Ah, go ahead and live dangerously, Arami.;-) Moi...? (;-P) I'll let someone else take the first bite... if they dare... ;-)

Ladies, ladies, you're almost drooling. Would you like a Stephan Dillane topic? Your wish is our command.

Not me, alas. I very highly admire and respect Stephen as an actor but, apart from that, quite honestly, he renders me impotent (I can't get my drool to rise... ;-D).

Well to badly misquote a Tom Stoppard line in TRT, Stephen leaves all 4 of my lips quivering :-)) Hmmm, maybe that's why I keep fidgeting in my seat...

TMI -- too much information. Still, Donna if you're enjoying yourself; knock yourself out over SD.

No need to start a Dillane topic on my account, Heide, but thanks anyway. Shallow gal that I am, my considerable admiration for him is purely professional.;-) I do imagine we'll have a number of TRT articles and reviews posted here in the coming days, but if no one minds, we can keep it here. Now let's see some nice Jennifer articles too. . .:-)

Four quivering lips? Phheeww

I will try to find the article about Tumbledown. The writer says that many influential people were very upset about that movie because it showed a little too graphicaly how the patients in vets hospitals were treated. To the people trying to pass laws tightening the immigration laws the protesters are political burrs in their pants.

Four quivering lips? Phheeww You have to do better than that, Passionate Colin, dear. Phheeww, phheeww, phheeww, phheeww.

Check out this kid's age. ************ Aussie Ledger to star in ``Feathers'' By Claude Brodesser and Michael Fleming HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Australian newcomer Heath Ledger is in advanced talks to play the lead role in ``Four Feathers,'' a remake of the famed 1939 Zoltan Korda picture. Ledger would portray a British officer who resigns his post just before battle and subsequently receives four white feathers from his friends and fiancee as symbols of what they believe to be his cowardice. The 21-year-old has just wrapped the Mel Gibson starrer ``The Patriot'' upon which Sony is pinning much of its hopes for summer box office. Ledger's only American film credit prior to that Revolutionary War picture was Disney's Shakespearean update ``10 Things I Hate About You.'' But he got raves from Columbia brass for his work in ``The Patriot,'' and that led to Columbia's offer to topline ``L.A. Confidential'' co-scribe Brian Helgeland's newest picture, ``A Knight's Tale,'' now lensing in Prague. Helmed by Shekhar Kapur (''Elizabeth''), ``Feathers'' was originally to have starred Jude Law, but talks over his salary broke down last month. The Paramount/Miramax co-production will be shot in Morocco this spring. Reuters/Variety

Thanks, Mari. I heard that kid being hyped last week on ET as the next Somebodyorother. ;-) Seems to be a plethora of Don Quixote projects surfacing. From FilmUnlimited today: Johnny Depp could be playing opposite his real-life partner Vanessa Paradis, and reuniting with Terry Gilliam in The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. Depp is in advanced talks to play Sancho Panza, the servant of Don Quixote, a wandering knight who battles both windmills and reality itself. In a twist on Miguel de Cervantes' 17th century classic, Depp's character is a modern-day advertising executive who travels back in time to meet Don Quixote. Paradis would play Aldonza, a kitchen-wench whom Don Quixote sees as the most beautiful woman the world. The production, which would reunite Depp and Gilliam after Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, is thought to be the largest-scale picture backed by the UK National Lottery to date. The project's other European backers include Le Studio Canal Plus, French production outfit Hachette Premiere and German film fund KC Medien. Pathe Pictures is aiming for a September shoot in the UK and Spain. France's Rene Cleitman is producing, while Los Angeles-based sales operation Pathe International is handling international sales. ~~~~~~~ Let's see, in our TV version, Aldonza was played by Vanessa Williams (beautiful woman) and in this new one, she will be played by Vanessa Paradis, another beautiful woman. Apparently, the producers haven't the guts to go for a plain woman.

BTW, I have opened up a new topic for Stephen Dillane. It is 132, and would be a perfect place for all the TRT notices. (you know me, everything in its place)

(Karen) BTW, I have opened up a new topic for Stephen Dillane Hee hee. My quivering lips thank you! FYI, Stoppard does write about uppers and lowers in TRT. This is the scene with Henry (SD), Charlotte (Sarah Woodward) and Max (Nigel Lindsey). Charlotte is complaining about how Henry writes his women characters, with her role in "House of Cards" having a stiff upper one and two semi-stiff lower ones all trembling for him (Henry). :-D))

Heath Ledger is a cutie, btw;)

Hmmm, sounds like Rupe is really winning friends and influencing people.;- ;-)This letter was in yesterday's L.A. Times: It is a naive assumption that bad films begin life as bad scripts ("Frailty, Thy Name is Director," by Kenneth Turan, April 9). In postulating about why good directors "choose" weak screenplays, Turan has overlooked an increasingly frequent cause of script-deterioration: the egocentric actor. The original screenplay for "The Next Best Thing," which Turan lashes, was a highly regarded script that several studios wanted to buy; however, the version that John Schlesinger signed on to direct was not the version that made it to the screen. Although uncredited, Rupert Everett was allowed to rewrite the screenplay, bragging loudly to any journalist who would listen that he had "improved" it. I think the result speaks for itself. LESLIE DIXON Producer, "The Next Best Thing" Beverly Hills

