Katrina Campins, Ereka Vetrini and Heidi Bressler from season one for their predictions.
• Katrina: "I think it's going to be Jen M. and Kelly in the end, and I think Jen will win. Part of the show is not how much you do, it's how much The Donald likes you, and it's keeping under the radar, which I probably should have done much more of rather than screaming at Omarosa on national television."
• Ereka: "I don't know why, but Jen M. – she's quiet and she's subdued. That seems to be what got Kwame and Bill ahead last season. She's not really my favorite. I don't think there is anything really admirable about her. She hasn't done anything to impress me, but she's staying in the background. We know she's a smart girl. She hasn't been called out on anything ridiculous so far. So I have this feeling about her. And then Kelly – things are pretty good for him too. I'm really bummed about John's firing. I thought he was a really good kid."
• Heidi: "No predictions, but I can tell you who I like the most. My favorite is Chris from Long Island. I love him to death and I love Raj. The men – they're funny, they're not catty, they're cute, they like to have fun, and they tell it like it is. And I love Chris because he has that nice New York accent."

Caught in the Act
Spotted Recently:
• Mike Myers, taking a Saturday afternoon stroll solo down New York's Bleecker Street.

• Ethan Hawke, buying cotton candy for his son, Roan, at the New York Knicks' first preseason game. Father and son took in the basketball court from the first-row floor seats at Madison Square Garden.

• The Daily Show correspondent Rob Corddry, walking with a female companion in Brooklyn.

• A slimmed-down Steve R. Shirripa (Bobby "Bacala" on The Sopranos), at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City.

• Actress Laura Linney (Love Actually, Mystic River), waiting for her luggage at the San Francisco airport.

• By ALLISON BROWN, JON WARECH, COURTNEY HAZLETT, SANDY POSNAK and JOANNE FOWLER