(Bethan)What exactly does an agent do? I thought casting directors determined role choice, and agents dealt with the money and the billing. Haven't we talked about this? Doesn't the agent submit the actor's name to the casting director (or the director, or the producer, or whoever)?

From EW: Secrets of an Agent Man Stop whining. Act hungry. Never pitch. An insider tells all Yeah, you've got ferocious drive and towering talent. Now you want a career that's built to last. Whether you're a babe with bee stung lips or a hack with ink stained knuckles, it's your Hollywood agent who makes those skills pay the bills -- and who ensures that your creative quest (along with his own investment in your future) stretches beyond a skimpy 15 minutes. Here, EW gets down and dirty with a player from one of the top agencies in town. Who whines the most: actors, writers, or directors? Actors, male and female, are considered the most high maintenance. When a director is off directing his film, unless he's having budgetary problems, you're not dealing with him. But an actor, if his trailer's not right, or if her boyfriend can't fly -- they always want more. It's always a bitch. They're very needy. How can an actor squander or screw up a breakthrough? Taking scripts for money and doing a shitty job -- just basing it on money, therefore being in a bunch of bad movies. That's a weird thing for an agent to say, since you get a cut of every big payday. Yeah, but do you want an actor who you're making a lot of money on for two years, or do you want an actor who can make a lot of money for 20 years? A smarter agent invests. Let's take a guy like John Travolta. He puts out a bomb like Battlefield Earth. That was so f---in' bad. We walked out. How does an agent react to that? You don't. I mean, for crying out loud, if you react you'll probably get fired. It's an embarrassment to him. He knows it. He's a smart guy. Let's say an actor has been in five bombs in a row. What's the agent feeling? The agent's probably feeling "I'm going to lose my actor." But he might want to. Let's say you're working with a client like Johnny Depp: He's terrifically talented, but he tends to focus on artsy projects. Your payday as an agent is lower. Yeah. Does that become a problem? Do you say, "C'mon, Johnny, do a big budget film"? No, because if you have Johnny Depp as your client, you have credibility. It's tantalizing to other actors. Up and coming actors idolize him. You go out, you're able to say you're Johnny Depp's agent. How do you respond to a good new script? Don't be overly enthusiastic. As an agent, the last thing you want to be known as is someone who can't deliver. If you tell the screenwriter, "This is the f---in' mack, dude! If I can't get seven figures, I'm a f---in' dog!" then you'd better get seven figures. What makes a script or a project an easy sell? Basically, we're mass marketers. Something that's easy to sell is "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," because it appeals to such a broad range of people. You want to be able to take this to a studio or a production company, and the first thing they're thinking is, Who does this appeal to? Obviously the best answer is everybody. So what makes a project a sure loser? A sure loser is a big budgeted niche script. Something that appeals to a few people and costs a lot to make. You're never going to make your money back. For example, a film noir thriller that's got a big budget is a hard sell, because you're looking at a more educated film crowd. L.A. Confidential -- that was a phenomenal movie to watch, and yet it didn't have a great audience because it's more sophisticated. If an unknown writer sends a script to your agency out of the blue, where does it go? It goes in the garbage. If you send in a cold script to one of the five major agencies, it's not going to get read -- unless some f---ing miracle Good Will Hunting guy is in the mailroom and happens to read it and takes a shine to it and can champion it. It's just not going to happen. You wouldn't see a more miraculous movie than that script being made. So if you're a young writer, how do you get someone to read it? By going to one of the smaller agencies that's perhaps working with up and coming hot writers. Obviously, if you're trying to do this from Iowa, it's going to be very difficult. Why? Because I think you've got to be in New York or L.A. -- L.A. primarily. If you're smart and aggressive and meet the right person, whether at a bar or through a friend in the business, and if you have a good script, you can network it. How should a creative person act around the agent? Hungry. You act hungry. I mean, don't act like a loser. There are agents who hang out with their clients; there are agents who don't -- they put up a wall. But that being said, in the talent representation business there is so much contact with the client that the agent really has to like the person. So if you're a f---in' creep, good luck. So if the agent meets a creative person who's a creep but clearly some sort of genius... It still might hurt him if he's a creep. It depends how badly the agent wants it. You'd better be really talented if you're a total asshole. What's the stupidest thing to say to an agent? I meet with a lot of people who try to speak about things, and they don't know what they're talking about. They try to pretend they're more "in" than they are, when you know they're just a struggling grip who came up with a f---in' idea and your friend got him in your office and you're giving him five minutes. Also, one of the mistakes is for someone who's not established to come in with a pitch. Why? If you're a writer, be a writer. Write a script. If you come in with a pitch instead, it looks lazy? It looks lazy. It looks like you don't believe in what you did. How often do actresses really sleep their way to the top? Ummm, I don't think it hurts. Is it more of a myth than people think? I don't know if it's that much of a myth. I think it happens. I think it happens in all businesses. But today's society is much different than it was in the '70s. Sexual harassment is a factor. Certainly, you'd be foolish to do it, particularly if you work for a big corporation. Seduce some girl, you know, you've got problems. What should an actress do if she's over the hill? [i.e., over 40] Write a book. Which is worse: laziness or lack of talent? Laziness. There are a lot of untalented f---s out there who slept their way to the top.

Good God - LA Confidential too sophisticated? Were audiences themselves more sophisticated in the 70s, when the average film was so much better? Or have we all got used to the new, lower standard? I spent a few days in Paris at New Year, and decided to go and see a film in the middle of the afternoon. (It still feels like the most delicious self-indulgence.) Unthinkingly, filed in to "Incassable" (Unbreakable) - "David Dunn....peut-il trouver son destin?" WHAT UTTER TRIPE. I apologise if any Spring devotee liked it, though I can't believe she did. The script was so AWFUL, and the story so dotty. I managed to stay until 10 minutes before the end, God knows how. And yet....blow me down if I don't get back to London and see, on the film's advertising posters, the usual superlatives amongst the reviews. "Unbreakable is unmissable". Blah, blah, blah... How is this possible? Anyway, I'm looking for a connection to CF, and can't really find one...except to say that the Financial Times did carry a suitably scathing review of Unbreakable, and also a pretty good review of Enigma. I thought this was relevant only because a little trip around Spring shows me that Jeremy Northam seems to cause as much fluster as The Firth himself, you fickle lot.

you fickle lot. LOL! Gemini's are fickle by nature. That's my excuse. ;-) Were audiences themselves more sophisticated in the 70s, when the average film was so much better? Or have we all got used to the new, lower standard? This is a subject we have discussed on the O&E topic. It is one of my pet peeves. Unfortunately the lower standard in films seem to go hand-in-hand with the lower standards in education and general culture. Unthinkingly, filed in to "Incassable" (Unbreakable) My DH saw it in London and he wants me to see it so that I might explain the ending to him. It has not shown in the States yet. I'm looking for a connection to CF, and can't really find one Ben, just get your parents to invite you next time they have Colin over. If you give us a little warning, we will supply you with conversational topics for the whole evening. Not that you need them!;-)))) I enjoyed that article, Karen, thanks!

General film comments are regularly discussed on Topic 136: http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/drool/136/new ...and we've been talking about JN, Sundance and Enigma on Topic 43: http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/drool/43/new Everybody is welcome to join in there.

Moon, Unbreakable played here months ago. It's the M. Night Shyamalan film with Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. Sorry, now back on topic!:-) RE: agents. IMO, Colin's agent is doing exactly what Colin wants him to do--or not do as the case may be-- and is acting according to Colin's wishes and ambitions. It is those wishes and ambitions that some of us have a quibble with, I suspect, and not the agent's actions. I recall something Renee Zellweger said at the GGs--she thanked her agent for really encouraging her to go for things that she would have thought were out of her reach. I assume she was referring to BJ, at least in part. It's the client who has to have the ambition to direct the agent to follow up.

Set your vid for the following if you can get BBC knowledge! ************* Monday 29th at 9pm on beeb knowledge channel ********** The Wannsee Conference (Heinz Schirk 1984) "Based on the actual minutes and run out in real time, this charts the meeting where the bureaucratic machinery of The Final Solution was thrashed out. The language used by Adolf Eichmann and his staff descends into grotesque euphemisms but history leaves you in no doubt as to what they mean. Though Hitler was not there his prescence is strongly felt, as cold ruthless efficiency conjures up a truly hellish atmosphere." *********************************************************************** I wonder if this was used as a "source" for the film or not? Thanks for the article on agents Karen.

Lizza, that is another dramatization. I checked it out of the library and had a copy made so that others could view it if they wished. It is subtitled and very poorly (should've been in yellow not white because of backgrounds). Do videotape it because you may need to review the subtitles...it's very fast paced. Will be interesting to discuss...although I have a feeling what some of the comments will be on Stuckart. BTW, there is/should be already one difference between this version and the HBO one. Stuckart wears an SS officer's uniform in that one and it appears Colin was in a suit from the interviews. There is a documentary somewhere out there, but haven't found it.

Thanks Lizza / Karen, I just read your posts in time and am getting 'the Parents' to do the biz for me ( as I am a poor lowly person without such new-fangled things as cable or digital TV). Won't get chance so view until the weekend at the earliest - no doubt it will provide much food for thought.

Great Tracy. I am another poor lowly person, so it will be good to see what you think. What a shame about the quality of the programme Karen. I am sure it will be interesting to contrast when you get to see Conspiracy later this year. I wondered if the timing of this was pertinent, as part of programmes with a link to the Holocaust.

