General question for Firthettes: does liking Firth also require you to hate Huge Grant, or is it just coincidence? Is it displaced loyalty (you support Stalin by opposing Trotsky)? Is it because they are genuinely rivals? Or does everyone hate the poor Gnat? Anyway, I secretly wonder whether, if you were actually sitting next to HG on a bar stool, and peering into his eyes, you would be quite so haughty and dismissive as you are in print. As long as uncle Joe didn't find out, you might even allow youself some light flirtation with Leon.

(Lora) But I really think this is HF gently paying homage to Colin Firth here for another one of his wonderful leading roles. What do you think? Hmm. Think BJD was written somewhere around '95 and FP came out in UK in March of '97. *knocking cobwebs out of memory bank* So I don't think so. Was surprised to see *two* commercials for BJD last night. This time CF has close up (zeroing in for kiss attempt, mmmmmm) and name mention. Hurrah! Genius promo people saved best for last. Hugh who? ;-) Speak of the devil: (Ben) Or does everyone hate the poor Gnat? Hate is a strong word. Dislike, not care for, find repugnant....but Hugh is a wonderful actor. As long as Richard Curtis writes the script. He's SAS trained, after all. ;-)

does liking Firth also require you to hate Huge Grant LOL! you support Stalin by opposing Trotsky Ben!!! How flippant can you get! (No, don't answer that... ;-D) you might even allow youself some light flirtation Of course. But seriously (?): speaking as a Firthist - not Firthette! - personally I don't dislike Grunt as an actor, he delivers and is very enjoyable (probably could do more IF he really wanted to make a better effort of it), but his public image is not to my taste. Virtually all his answers to interviewers' questions are now invariably on a scale from tongue in cheek to disparaging. I can understand that it may be a defensive style he developed in the wake of his Divine publicity, but it's all becoming tedious now and makes one think he despises the whole business which feeds him so handsomely, thank you very much. Apart from that, he still loves being seen and admired, is a bon-vivant, raconteur and an engaging party animal. A totally, starkly different personality from Colin. Not that I disapprove in general: flirting? yes, why not, but when it comes to plain old-fashioned girly-womanly *fantasizing* of an *ideal* male friend or even partner, Huge would be very low at the bottom of my list. :)

but Hugh is a wonderful actor. As long as Richard Curtis writes the script. He's SAS trained, after all. ;-) LOL! Talk about a character actor! Hugh only has one.

Apart from that, he still loves being seen and admired, is a bon-vivant, raconteur and an engaging party animal. A totally, starkly different personality from Colin. Au contraire! That sounds very much like Colin in his private life by accounts we have read from people that know him. Consider too that Colin and Hugh were born a day apart. That maps out their natal horoscopes pretty evenly. ;-)

(Lora) ...HF gently paying homage to Colin Firth... FP On the first publication of BJD (the book) in 1996 Nick Hornby gave it a glowing review - quoted on the cover of the second edition. On the balance of probabilities, it could be that it was NH who "paid homage" to the character of BJ in his subsequent book. No, it's not to do with Colin on this occasion.

Au contraire! That sounds very much like Colin in his private life by accounts we have read Sorry - I didn't mean to imply that Colin is a morose recluse! But Hugh's photos are plastered en masse all over every gossip column in every Hello! OK! News Of The Underworld and The Sunk there possibly can be... while Colin chooses to enjoy himself discreetly.

(Eileen)Think BJD was written somewhere around '95 and FP came out in UK in March of '97. Okay, but BJD was published in 1996 (don't know the month) and FP was being made sometime in 1996, and I had read that HF visited the set of FP so maybe she caught that scene on her visit to the set;-). Then right before the manuscript was submitted she inserted the "weight loss rant." Okay, I know that's stretching things a bit, but Bridget did seem to lose that weight quite suddenly and out of no where and the rant was so reminiscent of CF's in FP... Thank you, Gi, for your support of this theory, but I guess maybe the dates don't allow it. We would have to ask HF herself to see if it was a reference at all. Pretty ironic, though, if it's not.

Of course, having spent an evening with Colin (looks nonchalantly at nails, as if was everyday occurence) I can tell you he is a bon viveur. But I agree absolutely that his distrust of celebrity adoration speaks highly of CF and, by contrast, less well of HG. Huge is vainer. I was only reacting to the severity of the attacks seen early on in the BJD season. Like lionesses devouring a (floppy-haired, slightly unathletic) wildebeast.

(Echo)On the balance of probabilities, it could be that it was NH who "paid homage" to the character of BJ in his subsequent book. (I think our postings crossed). Aha, that could be it! It could be the other way round! Although what year was FP published? Could HF have gotten the idea from the book? Was the 18 years rant in the book? My chronological order of things is off since I didn't pay attention to dates and saw FP 5 times *before* reading BJD. Made mental note to pay better attention to dates of publications ;-).

(Ben) I was only reacting to the severity of the attacks seen early on in the BJD season. This had more to do with the *perception* that Huge was the star of the movie, when we all know that this movie would be nothing without Colin. v. simple.

(Ben)Like lionesses devouring a (floppy-haired, slightly unathletic) wildebeast. LOL, will have to look for a Gnat look alike on my next Safari ;-) ;-). CF is allowed to have fun in his life and he chooses to do that in private, which is very commendable and respectable. He's much more a family man than HG, which makes him very endearing to me. Plus he concerns himself with his craft and making that his number one priority instead of his popularity (like HG). Now that I know, I can't wait to go see BJD for he 4th time and look for you in the convertible scene ;-)!

