Evelyn, that date was probably referring to the Canadian opening in December 1999, don't you think?

Canadian opening in December 1999, don't you think? Oops!You think they don't update their website dates? Must check with distrib .

Alliance isn't the distrib in the US.

Alliance isn't the distrib in the US. I know, Paramount Classics is.But Alliance is nicer:-) US release date is June 9th.

CNN informed me that the New Orleans Police Department was cracking down on public displays of nudity this year. Believe it or not, it is illegal, even during Mardi Gras. Love the dancing 'gators though. They have trumpets too. Do they know "When the Saints Go Marching In".

From The Hollywood Reporter: LAS VEGAS -- What's the word on Miramax Films' 25-minute product reel of 13 films? Youth-oriented fare. From the U.K. modern manners/arranged marriage comedy "East Is East" to the rugged American "Texas Rangers" to a slate of young adult-skewed comedies such as horror spoof "Scary Movie" and "Girls & Boys," exhibitors reacted well to two Tuesday-night product reel screenings. "I think (Miramax) will do well with the 'She's All That' crowd," one exhibition executive said. "They've got a good corner on the teen market."

Ok. We're dead :-(

(Cheryl) CNN informed me Hey, did Bernie call you directly? Do you know Ted? ;-P "They've got a good corner on the teen market." Given the success of Scream 3, I'm not surprised to read this.

"They've got a good corner on the teen market." (Gi)Ok. We're dead :-( Not necessarily....they pay for all the Brit imports and foreign films. My cineplex manager tells me the art-house films never make a profit, he makes it from the "Deuce Bigelow" and "Scream 3" that play on three screens. So those teenagers are paying for the films we see! No company is going to make a profit producing the ilk of MLSF alone.

Lover accused British war poet Brooke of cruelty LONDON (Reuters) - Golden-boy of British war poetry Rupert Brooke lost a little of his shine Thursday when a former lover's memoirs, discovered 85 years after his death, accused him of being cruel and insensitive. The memoirs -- which include details of a naked romp in a field near Brooke's Cambridgeshire home -- were found with a bundle of about 50 letters left to the British Library by his sister Delphis on the condition they stayed sealed for 50 years. The letters were opened late last year, but their contents were only revealed by library officials Thursday. Phyllis Gardner, an arts student previously thought to be no more than a friend, told how she could sense Brooke was about to leave her for another woman in a 90-page history of the affair. "There was a sense of impending doom about (the relationship). He was not particularly sensitive to her feelings," a library spokesman said, adding the details would be kept under wraps until a biographer had studied the memoirs. Part of the cache will go on public display in the library's Millennium exhibition and the memoirs will be studied to see what light they shed on a mental breakdown the poet was thought to have suffered in 1912-1913 -- the time of the affair. "The letters and the memoir will give Brooke scholars...a whole new body of work with which to re-evaluate and interpret some of his early poems," curator of the library exhibition Chris Fletcher said. Brooke, who died of blood poisoning in 1915 on an island in the Aegean region, where Britain was fighting Turkey, is remembered for his boyish good looks, intellect and patriotism. His sonnet "The Soldier" is a staple for literature students. "If I should die, think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field that is forever England," resonate as some of the country's best-known verses. But the reality of war and morbid death also permeated his love letters and poetry. One of the British Library letters told Gardner: "One day you'll die" and sent her a handwritten copy of his poem "Beauty and Beauty." "When Beauty and Beauty meet, All naked, fair to fair, The earth is crying-sweet...Veiling all that may befall After-- after--," he wrote. After his death at the age of 27, Winston Churchill wrote his obituary in The Times. "The poet-soldier told with all the simple force of genius the sorrow of youth about to die and the sure, triumphant consolations of a sincere and valiant spirit," wrote the future Prime Minister.

(KarenR) Lover accused British war poet Brooke of cruelty Only know him from the audio play, The One before the Last, and would tend to agree, at least on the "insensitive" part.