(Laura) Heath Ledger is a cutie, btw;) If you like zygotes.;-) And to think some of us hoped CF might have a shot at this one.:-(

If you like zygotes.;-) And to think some of us hoped CF might have a shot at this one.:-( ] My taste in men of late is generally in the geriatric level, so um, a zygote is a nice change of pace for me;) I don't know much of Four Feathers, sounds like a Marx Brothers production;)

Cannes lineup is now being released In Competition - compete for the following awards: Palme, d'Or, Grand Jury Prize, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Screenplay "S�nger Fr�n Andra V�ningen," directed by Roy Andersson "Eureka," directed by Aoyama Shinji "O Brother, Where Art Thou," directed by Joel Coen "Kippur," directed by Amos Gita� "The Yards," directed by James Gray "Estorvo," directed by Ruy Guerra "Chunhyang," directed by Im Kwon Taek "The Golden Bowl," directed by James Ivory (with Jeremy Northam!) "Guiza Lai Le," directed by Jiang Wen "Fast Food Fast Women," directed by Amos Kollek "Nurse Betty," directed by Neil LaBute "Bread and Roses," directed by Ken Loach "La Noce," directed by Pavel Lounguine "Takht� Siah," directed by Samira Makhmalbaf "Gohatto," directed by Nagisa Oshima "Trolosa," directed by Liv Ullman "Dancer in the Dark," directed by Lars von Trier "Untitled," directed by Wong Kar-Wai "Yi Yi," directed by Edward Yang Un Certain Regard - the non-competitive section of the official selection. (However, first-time films presented in this section can compete for the Camera d'Or.) OPENING FILM: "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her," directed by Rodrigo Garcia CLOSING FILM: "I Dreamed Of Africa," directed by Hugh Hudson "Preferisco Il Rumore Del Mare," directed by Mimmo Calopresti "Capitaes De Abril," directed by Maria De Medeiros "Famous," directed by Griffin Dunne "Oh! Soojung," directed by Hong Sang-Soo "Wild Blue," directed by Thierry Knauff "The King Is Alive," directed by Kristian Levring "Tierra Del Fuego," directed by Miguel Littin "Jacky," directed by Brat Ljatifi & Fow Pyng Hu "Asi Es La Vida," directed by Arturo Ripstein "Abschied," directed by Jan Sch�tte "Lista De Espera," directed by Juan Carlos Tabio "Nichiyobi Wa Owaranai," directed by Yoichiro Takahashi "La Saison Des Hommes," directed by Moufida Tlatli "Woman On Top," directed by Fina Torres "Lost Killers," directed by Dito Tsintsadze "Eu Tu Eles," directed by Andrucha Waddington "Djomeh," directed by Hassan Yektapanah Out of Competition - special screenings OPENING NIGHT: "Vatel," directed by Roland Joff� CLOSING NIGHT: "Stardom," directed by Denys Arcand OUT OF COMPETITION: "Requiem For A Dream," directed by Darren Aronofsky "Mission To Mars," directed by Brian De Palma "Under Suspicion," directed by Stephen Hopkins "A Conversation With Gregory Peck," Barbara Kopple Still waiting for the Directors Fortnight category... "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," directed by Ang Lee "Honest," directed by Dave Stewart "Cecil B. Demented," directed by John Waters *** "Avril (1962)," directed by Otar Iosseliani "Les Glaneurs Et La Glaneuse," directed by Agn�s Varda

Thanks for the Cannes list, Karen. Disappointed that RV is not there. . . .was still hoping . . . "The Golden Bowl," directed by James Ivory (with Jeremy Northam!) You mean poor Mr. Merchant has been replaced by JN? ;-) ;-) Good to see Jeremy's name. "Nurse Betty," directed by Neil LaBute Starring (drum roll here, please) Renee Zellweger. Good exposure for her. CLOSING FILM: "I Dreamed Of Africa," directed by Hugh Hudson Oh, sure. Hugh Hudson is going to have a hit one year too late.;-)

I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills...oops, I mean, I dreamed of Africa. If there's a biplane flying around some rift valley, I'm outta there! ;-) Thank goodness Nurse Betty wasn't written by you-know-who, although I wonder about any project he's associated with.

I had a farm in Africa sadly, farms in Africa are a dangerous thing today.

(Mari)Thanks for the Cannes list, Karen. Disappointed that RV is not there. . . .was still hoping . . . Cancel that trip to France!! Let's start working on Toronto!

