(Donna) Was JE ever discussed or under consideration for the BJ role? Someone asked HF that at a booksigning and she said: "Yes, she was considered. But decided she was not suitable for the role". Read: she doesn't have star-wattage. And I agree, it needed a bankable star.Though I think RZ resembles JE in looks. Same age,blonde, little round- baby-face,curvy ...

(Judy)I'm quite surprised at how many people haven't either read it or haven't even heard of it,Where have they been? I'm surprised too. Whenever I've mentioned the upcoming movie, most people have not heard of the book. But this is N.A. (KJArt)Speak for yourself! :-) I stand corrected. A certain number of us who have been posting lately have expressed concern over HG getting more film time than CF. But you're right, even in jest I should speak only for myself. :-) And on that note... (Cheryl)Yes, my atlas indicates Portugal as having only an Atlantic Coastline; being blocked from the Mediterranean as it is by Spain. Ouch! I was actually refering to the possibility of its being on the coast as opposed to inland . Couldn't remember from BJD, and a map lists more than one place in Portugal as beginning with 'Albufeira' as part of its name. But I assumed the stand-alone Albufeira was meant, and now you have confirmed it.

(Cheryl) A case in point is Patricia Rozema's "Mansfield Park". Phooey. I thought it blew chunks. That is much less eloquently phrased than the Janeites would put it. However, that is very much their position, on which I wholeheartedly agree. My point is the makers of MP didn't care about people who love Jane Austen's novels. I disagree with you about this. The first time I watched it, I felt upset, as I lean towards a purist position on Austen's works. But I thought it was worth examining my upset, so I went to see MP for a second time, and took extensive notes (for a review I never got around to writing). In comparing the novel with the adaptation, I found that Rozema had still maintained Fanny as the moral center of the story, and I thought Rozema's shift from adultery to slavery as the main ethical issue to be highly acceptable. I also find her premise intriguing: that wealth built on injustice will tear apart the moral fabric of a family. And I liked her contrast between characters capable of redemption and characters who are not. Oh Christ, I'm having flashbacks of school debates. But, as I said in a previous message, I admire Rozema's filmmaking.

I attended the premiere of MP at the Odeon last November. Part of the British FF offerings...Patricia Rozema was there (as was Harvey).The audience laughed as the credits rolled to the tune of some African composition and when she came on the stage she was booed. To which she declared :"This was Patricia Rozema's MP NOT JA's." More boos....louder this time.

Oh well, one good boo session and you know you're doing something right as an artist. Made myself watch NH tonight. Had no choice, as P&P2 was rented, and it was four minutes to closing time. (Still have not seen those extra minutes!!) Have to give HG more credit than I thought I would; he did finish an entire sentence, and more than once! He said "umm" a lot though. Still, I enjoyed NH. It did have funny one-liners. I would have liked the HG character to be a little less wimpy, but perhaps there really are people that good, kind, gentle, and forgiving? (Nobody I know.) But I thought the film had some moments that lifted it above run-of-the-mill fluff. But I still want MD screen-time, and hope that DC role has not been expanded at expense of MD. Yes I know, I know, MD is not in the book that much. But he's still the romantic interest. *Arggh* Is there nothing I could take for my present relief?! When? When will this speculating be confirmed or denied?

(Sadie) even in jest I should speak only for myself :-) that's okay you can speak for me on this one. BTW whats N.A. I've searched my brains only to find I've lent them out. Evelyn I was interested to hear about the boos.As a JA fan I was put off seeing MP but I really should be more open minded about seeing her work in all its forms so I'll put it on my must see list which is getting longer everytime I drool. Talking of my must see list my diary for this week is JM tonight & NH in the week.So I'll be able to give better views on RZ & HG, well RZ anyway (only speaking for myself of course & perhaps Sadie) Because I've never seen RZ's work before I've not been able to give my opinion as to her suitability as BJ.The 'problem'of her being an American in an Englishrole has never bothered me.I'm ashamed of the Eng press(not a new emotion) in stirring it up,I think she'sgot a difficult enough job being BJ without the press constantly harping on about her accent,the more self conscious you are,the less self confident you become & the more mistakes you make. (Sadie)Is there nothing I could take for my present relief?-A glass of wine;-shall I get you one?-You are very ill.' No I refuse to believe that MD is given little screen time-how could they he is the hero after all!