(Gi) would tend to agree, at least on the "insensitive" part. Me too, but if you had a mother like his... ;-) Longer article in The Guardian: http://www.booksunlimited.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,145213,00.html

(Evelyn) Not necessarily....they pay for all the Brit imports and foreign films . . .So those teenagers are paying for the films we see! Agree completely. Between the actual costs of filming plus the marketing expenditures, Miramax put out well over $100 million just for TEP and SIL alone. Granted, those two more than made the money back, but the initial investment has to come from somewhere. I've been looking at their slate for the cominmg year, and there's lots of non-teen stuff there too, including three Shakespeare adaptations and a Merchant-Ivory production. So, they're not giving up the ship. But they *do* have to pay for the ship.;-)

Interesting about Brooke... I've read a couple of things on him recently. First signs of future projects? There's a biography of him by Nigel Jones published just last autumn that apparently isn't coy about his active sex life either. From the radioplay I had always assumed he leaned more strongly towards homosexuality but it now appears to me he wasn't indiscriminate about either sex. He was a handsome devil though, just couldn't shake them all off I suppose. ;-) (Karen) but if you had a mother like his... ;-) LOL! Is she possibly the worst? I may take this over to topic 98 just to discuss all those productions Colin's been in where he had some serious mother problems.

Eileen, Bernie Shaw sends you his regards, and you can call him Bernie. Ted is well and would like you to know that the buffalo are doing well on the ranch. He requests that you call him Mr. Turner.

Just a reminder for those in the U.S. and Canada: the Screen Actors Guild Awards are on tomorrow (Sunday) evening on TNT, starting at 8 p.m., Eastern time.

The Telegraph has an even more detailed article about the Rupert letters, based on "exclusive access to the letters" An excerpt: Phyllis then let down her hair and ran her head up and down his back, "and I understood how an animal that loves you feels when it rubs you with its head," she confessed, "and I went on rubbing in a kind of ecstasy." I want the book!! You can read the article here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000576481449931&rtmo=aTX5CKuJ&atmo=lllllljx&pg=/et/00/3/11/babroo.html

Ummm, the book does sound good. I want to read that and his bio. Is it possible the sudden interest in Rupert may signal future projects? Too bad Colin's too old now to play Rupert. :-( or should that be ;-)

Over the weekend I went to a Blockbuster in the northern part of the state that is as big as Walmart (Tesco/Asda). The holdings are computerized...one types in the actor and up comes all the films in that store. ALL of Colin�s films were in stock. I wonder how many Blockbuster�s in UK can match that.I checked out �The Very Thought of You �and MLSF. The former was released in the UK as Martha, Meet Daniel, Frank and Lawrence (I think)..starring Tom Hollander, JF and Rufus Sewell.A Miramax film ,it got a v. limited (if any) theatrical release in the US, but it is doing v. well on video (4 copies). It is funny, cleverly written with a good twist in the boy meets girl syndrome...cool and hip.MLSF did at least get a fair theatrical release but is not doing as well on vid (1 copy). So we should be grateful that it was shown at all.Not all Brit films make it. BTW, this was my first viewing since Karen asked Colin the question about the hayloft....and IMO it was purposely filmed to pose an ambiguous situation. I really can�t wait to own this film....it�s one he can be proud of.

I rented MLSF while we were in Nashville. Now I want to buy it so that I can watch it again and again. Had no problem with the accents. Maybe thats because I grew up with such. He never ceases to amaze me with how much he can convey with just the expressions on his face and with the look in his eyes.

Why is the above comment in Odds and Ends and not in CF? (yes, I know that one possible answer is that Odds and Ends is mainly about CF anyway...) ;-)

Do they really even need to have an Oscar broadcast? ;-) Seems a foregone conclusion. Mendes has won the Directors Guild award and now Spacey, Benning and the AB ensemble cast got the SAG awards. I do wonder if Benning's will hold up to Swank. (Hmm, last year, relative newcomer; this year, established actress who has *paid* her dues.) Angelina Jolie was the fav as was Caine (yuck) in the supporting categories.