I have no idea if this is new. It was updated in early January. *********************** From 4Filmmakers.com http://www.4filmakers.com/search/index.cfm?FuseAction=details&project=4343 Title Quadrille Status Development Posted Feb 16, 2000 Last Updated Jan 02, 2001 Logline: An American woman and an English man leave their spouses for one another and head to the south of France. Their respective lovers follow them and succeed in winning them back but their marriages still don't last and the deserted couple fall in love as well. Notes: Remake of the 1997 French film. Studios Involved Directors Fox Searchlight Gavin Miller Studio/Prod. Co. Executives Writers None Sean Mathias Wesley Moore Genres Producers Drama Remake Romance Eric Fellner Tim Bevan Eileen Quinn Steve Clark-Hall Lindsay Hall Wesley Moore John Williams Project Types Actors In Development Colin Firth Madonna Ciccone Production Companies Exec. Producers Vanguard Films Working Title Films The Steve Tisch Company Steve Tisch Co-Producers Assoc. Producers None None

Madonna and ODB? I'm not sure whether to laugh or to...laugh.

Geez, Murph, you drop this bomb and then Spring springs a leak for 12 hours. You broke the boards with this one!;-) Let's hope this is one of those projects that stays in development until they find another lead actress. I read that her hubby is about to direct her next music video so maybe that will keep her tied up.;-) Actually, though, this isn't the first time we've heard CF's name mentioned in connection with Quadrille. Almost makes you long for Dr. Who.;-) Or Flashman. And where is Carlos Saura when we need him? Oh, Butterball, we hardly knew ye. ;-)

That Quadrille project has been listed for eons! I suspect that someone got the information wrong as it was mentioned in some of the articles about the Noel Coward centenary and all the film projects underway, including Relative Values! I wrote those guys to ask if they'd look into it and: nada

(Karen) That Quadrille project has been listed for eons! Thought it sounded familiar. If I recall, it sparked a spicy debate about the acting talents of the Material Gir...Wife and Mother. (Mari) Almost makes you long for Dr. Who.;-) Or Flashman. Or that black plague thing--what did Karen call it? Advocate II or Son of HotPig? ;-)

Moving this topic over from 136...as it now has some relevance ;-) Here comes my list of the ten worst lists ever by Brian Viner (The Independent, Feb 1, 2001) The abominable plague of lists that blighted the year 2000 alarmingly shows no sign of diminishing. Just when you thought it was safe to turn on the telly or open your newspaper without being confronted with the 100 greatest movies ever made, or the 50 sexiest women ever to walk the planet, or the 20 most memorable sporting events of the 20th century, or the 10 most influential men in post-war Britain, another list pops up to confound and aggravate you. Absolutely Fabulous funnier than Rising Damp? No way! Tom Cruise lovelier than Paul Newman? You've got to be kidding!" Because the really annoying thing about such lists is that, however inane you know them to be, the damnable things are impossible to ignore. Anyway, on the principle that if you can't stand 'em, join 'em, I am currently compiling a list of my own. It is a list of the 10 most stupid lists. And straight in at number one is the list of Britain's leading film actors and actresses, as revealed by the publication this week of the Orange Film Survey. As always with such surveys, there is some confusion about the exact wording. Were respondents asked for their favourite performers, or those they considered finest? We'll generously assume the former, in which case, according to more than 10,000 people polled, our 10 favourite screen actors, in descending order, are Sir Sean Connery, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Alec Guinness, Hugh Grant, Sir Michael Caine, Pierce Brosnan, Robert Carlyle, Ewan McGregor, Sir John Mills and Lord Olivier. And our 10 favourite screen actresses; Julie Walters, Dame Judi Dench, Catherine Zeta Jones, Elizabeth Hurley, Emma Thompson, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Windsor, Helen Mirren, Dame Margaret Rutherford and Dame Maggie Smith. With sad inevitability, the media gave disproportionate attention to these findings. Most national newspapers reported them in detail, as did The Birmingham Post, adding only the words "Smethwick-born" before Julie Walters. Yet most of them missed the survey's one interesting conclusion, that nearly half of those polled had fallen asleep at the cinema. Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. It is, in fact, almost too easy to expose this exercise for the idiotic waste of time and effort it represents. I can hardly be bothered to wonder which poor souls consider Liz Hurley a more captivating performer than Maggie Smith, or to ask what happened to Richard Burton, Sir John Gielgud, Peter Sellers, Peter O'Toole and Dirk Bogarde? Not to mention Charlie Chaplin, who for at least two decades was the most famous, most popular man in the world, yet was eclipsed in this survey by Ewan McGregor. All the same, there is something seriously disconcerting about the modern bias that renders all such lists worthless. We are, it seems, a nation of goldfish, incapable of remembering, let alone valuing, anything that has accumulated a bit of dust. Perhaps that is why we treat our senior citizens so badly. As for the way surveys are afflicted by modern bias, a few years ago I joined a panel drawing up a series of shortlists from which the Great British Public had to vote for their favourite BBC TV programmes of all time. As I recall, Men Behaving Badly was voted Favourite Sitcom, ahead of Fawlty Towers and Dad's Army. And Colin Firth was voted Favourite Actor, purely on the basis that he had just got his shirt wet as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. When I dared to ridicule this result, in a mid-market tabloid newspaper, I was engulfed with hate mail. Hell hath no fury like Middle England scorned. As for my own favourite British screen actors, my top three, after much deliberation, are Chaplin, Guinness and Robin Askwith. But don't ask me to put them in order of preference. After all, you can't take these things too seriously.

AnneR has found that SWTA is now being published (Feb) in the US. Here's the cover from amazon and the review she found from Newsday below it: Newsday Wednesday, January 31, 2001 Twelve Hypnotic Stories of Salvation / A soulful anthology of first-person stories from top young authors John Freeman. John Freeman is a writer in New York. SPEAKING WITH THE ANGEL: Original Stories. Edited by Nick Hornby. Riverhead, 233 pp., $12 paper. SOME PEOPLE read fiction to exorcise their demons, while others discover their guardian angels there. In "Speaking With the Angel," English novelist Nick Hornby rounds up 12 of today's most entertaining and provocative young writers to enlighten us with stories about salvation. Delivered entirely in the first person, these pieces imagine their way into all walks of life, from the British prime minister to a security guard for an art museum. Talented and energetic, Hornby's cast plumbs the depths of depravity - and loquacity - to illuminate why they are so inspired, why they feel saved. The narrators of "Speaking With the Angel" seek redemption in objects, people and activities as diverse as their backgrounds. The acne-ridden teenager of Zadie Smith's slight but funny tale, "I'm the Only One," relieves his feelings of weirdness by befriending a 6-foot-9 14-year-old. "I kept looking at him and feeling this strange sense of pride, as if the fact that he was so tall was something to do with me." Ultimately, the friend's lean frame forms a bridge between this lonely boy and his reclusive, snobby sister. In "The Slave," Roddy Doyle's 42-year-old protagonist probes the soft belly of middle age, declaring how techno music brought him out of a midlife funk and closer to his family. "Me dancing to a thing called Afro Left, sweating like a bastard, that was an announcement. I'm grand." While some of these tales leave us with a warm glow, others end on darker, more plaintive, notes. In Giles Smith's virtuoso piece, "Last Requests," a widow who cooks last meals for Death Row inmates relates the oddity of her culinary exploits. As the story pro gresses, she reveals her pride in her work: Through salt, meat and spices, she plants a parting kiss on each doomed soul. Yet, as the story closes, it's clear that most prisoners, by the moment they lift forks to mouths, have already given up. Hers is a salvation offered too late. Nick Hornby's edgy bouncer makes a similar mistake in "NippleJesus." After accepting a job as a museum guard, the man falls in love with a painting of Jesus, comprised in the dot-matrix style of Chuck Close, with thousands of little pictures of nipples. Defending the painting from religious zealots, he becomes one himself, blinded by his intolerance of other opinions. It was smart of Hornby to enlist this particular group of writers. All this talk of angels and salvation can get a little heavy. Yet, thanks to their pitch-perfect voices and their razor-sharp wits, many of these stories are hilarious. While Dave Eggers' "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned" is as sloppy as a dog's tongue, the pit bull narrator compensates with heartfelt humor. Colin Firth's ventriloquism in "The Department of Nothing" is no less deft, as he brings to life the petty superstitions of an elementary school student. This boy explains why his brother is suspiciously immature: "He just stopped playing with Pokmon cards and you can't get much pantser than that, and weirdest of all, I found two Barbie dolls in with his action men and I think he might be doing pervy things to them." Finally, anyone who's ever faced off with a dead rodent in their abode will be in tears from the opening moments of Roddy Doyle's story. Peppered with such laugh-aloud moments, "Speaking With the Angel" acquires the hypnotic effect of a really good monologue. All of these writers share the gift for gab, especially Helen Fielding, who animates an aging grandmother deluded about her sexual prowess with an accuracy that's both incisive and devastatingly funny. In "The Wonder Spot," Melissa Bank gives a hip, ironic voice to an insecure woman nearing 40. Thanks to stories like this, it's hard, then, not to read this book in one sitting. Although the anthology boasts some of the hottest names in contemporary literature, from Eggers to Fielding to Irvine Welsh, the virtual unknowns [!!] deliver its most memorable tales. Robert Harris, in "PMQ," shows how documentation uproariously ensnares a prime minister on the lam. And in "Peter Shelley," Patrick Marber scripts one of the most poignant teenage courtships in recent memory. Awkward, anxious, hurried and finally playful, Marber's characters explore their bodies in a way unpolluted by our watching. In the end, Marber reminds us how, when we were young and in love, these first gropings made us feel like we could devour the world. Cobbling together a collection from such leading writers is no small feat, but prompting them to move past the irony that has pervaded their previous work is perhaps a greater accomplishment. This tonal shift may stem from the fact that Hornby, whose son is autistic, will donate some of the proceeds to benefit children with autism. Kinetic, witty and, most important, soulful in unexpected ways, these stories help us transcend the mundane and look toward the heavens, smiling. ~~~~~~~ If you're planning on buying it, use the clickthru right at the bottom of this page. It's only $9.60 at amazon.