Another mystery solved. Honor B. as . . .Jenny? From the Sunday London Times; thanks to Francoise for spotting. ******** A singleton before her time, Honor Blackman, 73 going on 30, is perfect for the new Bridget Jones film, finds Jackie Rowley The point of Honor before Bridget At 73, most of us are ready to slow down, to step out of the spotlight, to sidle away. Not Honor Blackman. This month she spent seven days filming a guest spot in Bridget Jones's Diary; she tours with her one-woman show (Dishonorable Ladies); there's a forthcoming Anouilh play; a television series and so on - into the future. It's 36 years since she drawled "my name is Pussy Galore" and a husky, Hollywood icon was born. Today she still tops the Bond girl polls. But contemplating that as she sits on her cream sofa in her elegant, sunny top-floor London flat, she frowns. "Actually, I hate to be referred to as a 'Bond girl'." She rolls that word "Bond" around, drawing it out. "What does it mean? I wasn't a bimbo. It was a very good character. She didn't fall flat on her back when she clapped eyes on him . . . she turned out to be quite a moral person." That devastating voice invites no argument, although despite the glamorous aura Honor Blackman is not intimidating. She's good fun - bubbling underneath our conversation is a wry and ironic wit. Anyway, she's done all right out of Pussy Galore. It was the part, together with the equally lethal Cathy Gale in The Avengers, which made her. In their day, each character caused a stir. She smiles now, remembering promotional tours as the outrageously named Pussy in America: "There were quite a few interviewers who just wouldn't say it at all." But at this year's Bafta awards, where she collected a gong for The Avengers, Honor Blackman made a point of mentioning how delighted she was that she had been the first actress to portray such women in a "strong-willed and positive" fashion. The Avengers burst on post-war Britain when women knew their place in entertainment. They were either wives or temptresses. But Cathy Gale was neither - or both. She was "intellectually equal to John Steed and sometimes a little ahead" and she did judo and wore black leather. Born on August 22, 1926, Honor Blackman was brought up in Chiswick, west London. It was tough emotionally and physically. "I suppose my parents did love each other but my father was so difficult. He was a disciplinarian and ferocious. My poor mother wasn't a fighter, so she was knocked flat - and I think that's part of what's made me." It was her father who taught her selfdefence - she learnt to box aged five. Very close to her short, dreamy, older brother, she got into fights on his behalf. "There were two occasions when I knocked boys out. Other kids understood that you don't mess with Ken Blackman because he's got a sister!" She began acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the 1940s. "Everyone thinks I was in the Rank Charm School for starlets. I wasn't. I'd done my training." She likes to "keep her hand in" with movies. She plays Penny, a family friend, in Bridget Jones's Diary. So how was it? Too canny to criticise fellow actors, she is effusive about Ren�e Zellweger, who is playing Bridget. "She's terrific. Her English accent is very good and she's a lovely person - totally unspoilt. She embarrassed the hell out of me by saying that she must have my autograph for her boyfriend - you know her boyfriend, [pause], Jim Carrey?" With her own rather chequered history, she enters into the spirit of Bridget Jones. Two marriages - one at 20 and a second in her thirties to the actor Maurice Kaufman - both ended in divorce. "Bridget is great - but if women spend their time worrying about what she's worrying about, it's a nightmare. That's no fun, drinking so much and being sick in the lavatory." The whole problem for Bridget is men. Honor Blackman has scarcely had the same difficulties - "I was proposed to so often". But, she, too has struggled with lasting relationships. She worries about how women approach men and sex today. "They don't get proposed to, they just go to bed. It's an entirely different world. The trouble is that women have this enormous freedom to sleep with whoever they wish and yet they are still tainted with this 'some day my prince will come on a white charger'." Would she marry again? "I haven't made a success of marriage. My prince didn't really come, did he? I like the freedom and independence of being alone. I know an awful lot of people don't like it, but it's my passion to live alone." Not very Bridget Jones. Yet this is a woman who was often ahead of her time and is thoroughly in tune with today's career girls. Her single status, work focus, relationships damaged by career, success and her money, plus the independence - all make her 73 going on thirtysomething. She's cheerfully confiding about having lovers although - unlike Bridget - she keeps the juicy details discreetly quiet, and she is quite matter of fact about affairs. "When you reach a certain maturity and you meet someone and it's just chemistry and that's it - you needn't make a long thing of it. Just do it and it's great," she grins. As she talks, her eyes sparkle. Reluctantly, she admits that looks do matter to her. "I've always had everybody worrying about what I look like and therefore I worry about it, too." She is critical of how people appear on television today. "They scrag about looking like the back end of a bus . . . I can't help it - it's always been important to me." She won't accept that she's beautiful, though. "What is weird is that I've gone through life not thinking I was beautiful. But now I do wish I had known, because men used to say, 'Oh, you're so beautiful,' and I immediately thought, 'I know what you want.' I always used to think it was because they had another agenda. Now I think I could have been a femme fatale or something. It's just astonishing - especially at this stage of life." She makes faces when I ask her about ageing and why she still works. "What should I be doing - tottering around with a stick or something? It's an adrenaline I would miss terribly." Sharing a birthday month, August, with the Queen Mother, she was a guest at the recent pageant. "I thought it was perfectly marvellous. The parade stirred memories. And, though I'm no royalist, the troops do it so well. It's theatre." But about the Queen Mother herself she was uncharacteristically terse. "If you want to know what I think about her, I think she is a very privileged lady and I leave it at that." For someone who has just been sweetness and light about everyone in her bitchy profession, this is teasing. But she won't be drawn further. As Honor Blackman sees me out, that little touch of steel is back in the voice. "Don't deaden me. I hate that, when my throwaway remarks come out all serious." Bridget Jones meets Cathy Gale and Pussy Galore. Sassy, moral and spiced up with minx.

Thanks, Mari, for posting. So she's Penny Husbands-Bosworth, the one Bridget's father brings to the Tarts and Vicars party, who was also not informed about the cancellation in theme.

(Judy)BTW whats N.A. I've searched my brains only to find I've lent them out. I'm using too many abbreviations lately. I meant North America. (Judy)Talking of my must see list my diary for this week is JM tonight & NH in the week.So I'll be able to give better views on RZ & HG, well RZ anyway (only speaking for myself of course & perhaps Sadie) I too am finding myself with longer lists, just to keep up! By now you've seen JM, what did you think? I believe I will actually fork out $$ to see the new Jim Carrey movie co-starring RZ. Thanks for that article, Mari. Honor Blackman sounds like a pretty cool 73-year old. And Yea! it means the Tarts & Vicars party must be in the script!

North America it would have to be something simple she says feeling foolish. Yes I've seen JM now.Well if I hadn't wanted to see RZ I would never have lasted I found it long and slow (mmm like the sound of that)I won't say too much about the film because I'll get kicked over to movies! I enjoyed RZ's performance but I would have liked to see more of her.I especially liked her interaction withher sister & I can see that translating to her relationship with the girls in BJD. She is pretty,but not too pretty and I can see her as a 'normal,everyday' woman who doesn't always look her best.I'm not sure she needs to put too much weight on,she is thin but at times looked quite muscular and she has a rather plump looking face anyway(this is rich coming from me).I've never had anybody fixed in my mind as an ideal BJ so it is easier for me to imagine her in the role than for somebody who already had someone in mind. Now to more seriarse matters the TARTS and vicars party-I think I've missed an opportunity here as an extra,anyone else-eh Sadie?.. ducking & diving :-D

(Judy)Well if I hadn't wanted to see RZ I would never have lasted I found it long and slow (mmm like the sound of that) LOL! I can believe it! Now to more seriarse matters the TARTS and vicars party-I think I've missed an opportunity here as an extra,anyone else-eh Sadie?.. ducking & diving :-D No need to duck. I've always had a strong interest in theology. she is thin but at times looked quite muscular and she has a rather plump looking face anyway(this is rich coming from me). I really find her face endearing. I think she has the right sweetness for BJ. Other than that, like you, I haven't a strong picture in my mind. Another film to add to your list: One True Thing . I think RZ was excellent in this. Have others seen it? I'm sure it's already been discussed here, so sorry if I'm simply being boringly repetitious.

(Sadie)I really find her face endearing.me too I loved all the different expressions and the way her emotions showed but I don't want her to look too fat. One True Thing yes I've added it to my list and I do want to see more of her work I found it fascinating watching her & trying to see her as BJ,not my usual way of watching a film.

I agree. Normally only good-looking men get that much concentration from me.