Here's something fun, the song "Woman Trouble" (when Bridget's coming home to fix birthday dinner) won an Ivor Novello Award today for Best Dance Song.

Could HF have gotten the idea from the book? Was the 18 years rant in the book? My chronological order of things is off I'm not sure myself now, no time to check, but I think that on the whole it would be more to do with writing than acting.

(Alyeska) Trina. did you see him in Valmont. It's my favorite. Funny you should mention that because Valmont is the very first movie I saw him in--I rented it years ago and really thought he was adorable. I just wasn't crazy about the hair, but it's still definitely in my top 5 favorites.

closing tag Trust me, is now done...even if you can't see it. ;-D

HG has always been part of the "in" group at Working Title.We should have guessed that they would work him into the BJD script...and they'll repeat it for EOR, I bet.Still, it was a disappointment to all of us to see ODB upstaged at the beginning. But not for long...;-) Personally, an actor's private life doesn't impact on his acting abilities. They are not role models...it's a job. And Huge does it v. well. He worked his floppy head off criss-crossing the pond to promote the film.Gotta give him credit for that...self-serving or not.

Eileen, your dates as to when P&P came out is way off. P&P was shown in the UK in '95 (October-November, I believe). It was shown in the US in 1996 in January. P&P was filmed in '94. (CF was 34 and JE was about 24). It is widely known that HF got the idea by watching P&P... BJD started in 1995 (I don't think she necessarily thought of going the route of P&P when she was doing weekly columns).

(Laura) Eileen, your dates as to when P&P came out is way off. P&P? Who's talking about P&P? Wasn't the question to do with BJD? Lora, I've read FP the book and the movie is quite different. There is no Paul and no Sarah, so I am doubtful of an '18 years' rant in the book. Your notion of an homage is a stretch, IMO, but it appears you have yourself convinced. Whatever! ;-D

(Alyeska) Trina. did you see him in Valmont. It's my favorite. Funny you should mention that because Valmont is the very first movie I saw him in--I rented it years ago and really thought he was adorable. I just wasn't crazy about the hair, but it's still definitely in my top 5 favorites.

(Eileen)Your notion of an homage is a stretch, IMO, but it appears you have yourself convinced. Whatever! ;-D So maybe Echo is right--that it was NH who paid homage to BJD. Who knows... Alas, which came first the chicken or the egg? Such is the journey of the creative process which gives birth to dear readers who love to pick apart and analyze ;-);-)! I did get a chuckle, though, when I read the "eighteen years" part in BJD ;-D.

Ben - for what it's worth, I don't harbor any particular dislike of HG. I was heartily sick of seeing him in the same exact role over and over, but then, nobody is forcing me to go and see his movies (which is why I haven't seen many of them). On a personal level, he seems to have a delightfully wicked sense of humor, and I'm sure I'd find him to be a fun companion for an evening on the town or at a party. He does say himself, though, that he's pretty "high-strung", so I doubt I'd want to spend loads of time with him. You'll notice that I haven't posted anything nasty about him here, though. I think he's suffered quite sufficiently for one lousy blowjob, thank you very much. I feel kinda sorry for him for that, and I think he's handled it quite well, considering. Who can blame him if he's now a bit sarcy with the press? I'd be far more resentful than he is, in his place. Just my 2 cents...

My Gnattacks were mostly driven by concern that Colin, being the far less squeaky wheel, would not get his due. Prior to the film's release, every squeak--be it SAS training, Princess Margaret, or having a stroke--was like Chinese water torture. Then lo and behold, the film opens, CF gets good reviews, and message boards around the web start buzzing with, "like, who is this guy, he's like really totally gorgeous." (Their hearts were in the right place.;-) Clouds parted and the next week, Mr. Sunshine came sauntering over doing the talk show rounds, being all nice and friendly and unrehearsed and articulate, and yes, gorgeous, followed by quotes in all the major publications, culminating in People's crowning him as one of 50 most wonderful human beings ever. It was heady stuff, I tell you.;-) So there really hasn't been much to complain about and the need to swat gnats has abated. But wait, there's trouble brewing over on 143. Reports of new BJD commercials without Colin. Urge is resurfacing to make comments about the recent announcement of yet another new film role for Huge, accompanied by observation that at least the British stage seems safe for another year. Will cooler heads prevail? Will Eileen tell me what channel she's watching that shows the new commercials with Colin? Or, in anticipation for next year's slights, will I be forced to start running comparison shots of Rupert Everett and Abe Lincoln? Stay tuned, gentle reader . . .:-)

(Mari) culminating in People's crowning him as one of 50 most wonderful human beings ever Did I miss that issue? ;-D recent announcement of yet another new film role for Huge Quite. I don't see our press all agog about Colin's being wanted for MOB, if that's true. I'll only be content when Colin's name is vetted in the press in the same manner as Huge's and Ralph's for every conceivable role that could involve an Englishman. Then, if he worked on his American accent, he could be up for even more... Wishful thinking.

I thought his American accent in ATA was quite passable -- certainly far better than it was in Playmaker. I have to admit, though, I very much prefer his natural, English accent. I suppose if I were English, it wouldn't be quite so appealing to me, but there you go. As for the press being agog over Colin, he hasn't played them the way Hugh has, and let's face it, they're gonna prefer the fellow who makes himself readily available to them for witty repartee, etc. That's just the business of theater/movies. Colin obviously has better things to do than to whore himself out to every journalist on both sides of the pond. I think we may have to resign ourselves to the fact that Colin may never be the "media darling" that Hugh has become, simply because of his having a life of his own, outside of the movie business...