Ooh, goody, am glad to read SWTA is being published in the US and CF's story got a good review...but why are they using that plastic thingy of ODB's father on the cover? ;-)

Hmm, on second thought, it looks like Roger Moore in his [much] later Bond days.

but why are they using that plastic thingy of ODB's father on the cover? ;-) Gaaagh....looks like a warmed-over JFK;-)

Hey, if Cadbury ever decides to produce chess pieces, Colin is ready!:-) Thanks, Anne and Karen, I'm very happy the book is being published here. I wonder if there's a story behind the cover, maybe something to do with the school. In any event, let's keep our eyes open for other reviews. Colin is now a published and praised author on two continents--way to go, CF! You done good on this one.

Thanks, Karen! 1) Who approved that cover? The Chuckie Doll? (Very scary) 2) I'm so glad I have the UK version. I still have to read most of the stories. But this was a v.g. reminder.

(Eileen) Hmm, on second thought, it looks like Roger Moore in his [much] later Bond days. Yup, gotta go with a wax Roger...or is the adjective unnecessary? ;-) I like Nick's.

On topic -- Note the British Actress of the Year in a Supporting Role: **************************** THE NOMINATIONS FOR THE 21st AWARDS OF THE LONDON FILM CRITICS' CIRCLE The nominees are announced today for the 21st Awards of the London Film Critics' Circle sponsored by Night & Day magazine (part of the Mail on Sunday), to be held at The Savoy on Thursday, 15th February 2001, in aid of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). They offer the prospect of last year's British Actress award winner, Emily Watson, returning for a second bite of the cherry, this year in the running with talent including Julie Walters and Kate Winslet. In addition, this year Ms Watson is up for British Actress in a Supporting Role (for Cradle Will Rock) against, among others, Samantha Morton (Sweet & Lowdown) and Sophie Thompson (Relative Values). British hit movie, Billy Elliot, receives an impressive nine nominations in all - one for British Film and three alone for British Newcomer. Young star Jamie Bell, screenwriter Lee Hall and director Stephen Daldry are all nominated for the award alongside Paul Bettany (Gangster No. 1) and Michael Legge (Angela's Ashes). Another hot contender for British Film is Topsy Turvy which receives a total of eight nominations, including three for co-stars Shirley Henderson, Lesley Manville (both nominated for British Actress in a Supporting Role) and Timothy Spall (British Actor in a Supporting Role nominee). Co-stars from The End of the Affair - nominated for British Film of the Year - are also both in the running for their own award: Julianne Moore for Actress of the Year and Ralph Fiennes for British Actor. Last year the Awards attracted a number of international celebrities including Jeremy Northam, Sam Mendes and Martha Fiennes. Star nominees this year include Jude Law, Albert Finney, Hilary Swank and Julia Roberts. THE 21st AWARDS OF THE LONDON FILM CRITICS' CIRCLE SPONSORED BY NIGHT & DAY IN AID OF THE NSPCC 15th February 2001 - THE SAVOY NOMINATIONS LIST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR HARRY - HE'S HERE TO HELP (Artificial Eye) CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (Columbia) IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Metro Tartan) BEAU TRAVAIL (Artificial Eye) COLOR OF PARADISE (Optimum) BRITISH NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR LEE HALL (Billy Elliot - UIP) PAUL BETTANY (Gangster No. 1 - Film Four) STEPHEN DALDRY (Billy Elliot - UIP) MICHAEL LEGGE (Angela's Ashes - UIP) JAMIE BELL (Billy Elliot - UIP) BRITISH SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR MIKE LEIGH (Topsy Turvy - Pathe) CHRISTOPHER NOLAN (Memento - Pathe) NEIL JORDAN (The End of the Affair - Columbia) LEE HALL (Billy Elliot - UIP) ANTHONY MINGHELLA (The Talented Mr Ripley - BVI) SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON (Magnolia - Entertainment) CHARLIE KAUFMAN (Being John Malkovich - UIP) JOEL & ETHAN COEN (Oh, Brother Where Art Thou - Momentum) STEVE KLOVES (Wonder Boys - UIP) CAMERON CROWE (Almost Famous - Columbia) BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE EMILY WATSON (Cradle Will Rock - BVI) SOPHIE THOMPSON (Relative Values - Momentum) SHIRLEY HENDERSON (Topsy Turvy - Pathe) SAMANTHA MORTON (Sweet & Lowdown - Columbia) LESLEY MANVILLE (Topsy Turvy - Pathe) BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE JUDE LAW (The Talented Mr Ripley - BVI) TIMOTHY SPALL (Topsy Turvy - Pathe) ALBERT FINNEY (Erin Brockovich - Columbia) MICHAEL CAINE (Quills - Fox) JASON ISAACS (The Patriot - Columbia) BRITISH PRODUCER OF THE YEAR GREG BRENMAN, JONATHAN FINN (Billy Elliot - UIP) OLIVIA STEWART (The House of Mirth - Film Four) SIMON CHANNING-WILLIAMS (Topsy Turvy - Pathe) NORMA HEYMAN (Gangster No. 1 - Film Four) PETER LORD, NICK PARK, DAVID SPROXTON (Chicken Run - Pathe) BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR JANET McTEER (Tumbleweed - Entertainment) BRENDA BLETHYN (Saving Grace - Fox) EMILY WATSON (The Luzhin Defense - Entertainment) JULIE WALTERS (Billy Elliot - UIP) KATE WINSLET (Quills - Fox) ACTRESS OF THE YEAR GILLIAN ANDERSON (The House of Mirth - Film Four) RENEE ZELLEWEGGER (Nurse Betty - Pathe) JULIANNE MOORE (The End of the Affair - Columbia) HILARY SWANK (Boys Don't Cry - Fox) JULIA ROBERTS (Erin Brockovich - Columbia) BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR CHRISTIAN BALE (American Psycho - Entertainment) JIM BROADBENT (Topsy Turvy - Pathe) ANTHONY HOPKINS (Titus - BVI) RALPH FIENNES (The End of the Affair - Columbia) GARY LEWIS (Billy Elliot - UIP) ACTOR OF THE YEAR MICHAEL DOUGLAS (Wonder Boys - UIP) JOHN CUSACK (Being John Malkovich - UIP) JIM CARREY (The Grinch / The Man on the Moon - UIP) RUSSELL CROWE (Gladiator / The Insider - UIP / BVI) PHILLIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN (Flawless / Almost Famous - Optimum / Columbia) BRITISH DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR RIDLEY SCOTT (Gladiator - UIP) CHRISTOPHER NOLAN (Memento - Pathe) TERENCE DAVIES (The House of Mirth - Film Four) STEPHEN DALDRY (Billy Elliot - UIP) MIKE LEIGH (Topsy Turvy - Pathe) DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR SPIKE JONZE (Being John Malkovich - UIP) MARY HARRON (American Psycho - Entertainment) PHILLIP KAUFMAN (Quills - Fox) ANG LEE (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Columbia) STEVEN SODERBERGH (Erin Brockovich - Columbia) BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR THE HOUSE OF MIRTH (Film Four) TOPSY TURVY (Pathe) BILLY ELLIOT (UIP) THE END OF THE AFFAIR (Columbia) CHICKEN RUN (Pathe) FILM OF THE YEAR OH, BROTHER WHERE ART THOU (Momentum) BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (UIP) MEMENTO (Pathe) CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (Columbia) GLADIATOR (UIP) * * * THE 21st AWARDS OF THE LONDON FILM CRITICS' CIRCLE in aid of the NSPCC WHAT: The 21st Awards of the London Film Critics' Circle, sponsored by Night & Day magazine (part of the Mail on Sunday), in aid of the NSPCC WHO: Celebrities and stars from the world of film including winners and nominees of the 21st Awards of the London Film Critics' Circle WHERE: The Savoy Hotel, The Strand, London WHEN: Thursday, 15th February 2001 From 7pm on Thursday 15th February some of Britain's and the world's most glittering film stars will be arriving at the Savoy Hotel in London for the 21st awards ceremony of the London Film Critics' Circle. This year's event is supported by title sponsors Night & Day magazine, part of the Mail on Sunday, as well as confectionery giant Mars. Event Timetable: * Arrivals: 6.45pm * Champagne Reception: 7.00pm * Awards Ceremony: 7.30pm - 9.00pm * Photographs & Interviews: 7.30pm - 9.00pm For further information, please contact: Lucy Lambert, NSPCC Media Office on 020 7825 2962. Notes to editors: There are a limited number of media passes available for the evening of the awards. Please contact Lucy Lambert on the above number if you wish to apply for a pass. Tickets to the event are available at a cost of �115 each. Please contact Sonya Timms, NSPCC London Regional Office, Tel no: 020 7596 3726.

Thanks Murph. Pretty impressive. I like to see Our Bidget, Renee, up there. Nurse Betty is on my fave list. I salute the London Film Critics for including the House of Mirth & Topsy Turvy. Quite a change from the same ole, same ole bunch. *clap, clap* ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wonder what would happen if the Oscars had a separate category for only American actors??

