By Nardine SaadStaff Writer

Feb. 23, 2011 3:13 PM PT

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Orlando Bloom is brushing up on his Shakespeare for upcoming concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Bloom has some spare time, it seems, since he won’t be starring with Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz in the next installment of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ this May. No, we’re still not over that.

We miss his period pieces and costume dramas (think ‘Lord of the Rings,’ ‘Kingdom of Heaven,’ ‘Troy’), but perhaps a little bit of Shakespeare will keep us from extreme Bloom withdrawal. We imagine he’s been busy being a papa to baby boy Flynn with supermodel wife Miranda Kerr. Oh, to be blessed with all those gorgeous genes.

The reporter doth swoon too much, methinks.

Anyway, our friends at Culture Monster inform us that Bloom will perform selections from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ between musical numbers in the series, which features Tchaikovsky’s Shakespeare-inspired music led by wild-haired conductor Gustavo Dudamel. All we have to say about that: He’d better be Romeo.

‘Brothers & Sisters’ cast member Matthew Rhys will read from ‘Hamlet,’ and veteran actor Malcolm McDowell will recite from ‘The Tempest.’ Actress Kate Burton will serve as stage director and host. The concerts are March 10-13 at Walt Disney Concert Hall, with the March 13 concert to be broadcast live to cinemas across the U.S. and Canada.

(We miss you, Orlando!!!)

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-- Nardine Saad
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Costume Designers Guild Awards: Grace notes, with Halle Berry, Demi Moore, Diane Lane

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February 23, 2011 | 1:34 pm

The red carpet can be a fashion war zone, but when it comes to the big and small screen, dressing is an art — as evidenced at the 13th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards on Tuesday night in Beverly Hills.

Costume designers and their glamorous celebrity fans packed the Beverly Hilton, where eyes were drawn to Demi Moore in a simple but chic Vivienne Westwood blue creation. Husband Ashton Kutcher was the perfect escort, on hand to introduce a reel highlighting the career of Julie Weiss, who nabbed the Disaronno Award for career achievement.

The prize was presented to Weiss (‘American Beauty,’ ‘No Strings Attached’) by A-listers Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton and Diane Lane, looking Old Hollywood and sporting a serious hair tuck.

While Weiss got the biggest accolade, Halle Berry stole the show in a brilliant red Elie Saab gown, receiving the Lacoste Spotlight Award, presented by Samuel L. Jackson.

Despite some Rodarte drama, a gracious Amy Wescott nabbed the trophy for excellence in contemporary film for ‘Black Swan,’ while ‘Glee’ got a nod for its duds courtesy of costume designer Lou Eyrich. Click the pic of Westcott and Kristin Davis, above, for more photos from the event.

The Ministry must admit a minor obsession with fashion host Louise Roe, a knockout in a psychedelic constructed print dress from Manish Arora, who was herself excited over sightings that included Ginnifer Goodwin, Claire Danes and a still-stunning Holland Taylor.

Representing the boys were ‘White Collar’ cutie Matt Bomer, ‘The Twilight Saga’ star Kellan Lutz, Bill Maher and Old Spice’s resident gentleman Isaiah Mustafa.

Check out our sister blog All the Rage’s assessment of the evening, and leave your thoughts on the CDG Awards in comments.

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— Matt Donnelly
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Photos, clockwise from top left: Halle Berry in red; Kristin Davis, left, with ‘Black Swan’ costume designer Amy Westcott; and Demi Moore in blue, at the 13th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards at the Beverly Hilton on Feb. 22. Credits, clockwise from top left: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images; Michael Caulfield / Getty Images; Michael Caulfield / Getty Images.

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Sara Rue sheds before she weds and makes a show of it

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February 23, 2011 | 1:11 pm

Sara Rue -- you may remember her from ‘Popular,’ ‘Less Than Perfect’ and, most recently, a brief stint on ABC’s ‘Eastwick.’ But the former Jenny Craig spokeswoman will be back in prime time Wednesday night hosting ‘Shedding for the Wedding,’ a reality show on the CW about engaged couples competing to lose weight before their big day.

The couple who lose the most weight win their dream wedding. The 33-year-old actress-turned-host may know a thing or two about that, since she lost 50 pounds for her upcoming May nuptials to teacher Kevin Prince.

‘It’s nice to not have that be a stressful thing,’ she told People about the weight loss, which she pulled off with the help of a certain Miss Craig. ‘Planning a wedding can be stressful enough, and I’m glad I don’t have that to worry about.’

Perhaps she’s not only serving as host but also as a real-life inspiration to the nine competing couples -- though Los Angeles Times TV critic Robert Lloyd maintains that Rue is overqualified for the hosting gig.

Still, we think ‘Shedding for the Wedding’ is a bit more sobering than E!’s dreadful ‘Bridalplasty.’ At least Rue’s show talks about health -- though we’re now wondering if she’s addicted to losing weight.

‘I do my maintenance by exercising and watching what I eat, but of course I may want to lose a little bit more just so I look and feel great in my wedding dress,’ Rue said. ‘On my honeymoon, I want to be able to flounce around in tiny shorts and a bikini top. That would be ideal.’

Watch one of Rue’s Jenny Craig commercials -- pure advertisement but cute -- below. And catch her on the show at 9 p.m. on the CW. We’ll be watching with a tub of ice cream in hand.

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-- Nardine Saad
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Orlando Bloom reading from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ for L.A. Phil