Actually, I prefer his Playmaker to ATA accent. But, don't mistake my meaning, I don't want Colin to be a Hugh - more in the RF mode, an actor people sit up and take notice of and want for serious, important films.

Don't get me wrong - I hold no candle for Huge Gnat. [joke: What's the similarity between Denise Brown and students? They all blow grants.] I just wondered whether he has more enemies amongst Firthettes (and Firthists) than the population at large. And, as too often, I succumbed to flippancy. Anyway, I rather like lionesses. Raaargh! One additional question: suppose the only choice were between (i) CF as he is: distrustful of fame and reticent about pushing his film career, OR (ii) pushy on all fronts - getting good roles, smothered all over the press and appearing weekly, leather-clad, in Hello. Which would you have?

(Karen) I'll only be content when Colin's name is vetted in the press in the same manner as Huge's and Ralph's for every conceivable role that could involve an Englishman. Then, if he worked on his American accent, he could be up for even more... Wishful thinking. OK as long as we're doing Wishful Thinking...I'll only be content when I hear him introduced as they did KB at the Tony's: "And here to present the award is "The Great British Actor, Colin Firth". And he comes out resplendent in a Hugo Boss tux....*sigh* Sorry, I sorta winced when Kelly Rippa went on'n'on about the "Sexy Colin" or the Brit Hunk. Hey...he deserves a better recognition than that... (Sorry this is OT for this channel)

Ben there is an "in-between" your 1 & 2. He's getting there.... Sarah...I too liked his Playmaker American accent...ATA , not. His voice loses resonance when he does an American accent. Needs a coach.

Could HF have gotten the idea from the book? Was the 18 years rant in the book? There's a philosophical first-person cri de coeur in FP the book about how none of your ambitions about normal life can stay constant for 18 years, whereas your football aspirations do. Personally I take my hat off to HG for making the diffident Englishman lovable in 4WAAF; then I put it back on again when he steals my scene with his lousy growling! Incidentally, homage is one of those words pronounced, I believe, wonderfully differently across the pond - here in the UK, it's hommidge, there in the US it's o-mahzh (correct me if I'm wrong).

I pronounce it hommidge, but then, I tend to have a funny amalgam of different accents, made up of growing up in the US, having lived for 3 years in Australia, and dating several british guys. Makes for a strange style of speech, let me tell you. I'm also prone to picking up accents, so that, if I'm speaking to people from the Carolinas, I soon pick up a southern twang (within about 20 minutes). I'm kinda like Zelig... ;-) I tend to pronounce things according to who I'm speaking to (Australian: toe-mah'-toe, American: toe-may'-toe). This was developed as a defense mechanism to being laughed at for my "funny pronounciations". ;-)

MarkG - right again. It was a while before I realised that o-mazh was hommidge. Or, in fact, that 'erb was herb, parsta pasta and orEggano oreGAHno. In repayment, every SINGLE waiter in the US willfully refused to see that a glass of wah-ter was, in fact, the same thing as a glass of "warder". As for the difficulties with my surname, do NOT get me into that.

CF as he is: distrustful of fame and reticent about pushing his film career Personally, I feel he's gotten over this and is willing to do more about it. (Evelyn) I'll only be content when I hear him introduced as they did KB at the Tony's Exactly. Or nominated for an Academy Award. (Mark) here in the UK, it's hommidge, there in the US it's o-mahzh (correct me if I'm wrong). Can't go by Terry Gross. She said it both ways in her interview with CF. Most people (I've heard) pronounce it as though it were a French (ha ha) word, but the dictionary says hom�ij is the preferred pronunciation, with om�aj shown second. BTW, heard another extra 'r' but this time in Pameler (said by Jim Broadbent).

(Mari) Will Eileen tell me what channel she's watching that shows the new commercials with Colin? It was HBO...kidding! Kidding! No, think it was during ET so it was CBS. Or could have been just after Tom Brokaw so was NBC...don't remember. Or, in anticipation for next year's slights, will I be forced to start running comparison shots of Rupert Everett and Abe Lincoln? *snort* Moon'll take umbrage...;-D (Karen) I'll only be content when Colin's name is vetted in the press in the same manner as Huge's and Ralph's for every conceivable role that could involve an Englishman. Ooh. Happy thought indeed! (Karen) I feel he's gotten over this and is willing to do more about it. Agree. Remember when we used to whine about his refusal to appear on television? This may still be true in the UK but am sure Katie Couric would welcome him back on the Today Show any time. hommidge vs. o-mahzh I only started hearing the latter pronunciation in the last year or two. Must be a H'wood thing, in manner of an affinity for sprouts and restricting dairy. ;-)

(Eileen--from 143) Really? I posted earlier on the BJD board that I had seen the new commercial twice last night (on either CBS or NBC--CF is included and his name is mentioned. I'm in the DC market area. Well, that is reassuring. I'm in the Texas market. Think it was on NBC. Very odd that they are running different trailers. But I'm not kidding--it's as if he not even in the movie. *huffing with indignation* (Sarah) I thought his American accent in ATA was quite passable...though, I very much prefer his natural, English accent. Ah, too...er...distracted to pay attention to accent though I did not find it UN-American....yes indeed, prefer the natural accent and that voice...*melt*

Sorry, Mark and Ben, that I have thought you were one and the same in manner of Jack and Ernest or something;-);-)...I will look for *you*, Mark, when I view BJD for the 4th time ;-D!

