US Weekly has a bitchy little piece this week that claims that Kate Hudson’s new boyfriend, Muse singer Matthew Bellamy, was her second choice while she was trolling for potential musician boyfriends at Coachella in April. US was the first outlet to report that Kate and Matthew were a new item, which was semi-confirmed by a double date the two had in Paris with Renee Zellweger and Bradley Cooper. Now US makes it sound like Kate was on the hunt and Matthew just happened to fall prey to her charms. They report that she was initially trying to get Thom Yorke of Radiohead to pay attention to her and when that failed she asked a friend to help her find her next target.

Kate Hudson, 31, may have flown to Paris to watch Muse frontman beau Matthew Bellamy, 32, perform… and even brought him to hang out with pals Renee Zellweger and Bradley Cooper… But a source says when the pair met at Coachella in April, the serial dater was more interested in Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, 41, (who has a longtime girlfriend): “She was chatting him up. He just shrugged and was unresponsive.” Another insider adds, “After she was rejected, she said, ‘What other up-and-coming bands can I go hit on?” Enter Bellamy. Says the source: “She just pounced!”

I can buy that Kate was trying to talk to Thom Yorke. Radiohead is awesome and maybe she just wanted to hang out with them and Yorke wasn’t having it. Kate’s last husband was a musician and she just seems to love the type. The thing that makes me think this report is not true is that quote that Kate was looking for another “up-and-coming band” to hit on. In no way is Radiohead an up and coming band, and Muse is pretty well known too. I think we should give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she was just hanging out backstage and wasn’t actively looking for a boyfriend. Can’t a girl chat with some rock stars without being desperate? Plus they’re careful to quote “another” insider with that comment that Kate was looking for someone else.

Here’s Kate out in Paris with Matthew Bellamy on 6/13/10. Credit: Bauergriffinonline

A little over a week ago, we reported on a story from the print edition of US Weekly that claimed that Kate Hudson was dating a British rocker named Matthew Bellamy who sings for the band Muse. The news was that Kate and Matthew met at Coachella in April, but that everything was so new that “it could be a fling.” It looks like things are getting a little more serious for Kate, 31, and Matthew, 32. People Magazine reports that two were spotted out in Paris on Sunday, where Matthew’s band had performed the night before.

The actress hopped a plane to Paris over the weekend and attended the second of two sold-out shows for the British rock band Muse Saturday, standing in an audio tent amid a crowd of 80,000 at the Stade de France.

The next day, she was spotted around town with the band’s frontman, Matthew Bellamy, who is a singer, guitarist and songwriter.

The pair were seen strolling through the Place Vendome, a square in the center of Paris. “They seemed very much a couple,” a witness tells PEOPLE. “Just walking together, enjoying the sunshine.” Later that afternoon, Hudson and Bellamy opted for a late lunch on the Left Bank at the celebrated Brasserie Lipp, leaving through a rear exit of the eatery when photographers turned up outside.

[From People]

That sounds so romantic and I hope this turns into something long term for Kate. She’s certainly had enough high profile relationships, though, and she would do well to try to keep this one under wraps. Musicians aren’t known as the most faithful, but neither are sports stars and world class athletes. A couple of you noted in the comments on our earlier story that Bellamy has a live in girlfriend. From what I could find, he used to be engaged to an Italian woman named Gaia Polloni, but they supposedly broke up in December of last year.

There’s still speculation that Kate could be pregnant considering that she’s sporting larger boobs and has filled out a little. I just think she gained a little weight and that she gains in her stomach, but it’s hard to tell. I thought that she was pregnant a couple of years ago when she gained a small amount of weight. If she’s not pregnant, then she had a small boob job earlier this year. In Touch had a whole article this week about the trend for smaller boob jobs in Hollywood. They cited Kate, Megan Fox and Nicole Kidman’s breast augmentation as examples of mini implants. They wrote that “Celebs who want to be taken more seriously [than reality show celebrities with huge chests]… want the focus to be on their work, not whether they’ve been artificially enhanced.” An “image consultant” told In Touch that “With smaller implants, they can still achieve a more feminine look and feel more confident without the stigma. It’s a win-win for them.” There’s always the risk that the tabloids will think you’re pregnant, though.