Finally!! Next time we all meet after a play, we should be able to find a place to go that doesn't close at 11. From The Times: BRITAIN is to adopt the more relaxed continental attitude to drinking and allow pubs to stay open for 24 hours a day. The biggest change in the licensing laws since the First World War is to be announced later this month in a government White Paper, details of which have been obtained by The Times. As early as summer next year, Britons will be able to enjoy the same liberal drinking laws as the rest of Europe, where people spill out of restaurants, cinemas and theatres to drink in caf�s and bars until the early hours of the morning. The White Paper will allow pubs to close when they choose, or to serve alcohol all night.

(heide) Too bad Colin's too old now to play Rupert. :-( or should that be ;-) Never mind, they'd have got Hugh Grant for the part :-(... I just watched Notting Hill on video, and found myself wondering what CF would have made of it. I bet he would have been a lot more convincing.

(Karen), Do they really even need to have an Oscar broadcast? ;-) Seems a foregone conclusion. Agree! Roberto Benigni and Billy Crystal will have to put some extra excitement there. Saw the SAG Awards. Gwynnie, what was the deal on her dress? And her hair? She must be going through some crisis.

(Heide) Too bad Colin's too old now to play Rupert. :-( or should that be ;-) (Gi) Never mind, they'd have got Hugh Grant for the part :-( Sad, but true. I think Jude Law should drop everything and dash to acquire the rights to play Brooke. He's the right age, has the right looks... and is tailor-made for al fresco romping;-)

(Heide) Too bad Colin's too old now to play Rupert: (Gi) Never mind, they'd have got Hugh Grant for the part: Maybe they would've hired Grant, but had it made in the late 1980's or early 1990's; it seems Daniel Day-Lewis would have gotten the part. This would probably have been the case if it were an American backed project. As far as American producers were concerned there was pretty much no other young British actor than DDL. Or so it seemed. Jude Law. Well you know I love him, but I rather see Linus Roche as Brooke. I wouldn't be adverse to Law. But I really don't want him to become, (pardon the pun), overexposed. Sorry. Familiarity breeds contempt and all that. I just get sick of some actors, they're everywhere in everything, it seems.

Look who is doing the Bard with KB. From the E. Telegraph today. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=001533513654540&rtmo=Q0kO90mR&atmo=YYYYYYYp&pg=/et/00/3/13/tlsilv13.html

And she's brunette!

Hmmm, the article mentions a boyfriend by name. Thought KB had dumped Helena for Alicia. Wasn't that the gossip?

Daniel Day Lewis...now there's a name from the past. What's happened to his career? Can't remember anything since The Boxer. Yes, Jude Law does seem to be the flavor of the month but I agree he'd make a good Rupert. LOL on this speculation (which I happily started) since there is not film to speak of.

