Sorry, guys, that we haven't had our board available all day to post any Valentines, so I just took a digital snappy of how I feel:

Bwahahahaha! Picturing Karen at the Donmar waiting for ODB in the lobby :-D BTW, who does your hair? Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

I would have known you anywhere;-) Thanks Boss.Happy Valentine's from lots of grateful Drooleurs.

Bwahahahaha! Picturing Karen at the Donmar waiting for ODB in the lobby :-D BTW, who does your hair? Who did your dress? ;-) LOL! I hope everyone had a choco-filled Valentine's Day! I read this today and he me LOL! I think we can guess which sign Bond girl is ;-) You a Gemini? Drive carefully and get insurance SYDNEY, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Born a Gemini? Watch out on the roads and get insurance. Better still, have a Capricorn drive your car. A study released on Monday by Australian financial services group Suncorp Metway Ltd that ranked car accident claimants by star sign found the most accident-prone were Geminis, closely followed by Taureans and then Pisceans. "Geminis, typically described as restless, easily bored and frustrated by things moving slowly, had more car accidents than any other sign," said Warren Duke, Suncorp's national manager of personal insurance. Taureans were thought to be obstinate and inflexible, while Pisceans could be risk-takers and dare devils, he said. Capricorns were the safest behind the wheel due to their patience and careful driving. The light-hearted study was based on 160,000 car accident insurance claims received over the past three years. Suncorp Metway said it had no intention to alter its premiums according to a person's star sign. The company listed car accident claims by star sign as follows, with the most accident-prone at the top: 1. Gemini, May 21-June 21 2. Taurus, April 20-May 20 3. Pisces, February 19-March 20 4. Virgo, August 23-September 22 5. Cancer, June 22-July 22 6. Aquarius, January 20-February 18 7. Aries, March 21-April 19 8. Leo, July 23-August 22 9. Libra, September 23-October 22 10. Sagittarius, November 22-December 21 11. Scorpio, October 23-November 21 12. Capricorn, December 22-January 19

Well that is an interesting study. I'm glad that I'm number 7;)

The OLIVIERS have just been announced. BEST ACTRESS - Lindsay Duncan for Private Lives BEST ACTOR - Roger Allam for Privates On Parade BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL (OR ENTERTAINMENT) - Martine McCutcheon for My Fair Lady BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL Philip Quast for South Pacific BEST NEW PLAY - Jitney BEST NEW COMEDY - The Play What I Wrote [Ed note: Congratulations KB!] OUTSTANDING MUSICAL PRODUCTION My Fair Lady BEST DIRECTOR Michael Boyd for Henry VI Parts I, II & III and Richard III

Finally!! Six Feet Under's second season starts in early March. Might be on the 3rd.

and of course, I got rid of HBO!!! argh! have to get it back!

I can't believe it--they actually did the right thing. Congrats to Jamie and David--well deserved!:-) Canadian skating pair awarded gold medal By STEVE WILSTEIN AP Sports Writer February 15, 2002 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Canadian figure skating pair was awarded a gold medal Friday after the sport's top officials uncovered judging misconduct in a controversy that has dominated the Winter Games. The International Skating Union indefinitely suspended Marie-Reine Le Gougne, the French judge in the middle of the dispute. ``She acted in a way that was not adequate to guarantee both pairs equal condition,'' ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta said. ``We have declared misconduct.'' The French judge told the ISU she had been ``submitted to a certain pressure'' from her own skating federation and had signed a statement about how she reached her vote, Cinquanta said. There was no evidence of Russian involvement, he added. ``This pressure resulted in putting this judge in a condition not to give the gold medal'' to the Canadians, Cinquanta said, refusing to give further details about Le Gougne. ``The investigation is not concluded, but we have got enough evidence to take the first decision,'' Cinquanta said, referring to the suspension. He said he hoped to present Jamie Sale and David Pelletier with the gold medal on Thursday before the start of the women's program. The IOC executive committee voted 7-1, with one abstention, to accept the gold medal recommendation from the skating union. ``We took a position that is one of justice and fairness for the athletes,'' Rogge said. The controversy began when Sale and Pelletier were beaten by Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia in a 5-4 vote that surprised many observers. The Canadians skated flawlessly while the Russians made a few technical errors. The decision allowed the Russians to extend their streak of winning gold in the pairs in every Olympics since 1964. It is the fourth time the IOC has awarded a second gold medal. ``We hope it doesn't happen again,'' Rogge said. The move came just hours before the case was to be heard by an international arbitration panel for sport. Since Monday, there have been reports that Le Gougne was pressured to cast her vote for the Russians. The ISU had planned to review the scoring at a meeting next week, but the deal Friday allowed the matter to be settled in the swift manner the IOC had urged. Canadian officials said all along they didn't want the Russians stripped of the gold medal, but they believed Sale and Pelletier also should be rewarded if evidence of wrongdoing was uncovered. In 1993, the IOC awarded a second gold medal in synchronized swimming from the Barcelona Games to Canada's Sylvie Frechette. The IOC's executive board agreed that Frechette was placed second because of a judging error and should be awarded a gold. The decision came after the Canadian swimming federation protested because a Brazilian judge was not allowed to correct the 8.7 score she mistyped into her computer. The intended 9.7 would have given Frechette the gold. The IOC's decision did not affect Kristen Babb-Sprague of the United States, who was originally awarded the gold and kept her medal.