Evelyn:Sorry, I sorta winced when Kelly Rippa went on'n'on about the "Sexy Colin" or the Brit Hunk. Hey...he deserves a better recognition than that... <rant>I winced far more when Chevy Chase asked him if he ate the placenta! UGH!! What an ijit! It made me want to apologize on behalf of the entire United States... I think Colin was far more offended by that than the ditzy "sexy Colin" thing...</rant>

"hommidge vs. o-mahzh" Personally, I have always pronounced it more like "ommidge" (no h sound) and don't remember hearing a lot of "omahzh" except from persons attempting to sound French. However, must admit it's not a word one hears every day (rather like abhorrence). Colin vs. Huge Huge is O.K. as actor, although one gets very tired of his perennial adoloscent roles. Don't know if it's just his public persona, but he comes across as the type who might be amusing in the short term, but who would wear very much on the nerves in the long run (whether being dithery or bitchy). As for Huge's acting, he always plays variations on the same guy, so I don't really know if he can act (except in that narrow range). I just can't imagine him as any kind of Nazi (except in Hogan's Heroes), or as an injured war veteran, or as a twisted theater owner, or as soccer coach/fanatic, or as a smolderingly sexy, 19th century English heart throb who starts out acting obnoxious and ends up winning the hearts of every intelligent woman in the vicinity. And I really can't imagine his being able to play all of the above roles, and more, so convincingly that some people have trouble recognizing him from one to the next. If he is capable of such roles, he has managed to keep it a deep, dark secret. As for Colin Firth--I first noticed him in "Another Country" and "A Month in the Country" and started watching out for him in movies, although I didn't really think of him as a "heart throb" until he matured a little bit and started playing non-youthful type roles. By the time I heard that P&P2 was being filmed, I knew that he was an excellent actor and had seen quite a few of his films (even remember watching "The Secret Garden" and wishing he had had a much bigger role). He has always seemed to me to go after the most personally challenging roles rather than the ones he thought would make him more popular with the movie-going public (unlike HG). Therefore, even if I didn't know anything about either CF's or HG's personal lives, I would still consider CF to be far superior as an actor. And as for HG's "private" persona, well, let's just say he ain't my type. I prefer someone who would not dream of exposing someone he cared about to possibly dangerous STD's, ridicule, etc. just for a brief moment of pleasure--in short, someone capable of behaving like a grown-up and being faithful to his partner of many years even on long trips to Hollywood. Although it is remotely possible that CF is secretly a womanizing lecher, somehow I doubt it, since the tabloids would surely have managed to find evidence by now if it existed. Until they do, I'll just accept him at face value--as a happily married man who also happens to be an excellent actor as well as being sexy, funny and gorgeous in his spare time.

O Lordy, there is so much I want to respond to here, but my normal way of copy and pasting, isn't working here on Drool, so I can't reproduce the parts of posts that I want to. Is there another way, that I am not aware of, to reproduce text ? Thanks.

"hommidge vs. o-mahzh" I prefer o-mahzh, especially if the homage is to Sal-MAHN.

Lora - I am no film star. I had to go back and see BJD a second time because no-one told me where to look. But there is Mark, looking damned cool. As he says, Huge growls all through the scene, so you can't hear him (Mark) saying "Mr Grant, I served with Colin Firth. I know Colin Firth. Colin Firth is a friend of mine. Mr Grant, you're no Colin Firth." What's that about the placenta? Sounds revolting. I've seen sheep do it. But they haven't invented foie gras and Margaux '76 and, indeed, are thoroughly uncivilised.

From Empire: Record-Breaking Bridget Cinema audiences are at a 26-year high this year, and cinema chains are thanking Bridget Jones's Diary [BJD] for the blip in their figures. Figures released this week by the Cinema Advertising Association show that more than 3 million cinema tickets a week are being sold.... The success of BJD seems set to continue. The film may have slid to the number two position in this week's UK box office charts - but its continuing popularity has helped BJD to beat its Working Title stablemate Notting Hill in the box office stakes. So far the film, which cost an estimated $26 million to make, has raked in �30.9 million in the UK - a fraction over Notting Hill's �30.4 million total. [Bethanne: meet me at Topic 61 to talk about your C&P problems or email me.]

(Ben) What's that about the placenta? Have a peek at the transcription of 'Live with Two Total Idiots' er, 'Live with Regis and Kelly' available at (in?) Karen's Bucket. *warning* Wait one hour after eating before you read it. ;-D The success of BJD seems set to continue. Pearl Harbor is projected to bring in $100M this weekend here in the US. Yikes! Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it? Too bad it's critical crap in manner of Armageddon.

Yes, Pearl Harbor will rake in the bucks. But I've seen some pretty lousy reviews of it. I get the feeling they've stressed the "story" (as in fiction) over history in manner of Titanic. But I love how BJD's ad people have dealt with the opening of Pearl Harbor this weekend. This morning's paper had a print ad for BJD. The banner at the top said, "THIS WEEKEND GET BOMBED WITH BRIDGET" v. clever, and just a little bit sassy. Ben, Eileen is not kidding about not eating before you read the gross transcript. But read the transcripts of other appearances and it will help the nausea pass.

I hope "Pearl Harbor" makes it..Touchstone Films is part of the Disney family. They'll need that money for TIOBE ;-) Push for BJD this weekend.They added a movie theatre in my market...6 now.