Here are some pictures of Kate out with her son on 6/8/10. There could be something to those pregnancy rumors, but I’m not going to pass judgment yet. Bellamy is shown performing in Paris on 6/13/10. Credit: Fame Pictures

Kate Hudson on the Late Show part 1. She comes on at 2:30. Part 2 is below

Kate Hudson was on the Late Show last night and I found her so funny and likable. I’ve seen Kate interviewed before and she’s usually very comfortable and just rolls with the punches. On Letterman she mostly talked about her six year-old son, Ryder, and you could tell that she adores him and finds the things he does so funny. I have a son right around that age and I could really relate to a lot of the stories she was telling.

On how Ryder goes to a French school
Kate explained that Ryder goes to a French school, and that he has a week left in Kindergarten there. She said that he’s there because the school is flexible about their schedule. “What happened was is due to travel schedules, it was sort of a school that would accommodate the traveling circus family. He had a hard time, but now he’s sort of loving it. He’s into this thing where if the ladies like it, it’s cool… He’ll show off his accent, he’s getting into it now… he’s really learning how to communicate in French.”

On how she wants more kids
When Letterman joked about how his kid was entering first grade this year and is so old he’s started smoking, she said “It makes you want more. For me, as a woman… I can’t wait to have more kids.”

On how Ryder fakes an injury to talk to people
“He wears this splint around his hand and there’s nothing wrong with him. He just likes it because people ask him what happened. So I literally watch him make up stories every time somebody asks him about his splint…

There’s nothing more fun to me than watching your kids come up with stuff like that.”

On her diet
Letterman made waffles on the air using a waffle iron right on his desk. He gave one to Kate with butter and syrup and she said she initially didn’t want to eat it, but then gave in and had a couple of bites.

“I’ve been doing this calorie counting thing.”

“Yeah, because you’ve really let yourself go,” Dave quipped.

“But I actually do let myself go, but I’ve been calorie counting and it works. Right now if I have three bites it’s like 100 calories.”

On her movie The Killer Inside Me
Kate is promoting The Killer Inside Me with Casey Affleck, which Letterman called “just about as creepy as a movie can get.”

She talked about a scene in which Casey’s character is spanking her. “There’s a scene where Casey’s actually spanking me… All of a sudden it hits you that you’ve been spanked like 20 times, and you can’t help but start to laugh even though it’s such a horrible subject. Then there’s the other side… it’s actually quite a gruesome movie, and it was tough at times.”

Kate was a lot of fun and I’m reminded how bubbly her personality is. It won’t get me to see this movie, but she sure is doing a great job promoting it. I love my kid too and think he’s the funniest little guy. I’ll give Kate a pass for her frenetic dating history. No matter what she’s up to, you can tell she’s really enjoying life and that she just cherishes this time in her son’s life.

Kate Hudson on The Late Show Part 2:

Header photo is from 6/5/10. Credit: DAVID KRIEGER/ bauergriffinonline.com. Photos of Kate outside the Late Show from Fame Pictures

Kate Hudson is one busy lady. She was last linked to her co-star Colin Eggelsfield, but that rumor seemed to have been based on some photos of them filming their upcoming movie, Something Borrowed, in which they were necessarily touchy-feely. The two were acting, and while I could see Kate hooking up with her hot also-single co-star I think the verdict is still out on that one.

The last maybe-legitimate report we heard about Kate Hudson’s dating life had her hooking up with hotelier Jeff Soffer, 42, who used to date Elle McPherson. US Weekly carried that report in late April, and claimed that Kate had been dating Soffer for about a month. If US is to be believed, Kate is either playing the field or has moved on already. They report in the new issue that Kate is dating a musician called Matthew Bellamy. Her ex husband is the lead singer for the Black Crowes and Kate might eventually settle down with another musician.

