From Screendaily: Bridget Jones's Diary records $100m Robert Mitchell in London On a weekend that saw a sharp disappointment for UK box office hopeful Lucky Break, UK mega-hit Bridget Jones's Diary passed the $100m international box office mark, having debuted in several territories, including Germany, Switzerland, Hungary and Finland. Distributed in most international territories by UIP, the romantic comedy has taken a massive $104.1m to date and clearly has a long life ahead of it, with several major territories including Hong Kong and France still to receive the feature. Starring Texan actress Renee Zellweger and leading British talent including Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and Jim Broadbent, the film has seen strong numbers in most territories. Last weekend's releases saw Bridget beat off fellow opener Planet Of The Apes in Switzerland where the film managed $181,217 from 35 screens. Although losing out to Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within in Germany, the comedy scored $1.96m, placing it ahead of five-week German box office leader Der Schuh Des Manitu. Hungarian and Finnish audiences awarded the film with the leading position in their charts where it grossed $110,078 from 24 screens and $295,921 from 36 screens respectively over the three-day weekend. Bridget's good legs in other key territories include the UK ($60.5m) where it dropped out of the top 15 for the first time in 20 weeks at the weekend; Spain ($11.3m), Australia ($8.9m), The Netherlands ($4.9m), Sweden ($3.3m), Norway ($3.1m), Poland ($3m) and Denmark ($1.6m). The Working Title produced film opened to number one positions in all of these territories. Bridget Jones's Diary should easily surpass the $117m achieved internationally by Brit hit Four Weddings And A Funeral, but has a long way to go to match The Full Monty (over $210m) and Notting Hill (more than $245m).

Bridget Jones is only a half Monty.

Karen, does the figure of $210m for the Full Monty and $245m.for Notting Hill include the US because I am sure the the figure for BJD of $104.1m does not and the $70m. or so it made in the US would certainly bring it nearer to TFM & NH.

From Now magazine: "Hugh wants to be a millionaire Huge Gnat is to pit his wits against Chris Tarrant on a special edition of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The Four Weddings star is a big fan of the show, and hopes to win money for charity. TV company Celador are hoping to sign up one other big-name star for the special edition of the quiz." Hmm, an intelligent and well-informed celebrity rival for HG? Nope, nobody springs to mind.... ;-)

(Ann) does the figure of $210m for the Full Monty and $245m.for Notting Hill include the US Haven't a clue, but the intl figures for BJD given above surely do not. You might want to write Screendaily. Celador are hoping to sign up one other big-name star for the special edition of the quiz." Ooooh! I'd pay extra to see that. ;-) BTW, Huge has talked about how he's a Millionaire addict on our chat shows.

Finally seen BJD last evening. It has been advertised on newspapers in the last two weeks "Cold - Unavailable - Always ready for a romp" - who do you think this means? Because none of the main characters can, IMO, be thus described. Anyway. Went with my best friend, who laughed all through it, and at the end said she wasn't fond of any of the 3 main actors but enjoyed the movie and could relate to a number of situations. She said she'd take Daniel over Mark, adding I knew what poor taste she had in men. Had read only one review. Sorry, Ev, I'm not going to translate the whole thing, but what it came down to was, "much of the book's edge has been lost in this adaptation", and the fault is strangely but indubitably HF's, who had control over everything - from writing the script with ex-boyfriend Richard Curtis and Andrew Davies to choosing pal to be director from controling the cast. Don't ask me where they got the idea from. Now to the movie: I loved it. Must see it again, of course, although I was already aware of much that was going on thanks to everybody's comments here (thanks, ladies!). I never looked for C B-C. But of course I looked for MarkG, and excitedly told my friend about you just as you were moving across the screen. Many scenes wee much better than I expected, namely, the whole birthday dinner sequence and the fight scenes. Hugh's lines are great. Like in P&P2, where I liked Wickham very much for a while and then... not, while Darcy grew on me, this is exactly how I felt about Daniel and Mark (I'm not talking about Hugh and Colin). Hugh seems to be a great kisser... Colin is getting better though ;-) I got the "international credits" at the end, and liked them mainly because of Daniel ending up with a transvestite... Oops! But I suppose everybody has already seen this movie so this is no spoiler anymore. Please forgive me if I'm wrong. Also saw MLSF which has come out directly on video. A nice movie but didn't do much for me, I liked SLOW better ;-) On the Edward-&-Heloise-in-the-barn-question, my take is, nothing happened beyond a few unwanted kisses and petting. If she had been raped, she would not say such a lame thing as "Don't ever do this again; You're behaving like a child". She gets angrier later, when she mulls over it, more because of what she considers his hypocrisy. I know. Wrong topic. But this is all I wanted to say anyway :-) This and Welcome to all recent arrivals, hope you will enjoy it here.