Hooray for Jamie and David! Proud to be Canadian today, and always. They handled themselves with dignity and grace. I can't imagine how difficult it is to be the hottest media attraction at an event like the Olympics. Kudos to all the athletes, no matter what country you come from! :))

HOORAY!!!! Proud to be Canuck as well! BTW, I found this great article in Newsweek. It's a roundtable of actors who gave fine performances this past year (Sissy, Nicole, Naomi, Billy Bob, Will and Tom) and chat about the movie biz. I would post the whole thing but it is a bit longish and there are some great pics and audio clips as well. http://www.msnbc.com/news/694126.asp

ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta is from Milan. ``submitted to a certain pressure'' from her own skating federation and had signed a statement about how she reached her vote, Cinquanta said. There was no evidence of Russian involvement, he added. I hope they continue to investigate.

(Moon) ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta is from Milan. Doesn't say very much about the Milanese, does it? :-( ~~~~~~~~ Thought this was cute: Oscar hopeful is keeping champagne on ice Full Monty star Tom Wilkinson celebrated his Oscar nomination with a plate of fish cakes. The British actor is in the running for the Best Actor award. But he says he didn't crack open the bubbly when he heard he'd been nominated. "Forget about the champagne. All I wanted was a plate of fish cakes," he told The Mirror. "It's such a great honour to be nominated for an Oscar. "It hasn't really hit me. Half the thrill is the nomination, it is a reward to my going to Hollywood and taking a chance." [my italics] Tom, who played steel mill manager Gerald in The Full Monty, is up for an Oscar for his role in In The Bedroom with Sissy Spacek. But Russell Crowe is bookies' favourite to win and Tom doesn't think he'll win Best Actor. "The competition in my group - oh my goodness. I think I know who is going to win it and his name isn't Tom Wilkinson," he said.

(Moon) ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta is from Milan. (Karen), Doesn't say very much about the Milanese, does it? :-( He is Byzantine, of course, it goes with the territory. They should have made the Russians give back the gold and take the silver. That's the only right way. I hope this gets investigated. I think I know who is going to win it and his name isn't Tom Wilkinson," he said. But you're too busy playing golf in Scotland anyway. ;-)

Well as I haven't seen either movie, I really like Tom Wilkinson and I hope beyond hope, that they recognize him... Russell Crowe won last year... not another Tom Hanks!!! And fish cakes are awesome!!! :)

See the movie (ABM) , Laura, you'll be blown away.I'm not a big RC fan, but his performance in this film is flawless. IMO Tom Wilkinson made the right decision to bolt for Hollywood, but he's awfully lucky to have gotten to the "Top Banana"category so soon. Good choices ;-)

Knew it: Bypassing two of the year's most nominated Oscar movies, the American Society of Cinematographers gave its best feature film photography award to Roger Deakins on Sunday night for his atmospheric black and white work in "The Man Who Wasn't There." Deakins' cinematography for the 1940s-style film noir directed by Joel Coen and co-written by Coen with his brother Ethan has been widely hailed, previously winning an award from the American Film Institute and receiving the film's only Oscar nomination. He beat cinematographers for "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," which received 13 Oscar nominations, and "Moulin Rouge," which received eight Academy Award nominations.

(Evelyn)IMO Tom Wilkinson made the right decision to bolt for Hollywood, but he's awfully lucky to have gotten to the "Top Banana" category so soon. Good choices ;-) Wasn't he in that Martin Lawrence medieval movie last year :-) It just proves that not only can British actors play a variety of roles (they sing, they dance, they speak other languages!) but if an actor makes a bad film, he can recover his reputation quickly. And success can come at any age. That's always nice to know.

A little something for Moon... Helen Mirren is to star with Dame Maggie Smith in a remake of The Roman Spring Of Mrs Stone. Robert Allen Ackerman will be directing the classic tale in Rome, from Martin Sherman's adaptation of the Tennessee Williams novel. In the 1961 original, an aging actress played by Vivien Leigh found romance in Rome with a gigolo played by Warren Beatty. French newcomer Olivier Martinez, 25, will take Beatty's role. Martinez recently starred in Bullfighter and the still-to-be-seen Unfaithful.

Can we talk??? Joan Rivers heading for the West End Joan Rivers will make six appearances in the West End in April. She will appear at the Haymarket Theatre Royal on April 14, 21 and 28. The 90-minute show will also feature Kit And The Widow, and a celebrity guest.