Katie Hudson is… seeing Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy, 32. Still, a pal insists the romance between the star, 31, and the British musician, who is touring in Europe and Asia with his band until mid-September, is in its early stages. “They hung out, and that’s all it is,” the insider says of the duo, who met at Indio, California’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival in April. Agrees another source, “it’s very new. It could be a fling. It’s hard to keep up with her dating habits.

[From US Weekly, print edition, June 14, 2010]

At least Kate is kind of keeping her dates on the down low. US Weekly seems to be the only tabloid with any solid news of her love life recently. (The Colin Eggelsfield story originated in Star and I would guess they made it up. They’ve had some decent scoops lately, though, so it could be true.)

Kate gets so much grief for her dating life, and that’s because there’s so much news about it. She was photographed all over the place with her exes Lance Armstrong in 2008 and then Alex Rodriguez last year. In between, she was linked with several men including ex Owen Wilson, an Australian golf pro, LA Clippers player Baron Davis, and Jason Statham.

To be fair to Kate, she may take her men to paparazzi hot spots and sit happily at their sporting events, but she doesn’t talk much about them. She refused to confirm her relationship with Lance Armstrong when she was asked about it on The View in 2008, and she didn’t say much about A-Rod when she was with him. It’s not like she’s Drew Barrymore enthusing about how deep her love is. She’s playing the field and maybe she’s being realistic about it. It may seem to us that she falls too hard and fast but it’s not like she wastes time moving on.

Matthew Bellamy is shown on 5/26/09. Kate Hudson is shown on set on 6/3/10. Credit: WENN.com

Kate Hudson may be f-cking her Something Borrowed costar, Colin Egglesfield, You may remember Colin as… well, you probably don’t know him. On the off-chance you watch the new Melrose Place, he’s on that. And a while back, there were rumors that he and Ashlee Simpson were having an affair – and that story came from Star Magazine too, so Star probably just likes to run photos of Colin. CB thinks he’s hot – I think he looks like a budget Eddie Cibrian, right? And Cibrian is already pretty budget, so I don’t know what’s going on. This is a typical non-story almost solely based on two things:

1. Most tabloids and sites have access to a series of photos of Kate and Colin filming a love scene on a beach, and the photos are pretty good, and make the story better.
2. Kate is a slut (bless her heart), and saying that she’s boning her costar isn’t that much of a stretch.

So, with that in mind, let’s see what Star has to say:

Kate Hudson has found love – or, at the very least, lust – on the set of the upcoming film Something Borrowed with her on-screen fiancée, former Melrose Place star Colin Egglesfield.

“He’s her summer fling,” a pal of the actress tells Star. “Cameron Diaz can have Alex Rodriguez – Kate has Colin!”

The new twosome sparked the moment they met in preproduction for the romantic comedy based on the best-selling book, says another insider. And when they showed up on set in the Hamptons in New York for the first day of filming May 18, it didn’t take long for Kate, 31, and equally single Colin, 37, to heat up.

“They kissed for a scene their very first day of working together – and they loved it,” says the insider. “When the director yelled cut, they were still kissing. They couldn’t get enough of each other. They’re having an absolute blast.”

“They’ve been taking long strolls along the shore after sunset. Right now it’s totally fresh and new and they’re both really crushing on each other. This is just what Kate needed to lift her spirits.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition]

Eh. It could be on. Especially if they’re both single. I think it was last month that Kate was allegedly juggling three or four men, none of whom I can even remember. But I could see her settling on Colin for the whole summer – she seems to like having a boyfriend when it’s warm. Pretty soon Kate will be posing in her bikini and her new boobs and everyone will be writing about how much she wants to settle down with Colin because after one month together, she knows he’s “the one”.

