(Dorine) yes I noticed that on RE, the eyeliner... wierd. and can't wait to see Katie interview ODB!! It will be a riot I am sure! you guys are all making me forget about work, could do this 24/7!!

Thanks, Sandi, but Barb has scanned the Biography item and I'm going to post it shortly. It is *based* on an old photoshoot, but is not the exact same one that appeared in the June 1997 Vogue, when Colin was profiled to promote A Thousand Acres. This is the red turtleneck shot from when he was filming "The World of Moss," later known as My Life So Far. Here is the full Telegraph article and the url below (you need to register at the site) While it's probably a good thing Lizza is offline for this news, I am thrilled to see Colin's name up there next to RC's. ;-D Will print this off and put it in the "Rumor/No Go" file. Paltrow to star as tortured poet Plath in BBC film By Nigel Reynolds, Arts Correspondent in Cannes The short, tragic marriage of the poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, which ended with her suicide at the age of 31, is to be turned into a major feature film starring the Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow. It will be the first time that cinema has explored the painful and tangled relationship, perhaps the most picked-over literary marriage of the 20th century. The film is bound to stir controversy and reopen wounds in the families of both poets. Ted Hughes, who died in 1998 aged 68, discouraged most attempts to dramatise or to pry into episodes from his life. He would almost certainly have resorted to legal action to block any film. Plath, a beautiful, highly-strung American, and Hughes, a dark and difficult English womaniser who was later to become Poet Laureate, fell in love in Cambridge and married in 1956. They had two children but Hughes left her for his mistress, Assia Wevill. In despair, Plath killed herself by putting her head in the gas oven at their flat in north London in February 1963. Her poems and troubled life have turned her into an icon, particularly to American feminists. After her death Hughes suffered many accusations that he was a monster who drove her to suicide. The anger against him intensified when it was discovered that Wevill, whom he later married, also committed suicide by putting her head in a gas oven. Their infant daughter, Shura, also died in the incident. Many Hollywood actresses, including Meg Ryan, have aspired to play Plath. But previous attempts by studios to show her life on screen foundered on Hughes's opposition and because Americans do not like unhappy endings. The new �7 million project, so far untitled, is to be made by BBC Films and several partners. The producers have approached Nicholas and Frieda Hughes, the children of the marriage who inherited Plath's literary estate after their father's death. It is not thought that they will attempt to block the film. It is probable that Paltrow's mother, the actress Blythe Danner, will play Plath's mother Aurelia. Paltrow, who was desperate [Ed note: crawl through molten lava?] to win the Plath role, is said to be very keen to act with her mother on screen for the first time. The role of Hughes has not yet been cast, although Colin Firth - whose latest film The Importance of Being Earnest has just opened in America - and Russell Crowe are among names being considered. David Thompson, head of BBC Films, said yesterday that the film would be a "very respectful" portrait of the marriage, with its highs as well as its lows, seen principally through the eyes of Plath. Mr Thompson was also responsible for the film Iris, about the illness and death of the novelist Iris Murdoch. He said: "What we don't want from this film is any sense of Hollywood schmaltz. It won't be glossed up for cheap entertainment. Everybody is concerned to do this in a very responsible way that illuminates their lives. "The story has a terribly sad ending but I think we can show that the marriage had many strong points and that the film can, in a way, be life enhancing." Frieda Hughes, a poet who lives in south London, said yesterday: "I am not commenting. The BBC has informed me but I have no involvement with the project." For Paltrow, 29, an Anglophile who is currently in the West End play Proof and who won an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love, playing the tragic poet could be one of the most significant roles of her career. BBC Films announced the plan in a rush at the Cannes Film Festival at the weekend as soon as the actress agreed to star. Shooting will start in the autumn and the BBC hopes that by moving quickly it will kill off four other possible Plath-Hughes films. Mr Thompson said that Paltrow was ideal for the part. "She has the perfect physical aspects, she's very intelligent and she has the right sort of fragility and vulnerability." Hughes has recently emerged in a better light. Shortly before his death he published Birthday Letters, a collection of his poems that showed the depth of his love for Plath over many years. And a new biography of Plath, written by a friend and published this week, claims that Hughes may have wanted to leave his mistress to return to live with his wife. Jillian Becker says in her book, The Last Days of Sylvia Plath, that Plath may have met Hughes on the eve of her death. The biographer even suggests that the late Poet Laureate's attempt at a reconciliation could have led to Plath's suicide. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2002%2F05%2F20%2Fwcann20.xml

(Dorine) yes I noticed that on RE, the eyeliner... wierd. and can't wait to see Katie interview ODB!! It will be a riot I am sure! you guys are all making me forget about work, could do this 24/7!!

(Bethan)Colin Firth and Russell Crowe are being considered for the role of Ted Hughes. (Mari) Murph assures me that Russell has jobs lined up through, oh, 2009, so we may have a shot at this one. OMG!! You *know* Gwynnie will go for Colin. ...incense is going, joss sticks..... * bowing towards the east on my prayer rug* (Sandi) you guys are all making me forget about work, could do this 24/7!! Like I said...welcome to the club;-) Hey, Katie just saying "Be still my heart" sent a million people to see "Earnest"

(Dorine) yes I noticed that on RE, the eyeliner... wierd. and can't wait to see Katie interview ODB!! It will be a riot I am sure! you guys are all making me forget about work, could do this 24/7!!

Yikes, was refreshing my screen, sorry about the multi posts!