Article about Mark Strong, with a mention of Colin toward the end, from Tuesday's Times: Brightest star in Mamet's plow In the age of the headline-grabbing celebrity thespian, Mark Strong is an old-fashioned actor - always employed, always well received, yet unassuming enough to pass unnoticed in his local caf�, where I find him quietly sipping coffee and reading the newspaper. Perhaps most recognisable for his television roles in Our Friends in the North with Christopher Eccleston and Births, Deaths and Marriages with Ray Winstone, Strong is getting ready to beguile West End audiences as film producer Bobby Gould in Peter Gill's revival of David Mamet's 1988 black comedy, Speed-the-Plow. "Even though I've done 30 plays in 12 years, I haven't done a Mamet before," he says. "I've seen a couple of his plays, like Glengarry Glen Ross, but I've never acted in one. And I tell you, it's been a fantastic experience so far." Strong's co-star is Patrick Marber, the Olivier-winning writer of Closer, which starred Strong at the National. "It's a short, punchy, funny, dark play about two Hollywood producers sitting around talking about making a film," explains Strong. "They've got a big star who's agreed to leave his studio and make a film with them. Then this girl [Kimberly Williams] comes into the picture and upsets the applecart. "There's a bit of sexual tension, but mainly it's an exploration of art versus commerce and good versus evil. Ten years ago it was seen as a poke at Hollywood, now I think it has relevance about the way people talk about film in Britain." The production may be Strong's first Mamet, but it's also Marber's acting debut. "We stayed good friends after Closer," explains Strong, "and we did a lot of reading together for this. But as it turns out we are very different actors - he is first and foremost a writer and a director, so he has a very analytical style. I'm much more instinctive and emotional. The methods are different but the results are the same." And they are both doing American accents. "I played an American in front of another American when I did The Iceman Cometh with Kevin Spacey at the Almeida, so I'm quite used to it," says Strong. "But I don't think it's a disadvantage doing Mamet if you are an Englishman. His writing is very musical, which makes it easier. "It's fast, punctuated, intricate dialogue that you can't busk and you can't ad lib around," he grins. "It's like a dance, you are literally dancing with the other person. There are no complete sentences, there are sounds as well as words." It wasn't just the Mamet script that drew Strong in, however, it was also the prospect of getting back into the theatre. His involvement in television dramas such as Bombers, Trust and In the Name of Love, as well as a spell in Hungary filming Istv�n Szab�'s Sunshine with Ralph Fiennes, have kept Strong off the stage for more than two years. "It's the longest time I've been away," he says. "I've never left a gap like that before. What I was looking forward to most of all was getting back into a rehearsal room and having the time and the space to work on something over a period of time, rather than turning up on the day and seeing how it goes." He is also looking forward to performing for a live audience again. "I'm really happy to be back in front of real people," he enthuses. "It's the immediacy of their reaction that I like. I mean, they will either applaud or throw veg." Not that there's been much veg throwing in 36-year-old Strong's extraordinary career. From the National Theatre to Fever Pitch with Colin Firth, from the Royal Shakespeare Company to The Buddha of Suburbia, he has been extraordinarily successful for a man who claims to have stumbled into acting more or less by mistake. "I didn't know what I wanted to do. I thought, perhaps I should become a lawyer because it would make my Mum happy," he says, explaining a year spent studying law at Munich University. "But I very quickly realised how dull it was and that it wasn't for me. So I chose acting as something that wasn't dull. I was never one of those twinkletoes who'd been desperate to climb on stage from the age of three." He was born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia, the only child of an Italian father and an Austrian mother who emigrated to London in the 1960s. His mother changed his name by deed poll so that he would "fit in". "I think she probably just opened a dictionary," he laughs. Educated at various boarding schools in Surrey and Norfolk, he spent most of his childhood away from his family while his mother worked in Germany. "School was in a little field surrounded by loads of other fields, so they gave us lots to do to keep us busy. I had a great time. It was where I learnt to relate to other people, not having grown up with brothers or sisters." After a drama degree at Royal Holloway, and a postgrad course at Bristol Old Vic, it wasn't long before Mark was clocking up his stage hours in rep. "It was gold dust - it gave me the chance to learn and make mistakes without being punished for them," he says. "I have played everything from second spearholder to the lead at the National." His big break came after an eight-year apprenticeship on stage when he landed the part of Tosker Cox in Our Friends in the North. Since then he's never been out of a job. "It's the slow steady build," he muses. "It's a question of how long you want to be in this business. I still want to be doing this in my sixties, so I'm in no hurry. I feel like the more you learn the better the parts are to come." After Speed-the-Plow, Strong will be back on the small screen in Channel 4's Anna Karenina, and then there's Sunshine, which opens later in the year. But he's determined to maintain that low profile. "I want to stay working in good quality stuff," he says. "I don't want to be a celebrity and I'm not particularly interested in the money. The older I get the more I realise there is no substitute for quality. I just want to do intelligent, well thought-out work because in the end that's the most satisfying."

Educated at various boarding schools in Surrey and Norfolk... Interesting. I was at a boarding school in Surrey where a boy called ? Strong played Horatio in the school Hamlet. (Hamlet was already taken by Stephen Tredre, who tragically died young after being Kate Winslet's boyfriend and inspiration). I was Rosencrantz. I'll have to see if I can find the programme at home. The age would be almost right, but I don't remember the face at all (or rather my memory is very different from the look of the guy in FP).

Mark Strong probably had more hair then? :) Marco, nice Italian name;)

(MarkG) I'll have to see if I can find the programme at home. Definitely, take a look! Wouldn't that be fun.