You know, I completely forgot... THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS ARE THE SUPERBOWL CHAMPS!!!! Sorry, just had to gloat;) (even if belated:))

woooohooooo!!!!! Brits just got an Olympic gold!!! I haven't a clue about curling but even I could tell that this was top class sport!! So exciting to watch, and to win on the last stone too!! What a shot!! Congratulations to our team, and commiserations to the Swiss team, and the Canadians who came in third. Classic stuff (and reminds me to get out MLSF where they have a curling match ....)

I am willing to conceed that medal to you, Rach! ;-) Although we didn't deserve it really. I am glad someone other than the favourites (being us, the only country that seems to really want to excel at this sport) won it! As my hubby is a Brit we got a call here around 6pm from a very excited mother-in-law who said the whole country was celebrating as it was the last winter gold since Torvill & Dean! So Congrats to you from one happy household to another (Bravo to our golden hockey girls!)

I haven't a clue about curling but even I could tell that this was top class sport!! I admire your enthusiasm, Rachel! I am glad there are some patriots left in this little island of ours;-) I thought it was right up there with watching paint dry as a spectator sport.

(Allison)I thought it was right up there with watching paint dry as a spectator sport Psst, Allison....A "Gold is a Gold"!! **Congratulations** from your colonial cousins!!

I would just like it duly noted that Paul Ashworth's girlfriend won a well-deserved gold in womens's figure skating last night.;-) (And that's all the "hometown" celebrating I'll do here.;-)

Paul Ashworth's girlfriend *snort* That fact went right by me, and I've only seen FP some *mumble* number of times. (Mari) And that's all the "hometown" celebrating I'll do here.;-) Me too. Some competition, huh? Though IMO it proves again that figure skating is a sport for teens.

Yikes, I knew that name seemed rather familiar. (Think exposure to L-dum has rotten brain) ;-)

IMO it proves again that figure skating is a sport for teens. I believe you have something there, Eileen. Loved her program.

(Rachael)I haven't a clue about curling but even I could tell that this was top class sport!! So exciting to watch, and to win on the last stone too!! A humbled Canadian congratulates you, Rachael. And if you like curling, you should be here where it's on 2 or 3 times a day!! Gah! Not to mention the "Men with Brooms" movie ads that run during the breaks. And I will be going to that movie--Paul Gross is too cute (do ya think he looks a bit Colin-ish?) Yep, lots of curling. But will we see the BAFTAS? Noooo, according to the email I got today from Star!TV. I'm going to go cry now. Excuse me.

Yep, lots of curling. But will we see the BAFTAS? Noooo, according to the email I got today from Star!TV. I'm going to go cry now. Excuse me. Bryonny: Gaaaaahhhhhhh!!! I was wondering if they were going to show it! *wipes tear from eyes* You and me can both cry in our Chardonnay!!! Maybe we'll have a gold on Sunday to cheer us up!

And if you like curling, you should be here where it's on 2 or 3 times a day!! Well, it's been on here too throughout the Olympics! Don't get me started on NBC's coverage. !@#$ games are one time zone over and we still only get to watch highlights (i.e., the top people) during prime time. Strange how the sun was shining at 9:00 at night during the downhill events. But, oh no! Everytime I turned to check what was on CNBC, it was either hockey or curling for hours and hours. I hate this. :-(

I must warn all you dear people to save yourself - save yourself from seeing 'Queen of the Damned'. It was soooo bad. The acting was as wooden as the vampire statues in the film. It was like an even worse MTV video.

Thanks for the warning, Rebecca. I love vampire movies and liked the previews, but I will decline if it is so very bad.

Kate Winslet to wear diamonds to the Baftas Kate Winslet will be wearing �200,000 of diamonds at the Orange British Academy Film Awards. Winslet, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actress, will be wearing a diamond and gold bracelet with matching earrings, created by jewellers Mouawad. Saffron Burrows, who will be a presenter at the awards, will be wearing a �200,000 necklace, made up of marquise and round-cut diamonds, with matching large 5ct diamond stud earrings.

(KarenR)Don't get me started on NBC's coverage.!@#$ I don't really understand why NBC isn't showing coverage during the day. They spent enough for the rights. But you guys did get more of the women's skating than we did. So thank you for that!

Because the soap opera fans would go scream bloody murder if they were preempted for SPORTS for two weeks. Besides, the ratings game is all tied to prime time viewing (7-10 or 8-11, depending on your time zone). I think they could've shown the competitions live during the day and still done their highlight shows at night, as it would be a different audience entirely. But then it goes back to my first statement. ;-) We did see a little special segment last night about curling and how huge it is in Canada. Wonders never cease. I kind of liked Leno's comment about how the medal was won by a Ecuadoran cleaning team. LOL!

Congratulations!! Well done Alain Baxter Britains first ever Olympic alpine medal.