Hughes, a dark and difficult English womaniser Well, what has CF been saying about the characters he likes to portray??? Surely those comments weren't a smokescreen to the real man! although Colin Firth - whose latest film The Importance of Being Earnest has just opened in America - and Russell Crowe are among names being considered. Yes yes, RC is considered for anything and everything if they can get him. We all know that. God help us if they add HG's name to the list. If he would just tune in here, there would be an unlimited amount of valuable advice for him to draw from as how to proceed with obtaining this part. But a dark and difficult Englishman seems right up someone's alley. And, he was a Gwynnie connection. Maybe she will insist on a certain co-star! :)))) (And, I don't think the Today show is coming on...it's 2:15 here!)

Karen I just ordered the San Diego 05/19 paper, will advise oyu when I get it..

That pic is a variation on one we've seen, but I like this one much better. *Running mouse over that cleft in his chin.* Thanks, Barb and Karen. And a warm welcome to all our newbies! But previous attempts by studios to show her life on screen foundered on Hughes's opposition and because Americans do not like unhappy endings. Yes, in the American version, Sylvia sticks her head in the oven, but sets it on "Hold Warm." Ted arrives home from a hard day of writing poetry, and is alarmed at the scene before him. However, Sylvia emerges from the oven freshly coiffed; seems it was an economical way to dry her hair. Sylvia finally convinces that gosh-darned Ted to give her more allowance money for a proper hairdresser! Tune in next week for more adventures from these wacky kids in "Sylvia Slashes Her Wrists." "Golly, Ted, I only did it 'cause it felt so good when I stopped!" ;-)

Helpful Hint: Unlike message boards, you can't Refresh or Reload to get new messages. In fact, if you've posted a message, it will do it again. In order to see if there are new, hilarious and educational entries, you need to reenter the topic via the url--either go to the main Drool page: http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/browse/drool/all/new to see which topics have new messages or hit the current url [enter key] in the location box at the top. [I give up trying to get all the !@#$$% tags right!!] Here's the Biography pic, courtesy of Barb, and the text, usual bio stuff: Claim to Fame The reserve, refined British actor became the obsession of millions of American fans as dashing Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennett's [sic] aloof but honorable love interest in the 1995 A&E miniseries Pride and Prejudice. "I can't understand it," he marveled. "I've never tried harder not to be sexy in my life." Current Role Learns the importance of being honest in The Importance of Being Earnest, a film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's comedy of manners and mistaken identity. Firth plays Jack Worthing, whose use of the sincere-sounding pseudonym Ernest gets him in absurd trouble. Prominent Parts Moved into modern roles in last year's hit comedy Bridget Jones's Diary, playing Mark Darcy, the title character's aloof but honorable love interest. Portrayed a Nazi bureaucrat in Conspiracy, an HBO film about the planning of the "final solution." Appeared in two Best Picture Oscar winners: 1996's The English Patient (as Kristin Scott Thomas' cuckolded aristocrat husband and '98's Shakespeare in Love (as Gwyneth Paltrow's malevolent aristocrat fianc�). Portrayed the amoral title character in Valmont, Milos Forman's oft-overlooked 1989 film version of Dangerous Liaisons. Beginnings Born September 10, 1960, in Grayshott, Hampshire, England, to a history professor dad and religion professor mum. Spent his early years in Nigeria, where his parents taught. He returned home at around age 3 and warmed up to acting while playing Jack Frost in a Christmas skit. After high school, he enrolled at the prestigious Drama Centre acting school. Spotted in its production of Hamlet, he was hired to replace Rupert Everett (his Earnest co-star) in the play Another Country. Breakthrough: the 1984 film version. Home Front Lives in London with wife Livia, a film producer; they have a 15-month-old son. Also has an 11-year-old son by Valmont co-star Meg Tilly. Modesty Becomes Him "I have a kind of neutrality, physically, which has helped me. I have a face that can be made to look a lot better-or a lot worse."

re the Telegraph article and the possibility of Colin playing Ted Hughes (fingers crossed), I wonder if it was discussed when Colin went to see GP in Proof at the weekend, well you never know!!

(CF) I can't understand it," he marveled. "I've never tried harder not to be sexy in my life." That's the key, Colin! Don't work it! I like this pic better, too. Ooooo...those eyes, that stare...the cleft, that hair!!!!! Oh God! I hear a cold shower beckoning..... ;-D

Oh, I LOVE that picture! Thanks to Karen and Barb! The role of Hughes has not yet been cast, although Colin Firth - whose latest film The Importance of Being Earnest has just opened in America - and Russell Crowe are among names being considered. He better NOT blow that one. (Lisa), If he would just tune in here, there would be an unlimited amount of valuable advice for him to draw from as how to proceed with obtaining this part. Very wise words.

Welcome Barb! Thanks everyone for the articles today. I have only been gone a few hours this morning and I can't believe how much I missed. Wanted to post after RE's interview. I immediately thought after the hand to the chest gesture, that Katie should be posting here. She would fit in so perfectly. Remember to watch her feet when she interviews CF. She was flirty with HG last week, but the feet were still. Mari, when are you starting the group novena? I'm in.

You're all very welcome on the pic, I was just glad my husband did not wake up at 12:30 am to find me scanning it in. The only reason I was that late anyway was because I was catching up on Drool fic -- it would just be harder and harder to explain! He's been amazingly tolerant, even to the point of bemoaning the loss of an old pair of riding boots he had, but can't push my luck. ANYWAY -- on that note, thanks for posting the picture here Karen, I have to say, coming on it unaware here had almost the same effect as at home! (Though probably more dangerous as I'm at work now!)