Mark Herman's CV at PFD lists "New Cardiff" (in development Buena Vista/Fragile Films))as his current 2001 project (Writer/Director), which makes it sound pretty definite, for him at least! Bethan, what's PFD--I'm blanking here. So, Charlie the weirdo Webb isn't adapting his book for the screen? And Mark Herman is the same guy who did Little Voice (which I really enjoyed)? If so, I'm feeling much better about this one!

(Ann) does the figure of $210m for the Full Monty and $245m.for Notting Hill include the US Apparently they don't, Ann. I was just checking the box office figures at the imdb and it looks like the figures above are close to the figures shown for "non-USA". BTW, very positive user comments for BJD continue to come in on imdb--nice to see so many people from around the world embracing it!:-) Hello, Gi!

Mari, PFD is an agency. Surely, you remember the Mark Herman bit. That's who Nick Hornby had told me was attached to the movie.

BTW, Huge has talked about how he's a Millionaire addict on our chat shows. Our chat shows, Karen? hmm I wonder when BJD will be in Italy. The Venice Film Fest. starts this weekend. Has anyone checked? I have a feeling it might be there. (If they got to the Italian translation yet) ;-)

Surely, you remember the Mark Herman bit. That's who Nick Hornby had told me was attached to the movie. I honestly don't. Was struck down with apoplexy upon hearing "no Hamlet"--everything else about that conversation is a blur, I'm afraid.;-)

True, it was posted during the early stages of Nohamlet trauma at: http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/drool/150.186 Mark Herman was also the writer/director Brassed Off.

Hallo Mari :-)

(Karen) Documentary filmmakers don't make all that much to support his lifestyle's requirements. ;-) I have a tacky question: does anyone know how much CF was paid for doing BJD? I think Huge got $4M and Renee got $2M so, could ODB have gotten at least $1M?

so, could ODB have gotten at least $1M? If he did we can expect him to take a very long holiday...:-(

Well, I'm crossing my fingers for New Cardiff given the director's previous work and the descriptions of the book I've seen. One can always hope.

could ODB have gotten at least $1M? Yes, he definitely could. Why not? The question is, did he?

Didn't he get that for SIL? For BJD he may have got more.

Gi: It has been advertised on newspapers in the last two weeks "Cold - Unavailable - Always ready for a romp" - who do you think this means? I suspect that "Aloof. Unavailable. Ice-queen. Hmm, fancy a shag, though" doesn't translate too clearly into Portuguese.

Mari, thanks for the info re Box Office nos., however, don't you think it is odd that they don't include US Box Office figures.

The BJD Box Office figures must be for non-US markets only. If combined BJD must surely be over $170 million by now? Well, I'm crossing my fingers for New Cardiff given the director's previous work and the descriptions of the book I've seen. One can always hope. Regardless of who gets the lead role, I think that this will be an easy movie to sell, in the UK at least. We've had a very successful stage revival of "The Graduate" (still going strong, loads of publicity) and if you combine this with "Director of "Brassed Off etc", you'll spark press and public interest. One of the reasons BJD did so well in the UK was that it was extremely well promoted...everyone knew that the movie was coming. �40million is really fantastic....especially when you look at the performance of the recent string of small British movies (good reviews too) which are taking about �1million and then disappearing. Didn't he get that for SIL? For BJD he may have got more. I can remember seeing various figures in the press (whether they're accurate is another matter!)........for BJD, HG $8million, plus a share of profits (oh lucky man!), RZ $3million. I know the original (pre-Hughie) budget quoted for BJD was only $8million, so go figure! SIL...Geoffrey Rush (with his Oscar) was quoted as earning $300,000.....I don't think ODB would have been in the same league!

SIL...Geoffrey Rush (with his Oscar) was quoted as earning $300,000 Maybe my memory is playing tricks but I thought GR got $2m and CF $1m. $300,000 doesn't sound much for an Oscar winner does it?