Know what you mean I don't know why I bother about RZ or HG when I won't be able to take my eyes off CFthe only problem being I won't know what's going on inthe rest of the film especially if they've altered the book that much.I'll just have to watch it again & again & again.

Oh, what a trial that would be. Imagine, when DVDs become available over the net (legally), we'll be able to edit our copies of different films into one long Firth Frenzy.

And my point was, we won't need to bother with silly inconsequential things like plots. But my concentration was elsewhere...

Yes I've tried to do that with videos,Colin at the Baftas,arriving at Premieres,Lifeline etc.but sometimesI've had to tape so quick they're all on different tapes.Waiting for the BJD premiere to tape(next morning of course)I really think I should try & make it to that one in person though oh what a thought- better be nice to hubby for a while.

Sadie, sorry about the misuderstanding concerning the coastline of Portugal. As William Burroughs noted, "Language is a virus." I took your phrasing of "the Atlantic Coast" to infer that Portugal had more than one coast. My mistake, I shall give myself a virtual kick now. If Rozema chose to make a statement on the subject of slavery through the metier of deconstructing Jane Austen's work; she would have been better served by writing an original work, suggested by Austen. She also most emphatically should not have called it "Mansfield Park". I am now going to return to the cheap seats and boo Rozema with the Janeites, but I tend to be cranky.

Judy, I'd echo Sadie's recommendation to put One True Thing at the top of your "must rent" list. It's a wonderful story, so well written and acted, and will give you an even better sense of RZ's range than JM. She more than holds her own with Streep and Hurt (though they too are v. good); it's really RZ's film. Karen, thanks for the reminder of who Jenny is--couldn't place it when I posted the HB article. So glad that Tarts & Vicars made it into the script!

From a profile of Julian Barnes in the Guardian: Literature's Mister Cool by Nicholas Wroe Saturday July 29, 2000 There is a scene in Bridget Jones's Diary when Bridget unexpectedly finds herself standing in front of Julian Barnes at a literary party. Ms Jones, paralysed by Barnes's intimidating reputation for cool intelligence and languid wit, is struck dumb. The agonising silence is eventually broken when, to her own horror, she blurts out, "Do you know where the toilets are?" The resulting "faint smile that hovered over his thin-but-attractive lips" ensured her humiliation was made complete. The scene has been included in the film version of the diary which is currently in production in London. Although lots of real writers were gathered together by the producers to act as up-market extras, it was thought Barnes wasn't quite recognisable enough to a cinema-going audience to justify Bridget's level of mortification. So while Barnes stands around holding a glass of warm white wine and muttering "rhubarb", Salman Rushdie was parachuted in to precipitate the social catastrophe. When Barnes tells this story, he goes through the motions of huffing and puffing at the lack of respect shown to him and the cavalier attitude to the text adopted by superficial film-makers. But far from complaining that he is not famous enough, in reality one senses that Barnes feels he has more than enough fame, meaning in this case celebrity, already. He might be adamant that he is not an autobiographical writer, but when the narrator of his novel Flaubert's Parrot at one point asks, "Why does the writing make us chase the writer? Why aren't the books enough?" there is little doubt that he speaks for Barnes. ********* You can read the rest if you want here: http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4045327,00.html

This woman looks way too good for her age!! (IMO the medical profession has intervened)

Harumpf! Why didn't it show up? Oh well, this is Honor Blackman:

(Cheryl)Sadie, sorry about the misuderstanding concerning the coastline of Portugal. Thanks. 'Nuff said. :-) I am now going to return to the cheap seats and boo Rozema with the Janeites, but I tend to be cranky. Fair enough. You boo, I'll cheer. How boring it would be if we all made the same sound! Ms Jones, paralysed by Barnes's intimidating reputation for cool intelligence and languid wit, is struck dumb. The agonising silence is eventually broken when, to her own horror, she blurts out, "Do you know where the toilets are?" LMAO, thanks for including this Karen, it's one of my fave Bridget moments. I'm glad to hear this scene is included in the film. Should be fun to see Rushdie too, and Barnes sounds like quite a character in his own right.

(Karen) (IMO the medical profession has intervened) She does look good (after all, she could look like Joan Rivers--have you seen her lately? I swear her ears have moved to the back of her head). Don't remember too much about Penny Husbands-Bosworth. Will have to refresh my memory, now that I have my books back :-)

Eileen, I was actually about to say that she *does* look like Joan Rivers. Are we sure HB isn't selling costume jewelry on QVC?;-)

LOL! You ladies are bad, although Joan Rivers must be a case study in Plastics 101 for what NOT to do (in Glamour parlance: a Fashion Don't). Sheesh! Her eyes are at a 45 degree angle from her nose these days! Now that other shot of HB was a fashion thingie. Here she is at the television Baftas a few months ago, when all the Avenger women were honored:

Gulp. She does look like Joan Rivers. Or rather, Joan Rivers looks like her! Just think of how many operations it took JR to begin to approach this woman's beauty. But I still think HB has got "good bones" to her face, whereas JR has got good placement of silicone. What angle would you place HB's eyes at. I'm guessing one face-lift?

It doesn't matter how many facelifts she's had she still looks better than me!(that tribute at the baftas was embarrassing & wasn't JL's name put forward to play opposite CF in something or other?) Eileen glad to hear you've got your books back,mine are still doing the rounds & its frustrating when you want to re-check scenes when you get new info on the cast. Karen liked the Honored missed it first time round:-)

It doesn't matter how many facelifts she's had she still looks better than me! LOL! You and me both. I really don't think she's had that many though, unlike Joan Rivers. I didn't see the tribute, so please tell more, and whose JL?

The tribute was to the different women playing opposite 'John Steed' I just found them too gushing in praise of each other.JL=Joanna Lumley-she played Purdy in the Avengers.In the past few years she's become more famous for Patsy in a Brit sit-com called Absolutely Fabulous(which I've got on Tv at the moment strangely enough) In an article In TV Times mag she was mentioned for a role in Flashman

BTW the reason I mentioned her is because she's the one in the pic with HB

Yes, now that you've told me, I can see that it's Joanna Lumley. As I have only seen her a few times, I keep getting her confused with Saunders of French & Saunders (I clearly do not have a good memory for faces). I suppose at the Tribute they didn't want to sound the least bit critical of each other as the press would have picked it up and run wild with it? But I hate gushing moments all the same! (Well, gushing over CF is fine, as long as it's accompanied by some honest drooling.)