Kate and Colin in the Hamptons on May 20, 2010. Credit: AAR/Fame.

Kate Hudson has a very long and extensive interview in The Telegraph today. She’s promoting The Killer Inside Me, that Michael Winterbottom-directed film costarring Jessica Alba and Casey Affleck. In the interview she talks about getting spanked – on camera – by Casey Affleck, which was the highlight of the piece for me. She also talks about body image, but she doesn’t confirm or deny the not-so-alleged boob job. The full Telegraph interview is here, and here are some highlights:

On the violence of The Killer Inside Me, and empathy: “I was shocked too. But I don’t like watching myself on the big screen at the best of times. I hardly recognised myself in this one. I’d gained a little weigh. I wasn’t working out… because right before then I had been working out a lot and had become super muscular, which I didn’t like either. It wouldn’t have been right for that part, I wanted to look plainer. Not glamorous. Small town. There is something kind of masochistic about her. She wasn’t easy to empathise with.” Empathy is one of Hudson’s favourite words. And something she reckons she is good at, as I discover when I ask if she is ‘an empath’? “Empath? That’s a proper word? Someone who can empathise?’ I nod. ‘I love that! As I entered my thirties I realised I was an empath. A noun.”

On her death scene in The Killer Inside Me: “Yes, but you prepare for a movie like this in the same way you would any movie. I’ve never seen anyone die but I did nearly choke to death once, when I was 12, on a fireball that blocked my windpipe. And there was another time when I was winded after falling off a horse. You know, struggling for breath. So I tried to draw on those experiences to make my death scene look convincing.”

On being spanked by Casey Affleck for the film: “Ha! There were a couple in there when I thought: God, Casey! He got a bit of power behind it. It was definitely real. I think it depends on your sense of humour where you draw your boundaries. After about the 20th spank we all started to laugh because you become quite comfortable with the idea and it becomes about the technical side of things. I’ve known Casey for so long that you can’t help but laugh every now and then.”

On body image: “I’m pretty comfortable with my body. I’m imperfect. The imperfections are there. People are going to see them, but I take the view you only live once and, hey, I’m getting spanked today! And I’m working with Michael Winterbottom, who is an amazing director. Not sure, but the older I get the more I am OK with it. When I was younger I felt I had to apologise for being so happy, for not seeing things in a negative way.”

On letting her son see some films: “I normally take him on the set with me, but not for that one. ‘Mummy is going to be naked on the bed, smoking and getting spanked in the next scene, honey!’ I guess it will be weird for him when he does eventually watch it. I had to watch my dad die in films. I was 13 when I saw Backdraft and I was bawling.”

What her mom and step dad taught her about sex: “My brothers might feel differently about it but, for me, I felt my parents laid it out for us pretty well. We always had a good perspective about sex. When you grow up with parents in showbiz who are loud and funny and the life of the party, you get pretty relaxed about that stuff.”

On the cries of nepotism: “Well, for a while I felt I had to apologise for it, at the beginning of my career. I didn’t want to talk about it. Cameron Crowe [the director of her first film] was asked by the press if he knew my parents when he cast me. He said: “So what, it’s like Goldie and Kurt turned up demanding I cast their daughter? It doesn’t work like that.”’

On dating other actors: “I think when you have one person in a relationship who is an actor and the other isn’t that can be difficult, because the one who isn’t wonders whether the one who is, is acting. But when you have two people who are actors that doesn’t happen so much because they both understand about creative space. You know where it begins and ends. You know acting is not normality, that you have to be a little dysfunctional to be an actor. You know you could be laughing one minute and then crying the next, because a director has asked you to cry. That’s not normal behaviour.”