Canadian short track speed skaters--yummy! ;) Congrats to the Canadians for their great perfomance on the ice tonight.

For those in the UK with an aching desire to see some Hamlet in March, the BBC's new digital channel 4 will have the following for free: "So, for example, on March 6, after news and chat, you can watch Peter Brook�s recent production of Hamlet, starring Adrian Lester, then see Brook himself talking about it, followed by a documentary on Playing the Dane."

It's only free if you can afford to spend 4-500 quid on a fancy telly that's set up for digital, or if you already subscribe to a cable or digital package. If you're a mere licence payer with an ordinary telly, dream on. You're not deemed worthy of culture, which will henceforth be banished from terestrial TV. If it wasn't for the fact that I own lots of videos and would like to watch them, I'd throw my telly out the window and burn my TV licence. Oops, sounding off again. *slap* Will get back in box now.

Just like you are there, from Ananova: I won't post them here, but you can view two cleavage shots, the first proving that even a celeb can take a bad photo: http://www.ananova.com/images/entertainment/baftastepherndaldry_kidman410x463PA.jpg http://www.ananova.com/images/entertainment/halleberry410x455PA.jpg (According to Reuters, Jennifer Connelly has won for Best Supporting Actress and Gosford Park has won for Best British Film)

Cleavage???That first shot looks like indecent exposure. Halle Berry looks cute. The gal behind her looks like Emily Watson. They wouldn't take her photo if she wasn't showing boobs. Hooray for Jennifer Connelly. After the scathing reviews for ABM, I didn't expect her to win. She was in heavy company too . Gosford Park has won for Best British Film) There went BJD:-((( Up to Renee and Colin...

From Empire on line: The BAFTA Awards 2002 ? The List in Full Best Film: The Lord of the Rings Best Director: Peter Jackson ? The Lord of the Rings Best Actor: Russell Crowe ? A Beautiful Mind Best Actress: Judi Dench ? Iris Best Supporting Actor: Jim Broadbent ? Moulin Rouge Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Connelly ? A Beautiful Mind Best Special Visual Effects: The Lord of the Rings Best Make Up and Hair: The Lord of the Rings The Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music: Moulin Rouge Best Sound: Moulin Rouge Best Original Screenplay: Amelie Best Adapted Screenplay: Amelie Best British Film: Gosford Park Best Production Design: Amelie Best Cinematography: The Man Who Wasn?t There Best Editing: Mulholland Drive Best Foreign Language Film: Amores Perros Best Costume Design: Gosford Park Best Short Film: About A Girl Best Animated Short: Dog BAFTA Academy Fellowship: Warren Beatty and Merchant Ivory Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema: Vic Armstrong Special Award: Eon Orange Film of the Year: The Lord of the Rings

Sorry for the ???. Bad karma.

Bafta winner Broadbent is grateful for three movie roles Jim Broadbent says all three of his latest films helped him win his Bafta. He won the best supporting actor award for Moulin Rouge. Broadbent was also up for best actor for Iris and had a role in the acclaimed Bridget Jones's Diary. "It's extraordinary. It's a great surprise," said Broadbent, who beat Hugh Bonneville, Robbie Coltrane, Colin Firth and Eddie Murphy to the best supporting actor honour. "This whole awards season has been one long surprise. I'm just going with the flow. It's all a new experience and a learning curve. I think the reason I got this was partly because of Iris. "Iris, Moulin Rouge are Bridget Jones's Diary are all so different. I have had three good films over one year and that combination helped draw a bit more attention to me." Broadbent added: "I don't think this is really justified - as Don McAlpine said during the shoot 'As long as you keep pulling those wonderful faces, Jim. I'll be a happy man.'" And he gave special praise to director Baz Luhrmann. "Above all because he's a complete visionary genius without whom I'd have had a very dull two years and the whole world would have been a dull place without his Moulin Rouge," he said.

Thanks for the latest! Now on to the p a r t y!

Well, at least Robbie Coltrane didn't win...major shut-out for HP.

RC Best Actor for ABM; "Crowe beat Jim Broadbent, Ian McKellen, Kevin Spacey and Tom Wilkinson to the award. After receiving the honour, he described Connelly as "graceful, mischievous and mesmerising". New Zealand-born Crowe said: "I feel slightly on a roll. It's particularly gratifying the way the cricket's been going lately. "I love my job. I don't think I do it very well but it's OK if you keep rewarding me," said Crowe. ~~~~~~~~~~~ He deserved it.

Lord Of The Rings is audience favourite "Lord Of The Rings won more than twice as many votes as its nearest rival to take the Orange Audience Award. It received nearly 34,000 votes. Bridge Jones's Diary polled 15,602 to come second, with Harry Potter coming third with just over 13,000." ~~~~~~~~~ Whoa....Bridget took the Silver.!!

Well lots of clips to enjoy anyway. Renee came on with her head down a bit , naturally very nervous!