Thanks Karen....he's got excellent credentials... Educated at various boarding schools in Surrey and Norfolk... ... drama degree at Royal Holloway, and a postgrad course at Bristol Old Vic I wasn't terribly impressed with him in FP, must try to see him on stage...look forward to seeing him in "Sunshine"; I think he plays Rafe's brother. The crowd at Toronto gave him good reviews.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANN

One more try...

Here's Evelyn's first one:

Oh, they are lovely thanks very much, especially the droolable one!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANN!!!!

Look who we've arranged to have a quiet little birthday dinner with you tonight!! I don't think you'll feel like ordering dessert. ;-) We won't tell James if you won't

Happy Birthday, Ann! *imagine a big, juicy pic of Edward Pettigrew here* [sorry, I'm still Netscapeless] caption [read with Scots accent]: "For your birthday, Ann, here is the same delightful sampler of sphagnum moss products I gave to Heloise in the moss loft. Oh, I beg your pardon--you have not seen My Life So Far as yet, have you? 'Tis another 52 days until it opens in the UK? No problem, then. I shall be waiting for you, Ann. Humph. Now I find I must take a cold plunge in the loch..."

Just for you Ann!

Hauoli Na Hanau, Ann

That lei is tuberose and lantern ilima blossoms, and it smells exquisite. I had one a few weeks ago and it hung around my lamp until it no longer was fragrant.

Tanti, tanti, Auguri! Ann! May All Your Wishes Come True! I think we all share a few. ;-)

Happy birthday Ann, hope it's one of the best ever.

Mark if you were Rosencrantz, who was Guildenstern?

Coming in on Eileen's wings, Many happy returns, Ann!

Ann! May all your wishes come true! Happy Birthday, Ann!

Happy Birthday Ann!

Oh, thankyou all very much indeed, you are all so very ingenious, all I can do is to say Thankyou very much my friends and fellow droolies fingers crossed.

A very happy birthday to you, Ann! I wish you all good things in the coming year, including more Close Encounters Of The Firth Kind!

Belated happy bithday wishes Ann. Hope it was a good one. Sorry I cant do any of the clever stuff.

A late Happy Birthday from me also, Ann. Checked my old programme. It was Michael Strong. Curses! Guildenstern was just some other schmo

Thanks Mari, Aishling & Mark for your birthday wishes, all these lovely wishes have been the icing on the cake to a very nice lazy birthday. Had two lovely phone calls from my two sons and some flowers from my hubby, I am a very lucky lady.

Happy Birthday Ann

Happy birthday from me too, Ann. Sorry I cannot do any of that clever stuff!

Ides of March, 2000 Julius Caesar assassinated 2044 ago--still mourning him... Oh well, we shall be stoic. ;-)

Happy Birthday, Ann! Hope the sun is shining where you are. Enjoy your special day:-)

Thanks very much, Lucie, Allison and Susan, and yes Susan it was a lovely sunny day.

I Love Birthdays... ...has everyone registered with Karen? Or is it Marcia? Anyway...we need notice, gang...so we can pick out just the right card and shop

(Moon)Ides of March, 2000 Julius Caesar assassinated 2044 ago--still mourning him... Oh well, we shall be stoic. ;-) Moon! I never thought anyone else was still mourning him but me! And I am not stoic about it ;-)

Gi, watch my winky. We are of one thought here. :-) Viva Cesare!

Marcia is the official Keeper of the Lists.

Yesterday, March 15 was not only the anniversary of the death of Gaius Julius Caesar -- but it is also the day when the buzzards return to Hinkley, Ohio. My apologies to Moon, Gi, and Gaius Julius's ghost for mentioning Caesar and the avian trivia fact in the same sentence. Gi, you mentioned in one of your posts reading one of Steven Saylor's Gordianus the Finder novels. Love them. I've read them all except "Rubicon", the most recent one. That has nothing to do with Colin Firth's career or Ann's birthday. I'm off-topic and babbling. Enough. Hope you enjoyed the book though.

Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres... I still remember studying Julius Caesar's diaries in my Latin classes.

"All Gaul is divided into three parts." Arami, you no doubt remember, "I came, I saw, I conquered," as well.

Veni, Vidi, Velcro (I came, I saw, I stuck around) ;-)

Velcro. Those Romans had an advanced culture.