Welcome Sandra and Barb. LOL at Katie this morning. Loved the "Be still mu heart, excuse me, I love Colin Firth." From the look on Rupert's face i wouldn't say he was too pleased.

Dorine, it seems that you are a bit of a poet...."Those eyes, that stare...the cleft, that hair". How suddenly highbrow we have all become, especially with the introduction of 'flaneur" courtesy of Evelyn. Lora--no offence with the boots! People make fun of my choice of footwear all the time (HA). And I did have them on that night....how did you know?;) It seems lately that Russell Crowe has been getting bad press due to his bad behavior. Maybe this will work in Colin's favor. So much to comment on.....!

BTW, did anyone nothice that all of a sudden the listing for E!'s red carpet show for today 5/20 is gone? Now it list's SNL?

LOL, Barb! We're going to have to call you the Midnight Scanner. Gee, Mari, I'd pay 'ready money' to see the American version of Sylvia's life. But I'm thinking maybe it would be better in a teen/high school setting. I'm thinking, Virgin Suicides meets I Love Lucy. ;-D

(Lucie) From the look on Rupert's face i wouldn't say he was too pleased Yes, I noticed that, too! (Amy) Dorine, it seems that you are a bit of a poet.... I seem to be finding all kinds of new facets to my personality in the past week. (Amy) It seems lately that Russell Crowe has been getting bad press due to his bad behavior. Maybe this will work in Colin's favor. Good point, but unfortunately RC is still yet another "more bankable" actor.

Russell Crowe....pah. BTW, I didn't see 'Today" today (sniff) but in other pics of RE (especially on the ifilm website clips), it seemed to me that it looked as if he had had some (wink) 'work done'...i.e. some touching up around the eye area. Could this be a reason he hasn't been seen much around lately? (how many puns can I get in here?!)

Hello everyone! I can't tell you how happy I am to have found this place!!! Much thanks to Karen for helping me get started here. I thought I was the only person in the world who has a borderline obsession with ODB, but I see I have lots of company. Will be posting more in the future, I'm sure!!

Ok Dorine....how did you read my mind about the cold shower thing?? >: )~ Gorgeous pic....*sigh*

Waves at moonstar! *waves* Glad ta see ya here...and no, you are NOT alone!

Hi ya' Moonstar!

(amy) Russell Crowe....pah. i just remembered something about Russell Crowe. one of those entertainment shows did a piece on him. apperently he has gained alot of weight recently and has to lose at least 20-30 lbs for his next movie, whatever he has lined up next. i taped Today just in case there was a colin mention. can't wait to see it tonight.

I think this is new. Video interviews with the cast. Enjoy! http://www.hollywood.com/multimedia/detail/media/1109104

Got this week's "New York" magazine today--TIOBE only showing at 2 theaters in NYC. It is also listed with no star being that is is "too broadly directed..." but the cast, "which includes...Colin Firth...is excellent". Maybe the Today show will help. Belated welcome to all the newer lurkers (than me). There are too many to mention! Good going!

Mari, thank you for the video interview. Welcome, moonstar-keep your seatbelt fastened, it's going to be another bumpy week. I already posted about Katie Couric's interview. I went back and watched again, she also looks like she lost her breath a little when she mentions her love for Colin. I agree, too, that RE did look like his eyeliner got a little out of joint with her comment. I don't think it phased Katie in the least.

Karen--I am sending you a new article. (aren't you glad? HA) :)

The 2 pictures from the SD newspaper are: CF as JW, actually if you had seen the Today's show interview w/ RE, the snippet they showed had what was probably the CF still that was shown in the paper ... very elegant, manly, mmmmm... CF & FO'C embracing or just about to, I'm pretty sure it's when she goes to his estate Sorry, don't have a scanner.

(lindak) I don't think it phased Katie in the least. That's because she was too busy thinking about her interview w/ Colin. :) Ya know there's no way she'll let Matt get that interview. Hee, hee. If I were her, I would have been shouting MINE MINE MINE as soon as they booked him.

LOL, Barb! We're going to have to call you the Midnight Scanner. Yeah, and you can sing it to the Rolling Stones' Midnight Rambler. ;-) Welcome moonstar! Thanks, Mari!

One of our MIA Droolers in San Diego is mailing the newspaper to me today, but what is truly hysterical is that I just got an email from the woman who wrote it and she told me that she'd done a lot of her research at The Bucket's article archives. Is there anything you'd like me to ask her?

LOL!!! Cast Party on VH1! Imitation of Colin kissing!! ROTFLOL slapping my knee and whatever I can find!!!!!

Moon!! Have you been channeling Rupe! Boy, was he going after Colin's kissing. Said was like a chicken pecking. What a riot!

Is there anything you'd like me to ask her? Ask her if he looks at his websites, and in particular has he ever seen yours? Ask her for the notes of stuff she didn't use for the article. VH1 Cast Party is a riot!! Rupie accuses Colin of wearing a lace jock strap. that's about the level of discourse. This is the first time I think I've seen Colin laughing out loud spontaneously. Must-see TV!

I've been reading lots of past posts and am surprised that all you rabid CF fans missed this: I saw Spiderman a couple of weeks ago, and as I was leaving, looked up at the closing credits, and stopped so fast I caused a traffic pile up behind me. Credited as one of the children was an actor named William Joseph Firth.... Hello??!!! Another actor in the family?? Or perhaps I'm wrong???

Moon, I think RE has been lurking around here. I was waiting for him to mention to Colin that he would be getting a video of kissing instructions for his birthday. Pecking like a chicken? Hilarious. However being pecked by CF might just be "perfectly delightful" Glad to see ODB more talkative and relaxed since the BJD cast party. I noticed that he never really answered questions directed to him-except for the music ones.