(KateF) This morning's paper had a print ad for BJD. The banner at the top said, "THIS WEEKEND GET BOMBED WITH BRIDGET" v. clever, and just a little bit sassy. Same ad in our paper--should get a good holiday boost; front page of movie section, gigantic headline "Pearl Harbor bombs out: trying to be a love story and war story, film fails on both fronts" **/*****. Which brings us to Evelyn's comment: I hope "Pearl Harbor" makes it..Touchstone Films is part of the Disney family. They'll need that money for TIOBE Well, I detest Ben Affleck and would dearly like to see this film flop, but I don't think you need to worry, Evelyn--the Disney marketing machine worked overtime for this one. Am off to see family for the holiday. Have selfishly--uh, graciously--invited sister to see BJD, which will be viewing #5. Do you think I've reached the edge of reason? ;-) Happy weekend y'all!

(Evelyn) They'll need that money for TIOBE ;-) You know something we don't? Got a lead on a massive promo campaign for TIOBE? I'm thinking Jack/Ernest dolls (half Jack, half Ernest in manner of Phantom of the Opera), I'm thinking Happy Meals served in handbags, I'm thinking paste-on Algie mustaches...actually, they really must focus away from the kiddies. OK, I'm thinking sing-a-longs sponsored by Manor Care, I'm thinking AARP bus trips to country houses, I'm thinking Lady Bracknell impersonation contests, I'm thinking cucumber sandwich cooking contests... (Kate) "THIS WEEKEND GET BOMBED WITH BRIDGET" v. clever, and just a little bit sassy. Love it. Vvg!

(Eileen) ...I'm thinking Lady Bracknell impersonation contests, I'm thinking cucumber sandwich cooking contests... I'm thinking two-for-one lobotomies, I'm thinking high school pep rallies and marching bands... ;-D (will shut up now)

Eileen)I'm thinking Jack/Ernest dolls (half Jack, half Ernest in manner of Phantom of the Opera), I'm thinking Happy Meals served in handbags...I'm thinking sing-a-longs sponsored by Manor Care, I'm thinking AARP bus trips to country houses ROTFLMAO! So funny, Eileen. *Wiping tears* The Manor Care one in particular did me in. WSJ headlined its Pearl Harbor review with "Snore-a, Snore-a, Snore-a";-)

(Eileen)I'm thinking cucumber sandwich cooking contests... Wonderful idea, dearest Eileen! (Am sending you air kiss in matter of Gwendolyn and Cecily) (But really, my dear, don't you think the half-Jack-half-Ernest doll is a bit pervy?)

(But really, my dear, don't you think the half-Jack-half-Ernest doll is a bit pervy?) Only if it's anatomically-correct... ;-)

ROTF Eileen.Karen, Mari...a little respect here for The Handbag Kid;-).But a hint of truth here 'n there. Didn't they give out passes at some Senior Citizen center for MLSF? Well, I detest Ben Affleck and would dearly like to see this film flop. He's not a fave of mine, but I'm indebted to him and Gwynnie for getting out there to publicize SIL. We (along with the cast) were v. worried about that film and those two kids worked every talk show in spite of the fact that he had almost a cameo part.They made that film a "go".

So there will be a sequel? But He won`t be in it? or RZ? BTW, this is how the movie is presented here in Finland: starring:Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent, Ren�e Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones

Ben: After seeing Colin's interview with Chevy Chase and Kelly Ripa, I was hoping we might be able to vote Chevy off the continent... you should have seen the horrified, disgusted look on poor Colin's face! GAAAAAAAAA! You know how some moments are just so incredibly awkward that you feel embarrassed for the people?? That was definitely one of them...

"THIS WEEKEND GET BOMBED WITH BRIDGET" I don't know. Using the word "bomb" in a movie ad doesn't strike me as entirely a good idea. My first interpretation when I saw that was that it was saying the film was a real bomb (and not as in, "Man, that pic is da bomb!"). Until I saw the comments above, I didn't even concider it in relation to PH.

In re: o-mazh vs. hommidge I just remembered that word *homage* was said twice in 3DOR (second act) by Colin and David Morrissey, who were both playing Americans, and they pronounced it o-mazh. It's in the scene where Theo produces a sketch that not only resembles Farnsworth House, but is Farnsworth House.

Well, I've done my bit to enhance the BJD coffers. I just saw BJD again for the sixth time. Since I already had the sequence of scenes down pat (and most of the dialogue "memorized") I was able to concentrate even more on CF's subtle changes in expressions when someone else was speaking. Gosh, he's good, but you know something, so is RZ. They're both very good "listeners"--the emotions come and go on their faces like ripples on a pond when they're listening to someone else and reacting to what they're saying. It's a pleasure to watch. I've always loved TIOBE. I saw it on TV way back, but can't remember who was in it. Have seen the British film version with Michael Redgrave and Edith Evans. Am looking v. much forward to this version due to the great talent involved--it should be hilarious. I can even quote a line from it after lo, these many years--Lady Bracknell, referring to Jack's orphaned status: "To lose one parent may be considered a misfortune. To lose both sounds to me like carelessness." I can remember my older brother going around quoting that for several days. That's always been one of my favorite Wilde lines. It will also be interesting to see Reese Witherspoon with accent similar to RZ. I guess if she could lose her Tennessee accent (which she had as a kid in "The Man in the Moon"--first film I saw her in--very good if you're interested in a very good "girl coming of age" film), she should be able to pick up the queen's English in reverse Vivien Leigh fashion. She has been a very good actress since she was a teenager, but I haven't seen anything she's done since growing up where she had a decent role. She's had to compete with all the other early 20's actresses out there, and hasn't risen to the top of the Hollywood food chain yet. Maybe it's better if she never does--she'd end up doing the same role over and over like the rest of them. I just received my tapes of WOF and MLSF, so I'm off to watch WOF. I'm really looking forward to this one, from what I've heard about it over at 126. I'll probably be very bleary-eyed tomorrow from slo-mo repetition of certain scenes. I can hardly wait!