TVOntario is going to show P&P on its Sunday night drama specials. TVOntario is Ontario's public television channel which regularly shows the best of British dramas and television series.I wonder if we will get some new Firthfans from Ontario after they show Colin. By the way they showed him in the preview and gave him the first billing.

Couldn't find SWTA in bookstores today, though it's featured prominently--half page spread--in Waldenbooks' circular. They said they should have it in by early next week (I avoid Amazon whenever possible; I'll pay the extra buck or two to help keep the small shops in business.) Apartment Zero is showing this month on STARZ. Check your local listings, as they say. Thanks for the London critics list, Murph. I think it's safe to say that Jason Isaacs won't be winning his category;-) Overall, it's a strong group of nominees--but then again, there's so much carry-over on it from the previous year, which was such a better year for films than last year. Moon, your Harry film is up there; just saw that Miramax will be releasing it here this year under the title With a Friend Like Harry. I thought Christian Bale was South African? But will assume that someone has undoubtedly looked into this very carefully.;-) BTW, his dad recently married Gloria Steinem, which is neat. And if they're going to have separate categories, where is Clive Owen and Croupier??

Moon, your Harry film is up there; just saw that Miramax will be releasing it here this year under the title With a Friend Like Harry. Thanks, Murph! My DH will be happy to hear it as he will want me to explain the ending. He liked it and for him to want to see a film twice could only mean it's a masterpiece! ;-) Apartment Zero is showing this month on STARZ. This is fantastic news! Most video stores no longer carry it. It's strange to see "Being J. Malcovich" and "Topsy Turvey" up there with "Brother Where Art Thou" which just came out this month. IMO, Julia R doesn't have a chance with those other actresses. Of course, in Hollywood it's another story.

And Colin Firth was voted Favourite Actor, purely on the basis that he had just got his shirt wet as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. When I dared to ridicule this result, in a mid-market tabloid newspaper, I was engulfed with hate mail. Hell hath no fury like Middle England scorned. Glad to hear that Middle England has teeth! I've always had the feeling though that most journalists/critics totally overlooked the fact CF gave a rather good performance in P&P! But they don't award BAFTAs to wet shirts! BTW has anyone in the UK seen a television advert for Thompson holidays - features a Regency gentleman dressed in a white shirt and breeches who dives into a pond and emerges dripping wet? Obviously the moment has passed into contemporary social history! :-) That Quadrille project has been listed for eons! I suspect that someone got the information wrong as it was mentioned in some of the articles about the Noel Coward centenary and all the film projects underway, including Relative Values! Oh dear, and there's me thinking it sounded like a good idea (I know Madonna can't really act, but Mrs Ritchie is absolutely mega in the UK at the moment...and it's better than "Dr Who"!) I remember reading about all the Coward projects...RV, "Quadrille" with Madonna, and "Blithe Spirit" with Rupert Everett and Nicole Kidman. Madonna was to star with a cast of British and American actors.

most journalists/critics totally overlooked the fact CF gave a rather good performance in P&P! Most (male) TV critics were taken aback with that performance and somehow ended slighting it... I still think it was a wholesale display of (possibly even unconscious) male jealousy in response to their wives', girlfriends', daughters' wholesale falling for Darcy (branded "hysteria", of course... what else can a woman do? ;-P). All in all, an interesting sociological phenomenon. Ben, Mark, as our esteemed and only male authorities here, I'm sure you've got views on this. Would you care to remind us? has anyone in the UK seen a television advert for Thompson holidays - features a Regency gentleman dressed in a white shirt and breeches who dives into a pond and emerges dripping wet? Obviously the moment has passed into contemporary social history! :-) Absolutely - in complete defiance of the above mentioned so called TV critics. My recent mail order video catalogue still speaks of "Colin Firth's legendary portrayal of Darcy"... And that is the material point!

(Echo) Most (male) TV critics were taken aback with that performance and somehow ended slighting it... I still think it was a wholesale display of (possibly even unconscious) male jealousy in response to their wives', girlfriends', daughters' wholesale falling for Darcy I think good old-fashioned middle-class snobbism is at work, too. As if anything or anybody who can evoke that kind of widespread response is not worthy of serious attention. Too bad that people (men and women) cannot see past their own prejudices. I know people who are so snobby that they won't watch anything that is perceived as popular, as it must not be worthy of their attention. Such middle-class horse manure.

(Vera)....and gave him the first billing. He always had top billing.

Most (male) TV critics were taken aback with that performance and somehow ended slighting it... I still think it was a wholesale display of (possibly even unconscious) male jealousy in response to their wives', girlfriends', daughters' wholesale falling for Darcy (branded "hysteria", of course... what else can a woman do? ;-P). All in all, an interesting sociological phenomenon. Ben, Mark, as our esteemed and only male authorities here, I'm sure you've got views on this. Would you care to remind us? Since you dangle your bait so temptingly, Echo, I shall dare to bite, for once. I suspect that reviewers like Brian Viner see analogies between CF getting a Bafta and, say, an acting award being given to someone like Jennifer Lopez, or Samantha Janus. They know that it's wrong to reward their lust-objects with acting awards, so they assume it's wrong for women's icons to get them too. What this may fail to appreciate is that part of the reason women fall for Darcy CF is that it's as much (more?) about who he is, how he behaves, what it looks like he's thinking, as it is about his looks. In short, his acting is creating the reaction. So potentially he does deserve an acting award in a way that, let's say, Shannon Doherty may never achieve. There may be some jealousy involved - not on my part, but I didn't watch much of P&P - but there may also be some (misguided?) attempt to rationalise as a critic. (Is there maybe an element of this looks-are-not-the-same-as-acting thinking in the suggestions that Julia Roberts should not get the forthcoming Oscar?) Don't bite my head off - I was asked for a POV.

And a very sensible and intelligent POV it is!

Mark: snap! (and it's not meant to sound like biting your head off... LOL! ;-)) My narrow notion of "unconscious male jealousy" probably comes within the wider terms of Donna's "good old-fashioned middle-class snobbery". We know that modern men and women can see past their own prejudices, but denying it is a tedious and overplayed media trick which never fails to stir up the popular indignation.

What this may fail to appreciate is that part of the reason women fall for Darcy CF LOL, Mark! Aren't you glad your wife is not one of us. Of course, if my husband ever saw this place, I hate to think what would happen. ;-) (Is there maybe an element of this looks-are-not-the-same-as-acting thinking in the suggestions that Julia Roberts should not get the forthcoming Oscar?) I am a guilty party here. I don't consider the roles she plays Oscar worthy. I still think Bjork did an amazing acting job in "Dancer in the Dark".

What this may fail to appreciate is that part of the reason women fall for Darcy CF is that it's as much (more?) about who he is, how he behaves, what it looks like he's thinking, as it is about his looks. In short, his acting is creating the reaction. So potentially he does deserve an acting award in a way that, let's say, Shannon Doherty may never achieve. Well put, Mark. All those journalists who explain his attraction with the wet shirt are more than blind and absolutely beneath the point. I have my own personal theory about CFs success as Mr. Darcy: it is because he displayed a tremendous wide range of emotions in a very quiet way (thereby carrying the essence of JAs work - inspite of the wet shirt). A range which perhaps only those can fully appreciate who are particularly good at reading facial expressions. Most critics missed CFs very subtle approach of this role by reducing it to the wet shirt scene. [I could scream out loud every time I read this repeated as explanation for the P&P phenomenon! It was a side effect which is taken for the cause.] His part was pretty difficult because Mr Darcy is at least as much defined by what he doesn't say as by what he does say. He goes through a very wide scale of emotions but the actor is not allowed to display much of them. In his own words: "Technically, you just try to assume all that and then play against it". And if you look closely you can see it is there. I don't have to tell this audience here how rich his expressions are, in a very subtle way. Try the same kind of microfocusing with another film - lets say "Independence Day" - and see where you get. ;-) I'm presently re-watching "Cracker", and though Coltrane is good he is very much supported by this, er, meaty and juicy Fitz role with lots to do, and a VERY strong and suspenseful script (by Jimmy McGovern), whereas Mr Darcy is everything else but a juicy role, with hardly anything to do, and a script which has a lot of qualities, but 'gripping' not being among them. That is why I think CF would have deserved the Bafta more than Robbie Coltrane as Fitz - that is, if the Bafta is about acting, and not about the juciest role in years in which case it should go to the writer... come to think of it - did Jimmy McGovern win a Bafta as well? If not it would be a shame. Just checked the Bafta site - their past awards only go back to 98. According to IMDB he was nominated but didn't win. Oh well, he's in good company.

There's really only one point I can make: Weren't the audiences hooked...long before the wet shirt appeared? ;-)

And another point: If the phenomenon is strictly a lustful response to a hunky guy how come there are no such phenomena whenever Benjamin Britt of Brad Pitt wet/take off their shirts?

