It had to be said.

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There's a hell of a lot of context to this that some non-Brits just won't be aware of. Part of the fun of life as a British person is taking the piss out of someone who richly deserves it. It's a national pastime. Sometimes it's malicious, but more often than not it's roughly affectionate, although to outsiders it may appear cruel and unfeeling. Slagging Winslet off for being a theatrical luvvie is how old Fleet Street shows it cares.

The cardinal sin Winslet committed was to be just that little bit too earnest. We don't do earnest, and we relish the chance to make fun of it. Emotion is fine, if it's genuine, and preferably cloaked in some dry, deflecting humour. But earnestness is one of those things that truly, truly delights us because it is SO much fun to snark on. Kate knows that she's fresh meat for the teasing mill - and she knows because she's doubtless taking the piss out of herself for it. It was wonderfully, mightily, hilariously silly. And we secretly love her for it.

But don't ever fucking touch an English person without their permission. That's just asking for trouble. Not an Underground worker, not a waitress, not a friend of a friend, no one. You want to keep your hand, mate, then put it in your fucking pocket, OK? It has nothing to do with being emotionally repressed, and everything to do with personal space and autonomy. Don't do it, love.

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My mum and I laughed our asses off when she forgot

Angelina Jolies name. It was very cute.

But again, I adore Kate Winslet, she's in my top three favorite actresses, so I view everything she does with rose colored glasses...

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Don't hate me for saying this, but I think it's a cultural thing - British seem to be better at spotting insincerity because when we say something, we really mean it. One of the first things I noticed when I moved over here was the 'Have A Nice Day' thing that total strangers (usually working in stores) would say to me. At first it irritated me - as if that person really meant it! - but then I softened, and recognised it as just a social nicety, like "Hi, how are you?". So maybe that's it.

To be honest, I was more offended that:

a) She won for Revolutionary Road, b/c she's not very good in it, imo.

b) That Milk didn't get more nominations. And it should have won best picture.

c) That Slumdog Millionaire won best picture. I mean, it's entertaining and fun and all, but seriously? Best Picture? It is so contrived (torture scene at the beginning - really? REALLY?) and the lead actor was appalling (the kids were great, though.)

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I for one hope in future to introduce more Mitfordisms into my speech like the honnish hen that I aspire to be. It would be a dreadful shame if Received Pronunciation slipped into the background, and applaud Winslet for attempting, albeit with one singular word to bring it back to the foreground.

Must dash off to Muv and Farve now.

x (Mitfords FTW!!)

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Yes, a tear hit my desk.

Great, now my blush is messed up.

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1) she introduced "gather" into my person vocabulary

2) she set up rainn wilson for one of the best lines of the night: "hello! we're tv actors!"

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I wept with Kate and I don't care if it WAS fake. She's a damn good actress and she had me believing, which is enough for me.

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