Louise, if you are interested in seeing a Reece Witherspoon movie, where she has "grown up", try renting Election. Its about 2 years old and co-stars Matthew Broderick. She plays a high school senior, but I think she was 20 odd when she made it. If memory serves, she was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actress and there were early rumours of an Oscar nomination, but the movie had nothing like a Harvey/Miramax type publicity machine behind it, so it all came to nothing. I saw her in Cruel Intentions and thought she was kinda' wooden and stilted. I hope that the script of an Oscar Wilde comedy of mannners, will make hera bit more more animated.

Have put BJD on my waitlist on Netflix, and the release date is listed as "Nov 2001", so it does look like they're going for a Christmas release. Too bad, I'm hoping to be in Oz by Nov...

(Louise)I was able to concentrate even more on CF's subtle changes in expressions when someone else was speaking. Gosh, he's good, but you know something, so is RZ. They're both very good "listeners"--the emotions come and go on their faces like ripples on a pond when they're listening to someone else and reacting to what they're saying. It's a pleasure to watch. Indeed. But always bothers me the discarded sequence when he is supposed to show some reaction and we never get to see it, just because his part was masacrated in editing. I'm talking about: Sharon: So-Mark-why did your wife leave you? (Tiny pause - is he going to be sensitive about it?) [Here you would expect his reaction...] Bridget (cutting her off): Come on-eat up! Two whole lovely courses to go. Extremely grateful to read on spring that there was one, but left out (Mark: She was Japanese. Exceptionally cruel race.) I think Harvey and other people endowed with scissors really hate Colin.

(dina)I think Harvey and other people endowed with scissors really hate Colin. I disagree. I think the "cruel race" remarks are funny when they come from Bridget's mother, who never met the woman in question. But I don't think it's what Mark would probably say, and I'm not sure it would have come out funny. I think it would have been better to see Mark hesitate, as if looking for an answer, and then have Bridget "save" him by saying "Come on, eat up..." Karen, how many times did you see 3DOR? I was too busy watching Colin to remember what he said!!!

(KateF)the "cruel race" remarks are funny when they come from Bridget's mother Indeed, I do not try to save THAT particular phrase, which BTW is abominable, I'm only telling that him not showing any reaction at all made the dullness coefficient of his character soar up to the sky... quite disappointing, because I really like the Mark character (just as he is). Who's to blame for the part missing (Kate F: it would have been better to see Mark hesitate, as if looking for an answer, and then have Bridget "save" him by saying "Come on, eat up...") ?????!!!! Really, the public blames the actor for not having done his duty, and we know that he is not to blame!!!

Do people blame the actor? I'm more inclined to blame the writer(s) and director, which isn't fair either. BJD certainly shows the impact of the editing--they cut Mark's response to Bridget's arrival at the T&V party, which results in a similar "dullness" effect.

(KateF)Do people blame the actor? ...my boy friend did. (KateF)they cut Mark's response to Bridget's arrival at the T&V party ...sorry, I did not find that bit. Is it included at the "editing room floor" at bucket?

Does anyone remember hearing Mark's line at the start of the T&V party? I think I saw it in a clip shown during an interview? As I recall, they see Bridget, and Natasha says something like "Funny what attracts men these days." And Mark replies something like "yes, isn't it." But it's the flustered way he says it that shows you he isn't disgusted (as Natasha is) and he isn't really agreeing with her. Karen, should this be on 126?

Right, Mark's response is ("yes" - long beat - "yes") shown in the trailer clips. It's very similar to the boating scene "agreement" with Natasha. There was no reason to snip it out; it didn't affect anything else. If Mark had answered the 'cruel race wife' thing, you'd wonder how he knew to say that. Had he ever overheard Mrs Jones? Not to the audience's knowledge. Yes, he could do the beetroot cube and gravy bit because Pam and Una were doing their little act right in front of him. Perhaps the director and the others realized it just didn't work when they saw it all put together. Or there could be feedback from test audiences that it was out of character for Mark. That's how movies are put together. I don't think anyone has it in for Colin. And, Dina, you do realize that I concentrated on Mark Darcy scenes for the Bucket's page. Plenty of other scenes were cut or changed involving every character.

(dina)So-Mark-why did your wife leave you? (Tiny pause - is he going to be sensitive about it?) [Here you would expect his reaction...] I just saw BJD for the 4th time and it was this time that I felt that *Sharon's* question needed to be cut as well (I cringed when she asked it, but I guess it was because I knew the answer after P&P2 and multiple viewings of BJD!). It is not only out of character for MD not to be sensitive about the question and to have no reaction to it, but it also might have been a chance for him to reveal, too soon, the lie that Daniel had told Bridget if he had *really* answered the question. So why didn't they just cut out Sharon's question, too? That would have solved his lack of reaction. I want to say more, but that probably needs to be on 126. Also I have just finished reading EOR, and it was soooo funny. I found myself laughing out loud a lot more than I did when I was reading BJD. Anyway, are we allowed to discuss it yet? And if so, where would we discuss it? I think I've found an "o-mazh" in it, and this time the dates work...I think! Also, Mark G, you looked great in your blue suit from an aerial point-of-view! ;-);-)

(Lora)I felt that *Sharon's* question needed to be cut as well (I cringed when she asked it [...] It is [...] out of character for MD not to be sensitive about the question and to have no reaction to it [...] That's exactly my feeling! Because Sharon's reaction was so clearly stated, logically there is not excuse not to include a close up with Mark's reaction - and no need for words! As my friend put it, in the editing room one should enter not with scissors but with a little logic of the scene and a bit of good sense! Otherwise you just sabotage your actor's performance and if it's not consciently done then it's pure stupidity.

