My DH is refusing to allow me to go!! I live in NJ and could be there in two hours and he won't let me go. I will make a particular effort he's going to be there; I will defy the old ball and chain. Welcome Nici! Go to it! First rule is NEVER let you husband know about CF. They do become jealous. If we ever crossed paths, mine would challenge him to a duel. ;-0 By the way I am 31 years old and hot. Very displeased with the demographic represented. Yeah!!! LOL! (Karen), (Didn't the 1970s happen??) The bras are back on. ;-)

Just got a ticket to the program at Cooper Union! Hurrah! Haven't even told the DH yet. But he will "let" me go. He has been very patient about Colin, and I try to take it easy on the gushing when I see him beginning to tire of Colin.

By the way I am 31 years old and hot. Very displeased with the demographic represented. (Moon)Yeah!!! LOL! Not even if I dye my hair blonde and am a size 6 ;-))

just for fun-- firthette: i very much liked you running up the stairs with a bit of your leg showing C: thank you firthette: it didn't work out with steven spielberg again? C: no, it didn't firthette: i'm delighted to hear it C: look, you ladies seem to go out of your way to make me feel like a complete idiot every time i read one of your comments online. and you really needn't bother. i already feel like an idiot enough times when i have to sit through one of my own premeires and then realize i chose the wrong script. now if you would excuse me i have a casting call to go to, good bye. firthette: look...i don't think you're an idiot all. though sometimes it does come through in the projects you chose. i realized when i saw you in that wet shirt i would forever be a firthette. what i'm trying to say very inarticulately... is that well... though perhaps in spite of some of the roles you've chosen i like you very much. C: ah.. apart from L. and... firthette: no, i like you very much. just as you are. a man screams from a distance behind the firthette firthette's husband: will you hurry up and stop drooling already! this is the most incredicle sh*t, we have 2 screaming kids in the car and you are married for christ sake! firthette: yes.. right... (lightly wipes edge of month then turns to CF) well, i must go. bye. CF watches with a quizzical look on his face as the firthette leaves and walks towards her husband and kids with a piece of toilet paper trailing at the heel of her shoe. C: (mumbles to himself) hmm... i can't say i very much like the sight of her walking away with toilet paper on her shoe, should i let her know...oh sh*t! the casting call.

According to next week's TVG, it looks like HG will be all over the morning talk shows-along with RW. I doubt if ODB will hang around NY for another week and do the shows for the nation-wide release on the 24th. One can always hope... I can definitely see CF in the role of a bewildered dad-it might suit that sexy thin spot on the back of his head. I don't think I'm very crazy about the JC movie-unless of course he has a meaty role. I'd still rather see the towel scene vs the toga. Welcome dalec, love the BJD!!!

(Linda) I can definitely see CF in the role of a bewildered dad-it might suit that sexy thin spot on the back of his head. It's gone...wait til you see TIOBE;-)

So, what do you think, Evelyn? Rogaine?

Thanks,Evelyn, for the heads up on CF's head. I'll definitely check it out when I see the film. Maybe he has had a transplant-could explain why he has been out of sight over the last few months-just kidding.

So, what do you think, Evelyn? Rogaine? I dunno...I just saw lotta hair;-) Whatever.It's v. attractive...like the ole Colin we all know and love.

Bad news for anyone headed to NYC next week: the TIOBE panel discussion has been cancelled. The people at the NY Times, which was sponsoring it, say they were just notifed this afternoon. Here's the number if you need a refund; follow the prompts and leave a message: 1-888-nyt-1870

Does one hand know what the other hand is doing? I was just talking to Mira[fill in the blank] and asked. They didn't know anything about a cancellation. Oh well. Now, I'm wondering about the release date as well. We had an ad in paper today for advance screening tickets for this Monday (up in the northern 'burbs) and it said the movie would be opening on May 24 and listed one downtown theater. OK, on the positive side...perhaps. Dates (not confirmed) for Colin's appearances on various shows. Sounds like many of them will be taped in advance: May 20 or 27 - Today Show May 26 - Weekend Today May 27 or 31 - Regis & Kelly May 28 - The Early Show June 3 - The Daily Show (Jon Stewart)