Hasn't Brad Pitt been enjoying his fair share of hysteria? Assuming that hysteria in media speak means fan devotion. But in simple percentage terms the wave of "Darcy hysteria" was the strongest - most visible - in the UK. Naturally. And the wet shirt... well, it has never really done much for me personally, to be honest. But haven't we discussed it several times already? From the delicious multitude of our individual juicy points of view? On the Darcy board, some four and a half years ago or so...? And why not do it just one more time? ;-)

Bethan - that is WEIRD you mention that Thompson ad. (which, you're right, shamelessly plays on the Firthettes' most holy moment) - three years ago I had a brief fling with the woman in the ads. (Vicky Clay). Imagine my surprise when I was slumped idly in front of the telly and saw her, all trussed up a la Regency, heaving into view across my screen. Spilt me tea all over me lap, I did. Well, almost. I heard yesterday she's getting married in a couple of months' time. Another one bites the dust. I never really stood a chance, if the truth be told.

the Firthettes' most holy moment Oh, well, I'm definitely not a Firthette, then. three years ago I had a brief fling with the woman in the ads. (Vicky Clay). Ben, smack your wrist, you big, horrible name-dropper! (And don't you wish you could drop bigger names, too?) :-P :-D Spilt me tea all over me lap, I did. Hope you haven't damaged yourself too badly? ;-) I never really stood a chance, if the truth be told. Aaaaah... join the club. We're all hopelessly broken-hearted here one way or another... ;-D

Name dropping? Hardly. She is not exactly leading at the National. (Though she probably gets much more money for these ads.) Nor was it love. Really. And is it not the Firthettes' most climactic moment, the Darcy-in-lake scene? The heavy-breathing passion, cotton clinging to heaving chest, beads of water dripping from bashful lashes, camera panning down to tautly swathed thigh? How many of your videotapes are still able to play that scene, and have not been worn too thin by repeated rewinding and frame-by-golden-frame reviewing? Admirers of JE have no such moments in that Mills-and-Boon adaptation. But then it's her mind we prize above all. Particularly, for some reason, when it's sitting atop a low-cut Regency dress.

Ben, Ben, watch: ;-) ;-D ;-) ;-D ...OK? ;-) is it not the Firthettes' most climactic moment, the Darcy-in-lake scene? I'm sure it must be. Only not everyone here is a Firthette. There are also Firthians, Firthists and Firthologists. Among others. ;-)

Sorry but my favourite Darcy moment is the big smile he gives Lizzy at Pemberley. I also loved his compassion at the Lambton Inn. Plus I have a few more before the wet shirt. And, I am a Firthette because I find the word coquetish and less serious than Firthians, Firthists and Firthologists. :-)

Sorry to burst your bubble too, but the wet shirt has never been high on my list. I give 5 stars to the hands touching to begin the dance (no face in sight); 'on foot'; apres dip and having changed clothes, being nice to Lizzie and family; at the piano at Rosings and others.

I fell head over heels with him "On foot"...he says so much with that wry smile At the piano at Rosings is the best sparring part, IMO.Including that quick glance at Lizzie's cleavage... And when he takes her hand at the Lambton Inn...*sizzle*

Yes. A Firthologist sounds frightfully serious. She would wear horn-rimmed specs and a tweed skirt and be just slightly too tall. A Firthist, on the other hand, conveys something more political. She would go on marches protesting that Hollywood has paid insufficient attention to le maitre. ("Violence erupted in Islington today when Firthists, demonstrating against CF's absence from the New Year's Honours list, clahsed with riot police...").

Entertainment Weekly has a nice review for Speaking With the Angel. Their grade: A. RE: wet shirts. I can only assume that it's not considered acceptable for many male critics to like a mere "costume drama," or a production that appeals primarily to women. In P&P's case, however, they would be hard-pressed to find legitimate grounds for faulting it, as it is as near to flawless as can be. So, they feel compelled to trivialize it by ascribing its appeal, and that of Darcy/Colin, to the presence of a wet shirt. Their pathetic bias is as transparent to me as the shirt.;-)

Very well said, Mari. Brava.

I'm not sure those are the reasons. There were plenty of male fans of the series. I adored it. But great literature gives one a bit of a head start, and it's still possible, surely, to find an adaptation imperfect in some ways. I was being facetious about the wet shirt, but not entirely unserious. That WAS the favourite moment for a lot of viewers. And, for me at least, CF's portrayal, or at least what the director had him do, was too mournful. IMHO, Austen's Darcy has a slightly tougher edge to him.

I mever even noticed the wet shirt scene until I saw it mention in all the press releases and had to take a good look at it. It's not bad but as I have said somewhere else, other hunks have done better! It is CF's portrayal of the Austen hero as perfectly as it could ever be done which is driving women (and some men) in droves. There are women who find talent and intelligence more erotic than a wet shirt... [Oooops...fell off my soap box].

Sure. And it was wonderful acting. But it is surely a matter of opinion as to whether he played the part "as perfectly as it could ever be done". I know plenty who disagree. Nor is it treasonous, surely, to suggest that his sex appeal had something to do with his popularity in the part.

There were plenty of male fans of the series. I adored it. But great literature gives one a bit of a head start, and it's still possible, surely, to find an adaptation imperfect in some ways. Certainly, which is why I wrote many male critics and near to flawless. I can find faults in this one, but IMO they are so overshadowed by the positive, that it would seem like picking flyshit out of pepper. (How's *that* for deconstruction?;-) ;-) Nor is it treasonous, surely, to suggest that his sex appeal had something to do with his popularity in the part. Agreed, and I think most here would agree also. I certainly wouldn't have enjoyed the show as much had Darcy been played by Marty Feldman;-) Nor would many males have enjoyed Camryn Manheim as Lizzie.;-) But Colin's and Jennifer's good looks would have meant little if they weren't at least equaled by the intelligence and heart that they brought to their performances. To me, the show is a beautiful tapestry of things that work, and I find the repeated harping on the wet shirt (to the exclusion of much else) by some critics to be silly, thoughtless, and demeaning. If they don't like him or his performance, that's fine, let them criticize it on the basis of the portrayal (as you have done, Ben, in mentioning the mournfulness). I may not agree, but at least that is legitimate criticism based on honest opinion and evaluation.

Here, here, well said Mari. In fact the whole cast was pitch-perfect, even imo Alison Steadman's Mrs. Bennett, who had her fair share of negative critics.

Well expressed, Mari. I agree entirely, though I think that actually there were well-considered criticisms of the production. In England the book is so much part of the cultural fabric that there were bound to be differences of opinion about how it was done. I had some reservations myself. None of this is to dispute the acting talents of CF.

A Firthologist sounds frightfully serious. She would wear horn-rimmed specs and a tweed skirt and be just slightly too tall. LOL! I wore thick-rimmed specs some two hundred years ago in my student's days. And I hate skirts - is there a more uncomfortable garment in existence? I think I shall spare you further gruesome details... One thing is certain: I'm in a frightfully serious shape... LOL! A Firthist, on the other hand, conveys something more political. I discovered I'm a Firthist during a hilarious exchange rsulting from some Drool investigations of a more medical nature... But that was a long time ago. We were hardly serious then and definitely politically wholly incorrect. LOL! Maybe I should retrain and qualify as a Firth-something else now. The tiiimes, they're a-chaaangin'... protesting that Hollywood has paid insufficient attention to le maitre. Moi? Mais non. Jamais. I am quite happy to keep him as our little secret. in P&P's case... it is as near to flawless as can be. I have always sided with the school of the objectors to that statement! Alas, there are flaws - but they do not spoil the production generally. For example, only those who had very detailed knowledge of the period would have viewed the wet shirt scene as a flaw - since it would have been virtually impossible to happen in real life. (Pathetic nit picking, I know...;-)) CF's portrayal, or at least what the director had him do, was too mournful Right! He had lots of wonderful moments and I melted with every new scene... But (and I had not read the book before watching the series!) up until Darcy started acting more lively in pursuit of the eloped pair, I had seriously expected some awful tragedy to happen! Like a duel, murder or suicide... When he jumped in the lake, I was mortified thinking that maybe he was going to drown!!! And now despise me if you dare!

Ben, I love your style... Are you tall, dark and handsome?

There are women who find talent and intelligence more erotic than a wet shirt... I dunno about that one, Lassie. Erotic and dumb aint' bad either;-) (Ben)A Firthist, on the other hand, conveys something more political. She would go on marches protesting that Hollywood has paid insufficient attention to le maitre.("Violence erupted in Islington today when Firthists, demonstrating against CF's absence from the New Year's Honours list, clashed with riot police..."). LOL. I wouldn't mind wrapping a paper chain around my neck and marching if a "certain someone" was with me. Hey... sharing a cell with ODB wouldn't be too bad..Bring on the hand-cuffs...:-D

LOL Evelyn, I'll join you. To me the look he gives Wickhamm when he sees him in Meryton is better than the wet shirt, also the look on his face in the music room when he goes back there after everyone else has gone to bed. He's thinking of Lizzie with that little smile o his face. I love it

This is timely (thanks to Marilyn): A&E Classroom will show the 1995 BBC/A&E production of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (starring Colin Firth) in six parts starting on Friday, 13 April 2001. More info at: http://www.aande.com/class/classcal/root.cgi?year=2001&month=4 ****** Coincidental that it's starting on the day BJD opens? Or maybe just a good omen.:-) For the proficients, click on the title for "classroom" materials to be used as you watch.;-)

Coincidental that it's starting on the day BJD opens? Harvey strikes again!! I bet A&E already plans to have ODB on "Breakfast.." Thanks Mari, Marilyn A&E Classroom is a good one for taping, ... no commercials. Let's put this on all of CF websites. I'll get it on JE's

(Mari) Coincidental that it's starting on the day BJD opens? (Evelyn) Harvey strikes again!! I bet A&E already plans to have ODB on "Breakfast.." Agreed! This is a planned 'coincidence.' Let's not forget that A&E and Miramax are all part of the Disney empire. ;-)

(Mari) I certainly wouldn't have enjoyed the show as much had Darcy been played by Marty Feldman;-) *guffaw* Ooh, that would have been abby-normal! Agree with everything previously said about critics'/reporters boiling the whole of P&P2 down to the *&^% wet shirt (or worse, claiming it was 'Darcy emerging from the lake, dripping wet'--a scene which doesn't even exist).