In the Karen gets no respect department: Entertainment Weekly's "Tear and Save" EW Recommends: Bridget Jones's Diary (http://bridgetjonesdiary.msn.com) "Another place to cheer on Renee Zellweger's endearing Everygirl. B+" They'd have to give Karen's an A+

Tonight just after the noons on ABC, I heard Renee's name mentioned (actually they said Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant from BJD) in conjunction with Live with Regis and Kelly. From Live's website, here is what is says about Monday: Today, LIVE's got the biggest celebrities from some this year's biggest blockbusters: ANTONIO BANDERAS, RENEE ZELLWEGER, CHRIS ROCK, HUGH GRANT, JULIANNE MOORE and BRENDAN FRASER. Sounds like one of their pasted-together compilations. Note that ODB's interview with dumber and dumbest is not on the list--can't imagine why ;-) But if you didn't se HG or RZ promoting BJD on Live, it's another chance to learn about Hugh's commando training or how many times Renee had to "upgrade" at Vic Secret. Oh well, at least BJD is one of "this year's biggest blockbusters" v.v. good!

GAH! am spaz typist-- make that the NEWS on ABC

OK - another pronounciation that I wonder about. How do you (in the UK) pronounce the word "dour"? At the end of Fever Pitch, Colin says this word, and he says it kinda like "doo-r". I was under the (perhaps mistaken) impression that it is pronounced as "dow-er" by all and sundry...

BJD took 6th place in the weekend box office with an estimated $4 million, bringing the movies US total take to $62.2 million. And my prediction is that it will pass up JLo's "Angel Eyes" next weekend. From the looks of the stinkers that are supposed to open next weekend, that may put BJD back into 5th place. I'll be really pissed off if "The Animal" beats BJD, even on its opening weekend. It looks to be the worst of the summer releases, IMHO.

Oops. Just realized that Moulin Rouge opens next weekend - so that'll be the top in the US. Still, BJD will undoubtedly overtake Angel Eyes, so it should still wind up 6th, by my reckoning.

I'll be really pissed off if "The Animal" beats BJD } But moronic, childish films tend to do well. ick!

Sounds like BJD is over $100 million world wide (between U.S., Canada and England) and it hasn't even opened in most overseas venues. Sure hope that the sequel comes out soon. Can't wait for CF in "bedroom" scenes.

Re:dour I've always pronounced it "durr/doer", but I suppose I've heard the "dower" pronunciation more often. People used to say "poor" the same way - with a kind of dipthong. The Scots still use both.

On the "cruel race" remark, I think CF's character would probably have used it only in an ironic sense. This is partly a generational difference. His mother would have been more in earnest. One of my grandfathers, for example, spent three years in various Japanese PoW camps, including the notorious one at Kanchanaburi (whose inmates contributed to the Burma/Siam "death" railway of River Kwai fame). He, like most of his generation, was not the greatest fan of the Japanese.

re: dour I, too pronounce this "doo-r," but I tend to think of this as a British word. I don't think Americans use this word a lot. To go back to homage, here's another aspect of the word. I asked my DH about how he says homage, and he claims not to know the use of it as "an homage to something." Academic type that he is, he ran to the dictionary, where the only definition was as 'resect' as in 'pay homage to.' (pronounced HOMmidge) Any time I've heard someone "Pay homage to" something, it was pronounced "HOMmidge." That's what I've always said. Yet when something is "an homage to something," I say ohMAHGE. It's almost as if they've become separate words? Maybe it's the article "an" that does it? Does one say "an HOMmidge?" Perhaps is time to write to William Saffire, guru of words for NYTimes? p.s. to Ben--first time I heard my English cousin say "or eh GAH no" I thought she was going to make Japanese food!

...or fold paper.

(Karen)...or fold paper. LOL!!! I think I pronounce it "or eh GAH no"; but then again, I'm from Bahstin. ;) Where I Pahk the cah... ;)

Speaking of homages, I've only just begun reading "Fever Pitch" (much better book than the film, IMHO) and lo and behold, on page 98, under WEMBLEY III- THE HORROR RETURNS: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that ticket distribution for Cup Finals is a farce (...)" Loved it.

Gi, I loved what you found in "Fever Pitch" (the book). So it looks like HF has a great love for paying homage to NH or to projects CF is associated with. Have you read EoR yet? There is a great reference to FP (the movie) in it. Do you know if it's okay to discuss it here on 145? Or would it not be okay to discuss it at all, since some may not have read it yet?

Of course, you can discuss TEOR here. We used to discuss the old columns here as well as the books when they were first published.

Lora - don't know if you are aware, but Fever Pitch was written by Nick Hornby.