C: look, you ladies seem to go out of your way to make me feel like a complete idiot every time i read one of your comments online. ROTF, Dale! Whenever I think of him possibly lurking here, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Then I laugh.:-) A belated welcome to you. Here's a nice article, with some funny quotes, courtesy of "Ms. Darcy": Earnest' takes a walk on the Wilde side 05/08/2002 BPI Entertainment News Wire Feature By ANGELA DAWSON Entertainment News Wire NEW YORK -- Rupert Everett and Colin Firth didn't quite hit it off when they met some 18 years ago. The actors were thrown together in the class warfare drama "Another Country" and really didn't have that much in common. Firth admits he was rather serious and stodgy -- terribly earnest. Everett was arrogant, intellectual, outspoken and witty. Still is, notes Firth. Firth recalls, "His description of me was somewhere along the lines of `a ghastly red-brick-guitar-playing communist ready to give his first $500 to charity.'" That summation probably wasn't far from the truth, admits the actor best known as Mr. Darcy to the legions of fans of the BBC series "Pride and Prejudice." "He was very dull in the old days," Everett mockingly laments, correcting Firth's figure to "the first $1 million" to charity. "I wonder what happened to that!" These days the two Brits, both in their early 40s, get along famously. It is probably a good thing too, since they play lifelong friends in the latest film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's century-old British satire "The Importance of Being Earnest." "He's a lot easier to get along with than he used to be, but in a lot of ways he hasn't changed in the slightest," says Firth of Everett. Dressed smartly in a dark blue jacket, gray T-shirt and jeans, Firth adds, "He was outrageous then and he's outrageous now." Firth plays Jack Worthing, a reserved bachelor who enjoys a simple life with Cecily Cardew, his utterly romantic but sheltered ward. Their life in the country is quiet and serene, except when Jack occasionally goes to London to fix the problems caused by his wayward brother Ernest Worthing. What no one knows, of course, is that Jack is Ernest. Once in London, Jack teams with his ne'er-do-well partner-in-crime Algernon Moncrieff (Everett) and unleashes his carefree and reckless alter ego. He also finds time to court Gwendolen Fairfax, a rebellious aristocrat who dreams of marrying a man named Ernest. Meanwhile, Algy takes advantage of his friend's preoccupied state by paying a visit to Cecily, posing as the errant Ernest. Things come to a boil when everyone else turns up at the country manor and true identities must be cleared up. Noted British director Oliver Parker was pleased to be able to land two such celebrated actors for the comic period piece. "They have a rapport," he says, "and they complement one another." Parker previously worked with Everett on another Wilde adaptation, the 1999 comedy "An Ideal Husband." They toyed with the idea of remaking another Wilde piece but "Earnest," last adapted for the big screen 50 years ago, seemed doable. Parker rounded out the cast with acclaimed English actors Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson and Anna Massey as well as Australian import Frances O'Connor. In a clever bit of surprise casting, he recruited 26-year-old American actress Reese Witherspoon, who most recently starred in last year's hit "Legally Blonde," as Cecily. "What I wanted was a sweet, innocent face with a bit of a tiger underneath," he says. "She's really a strong, feisty character with powerful opinions. Reese knows what she wants and usually gets it." Witherspoon, who's nursing a cold with a cup of hot tea, says she was hesitant at first to take on such a quintessentially British role. "I was terrified, and I told them every day," the blue-eyed blonde recalls. "It was a lot of pressure being the only American there, because this material has such a pedigree and reputation." Dench particularly intimidated Witherspoon. "She's won every award under the sun," the actress says, her eyes widening. "At the heart of it I'm still just a little girl from Tennessee." Witherspoon acknowledges that younger moviegoers may be drawn to the film because of her presence. She hopes it will spark them to seek out more Wilde and other literary works. "I know that I felt really inspired when I was a teenager and saw `Sense and Sensibility,'" she recalls. "I wanted to see all of the Jane Austen stuff and read all of it. It's great to discover writers through film." Witherspoon studied with a dialect coach to capture the English accent. She and her husband, actor Ryan Phillippe, and their 2-year-old daughter, Ava, moved to London for the three-month shoot last spring. "We were feeling like proper Anglophiles by the time we left," Witherspoon says with a hint of a British accent still in her voice. "My daughter particularly picked up her own English accent. She was saying, `Mummy, I need to get in my pushchair.' I was thinking to myself, what the hell is a pushchair?" Witherspoon's colleagues say she had nothing to worry about. "She sounded good to me from the start," says Firth. Having tried American accents in films,he understood her concerns. Everett agrees: "She not only got the accent right, she could move it around and was very flexible with it." He describes his American co-star as "calm and organized." Everett, who was the first actor cast in the film, previously played the character of Algy on stage at the French National Theatre several years ago. The classically handsome actor says there's something about Wilde's work that keeps it relevant today. "He speaks a lot for now," says the openly gay actor of the gay Dublin-born 19th century writer. "There are so many things that have happened in the past century to which he's relevant -- human and civil rights." Wilde, after being celebrated for his satirical work about the upper classes, was jailed for two years for indecency during the sexually-repressive Victorian era. "There's a big question mark over Oscar Wilde at the end of the century," says Everett. "In the past 10 years, people have started looking at him. He still means something." Everett one day hopes to portray Wilde in a film that would cover the last two years of his tumultuous life, though nothing is in the works. "I'm the same age he was when he died," observes the 42-year-old actor. Everett says Wilde's humor not only holds up after a century but the material also remains relevant. "The point of the story is to be yourself. You have to pretend to be someone else in society," he observes. "That's what makes the title heavily ironic," adds Firth. "The whole thing is making a case for how important it is not to be earnest."

Bad news for anyone headed to NYC next week: the TIOBE panel discussion has been cancelled. Oh No!! I am exceedingly disappointed! That was to be the highlight of my TIOBE long weekend. :-( I even had several questions written down for others beside Colin. :-( Welcome dalec! LOL!!! Kate, I keep getting just a couple of letters and symbols and no text in your emails

Now, I'm wondering about the release date as well. Yes, remember I was speculating about that, as many of the release date websites are listing May 22 for NY and LA, and May 24 for the rest of the country. Can't say I blame them if they wanted to move it out of the way of the May 17 Star Wars hullabaloo, but I wonder if it screws up the publicity schedule. Anyway, many thanks for those talk show dates, Karen. When will they have confirmed dates?

June 3 - The Daily Show (Jon Stewart) Does this tape in LA? I'm thinking the MTV Awards taping June 1st. Thanks for the listings Karen. "He was very dull in the old days," Everett mockingly laments, That's because he was "a ghastly red-brick-guitar-playing communist ready to give his first $500 to charity." LOL! What a surprise. ;-)

When will they have confirmed dates? Am checking Farmers Almanac for date hell freezes over. Is that before or after I can safely do my planting? ;-D I asked about Letterman and was told that "they have to want Colin." So, I'd say we need to encourage the producers a little more.

All these shows are in NYC, Moon.

I think I need to learn to type faster. :-p

Am reposting Dorine's comments from above. June 3 - The Daily Show (Jon Stewart) (Moon) Does this tape in LA? I'm thinking the MTV Awards taping June 1st. No, NYC. I should look into tix now, if they aren't already gone. Some shows are out of tix months, at least, in advance. I think I need to learn to type faster. :-p (Karen) Does one hand know what the other hand is doing? I was just talking to Mira[fill in the blank] and asked. They didn't know anything about a cancellation. Oh well. Who's in charge of things like this anyway? I guess anyone can cancel for any reason. It's a bit early to cancel if it's because they didn't sell enough isn't it? Thanks Karen for the schedule.

Ooops! Forgot to you all something rather significant IMO. The newspaper ad for TIOBE is slightly changed. Colin is now in the center, flanked by FOC on left and RW on left, then the outer group is RE and DJD. So if you're not completely confused, it goes (left to right): RE, FOC, CF, RW, DJD. Then the ad copy no longer refers to Everybody loving Raymond (sorry) ;-D It now says: The Classic Comedy Of Mistaken Identity As You've Never Seen It Before! All the people are the same size. It no longer seems to be The Importance of Being Cecily.

Thanks, Karen for the schedule. Thanks, Mari for the article

Thanks for the TV and screening (NOT) updates! I, for one, am completely dizzy. But Today and Weekend Today, that's pretty cool. We'll have to check to see if the wardrobe changes ;-) Do we have Katie C's e-mail addy: Perhaps she could weasel more info. about future projects, in between bouts of drooling.

Rupert Everett and Colin Firth didn't quite hit it off when they met some 18 years ago. Ah Ha! Are we back on for a discussion? That mostly begs the question: what is RE's background? Public (private for US) schoolboy or lower middle-class like ODB (schoolwise at least)? One carefree with nothing to lose, the other with everything to prove to the world... Or do we consider all this as publicity? (I don't doubt that this is PR candy given the Worthing/Montcrieff relationship) Welcome Dalec! Loved the BJD rewrite...