OH OH OH....we don't get that show here. I'm sure about that! #@$*!#& Damn! Watch it if he was answering music questions, I remember an old thread I read about his musical tastes! Sorry, I cannot think clearly, have just viewed most gorgeous man smoldering wickedly in a *sigh* red turtleneck. I have my own ideas what's in his head. **gets down on her knees** Thank you for scanning and posting it! Karen, well done, The Bucket being rumaged through for articles. I'd like you to ask her where your nod of appreciation was as the source of information. :))) Now, I have to nap as I foolishly stayed up until 3am trying to find the Today show!

(Karen), Moon!! Have you been channeling Rupe! Boy, was he going after Colin's kissing. Said was like a chicken pecking. What a riot! (Linda), Moon, I think RE has been lurking around here. I was waiting for him to mention to Colin that he would be getting a video of kissing instructions for his birthday. Well... I hope he's learned something! LOL! I haven't seen it yet, but Lora is taping it and I will see it tomorrow! Waving at Rupe. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :-D *smoosh* (moonstar), Credited as one of the children was an actor named William Joseph Firth.... Interesting. I think you've discovered something.

Karen, I like Mari's questions. Also, has anyone asked him about the end?

OMG, I'm dieing. Cast Party was too good. The imitation of CF's kissing, thought I would die. Trying to get dinner, feed DH and son, and watch, it just is not fair. Was not ready with video tape, ended up sacrificing old children's Duck Tails video to get some of it on tape (he'll never notice it's missing!) Some lovely, unguarded, laugh-out-loud-full-dimple smiles. Some great lines. Not sure, is it ok to share openly or are some still waiting to see it? (Don't want to spoil it for anyone!) Menfolk are gone to Boy Scouts, house to myself, think I'll go watch it again!

Now, in fairness to Colin, Moon;-) the context was the scene where Jack is almost kissing Gwen before telling her they must get married. He *claims* he was only following directions.:-) How about the goofing around about the makeup? Too funny. "He came out looking like Bette Davis in Elizabeth I." LOL! Don't want to say too much and spoil it. Barb and anyone who missed taping, it will be repeated a few times this week, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, I think. Check the VH-1 website. Karne, ask the Post lady if she really and truly did not find Colin handsome. If she says yes, ask her if she's a dyke.;-) Seriously, ask her how she'd compare him to other actors she's interviewed--easier, more difficult, about the same, more or less forthcoming, etc. Also, ask her if there was anything he refused to answer. Ask her how the interview came about; what gave her the impetus to interview him. Ahhh, just ask her to log in here.;-)

(moonstar), Credited as one of the children was an actor named William Joseph Firth... It's possible. His stepfather (or ex-stepfather) is head of Sony Studios, and Spider Man is a Sony film.

(Mari) Ask her if he looks at his websites, and in particular has he ever seen yours? That would be interesting to know, but.....on the other hand I like the mystery sometimes of not knowing. Karen, how about asking if she started making up questions just to keep him there when she'd finished asking all the ones she planned ;-) (Lisa) Watch it if he was answering music questions, I remember an old thread I read about his musical tastes! On first viewing I caught Coldplay and Ryan Adams (not Bryan Adams). RE said Coldplay first if I'm not mistaken and he went along with that. Reese seemed quite clueless with this question. Other observations: They all seemed quite stiff until about halfway through when they seemed more relaxed and interactive. Possible reasons for more relaxed manner: 1. People sitting in giant bed in the other room told them to lighten up and pretend they're having fun...Acting! 2. Finished off that wine they were drinking 3. Finished off that case of leftover champagne they bought for the crew (who didn't show up) after wrapping the movie....couldn't let it go to waste! My sad first attempt at a list...help me if you can :-}

(Mari) If she says yes, ask her if she's a dyke.;-) LOL!!!!!!! Was kind of curious about that, too ;-D

Ask her for the contact sheets from her interview. She owes you that at least!

Was watching the Oxygen station. There was an ad for "The Importance of Being a Woman" which was somehow a tie-in with TIOBE. They showed a clip and interviews. I can't figure the connection...yet!

Please ask for the contact sheets. I'll let it go now.....

OK, The only coment I have from the VH1 Cast Party is: Was Rypert a little excited at the thought of Colin in a Lace Jockstrap? He really was sending Colin a lot of Zingers and poor Colin seemed unable to defend himself because of laughing. Poor FOC didn't get much air time IMO but I think she's lovely. RE and RW seem like the best of friends. They say Colin has no manners. Would never thought that. His smile is like sunshine though!! Very happy woman here. DH taped it for me while I was out. Think he's come to terms with my unrequited lust....as long as its unrequited (a girl can dream, and he does like size 12s).

On first viewing I caught...Ryan Adams (not Bryan Adams).... got that tag... Most definitely not! Squares very well with Townes VanZandt, too. Couldn't tell you who or what about that other band, but Ryan Adams is fabulous IMO, both in Whiskeytown and after. Check him out, beautiful 'alt-country' stuff. Heh, I'll bet I own a stack of CDs that would grab his ears. And should I ever encounter him, I have a rock solid line of chat! I missed the VH1 thing (tied up at work) so appreciate the info on the reruns.