I don't watch QVC but Joan was making the talk show rounds last week to defend herself in her latest scandal (suspended from her NY radio show for saying the s-word). Not only is her face *ahem* taught (as is HB's) but her eyebrows are fixed in an arch, giving her face a permanent surprised look. Her eyes probably don't close when she sleeps. She's on my list of cosmetic surgery disasters along with Michael Jackson (have you heard his theme song? "If I Only Had a Nose"), Cher, Dolly Parton, Melanie Griffith, that society dame known as 'the lioness' (Jocelyn Wildenstein??? something like that)...I could go on and on... Getting back to the topic at hand ;-), the character of PH-B was kind of primpy, wasn't she?

(Eileen) the character of PH-B was kind of primpy, wasn't she? Wots primpy? Have skimmed through and found only two refs to PH-B. First, she's the "asbestos widow." Her husband died of leukemia. Her appearance on television to discuss asbetos sparks the who can program their VCR bit. The only time she ever appears is at the T&V party and is wearing bunny ears, a bustier, etc. I'm guessing they've made more changes here.

From memory, PH-B is also mentioned in passing occasionally by Bridget's mum, mainly in a keeping-up-with-the-Joneses (no pun intended) way in the first book, and then in a possible-affair-with-your-father way in the second book. I don't think the film we see will be much like the book in terms of narrative at all, frankly. I hope that the re-write gives us effectively a third book to enjoy (although with the P&P theme retained) by being very different, but I worry that the spirit may be lost - especially if HG gets a happy ending (or just endless screen time - at the expense of CF - as I am beginning to suspect).

(Mark)I don't think the film we see will be much like the book in terms of narrative at all, frankly. That's my concern...it's Bridget's thoughts and perspectives that are hilarious:her diary. Not the story & antics....which could get a little 'Jim Carreyish'... Unless they do a lot of voice-overs... But I have great faith in Richard Curtis...aft viewing NH several times...I still find hidden humorous lines.

(Mark)especially if HG gets a happy ending...I'll thank you not to use such language:-) I nearly fell off my chair when I read that & had to re-read your post a few times to make sure I hadn't read it wrong. What on earth put such dreadful thoughts in your mindyou've voiced the ultimate nightmare scenario for me! I'm supposed to be watching NH tonight for research purposes but I don't think I'll be able to watch it objectively now!Oh Mark what have you done to me I think I better go & hit the bottle:-D

Yoohoo, Markie...they're back!! Filming location for August 7th: "As a resident of a London flat on the below-named street of Shad Thames, a notice was slipped under my door (as well as the doors of everyone else in the building, and probably other nearby buildings as well) which was a Notice of Intended Filming from BJD Productions Limited, and signed Adam Richards, Location Manger (for and on behalf of Working Title Films). This is not the first notice I'd received, as there was a simliar one in May, but it didn't affect me and I soon forgot it. From this latest notice, I will quote the relevant paragraph here: 'As you may well be aware, back in May, we filmes a couple of scenes for this film in The Cantina Restaurant and also in Shad Thames. Unfortunately, after we had finished filming and as the film was being developed, the film tock was ruined and so, we would like to come back to film the scenes again on Monday 7th August 2000. As before, we would start by filming in The Cantina Restaurant between approcimately 5.00pm and 10.00pm and then move outside into Shad Thames and finished at about 3.00am in the morning. The exterior scene involves Bridget getting into a taxi after having a meal at The Cantina, with Daniel, her boss. The taxi then moves off up the street and then has to stop to let some people cross the road. As the taxi stops, Daniel, played by Hugh Grant, then takes this opportunity to get into the taxi with Bridget where a conversation between the two of them ensues.' "Following this paragraph is an explanation of the lighting that will be used and that people whose windows face into the street may request black material to cover their windows, and a promise to keep the noise levels down. "So, that's it. Not much of a scoop- some film stock lost, some reshooting, and the whereabouts of Hugh Grant at the referenced time and date - but I thought I'd pass it along."

Hey Super Sleuth...what a scoop!! So they're still at it.. Now where is Shad Thames street? I guess none of ODB's film stock was lost.I bet he flew the coop to Italy.

Mark! Isn't that the scene you were in? The thought of all your hard work having fallen into some Kodak dustbin has me rather upset!;-) Neat scoop, Scoop.;-) Makes sense that they'd do re-shoots now. RZ's next film, Nurse Betty, will be showing at the Edinburgh Film Festival (I think next week), so I'd imagine she'd been planning to be back in the UK anyway.

(Mark) I hope that the re-write gives us effectively a third book to enjoy Now there's a positive way to look at it. (Evelyn) Unless they do a lot of voice-overs... They probably will, with occasional shots of BJ writing. (Evelyn) I bet he flew the coop to Italy. Yup, I have that feeling too. Unless they're waaaay behind schedule and shooting hasn't finished, though it sounds like it has ('cept for some ruined film stock here and there). Thanks for the news, Karen.

Yes, that's the same location...by the London Borough Market. Is that the same scene where our Roving Reporter-cum-Actor-on-the-Brink-of-Stardom played such an integral role? Remember to wear the same outfit and walk up to 2nd Asst Director (who is in charge of extras) and say, casually, "I know where to go from last time..." ;-)

Karen your detective work is impressive and very much appreciated.Can we take it that this is the end of filming? (Evelyn) I bet he flew the coop to Italy.I hope he has because the sooner his hols are over the sooner he can start Armadillo,talking of which did I see it on the back of a mag HG was holding in NH? Another thought on the ruined film I think its more likely HG's acting ruined it than any other reason. sorry to HG fans out there.

ruined film stock hmmm, perhaps, is of Jane nodding head in slo-mo to beat of music. v. charming. Should keep it in movie for future trivia experts. ;-) (Judy) Can we take it that this is the end of filming? I know nothing more than what's written, but given when they started, should be about done. (Judy) did I see it on the back of a mag HG was holding in NH? A mag? He is reading Captain Correlli's Mandolin in the final scene. Up on the roof, he's reading a mag, something like "Booksellers" I think. Will freeze frame and squint at TV screen later. ;-)

Karen it was the scene with Booksellers and underneath it looked like the figure with cardboard box over his head.

