The Whistle Stop tour found Renee & George in Greenville. Renee said of shooting in the Carolinas, "I have a lot of friends from the Carolinas, so I knew how beautiful it was, and I knew I would have a good time, and I knew I would eat really well." I have added images to the gallery.

Today Renee and George made their next stop on their Whistle Stop tour in Salisbury. When asked about her time in Salisbury, Renee said "It was like living in a community -- it was like living in a small town for four months. I loved it. ... The enthusiasm was contagious. I loved being here."

Images have been added to the gallery.

Oscar-winning actor discovered interesting things happen when it's 57 below in Winnipeg.
by: John Hiscock (source)

Beverly Hills, Calif.–Renée Zellweger has finally thawed out, but she still shivers at the thought of the winter she just spent in Winnipeg.

"I'm thrilled because I'm not freezing any more," she laughed. "Have you even been in temperatures of 57 below? I didn't know how cold it could be."

The Oscar-winning actor, who has just returned from three months in Canada (Manitoba standing in for Minnesota) filming the romantic comedy Chilled In Miami with Harry Connick Jr., said: "I didn't know frostbite could be so funny. We came up with a whole new language for those interesting things that happen to your body when you're freezing to death.

"There are lashticles, where your eyes get closed together because your face is numb and you can't tell that you're crying and you have those big icicles on your face. Then there were beardsicles on the men, and those were interesting, but my personal favourites were definitely the nostricles, where you didn't know you needed a tissue.

"It was fun, but I'm happy to have finished that one."

Chilled in Miami, in which she plays a Miami businesswoman transferred to rural Minnesota, will not be released until next year. But in the meantime, Leatherheads, the 1920s-set romantic comedy she made with former boyfriend George Clooney, who both co-starred in and directed the movie, will be released April 4.

Zellweger, 38, had warmed up enough to wear a black Louis Vuitton mini-dress when we talked about her career in a Beverly Hills hotel. In Leatherheads, in theatres April 4, she plays a hotshot reporter who sets out to investigate the background of a World War I hero, played by John Krasinski (The Office), who joins a brawling football team led by the charming and brash Dodge Connelly (Clooney).

She and Clooney dated briefly in 2001 and have remained good friends, so when he offered her the role of his love interest, she did not hesitate.

"I've wanted to work with him forever and I loved the scenes we shared," she said. "He's my friend and I've known him a really long time, so there was added pressure on me because I would go to work in the morning thinking I mustn't screw up this film for my friend."

Raised in rural Texas, Zellweger worked as a waitress and bartender before making her first professional appearance in front of the camera as a murder victim in a television miniseries.

She moved to Hollywood when she began to land film and television roles. Her big break came in 1996 when she was cast opposite Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire.

She followed that up with roles in A Price Above Rubies, The Bachelor and Nurse Betty, and in 2001 won her first Oscar nomination for Bridget Jones's Diary.

She was nominated again the following year for her role as the singing, dancing Roxie Hart in Chicago and won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Cold Mountain in 2003.

She starred opposite Russell Crowe in the shot-in-Toronto boxing drama Cinderella Man and was last seen as author Beatrix Potter in the biography Miss Potter.

Although she is one of the world's highest paid female actors and in constant demand, Zellweger has not been so successful in her private life. Her boyfriend, musician Sims Ellison, killed himself after she left him in Texas in 1995 to move to Hollywood.

She subsequently dated director Josh Pate, Clooney, actor Jim Carrey, White Stripes musician Jack White, singer Damien Rice.

Then came her ill-fated May 2005 wedding to country musician Kenny Chesney, a marriage that was annulled after four months.

An intensely private person, Zellweger hates any attention being paid to her off-screen life. She left Los Angeles three years ago and moved to a farm on Long Island to escape the paparazzi, who trailed her everywhere she went.

She does not currently have a boyfriend, Zellweger says, and is happy with her life the way it is.

"I spend a lot of time by myself because I talk so much during the day with people so I just need to be quiet sometimes," she said.

"When the sun goes down I just close myself up in my house and I don't talk.

"But I'm not Miss Haversham. I don't sit holed up in my house with the blinds drawn. I have a lot of friends and there are nice fellows who call me occasionally.

"I'm very busy and I have a nice time."