I'm hoping that tonight's Behind the Screen on AMC is the repeat of the one on TIOBE. E!News Live just opened with a piece on the TFF. Plenty of HG and AAB, but no CF

Another question about the article... Had RW seen P&P (wasn't it Heather Graham who was clueless about it?) before (she mentioned devouring Austen stuff after Sense & Sensibility) and what she thought of CF in it? Thanks for the TV appearances schedule. That's plenty of advance warning to figure out a sensible way to keep the children quiet during that time ;-)

thanks for the warm welcome everyone. i'm very disappointed about the Cooper Union thing, now my only chance of seeing him in person is gone. i doubt i'll be able to make it to those other events. will they be rescheduling this? thanks for the TV schedule Karen. i have a question, will E! be broadcasting the tribeca film awards live or are they just showing the red carpet?

(Mari)Bad news for anyone headed to NYC next week: the TIOBE panel discussion has been cancelled. This is such disappointing news :-(. After he gave such an "earnest" interview after the BAFTA/LA screening, I was looking forward to the one in NYC at Cooper Union to provide even more insight. So he's Ernest in LA, and there's Jack (sh**)in NYC ;-/ Thanks for the refund number and info and for the 'ol buddies article ;-). June 3 - The Daily Show (Jon Stewart) Thought this was going to be tonight! I was looking forward to seeing those two together (I'm already LOL as I have been watching The Daily Show recently and imagining CF sitting in the guest seat opposite the very funny Jon Stewart -I am imagining very witty banter between those two). Karen, thanks for the preliminary schedule. Hope it doesn't change too many times. LOL, Dalec! You are so right about the family part. Great parody of BJD! Welcome!

Saw Behind the Screen on AMC earlier this evening. It was pretty good. Mainly Reese (why do we bother pointing this out). However, Colin got to saw a few words and it was nice seeing them on set. (Odile) Or do we consider all this as publicity? (I don't doubt that this is PR candy given the Worthing/Montcrieff relationship) Yup, this is going to be repeated everywhere, like the "sissy" fighting in BJD. (Dale) will E! be broadcasting the tribeca film awards live or are they just showing the red carpet? There will be an entire show devoted to the red carpet for Star Wars II which is at the fest. About all we can hope for is seeing a snippet of the awards show (maybe) on the next day's infotainment shows. The Tribeca Fest is extremly high profile. (Lora) and there's Jack (sh**)in NYC ;-/ LOL! Aint' it the truth. I'd post the genealogy of the Jack(sh**) family, but my email account is temporarily down.

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GAH! Am having flashbacks to cancellation of Hamlet. Why is he doing this to us loyal firthettes? Buggerbuggerbugger! Oh, well, will still try to get a glimpse at the premiere. Dorine, don't know why my email is being strange. I'll call you tomorrow to commiserate.

Sorry to read about the NY cancellation. Very disappointing but at least there are quite a few chat show appearances on the horizon! Final thought on TAG...we'll get to see it and it will come out on video!. Unfortunately, movies like MLSF and DQ (no distributor) just disappear in the UK. Also, it seems to me that in the UK at the moment, you have to be a mainstream actor (ie a name) to be offered work in the more prestigious smaller dramatic films. Someone over at yahoo movies (who had posted earlier that she really liked HS) has added that she saw it in a recent preview in the UK. So hopefully, HS is also on course for a worldwide release. Three(or is it four?) in a row! Makes a change! :-)

(Dorine)At least the LA Ladies had a good time and were able to provide great reports. I may have to continue to live vicariously through you. You are so right. Those at the BAFTA/LA screening did a tremendous job reporting on it. You LA ladies gave us morsels to cover both coastal events, especially the double squeeze handshake, Cecilbee :-)! (Dorine)I'll just have to turn on my CF radar at the FF Hope you'll be at the right place at the right time. Maybe you should bring a one-year-old along and he will zero in on you...just kidding ;-). *waving good luck radar up your way*

I called to get my refund, hoping that it would all turn out to be a horrible mistake and the discussion would still be on--it's still listed on the tape "to inquire about tickets to...". But no such luck. So I asked the person at NYT and she had no idea why it was cancelled. Not that it makes a difference, I suppose...

Good luck, Dorine. Sorry about the film discussion being cancelled. Maybe this will give you extra radar vibes for the ff.

I sympathize with everyone planning on being in NY. I don't suppose he's flying over to Cannes on the 15th? We get TV coverage on Bravo Canada that night. My local paper says we get TIOBE next Friday! (shall not hold breath)

A & E lists a program called "New York at the Movies" tonight at 9pm. I wonder if it's about the TFF? Kate, I hope you get an answer as to why it was cancelled.

I found out this morning (if the scheduled dates hold out)--if you want to try get tickets for the 6/3 Daily Show, call the Friday before (may 31) at 11:30 to see if there are any cancellations. I got my refund today too, for the talk. The lady on the phone seemed suprised that I knew it was cancelled. She asked if I was notified by the organization. ( I was, sort of....but not the one she was talking about!)

(Amy) The lady on the phone seemed suprised that I knew it was cancelled. I tried playing dumb by saying I was calling to "ask about tickets for the Classics to Film discussion. I thought maybe she'd feel sorry for dumb little me and offer an explanation, but no such luck. Oh, well, will apply the refund to liquid refreshment on Monday, I suppose. My suburban NJ paper has nothing about Earnest. Must pick up a major urban paper for such info. Will Earnest continue to play at the same theater in NY after the premiere?

(Amy)I found out this morning (if the scheduled dates hold out)--if you want to try get tickets for the 6/3 Daily Show, call the Friday before (may 31) Amy, this show is taped well in advance--so if you want to try to see the Colin taping (which may have already happened for all we know) call *now.* In other words the show that tapes on 6/3 is NOT the show that airs on 6/3. I watched last night and Jon had David Boreanaz on--he was talking about his wife's pregnancy, but I read recently that his wife had that baby about a week and a half ago. (Lora)So he's Ernest in LA, and there's Jack (sh**)in NYC ;-/ ROTFLMAO! Extremely witty riposte, as usual, Lora!:-)

hello all thanks to karen for getting me logged on, been lurking for a little while, must say that your conversations have fanned a small spark into a flame of obsession for odb, just stayed up until 2 am watching my p&p dvd with a friend, my poor friend left completely tortured for more colin, especially since the last two hours of it we spent pining for a glimpse his bedroom eyes and got only one kiss at the very end, amazing as that kiss was it did not last nearly long enough i'm a newbie in many respects, in the younger demographic myself with all the new responsibilities that come with a family, house and starting my career caught p&p for the first time on a&e this past december in between holiday parties, followed that up with bjd and loved the mirroring of p&p in it, not to mention everything colin about it, next happened upon drool solely by accident while looking into another movie and was hooked, came to find out that i had actually seen cf in valmont on tv years ago and never knew him, my like of cf has turned into an obsession for odb despite the lack film knowledge about him i realized i had a problem when i happened to be sitting behind a man in church that reminded me completely of odb, all i could think about through the whole mass was cf in not very religious settings anyhow, i doubt i'll have any inside info to contribute, but i love the conversations here and it gives me something to do when i'm slow at work

I'm so sorry to hear about the cancellation of the Q&A at the New York event. He was such a sweetheart here, I was sure you east-coasters would be able to experience the reverie those of us here in LA did. But maybe he'll surprise you and be accessible to fans anyway. I'll be in London 5/17-5/23. Any chance of him being back in town then?? Or will he still be doing press in NY? Your thoughts and opinions are appreciated.