Veni, Vidi, Vito (Icame, I saw, I moidered da bum;-)

Law wings from ``Feathers'' By Claude Brodesser HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - As the producers of the remake of 1939's ``Four Feathers,'' were scouting locations in Morocco, their star, Jude Law, was winging his way toward other projects. Feathers flew at Miramax Films, which is financing the project with Paramount, after Law demanded a $4 million payday and significant gross participation, according to people familiar with the talks. Miramax, known for getting white-hot talent at civil servant wages, would not brook such demands. Law is likely, however, to cut a richer deal elsewhere, given that he's Oscar-nominated -- ironically, for his role in another Paramount/Miramax co-production, ``The Talented Mr. Ripley'' Meanwhile, Paramount and Miramax are understood to have had conversations with Billy Crudup as a possible replacement, according to insiders. ``Feathers'' is a remake of the Zoltan Korda tale that Hossein Amini (``The Wings of the Dove'' and, it might be noted with some interest, ``Jude'') will adapt from the pre-war screenplay. Shekhar Kapur (``Elizabeth,'') will still direct. Stanley and Bob Jaffe are producing. ``Feathers'' centers on a British officer who resigns his post just before battle and is given four white feathers by his friends and fiancee as symbols of what they believe to be his cowardice. Law's next project is unclear, for while he is still understood to be attached to the MGM pic ``The Good Shepherd,'' directed by Robert De Niro, the picture isn't scheduled to begin shooting until early 2001. ``Shepherd'' follows a career CIA agent who is recruited fresh out of the Ivy League at the agency's inception after WWII, and the toll his work takes on his life and family. ******* I read today that Jude is in the running for Spielberg's AI--Artificial Intelligence, the film that Stanley Kubrick was to direct. Mari

Was thinking, should I start a Jude Law topic? ...although I do know that some might be happy the Four Feathers role is open again and we know Colin will work for a pittance. ;-)

I know I shouldn't post this here, but with St. Patrick's Day tomorrow and I AM in Boston;) This was a review in 1995 of Circle of Friends: Movie Details This "Circle of Friends" proves irresistible By Jay Carr Boston Globe Published: 03/24/95 Three of its leads are British, one is Scottish, one is American and only one is Irish, but Pat O'Connor's "Circle of Friends" warmly and beautifully continues Ireland's winning streak at the movies. It's filled with honest feeling, atmospheric rightness and a wealth of detailing that make it a sweetly appealing screenful of beguilement on several counts. Let's start with Minnie Driver's enchanting heroine in her sensible clothes, sensible shoes and (most of the time) sensible mindset. "You're easy to talk to," says Chris O'Donnell as the shy, handsome guy she's got her eye on, "very solid, aren't you?" "Yes, everybody notices," replies Driver's Benny, the most central of three Irish village girls going to college in Dublin. She's described as a big, soft girl, but there's nothing soft about her head, and one of the pleasures of the film is that it isn't afraid to make brains sexy. Given that the time is 1958 and the story is set in rural Ireland, sexy is something that does not come easily, especially to Benny, who in the movie's most moving scene sits at a dance wilting and finally crying into her decolletage because O'Donnell's Jack doesn't ask her to dance. But then of course in the end, he does. Driver, filled with impulse yet familiar with unfulfillment, is a jewel, the kind you keep hoping the handsome lad played by O'Donnell will have the good sense to notice. Like Maeve Binchy, on whose popular novel the film is based, Benny has plenty of time to notice things, and the thing that makes the film so rich is not that it's filled with quaintness, but rather that it's so overflowing with keenly observed bits of human behavior. O'Connor colors his actors' discoveries with levity, too, finding gentle fun in Irish sexual repression by sending frissons through a class when an anthropology lecture turns to the sexual life of savages, then cutting to a football game outside. It's part of the measure of the humane warmheartedness of the film that its sexual adventuress never is banished from our sympathies, either. As one of Benny's intimates, Geraldine O'Rawe, the sole Irish cast member, is persuasive on more than linguistic grounds. Playing a convent girl raised by kindly but acute nuns, she brings a keen watchfulness to the role of the girl who is always a guest, never someone who belongs by birth. And Saffron Burrows, as the prettiest of the three, is allowed emotional complexity and understanding. It's the men who fall short. Not O'Donnell as the doctor's son, uncomfortable at feeling pressured to follow his father's footsteps. He looks natural inside the world of the film, projecting not only his customary boy- next-door appeal, but also an ability to persuade us of Jack's most attractive quality -- his modesty. The fun comes from the slimeball role of an unctuous Uriah Heep-like clerk played by Scottish actor Alan Cumming. We'll be seeing more of him. And Colin Firth gets the job done as the town's weak aristocrat. But "Circle of Friends," in keeping with its title, goes beyond individual performances to evoke the kind of fragile yet intense community of tentative kids on their way to unknown destinations. O'Connor captures the touching littleness of their world, its rich specificity and the passionate connectedness of the characters to their patch of turf and to each other. It would be too stupidly aggressive to speak of so gentle and endearing a film as a bull's-eye. Let's just say that "Circle of Friends" gets inside Binchy's bustling busybody world and brings it home with the same humor and energy and generosity. It's pretty irresistible. Movie Type Drama Running Time 1 hr. 52 min. Directed By Pat O'Connor Cast Chris O'Donnell, Minnie Driver, Geraldine O'Rawe, Saffron Burrows, Alan Cumming, Colin Firth Written By Andrew Davies (based on the novel by Maeve Binchy) Year 1995