I voted for BJD - has just dawned on me having seen almost very film mentioned (where they've been released) just how much time I've spent in a cinema in the last year - no wonder I don't have a life ;)) BTW how do films get nommed for this? Shipping News isn't on general release yet (saw the trailer this aft) but it was up there. I thought from the number of clips of ODB that he must be going up to present, they showed him almost as much as Keitel and Hoffman.

Sugars the pill Rachael ;-))))

They should have matched up Renee with Colin for an award presentation. I can't believe it did not occur to anyone, especially since, as Evelyn says, BJD got the silver. He would not refuse to do that would he?

That would have been great Moon. It would have given her more confidence and she would have kept her head up then!

Here's a pic of Renee, attempting to sidestep the foaming Red Carpet:

She looks v. pretty. Love the sleeve on that dress. But when she got out of the car did she exclaim, "Where are all the tarps and slickers?" ;-)

ROTF, Lora--good one! Thanks for the pic, Karen--seems that carpet took on a life of its own.;-) I haven't seen any other pics of RZ anywhere--just Nicole and her boobs, dressed for success.;-) A belated congrats to oour Canadian friends for the superb gold medal win in hockey! Well done, and well deserved. Now I can go back to rooting for LeClair, Roenick and Gagne on the same team.:-) Salt Lake City did a tremendous job, IMO. And what a party to end it all last night! (Loved the tribute to Torrino, site of the 2006!)

It was a nice closing ceremony. My DH and I were laughing at tribute to Torino. To sing "Volare" and "O Sole Mio"!!! Nothing to do with Torino. The flag throwers at least are from Asti which is also in the Piedmont region. Salt Lake City brought in their hometown talents. The T Choir is awesome and their orchestra played so well. Did you notice that idiotic looking Italian orchestra director who took over for the Torino part? Those people usually do TV variety shows. The point was not to Illustrate Italy but to highlight Torino, badly done! They camera work at these games was outstanding too. Let's see what the RAI TV will pull off. They don't do a good with the soccer games. :-( Karen, thank you for posting the pictures. You know how curious we are here. :-)

Nearly all the others were just headshots, but here's another: Peoplenews has lots of pics of those at the party. Plenty of Colin's professional associates (from Sue Birtwistle to Annette Bening to Harvey Weinstein to Saffron Burrows), although no letter signatories that I could see. ;-) Loved the tribute to Torrino Really, the fashion show? v. bizarre. Thought it was a great closing ceremony (high praise from someone who hates spectacle) but Lionel Ritchie's LA games closer is my all-time fav, bring-the-house-down number. ;-D

The flag throwers at least are from Asti which is also in the Piedmont region. I thought that was very cool! And I liked the fashion show, too.:-) And how in the world did they project all those images onto the ice? Everything from the Mona Lisa to the Sistine Chapel! LOL! The technology was very cool, and yes, maybe it wasn't Torino, but few viewers would know that. I liked that they took the trouble to incorporate the Italian imagery into the show. Lionel Ritchie's LA games closer is my all-time fav, bring-the-house-down number. ;-D Unforgettable! "All night long . . .all night, all night . . .all night long . . ."

I second the *Congratulations* to our neighbors to the North. Canada has an outstanding group of athletes. Talented and nice. The ice-skating couple were on the Today show this morning. Torino finale terrific; how about that ole Willie Nelson...."an American icon"! And did you join in singing "Happy Trails to You"?;-))

Last night was something I will never forget. The unity and the pure joy on the faces of the thousands of people I partied with last night. As a Canadian we have an extra chromosome (sp?) for hockey in our genes. The gold means so much to us and I am so proud of our boys.

I second the congrats on the Hockey gold. Well deserved. (Evelyn), And did you join in singing "Happy Trails to You"?;-)) That was brilliant! It could/should have ended there.

Renee looks like she was having a very rough night, poor thing.

Congrats on Hockey Gold to both the men and women of Canada!! Is it just me or was the outfit worn by Christina Aguillera (sp?) totally inappropriate for the occassion? Black leathery type thing with fake garters of some sort?? Not very Olympic...maybe I am just old fashioned at the ripe old age of 25 ;)

Karen, thanks for the pics of Renee. The dress and sleeves look better from the front. Would never have thought that the back part of the sleeves went across her back like that! She looks pretty all the same. I felt sad she had to come to the festivities alone in such an uncomfortable way. But had to laugh when it reminded me of tarts and vicars party (Mari, glad you laughed too :-)). Shows how well she embodied that character. But wish she could have had a Mr. Darcy to help her over those soapy puddles. :-)

belated congrats to the Canadians, great stuff!! (Thought I'd posted that message once, but obviously I pressed the wrong button again ;) Thanks for the great pics - I thought Renee's dress was nice, and she was very good in her presentation - although it does sound odd to hear a Texan voice coming out of Bridget! Kevin Spacey had a dig about the goo on the carpet

And how was Bjork?