Interesting article about Cusack and High Fidelity on Reuters. Cusack Plays to His Own Tune in 'High Fidelity' LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It is no huge commercial hit, John Cusack's "High Fidelity," with only $16.8 million in domestic ticket sales in about three weeks in theaters. It will not break box office records or make instant stars of relative unknowns, but with its modest success "High Fidelity" will keep its star, co-writer and co-producer, John Cusack, comfortably in the movie business. Contrary to popular belief, making Hollywood movies is not just about smashing box office records -- or cars, airplanes or even egos. Just check the five Oscars and $124 million-plus domestic ticket sales for "American Beauty." At age 34 and with 17 years of film roles under his belt, Cusack knows that little secret as well as anybody. If he shows up in every now and then in a big budget thriller like 1997's "Con Air," the corporate suits who run the studios give him the money to make movies his way. Sometimes they are hits, like the first film he co-wrote and produced, "Grosse Pointe Blank," and sometimes they are not. "They (the studios) have to have the perception that you can bring people into the movie theaters, so sometimes you have to do films that normally wouldn't be your first choice," Cusack told Reuters in an interview. "I don't think anybody survives in Hollywood for 15 or 20 years without compromise." As much as anything, "High Fidelity" is about the fine art of compromise, albeit of a different sort than the kind Cusack seems to have mastered so far in his career in Hollywood. The film, based on Nick Hornby's novel of that name, stars Cusack as Rob Gordon, a music junkie and owner of a record store in Chicago who cannot fully commit to a relationship. As a result, the women in his life are always walking out on him. A personal conflict arises in his mid-30s when his live-in girlfriend Laura (Denmark's Iben Hjejle) decides she will never be Mrs. Rob Gordon and moves out. Her departure sends him in search of old girlfriends to find out why they all left him, as well as looking for someone to fill Laura's side of the bed. After finding and questioning his list of all-time top-five girlfriends, Rob learns it is not the women in his life who are walking out on him but he who refuses responsibility that could last a lifetime, whether in his music career or his love life. "A lot of stuff that happens in this movie has happened to everybody. I've certainly been in relationships half committed and realized that you have to get in or get out," Cusack said. While "High Fidelity" may sound like a story meant mostly for men, Cusack said some of the best response has come from women who see Laura's character as strong and unwilling to put up with Rob's indecision. In fact, before he can fully realize his past mistakes, she moves in with another man. Cusack said he, too, has been "kicked in the chest" by a breakup that results in a lover heading into the arms of another man and it is the sort of story people learn from and the sort of story he likes to tell. "High Fidelity" is also a story about music and music's affect on people as well as about introspection and searching, two other topics Cusack enjoys. He calls himself a "music lover" who remembers certain times in his life through the songs he was listening to at the time, and he says he explores his own thoughts and actions "more often than he should." But if it were not for that sort of inner voice telling him what to do or where to go, movie fans would not have films like "High Fidelity" that feature stories of everyday life treated with thought and concern and even a touch of humility. Instead, all of Hollywood's films would feature car crashes and hopelessly unrealistic sets of circumstances. "I want people to have a good time and I want them to be entertained," said Cusack. "But I want there to be something behind it too, so it makes you think."

I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills...oops, I mean, I dreamed of Africa. If there's a biplane flying around some rift valley, I'm outta there! ;-) LOL, Karen! I saw the previews... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! Un Certain Regard, seems more interesting than the ones in the competition. Anyway, Cannes is not what it used to be. I think they are honoring Jean-Luc Godard this year. Ah, la nouvelle vague!!!

Let's start working on Toronto! Toronto International FF Sept. 7-16 http://www.bell.ca/filmfest They suggest in mid-July call to make flm reservations. Schedule is finalized in late August. Should I call to make hotel reservations?

TO KAREN N' Lottsa' Lov....

You told me it would work!! Anyway... HAPPY PASSOVER,KAREN

Have a wonderful Passover, Karen! Say hello to all the family and do not cook too much. ;-)

Thanks, Evelyn and Moon. Evelyn, I don't know what you attempted to post, so can't investigate.

Happy Passover, Karen. Have fun tonight. (don't EAT too much;))

Happy Passover to all those of the Jewish faith.

HAPPY PASSOVER, KAREN! Don't stuff yourself at Seder!! KJ

New "Premiere" Mag.... "The 100 Most Powerful People in Hollywood" John Calley ranked as #10. ".....Calley,69, dreams of retiring with his family to Victoria, British Columbia....." [Uh,oh...to the "backwoods cabin"? And he thought he had left that place for good...]

".....Calley,69, dreams of retiring with his family to Victoria, British Columbia....." Does he dream or is the dream dreamt for him...?

I may be going there this summer.

(Arami) Does he dream or is the dream dreamt for him...? Ha! You've nailed it, Arami. Amazing. The woman is a veritable pied piper.;-)

Oh, KJ!! I love the dancing matzo. Going to have to send that image to some family. And thanks to everyone else. The next 8 days are a culinary trial. Ack.

Another Happy Passover Wish: Karen: If you can, please explain what is this search for the "Afikoman"?

A party game for the kiddies. A piece of matzo is broken off during the seder and hidden. After the meal, the little kids go to find it. Winner gets something. I've never understood how anyone can hide something in a roomful of people. Suspect it's done in advance.

".....Calley,69, dreams of retiring with his family to Victoria, British Columbia....." Will this move prompt Colin to have Will move to London?

"Premiere"Movie Mag.Long article on press junkets.. "Being in movies these days means that artists have to intermittently stop being artists and go out and be salespeople". Some hate it and it shows...journalists catch on fast. Anthony Minghella who is writing "Cold Mountain" has Matt Damon in mind. Apparently MD is a director's and producers' dream...the guy works his butt off plugging his films. Some stuff on Working Title which I'll post on #80.