Would this be pounds or dollars?

$$$$

don't you think it is odd that they don't include US Box Office figures. Ann, it seems to me that these articles resulted from a press release that the non-US distributor (Universal/UIP) put out, and therefore would only include figures for the countries in which it had distribution rights. Miramax distributed over here, and apparently UIP doesn't/can't report on those numbers. I agree, it's misleading when the press prints it as a worldwide figure. BTW, BJD is still playing in a theater near me and I'm sure elsewhere, though Miramax has stopped reporting its figures for the purposes of those box office charts. It will be interesting to see what the final tally will be. It will do very, very well in video rentals, I predict. One of the reasons BJD did so well in the UK was that it was extremely well promoted...everyone knew that the movie was coming. �40million is really fantastic It certainly is. Just goes to show, give the people something they want to see, in a quality production, and they'll come out for it. Good for the UK audiences for supporting it so fantastically. Regardless of who gets the lead role, I think that this will be an easy movie to sell, in the UK at least. We've had a very successful stage revival of "The Graduate" (still going strong, loads of publicity) and if you combine this with "Director of "Brassed Off etc", you'll spark press and public interest. I just read the Graduate is being brought to Broadway with Kathleen Turner reprising her London role; should do well. Mark Herman's work has gotten good reviews here and has done decent box-office too. I'll have to get hold of the book. Do you think CF would commit to filming in Vermont, though? I'm not trying to be a wiseacre here, it's just that clearly he has committed to working close to home. On the other hand, I suppose they could film in England, as large parts of New England look like parts of England.

I saw Kathleen Turner in The Graduate, with the excellent young Welsh actor Matthew Rhys (has had a run of poor UK movies, not his fault, but great on stage and TV and is Ioan Gruffud's best friend and flatmate). Great production, crap set. Well, I didn't like it, anyway. We had a spare ticket and sold it outside the theatre no problem, tickets were that hot.

Do you think CF would commit to filming in Vermont, though? And I just turned an invitation to Vermont for the leaves changing! AKA Autumm. When would this start production? Vermont air good for Luca, not the winter, it is d... cold.

New Cardiff will be filmed in Canada.

Canada's rather large. Will it be in BC? And when?

CF maybe be coming to Canada?! Pray, someone get me my smelling salts!!

Having forgotten my fiduciary reponsibilities to stem potential hysteria and garden-variety rumor-mongering... (MM) New Cardiff will be filmed in Canada. Pray tell, how do you know this?

British Film Institute

Please elaborate. Plus there was a question of where in Canada and when in addition to the more relevant one of is CF in it.

(MM) Oh, heck. These are my real life initials, but I'll be damned if anyone tries to pin this one on me as well (since I traditionally get blamed for most of the mischief around here). Fortunately (in this particular case only!) I have no links to BFI. Pray, continue, MM.

MarkG, thanks for explaining - that sounds more like it.

Yeah! Gi, I'm so glad you saw it finally. Is Portugal the last country in the world to finally unveil Bridget? It was well worth the wait. Hugh seems to be a great kisser... Colin is getting better though ;-) Ooooh, quite so. Go see it again and again.

so, could ODB have gotten at least $1M? (Allison)If he did we can expect him to take a very long holiday...:-( Not with his lifestyle...think homes in at least two countries, think air-fares,think school fees... So glad you finally got to see BJD, Gi. Has DH seen it? Approved?LOL . I fondly remember YDH saying he was no longer 'objective' on CF projects. Dear man:-))

Is Portugal the last country in the world to finally unveil Bridget? It is not out in Italy. Gi, I can't believe you like SLOW better than MLSF. Is BJD dubbed or did you get it with subtitles? In Italy, it will be dubbed. :-(

BJD will be available to rent at Blockbusters as of Oct. 9th.

I like SLOW much much better than MLSF In fact, I was going to ask, I really like the music in SLOW, and since its hardly likely to be available as a soundtrack album ;-) does anyone know if the bands who did the music for the film have released anything?

oops wrong place, sorry, thought I was in topic 150 note to self ... *concentrate* get off drool boards, get back to writing shower scene for Beth .... *ROFL*