Just a quick post to let any UK Firthians / Firthettes / Firthists / Firthophiles / Firthaholics (delete as applicable) out there that Blockbusters had ex-Rental SLOW in their bargain bucket for 5-99 - reduced to 3-99. Which is a good thing for your purse but a sad indictment of ODBs professional standing...to think it has come to this ;-(

I must confess I haven't seen SLOW. Is it good? By the way, I think any under-18s on this board are actually, though they don't know it, called Firthlings. How about Marty Feldman as Darcy and (with apologies for the parochial reference) Anne Widecombe as Elizabeth? Is that much worse than, say, Leonardo Di Caprio and Britney Spears? Yes, I suppose it is. But the mind still boggles.

(Tracy) Which is a good thing for your purse but a sad indictment of ODBs professional standing...to think it has come to this ;-( Now, if it had been released NEW at those bargain basement prices, then I'd agree, but it's been ages since it first came out and these are used tapes. The price is right and happens to all tapes eventually. ;-)

Anne Widecombe lol Ben!

Tracy, you forgot Firthologists or possibly even Firthologians... ;-) (Ben)I must confess I haven't seen SLOW. Is it good? Who's going to enlighten him? ;-)

Who's going to enlighten him? ;-) Well, it's a nasty job but I suppose someone has to do it. As a noted Firthist once said of SLOW, "it is not an artistic achievement.";-) I think any under-18s on this board are actually, though they don't know it, called Firthlings. Finally, a category for me.;-)

I think any under-18s on this board are actually, though they don't know it, called Firthlings. and for those of us who care not to disclose our ages..."Firthysomethings."

Not to mention Forthy- and Fifthy- somethings, of course. All those very old ladies that we know he cherishes so much. ;-)

From today's NY Times. Michiko is a very tough reviewer, so her words about Colin are high praise indeed. ********************************** Bits and Pieces From Writers With Buzz By MICHIKO KAKUTANI SPEAKING WITH THE ANGEL Edited by Nick Hornby. 233 pages. Riverhead Books. $12. The narrators in "Speaking With the Angel," an eclectic anthology of short stories, are a varied lot to say the least: they include a British prime minister hiding from his own security guards, a pit bull speaking from beyond the grave, an aging courtesan who's fallen in her bathroom and can't get up, a teenager having sex for the first time and a failed mime artist. Nick Hornby, the author of the delightful novel "High Fidelity," conceived this anthology as a benefit for autistic children, and he invited some of the most talked-about new voices in fiction to contribute first- person narratives. His contributors include Dave Eggers ("A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius"), Zadie Smith ("White Teeth"), Roddy Doyle ("Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha"), Helen Fielding ("Bridget Jones's Diary") and Melissa Bank ("The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing"). Though the stories vary enormously in quality, they provide the reader unfamiliar with these writers with a tasting menu of their work, and longtime fans with some new morsels of fiction to debate. Dave Eggers's entry, "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned," which recounts the short, happy life of a pit bull, is a small tour de force that ratifies his ability to write about anything with style and vigor and genuine emotion. He not only uses his feeling for the sound and speed of words to concoct a convincing voice for his canine narrator, but also manages to convey persuasively what it might feel like to be a dog who evinces an unaccommodated delight in the sheer physicality of existence, a wry skepticism when it comes to the peculiarities of human beings and a quizzical appreciation of the strange vicissitudes of daily life. While Zadie Smith's contribution, "I'm the Only One," similarly showcases her gift for creating funny, engaging characters, it feels less like a full-fledged story than like a snippet from a novel or longer work of fiction. The piece, told in the voice of a querulous teenage boy, gives us some antic glimpses into his contentious relationship with his brilliant and cosseted sister but demonstrates little of the ambition and reach that distinguished her dazzling first novel, "White Teeth." Two other stories in "Speaking With the Angel" are also told from the point of view of an adolescent or child. Patrick Marber's "Peter Shelley" � which reads like a comic prelude to the sexual roundelay depicted in his Broadway play, "Closer" � is a sad-funny-depressing account of two teenagers' loss of their virginity. And Colin Firth's "Department of Nothing" touchingly depicts a young boy's efforts to escape the depressing realities of his everyday life by immersing himself in the make-believe world of his ailing grandmother's stories. Bookended with these coming-of- age tales are four stories about midlife crises. "PMQ" by Robert Harris, the author of the best seller "Fatherland," is a humorous little tale that works a satirical variation on the Audrey Hepburn-Gregory Peck movie "Roman Holiday," recounting the adventures of a British prime minister (not a princess, as in the film), who goes AWOL from his job. And "The Slave" by Roddy Doyle is a masterly monologue that uses the author's pitch-perfect ear for how people talk to limn a man's sudden apprehension of vulnerability and loss � all brought on by his discovery of a dead rat on his kitchen floor. Mr. Hornby's "NippleJesus" traces a security guard's new appreciation for the politics of aesthetics, galvanized by his latest assignment, guarding a controversial painting from vandals, while "Walking Into the Wind" by John O'Farrell looks at an aging mime artist's efforts to stay true to his profession, even as his friends all start climbing the corporate ladder. The trouble with "Walking Into the Wind" is that it radiates a sour disdain for its hero, who is made out to be a vain, boastful fellow, self-deluding and self-righteous in the extreme. This narrator is too easy to dislike, and as a result the plot twists seem less like plausible developments than simple payback for his sins. A similar problem afflicts Helen Fielding's "Luckybitch" and Irvine Welsh's "Catholic Guilt (You Know You Love It"), two flimsy fictions that feature a rich floozy and a homophobic barfly, characters for whom the authors, and consequently the reader, feel nothing but facile contempt.

From AnneR, the NYT review of Speaking with the Angels, which has a favorable description of CF's story, who must be one of those 'new voices': New York Times News Service Tuesday, February 6, 2001 'SPEAKING WITH THE ANGEL' - BITS AND PIECES FROM WRITERS WITH BUZZ. By MICHIKO KAKUTANI. The narrators in "Speaking With the Angel," an eclectic anthology of short stories, are a varied lot to say the least: they include a British prime minister hiding from his own security guards, a pit bull speaking from beyond the grave, an aging courtesan who's fallen in her bathroom and can't get up, a teen-ager having sex for the first time and a failed mime artist. Nick Hornby, the author of the delightful novel "High Fidelity," conceived this anthology as a benefit for autistic children, and he invited some of the most talked-about new voices in fiction to contribute first-person narratives. His contributors include Dave Eggers ("A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius"), Zadie Smith ("White Teeth"), Roddy Doyle ("Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha"), Helen Fielding ("Bridget Jones' Diary") and Melissa Bank ("The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing"). Though the stories vary enormously in quality, they provide the reader unfamiliar with these writers with a tasting menu of their work, and longtime fans with some new morsels of fiction to debate. Dave Eggers' entry, "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned," which recounts the short, happy life of a pit bull, is a small tour de force that ratifies his ability to write about anything with style and vigor and genuine emotion. He not only uses his feeling for the sound and speed of words to concoct a convincing voice for his canine narrator, but also manages to convey persuasively what it might feel like to be a dog who evinces an unaccommodated delight in the sheer physicality of existence, a wry skepticism when it comes to the peculiarities of human beings and a quizzical appreciation of the strange vicissitudes of daily life. While Zadie Smith's contribution, "I'm the Only One," similarly showcases her gift for creating funny, engaging characters, it feels less like a full-fledged story than like a snippet from a novel or longer work of fiction. The piece, told in the voice of a querulous teen-age boy, gives us some antic glimpses into his contentious relationship with his brilliant and cosseted sister but demonstrates little of the ambition and reach that distinguished her dazzling first novel, "White Teeth." Two other stories in "Speaking With the Angel" are also told from the point of view of an adolescent or child. Patrick Marber's "Peter Shelley" - which reads like a comic prelude to the sexual roundelay depicted in his Broadway play, "Closer" - is a sad-funny-depressing account of two teen-agers' loss of their virginity. And Colin Firth's "Department of Nothing" touchingly depicts a young boy's efforts to escape the depressing realities of his everyday life by immersing himself in the make-believe world of his ailing grandmother's stories. Bookended with these coming-of-age tales are four stories about midlife crises. "PMQ" by Robert Harris, the author of the best seller "Fatherland," is a humorous little tale that works a satirical variation on the Audrey Hepburn-Gregory Peck movie "Roman Holiday," recounting the adventures of a British prime minister (not a princess, as in the film), who goes AWOL from his job. And "The Slave" by Roddy Doyle is a masterly monologue that uses the author's pitch-perfect ear for how people talk to limn a man's sudden apprehension of vulnerability and loss - all brought on by his discovery of a dead rat on his kitchen floor. Hornby's "NippleJesus" traces a security guard's new appreciation for the politics of aesthetics, galvanized by his latest assignment, guarding a controversial painting from vandals, while "Walking Into the Wind" by John O'Farrell looks at an aging mime artist's efforts to stay true to his profession, even as his friends all start climbing the corporate ladder. The trouble with "Walking Into the Wind" is that it radiates a sour disdain for its hero, who is made out to be a vain, boastful fellow, self-deluding and self-righteous in the extreme. This narrator is too easy to dislike, and as a result the plot twists seem less like plausible developments than simple payback for his sins. A similar problem afflicts Helen Fielding's "Luckybitch" and Irvine Welsh's "Catholic Guilt (You Know You Love It"), two flimsy fictions that feature a rich floozy and a homophobic barfly, characters for whom the authors, and consequently the reader, feel nothing but facile contempt. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/06/arts/06KAKU.html