On the paparazzi and media focus on her personal life: “I can disappear, though. There is a way not to draw attention to yourself. If I want to draw attention to myself, put on heels and a tight dress and do my hair up, then I can. But I can also tone it down. For me I’d go crazy if I couldn’t go out and walk in the streets. I learnt some of that from my mum. She is so recognisable. She’s just so Goldie! When I was a girl I would get embarrassed and say: “Mum, put a hat on or something.” I hate it [when the paparazzi stalk me]. It’s so invasive. I went through a phase where it really affected me. You know, there might be a picture of you with your butt hanging out of your dress and you think what has that got to do with my work? But it’s not just the long lens, it’s what they say to you up close, the most horrible things, in front of my son. There have been days when I have been in three different tabloids, writing about me being in three different relationships, with people I haven’t even met. It’s that bad!”

[From The Telegraph]

Most of you know that I have a strange affection for Kate – I don’t think she’s God’s gift or anything, but she doesn’t bother me at all, and I appreciate that she never tries to play the poor, pitiful victim of whatever is going on in her life. Usually. But this is the first time I’ve read an interview with her where she seems like she’s trying to be all “I didn’t ask for this”. Kate, you sat front and center for all of your boyfriend’s Yankees games. You change boyfriends like I change underwear (every day). Don’t start with the whole “it’s so bad” crap. Sure, I understand the complaints about people saying sh-t to your son. That sucks, and you have every right to say so. But enough with the bitching about how your love life gets played out in the press – YOU DID IT TO YOURSELF.

I know many of don’t care about this relationship, but I find it fascinating. Cameron Diaz always does it undercover, even when she’s seeing a really high-profile guy. I guess the one exception for her was Justin Timberlake – that was probably the most she ever put her relationship out there for the world, and she probably learned her lesson. It looks like Alex Rodriguez learned his lesson too – after spending the whole summer and fall of 2009 with Kate Hudson cheering him on at every single game, A-Rod has decided that he no longer wants his girlfriend to be front and center at his games. At least that’s what he’s telling Camy, although it kind of sounds like he’s saying “You know my other girlfriends come to my games, right?” And Camy is all “I don’t even like baseball, so whatever.”

As Cameron Diaz and Alex Rodriguez’s romance continues to heat up, their relationship is taking a time out this summer. According to BettyConfidential.com, the Yankees slugger doesn’t want the bubbly blond actress to be a permanent fixture in the stands during his games, much like what ex Kate Hudson did during their relationship.

“He doesn’t want what happened to him and Kate to happen between him and Cameron,” a source said. “Kate was at every New York game and then some and even went to Alex’s game practice. Things got too clingy too fast.”

Rodriguez, who ended a 13-year relationship with his ex-wife in 2008, was said to have been put off by Hudson trying to fast track their six-month relationship, which ended in December. The 34-year-old athlete reportedly began dating Diaz, 37, after a flirty night out in February during Super Bowl weekend in Miami.

Since then, the undercover lovers have kept a low profile. On May 2, Diaz was spotted sneaking out of A-Rod’s Manhattan apartment with luggage in tow. The next weekend, the couple flew by private jet to Boston, where the Yankees were taking on the Red Sox, People.com reports.

During A-Rod’s off-hours, they were reportedly holed up enjoying “lots of room service” in their luxury rooftop suite at the Liberty Hotel.

“Cameron is not really into baseball, so she wouldn’t want to go to all the games,” the insider told Betty Confidential. “She’s private, too. She has her own career going and she’s not going to give that up for anyone. And, right now she’s booked solid, so it works for the two of them.”

As A-Rod keeps busy with baseball season, Diaz continues to work on the comedy “Bad Teacher” in Los Angeles. She will then have her hands full promoting this summer’s action-comedy “Knight and Day,” co-starring Tom Cruise.

[From The NYDN]

I just don’t see them a serious couple, but I guess they are. I thought Camy would just hit and quit it, but maybe the sex is good…?