Ryan Adams/Whiskeytown/Coldplay....v.cool.glad to hear it wasn't Celine Dion. To bad no one mentioned Neil Finn..... VH1 repeats: Tuesday 5/21 @4:30pm and Friday 5:30pm (double check though)

I second Amy's dates and add one more; Saturday 1:30pm (all those are east coast time - I get them 4 hours earlier so check in your local TV guide). I don't have cable, but this one seems worth it to me: I called up yet another friend and exposed this ODB obsession some more... (obviously could not call back the other cable-owning friends I've bothered before ;-0 )

I just saw Colin interviewed on BBC America's Talking Movies show with Tom Brook. Wearing a gray collarless shrt and dark jacket and looking incredible. Talks about the Darcy effect, getting offered more roles for "smoldering people," etc. This show is repeated a number of times this week; check your local listings! Jennie, I'm wondering if this is the same interview yhou saw onthe BBC.

I just saw Colin interviewed on BBC America's Talking Movies show with Tom Brook. Wearing a gray collarless shrt and dark jacket and looking incredible. Talks about the Darcy effect, getting offered more roles for "smoldering people," etc. This show is repeated a number of times this week; check your local listings! Jennie, I'm wondering if this is the same interview you saw onthe BBC.

Sorry 'bout the repeat. Anyway, I'll use this space to say that there is a new interview in today's Newsday also. When we hit the dog days of next winter and there's nothing Firthwhile going on, somebody slap me when I complain.;-)

LOL, Mari! At least I'm here and not in Italy to catch it all! (Mari), Now, in fairness to Colin, Moon;-) the context was the scene where Jack is almost kissing Gwen before telling her they must get married. He *claims* he was only following directions.:-) Fairness? There's more to this than we know. Sorry but he's got a portfolio dating back quite a few movies, Mari. ;-) (Amy), To bad no one mentioned Neil Finn..... I love Neil Finn. But why did you bring that up? Has Colin mentioned Neil before?

(Mari)there is a new interview in today's Newsday also. You mean this one? "Mr. Darcy' Hard to Shake for Firth" http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/wire/sns-ap-people-firth0520may20.story That was a wire story yesterday...even hit my little rural newspaper...front page.LOL Hey...this guy is goin for it...big time!Way to go Colin!

OK You're right Mari...another new one today in Newsday. http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/printedition/ny-p2page32714528may21.story?coll=ny%2Dentertainment%2Dprint

Here it is: Firth Class In England, he's a man for all reasons By Steve Dollar Steve Dollar is a Brooklyn-based freelance movie and music writer. May 21, 2002 There will always be an England, and as long as there is, there also will be a Colin Firth. He may not have the stateside profile of his sometime co-star Hugh Grant (who rivaled him for Renee Zellweger's affections in "Bridget Jones's Diary"). He may not command the hipster regard of Rupert Everett, or have roared in simian drag as Tim Roth did in "Planet of the Apes." And he hasn't registered, as has Ralph Fiennes, as the emotionally tormented romantic lead in any sweeping Hollywood epic du jour. What Firth does, however, he does better and more specifically than any of his peers. Between his earliest roles - in crumpet-laden Merchant-Ivory fare such as "Another Country" - and more recent splashes, including an award- winning turn in the BBC adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice," Firth has become a repository for certain notions about English manhood. That's consistent, whether it's the iconic appeal of those "mutton- chop sideburns flying through the air," as the London-based Observer noted of his Mr. Darcy, or his tight-lipped portrayal of that other Darcy, wriggling loose of upper- crust decorum to chase Bridget Jones. Mention this to Firth - who is amiable and talkative over fresh cups of coffee in a hotel suite with one of those ridiculously postcard- like vistas of Central Park - and he has to laugh. He can't pretend otherwise, even though he scarcely comes to it naturally. No sniffy blueblood, he was born in Africa and spent major chunks of his formative years roaming the globe with his peripatetic family. Strange factoid: He attended junior high school in St. Louis. True Brit? No, true actor. "That Mr. Darcy stuff does nothing for me whatsoever," says Firth, who is 40, and lives in London with his wife, Italian filmmaker Livia Guiggoli. "We're all English but we're not particularly focused on England as a family. And for me to come to represent to English people a kind of quintessential mythological Englishman - which really does not exist outside that mythology - is ironic. And great, because I suppose I latched onto that as an identity, because I wanted to have that to get me somewhere, at quite a young age. And I was shocked, because I didn't really expect that to be the way to go. It was a very profitable thing." And continues to be so, as Firth takes the lead role in a bubbly screen version of Oscar Wilde's aristocratic farce, "The Importance of Being Earnest" (which opens tomorrow in Manhattan, adds more theaters on Friday and rolls out wider on May 31). There's a twist, though. Firth, perhaps given a boost by "Bridget Jones," has begun to indulge his funnybone. "What's interesting about Colin now is he has a new kind of confidence," says "Earnest" producer Barnaby Thompson. "Early on he was stuck in straight roles. But he has a twinkle - a very sly comic timing that comes out of a truthful manner. The obvious actor to compare him with is Grant, who is very funny but much more flip. With Colin you find it comes more from the soul." That element lends some crucial underlying gravity to "Earnest," whose ensemble cast - Dame Judi Dench, Reese Witherspoon, Rupert Everett, Tom Wilkinson and Frances O'Connor - seems psychically attuned to a perfect comic pitch. But one that is deceptively delicate. "How would you sell this?" Firth asks, revealing part of what, besides working with director Oliver Parker, aroused his interest. "You can't really. This guy lives in the country, and he's got this girl - not his daughter - who he kind of looks after, and he goes to town and changes his name when he's in town and meets this other guy, his friend in town who does the same thing. He wants to marry the daughter of a woman who is this dragon. You can't tell it. It doesn't have that kind of plot where you can sell it in a nutshell. "The texture of it, this is inviolate," Firth continues. "You can interpret it to death, it's a very substantial play. But it's all very elusive, and all in the playing of it and all in the language. If those moments don't work scene by scene, the whole thing is going to collapse." Despite his evident pleasure in partaking of the sporting verbal frolic that is "Earnest," which Firth claims was laugh-from-the-gut funny enough to impress even his 19-year-old brother-in-law, the actor continually hankers for a drama. In fact, he uses words such as "hankering" to emphasize his desire in this department. Until one comes along, however, he's enjoying family life. Yet, as suits a fellow who's made a career implying all manner of complexities jostling behind a crisp veneer, life is not as simple as mere enjoyment. "I'm as close as you can get to a bourgeois life," he concedes, passing on a second coffee refill. "I have a stable marriage and a new baby and a car and a nice house. I have all that in place. I don't get to be in that house that much. And I don't get to spend all that time with that family. But I love having it all in place, and I love the fact that they can accept the life. I like the idea of that comfort, but I couldn't give into that completely. It just wouldn't happen." Copyright � 2002, Newsday, Inc.