(Eileen) Joan (Rivers)...Shes on my list of cosmetic surgery disasters along with Michael Jackson (have you heard his theme song? "If I Only Had a Nose"), Cher, Dolly Parton, Melanie Griffith, that society dame known as 'the lioness' (Jocelyn Wildenstein??? something like that)...I could go on and on... I think that Pamela Anderson Lee, or whatever she's calling herself this week, is deserving of being on the list of Plastic Surgery Disaters, as well. She looks like a walking cartoon. (Apologies to Jessica Rabbit in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit".) My Mom says that back in the sixties there was this famous picture of Honor Blackman and a teenage Prince Charles with the caption of "Pussy and the Prince". Apparently, "Pussy" was the name of her character in the movie "Goldfinger", which out about the time the photo was taken.

(Eileen and Cheryl) cosmetic surgery disasters Burt Reynolds joined that club too. I can't even look at him now.

I have to second Judy's remark, Karen. Impressive detective work. Mark G, so nice to hear from you again. Have you been away starring in more roles, haunting the margins, launching your writing career, or breaking legs? :-) Have missed a "Man about the House"! I fear your fears about script are true, but they would not really dare force happy ending with HG, surely. I like your way of looking at it as more Bridget chronicles. Let's hope your faith in Richard Curtis is deserved, Evelyn. Will hold breath until film release. (o.k., so clearly I can't do that, but will not eat chocolate until film release, a sort of sacrifice to the Gods of film.) BTW there is no Michael Jackson, only Janet Jackson and Janet Jackson in drag.

From the Sunday Express (yes, a tabloid): HAD PEANUT BUTTER SARNIES AND PIZZA. NOW CAN BE BRIDGET Renee Zellweger is counting calories. Like Bridget Jones, the fictional thirtysomething who is on a permanent quest for self-improvement, Rene conscientiously notes her calorific intake. The difference is, the unfeasibly small actress is trying to gain weight - wolfing down large quantities of peanut butter sandwiches and pizza, heresy for an actress who has spent the past seven years in diet-obsessed California. "I'm really trying. Mark [her burly driver-minder] brings me sandwiches, McDonald's breakfasts and multi-vit, multi-fat, protein bodybuilder shakes. I've put on more than 15lb and I'm very proud. I'm down to three pairs of sweatpants and four T-shirts that still fit. Everything else is in boxes ready to be shipped home." Besides bingeing, Bridget's quirky English ways have proved rather alien to the 31-year-old Texan actress (her casting didn't go without protestation, with the likes of Helena Bonham Carter and Kate Winslet overlooked for the role). "I've learned so much about a culture that I hadn't been exposed to and it's helped me learn about who I am," says Rene, who won fame as Tom Cruise's girlfriend in Jerry Maguire. To ease herself into the role, Rene has been renting a flat in Kensington, shopping at Harvey Nichols and humming Spice Girls tunes. "I needed to get away from the Los Angeles subculture to understand Bridget," she says. Co-stars Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and Jim Broadbent have been helping her research - as did working undercover as a temp in a publishing company. "British women are less hard on each other and less judgmental than Americans," observes Rene. "I suppose it's because they're not judged as harshly themselves. When it was somebody's birthday, everybody had a piece of cake. In Los Angeles, nobody would have eaten it." Despite the cultural chasm, Rene could identify with some of Bridget's emotions. "What woman over 30 isn't concerned about men, body image, work and relationships? I understand what it means to love and fail at it and what it means to contemplate being alone. I've spent evenings alone eating a bag of chips in front of the TV." But not any more. Rene's evenings are spent with her boyfriend Jim Carrey, whom she met on the set of the forthcoming comedy Me, Myself And Irene. She insists, though, that nothing happened between them while filming was still in progress. "In a lot of respects I'm an old-fashioned girl and I'm not interested in having flings on movie sets when I'm supposed to be working," she says. "Jim and I became friends and we laughed a lot together. After filming was over we spoke a couple of times on the telephone and I realised I missed him. It was a very innocent, old-fashioned way of getting to know a person." Carrey has been a frequent visitor to the Bridget Jones set at Shepperton Studios and Rene has run up huge bills calling him in America. It's not just Carrey, though, who is racking up the charges. She also regularly rings her dog, Dylan, at home in California. "I have a speaker phone and I'm told she wags her tail and goes looking around the house for me," says Rene. It's nearly lunchtime and Rene faces the prospect of another round of pizza and peanut butter sandwiches. One wonders if it is necessary, given there is no mention in the book that Bridget is overweight. "It's a character choice," says Rene. "She is self-deprecating, probably with no reason, but it would be silly if she was talking about her chubby thighs if they weren't." But filming here has been a welcome break from the Californian fixation with image. "The scrutiny can be hurtful and unjustifiable, so it's been good for me to come to London and find out that a doughnut doesn't do a thing and 20 doughnuts don't do a thing. You have to eat 20 doughnuts a day for five weeks before you get results." ********** *hee hee* A scientific breakthrough

Evelyn, your post #936 says my thoughts precisely. Judy, sorry I scared you with the idea of HG getting a happy ending. Make that one in which his cahracter doesn't die. :-) This Shad Thames location is a different one from the previous spot. Think Tower Bridge instead of London Bridge (though they are easily confused - check with the Arizona corporation who paid for the old London Bridge to be shipped over and were disappointed to find it had no towers). I shall try to get along and see what gives. It sounds like a different scene from "my" one - *praying that the film stock that was damaged wasn't too extensive*. Great investigative work, O sleuth of sleuths! Quite a good article from the Sunday Express. Hands up which other Brits read RZ's line about "I've spent evenings alone eating a bag of chips in front of the TV." and just nodded, without realising that "chips" has to be translated? Cultural as well as linguistic difference, maybe, a bit like that birthday cake anecdote. Hey, weird, why is everybody, like, eating it?

Very enjoyable reading today. Thanks for the news, Karen. :-)

what is this all about please

Have made to many mistakes its been ages since I have used the PC and even now I am is a cyber Cafe in London so too much going on around and I am not used to Apple Macs. Went and saw Notting Hill some weeks back but rained the whole time I was there. I did not see any action either, was V dissapointed as it was the only day I could get away from the job. Am flying home day after next I have been here nearly two months working and v, home sick. Have kept my eyes pealed for CF in the burbs but never so lucky.

(Mark) This Shad Thames location is a different one from the previous spot. Ooops, must blame other laminated foldout map without noteworthy tourist details. Was on other side of river, near bridge ergo same location. Also was late and eyes don't work so well at that hour. ;-) "I've spent evenings alone eating a bag of chips in front of the TV." Are you sooo subtlely telling us that RZ hasn't quite settled into her English ways? Perhaps she was referring to what we would call French fries from a takeaway or from McDonald's. What however are peanut butter sarnies? Merely a sandwich?