Saw this one and just have to share ;-)

Been reading this weeks postings tonight, *slaps head* not the week to get behind in my reading. To get a bearing on time frames, our TV (Minkee land) is showing the gnat on Letterman for AAB, about a "selfish, shallow.....bastard" direct quote :~) How far behind are we for shows? I so don't want to miss CF interviews? Minkee June the 6th?, great stuff!!!

(trese)i realized i had a problem when i happened to be sitting behind a man in church that reminded me completely of odb, all i could think about through the whole mass was cf in not very religious settings Ah, yes, familiar symptom--wishfully seeing cf look-similars. (not look-alikes, as such perfection could hardly be achieved twice, unless we could find a twin or a clone) Welcome, Trese. It's a fun obsession! Love the poster, Annie. Those hats! Is that Margaret Rutherford as Lady B? Looks rather like Ray Bolger...

Thanks Mari for the Daily Show tip. I feel so stressed out about all this! YIKES. I think I will just resolve to watch it on tv. Hopefully, the film festival/premiere will make up for it.

Odile, you asked about Rupie's background. From what I recall reading, he was educated by Benedictine monks--very conservative Catholic upbringing. I guess he finally rebelled.;-) i realized i had a problem when i happened to be sitting behind a man in church that reminded me completely of odb, all i could think about through the whole mass was cf in not very religious settings LOL, join the club! Welcome, Trese. our TV (Minkee land) is showing the gnat on Letterman for AAB . . . How far behind are we for shows? Hi Anna, that aired here last night (Thursday night) so you're not far behind at all. Am surprised at the number of US news and talk shows you get there in MinkeeLand (love that name!:-) Looks rather like Ray Bolger... PFFT! BTW, I spoke to someone who had ordered tickets for the Cooper Union discussion and, at the time, she was told that tickets were selling very briskly--so it wasn't cancelled due to lack of intetest.

Just got off the phone with the braintrust at my favorite studio.:-( Release date info for TIOBE (this should be firm): May 22--NY and LA May 24--Top 10 markets May 31--Nationwide

I saw some coverage of tiobe on Movietelevision (Bravo Canada) today!! It was at the press junket. I'll transcribe CF's bits later when I don't have an audience wondering what I'm doing :-) Colin only had a few sentences but was lovely. He talked about the danger of fossilizing (big word of the day!) works so they become "classics" (his quote marks in the air). Wilde shouldn't be played to the gallery but should sound like people actually talking and replying to each other. Nice clip of FOC's tongue in his ear (or did I imagine that part?) Rupie has set a new fashion trend by wearing 2 undershirts. Soon to be a "classic".

I too just received my ticket for the non-event at Cooper Union :-( I noticed that the culture editor of the NYT was to be the moderator, so I looked up the number and left a message on his voice mail inquring as to the reason for the cancellation. I said there were quite a few people, at least, that were very disappointed that it was not going to happen. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see if I'm deemed worthy of a response. It listed his email on the voice mail message...I may send a note as well for a follow-up. Bryonny, you have a wonderful imagination ;-)!

He talked about the danger of fossilizing...Wilde shouldn't be played to the gallery but should sound like people actually talking and replying to each other. No danger that anybody would confuse his bobbing around, jumping up and down, and silly antics with any form of fossilization. ;-D

Re Jon Stewart and the Daily Show: I've been to tapings a couple of times. Sometimes you get lucky and the taping takes well over an hour as they record more than one interview. Othertimes, the interview is live - that is, just the one person, recorded for that night's show. Unlike other shows the scheduling is extremely, er, flexible (e.g. the time that Al Sharpton was scheduled and didn't show up and they had nothing to fill with. It was very funny anyway.)

Trese!! We're always happy to have new people join in the fun. And you're not alone in thinking about CF in not so strictly proper situations. (aka the Playmaker Posse) ;-D Woo Woo! Minkee has a whole continent named after her. I'm very impressed and v. possibly slight jealous. LOL! (Cecilbee) I'll be in London 5/17-5/23. Any chance of him being back in town then?? Who knows? If his NY appearances are all taped in and around the premiere date, then he could be back home by then. BTW, give'm hell, Dorine! And if they're not scared, have them call the staff at the Riverside. ;-D

Welcome Trese. I get my daily fix right here everyday. If that's not enough I pop in a CF movie and that seems to relieve my suffering. You are in good company. I think about CF in the strangest of places and situations. This has put me in a few very sticky situations. I loved AMC's Behind the Screen on TIOBE. This has been the longest piece I've been able to catch. ODB looks v.dreamy!!!! Glad I'm not the only one having a difficult time keeping the dates/changes-straight

Access Hollywood is doing a segment on the ff this Tuesday

will anyone here be attending the TIOBE new york premiere may 13 at the Paris Theater. i'm having some last minutes thoughts about going. i've never been to any movie premieres before. what would be a good time to get there and be one of the crowds outside the theater since it's scheduled to start at 7:30pm.

(luvvy)the time that Al Sharpton was scheduled and didn't show up and they had nothing to fill with. What a blessing, Chris--dead air is preferable to Al Sharpton.;-) (Linda)I loved AMC's Behind the Screen on TIOBE. This has been the longest piece I've been able to catch. ODB looks v.dreamy!!!! Doesn't he? Yum!:-) Very smiley and sweet being interviewed, but boy is he ever focused while preparing for a scene. Everybody else is yukking it up, but ODB is in a zone!:-) Here's what the NY Times is sending out; dare we hope that the Charlie Rose show came a knockin'? From Michele: "Unfortunately, we do not have any plans to reschedule this event. It is extremely difficult to coordinate the schedules of the panelists, especially when you're dealing with stars of this caliber. In fact, it was a change in their schedules that forced us to cancel the event in the first place. I'm sorry for any inconvenience that this caused you. And thank you for your interest in TimesTalks." Roberta F. Nordman/NYT/NYTIMES

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Access Hollywood is doing a segment on the ff this Tuesday Someone tell ODB that the trick to getting on that show is to paw Nancy Whatsit while she giggles like a little girl. Richard Gere knows this. Here is my transcription from Movietelevision (add your own stammers and hand waving): These things very quickly get fossilized into some "classic", you know, which I think suffocates the material. I think he intended people to talk as they talk, you know, speak to each other. Reply to each other. You're not playing to the gallery here. And I think he would've loved film. I think it helps break it down and bring it closer and loosen it up.