(Heide) Gi, I'm so glad you saw it finally (...)It was well worth the wait. Indeed it was :-) (Evelyn) So glad you finally got to see BJD, Gi. Has DH seen it? Approved?LOL . I fondly remember YDH saying he was no longer 'objective' on CF projects. Dear man:-)) No, I saw it with a (female) friend; and really doubt whether DH will be willing to see it. He was told that it was "a film for women, not for men" :-( Perhaps he'll be curious enough, though... (Moon) Gi, I can't believe you like SLOW better than MLSF. Oh definitely. Edward is too much of a clown for my taste, also (possibly because events are seen through a child's eyes) the characters are shallow and the plot underdeveloped. In SLOW, the marriage arrangements, the hyerarchical distinctions, the cultural surprises, were quite believable, and Matthew was very attractive. Is BJD dubbed or did you get it with subtitles? In Italy, it will be dubbed. :-( We never get dubbed unless it's animations meant for children. Thank the gods! It would be unpardonable to miss out on some actors' voices ;-) I once saw part of a Mel Gibson movie on spanish television - dubbed - and half his charm wasn't there.

Actually Rachie-poo, I was kinda' hoping for a sequel to the burnt out coffee pot scene. I was thinking maybe a burnt out oven or a microwave..... But hey, I'm not one to stiffle someone else's....ahem..... artistic impulses, so a shower scene will perfectly ok.

I was just checking Amazon.com and noticed that BJD is #24 in sales rank and P&P2 DVD is #34, and they're not even available yet. They also seem to be making an effort to get more of ODB's "classic" films in stock, although they seem to be running out rather quickly. Hmmmmm. Do you think maybe their ordering "wizards" have figured out that people can't buy it if you don't have it? Someone should give them an award for figuring out the obvious. Maybe some of those "hard-to-get" videos like AMITC will appear soon. I'll keep you posted.

Another article analyzing BJD's potential for end-of-year awards from THR's Martin Grove: Looking at the rest of what's already opened this year doesn't present a wealth of likely nominees, but there are more worth mentioning than you might at first think. In April, for instance, there was Miramax and Universal's well-liked "Bridget Jones's Diary," for which Renee Zellwegger is a likely Globes nominee for best actress (musical or comedy) and a possible best actress Oscar nominee, although comedies often don't get the respect they deserve from Academy voters. On the best picture front, "Bridget's" best prospects are in the Globes where it could compete for best picture (comedy or musical). With the right campaign -- emphasizing its story's more serious side -- and sufficient other awards sizzle, it might have best picture Oscar potential, as well. "Bridget's" prospects are attractive on the writing front for its screenplay adaptation by Helen Fielding and Andrew Davis and Richard Curtis from Fielding's novel. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hollywoodreporter/columnists/grove/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1040573

I thought there was a conspiracy of silence here not to talk about the O****s for fear of hexing the film Is there a Best Extra category?

Silence has the least relevance to the Oscars. One must create buzz and throw big bucks at the media in order to secure even a nomination. Will start campaign for Best Extra. Off to look for AMPAS' email addy. How would you like your name shown, Burberry Man? ;-)

(Karen) One must create buzz and throw big bucks at the media in order to secure even a nomination. Go Harvey! Go Harvey! Never mind all that stuff we wrote about you when MLSF came out. We think you are brilliant. ;-D HarVEY! HarVEY!

What else does Miramax have coming out? I know he sunk big bucks into Gangs of New York.

Lord of the Rings is another Weinstein Bros.

Miramax has The Shipping News (Kevin Spacey, Judi Dench, Julianne Moore)coming out on Christmas Day. Director is Lasse Halstrom. That and Gangs Of NY will get a huge Oscar push. RZ too. New Line is the studio behind Lord Of The Rings. Did anyone see Helen Fielding on the Letterman show last week? She was funny and adorable as usual. I think that's the nicest I've ever seen Dave be toward anyone; he was truly charmed. They mentioned her script of BJD a number of times; methinks HF is prepping for awards season, and good for her. Dave briefly held up a copy of Cause Celeb--which was published eons ago--but they didn't even talk about it, so there really was no other logical reason for her to be on.

(Mari) methinks HF is prepping for awards season Very possibly. They need to get her name out there, just as in the Martin Grove article. I thought Helen was extremely nervous and Dave was completely rooting for her to do well. It was obvious that he was a big fan of the book (BJD, that is). He knew his stuff and he knew the topics that would go over well.

(Mari)Did anyone see Helen Fielding on the Letterman show last week? I had the impression that Dave just recently read the book and enjoyed it. In the past he's had authors on if he likes the book. And he didn't seem to like the movie as much when RZ was on his show. Helen was v. sweet and I'm sure she'll be back. Then Paul Shaffer plays "It's Raining Men" and makes a few more dollars, since he cowrote it. By the by, BJD is gone from all my theatres as of today. So sad :-(

The music guy from Letterman cowrote It's Raining Men? How very bizarre. I wondered where the heck that song came from.