(Karen)"Capitaes De Abril," directed by Maria De Medeiros Portuguese actress, now turned director, of movie about the Portuguese military coup of 1974. While it is nice to see someone listed who is not Manoel de Oliveira, I've read reticent reviews. (Arami)sadly, farms in Africa are a dangerous thing today. Indeed. Sad to see politicians play upon people's difficulties and endanger other people's lives instead of trying to solve problems adequately. Happy Passover, Karen! May I also start posting Easter greetings for the Christians among us? :-)

You don't need my permission...let the eggs roll :-)

Is Maid of Buttermere slated to be a film? Hate for Colin to get involved in another foreign film project. They are invariably under financed and have a terrible time getting distributed...if at all.IMO. Before anybody flames me...I have nothing against foreign films...or film directors from other countries..etc. It's the distribution that becomes problematic.And I don't want him in another film that tanks ..or that no one gets to see. BTW...I am watching the Video rental charts on Teletext....SLOW has never made it among the top ten.Where, Oh where ,are those millions of CF fans who are supposed to be flocking to Blockbusters...inasmuch as they didn't flock to the cinemas.Hmmmm?

Happy Easter - and whatever other denominations call this seasonal feast. Whatever each of us is celebrating - praise be.

Interesting article on Stephen Frears, from the Guardian: Tracks of my Frears Nick Hornby's London novel about an obsessive music fanatic has become a movie set in Chicago. Stuart Husband gets the lowdown from its director, the very English Stephen Frears, man of many genres. Friday April 21, 2000 "I think, as time goes on, I'm getting more and more English," Stephen Frears announces, as he contemplates his antipasti in a Notting Hill trattoria, just down the road from his home. "I wouldn't know what to do in Hollywood. This is where I live." It's just the kind of mission statement you might expect from a director who's turned the filmic spotlight on the complexities of domestic class and culture, whether set among the thrusting Thatcherite immigrant entrepreneurs of 1985's My Beautiful Laundrette - the movie which brought him to international attention - or mavericks clawing and scheming their way out of the working-class ghetto, both in his Joe Orton biopic Prick Up Your Ears, and his adaptations of Roddy Doyle's The Snapper and The Van. Hang on, though - wasn't this also the man who made one of the definitive American road movies in The Grifters, meticulously anatomised the court machinations of 18th-century France in Dangerous Liaisons, and, most recently, helmed the finest Sam Peckinpah western the man himself never made, complete with cattle drives and dusty rodeos, last year's The Hi-Lo Country? We should at least be back on familiar terrain with Frears's latest movie, High Fidelity, an adaptation of Nick Hornby's best-selling novel about a manic-depressive, north London second-hand record shop owner who consoles himself through serial break-ups with obsessive Top 5 list-making. Somewhere in development hell, however, John Cusack acquired the rights to the book, assembled his Grosse Pointe Blank writing team, and shifted the location from London to Chicago, with Cusack himself - not the first face that would spring to mind when contemplating the doleful character of Rob - in the leading role. It turns out to be these two factors that attracted Frears to the project. "I'd read the book," he says, "and though I found it enjoyable, it didn't really chime with me; it's not about my generation. But I liked the idea of John doing it; he's been a friend since we did The Grifters. And while I was as sceptical as anyone about the change of setting, it finally appealed to me, because it made it less parochial; it stops it being about England." "That's sort of the problem with English films, isn't it?" he asks, warming to his theme. "England is all they're ever about, and if they're not, they're even worse. This country is just not a very interesting subject. It's terribly limited." It sounds contradictory - an English film director who feels intensely English, who's ambiguous at best when it comes to making films about England because he doesn't find England interesting. But then, Frears himself cuts a rather contrary figure. A youthful-looking 58, his bushy black hair greying above the ears, he resembles a rumpled, trendy don. He is, in fact, a visiting tutor at the National Film School in Beaconsfield, and his soft-spoken manner can change from avuncular bonhomie to icy patrician disdain with quicksilver speed. For instance, when I venture a remark that 70% of High Fidelity appears to be delivered straight-to-camera by Cusack, he's indignant: "That's stupid, a wild exaggeration. It's nothing like that, you don't know what you're talking about. It's more like 7%." The next minute, he's asking my opinion on which of the new breed of British film directors has "got it" (for the record, the only one he really rates is Kevin Allen, who made Twin Town and The Big Tease - "he seems a very clever boy"). In some ways, he's the embodiment of the establishment that came of age in the late 60s and early 70s - he abandoned his Cambridge law degree to work as assistant director to Karel Reisz on 1966's Morgan - A Suitable Case For Treatment, and repeatedly refers, luvvie-like, to "Lindsay" (Anderson), "Ridley" (Scott), "Ken" (Loach), "Les" (Blair), or "Mike" (Newell and Leigh). However, he also portrays himself simply as a workaday movie-maker who's generally been lucky with his projects (though he passed on Thelma & Louise), despite the fact Cusack puts him "in the front rank" of directors working today. "It doesn't feel like that from where I stand," he shrugs. "It's not that there are 15 offers sitting around and people begging me to do them. There's generally one thing that captures my imagination and, like a spoilt child, I'll go off and do it, whether it's set in Dublin or Illinois." But not, perhaps, Notting Hill. Despite living in the area for 20 years with painter Anne Rothenstein and their three sons and daughter, Frears hasn't seen the film of the same name, "except occasional bits over people's shoulders on planes", and looks blank when I mention the legendary Blue Door. "I'm not really interested in it," he claims. "That's what I mean about English films - they're generally so cosy. I think