(Karen) Perhaps she was referring to what we would call French fries from a takeaway or from McDonald's. Well, I believe "chips" is the English term for what Americans would call french fries, whereas what we would call potato chips, the English call "crisps." I think she meant potato chips (the bag reference). Yes, sarnies are sandwiches. Glad she qualified the cake comment by saying she was talking about LA (and even there, the tiny slice called Hollyweird;-) Just read a report that says we're the fattest people on earth--*somebody* here is scarfing down the cake and chips, big time!

Yes, do know difference between chips and crisps, although what does one call the container for French fries (she says whilst dropping blueberry crumbcake on keyboard). Ah well, she should have said crisps... ;-)

You can get French fries in a bag (or in newspaper, or both) so the statement reads OK both ways. And the British version is even more of a comfort-foodfest than the American one (unless you get a reeeeeally big bag of crisps, I suppose). It's just I reckon she was talking about crisps, not French fries (as I understood it at first). Enough potatoes already.

Is the Shad Thames location in Hoxton, Mark? From This Is London, see 4th paragraph. Hoxton, the new Hollywood by Tim Cooper Lights, camera, action! Film makers are turning Hoxton into the new Notting Hill. Already the epicentre of London's ultra-hip fashion scene, the tiny area in east London is rapidly being colonised by film crews eager to cash in on its trendy status. Yesterday, as Minnie Driver shot a new Disney-backed movie in Hoxton Square, you could not move for film crews, with two other units simultaneously at work within sight of its cameras. On one side, in a caf� on the square, a TV crew was busy making a drama called Men Only, while on the other side, in a nightclub, a pop video was being shot for a new R&B single. And, in the centre of the square, Miss Driver and co-star Mary McCormack were being put through their paces by director Mel Smith in the $10 million action-comedy High Heels And Lowlifes. Next week, as soon as Minnie and Mel move out, it's the turn of Notting Hill star Hugh Grant to move in for location scenes for his Bridget Jones movie with Renee Zellweger - final proof that this little corner of N1 really is the new W11. Not that London-born Miss Driver was aware of just how trendy it is. Her main home is in Los Angeles although she keeps the flat in Chelsea that she took when she went to drama school here. "I had no idea Hoxton had become so fashionable," she said. "I once went out with a guy in Old Street but I don't remember the area being very exciting at the time. I've always been a south-west London chick myself." With its derelict warehouses being turned into loft conversions faster than you can say "oblong glasses", and coffee shops and clubs competing with website design companies, graphic designers and videomakers for each new lease, Hoxton is fast becoming London's answer to New York's TriBeCa district. The fashion world has already discovered it and the film makers are following suit. Only last week makers of a low-budget Britflick called Daddy, starring former pop idol Luke Goss, were confronted there by location scouts for Mel Smith's picture and officials from The Film Office, which licenses locations for film makers on behalf of local authorities. Emma Plimmer, their agent responsible for Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets, says: "It's the most popular area in London for film makers at the moment. We've got feature films, TV dramas, pop videos and commercials all going on. People come because it's trendy and it's an up-and-coming area." She added: "Three months ago I sat down in Hoxton Square to discuss High Heels and Lowlifes with the production team and we decided that Hackney needs a little boost. I was hoping this film would do for Hackney, and Hoxton in particular, what the film Notting Hill did for west London. Film makers like it because it's pretty here, aesthetically pleasing and easy for film crews to park their vehicles." That was certainly proved as Minnie and Mary spent the whole of yesterday unhindered by onlookers - apart from a drunk punk who wandered towards the camera to ask if he could be in the film. In it, Miss Driver plays a hard-up nurse and Miss McCormack her best friend, a struggling American actress, who accidentally overhears plans for a heist and devises a crazy plan to blackmail the gang, becoming armed robbers themselves in a get-rich-quick scheme full of comic pitfalls. "It's like a contemporary version of one of those classic Sixties caper movies," said Smith, who directed Bean - The Movie, one of Britain's most successful films of all time. "We chose Hoxton not because it's trendy but because it's rough and arty and a bit like New York. And that will give the film the contemporary flavour we are looking for." For Miss Driver and Miss McCormack, one of the big attractions was a pair of strong and funny starring roles for women, written by Kim Fuller, writer of Spiceworld - The Movie and the S Club 7 TV series. "It's so rare that you get to be funny in a leading role with another woman," said Minnie, while Mary added: "Usually, as an actress, you just get to say: 'Hello!' and 'I love you' and 'I'll stand by you no matter what' - I must have said that 50 times!" Offstage, the pair have been mirroring their roles as best friends by turning up at social events together, including an introduction to the Queen at the Coronation Cup last week. "I'd met her before when I was a kid of seven, because my dad used to play polo," said Miss Driver, whose co-star was rather more impressed. "It was surreal," she laughed. "I'm from New Jersey and my dad sold cars ... I felt like Julia Roberts!"

(Mari) Is the Shad Thames location in Hoxton, Mark? On behalf of Mark...have checked map and Hoxton (as the article says is N1), which is North. Is situated between Islington (on NW) and Shoreditch (on SE). Shad Thames is on other side of river (the south bank); couldn't possibly hazard a guess as to the postal code there. ;-) Hmmm, French fries, all slathered in ketchup, in a greasy bag - takes me back to grammar school and walking home past hot dog joints. The ultimate comfort food.

This is the picture of RZ that was with the Express article: Didn't she say something in a previous article about filling out a bra for the first time... ;-)

I'll say! She doesn't look bad but looks v. different from baseline. Hope those 15# come off as easily as they went on (doubt it)--wonder if that'll make as many headlines (again, doubt it).

Yes she's definitely developed a fuller figure.How come when I put weight on it goes straight for my hips?

Hmmm... when I had chips in Dublin they were slathered in vinegar and salt (yumm) but smelled terrible in the garbage the next morning! (phew!!) She says as she has potato chips all over desk, keyboard and rug!