Paper chains or... You pick, especially given our budding author's usage of the word 'pants'!! ;-) From Ananova: Robbie models his underpants for Comic Relief Robbie Williams and other celebrities have showed off their pants on the catwalk to launch the Comic Relief Red Nose Day campaign. The theme of this year's charity extravaganza is underwear and has the slogan "Say Pants to Poverty". Fans of Williams will be able to get their hands on the singer's black tiger briefs - made famous in the Rock DJ video - in a charity auction. He will also be selling his bed to the highest bidder to raise money for Comic Relief. At today's launch in central London, Williams said: "If you read the tabloids you will know what action that bed has had, 10 out of 10 if you know what I mean." Williams was joined on the catwalk by other celebrities including TV chef Jamie Oliver and comedians Lenny Henry and Jack Dee, who all modelled their pants over their trousers, raising laughs from the audience. More than 300 celebrities will be taking part in this year's Comic Relief Red Nose Day on Friday March 16, including Billy Connolly, Graham Norton, Ali G and Jonathan Ross. Connolly will abandon his pants and be seen dancing naked around the statue of Eros in London's Piccadilly Circus. The trademark Red Nose, which will be sold in branches of Sainsbury's, has this year been designed by award-winning animators Aardman - creators of Wallace and Grommit.

Pics of above here: http://www.ananova.com/entertainment/story/sm_198591.html?menu=entertainment.latestheadlines It's not as obnoxious as it sounds, except if the chosen garment are Jockey's.

HERE THEY GO AGAIN! After all those years, they still make headlines in popular media! Daily Express (UK), Tuesday, February 6, 2001 Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle's steamy romance voted greatest affair on TV How Mr Darcy is still stirring passions of viewers With their cute one-liners, unrelenting love and obstacle-filled path to happiness, viewers could be forgiven for selecting Ross and Rachel from Friends as television's greatest ever romance. But as Valentine's Day draws near, the image of dark, brooding Darcy's sizzling liaison with Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice has walked off with the accolade for greatest small screen lovers. From the moment Elizabeth, played by JE, sets eyes on the water-soaked Darcy, played by CF, she - and millions of female viewers - were hooked. That Firth and his on-screen lover went on to enjoy a year-long real-life romance added to their allure and to the relationship being voted the greatest ever TV love affair. Fans logged on to the Radio Times website to choose the BBS's steamy version of Austen's prim classic romance. CF said he did not object to being constantly reminded of the series he made six years ago. "It's not something I'm uncomfortable with," he said. "I thought it was fantastic, all that stuff about being a heart-throb." Ms Ehle agreed. "I thought I was the luckiest person in the world to spend an entire summer playing EB," she said. "Being on location opposite somebody is incredibly conducive to falling in love." Television producers strive to find the right chemistry and to make their leading men and women compatible. Viewers decided the formula of Austen's classic words and Firth's smouldering screen presence had worked perfectly. [colour photo: publicity still from P&P: Darcy and Lizzy posing together in the sunny gardens of Pemberley]

"That Firth and his on-screen lover went on to enjoy a year-long real-life romance added to their allure and to the relationship being voted the greatest ever TV love affair." Ug...I'm resigned ...it's going to be part of their obit... However, she also said in a later interview: "I would never do it again[romance with a co-star] ...it's not worth it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks for all the terrific reviews of SWTA. Though I hope "authorship" doesn't go to ODB's head. He does little anough acting as it is... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I sent my request to Oprah today (I wuz the Tuesday person...who's next?) http://www.oprah.com/email/reach/email_reach_suggest.html

sorry....closed

she also said in a later interview: "I would never do it again[romance with a co-star] ...it's not worth it. If only planning one's emotional c.v. were as easy...

I think there should be a poll about why there are so many polls.;-) Loved the NY Times review; you're right, Murph, Michiko can be brutally tough, so this is high praise indeed.:-)

From Publisher's Weekly: A virtual who's who of the latest literary guard, this anthology bristles with the crackly talent and confidence of both the newly and the already fabulous. Included are Hornby himself, Melissa Bank, Dave Eggers, Helen Fielding and Zadie Smith, as well as veteran favorites Roddy Doyle and Irvine Welsh. Every story is told in the first person, and the voices are consistent, fresh, particular. Though some tales veer toward the trendy side of topical, each one surprises and entertains. Eggers's "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned" is told by a pit bull whose anthropomorphized sensibilities and phraseology are quite lovely. Patrick Marber treads on familiar turf in "Peter Shelley," a defloration/coming-of-age story told in a blend of irreverence and awe that seems new. In "Last Requests," Giles Smith imagines some moments in the career of a Death Row chef who does her best to satisfy the inmates' final culinary wants. And Roddy Doyle further ennobles his reputation with "The Slave," in which a anxious, literate, working-class father suffers a mid-life reckoning with a large dead rat in his kitchen. None of these 12 stories disappoints. (Feb. 6) Forecast: An imaginative cover--featuring painted doll-like ceramic busts of the contributors--will catch browsers' eyes, as will Hornby's name at the top of the jacket. The should sell snappily if prominently displayed, and perhaps more so if it becomes known that some portion of the profits will go to TreeHouse, a British school for autistic children's.

An imaginative cover--featuring painted doll-like ceramic busts of the contributors--will catch browsers' eyes Pffft...I must've missed Roger Moore's story! ;-D Thanks for sharing the reviews, Karen & Murph.

Good to hear those favourable SWTA reviews from across the pond. Thought the bust rather resembled a Subutteo figure who'd seen better days or had kicked one too many goals against '1989 Arsenal'! Sorry to back track a little but re SLOW enlightenment: Mari -As a noted Firthist once said of SLOW, "it is not an artistic achievement.";-) Agreed - but then neither was Playmaker...but I daresay if we rewind enough times we can probably find some good in anything ;-D SLOW for me is a feel-good piece, all that wonderful Mediterranean sunshire - just the right kind of thing to cheer up a dull winter's day. As a noted Firthist once said of SLOW, "it is not an artistic achievement.";-)

I daresay if we rewind enough times we can probably find some good in anything ;-D Methinks even that reverently quoted noted Firthist would agree with that... ;-)

Another review of SWTA from AnneR, who also points out that Colin's name is mentioned twice without any sort of recognition by the author as to who he is: Tuesday, February 6, 2001 A HIGH-FIDELITY COLLECTION FROM NICK HORNBY by DAVID DALEY of The Hartford Courant This being an interview with Nick Hornby, it only seems appropriate to start with a Top 5 list, just as the music-obsessed fan-boys love to do in his novel "High Fidelity," which John Cusack made into a film last year. So here are the five most popular writers with a new short story included in "Speaking With the Angel" (Riverhead, $12), a Hornby-edited collection in stores today that's a benefit for autism education (not including Hornby himself, who also chips in a story): Zadie Smith, who wrote last year's most acclaimed first novel, "White Teeth." Dave Eggers, author of last year's splendid memoir "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius." Irvine Welsh, of "Trainspotting" fame. Helen Fielding, the equally list-obsessed Brit behind "Bridget Jones' Diary." And Melissa Bank, whose "Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing" earned more than a few Fielding comparisons on its way up the bestseller list. "I wanted to approach people whose work I liked. There's no one in the book whose work I don't like," says Hornby from his London home. "But cynically -- though sincerely -- I'm also looking to raise large amounts of cash. So I also approached people whose work I like that sold worldwide to lots of people!" The charities benefiting from "Speaking With the Angel" are TreeHouse and the New York Child Learning Institute, small but acclaimed schools for severely autistic children. Hornby's own son, Danny, is a student at TreeHouse, a London school that he and his ex-wife had a hand in founding, with other parents, when none of the British public school programs seemed to offer any hope or help. Hornby hopes this book might help raise enough money so that TreeHouse can expand to teach more children, or that its model might be used by other parents to start their own school. The title of the book comes from a particularly beautiful song on Ron Sexsmith's 1995 self-titled debut, which goes in part, "He in the name of love, He in the blood of the lamb/He that never lays blame, he don't even know his name/So leave him alone, set him free/'Cause he's speaking with the angel." "I bought that album when it came out, and we didn't have the diagnosis yet," says Hornby. "It wasn't until after that when I realized what the song was all about. It always stayed in my mind as a great title if I was ever to actually do anything about it." It was another singer -- U2's Bono -- who unintentionally nearly stopped the project cold. Hornby was reading an interview with Bono in The Guardian that suggested the rock star's efforts have helped reduce Third World debt by more than $100 billion. "That made me think twice," Hornby says. "He's using his influence to get rid of Third World debt. I'm trying to raise a few quid for my son's school. There's a difference in moral tone here. "It's a peculiar thing to do," he says, "drag people in to a charity from whence one's own son might benefit. I've been doing lots of moral mathematics about why I wanted to do it. It comes down to this: It is a great cause. It's a little cause, but a great cause." And in the end, he says, it's a fair trade: People get a dozen stories by some of their favorite writers for the $12. Hornby not only picked the contributors -- which also include Colin Firth, Roddy Doyle and John O'Farrell -- but set a loose theme for the writers. "What I asked for was anything written in a first-person voice that was not their own," he explains. And looking at them now, he sees some loose similarities. "They all have jokes in them, but they're also all reasonably bleak. I guess that's like me." "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned" is the title of Eggers' story. It's an ode to action and activity and bravery, to getting out and doing things and making muscles pulsate, one that chides carping critics. The hero is a drag-racing dog named Steven who loves to race the other dogs along a dangerous woodsy obstacle course. Meanwhile, a group of squirrels provides tut-tutting commentary, in the vein of gymnastics commentators or political pundits. "If she were a better jumper this would not have happened." "She made a bad landing. Because her landing was bad, I am angry." Bank returns to the trendy Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn for "The Wonder Spot," with a new couple negotiating their first party together, feeling out what it's like to be the other person's boyfriend or girlfriend in public, all surrounded by friends and exes and landmines. Patrick Marber, in "Peter Shelley," covers first-time ground as well, with high schoolers having their first relationship to the tune of the Buzzcocks, so much so that the girl even introduces her new mate to mom as Shelley, the band's singer. Hornby laughs at the suggestion that that's the story one might assume he had written, if one were just going on titles. Actually, his story has the intriguing title "NippleJesus," and is about a security guard at an art exhibit. "I was in New York at the Museum of Modern Art last year, and I still hadn't done anything about the story," Hornby says, of the piece's genesis. "I started to wonder what these guys think about what they're supposed to be looking after. I came to the realization that they probably had deeper, more lasting relationships with the art than anyone -- including the artist." Fans will be pleased to know that Hornby's next novel, the follow-up to "About a Boy," is finished, even though he's tight with the details. "It's about a family, and written from the point of view of a wife and a mother. It's a family that's under stress because of the male's spiritual convergence," he says. The title, he reveals, is "How To Be Good," and it will be out in May in England, but not until August in America. Good thing, then, that the Internet makes it a lot easier to get U.K. novels these days than it was to get the kind of import singles that the "High Fidelity" boys so fetishize. And if in the meantime "Speaking With the Angel" turns American readers and Hornby's ever-trainspotting fans on to Brits like Robert Harris and Colin Firth, Marber and O'Farrell, well, great -- but raising money for TreeHouse remains Hornby's real goal. "I just want people to buy the book," he says. Gaining new fans for the writers "would be an unintended side effect -- but a happy one."