(CherylB)Gi, you mentioned in one of your posts reading one of Steven Saylor's Gordianus the Finder novels. Love them. I've read them all except "Rubicon", the most recent one. That has nothing to do with Colin Firth's career or Ann's birthday. I'm off-topic and babbling. Enough. Hope you enjoyed the book though. Well, this is Odds and Ends, right? Actually, I'm reading another Gordianus novel now (The Venus Throw), and quite enjoying it. Saylor is better at creating atmospheres than at making sense of the story - I think Gordianus solves plots by the grace of Fortune more than by clever reasoning. Oh well. On the other hand, I'll read "anything" that takes place in Caesar's time. Colleen McCullough's series has me eagerly waiting for the next book :-) One day I'll write one of my own ;-) Sorry, ladies. I couldn't resist. Maybe I should take Veni, Vidi, Velcro as my motto... Karen, that was brilliant!

Hey, Laura, no need to apologize about the CoF review. Anywhere is fine for Colin stuff... ;-) Gi, I can't take credit for the velcro. Saw it somewhere and jotted it down, but don't remember where.

Colin will work for a pittance Are you saying that Colin is cheap???

I am all astonishment.

Oh, hi again! Shall we call you Colin or Passionata? ;-) Oh, never mind: why not tell us more about your astonishment?

(In Italian, if you prefer.)

(Cheryl) Yesterday, March 15 was not only the anniversary of the death of Gaius Julius Caesar -- but it is also the day when the buzzards return to Hinkley, Ohio. As a soul born and bred in No. Ohio, I'll have you know that we take umbrage at the continued spread of these vicious rumors -- and I resemble ... oop ... resent the term "buzzard" (which is a kind of European Buteo hawk) ... the returnees are vultures ... turkey vultures. I know because we went to Hinkley one year and saw 'em (big thrill) (eh)(I prefer swallows, thank you). (Arami) Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres... I still remember studying Julius Caesar's diaries in my Latin classes. So do I (I think I have one and I wish I could find my of it, but it's packed away in storage among about 2000 of its brethren or so ...), but I seem to remember the whole verb at the end. More like "Omnis Gallia in tres partes divisum est." I suppose we could blame the discrepency in memory to different translations (or almost 40 years), except that we were all supposedly studying the original. Anybody have it to hand? (It's no Winnie Ille Pu" but waddaya want?) ;-)

KJArt it is most definitely: Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres...

Can I recommend a non-Colin Firth movie in honor of St. Pat's Day? The Commitments. It is brilliant. Also, Circle of Friends is a good movie to watch today as well!

Here you go, Laura, hum a little Bee Gees:

Hey, why is that bottom leprechaun dancing like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever? Is he Tony O'Manero? HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY, EVERYONE! From someone who wears her green every day but is way more Italian than she is Irish :-P Don't drink too much green beer!