Paul Shafer is best known for his extraordinary wit. He also manages to write a few good songs.

Does he actaully display this wit on Dave ? I tended to equate him with that grinning buffoon on Leno...Kevin somethingorother. So I may have to revise my opinion..LOL Though mind you, that was pretty jaw droppin stuff when he asked Julia Roberts if she was "getting any", just after she broke up with BB.

Paul has set Dave up on many occasions. I wish Dave used him more like he did in the early days.

This might be OT..do we do HF stuff here? The October issue of PREMIERE has just arrived. "A Woman's Touch :What would Hollywood movies be like if women called all the shots?We asked three female writers to reimagine a scene from some classic "guy" films. Hold onto your skirts" HF re-writes "Pearl Harbor"with a tinge of Bridget. v. cute. Too long to type;-))

Cindy Adams' column in teh NY Post says RZ is *confirmed* to star in Chicago with Catherine C-Z which films in Toronto.

in Chicago which films in Toronto. No comment. Maybe we could get Ewan McG to write a letter.;-)

From the 10 Sept Guardian, an article about Best Movies about Life in the Office: Bridget Jones's Diary For any girl who's had an endless run of duff boyfriends and boring jobs, this year's great hit, BJD, will have you grinning in sympathy. Renee Zellweger plays the plump singleton in search of a life, whose relationship with vodka, cigarettes and the local gym are more meaningful than those with her boyfriend. Hugh Grant does a fine job as the posh publishing rat while Colin Firth is the well-starched, but badly dressed barrister with a heart. Look out for a special Bridget Jones video/ Office Hours giveaway on October 15.

During this week, I'll take any good news I can get. So, good news: BJD ffffiiiinnnaaallly made it to our dollar theater. Am hoping to go with a friend this coming week. I don't think she's seen it yet but she was the first person I knew that had heard of CF, had a copy of Nostromo, and would indulge me while I talked of him. She is not infected with Firth Fever, like yours truly, but she can at least understand.

From Screendaily (16 Sept) by Robert Mitchell: Bridget Jones's Diary crosses $200m worldwide Bridget Jones�s Diary was set to cross the $200m barrier in worldwide box office this weekend as it continues to pull in audiences across the globe. With an international running total of $125.4m to add to its $71.5m North American receipts, the romantic comedy needed to make just $3.05m internationally over the three-day weekend to cross the mark, a feat Bridget should have taken in its stride. Having taken number one spots in nearly every territory where it has been released, including both Switzerland and Germany last weekend, although after three weeks on release having opened at a lower position, the film also claimed another lead last week, opening in Hong Kong on September 6 to take a seven-day gross of $459,705 from just 24 screens and achieving a massive $19,154 screen average. Other strong international territories include the UK ($59.6m), Spain ($11.3m), Australia ($10.5m) and Germany ($9.99m), all of which are still clocking up the numbers. Foreign-language territories account for 43% ($54m) of the international takings and the Working Title production has yet to open in several major markets, including France and Italy. The comedy stars Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant and is directed by first timer Sharon Maguire. The film is based on Helen Fielding�s best-selling novel of the same name. The DVD details have already been announced for the US release on Oct 9 and UK on Dec 1 � which will include deleted- and behind-the-scenes material as well as a running commentary from Maguire to accompany the film.

Wouldn't it be something if CF had points on it?

Impressive figures! How would BJD rate in a league for net profitability? Fairly high, I would think.If it cost $20million to make and (guessing)had a $10million budget for promotion, then (counting on fingers) it has a net profit so far of $170million, plus all video/dvd rentals/sales to come. Other movies have much bigger gross returns, but they often cost $100million to make and have a promotion budget of $30million or more. Big posters up for BJD in local video store, plus a row of BJD flags around the counter. Can't miss it!

I have just read the BJD has it's French Premiere in Paris tomorrow, I wonder if Colin will attend.

So it looks like Italy will be last. I am very curious to see how the French will like it.

Must have been backlash against Beryl Bainbridge for her dismissal of chick-lit. The odds-on fav for the Booker's short list didn't make it.

Which just goes to show what a tight-knit mafia the book industry is in England.