(Mari) dare we hope that the Charlie Rose show came a knockin'? What time does Charlie tape? Surely, not in the evening. How about they had to go to Cannes? ;-D

I just saw TIOBE. There was quite a bit of laughing from the audience. The best reaction, I thought, was the scene where they are all in the country house and JD pays a suprise visit. The whole audience seemed to gasp. You could overhear a lot of positive comments from the crowd as they exited the theatre. v.v.good I didn't see anyone of "importance" though. How did the other attendees do????

Whooaahh! I woke up this morning (Saturday), immediately logged on to catch the latest and I see that all this CF promo merry-go-round has caused everyone at Drool to become unstable - everything now tilts to the right. LOL! I now have a crick on my neck from tilting to the right to read all the italics - or is just a sign that I should update my computer? *************** Welcome Trese! I fully empathise with you as I have only been recently afflicted by the CF-disease that requires one to have frequent cold showers to bring the symptons under control ;-). Churches and other quiet spots are usually the places where the symptoms present themselves at their most rampant. Of course, it is always best to be on your guard where there are big screens that show his adorable face to perfection. During those times, symptoms may include: sweaty palms and other parts; heart palpitations; and this incredible need to make sounds ranging from gurgling in the throat or outright scream of delight - depending on the type of person you are. On those occasions, the only antidotes available are : any strong material (such as an armchair - or even your arm) that you can grab a hold to help stop the urge to scream; a cold shower as already mentioned; and, when really desperate, perhaps an MDH (or a version thereof) who threatens to finally walk out on you and take the kids, the house (or mor gage, as the case may be) and leave you alone only with your CF memorabilia. ************* And then I find that Anna have made me (in)famous (or at least my nom de drool)by laying claim on a continent which I had sworn to leave just last night because of the excessive taxes I have to pay...(tax time next month down here!). ROTFL. Reserve the envy for something else Boss! ***************** Am surprised at the number of US news and talk shows you get there in MinkeeLand (love that name!:-) Not enough, Mari. We still are the CF-under-privileged class and I am afraid that our UK and US sisters will have to continue to support us...which prompts me to say...Thank you! to all of you who speedily share your news, experiences, memories. We delight in every morsel we get and we appreciate it so. Don't we, citizens of M-----land couldn't bring myself to type it

Just got home from seeing TIOBE also. I really enjoyed it! And Colin's hair...oh if I could just run my fingers through his hair...just once! ... I'll die happy ;-)! Those suits really...suited him well, too, I thought. Loved FO'C! I think I was vibrating right there with her. ;-) Even though it's been commented upon here that RE may have all the best lines, I was more entertained by ODB and FO'C...and Tom Wilkinson, I found him quite endearing and comical. Oh and the OTT ending...yes it was a bit silly. I think it would have seemed stranger to me if I hadn't been forwarned (thank you very much). By the time he hugged RE during the end, I'd forgotten about that National Enquirer piece about the physical ad-lib by RE of slapping Colin on the rear instead of the back and only remembered at the last second and more or less missed scrutinizing ODB's reaction. Didn't realize it was at the end, so I thought it might have been cut out. I'll take note the next time I see it. Like Amy, I heard very positive comments on the way out. Quite a few had no idea what happened in the play in the first place and enjoyed it anyway. Walking down the street, I heard someone in a group remark that one of them was planning to dislike it and instead enjoyed it very much. Meryl Streep was apparently relegated to the balcony with all the almost late-comers like me. I was planning to get there much earlier, but was delayed by a contact lens crisis :-/. The people in front of me expressed surprise as well that MS was in the balcony and not downstairs, at which point, we wondered who could be downstairs....apparently no one according to Amy. And no ODB sightings! :-( I'll make sure my radar is turned-up while I'm in the city all day tomorrow.

I'm sorry I forgot to say... Welcome Trese! The more the merrier!

It is funny Dorine...I was wondering if anyone was upstairs! (I am kind of glad (relieved) I didn't miss anything!) CF did happen to look quite lovely in the mourning clothes and glasses. Hi Trese!

(Dorine) I was more entertained by ODB and FO'C...and Tom Wilkinson, I found him quite endearing and comical. ODB and Tom Wilkinson... That's exactly the way I felt with SIL after a couple of viewing!

I am v.jealous of all of you that have seen TIOBE already! Now that I have seen the AMC segment, and having heard all of your first hand comments, I'll take Minkee's advice and go the cold shower route. OH that hair...I can't believe I'm starting off a Saturday morning in this way. You guys are killing me. Dorine, keep your eyes glued to everyone you pass. GOOD LUCK, YOU CRAZY GIRL!

(Karen), No danger that anybody would confuse his bobbing around, jumping up and down, and silly antics with any form of fossilization. ;-D (Dorine), the OTT ending...yes it was a bit silly. I think it would have seemed stranger to me if I hadn't been forwarned (thank you very much) LOL! You're welcome. ;-) (Mari), MinkeeLand (love that name!:-) Me too! It has a happy ring to it. :-) Thank you Amy and Dorine for your reports. Was it sold-out? Looking forward to the premiere reports. Welcome Trese!

Lovely to hear about the film from both of you. If you'd like to discuss the film in more detail, we have the Spoilers topic (126) for that. The TIOBE comments begin here: http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/drool/126.1241 We like to keep those separate since the film will have such a delayed opening in various parts of the world/country (although it will open in Minkeeland fairly soon. CF-deprived! Ha!!) ;-D

moon-- friday night was sold out as is the showing tonight. as i was leaving friday, a very angry (and loud) woman was complaining that she had waited in a very long line and TIOBE sold out to the 2 people in front of her, and what were they going to do about it!

It wasn't me! Honest it wasn't! But I can understand how she felt!

True to form I will post complaints, but first...thanks to Minkee for letting those of us way down here know what's going on. (I'm usually known for being quite positive and fun!) I just read an article from Yahoo (maybe the source is my problem) and there was a lot of talk about the Tribeca FF, and not a word about the awards at the end and who was presenting them. Am I wrong, or have I read here about CF and RW teaming up for this??? I thought that would be interesting to someone...somewhere...SOB!!!....... There is a little TV show here on Sunday nights called Premire or Preview...(sorry I'm not a big TV person anymore) that is all about film and my boys have been in charge of searching for TIOBE info. Hey, they 'earnestly' called me into tonight and I saw a 30 second clip of...you guessed it ...RW talking gibberish about the business of learning her 'english' accent for her part. I give up! Except, of course, for June 6...as Minkee has said, is the Australian opening for TIOBE. Hey, all the NY girls, I hope you have had some fun tonight!!!!!