Next week, as soon as Minnie and Mel move out, it's the turn of Notting Hill star Hugh Grant to move in for location scenes for his Bridget Jones movie with Renee Zellweger - final proof that this little corner of N1 really is the new W11. Are they still filming...or is this an old article? Hugh Grant..."his" Bridget Jones movie. Eeech! Have to say that HG mentions seem to outnumber CF's. I do hope he's not going to be a surrogate Fiennes brother! The "sexy" charming adulterer as opposed to the "dull" stolid decent type? I saw RZ in "Jerry Maguire"...she looked pleasantly rounded. Why all this emphasis on putting on weigh?.(BTW Not a flattering photo of RZ!) BJ's "fatness" was mostly in the mind...8 stone 12 isn't exactly Weightwatchers territory!

(Bethan) I saw RZ in "Jerry Maguire"...she looked pleasantly rounded.You're politer than me I thought she looked muscular.I agree I don't think she needed to put on too much weight & in that photo she looks bigger than I thought BJ needed to be. Its bad enough having to mention HG(am still recovering from NH last night)but did you have to bring up the Fiennes brothers-double yuk;-)

(Mari)Just read a report that says we're the fattest people on earth--*somebody* here is scarfing down the cake and chips, big time! LOL Mari! I wonder too, if they arrive at the average weight with the Hollyweird crowd factored in? Isn't there a rule in statistics which says you ought to discount "outliers"? Or is that "outliars?" Imagine what fat average is without them. V. embarassing, especially since I do my share of scarfing (especially in front of screen while drooling!) Make note, must get new bag of chips (crisps) and some cake in manner of RZ. (Bethan) Eeech! Have to say that HG mentions seem to outnumber CF's. Am having a bad dream, and will soon wake up. Wait, I smell coffee!

(Sadie) I wonder too, if they arrive at the average weight with the Hollyweird crowd factored in? Isn't there a rule in statistics which says you ought to discount "outliers"? Or is that "outliars?" LOL! Very punny, Sadie. Just think: Cameron Diaz and Calista Flockhart are all that stands between us and title of "most gargantuan people in galaxy.;-) Bethan, that article is dated today, so I assume it's new. RE: Weight and RZ--I think she got much thinner after Jerry Maguire. If you see her in One True Thing, she was very, very thin, ditto for Me, Myself & Irene. I think her bod looks nice in the new pic--I should be so "fat!";-) Lemme see, what was regimen again? 20 doughnuts/day for 20 days? 8 stone 12 of chips? 12 ladies and 7 gentlemen?;-) (Judy) Its bad enough having to mention HG(am still recovering from NH last night) Hee hee, Judy, you're incorrigible! Now, tell the truth, don't you feel just a tiny bit sorry for the man, now that Liz H. has decided to provide us all with entirely Too Much Information about their former, er, relationship (or lack thereof)? ;-)

Listen, o world, HG is crap in bed, crap in general and crap in all particulars... Liz - getting her own back? ...

Yes, Jerry Maguire was made over 4 years ago, long before a two-digit weight limit was established for actresses.

Renee is in Saturday's Times, according to yesterday's Times newspaper, "Renee on her most unlikeliest role".

O.k. I'm down to my last day of drooling for awhile, as I start moving process tomorrow and am disconnected. :-( I am completely in dark about all that Liz is saying about HG. But sounds v. unkind, low-down and generally smutty. Will someone please post it NOW?! (Mari)Cameron Diaz and Calista Flockhart are all that stands between us and title of "most gargantuan people in galaxy.;-) LMAO Mari! How noble of them! I bet my cats eat more food during course of year than either of them do. Doh, where'd that cute little donut get to? Is time I ate breakfast. LOL Karen! Two-digit weight limit is proof that can be 99lb weakling and yet huge success. No bullies kicking sand in their eyes! Judy, did you post somewhere a more indepth comment on NH? I am v.v.curious to know what you thought!

Thanks for the advance notice, Ann. Hopefully, we'll see it online; otherwise, it will be Monday for me. Sadie: why don't you join in on the FP discussion on 98?

(Bethan) BJ's "fatness" was mostly in the mind...8 stone 12 isn't exactly Weightwatchers territory! Yes, that's what we've been saying. Didn't Renee say the producers or other powers-that-be thought the repeated references to the size of her thighs would wear a bit thin if they were, in fact, thin? I guess they've interpreted the book differently (and would bet my lunch that there's a long list of additional differences to follow) or they're just being PC--perhaps want to avoid any body image controversies. Who knows. Judy, I also thought she was muscular in JM. The pic Karen posted shows she got thinner since. (Mari) Lemme see, what was regimen again? 20 doughnuts/day for 20 days? 8 stone 12 of chips? 12 ladies and 7 gentlemen?;-) LOL! Too many ladies...

(Mari)Now,tell the truth,don't you feel just a tiny bit sorry for the man, Oh come on its the best news I've heard all week.'less than adequate' thought it was a polite critique of his acting ability at first but when I realised it was Liz talking about his sexual prowess I cracked up,the mans got nothing going for him. If I'd heard it earlier it would have given me something to laugh at during NH. No Sadie I haven't given an in depth slaughter of NH yet I'm still receiving treatment from my doctor for it. (Arami) Listen,o world,HG is crap in bed,crap in general and crap in all particulars...there is nothing more to say!

Karen, thanks for the skinny (pic) on Renee from MM&I, but I thought you of all people would have posted the pic with her and Jim *and* the cow!;-) Ann, we'll look forward to seeing the Times article, thanks for the heads-up. Just a little something from a few weeks back: Zellweger Refusing To Drop English Accent - Even In Time Off Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) star Renee Zellweger is so smitten with her role as the English PR girl - she's refusing to revert back to her native Texan even in her spare time. Zellweger, who's being coached by Barbara Berkeley, the voice-guru who perfected Gwyneth Paltrow's speech for Sliding Doors (1998), never drops her middle-class British tones, even in the canteen. The film's spokesperson Stacy Mann explains, "Whenever I see her she's speaking in the English accent. It's extremely convincing - and it fooled the publishers where she did two week's undercover work experience. Renee's got the same voice coach as Gwyneth Paltrow. She's on set at all times, listening to everything Renee says. And if necessary they take time out to do voice exercises. They stretch different facial muscles to get the accent."

There's a large new pic of RZ from the BJD set in the new issue of People (new Mr. & Mrs. Pitt on cover). Wearing tight pink short-sleeved sweater and a black and white fur skirt, black stockings and boots. Says something about her showing off her new curves on the London set after 15 lb. weight gain. She looks very voluptuous.:-)

(Mari) She looks very voluptuous.:-) but sounds tarty?