Yes, I am very aware that "Fever Pitch" was written by Nick Hornby (and that he also did the screenplay for the movie of the same name). I was just noting above in response 1883 that I think it is very endearing the way Helen Fielding makes references in her book, TEOR, to the movie "Fever Pitch" and CF's role in that movie. You all may have discussed this before, but I noticed a very definite mimic of the Sarah/Paul "each one doesn't realize what the other one is talking about" conversation between Bridget and Mark on pgs. 95-96. Bridget thinks Mark has called to say he is sorry for the misunderstandings that occurred during their weekend at Rebecca's, but Mark thinks that Bridget is being understanding and sorry because his team didn't win the football match. Sound familiar? And I think Gi was noting that HF used a NH line for the very first line of BJD;-D "It is a truth universally acknowledged..." (isn't that one of the first lines of the movie when Bridget is walking in the snow?) On an unrelated aside, I saw the end of a segment today on "Inside Edition" about "women in power" at the box office this year. They talked about Angelina Jolie being the "women action figure," and they interviewed a women,an editor, (of a magazine, I think, but I didn't catch the name) who said that Renee Z. was getting women to come back to see BJD again. I thought she was very good in the movie, but I think it's CF who's causing *that* phenomenon. ;-D

Sarah, sorry if I wasn't clear in response 1883. The references between the books and the movies of both authors is a little difficult to keep straight. I'm learning to keep the dates of publication in mind to see who imitated who. ;-) Also, Karen, thanks for the okay to talk about TEOR.;-)

Oh, that's OK. I just wondered if you realized that Jane Austen was the first to pen "It is a truth universally acknowledged..." (in P&P), and that both NH and HF were actually quoting Austen...

Well... ;-D They both are paying homage (pronounced homage) to Jane Austen who wrote that very famous line as the opening to P&P. We shouldn't underestimate the relevance of that book on both authors. It is a standard text in their schools so even a NH would be very familiar with it. When HF wrote her first set of columns in The Independent, there wasn't a P&P story line and neither did the second set in The Telegraph, which formed the basis for TEOR. HF took her columns and adapted them to the P&P story for BJD and then did the same for TEOR using Persuasion. In fact, when we heard that TEOR was going to use Persuasion, we couldn't quite see how it would work. She made major changes from the columns to the book and it all worked beautifully IMO.

Re: homage. My little Collins dictionary lists two meanings: 1. a public show of respect or honour towards someone or something (esp. in the phrases pay or do homage to) 2. (in feudal society) a. the act of resepct and allegiance made by a vassal to his lord, b. something done in acknowlegement of vassalage 2 means that homage is French - the Normans gave us feudalism - but only a thousand years ago. We are certainly not obliged to pronounce it in the same way now. I think 1. covers both your senses, Kate. In England, we would probably tend to use "tribute" more often, or "in homage to", when talking about, say, an imitative quote or film scene. Either way, it is always pronounced hommidge over here. To change the subject slightly, one of the things that amused me always when in the US was the different words for EVERYTHING to do with the car: bonnet = hood boot = trunk windscreen = windshield petrol = gas indicator = ? gear stick = gear lever (?) Eventually, I was surprised on finding any car-related word in common. "You mean you call it a 'wheel' as well? Cool."

(Karen) They both are paying homage (pronounced homage) *pfffft* I think we're getting off on a tangent (pronounced tangent)... Lora, HF's BJD columns are available at Karen's Bucket. You'll enjoy them. There's a great Christmas shopping exchange between BJ and MD in one. ;-)

Ben: indicator = turn signal We have a lot of different words for food-related stuff as well: chips = french fries (or just "fries") tomato sauce = ketchup (or catsup) serviette = napkin jelly = jello jam = jelly lemonade = sprite or 7up or similar tea - to us, tea is usually iced tea, hardly anybody drinks what we call "hot tea" these days :-)

I had a feeling it was going to go this route...please use 136 (odds & ends)

Love the British/American "translations." Whenever we rent a car in England, we shift into Brit English and say bonnet, boot, etc. Who was it that said that we are two nations divided by a common language? IMPORTANT SAFETY ALERT Finally got my car CD/radio back from the shop, so celebrated by playing BJD CD while I was out doing errands yesterday. Discovered something v. important in terms of safety. During "All By Myself," one should NOT attempt to play air drums, as can lead to accidental honking of horn... (also, do not attempt "the kick" in a compact car, especially in sandals. oww!)

Sorry. Aimlessly drifting into trivia. Here, by way of recompense, is news on BJD's ranking (still at no.2): http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/film/newsid_1359000/1359268.stm Still, the competition is hardly fierce. Here's the Guardian on my countrymen's number one film of the moment (the Mummy Returns): "Forget trying to follow the plot (something about a stolen bracelet that awakens the armies of Anubis). It's just a convenient peg on which Sommers hangs a chain of action set pieces (desert battle, jungle shootout, British Museum blow-out) that soon blur into monotony. "All of this was pre-ordained 5,000 years ago," explains one character midway through. Maybe so, but that still doesn't excuse it."

"All of this was pre-ordained 5,000 years ago," explains one character midway through. Maybe so, but that still doesn't excuse it." LOL!

I've seen worse.

The above discussion re English/American usage reminded me of some dashboard stickers I saw in an auto parts magazine back when I had a Volkswagen. They were supposed to give the German equivalent of the switches/levers in the car: English "German" turn signal = turnenblinken headlights = glimmerdimmen windshield wipers = drizzelflippen I always got a laugh out of those.

LOL! Those are incredible. What was that word used in VW ads way back when? Anyway, Lora, I've just posted a Q&A article with Nick Hornby on 136, where he lists Jane Austen as one of his favorite middlebrow authors.

Funkengroovin is the word I think you're looking for, Karen. ;-)