Oh no Lisa - now you'll really have something to complain about and I will certainly join you!! The release date in Aus has been changed! Bwaahhh! ;-/ It's now showing as JULY 4. Check it out : http://www.yourmovies.com.au/main.cfm?page=movie_release_dates. (Thanks to Sarah for the website tip.)

LOL, Minkee..at least as a half-American-half-Aussie I can say there will be something to do to celebrate on Independence Day in the land down under!!!!!! (I'm sure I had more to whine about...!)

Sorry ladies! No ODB sightings yesterday :-( Believe me I was definitely canvassing the area in between my panel and movies (saw Enigma...v.v. good). Saw many lower level character actors I'm sure we've seen in all kinds of movies and TV shows...couldn't name any of them though. Decided to skip trying to see TIOBE again (after standing in waitlist line ~45 mins) to go around the corner to the Insomnia screening party that was being thrown at the hotel. I was thinking Insomnia is a Miramax film and just maybe....someone we all know and love would mosey down the red carpet. But, alas no. Saw a bunch of other stars that I can list wherever is appropriate (odds & ends?). They didn't start coming in until 10:30pm or so and I left just before midnight when the entrances began to taper off (I had been there since 10 am). CF and RW are indeed to be the hosts of the awards ceremony tonight. I will forgo this event as I'm going to the premiere tomorrow. I'm not sure if the event tonight will be set up for oogling as they go in, so I'll wait for the sure thing tomorrow. I'll watch the Star Wars premiere tonight...maybe he'll show there after the awards.

Good reconnaisance work, Dorine--if you can, do go to the awards thingie, as that too is a sure thingie, er, thing!:-) Nice article in today's New York Times; some good CF quotes. Thanks to Chris R.: The Importance of Being Wildean but Also Cinematic Publication Date: Sunday May 12, 2002 Summer Movies; Section 2A; Page 31, Column 1 c. 2002 New York Times Company By SARAH LYALL LONDON -- THE play is utterly familiar, a perfect marriage of form and content, with some of the most famous lines in English comedy. (''To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.'') The question in adapting Oscar Wilde's ''Importance of Being Earnest'' for the screen, then, is how to turn this consummately theatrical lovers' joust, with its dazzling verbal games and dizzying confection of a plot, into a plausible movie. It has been tried at least once before, in a faithful 1952 version, with Michael Redgrave and Michael Denison as the two young dandies who find it convenient to disguise their identities from time to time, Joan Greenwood and Dorothy Tutin as the soubrettes they woo in town and country, and Dame Edith Evans as the redoubtable Lady Bracknell. Now it has been tried again, and opening in New York and Los Angeles on May 22, with a national release to follow. But in this case Oliver Parker, who adapted and directed the new version, recognized that it is not the sort of piece that translates automatically from one medium to another. ''If someone gave it to you as a film script, it wouldn't work,'' said Mr. Parker, who also adapted and directed the recent screen version of another Wilde play, ''An Ideal Husband.'' ''You have to connect with the parts that matter to you and build on them. Nearly all the dialogue is Wilde's, but I had to jiggle with the script a bit.'' That meant consolidating some scenes and extending others. It also meant liberating the play from its constricting drawing rooms, so that it became a movie filled with lavish sets and crowds of boisterous extras in places like the streets of London, a wild dance hall, a fancy hotel restaurant and a grand estate in the country. There are bucolic outdoor scenes, too, on a river and in a bluebell-speckled forest, for example. For a cast full of capital-T thespians steeped in the Wildean tradition, including Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, Tom Wilkinson and Judi Dench as a very formidable but also surprisingly human Lady Bracknell, performing in the film required looking at the material with fresh eyes, almost as if they had never been exposed to it before. ''It's one of the things that people grow up with, whether they've ever seen it or not,'' said Mr. Firth, who first caught ''Earnest'' onstage in Southampton, England, in the 1970's. In the film, he plays the juicy double role of Jack Worthing and his alter ego of wicked repute, Ernest. ''What has amazed me is how open it is to being interpreted, to being played with. I thought everything we'd do would be straining against the nature of the piece and would look wrong, but it's not.'' Mr. Firth welcomed the script changes and the chance to utter Wilde's words in a way that seemed perfectly natural, as if he spoke that way in daily conversation. ''There's always someone out there who, if you change one word, would act as if you'd burned the last surviving copy of the play,'' he said. ''But this is the only way we could do it without being utterly stilted.'' Reese Witherspoon, the lone American star in the film, plays Cecily Cardew, the ingenue courted by the charmingly irresponsible Algy Moncrieff (Rupert Everett). It's a tricky part, usually played by an older actress, because the character has to be naive and worldly all at once. Ms. Witherspoon said that taking on the role introduced her both to the joys of Oscar Wilde and the pitfalls of the English accent. ''I was an English literature major in college,'' she said, ''but I hadn't got to the Oscar Wilde part yet when I dropped out to go into acting.'' All that worked for the film's modern sensibility, however. ''I came to it from a neophyte's perspective, never having read it or having spoken what the English call the English language,'' Ms. Witherspoon said. ''It was intimidating being around all those people. The first day, when Judi Dench came in, my voice went down about four levels. I almost had to whisper. My accent seemed almost like a mockery. ''But I thought it was really important not to feel overwhelmed by the writing or the work,'' Ms. Witherspoon added. ''With any character you play, you have to find yourself in the character. I certainly relate to this young woman's spirit and her joie de vivre. She looks like a sweet little girl, but she's really this raging romantic underneath. And she's a very modern woman in the sense that she thinks, 'You're not going to take advantage of me; I'm going to take advantage of you.' '' The play, which was greeted as a triumph when it opened in 1895, closed soon after, when Wilde was convicted of acts of ''gross indecency.'' He had called it a ''trivial comedy for serious people,'' and on one level ''Earnest'' is a gossamer-light farce. But underneath lurks a fascinating exploration of the duality that characterized Oscar Wilde's own life as a gay man in a homophobic society and that led later that year to his disgrace. But in Wilde's play, Jack Worthing's double life brings him problems of a far more amusing nature. Living in the country, he is an upright, staid landowner; in London, where he calls himself Ernest, he is a rakish bon vivant who doesn't pay his bills. It is his dual identity that leads to some of the funniest, and most interesting, parts of the film. Among Mr. Parker's innovations is the inclusion of elements from the little-performed four-act version of Wilde's play. In one, introducing a darker note to the high comedy of the piece, debt collectors suddenly appear and pursue Algy to settle the fictitious Ernest's unpaid accounts. Mr. Parker also includes scenes that reveal the deep fantasy lives and often highly romantic natures of the characters: Cecily daydreams about Algy by conjuring up an image of him as a romantic knight wooing her. ''I quite like the range of interpretations that can be teased out of the script,'' said Mr. Parker, who himself played the part of Jack in a Welsh staging of ''Earnest'' when he was 29. ''I wanted to be careful not to load it with too much ballast, but nor did I want it to be a banging-door farce. Wilde's wit is on the one hand very challenging and, on the other, very humane. He's never more poignant than when he's being lighthearted and light-footed.'' Evidence of such lightheartedness comes particularly in the scenes between Mr. Firth and Mr. Everett, playing the louche, mischief-making Algy. ''We were thinking on our feet,'' Mr. Firth said. So that when the two men -- both hopelessly ensnared in high-comedy misunderstandings about their identities, and both passing themselves off as people named Ernest -- repaired to the woods to gather bluebells, they found themselves doing it perhaps more vigorously than they had planned. ''We picked bluebells together and started to argue, and then it got physical,'' Mr. Firth said. ''I scrunched his bunch of bluebells, and then he pushed me over.'' All this makes for a film that is familiar and at the same time new. ''Some of what frustrates me about Wilde is the way it can be done on the stage in the traditional way,'' Mr. Parker said. ''It's almost as though the cast has the appearance of assuming it's funny without really knowing what they're saying. It's something people seem to feel safe about. But what excites me is that he's not safe; he's subversive. ''Comedies can touch things that are very important, in a very light way,'' Mr. Parker added. ''Wilde's wit still glitters. That's what feels incredibly modern.'' Photos: Reese Witherspoon as the ingenue Cecily Cardew and Rupert Everett as the devil-may care bachelor Algy Moncrieff in ''The Importance of Being Earnest.'' May 22. (Miramax Films)(pg. 31); Michael Redgrave and Joan Greenwood in the 1952 version of ''The Importance of Being Earnest,'' directed by Anthony Asquith. (Universal-International)(pg. 33)