Welcome newbies and de-lurkers!!! and thanks once again for all those who shower us with info. Lisa - I was a traitor to the cause last night. Too tired from travelling, fell asleep and missed Today. Are you saying that I did not miss anything after all? Too sad if that's the case. ;-(( Thanks for heads up, Mari re BBC Taling Movies - now to translate that to Minkeeland times : On Foxtel - Talking Movies is on BBCWorld at 5.30 AM (yes, AM - as in dawn) today Wednesday , 22 May. Repeats on : Friday 24th May at 02.30; 17.30 and 23.30 and Saturday 25th May at 14.30 The BBCWorld write up : Talking Movies This week on Talking Movies� Christopher Nolan follows up his critically acclaimed film Memento with the new crime thriller, Insomnia starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank. With a stellar cast and a talented director, can Insomnia be anything but a hit? Find out from Tom Brook. Richard Gere, Diane Lane and Olivier Martinez turn up the heat in director Adrian Lyne�s - Fatal Attraction, 9� Weeks - new adultery drama Unfaithful. Talking Movies catches up with the stars at the film�s NYC premiere and Laura Metzger brings you up to speed on Lyne�s latest work. Colin Firth jumps back into a period drama with his starring role in the The Importance of Being Ernest - a tale of mistaken identity based on the Oscar Wilde play and directed by Oliver Parker. Tom Brook sits down with the actor to discuss this latest role and his reputation as a handsome on-screen hunk. The independent feature 13 Conversations About One Thing uses shifting time sequences and intersecting stories to examine the impact strangers have on one another. With an ensemble cast that boasts among others, Matthew McConaughey, Clea Duvall, John Turturro this film asks the fundamental question: what makes us happy? Get the details when Laura Metzger talks to the stars.

Tom Brook sits down with the actor to discuss this latest role and his reputation as a handsome on-screen hunk. Oh, sounds like "Must See TV" to me. When are the repeat times in the US. Maybe I'll just drive over to sister's house where they get BBC America, with videotape carefully concealed in a haaaaaaaaaandbag. Getting back to that Cast Party, were there torrential showers that day in NY? Flooding in the streets? Must have been the reason for the high water pants Colin was wearing. *slap me* No, he's worn them before! Apartment Zero, Femme Fatale, vacuum cleaner shopping.... Am going to replay the credits at end. It must have been somebody's job to deal with wardrobe and makeup issues who was asleep at the wheel, and he/she needs to be severely chastised.

(Sandi) I am also in the process of getting an ariticle from the LA Times living section from 05/08/2002 which I have not seen yet, will keep you posted. That should be the article about the fans who traveled from near and far to attend Colin's Q&A at the Bafta/LA screening of TIOBE. The article (sent to me by Marianne) was posted here and the pics are up at The Bucket's "In the Public Eye" page, at the bottom, under the premiere stuff.

Mari asks: I just saw Colin interviewed on BBC America's Talking Movies show with Tom Brook. Wearing a gray collarless shrt and dark jacket and looking incredible. Talks about the Darcy effect, getting offered more roles for "smoldering people," etc. This show is repeated a number of times this week; check your local listings! Jennie, I'm wondering if this is the same interview you saw onthe BBC. Yes Mari, I'm pretty sure it's the same interview. In any case he is wearing the same clothes and looking incredible. Wonder whether you have any extras on your version though, ours was pretty short. Whilst writing thanks to everyone for their experiences at the NY premiere, all the pictures and the articles that have been posted. What an amazing couple of weeks we have been having.

Incredible reports here lately! And my contribution, you ask? Well, Amazon just wrote me to say that Secret Garden has just been released on DVD. They must not realize that this is the last CF film I want to own :-) Maybe it's a sign that FF or WoF are soon to be released! AZ? Playmaker?

I too just saw the interview on BBCamerica, and it is listed again in an hour. I will check it out to see if it is the same interview again and let you all know. Karen, I saw your comment about tags, am I entering my comments correctly? I do not have a great knowledge of HTML, but do know some basics. Let me know if I am leaving something open.

Did I hear someone say Neil Finn?? I am such a HUGE Neil/Crowded House/Split Enz fan! Oh to think Colin and I could like some of the same music...*swoon*.