what we've done with High Fidelity is kept the spirit of the book but universalised the story. There are differences - the character of Rob probably has more sexual confidence, but that's partly a function of setting it in the States, where they seem less neurotic about that kind of thing, and partly because it wouldn't be too convincing having John being that gauche - but Nick Hornby told me he's very pleased with it." Given the variety of his output, what exactly constitutes "A Stephen Frears Film"? Some critics have compared him to Howard Hawks; like that Hollywood eminence, Frears is a director who, from his debut with Gumshoe in 1972, has transcended genres and settings by focusing on the human drama at the heart of a story. "Hawks, eh?" says Frears. "Well, I was brought up to film what was in front of me, to concentrate on the people at hand, rather than go on some interior journey or get into elaborate framings or effects. I don't think in terms of high concepts." Perhaps this explains his facility to coax sterling, often career-best performances from his actors: one thinks of Anjelica Houston's murderous rage in The Grifters or Glenn Close's manic method of make-up removal in Dangerous Liaisons. "I'm interested in those moments where people reveal their true natures," he says. "And I think the actors in my films are very good and I admire them. I find I say less and less to them; I'm doing as little direction as possible these days, because I tend to make things worse. "Being on a movie set is very intimate; it's like being with your family. It's a sort of organic process; I never quite know what the thing's going to be about before I start but, on a good day, it sorts itself out and you breathe life into it. I'm not terribly analytical - I go entirely from the gut. I make sure I work with good writers like Hanif Kureishi and Alan Bennett, and have them on hand to deal with that stuff. My natural inclination is to protect the actors while we work things out. I become completely paternal," he guffaws. For Frears, casting is the key element. One of his biggest contributions to High Fidelity, he says, was to keep Jack Black, who plays Cusack's boorish assistant, on board. "Jack's a bolter," says Frears, "and I brought him back twice because I had faith in him. Sometimes you're amazed by the stuff you get. Like Annette Bening, on the first day of The Grifters: she started doing incredible things. If you can photograph that delight, those moments of discovery, you just keep your mouth shut and get on with it." While Frears has certainly made films in the States, he's at pains to point out that he's never "gone Hollywood". "I don't think I've ever taken a meeting in my life," he demurs. "I've yet to have a film green-lit, as it were." He's "rather disapproving" of young British directors who fashion their movies as Hollywood calling-cards. "I'm a little old-fashioned in that way. My generation was lucky; up until 1988, the idea of a British director going to Hollywood was inconceivable. It just wasn't on offer. And we didn't sit around moaning about it; it just wasn't what people expected or valued. We just got on with it." In fact, his crab-like progress between modestly-mounted UK and US indies garnered him a reputation as an on-time, on-budget safe pair of hands; it was only when he tackled a pair of studio behemoths, 1992's Accidental Hero, starring Dustin Hoffman as a thief who helps the victims of a plane crash, and 1996's Mary Reilly, with Julia Roberts, that Frears came a cropper. "I didn't know how you filmed a plane crash," shudders Frears. "And it's not that Dustin was difficult, but having big stars skews the movie; you have to concentrate on this enormous investment. I'm sure I could handle it now, but at the time it knocked me down like a train. In Laundrette and Liaisons, you could see where the money was going, but with Hero we had $42m to deal with, and it was flying all over the place. And I should never have done Mary Reilly. I knew that before I started. It was full of great design and photography, but it should have been a little BBC film." These experiences brought on what he describes as "five or six very difficult years where I lost my confidence". It wasn't until he began working on The Hi-Lo Country that he got "the old feeling" back. High Fidelity, with its youthful optimism and buoyant soundtrack - could this possibly be a portrait of Frears's current state of mind? "Maybe," he confirms. "People say it's positively jaunty compared to my normal films." However, about that perennial Aunt Sally, the renaissance of the British film industry, Frears is less sanguine. "Is there a British film industry?" he asks plaintively. "Where is it? There just seem to be a lot of independent producers leading very tough lives. I served my apprenticeship with the BBC, where you were judged by your peers, and it was rather elitist, but it was a benign hierarchy, and tempered by its beneficiaries. Everyone you can name today came out of it: Sam, Danny, Antony [Mendes, Boyle, Minghella], me. It was a real coal face of creativity, and to have ripped the heart out of that is idiotic, but the government seem unable to see that." British film industry or no, Frears keeps right on working. He's just directed Fail-Safe, a live-broadcast remake of a 60s cold-war nuke-alert movie for CBS TV in the States, starring George Clooney and Richard Dreyfuss ("David [Hare] said, what about your heart, it was absolute madness, terrific though"), and is currently shooting a Jimmy McGovern script about "fascism, unemployment, and Catholicism," for the BBC in Liverpool. He cheerfully admits to knowing nothing about Catholicism; I wonder if he's addicted to leaps in the dark. "What it is," he says, "is that I've no talent for making a film about my own life. I made a huge mistake with Sammy & Rosie Get Laid; I set it on the Harrow Road, in my backyard, and all my judgment went out the window. I like to make films about really different worlds, whether that might be the Pakistani community, the Irish, the aristocracy, whatever. I need distance." As we walk back to Frears's house, we pass a washeteria called, inevitably, My Beautiful Laundrette. "They asked me for my permission," he says. "They even asked if I'd open it." And, for all his England-kills-me-I'm-just-a-glorified-techie protestations, there's just the hint of a gratified smile playing about his lips. � High Fidelity opens on July 21.