Mari, your post saved me a lot of typing. I just read the same article. I love it when he makes the remark about someone acting "as if you'd burned the last surviving copy of the play." I've seen the play done several times, but I'm not that much of a purist. I mean, there must be more than ONE surviving copy...

I just read that article 5 minutes ago, too. I was also reading an article in The Guardian, I think, about how lawyers in London now want pinstripe suits like Darcy in BJD. Seems Colin has become a fashion icon for barristers ;-) Maybe I can get it typed up later. Unfortunately, I will probably defer tonight's events as I've already put off a lot of paperwork and other things this week and will be busy the next 2 nights (someone in a line gave me a pass for AAB on Tues night.)

Will read NYT article in a bit (thanks, Mari) but there's no need to type up the Guardian mention, Dorine. It was actually published in The Observer in an article by Victoria Coren, who has written about Colin several times before (must have a crush like Katie): The Law Society has warned solicitors to 'keep clothes simple and businesslike; avoid pinstripes and polka dots'. I'm afraid there's something they've overlooked. They're out of touch; how surprising for a collective of elderly lawyers. Why are solicitors suddenly wearing pinstripes? Because they want to look like barristers. And not just any old barristers - specifically Colin Firth in Bridget Jones's Diary. A solicitor friend explains: 'Lawyers' lives have changed since that film. We are popular at parties. Women want us. As long as we look a bit like Firth, anyway. There's been a run on single-breasted chalkstripe at the tailors in Chancery Lane. Some of us are even buying wigs. Firth's barrister wears his collar and bands outside court, which was always considered very vulgar but it's de rigueur now. I'm thinking of writing a fashion column on the subject for Bar News.' Amid all that talk about Ren�e Zellweger's weight increase, everyone overlooked the movie's sartorial effect on men. Andrew Davies is now working on the sequel, Edge Of Reason; if the Law Society wants lawyers back in three-piece flannel, they'd better write to the wardrobe department at Miramax. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4411762,00.html

Thanks, Karen. I'm not familiar with her column...seems an odd transition of topics from the beginning of the article to end up on barrister clothing. Know why I failed in my quest yesterday....was carrying a bag not a baby! ;-)

Minkee: The release date in Aus has been changed! Bwaahhh! ;-/ It's now showing as JULY 4. Drive a stake through my heart and finish me off, another whole month to wait, its NOT FAIR *throws giant hissy fit* I had made plans. A big black cloud descends on Minkeeland (a land to the south of beautiful women who share an uncommon interest, and are severly handicapped in the pursuit of such.) Thankyou to the ladies of the North, for looking after us *sob*

Breakfast With the Arts comes through! Thanks to Kris for sharing: Harry Smith will interview Colin on the 5/19 show. He was in the studio on Thursday and you can imagine how excited we were. One of my co-workers is still not speaking to me because I didn't tell her was was coming in. Sincerely, John T. Bence Managing Producer

I hope this URL works: lots of thumbnails from the TIOBE press conference in NY in April. Thanks to Meluchie for spotting: http://www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?navtyp=gls====9702

Excellent news!!! BWTA again. Fantastic. I love that note. Colin truly *is* A&E poster boy. ;-D And those wire photos. Loved those outdoor ones. Does he look good or what? yum yum!

Great photos on wireimage. It was from April 20th press conf in NY. Is that the source for the NYT article or a separate meeting? I second Karen. He looks great and in one of them he reminds me a bit of Paul McCartney, no? So many expressions, I love it when he looks thoughtful or smiling or ... ok I like them all! :)

One of my co-workers is still not speaking to me because I didn't tell her was was coming in. That was evil. ;-) Thanks for the link Mari. The read background clashed with his brown pullover, but he looks great outdoors. Off to mark my clalendar for BWTA. :-)