Meanwhile, the tabloids are still trying to get Kate and Camy into the proverbial mud pit of catfights. Previously, we’ve heard weird stories about how Kate “hates” Camy because she thinks Cameron is “pathetic and desperate” for dating a lot of men. According to this week’s OK! Magazine (via Jezebel): “Kate is ‘desperate’ to get back together with A-Rod and finds it “humiliating” that he’s with Camy. ‘It was like a knife through her heart,’ a source says.” Us Weekly, meanwhile, has a similar story. According to their sources, Camy is dating A-Rod as part of a multi-retaliation against Kate, just because Kate hooked up with Justin Timberlake after JT and Camy split. The source says: “Kate thinks it’s payback, pure and simple…. Cameron was actually in a serious long-term relationship with Justin. She thinks it’s a joke Kate would be mad. Kate is only upset because she hates being single.” So, basically, Kate needs a new boyfriend or else she’s going to take her new boobs over to A-Rod’s condo – in the rain – and stand outside with a boombox playing “In Your Eyes”.

Are those slightly larger breasts I spy? I believe so. I’m officially calling it, today, April 30. Kate Hudson has new boobs. Implant Watch is canceled. And may I say, Miss Hudson, thank you for not going into the plastic surgeon’s office and asking for “the Bombshell McGee”. It’s nice that she only went up to a… B-cup? And even then, just barely. By the way, In Touch Weekly is reporting that Kate got her new boobs “for Alex Rodriguez” as I told you a few days ago. Now that I’ve read the whole story, it’s kind of sad – Kate wants Alex to notice her, and her new boobs, and she “would take him back in a New York minute!” Meanwhile, A-Rod is boning Cameron Diaz, and probably lots of other women too.

Anyway, this is Kate at the 150-year anniversary bash for jeweler Chopard. Guess who else was there? Gwyneth! And Gwyneth and Kate even posed together, because they are friends…? Sure. One’s a bubbly blonde and one’s a morose, snotty blonde, and together they make for good photos. I swear, Kate might be rubbing her implants on Gwyneth:

Welcome to Boobtown, Kate. Wear a bra.

Kate and Gwyneth on April 29, 2010 in NYC. Credit: WENN.

Life & Style has some new (or newly publicized) gossip girls who call themselves “SCENE QUEENS”. Sounds like something Michael K would make up. Anyway, the Scene Queens have a juicy scoop this week: apparently, Kate Hudson totally hates Cameron Diaz for dating Alex Rodriguez. As you may remember not caring about, Alex pretty much dumped Kate Hudson all of a sudden in December, and then he began dating Cameron Diaz in, like, February. I don’t believe there was any overlap in the relationships or anything, A-Rod was a free agent, and Camy likes boys. But Kate is still pissed:

Kate Hudson may have had a tough time getting over her breakup with baseball stud Alex Rodriguez, but now she’s laughing about her ex-boyfriend’s new fling with Cameron Diaz.

“When A-Rod and Kate were dating, he always told her that Cameron wasn’t cute or his type,” a friend of Kate’s dishes to Life & Style’s SCENE QUEENS. “So Kate thinks A-Rod is a total joke for dating Cam now.”

Kate doesn’t think very highly of Cameron either, to put it lightly.

“Kate hates Cameron,” says the friend. “She finds her to be pathetic and desperate because she’s always bouncing from boyfriend to boyfriend.”

And while they used to be acquaintances, now Kate is giving Cam the ice-queen treatment.

“Kate won’t give Cameron the time of day,” the friend tells Scene Queens, “and all of Kate’s friends can’t stand her either.”

[From Life & Style]

Meow! Ugh. I was going to say that I don’t even know if Camy is actually still seeing A-Rod, by why ruin the fun. So… I can see Kate being a little “Bitch, please” towards Camy, but I can’t really see Kate being so f-cking oblivious that she would actually say anything close to “She finds her to be pathetic and desperate because she’s always bouncing from boyfriend to boyfriend.” Heal thyself, Boob Job.