There are differences - the character of Rob probably has more sexual confidence, but that's partly a function of setting it in the States, where they seem less neurotic about that kind of thing, and partly because it wouldn't be too convincing having John being that gauche Didn't I say just this (not that it was an American thing, but the rest)? ;-)

This speaks for itself. HAPPY EASTER! You've not heard the last of this! **Heehee** KJ

(Not everything the Easter Bunny leaves are blsck jelly beans! KJ

I don't know if that's funny or gross;) Happy Easter all!

Why is it that any actor/director who comes to work in the US is considered a traitor by the British press. No other country does this...Italy, Spain.. Sheech!

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates the holiday. Now I'll bore everyone with trivia. The day on which Easter falls every year is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. That is not the case for Eastern Orthodox Christians, who determine Easter to fall the week after Passover. Most of you probably knew that. I'm going to visit Mom for Easter; and as she's a bit of a Luddite I'll be computerless, (that's not really a word), for several days. The upside is that I will have lots of posts to read and be hugely entertained when I get back. Happy Easter and Happy Spring!

Let me add my best wishes to all for a happy [insert holiday of your choice here]. Loved the greeting, KJ. Hope you're feeling better.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!

Advice to the wise... Don't get too excited celebrating the delights of this Vernal Season. One can overdo having a joyous.... Next thing you know you'll be running out of... duckies, bunnies, and chickies... Kinda spoils the symbolism don't it?... Happy Easter/Spring to All anyway! KJ

*clap clap clap* What an adorable posting, KJ.

Thanks KJ...and everybody for the greetings...mo'betta than an Easter basket. (Less calories too...though I miss those jelly beans..)

(Evelyn) ...though I miss those jelly beans.. Not the black ones, I hope! **Heehee** KJ

Loved the Easter greetings! My house is full of giant chocolate eggs which my mother-in-law brought with her from Italy. Yum! Have a wonderful Easter everyone! God bless you.

This has been a strange Easter for me... Yesterday I thought my dog, Patas, was dying. He has just been diagnosed as having a heart failure. I had one of the most anguishing days of my life, and don't know how I'd have coped but for my DH's support and that of some friends who are staying with us. We all took Patas to the vet (for the third time in four days) and he seems to be recovering. Please have some happy thoughts for us

Gi, what a terrible thing to have happen! Am keeping you in my thoughts and hoping for a speedy and complete recovery for dear Patas. Hope your mother-in-law didn't have any trouble getting those Easter eggs through customs, Moon;-) Sounds yummy indeed. Does Italian chocolate taste better than the American variety? Easter and Passover greetings to all from rain-drenched New England, where there'll be no outdoor egg hunts this year;-(

Hi Gi, and Hi Patas, glad to hear he is on the way to recovery, try not to worry too much Gi, all the best, Ann

Poor Patas and his mommy. Here's hoping for a full and speedy recovery.

So sorry, Gi. I hope Patas is better now. He'll get only the best care from you, I know. Pets are like children (one of my "kids" is sitting on my lap now) and it's heartbreaking to think of losing one. Let us know how you all are doing.

I know how intense the worry can be, Gi. I pray Patas gets better soon. Love, KJ

Gi, Patas is adorable. Here's hoping for a full recovery for him. I know he's in good hands. Keep a happy thought--here's one: I thought of you yesterday as I was channel-surfing and came across "Bounty" with a young Mel G. Oh my oh my oh my! Made me want to turn native!;-) Hang in there, dear. And a blessed Easter to all who celebrate it.

Gi, pets are such an important part of the family. I hope Patas makes a full recovery. I'll be thinking good thoughts for you, Antonio and Patas.

Gi, all of my love and support are with you now...Take care of Mommy and be strong as he needs you to be! Here is mine to help his:

Gi, sorry to hear about Patas. I hope he is better now, keep us informed.

Gi, *hugs* for you and Patas... as well as lots of happy thoughts and prayers for his safe recovery.

Thank you Susan, Ann, Karen, Heide,KJ, Mari, JanaH, Marcia, Moon, also those who emailed me, for your support. It is very good to feel your warm good wishes. Patas had been coughing for more than a month, had been treated for a lung infection but hadn't looked any better, and was finally diagnosed last tuesday as having heart failure and medicated accordingly. However, his condition got suddenly much worse and by friday morning he would not eat, pee or even move, vomited profusely (even water), and I thought I was losing him. He is now better, and although he still refuses to eat and we must feed him forcibly, and his heart has still not stabilized at a reasonable pace, he breathes better, drinks and pees, so I hope he'll stay with me for some time yet. Thank you all again very much.