Great coverage of Baftas here, thank you very much! I don't know why I bother searching the net when this is Awards Central. I thought it was odd that most of the news sites are showing the same photos. Very little variety. (Moon)And how was Bjork? Maybe Livia can borrow the swan dress next time and get more press coverage :-D Or put her dress on backwards, a la NK! Thanks for the congrats to the Canadian athletes! I get very little to brag about 'waaayyy' up here but the curling team and Sale&Pelletier both live minutes away from me and I couldn't be happier for them. Loved the Olympics finale! SLC can be very proud. And as an old Osmond fan, it was nice to see Donny&Marie. Pretty hard to avoid them in Utah :-)

Jude Law offered Sherlock Holmes role Jude Law is set to play Sherlock Holmes in a new film, according to reports. He has been offered the detective role in Sherlock Holmes And The Vengeance Of Dracula. It has been described as the darkest Sherlock Holmes movie ever made. The actor had a small role in the TV series The Casebook Of Sherlock Holmes in 1990, reports the London Evening Standard. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Wasn't SH discussed at one time going to Colin? [Five years ago]. He'd be great in this role. Better than JL, who is too short.

Maybe Colin can play Dracula! I love vampires. That would be so hot!

Oh dear, live show only did marginally better than late night broadcast of day old event. :-( From THR: Star-studded BAFAs attract low viewership LONDON -- Hollywood may have turned out in force for Sunday's Orange British Academy Film Awards, but the ceremony managed to draw only 4.8 million viewers in primetime on BBC1, the pubcaster's main channel. Representing a 21.6% audience share between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., the awards broadcast, presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, was well beaten by commercial web ITV's peak offerings of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," "Heartbeat" and "The Jury." "Millionaire" and drama series "Heartbeat" attracted 10.5 million viewers between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., taking a 42% and 41.3% share, respectively, while drama "The Jury" pulled in 6.8 million and a 31% share between 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. The BAFAs' performance also compared poorly with the previous Sunday's programming. Live F.A. Cup soccer coverage reached 7 million viewers between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., and drama "Outside the Rules" attracted 4.6 million between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. For BBC1, the figures were a marked improvement on 2001, when a highlights package, screened at 10:40 p.m. the day after the event was shown live on satellite channel Sky One, attracted 3.1 million viewers.

(Lora) But wish she could have had a Mr. Darcy to help her over those soapy puddles. :-) The lovely lady who did have him was much more calm and elegant, wasn't she? Thanks so much to everyone for the BAFTA coverage. Without you I would be waiting for news that would never come.

For BBC1, the figures were a marked improvement on 2001, when a highlights package, screened at 10:40 p.m. the day after the event was shown live on satellite channel Sky One, attracted 3.1 million viewers. Well, they picked up another mil by making it live; that should make it encouraging. Still, it's a disappointing audience.

I don't think a 21% share for an awards show is that bad, when it's up against Sunday night warm goo (Heartbeat) and extremely popular quiz (Millionaire) on ITV - how much more did they expect?

Mystery solved about Empire and the so-called live broadcast of the Baftas. There was a one-hour delay, which did allow them to edit the program. And BTW, while RC's actions were fairly extreme, I don't blame him. You don't do that to the winner of a major category. Have we forgotten last year, when Julia Roberts told the conductor to forget about cueing the music and that she intended to be up there for awhile? As we'd say, that was a bush league move of the BBC director and you can be sure Russell, and perhaps others, will stay away from future awards shows without assurances that it won't happen again. http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,658381,00.html

" Mystery solved about Empire and the so-called live broadcast of the Baftas. There was a one-hour delay, which did allow them to edit the program. " LOL. So it was more like "live an hour ago".Why edit it?...There were no commercials.Maybe they didn't like the fact that it was an Irish poem;-)

The Maximum Russell Crowe website has the transcript of Russell Crowe's entire, unedited acceptance speech. This is the speech: "Western cultures are often criticised for their focus on performing arts. However, singing, dance, theatre, film and all forms of creative expression serve to ignite the intellect, propel emotional development and availability, and reward us all with stories of humanity and the triumph of the human spirit. I am grateful there is a Sydney, I am ecstatic there is a Sydney Opera House. I love my job. I don't think I do it that well. But keep on disagreeing with me if you like. "Richard Harris, one of the finest of this profession, recently brought to my attention the verse of Patrick Kavanagh: 'To be a poet and not know the trade, To be a lover and repel all women, Twin ironies by which great saints are made, The agonising pincher jaws of heaven.'"

Western cultures are often criticised for their focus on performing arts Since when and by whom? Cheryl, what part did they cut? I agree it was a poor editing decision--the speech is not that long, and he *did* win the Best Actor award. But . . . the abusive tirade reported cannot be defended. It seems to me he's been on good behavior for some months now-- he *really* wants that second Oscar. But I had a feeling it wouldn't last. He's lucky the US entertainment shows didn't run the story tonight--all focused on tomorrow's Grammys.