I found this description of BJD at Rogers Video site: � Sex/Nudity: sexual conversation, comments and innuendoes; people have sex; animals mate; a woman�s bare buttocks; scantily clad women; someone groped � Drugs/Alcohol: excessive drinking; people get drunk; excessive smoking; a child drinking (suggested) � Violence/Scariness: fist fights; someone thrown through a window; fatal shooting on television � Objectional Words/Phrases: Approx. 55 I think that pretty much covers the movie! I couldn't remember animals mating, at first. "people have sex"--barely, I say. And there are 55 objectionable words? Does 'Cleaver' count? :-) You might want to check this site out for CF movies, including a trailer for Advocate that I hadn't seen before: http://www.rogersvideo.ca/search.asp

hmmm if only I'd realised it was that saucy when I saw it *ROFL* animals mate, and fatal shooting? does bare buttocks mean the knickers scene? *desperately trying to remember crucial chunks of film*

Almost read that as "people have sex with animals." Again, Cleaver might count there as well. ;-)

fatal shooting? I don't remember that, when did that happen? Had almost forgotten about the animals mating bit on tv.

Glenn Close

I found BJD really quite refreshing... I don't know about most people, but I'm certainly no supermodel. I found it unique in representing a relatively 'normal' person. Things go wrong all the time, with very embarrassing outcomes, and (I'm cringing here) I related to BJ quite well. (I haven't read many earlier postings, so I don't know what your consensus is.)

(Carrie)(I haven't read many earlier postings, so I don't know what your consensus is.) As far as consensus is concerned - I vote with my purse..I'm still contributing heavily to the phenomenal box-office draw of BJD, having not seen it for the zillionth time and possible more. (Carrie)I related to BJ quite well. I must say that I wish I can **relate** much better to ODB rather than BJ (hee hee)

Ooops..having not seen it for the zillionth time and possible more. That was meant to be having *now* seen it...

Welcome Minkee and Carrie! I'm sort of still a newbie myself (from April), still learning the ropes and the initials ;-). But you all seem comfortable with posting already and you'll find everyone on the board very helpful. Enjoy!

Thanks Lora! This is probably an outdated question, but what's everyone's favourite part?? :-)

Ah, my favourite part, Carrrie, and I am glad you asked, is when Mark arrives at Bridget's flat just before the other's arrive, paper in hand, dimples in place and the most gorgeous cute smile, he is congraulating her on her article.

Ann, that part is priceless, isn't it? The way his eyes laugh ever so slightly is really great! I think I have to see it again before I make my final decision though. It's only just been released in Germany (luckily there's an English cinema just around the corner - can't miss that voice!) so I might consider another little trip tomorrow night! :-)

(Carrie)This is probably an outdated question, but what's everyone's favourite part?? :-) Never an outdated question...as you can see we never tire of discussing and re-discussing these things ;-). I loved CF in his barrister's suit and the endearing look he gave BJ in the A-H interview when he was wearing it. Also what he does with his winter coat at the end of the movie is simply the best! It's just what I think my subconscious was thinking he needs to do, and then he does it! And who but ODB could do a more sexy scene with clothes on?

And who but ODB could do a more sexy scene with clothes on? Yes, but just think, Lora... ;-)

Carrie: the complete answer is - all of the last 3/4 hour which contain the dinner scene, the Ruby Wedding scene and the Snow scene..but I can manage to provide further and better particulars as follows and in order of OBD intensity: 1 when he wraps his coat around BJ in the very last scene 2 when he bends down and nuzzles BJ's neck in the doorway 3 the 2nd attempt at a kiss in the same doorway...especially as he moves from stage right to middle, bows head a bit and encourages BJ to lift head for kiss.(I am flabbergasted as to why she walked away!!!! Knickers or no knickers - he would have been flat against the wall, if that was me!!! - "I don't want to be unkind to our sex..but there it is" -Lizzie Bennett) 4 while stirring the blue soup - delivering his funny lines with glorious deep dimples on cheeks appearing 5 2 tied for 5th place - short sequence "Goodbye Bridget" then walks/runs up the steps" after delivering "just as you are" lines tied with His "walk" - as he strides away from BJ's flat. 6 "my wife...my heart" this is the ZEN of all deliveries IMO Maybe the more appropriate question is : which scenes did we like least?? I know I will be attacked for heresy here but I did not like the early part of "just as you are" scene until he delivered the lines "what I'm trying to say very inarticulately" So Carrie - I recommend that you print this out and go back to the theatre and study the whole movie again to assess whether there is any merit to what me and the other ladies have been saying. I believe just one more viewing is not enough to do this task justice - try another 2 at least!!!