Bad review in Variety: Just as one of Oscar Wilde's resourceful gentlemen is Ernest in town and Jack in the country, so it seems that "The Importance of Being Earnest" was a comedy in the last century and a drama in the new one. At least, that's the dumbfounding impression left by writer-director Oliver Parker's utterly miscalculated film adaptation of Wilde's play. Trims in the text might be expected, though not necessary for an under-two-hour feature; and the opening up of the stagebound action is decidedly a mixed blessing. But what washes out the joys of Wilde's usually delicious concoction is a tone that bafflingly drifts toward seriousness, especially whenever thesps Colin Firth's Jack and Judi Dench's Lady Bracknell take center-screen. Wilde fans will turn away in dismay, with only costume drama fans likely to support this on the big screen. Pic's ancillary hopes are even sure to be dimmed, since the Miramax release opens just weeks before Criterion Collection's unveiling of a freshly restored DVD edition of Anthony Asquith's stagebound but infinitely preferable 1952 version starring an indelible Michael Redgrave as Jack and Dame Edith Evans as Bracknell. Earlier picture also points to everything that is wrong with Parker's handling, which starts with a brief chase scene involving the perpetually indebted dandy Algy (Rupert Everett) that's apparently designed to include some "action," but only looks like bad outtakes from "From Hell." Parker's script breaks up the dialogue between Algy and best friend, Jack, into sections that take them from a music hall to a lounge to Algy's London digs, but this only serves to impede the flow of Wilde's elegantly constructed dialogue. Algy exposes Jack's ongoing ruse that he playacts as a fellow named "Ernest" in the city, which gives him an excuse to leave his country manor and visit Gwendolen (Frances O'Connor). Algy, meanwhile, has invented his own fictional creature, a sickly man named Bunbury, whom he "visits" -- that's his excuse for getting out of the city. None of this is nearly as amusing as it should be, but things get downright glum when Algy's aunt, Bracknell, shows up and glowers at Jack's interest in Gwendolen. When Bracknell interviews Jack about his class pedigree and suitability for marriage, it is all about intimidation and not at all about Wilde's view of Bracknell as hilariously unaware that she is a bag of hot air. Parker's adaptation inserts some new visual material that has Jack dramatically trying to uncover the true nature of his upbringing, since all he knows is that he was found as a baby in a handbag at Victoria Station. Nothing is more stunningly off-key in the movie than this revelation, which invariably gets big laughs in any decent stage version but is approached as high drama here.Thus, it's strange to discover -- back at Jack's sylvan estate -- that Reese Witherspoon as Jack's beloved ward Cecily, Anna Massey as Cecily's tutor Miss Prism and Tom Wilkinson as local priest Dr. Chasuble and hopeful suitor to Prism haven't forgotten they're actually doing Wilde. Fitting comfortably with the otherwise Brit cast, Witherspoon instantly flashes her charm as Cecily drifts off into romantic fantasies (though Parker ruins the effect by archly depicting them on screen), while Massey and Wilkinson are masters of comic timing and the just slightly daft turn of their too-long-in-the-country folk. Adaptation is rarely content to simply let Wilde's characters settle into the drawing room of their choosing, continually interrupting the flow of the original text and generating the queasy feeling of desperation by trucking in "visual" notes.To wit, Algy actually arrives at Jack's home via hot-air balloon (with nobody commenting on it). Some new business involving Algy being chased around London and the countryside by debtors and Savoy Hotel reps is meant to underline the rake's non-progress, but it just gets in the way of what is arguably one of the English language's most perfectly devised comedies. Somewhere between the just-right froth of Witherspoon, Massey and Wilkinson and the poor judgment of Firth and Dench are Everett's slightly amusing but never winning Algy, and O'Connor's pleasant but unmemorable Gwendolen; those prone to imaginative re-casting would certainly top the list with Richard E. Grant, seemingly born to play Algy. A big widescreen look, complete with a notably underlit approach by lenser Tony Pierce-Roberts, creates an expensive, naturalistic style that simply doesn't belong to Wilde's specific and exaggerated universe. Elegance courses through Luciana Arrighi's slightly Italian-accented production design, Maurizio Millenotti's costuming and Peter King's makeup and hair design. Pic features one of the worst examples of "funny" music in recent film.

Can't say that much in there surprises me. ~~~~~~~~ So far have only seen 6 pictures from the Tribeca FF awards ceremony and no mentions of CF or Reese for that matter. :-(

What do you think of this review, Mari? (I yawned through 1952!) Looks as though reviewers could be polarised (1952 v 2002).And wasn't Michael Redgrave very serious? BTW how long is TIOBE? Does it hold audience attention?

(mari) I hope this URL works: lots of thumbnails from the TIOBE press conference in NY in April. Thanks to Meluchie for spotting: http://www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?navtyp=gls====9702 i can't seem to get on this site, is anyone having the same problem?

It's not about 1952 vs 2002. It's about whether this adaptation is true to Wilde, and it isn't. Miramax's spin is obvious and, IMO, utterly baseless. From all I've read, Wilde would be the last person on earth to condone such changes. He thought way too highly of himself and his work. The film was 100 minutes.

I can't get on the site as well. To make matters worse, I just tapped over the Behind the Screen segment by mistake. Definitely not going to be a good day-except for the wonderful news about BWTA-that was one of my favorite interviews during the BJD publicity.

Am moving your post to 160, Kate.

Some cheerful news, thanks to Clare: Colin will be on NY radio tomorrow: wplj 95.5 FM tuesday, may 14 9:00 am (although, keep in mind with these morning shows the guests may not be on exactly at the scheduled time) Could any/all of our NYC area ladies please tape this for us? Thanks! If you're having trouble getting to that wireimage URL, just go to http://www.wireimage.com and put Colin Firth in the Search engine. Once you see the TIOBE press conference pics, you can click on the film title and you'll see the other actors as well. (Bethan)What do you think of this review, Mari? (I yawned through 1952!) Looks as though reviewers could be polarised (1952 v 2002).And wasn't Michael Redgrave very serious? BTW how long is TIOBE? Does it hold audience attention? I disagree with almost everything this critic wrote. He likes the '52 version, which I found as enjoyable as having my teeth drilled. He says Dench and Firth are too serious, but I found their exchanges--especially during the interview scene, which he also dislikes--to be among the funniest. He praises Wilkinson and Massey; frankly, their scenes are nothing, IMO. He calls F O'C pleasant but unmemorable, whereas I found her an absolute delight. He even criticizes the lighting and the music! He clearly is a purist (or wishes to impress upon us that he is one). Critics should write for their audience, not for their peers. IMO, no piece of literature is so sacrosanct that it cannot be adapted imaginitively. Would Shakespeare object to Baz Lurhmann's Romeo & Juliet? Who knows and I don't care. The good news is, nobody from the general public reads Variety.:-)

(Mari) Critics should write for their audience, not for their peers... I agree, but... (Mari)...nobody from the general public reads Variety Who reads Variety, Mari? Is that a trade publication? If it is, then isn't the audience = his peers? Just curious. This article reads as if the author has an overwhelming need to impress the readers with his technical expertise of all things Wilde. A real purist who's up in arms! Not totally unexpected and, I should imagine, ODB would not be fazed. As he says : "that's what purists are for". LOL.

(Queen of Minkeeland)Who reads Variety, Mari? Is that a trade publication? If it is, then isn't the audience = his peers? Yes, it's an entertainment industry publication. When I referenced his peers, I was referring to other Wildeans--not the average studio exec, or actor, or publicist, or screenwriter who reads Variety.