TIOBE review from People (5/16/02) Oscar Wilde's 1895 comedy unfolds in a world in which the oxygen has been pumped out and a lighter, dizzying element pumped in. The plot -- something to do with two Victorian playboys, a terrifying pillar of society named Lady Bracknell and a baby in a handbag -- is close to Dada, and the dialogue pings back and forth in a volley of arch, nonsensical epigrams. ("All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his.") It's brittle fluff. Not something Oliver Stone would want to get his mitts on. Instead Earnest has been adapted and directed by another Oliver, surname Parker, who does plenty of rough damage on his own. Parker jollies things up, doling out the play's action into a number of randy period settings, including a gambling club -- and a tattoo parlor! Even with a cast as sharp as Everett as ne'er-do-well Algernon Moncrieff, Witherspoon as moony young Cecily Cardew and Dench as Lady Bracknell, the performances blur in the hurly-burly. (PG) Bottom Line: Misguided walk on the Wilde side.

Karen and everyone, here's the Talking Movies schedule for US. I couldn't get a tape in fast enough, so hopefully they're showing the same episode tonight! Talking Movies airs Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30, 7:30, and 9:30 am/et, and 12:30 and 6:30 pm/et, and Fridays at 6:30 pm/et. You can view the current show at the bbcamerica.com website--but I have no idea how long it would take to download.

Ok...I just have to say that after reading Dorine's report I am total jelly...and it didn't even happen to me! : ) How you remained so calm I'll never know...but I certainly bow to your greatness *grins*

Cindy Adams, again, in today's NY Post: Reese Witherspoon on attending the Oscars: "Five people got me ready. One did hair, another makeup, another chose the dress. I take no credit. I just showered and showed up. All I did was pick the soap." . . . Rupert Everett on his future aspirations: "Actually, I'd really like to go on Dolly Parton's tour bus." . . . Colin Firth on his rendering a song in "The Importance of Being Earnest": "Its real importance is releasing my singing voice to the world."

The Toronto Star picked up on the Washington Post story, and today publishes a piece of it, weirdly focusing on The Department of Nothing. It's called "Firth's Foray Into Writing", won't type it up as it is basically the same as the WP thing. No picture. Managed to get in a 'IOBE opening Friday' and a AAB reference in to it, also spelt Hugh Grant's name wrong though.

Mari, thanks for the heads-up on times for BBC America. Colin looked great. I'll pop the tape into the vcr in my office and try to trasncribe it.

Just checked BBCAmerica website and downloaded Talking Movies for this week and all they had on it was Star Wars. Downloads pretty quickly though on a 56k modem. Will try to catch the show tonight. Thanks for the heads up.

BBCAmerica, Talking Movies TB introduced the interview by saying that TIOBE is counter-programming against the Star Wars movie. {ed: something for the nursing home crowd?} [clip of CF telling FO'C that he doesn't much care about the name of Ernest; then other clips while TB gives a brief summary of the characters and plot.] TB: [voiceover about TIOBE] It was subversive then, and Firth thinks Wilde's observations still have currency and remain subversive today. CF: I think that a lot of Oscar Wilde's essential points of view would still be considered dangerous now. He believed that esthetics were more important than morality... that uh, you know, he said quite explicitly, and he wasn't being paradoxical here, he said that a sense of color was more important to human development than a sense of right and wrong. And that's not something that a lot of people would want their teachers to tell their children. So I think that, actually, he still is... he still does have an edge. [clip of CF declaring "Mother! more bits of the film, with TB talking about modernizing the play; mention of RW as only American in cast, there to bring in literature-phobic American audience (my words, not TB's)] TB [voiceover]: But, for Colin Firth, it is another period drama, which brings back memories of his defining role as the brooding leading man Mr. Darcy [show B&W shot of Darcy] in the TV series "Pride and Prejudice." TB: Because of some of the roles you've done in the past, I suppose most notably "Pride and Prejudice," people often think of you as this smoldering, handsome hunk. [cut to CF who has neutral expression on face at the smoldering bit] Has that been a help or a hinderance to the kind of roles that you've got? CF: [smiling] I don't know. It's probably, because you can't know what would have been otherwise. Um, it's helped me get more scripts sent to me where the requirement is for a smodering person. And it's possibly diverted my career from things that might have been interesting otherwise. It's a really impossible thing to judge. I don't regret anything. And in fact, ah, I've been quietly diversifying. I don't know if anyone has particularly noticed [smiles] but I've, I have been doing things that are different. People tend to remember me for things which are similar to what's gone before, but it's never really been my problem. TB: [voiceover behind TIOBE clip, then BJD clip of shooting the rowboat scene] Firth, who is widely regarded as one of hte most talented actors of his generation, hasn't made much headway in mainstream studio films. He did enjoy commercial success last year in the hit "Bridget Jones's Diary," but a Hollywood profile has proved elusive. TB: You haven't appeared in any big Hollywood movies, and I'm not saying that by way of any criticism. Is that by design, or because you just haven't found the opportunities there, or have people not come calling? CF: It's a mix all of those things. It's not really by design, unless one considers design as omission and not having gone to play the town and hunt it down. I could have done that, I suppose. I don't know whether I would have been successful or not. But I didn't do that. I wasn't interested in doing that. I enjoyed my life in England and what was happening for me there so I stuck with it. TB: Why is it then, do you think that you don't have marketability with Hollywood? CF: I have no idea. It's uh, it's actually completely beyond almost anybody's comprehension. You could discuss it for hours. It's not due to conventional good looks. There are plenty of people up there who don't have that. It's always been the case. Um, it's... some of them are extremely talented. Some of them are not. It's a mystery. And a vast, overwhelming majority of people who go into the profession don't have it. And uh, in fact, an overwhelming majority of people in the profession don't work at all. So I think the secret it to try and keep it interesting, really. [clip of "Ever since I met you I have admired you..."] [the end] This seemed like an abrupt ending, but all these things are very short. Why is it that Colin's seem so short compared to others? Colin looked good, wearing gray t-shirt, black jacket, I think jeans. Had his hands clasped loosely on his knees most of the time, made little gestures, no nervous face-touches. He seemed relaxed and comfortable. The clips were the same ones that have been all over. Press kit, no doubt. would want teachers telling their children