... And thank you too, Esbee, I just read your post.

Goodness, Gi! Poor Patas! My thoughts are with you. How old is he?

Ran across this website dedicated to Meg Tilly. There are some recent candid shots you should get a look at: http://www.xmission.com/~waynew/page2.htm

*Hee hee!* Did she borrow that gray coat from Colin?

recent candid shots you should get a look at Not so recent....maybe two years old.The one with black dress and pearls taken at a premiere was in Movieline.

I love the photo of Meg that he uses right on the front page--very glam. (Too bad the Observer didn't use that one in the recent side by side comparison.;-) But that pink peeling-it-off-the-shoulder number further down the page has got to go! I guess men like that sort of thing . . .go figure.;-) ;-) Poor Wayne has a *much* tougher time than we do with getting info; seems like he tries hard.

I had hoped to return to read entertaining and/or amusing posts after my Easter break. Instead, there's appalling news concering Patas. I'm sorry to read about the bad time he's been having. Gi, has he improved any? I hope to hear that his heart rate has stabilized, and that he's eating on his own.

Amen, Cheryl. (It is good to see you posting again!)

Hello Marcia! It's good to be back -- now I'm headed on to Geo.

Thanks for the link, Karen. How could she fall with JC after ODB? Interesting to note that she was directed by Jack (must I use the last name?), while she was still with Colin. I wonder if they are friends? I read from her book... (gag, choke, cough).

London Times, April 27th, Arts Section Two good articles: "Luvies in a cold climate" Re; Anna Karenina "Days in the sun...Frightful nights:"New Films: Review of SUNSHINE...surprise, surprise...they like a RF film...

From the BBC for all those who have been following the casting of this Working Title movie: Bale plays Corelli's Mandolin American Psycho star Christian Bale is to start work on a movie version of the best-selling novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin, by Louis de Bernieres. Bale, 26, will play a Greek fisherman in the romantic World War II movie alongside Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz. It is set during the German occupation of the Greek island of Cephallonia. Cruz plays Bale's girlfriend who falls in love with commander Corelli (Cage). ~~~~~~ When you're hot, you're hot. Also FYI, there's another Ripley story that's going to be made into a movie. From Empire: Ripley Sequel Helmer Agreed Liliana Cavani, the Italian director behind The Night Porter who hasn't made a film since 1993, has boarded Fine Line Features' Ripley's Game - an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's classic novel which follows Tom Ripley 25 years after the events portrayed in The Talented Mr Ripley. Cavani is supervising a script rewrite and has agreed to direct the movie. Fine Line had originally set the project up two years ago with Mike Newell and Alan Greenspan of Dogstar Films attached as executive producers. Rupert Everett was attached to star as Jonathan, a terminally ill picture-framer, hired by Ripley to carry out some killings. When Fine Line announced the project at Cannes two years ago, there was speculation that the company would race Miramax Films, itself in pre-production on The Talented Mr Ripley, to theatres. However Fine Line's president Mark Ordesky said that "it's a sequel book and was always envisaged as a sequel film." "We're looking to put it together as a European co-production since it's set in France and Germany, the director is Italian and all the producers are Italian nationals," said Ordesky. ~~~~~~ A 55+ year old Ripley. Definitely too much of a stretch for Matt. ;-)

News from Patas to all who have kindly been concerned (Moon and Cheryl, thank you too. He is twelve years old): he is doing better, has been on i-v fluids and is to remain so at least until the weekend, but is now strong enough to resent it. I have been force feeding him but today he has volunteered to eat a little. As he gets better and stronger his willfullness returns and it's harder to treat him...;-)

Glad to hear he's doing better Gi. *hugs* for both of you! :-)

As he gets better and stronger his willfullness returns and it's harder to treat him...;-) Heh-heh... typical male... ;-)

As he gets better and stronger his willfullness returns and its harder to treat him. Sounds like my kids. I glad to hear he is improving, Gi.

Telegraph has lukewarm review for SUNSHINE but a cute paragraph about Jennifer: "From the article:"Sunshine raises a whole lot of questions about performance and acting. On this point, Jennifer Ehle is a very rare and lovely performer. She brings a complicated freshness to every scene she is in. In fact this week your soar away Telegraph film page announces a competition: 'The Would Someone Please Write A Good Leading Role for Jennifer Ehle Competition.' There are two prizes - first, you get to feel you've done something important in Western culture, and second, you get sent at least a half dozen leftover Easter eggs. This is serious. Why are there no leading parts for excellent young women?" ~~~~~~ Let's add to that:" The Would Someone Please write a Good Leading Role for CF" The winner gets a lifetime supply of jelly beans;-) Don't you think we could endow a Jelly Bean Fund?

Thinking back, there is no specific food that CF eats in his movies. Does he like jellybeans? We really do not know much about him. ;-) Great press for Jennifer, Evelyn! Gi, some good at least about Patas.

Sounds like Patas is responding and hasn't given up. We know you haven't. Hang in there, Gi.