Speaking of Implant Watch, In Touch Weekly (via Jezebel) claims that Kate had her boobs done “for A-Rod”. Except not really – Kate wasn’t self-conscious about her mini-A cups until she began dating A-Rod. The friend says, regarding Kate’s perky B-cup: “She’s so happy and loves the results, and can’t wait for A-Rod to see her now.” I really hope Kate still doesn’t give a sh-t what or who A-Rod does. Truly. Because that man is trashy as all get-out.

By the way, when I was looking for photos of Camy & Kate together, the photo agency’s search engine pulled up photos of Rachel Zoe. Just sayin’. Eat something, ladies.

Some people do retro very, very well. Some people do touches of retro in an otherwise modern look, and that can work well too. But I’m not entirely convinced with either Kate Hudson or Jessica Alba – they made a red carpet appearance for the Tribeca Film Festival’s premiere of The Killer Inside Me. Jessica seems to be channeling 1960s hippie-meets-goddess, and it kind of falls flat. The dress is terrible, in my opinion, but I do like her hair and makeup. Kate on the other hand – her coat seems 1960s-by-way-of-Mad-Men (photo below), but the dress is just cute. Plus, for those of us who remain on Implant Watch, she’s looking a little bigger, right? Here’s more from the red carpet:

Kate, who turned 31 last week, had earlier turned heads as she arrived at the School of Visual Arts Theatre in a stylish black and white poncho, also designed by Louis Vuitton. Her hair was styled into a glamorous retro do, with strong make-up to match and a pair of patent pumps by Brian Atwood – finished off with jewels by Cartier.

Jessica, 29, also took a step back in time, seemingly influenced by the sixties with her bohemian ensemble consisting of a sheer white lightly-pleated maxi dress by Chloe matched with dark-coloured strappy heels and a cream handbag. Alba’s hair fitted in with the hippy style of her dress, and she wore several chains round her neck to complete the look.

Kate told U.S. website Entertainment Tonight that her six-year-old son Ryder gave her last-minute fashion advice for the red carpet.

She said: ‘He is very, very, very particular about the things that he likes, and he’s very vocal about when he doesn’t like something I’m wearing.’

The Killer Inside Me follows a charming, unassuming small town sheriff’s deputy (played by Casey Affleck) juggling his long-term girlfriend (Hudson) and a prostitute (Alba) he falls for while grappling with the sociopathic tendencies inside him. The controversial film takes place in West Texas during the 1950s and is based on Jim Thompson’s pulp novel.

In January, the Toronto Sun reported that many cinema-goers left the first screening at the 1,200-seat Eccles Theatre at the Sundance Film Festival after being disturbed by the gory sex scenes and the sado-masochistic violence.

But both actresses have defended the movie and praised director Michael Winterbottom for staying true to the original novel.

Hudson said: ‘This is my third movie with Casey… so I immediately felt excited about having an opportunity to do that again. And it’s such a great role for Casey, and it was an interesting role for me – just really meaty scenes, you know, different and dark.’

Alba, meanwhile, spoke of her excitement at working with the director.

She said: ‘I’ve done a lot of movies that are big and commercial and I just really wanted to work with Michael Winterbottom. This was purely a creative decision.’

And the British also defended his film, after he was criticised during a question and answer session at Sundance earlier this year.

He told reporters: ‘The violence is shocking in the book and it’s shocking in the film. It’s not a police procedural. The story is being told by someone who’s crazy. The story is the way he tells it and sees it, not the way it happened. The film has no sense of pleasure in the violence.’

[From The Daily Mail]

I’m tempted to say Kate looked better – or I would be if she wasn’t making dumb faces in every single photo. At one point on the red carpet, Kate’s dress blew up or something, and Jessica had to help Kate keep all of her lady parts hidden. However, there are no photos of the skirt blowing up that I’ve seen, so it just looks like Alba is obsessed with touching the skirt. Weird:

Kate & Jessica on April 27, 2010. Credit: WENN.