Thank you, Moon. HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY ALL!

Anytime, KJArt. :-) LOL, Eileen. The Italia, Ireland connection is also the flag and the I. To all the Celts out there; A Very HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!

(Karen) hum a little Bee Gees It would've been nice if I read that *before* I posted...must go clean my lenses!

(KJart)I resemble...oop...resent the term "buzzard"...the returnees are vultures. Turkey vultures. I no because I went to Hinkley one year and saw 'em (big thrill)(eh)(I prefer swallows, thank you). Far be it for me to be un-politically correct in regard to turkey vultures. Glad to hear that you don't resemble a buzzard. Although when I wake up in the morning the sight of me could frighten buzzards and vultures alike. Remember it is a far better thing to be called a vision than to be called a sight. You're right, the vultures returning to Hinkley doesn't have quite the same romance as the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano. The swallows should be returning on March 19. Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of you out there celebrating it. Perhaps the leprechaun is dancing like John Revolting because the road has risen up to meet him, or the barstool has walked out from under him. There are some Roman Catholic archbishops and bishops in the US who wouldn't give their Irish-American parishioners a dispensation to eat meat on St. Patrick's Day this year, as it falls on Friday during Lent. The tradional meal of corned beef and cabbage is out. Catholics can eat the meat of any cold blooded creature, such as fish or snake. That would be appropriate, eating snake for St. Patrick's Day. The equinox is on March 20, to those in the northern hemisphere it's the vernal equinox -- so Happy Spring. To the southern hemisphere dwellers it's the atumnal equinox -- which means Happy Fall. If you're a pagan, I think it's a holiday for you -- anyway hope it's a good one. Have great change of season everyone.

(Cheryl) ...Remember it is a far better thing to be called a vision than to be called a sight. **Hee hee!** (Too bad I usually fall into the latter category.) Anyway, we all get to celebrate no matter our color, creed, or national origin: , Right?

That's right, and I hope the barstool doesn't walk out from under me.

There's a full-page ad for The Real Thing in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly (week of March 24). Grainy black and white super close-up shot of (I assume) Stephen and Jennifer in a hot lip lock. Right across their upper lips is this quote: "You'd be mad to miss this modern classic"--London Daily Telegraph No stars names. Just says Anita Waxman, Elizabeth Williams, Ron Kastner and Miramax Films present The Donmar Warehouse production of Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing. Directed by David Leveaux. Then it says limited Broadway engagement and gives the theater and ticket info and the website.

I know I'm a bit late as there's ony half an hour left of it but Happy St.Paddy's Day one and all!

any cold blooded creature, such as fish or snake I've touched quite a number of fishes (love angling!) and snakes (adore wildlife!) in my life and I can assure anyone who has so far missed this exquisite sensation that snakes are warm. But it may have little to do with the actual term "cold blooded". Any zoologists around here?

...There's a full-page ad for The Real Thing in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly...Stephen and Jennifer in a hot lip lock. .. You mean this one: Today's NY Times has a blurb on it too....and it closes in London tomorrow night.Harvey's hand is prominently in the publicity. We'll see.....NY critics don't always go hand in hand with London critics...and vice versa...witness "Lion King" major shut-out at the BAFTAs.For that matter TRT didn't do that well either;-)

...I've touched quite a number of fishes (love angling!) and snakes (adore wildlife!) in my life and I can assure anyone who has so far missed this exquisite sensation that snakes are warm. I had an all- snake meal in Hong Kong. It tastes like chicken..except for the scally top.Not bad. Low fat too, they tell me;-)

For that matter TRT didn't do that well either - that doesn't sound like you Evelyn, they did very well, they received 4 Olivier Nominations !

The term cold-blooded is not precisely accurate, what it means, more or less, is that these animals cannot maintain a constant body temperature. Their internal body temperature is influenced by the air temperature. Snakes and lizards become more active the warmer they are. The snakes you've touched Arami might have been warm because they'd been sunning themselves. The snakes I've touched felt cool and dry, and not at all unpleasant.