(Minkee) I know I will be attacked for heresy here but I did not like the early part of "just as you are" scene until he delivered the lines "what I'm trying to say very inarticulately" You're not supposed to "like" them. They are meant to parallel the backhanded compliments in the first proposal scene in P&P2, I believe. ;-) KJ

I think my favorite moments are MD's brief discomfiture as Bridget's friends show up for the birthday dinner, and "alright, outside". He's so funny before the fight, like "I can't believe I'm doing this, but I just have to".

(KJ) - You're not supposed to "like" them. They are meant to parallel the backhanded compliments in the first proposal scene in P&P2, I believe. ;-) KJ Yeah - that was fairly obvious - what I meant was I did not like how he played it...that's the heresy.

My faves are when he wraps his coat around her at the end and when he and Bridget are calling each other Pam and Una over the lumpy gravy... Also liked the remark he made about loving her Lewisham fire hall report...

(Minkee)Maybe the more appropriate question is : which scenes did we like least?? Any scene with HG instead of ODB, of course!!! The coat-wrapping thing is the BEST. And the smile when he delivers the paper is good, too. And the way he pauses and looks at Bridget during the interview (when he says something about E Heany doing all this "for the man she loves.") Another favorite of mine is the scene in the boat when he looks longingly at her as she laughs at HG. V. subtle, but v. sweet.

favourite scenes: agre with lots of ones listed above, especially coat scene, nuzzling in the door way scene (Minkee, I'm with you absolutely, who would even think about their knickers in that situation??), turning up on the door step with the paper; but I think my favourite is the birthday party, where Tom says "we like her just as she is" and they toast her - the look in Mark's eyes over his wine glass *swoon* *thunk* :-)

For me it's the nuzzling in the door way scene and when he tells her he likes her "just as you are."

I concede he does need Moon's kissing lessons but he has perfected the art of nuzzling. I'm thinking SLOW; I'm thinking, L'dumb; I'm thinking, especially, BJD. :-) Favorite scene: All of the above. As usual, his scenes are the best in any movie.

Blue food recipes in NY Times! I finally got around to reading last Sunday's NY Times Magazine, and discovered an article about blue and white--dishes, decor, etc. But what about food? Apparently, the Times has decided that there isn't enough blue food. "'There are no blue foods,' says Hank Thomashevski, the private caterer who devised the recipes below. 'Even blueberries turn purple. So I played with the idea of blue and white.'" He then provided a recipe for blue angel cake (angel food cake with frosting colored blue by the addition of blue curacao--which is blue only because they put food coloring in it!!) In the article, the frosting on the cake is about the color of Bridget's soup. Also a receipe for, are you ready for this... BLUE SOUP! It's a pretty typical potato soup, only you use blue potatoes. I do not know where you're supposed to get blue potatoes. I know they exist, as I've had the blue potato chips. But I've never seen blue potatoes in the supermarket. No photo of the soup. If anyone really wants to know the recipes, I'll post them, if that's legal. (Don't want the Spring to be sued by NY Times!)

Okay - okay - I've decided, apart from "all" those mentioned above, I love the part during her B'day dinner, when they're on (the 2nd course, I think?) and he says something along the lines of "No, this really is the most incredible S**T" and then laughs. The laugh looks SO cute!! Of course, the coat, nuzzling, cooking and fighting scenes were all wonderful too. What also cracks me up is when BJ goes to great lengths at her work function to introduce Darcy 'correctly' and then he, naughtily, introduces her as someone who used to play naked in his paddling pool!

(Kate) BLUE SOUP! ... If anyone really wants to know the recipes.. Just tell me this - does the recipe mention string? ;-) I've never seen blue potatoes either.

have any of you ever had terra chips? There are, I think, blue potatoes in there...

You can get blue potatoes in fancy grocery stores or farmers' markets where they have stands for organic ($$$$$) farmers. They're like $3/lb.

$3/lb?? Food coloring is cheaper! (No string in the recipe I saw)

(Kate) $3/lb?? Food coloring is cheaper! Yup. There are all sorts of new trendy potatoes, including these "finger" ones, which must resemble the fingers of arthritic people. ;-)