Hi all New Zealand appears to have done well at the BAFTAS in which Peter Jackson, and his Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring picked up 5 awards. Lord of the Rings is still playing to full houses in the country where it was made as well as abroad, and Box Office takings to date have exceeded $1 billion. Rob

If anyone's interested, there are a few shots and the poster from About A Boy up here: http://www.uip-netherlands.nl/aboutaboy.htm (looks to be designed by same person as BJD)

Here's one to cross off our list of potentials: Fiennes to Co-Star in 'Chambermaid' Thu Feb 28, 3:27 AM ET By Charles Lyons NEW YORK (Variety) - Ralph Fiennes is in line to co-star with Jennifer Lopez in Revolution Studios' "The Chambermaid," a romantic comedy to be directed by Wayne Wang. The story, based on a John Hughes script, centers on a chambermaid working at a five-star New York City hotel who becomes romantically involved with a well-known eligible politician staying at the hotel. Hughes will produce along with Revolution's Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Julia Roberts' Shoelace Prods. Production begins in New York in April.

Omigod! He's doing a rom-com. (Am checking again for those sledders again!) BTW, they've moved it too. Was supposed to be set here (John Hughes' base of ops).

And, more importantly, the male lead is now an American, when the original called for a Brit. From THR: "She meets and falls in love with a handsome, debonair heir to an American political dynasty (Fiennes) who is staying there. The man mistakes her for a society woman, and she soon finds herself gaining insight into the life of a man she might otherwise have judged from a distance. When her real identity is revealed, however, the truth sets in about the disparity of their lives."

Pffffftttttt! JLo and Rafe? Whatta match. Anyone else having a hard time picturing Jennifer as a chambermaid? ;-)

Nope. I think she does an excellent job of portraying "normal, everyday-type people" when called for.

Omigod! He's doing a rom-com I think Ralph is trying to broaden his image (and therefore the roles he's offered.) Remember his comment at the Golden Globes: "My agent told me to smile or he'd kick my ass." I think she does an excellent job of portraying "normal, everyday-type people" when called for. Agreed. I liked her in Angel Eyes with Jim Caviezel. Speaking of whom . . .if anyone hasn't seen the new Count of Monte Cristo yet, RUN to it. Caviezel is not only gorgeous, but a terrific actor as well. This one is great swashbuckling fun. Grab a big bucket of popcorn and go!:-)

(Mari) Jim Caviezel Liked him in that convoluted fireman film he did with Dennis Quaid. (Karen) I think she does an excellent job The last thing I liked her in was the first thing she did. Thought she showed the acting range of a block of wood in The Wedding Planner. :-/

JLo seems right for the part, but Fiennes as an American politician? Doesn't work for me. Guess he'll have to use a posh my-family-arrived-on-the-Mayflower accent (as in Quiz Show). The movie sounds like 'The American President' meets 'Pretty Woman' ;-)

Hmmm, didn't bother with the Wedding Planner with Matthew *gag me* McCan'tSpellIt. Am basing my assessmment on Angel Eyes and that one with George Clooney (Out of Sight??). (Mari) Caviezel is not only gorgeous, but a terrific actor as well. (Eileen) Liked him in that convoluted fireman film he did with Dennis Quaid. Frequency! Double your pleasure, double your fun. Quaid (who I've liked ever since Breaking Away) and Caviezel. I thought Caviezel was very impressive as the Count. Really aged well and grew more appealing with that age. Guy Pearce, on the other hand, was awful IMO.

with Matthew *gag me* McCan'tSpellIt. LOL, Karen! I prefer them dark too. ;-) But you knw that. (Mari), if anyone hasn't seen the new Count of Monte Cristo yet, RUN to it. Caviezel is not only gorgeous, but a terrific actor as well. This one is great swashbuckling fun. Yes, it is. I enjoyed it very much. Revenge baby! Jennifer is very lucky to be working with RF. It will give her an air of respectability.

(Caribou)The lovely lady who did have him was much more calm and elegant, wasn't she? I quite agree! Let's hope those pre-show entrances we want to see don't end up on the cutting room floor in the rebroadcast on E! I hope they don't cut them out because of the messy rain and suds. *said with worried look on face*

Fiennes as an American politician? . . . Guess he'll have to use a posh my-family-arrived-on-the-Mayflower accent (as in Quiz Show). LOL, Lora! A very accurate description! Great movie, though, and I found that to be his warmest performance ever. McCan'tSpellIt. Hee hee. Frequency! Double your pleasure, double your fun. Quaid (who I've liked ever since Breaking Away) Same here! BA is such a completely charming movie. Liked Frequency too. I thought Caviezel was very impressive as the Count. Really aged well and grew more appealing with that age. He really did, handling the character arc beautifully and subtley. I could see this one again. I think I'll do just that.:-) Guy Pearce, on the other hand, was awful IMO. Agreed. Terrible, IMO. Let's hope those pre-show entrances we want to see don't end up on the cutting room floor I don't think they were shown on the BBC, were they? (Just trying to spare you heartache, Lora;-) Anyway, apparently, we're getting the "international" version which will include the extra minute of Russell Crowe's speech. I wonder who they'll cut to make room.;-)