It's good to hear that Patas's getting a bit fiesty lately. Hope your little fur person is back to being himself again. I was wondering, Moon, how your son has been doing since his surgery? No doubt, the visit from his grandmother and the chocolate eggs helped.

Thanks for asking, Cheryl! My son had a complicated rotary fracture(he was plying hockey), in three different points. In two weeks they remove the cast and if the x-rays are fine he will have to wear a special leg brace until the end of June (just in time to board the plane for Italy!). He is taking it rather well but is very disappointed that he will be wearing that brace at his 8th grade graduation dance(which will be held a very ritzy hotel ballroom). :-( Grandmother is still here and the chocolate eggs were delicious.

Evelyn!! BBC News has an article about Jennifer and mom http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/special_report/1999/03/99/tom_brook/newsid_729000/729611.stm

(Moon) Thinking back, there is no specific food that CF eats in his movies. I've noticed that myself. There are very few times we see CF's character eat. That stalk of celery in Femme Fatale comes to mind. Most times others are eating but it's rare to see a morsel pass between those fine lips. Gi, I hope Patas remains well for you for some time. Moon, your son is a trouper. I know few boys who've escaped childhood without broken bones. I hope your other boys remain unscathed so Mom can take it a little easier.

Thanks, Heide! There is no such thing as mom taking it a little easier. You should see what my little Indiana Jones (the 8 year old), is capable of doing. ;-)

Have just got back from seeing "Sunshine" and although I am not an RF fan, I have to say he is very good in this and boy do you see a lot of him!! No spindly legs this time Karen. JE & Rosemary Harris were very good and not having seen RH on the big screen before I must say I was very impressed, she has a certain class which her daughter has inherited. I also liked James Frain, very cute. I would certainly recom mend this to anyone who has not seen it and the 3hours just flew by. Aishling was also very impressed, particularly with RF, I think!!

Karen, my poor little computer will not open the BBC article on RH & JE, would it be too much to ask you to post it here?

Here you go, Ann: Ehle plays the young bride Valerie in Sunshine Acting across the ages By BBC News Online entertainment correspondent Tom Brook British actresses Rosemary Harris and Jennifer Ehle - mother and daughter in real life - are dazzling audiences in separate plays on Broadway - and appearing in the movie epic Sunshine which opens this week. On Broadway, 30-year-old Ehle is playing the role of Annie in a revival of The Real Thing - Tom Stoppard's celebrated play about love and betrayal. One critic referred to Ehle as "delectable" and "a rising star", while her 69-year-old mother - who is starring opposite Lauren Bacall in a revival of Noel Coward's Waiting In The Wings - is also receiving lavish praise. Harris says she was drawn to Sunshine, the epic story of a Hungarian-Jewish family over three generations from director Istvan Szabo, partly "because it was a chance to work with Jennifer". Mother and daughter portray Valerie, a strong character who weathers the winds of change in Central Europe through two World Wars, the rise of Nazism and Soviet domination. Ehle plays Valerie when she is a sister and a young wife. Harris takes over and portrays her in her later years. Strangely, Harris says, she didn't discuss the role with her daughter, but found there was a genetic imprint in their acting. Harris says: "I was amazed when I saw the similarities we bear and which I wasn't aware of. I think it's in the hand gestures or something." Sunshine is currently opening around the world, and meeting with a mixed reaction. Some critics think it is overly ponderous, few say it matches director Istvan Szabo's classics like Mephisto and Colonel Redl. But Rosemary Harris, who made her stage debut more than 50 years ago, says she found there was much she could learn from working with the Hungarian director. "Each scene I did with him seemed like a master class," she recalls. While shooting in Budapest, the director would "slowly nudge you with little taps on the nose here and there until he got what he wanted. "Sometimes he would get it in a first take and sometimes he would go on for ten takes." In acting terms Sunshine is driven by Ralph Fiennes who plays three different characters: a father, his son and then a grandson in three successive generations of the same family. Ehle, who appears opposite Fiennes, was very impressed by his approach. "There is no element of showing off. It would be tempting at some point when you are playing three characters to say, look what I can do". Being away from home, whether it is working on location in Hungary, or on the Broadway stage is part of the actors' life that both Ehle and Harris have grown to accept. The characters in Sunshine are constantly being torn away from home and for Ehle - who admits to feeling "rootless" - it was an aspect of the film she could identify with. "I had quite a rootless upbringing, so that was something just very personally that probably pushed a few buttons". Harris explains further: "Jennifer was practically born in a trunk and moved around all over wherever I got work. "I would put her in my pocket and we would go, the three of us, her father and me, we'd just trot off and throw her into another school and hope she would survive." Despite their transient existence mother and daughter definitely seem to have flourished. Their performances on the New York stage have made them must-see attractions of the current theatre season and both actresses could find temselves in the running for Broadway's top prize, a Tony Award, when the nominations are announced on 8 May.

(AnnW) No spindly legs this time Think he is working out? ;-) (JE) "I had quite a rootless upbringing..." No wonder! They were two of a kind. Not at all suited. He needed someone with substantial roots.

Thanks very much Karen, for posting the article.