who also points out that Colin's name is mentioned twice without any sort of recognition by the author as to who he is: [my bolds] The article assumes, of course, he's a writer...and in mighty heavy company too...Marber, Harris. With all this author publicity maybe it's was

Continued from the JN Topic #143 Re: "Gosford Park" which stars every living breathing British actor. Where's Colin, oh I give up!! Wot? You want him lost in that menagerie? He'd be listed waaay down. Uh, uh. Lower than third down is unacceptable, IMO. He's not a newbie. Rather have him on television.

Evelyn, yes I would have liked to see him in this, if it is good enough for JN and Jude Law then it's good enough for Colin. In fact I would love to see him in something pretty soon, when he wasn't in Armadillo I had hoped there was a good reason, a high profile project but sadly it doesn't look like it. I hope it's his choice and not because he is not getting offers and who on earth told him to lose weight, all those flabby bits are going to show up on the big screen, bring on the polo necks I say. I hate to say it but I am having my doubts about BJD, the film will be wonderful but what was wrong with Colin as he was, why on earth did he need to lose weight he will only look gaunt on the big screen and I can just hear the critics, poor Colin. Sorry about the moan, I feel better now!!!

(Ann) Where's Colin, oh I give up!! I think Mari's guess of S. California for the months of Jan-Feb (and maybe beyond) is right on the money. Sure, I'd love to see him in Altman's ensemble cast, but I fear JN got the part that would've suited Colin. :-( You would think he's lining something up that starts work in March, but then again, maybe he's writing at the beach....

I think Mari's guess of S. California for the months of Jan-Feb (and maybe beyond) is right on the money. Disney opens a new park tomorrow in Anaheim... (Karen)I'd love to see him in Altman's ensemble cast, but I fear JN got the part that would've suited Colin. Told ya' ....he's Colin's #1 competition. Who knows, maybe he's around more.

You would think he's lining something up that starts work in March, but then again, maybe he's writing at the beach.... Yeah! Like picking up some more of the 10 year old's slang. ;-))

This week's issue of New York magazine has this review highlighting its "The Mix" section. It includes a reproduction of the book's American cover. About a Book The most surprising thing about Speaking With the Angel (Riverhead, $12), an anthology of first-person short stories by hip, mostly British, critics' darlings, isn't that actor Colin Firth is suddenly a published writer (and, it seems, a good one), or that Dave Eggers's contribution is told from a dog's perspective. It's that the collection, culled and edited by High Fidelity author Nick Hornby, is a charity project. Hornby, however, doesn't really want you to talk about that. "I think there are so many shitty charity books published," he says from his London home. "I'd much rather the book stand on its own, really." Four years ago, Hornby's wife helped found a London school, TreeHouse, for severely autistic children like their 7-year-old son, Danny. The school--which doesn't yet have its own premises--receives �1 for every copy sold in Britain and $1 from every sale Stateside (a school in Queens also gets $1 from U.S. sales). "I don't want to be Mr. Autism, but I don't want to deny that it ev r happened," says Hornby. Most of the authors Hornby contacted happily wrote stories, and many of those who couldn't, including J.K. Rowling, contributed money. "There was a time when I thought I wasn't even going to have to publish the damn book," Hornby says, "that I'd just get donations from rich writers and that would do it." Hornby, whose own work has gone from pop comedies about soccer and music to more circumspect work (About a Boy and the forthcoming How To Be Good), concedes that his son's condition has affected his professional life in other ways. "It's made it harder for me to write unalloyed pop culture that's unattached, feckless," he says. "I don't know that I can manage much more of it. I don't feel unattached and feckless." Anne R

(Evelyn) Disney opens a new park tomorrow in Anaheim... LOL, Evelyn you read my nasty thoughts! Hey, betcha PopPop Calley gets them VIP tickets.:-) (Anne) actor Colin Firth is suddenly a published writer (and, it seems, a good one) Thanks for finding and sharing all these good reviews, Anne! They're a pleasure to read.

Ooh, love the lovely new CF pic on the Drool main page. Yummmm! (Evelyn) Disney opens a new park tomorrow in Anaheim... (Mari) LOL, Evelyn you read my nasty thoughts! Hey, betcha PopPop Calley gets them VIP tickets.:-) *snicker* Think Evie may be onto something. In a time when every living, breathing actor from anywhere on the planet Earth is being cast in anything pre-strike hysteria-ridden H'wood can drum up, ODB is not working. Think he's in La-la land writing fiction, doing press-ups and twiddling his thumbs until BJD opens and he's 'discovered'. Thanks again for sharing the reviews, Anne. Think David Daley has no idea who CF is (wadda they know in Hartford ;-)).

(Eileen) Think David Daley has no idea who CF is (wadda they know in Hartford ;-)). At least DD prefaced his name with 'actor.' But that first sentence of his??? When you take out the glop, you get this: "The most surprising thing about Speaking With the Angel...isn't that actor Colin Firth is suddenly a published writer (and, it seems, a good one)..." So DD isn't surprised that CF is writer but he apparently hasn't even read the story. Thanks, Anne, for digging up all the reviews. Interesting that a portion of the US proceeds are going to a similar venture. We are near the end of this topic. Message 1999 will be the last. A new topic has been set up at: http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/drool/143/new

(Karen) At least DD prefaced his name with 'actor.' I was talking about the earlier review, in which CF was named twice without any reference to him (his? *cue grammer police*) being an actor, not a writer. I liked the NY magazine preface (author not listed), with or without the glop. ;-)

As CF (a) doesn't divide his time between the US-UK for work or (b) wouldn't be considered an up-and-coming or B list actor.... From Popcorn: Brits Set To Cash In On Actors' Strike British actors who are members of the American actors' trade union have been told they will be able to carry on working during the planned strike this June - with provisos. The likes of Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes, Vinnie Jones, Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Roth and Gary Oldman all divide their time between Britain and the UK [I expect they meant US], but they will be able to carry on working if... 1 The film is not being shot in America; 2 The film has no American finance; 3 No distribution rights have been pre-sold to US companies. This doesn't mean, however, that American actors will be able to work overseas, so don't expect to see Tom Cruise popping up in a low-budget British gangster pic that's shooting in Margate this summer. A Hollywood agent tells Screen International that packages are already being put together that utilise foreign talent, which is also great news for up-and-coming, or B-list British actors, who may suddenly find themselves in unprecedented demand.

A bit more from the source document: One Hollywood agent hinted that packages are already being put together which would fit these criteria and put particular emphasis on the American Film Market later this month as a hotbed of potential deal-making. Clearly US studios are forbidden from buying domestic or territory rights on these films, although there are no stipulations about them buying rights once the strike is over. Cash-rich non-US companies such as Intermedia, StudioCanal, Film Four as well as all the other German entertainment companies and media funds or the UK film franchises suddenly become unprecedentedly significant. And bearing in mind that some of the hottest members of SAG right now are non-US nationals, from Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett and Jude Law to Kate Winslet, Colin Farrell, Javier Bardem, Heath Ledger, Frances O�Connor and Penelope Cruz, the potential for international movie production looks limitless. Intermedia�s Enigma, recently screened at Sundance, is a clear example of a film made within these parameters. The film was produced and financed by non-US companies (Intermedia, Jagged Films), starring British nationals (Winslet, Dougray Scott, Jeremy Northam et al) and with no US distribution attached. This is officially the last message in this topic To be continued at: http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/drool/143/new