(Mari)I don't think they were shown on the BBC, were they? Wot, you mean there's no British version of the Joan and Missy show? ;-) Oh well, thought we might catch a glimpse of some of the arrivals. Thanks for the warning, Mari. (Mari) I wonder who they'll cut to make room.;-) It'll probably be Warren Beatty's speech that will lose some lines. He's not likely to get huffy about it at this point in his life. Plus he's got to be a good role model for his four children, and he tends to rattle on anyway ;-).

(Lora)It'll probably be Warren Beatty's speech that will lose some lines. He's not likely to get huffy about it at this point in his life. Plus he's got to be a good role model for his four children, and he tends to rattle on anyway ;-). Does he ever! I sort of like Warren and respect him, but jeez, he's a guy who, when asked what time it is, will tell you how a clock is made.;-) Well, whatever, we'll have to take what they give us. I'm still thrilled that CF was nommmed, that he attended, and that he looked so gorgeous while attending.;-)

Mari, I'm sorry about taking so long to get back to your question concerning which parts of Crowe's speech were edited out. My excuse is I have a horrible cold. The poem was definitely edited out. It would seem that the speech was longer than what is posted on the Maximum Crowe site and is supposed to be the entire speech. RC claims that the entire speech runs 1 minute and 50 seconds and that about 1 minute was edited out. As far as I can find out, all of RC's speech will be telecast on the E! broadcast. I got the following from a fellow RC fan. She didn't tell me the source of it. All she posted was that it is from the Australian media. It seems that RC has apologized to the British Academy but not to Malcolm Gerrie, the producer of the Baftas. ******************************************************************************* RUSSELL Crowe yesterday defended his haranguing of a British TV producer who cut part of his award acceptance speech from a broadcast that ran over time. But he said he apologised to the British Film and TV Academy if he had caused any embarrassment.The incident caused a tabloid furore in Britain.The New Zealand-born Australian actor, in Sydney for last night's premiere of the movie A Beautiful Mind, agreed that he had jabbed his finger at a BBC TV producer after winning BAFTA's best actor award on Sunday.He said he was annoyed because he had wanted to acknowledge his Australian background and to pay tribute to the actor Richard Harris in the TV broadcast. When he started to complain he was calm, but became heated when the producer showed no empathy and repeatedly patronised him by calling him "fella". "I'm quite apologetic to the British Academy if I've brought any embarrassment towards them, but my argument is not with them or even the BBC . . . (but) with a producer who tells me it was his responsibility to make this decision," the Oscar nominee said. Edited from Crowe's BAFTA speech were scenes of gratitude for the existence of Sydney and the Sydney Opera House; thanks to mathematician John Nash, whom he portrayed in the award-winning role; and a short poem recommended by Harris. Crowe also defended the film against charges it ignored Nash's homosexuality, and said that Nash denied being gay and his biographer, Sylvia Nasar, had only "proposed a question" about his sexuality. He agreed with the film's director, Ron Howard, that it would have been irresponsible to portray Nash as gay.On his chances of winning an Oscar for the second successive year (following Gladiator), Crowe said that "people are trying to create an energy of competition, but I don't think the actors respond to that, it was a great privilege to be nominated".He said that Australia was "the number one choice" for locations when he comes to film his directorial debut, WWII story The Long Green Shore, set in PNG. The film will not go into production until at least 2003, but may use rainforest locations in northern NSW or Queensland.

Confirmation of what appeared inevitable, from Ananova: Gwyneth Paltrow is to appear in a movie version of her new play Proof. US film company Miramax has bought the film rights to the play specifically for the actress. She will make her West End debut at London's Donmar Warehouse for a six-week run in May. Gwyneth plays the daughter of a mathematical genius, trying to come to terms with his death and his legacy. The film version will be directed by John Madden, with whom she worked on the hit movie Shakespeare In Love. Miramax director Harvey Weinstein told the Daily Express: "Gwyneth and I were so thrilled by the play that I bought the rights for her. John Madden will move on to the movie the minute she is free. They have amazing chemistry."

Do you think the movie will be a British version (with John Madden directing)? Is Proof at the Donmar to be a British version? Or will the movie take place in Chicago as in the original play (which works quite well)? Too bad the male math PhD role is more in his late 20's than late 30's ;-( (but I imagined CF in the play in that role anyway when I saw it ;-D).

As far as I know, they don't change plays to coincide with where they are staged. There was just "A Streetcar Named Desire" put on in London, and I would doubt it had been moved from New Orleans. Not knowing the play, is Chicago vital integral to the story or can NYC, for example, be substituted?