Oh dear its going to be one of those nights!

(Judy) but sounds tarty? Welllll . . .it's not exactly what my dear mother used to call "a classic look." ;-) Just checked and they now have it up online. Go to: http://people.aol.com/people/000814/photo/photo2.html

Yes,well,erm I don't quite know what to say about that! quite a contrast to that photo Karen posted earlier.MD's certainly going to have his hands full there.Maybe fat will be fashionable again in which case I'm stopping my diet right now. Thanks for finding it Mari

*banging head against wall* have just wasted $2.99 Had no idea People had its pics online! Oh well, in the mag, it isn't so pink. But WHO decided Bridget dressed so horribly? I haven't seen one outfit that looked decent. And those thigh-hi boots all the time! (we won't say anything about that skirt) Incredible thing is that all throughout the book, her mother keeps nagging at her about the dull, boring, neutral clothing she wears and how she needs to brighten things up. Mother must be suggesting she shop for clothes at a clown shop. Thanks, Mari, for finding it.

Does that mean you won't be rushing out to copy her style Karen?

I haven't got her legs or chest. ;-) (and my poor feet couldn't handle those high-heel boots anymore)

and the black bra under the pink jumper, a definite no-no. imo. Poor Bridget, what are they doing to her.

Yikes! who dressed that woman? ..wonder what stuffed animal had to die for the skirt to be possible? *sniff* poor little thing...

What's even worse is that on the same page, they've got Bridget on half the page and the other half shows Jerry Hall (1/4 page shot) as Mrs. Robinson in lacy bra and slip and very bony and a street shot (other 1/4 page) of Matt Lauer and his MODEL wife Annette Roque, whose shadow is fatter than her. With those stick people next to her, RZ looks like a Titan woman, and a poorly dressed one as well.

I've just been looking at the few on set shots we've seen of her & they do seem to be dressing her a tad tattily,lets hope they're not hoping for best costume. Had a few worries this week about BJD 1 HG for being well himself 2 RC's script for NH not boding well for BJD 3 BJ being fatter than I imagined and now BJ's clothing being like nothing I could have possibly imagined.

Looks like A LOT more than 15 pounds to me. Is she v. short? I didn't think so... I don't envy her getting it off, but then, there's probably a personal trainer waiting for her at the end (in her contract).

Judy! Armadillo is being advertised on the back of that magazine HG is reading in NH. What eyes! (she has a good shot at spotting Nessie)

I am afraid thats a sign of looking everywhere exceptat HG*snort* definitely the redeeming feature of the film!

RZ, as Ann mentioned, is feaured in the Sunday Times magazine supplement, looking very svelte, slim and glamorous. Quite unlike the pink T shirt/see thru' bra BJ look! A tad over-plumptious IMHO, and as to the dress sense.....it's kinder not to comment! Obviously DC and MD are both attracted by big breaths, to quote with a lisp. The Times article is mostly RZ and her burgeoning career, but there are some BJ bits. "Shooting will continue to the end of the month". So they must be shooting until the end of August (from the beginning of May). Is this a longer than normal shoot, or average for a bigger budget movie? "work alongside a strong British cast, which includes Hugh Grant as Bridget's office lover and Colin Firth as her potential lover" "Potential"? Huh! (Dictionary definition = existing but not in action, latent) A latent lover? Wot, no towel scene! BTW, I have a theory that they shot all the MD scenes first (phone in bin, fight, etcetera, etcetera (hopefully!) in order to release CF for his non-latent lover starring role in "Maid of Buttermere" which is being "filmed this year" and therefore has to be shot before the late autumn mists and murk descend on the lakes. We're off to the Lake District in a couple of weeks, so any confimation would be gratefully received!! Am quite prepared to rubberneck, if only I knew where and when :-)

(Bethan)A latent lover & wot no towel scene- this is getting worse by the day,my worst fears are coming true its a B-grade disaster movie 'The Gargantuan BJ Never Finds True Love' 'Is this a longer than normal shoot,or average for a bigger budget movie?' No its all the re-shoots needed when HG 's on board!! 'big breaths' LoL Bethan drooling does make you lisp more Has RZ got fatter as the shoot has gone on & if so does that mean they are trying to show her fluctuating weight in the film? MOB or Armadillo? how's he going to do both?

I've just been out for my copy of The Times and the difference between the RZ & the BJ look is marked,she looks bony on the front cover.I think they must be kidding us about 15lbs-that accounts for her boobs alone! I don't remember Gina McKee being mentioned as BJ, considering my hubby kept getting her confused with HG the other night in NH its a good job she wasn't chosen

Jeez,and here I thought Renee looked adorable! Perfectly squishy, perfectly Bridget. I'm quite pleased. Funny how those 15 lbs all seem to be above the waist. I'm not that lucky.

(SBRobinson) ..wonder what stuffed animal had to die for the skirt to be possible? *sniff* poor little thing... It's even worse than that, the stuffed animal sacrificed was covered in the pelts of the plentiful, but vicious acrylic. The acrylic is, of course, a small animal and it takes many to cover a large stuffed animal. Although small, it is a pity that all those acrylics, compounded by the demise of a large stuffed animal, had to die for that skirt.

(Judy) I think they must be kidding us about 15lbs-that accounts for her boobs alone! (Heide) Funny how those 15 lbs all seem to be above the waist Indeed! Not that the black bra calls more attention to 'em or anything... (article) Colin Firth as her potential lover Shhhh! They don't want to give away the plot *snicker*

That skirt looks like it's cut from the same cloth as the vests Sonny Bono used to wear in the '60s. I Got You Babe meets Carnaby Street.;-) Anyway, I can understand the horror over the wardrobe and general frumpiness, but I look at it this way: if the film was about a gorgeously dressed, svelte gal who regularly consults her 3 best friends for advice, and whose biggest fashion decision was Manolo Blahnik vs. Jimmy Choo . . .it would be Sex In The City, not Bridget Jones. I actually like the fact that BJ is a bit pudgy and seems to be lacking fashion sense--and *still* has 1.5 gorgeous guys in pursuit of her.;-) I think Richard Curtis may be onto something here; this may really strike a cord with the many women who are sick and tired of having some unnatural, unattainable idea of beauty shoved down our throats, and face it, the target audience for this film is women--not the 18-year-old guys who go to see Coyote Ugly;-). I wouldn't worry about the "potential lover" phrase; these publications don't know any more about the plot that we do, and probably a lot less.