Renee Zellweger has earned an honor that she reportedly values as much as her Academy Award: a Starbucks platinum card.
Renee has achieved the highest reward from Starbucks — and then some. The 41-year-old coffee lover is photographed carrying beverages from the ubiquitous chain almost daily and even once rewarded a paparazzi with a $100 Starbucks gift card for letting her know her parking meter was about to expire!
So to show their appreciation, Starbucks executives have sent Renee a special platinum card usually reserved for their corporate bigwigs. “Renee gets steep discounts and tons of perks thanks to the card,” a friend laughs. “Instead of being a wake-up call to reassess how much coffee she is actually drinking, Renee is so proud of it that she shows it off like it’s her Academy Award.”
[In Touch, print edition, December 6, 2010]
This story caught my attention because although I think Starbucks coffee is too strong, I love the caffe mochas that are more like milkshakes and the banana chocolate chip coffee cake is yummy. I’ve cut down on my Starbucks visits because they’re too expensive and the drinks have too many calories.
Renee certainly doesn’t have to worry about the expense, and she’s usually so skinny I can’t see her downing Frappuccinos, unless those are the only calories she consumes that day or she’s bulking up for Bridget Jones 3, even though she allegedly asked producers to make Bridget skinny the third time around.
Here are photos of Renee buying coffee at a Starbucks in Berlin in February, and giving a paparazzo a $100 gift card in LA in March after he paid the meter for her. She’s also shown with a bunch of coffee last December. Credit: WENN.com
I wish that little twig of a woman would gain some weight!
Love Renee, love Starbucks, and love this story!
not particularly a fan of hers (don’t HATE her or anything…) but that was a very nice thing for her to do.
I want the card, too! That was so nice of her to buy that photographer a gift card. I think she’s a sweetheart.
There’s another story about her buying a woman a pair of shoes. Apparently Renee was in a high end store and started talking to this lady who was trying on Manolo Blahniks. The lady said that she had saved and saved to buy them, as these were her first pair. Renee bought them for her.
I never heard about that paparazzi story! How sweet is that?! This makes me like the coffee addicted woman even more 🙂
Well, gosh, I’m sure glad she’s getting discounts on her coffee and Starbucks gear. Especially since it’s really a struggle for her to pay full price.
I think it’s sweet that she’s always buying for other people (she usually has a few drinks at a time). How many celebs just send their assistants in to buy for them?
I don’t particularly like Renee Zellweger but I do like her more now that I know she’s gracious and kind, because someone like Lilo wouldn’t have found it necessary to show gratitude to the paparazzo.
Yeah No 1 (Manda), she could stand to gain some weight. However, if she did, this blog and everyone else in the press would pummel her for being too fat.
I understand that this seemingly genuine act of kindness makes her more likable. But, for the life of me, I can’t understand why ‘we’ didn’t like her before.
She’s not the biggest glamazon out there, but Renee is an excellent actress — and apparently she’s a kind and unpretentious woman, too. Good for her.
It really pisses me off, that someone like her, who can afford to pay full price and doesn’t need any freebies, gets them, and then us mortal slobs, who actually deserve the freebies for continuing to pay their outrageous prices, don’t get them.
Maybe I’m jelly?!
Yeah, I don’t get the whole donating things to celebrities who can afford to buy it even if it’s ridiculously priced thing. I know it gives their brand exposure but does Starbuck’s really need more exposure?
Oh well. Maybe their is some trend I’ve never heard about that celebrities give a ton of their gift/good bags to charities or the troops or something.
As for her size, her body type looks like she goes to Tracey Whatzhernutz. The trainer who Gwenyth Paltrow goes to who supposedly swindled a bunch of people, steals exercise routines, and promotes an unhealthy diet.
Well she did a very good deed, even if it was “just coffee”…the whole point is that she seems very giving and considerate. I’ve heard several sweet stories about her towards people and that’s a good thing. But here she is, trying to be nice and people are still talking crap…but if she wouldn’t have done anything in appreciation, people would still talk…damned if she does, damned if she doesn’t. So based on her actions like that, I like her.
she looks quite fit!!
She looks fine to me. And it seems that they could just pad her a bit for Bridget Jones. Multi-layer flannel slacks and padded camisoles plus loose clothing could add 20 pounds to her appearance. This is less than the Bridget Jones character weighs, but better than playing her as thin as Renee is naturally.
She got the platinum card because they feel like she brings them a lot of business. Every time a photo is published of her coming out of Starbucks it is free advertising for them.
I was actually more of a fan of hers when she was in-between weights before and after BJD, but I’ve read that she runs a few miles a day (I hate running and find this insane; this is also why I’m not amongst the skinny!).
But to me, she does look like someone on a track team and not someone who doesn’t eat in order to stay thin.
I also think it’s wonderful that she does seem to be so generous, and has also never come across as caring overly about her “image.” That’s refreshing for Hollywood.
I waited on her back in Detroit a million years ago when she was dating Jack White from the White Stripes. He’s a horrible douche, and she’s one of the sweetest celebs I’ve ever waited on. Funny how that goes, right? I remember him getting annoyed and pushy about every little thing, and her reminding him to be nice to the wait staff. She even apologized for him when he wasn’t around.
I like to think that I’m a pretty nice girl (gossiping aside, of course). But, I’ve dated my fair share of guys that have been thought of as complete jerks by other people too. Maybe she and I have something in common? Lol
Britney will be p!ssed
Sweet woman who cares too much what people think.
she is so nice, seriously one of the nicest celebs I have ever met.
@Devilgirl —
If you’re jelly, than I am too… still, it doesn’t seem right.
@Shoe_Lover, my thoughts exactly! I see Britney with Starbucks cups much more often. Maybe they think she’s too crazy to be good advertisment for them.
I’ve heard several stories about how nice Renee is- she certainly has a reputation for being a down to earth, sweet celeb.
I’m generally inclined to like the people who still remain kind and gracious even when they could get away with acting like entitled asswipes (see Lohan, Lindsay).
It is not attractive to have your calves as big as your thighs (shudders)