Tonight is the World Premiere of Leatherheads. Here is the first picture of Renee from the event. I will post more as they are released:

While we wait for the pics to start appearing I have this interview of Renee where she is being interviewed by Cojo. It is a great interview ... Renee is fun and very entertaining:

Plus we have a new affiliate!

Today George & Renee made a stop in Duluth, Minnesota. During the press conference Renee describes Lexi as "dream come true material for an actress." Renee describes her character as "They don't make 'em like that anymore - this is, sort of modeled after that good, old-fashioned Hollywood storytelling style. She gets to be everything - she's witty and sharp, and she's the nemesis but not. She's `the girl' but she's also, you know, his biggest challenge in the film. She gets to be beautiful and accomplished. And she's a spitfire."

Renee's character is not a huge fan of Duluth and when a reporter asked her if she shared her characters views of the city. Renee defended herself by saying, “I didn’t write it. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen. The people seem nice.”

During the press conference Renee & George joked and teased eachother. “I think you are the slickest operator." Renee says about George.

To see a news video of the press conference go here.

Here are some pictures from the press conference:

I was able to get my own copy of InStyle featuring Renee on the cover. I have scanned in the shoot of Renee is an entire rainbow of colors ... she looks radiant! The article is amazing and I encourage you to get your own copy to read it! To see the scans go here.

Renee is gracing the cover of Instyle's April 2008 issue ... and does she look lovely!

Working with longtime pal George Clooney in the 1920s football comedy Leatherheads – which Clooney also directed – was a "no-brainer" for Renée Zellweger.

"I heard George was making a movie and I said, 'When?' If he had asked me to make peanut-butter sandwiches for the catering, I would have said, 'Crunchy or smooth?'" the 39-year-old actress says in the April issue of InStyle of the film, which also stars The Office cutie John Krasinski. "It's never less than great with him. And poor me, I had to watch guys throw a football all day ... Talk about living the dream."

But the Oscar-winning film star isn't only ogling her hunky costars and talking fashion ("It's extraordinary to wear one of those red-carpet gowns") in the magazine's first-ever "Color" issue.

Zellweger says "Sometimes people ask, 'Don't you miss your home?' Well, no. I go to work with George Clooney or Harry Connick," but she adds, "I'm probably more okay by myself than anything."

The currently single star, who was briefly married to country music star Kenny Chesney also says, "I'm fortunate. I think I was born happy. If I have a bad moment, it doesn't take me long to switch the gear back. I say, 'That sucked,' and move on." (source)

Here are some quotes from the article:

ON BEING AN ACTRESS: "I genuinely like what I do. I'm shooting here in Canada with a bunch of wonderful people. Not long ago I worked in the Carolinas for Leatherheads with a group of other people whom I liked a lot. Admittedly, I rarely go to my farm because it's just up the road from my best friend's farm, where my godkids, who are toddlers, live, and my cat. So I go to her house. Or to my brother's house, where my nieces and nephew are. And I have an apartment in New York, where I change out the contents of a suitcase, catch up on my life there."

ON HER LIFE: "I'm fortunate. I think I was born happy. If I have a bad moment, it doesn't take me long to switch the gear back. I say, 'That sucked,' and move on. There's a lot I want to do. I want to be better at things. I want to know more; I want to understand more. I want to figure out what it is I'm supposed to do. I'm on the road, but I know it's not the whole road."

ON FASHION: "I really appreciate the artistry in fashion now. It's extraordinary to wear one of those red-carpet gowns. They're beautiful. They're art."

I also added images from the Leatherheads Press Conference and more stills from the film.

Also we have two wonderful new affiliates:

The Seattle Times ran an article about Christina Ulloa who was one of the Trophy Girls at the Academy Awards. She talked about a few of the celebrities and what she thought of them. Here is what she said about Renee:

"I was really impressed with how friendly Renée Zellweger was. She was nice to everyone. She's really beautiful in person."

I have three more images from the set of Chilled in Miami. You can see them here.

And we have a wonderful new affiliate:

The Leatherheads Website is officially up and running and has everything on the film ... info on the cast, photogallery, downloads and more. Go check it out!

Plus I have added a new image from the film to the gallery.

Renee is back on the set of her film Chilled in Miami this time in Miami. I have added pictures of her on the set.

I love the look that Renee has in this film. Her hair looks great in the wig. Which way do you prefer ... short or long?