I laughed throughout most of the VH 1 Cast Party. What a treat! RE was on a roll. When they were asked to explain what was behind their interesting names he cracked, "I'd rather look at the behinds for (something, something) names." I loved that CF was asked whether anyone ever called him "Colon" ("Only in the US," I think he said, "...and I wish they wouldn't.") ODB had to hide his face behind his hands he was so embarrassed after RE ribbed him (maybe about the kissing) and it looked like he was shaking he was laughing so hard. Wish all interviews were this much fun. For making ODB laugh, I now love RE inspite of his oversized weirdly-shaped head. Welcome Newbies! Thanks to all who have posted articles, photos, and TV times.

(Ruth), I am such a HUGE Neil/Crowded House/Split Enz fan! Me too! And don't forget brother Tim. Bottom Line: Misguided walk on the Wilde side. LOL! And People also totally ignored CF. [clip of CF declaring "Mother! I hated that part. :-( Thanks Kate, for typing it up the BBC talk. I look forward to seeing it later today. And thanks, Karen for the Newsweek. Is he revealing a secret at the end? ;-)))

(moon)Me too! And don't forget brother Tim I could never forget Tim Finn...one of the first men who ever made me swoon!I was just listening to a Tim Finn cd here at work *grin*

Thanks for the BBCAmerica transcript, Kate. He looked so droolable, I didn't catch all the comments when I watched it.;-) I loved that CF was asked whether anyone ever called him "Colon" ("Only in the US," I think he said, "...and I wish they wouldn't.") Some people here tend to think of Colin Powell who does indeed pronounce it "Colon." Reese asked him very tongue in cheek if she could call him that. He said something like, "I'd rather you didn't," very wryly. Is he revealing a secret at the end? ;-))) I was wondering that, too, Moon.;-) And People also totally ignored CF. Did you read the review? They did him a favor. Seriously, they seem to look out for him. (Diane)and it looked like he was shaking he was laughing so hard. Wish all interviews were this much fun. For making ODB laugh, I now love RE inspite of his oversized weirdly-shaped head. LOL, agree with all of the above, Diane! How about the part where Colin and Rupe are doing impressions of how Reese said goodbye to the cast on her last day of shooting. "Ooh, you guys, I'm gonna cry!!" "I have to go now--or I'll just cry!!" As Colin said on BWTA, it was every man (and women) for themselves on that set. Seemed like they genuinely enjoyed each other.

I'll blame this one on Janet, who forwarded this to me. From the AP: Rating: E-FC (Eyes - Firmly Closed) By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer The most important thing about an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" is to present characters who bring a sense of, well, earnestness. Oliver Parker's latest take on Wilde manages that only about half the time, mainly with female leads Reese Witherspoon, Frances O'Connor and the wonderfully imperious Judi Dench. The keys to the whole works � Colin Firth and Rupert Everett as the two men alternately pretending to be an imaginary chap named Ernest � come across as glum and listless. They should be deliriously assaulting Wilde's spicy dialogue, but their muted readings deflate Wilde's outrageous, Shakespearian premise of mistaken identity. Parker directed the 1999 crowd-pleasing Wilde adaptation "An Ideal Husband," whose charm hinged largely on a buoyant performance by Everett. But Parker is unable to light the same sparks with "The Importance of Being Earnest." Unlike Anthony Asquith's outstanding 1952 version, a fairly straightforward transformation from stage to screen, Parker makes bold but miscalculated choices in expanding the story cinematically. Quick cuts, especially early on as the principals and their interrelationships are introduced, butcher the pacing of Wilde's playful speech, which would have been better served by lingering to let the verbal fireworks mount. Parker also punctuates the wordplay by inserting the characters into brief fantasy images, clever renderings of the classical tableaux common to Victorian society types who would dress up as knights and damsels and Roman lovers for entertainment. Yet here, the images are so curt and dramatically inert, they jar the audience out of the story. They're an unnecessary gimmick to visually gussy up a story that can stand just fine on its rich verbiage alone. Firth plays bachelor No. 1, Jack Worthing, a wealthy, respectable bloke charged with the upbringing of his romantically fanciful 18-year-old niece, Cecily Cardew (Witherspoon). Jack periodically travels from his country estate to London, telling his household he must mop up the latest mess left by his ne'er-do-well brother, Ernest. In truth, Ernest doesn't exist; he's Jack's excuse to blow off steam. While in London, Jack becomes Ernest, stiffing restaurants on dinner bills, hanging out with rash and wild bachelor No. 2 Algy Moncreef (Everett) and otherwise giving gadabouts a bad name. As Ernest, Jack has fallen for Gwendolen Fairfax (Frances O'Connor), a daring modern woman fixated on marrying a man named Ernest. Jack's fictitious persona aside, all seems well for the couple until his prospective-bridegroom interview with Gwendolen's autocratic mother, Lady Bracknell (Dench), who dashes his hopes when she learns of his mysterious origin (Jack was found in a handbag at Victoria Station as an infant, with no decent relations to claim him). Running from creditors, Algy visits Jack's country home, posing as the master's wayward brother and ending up in his own Ernest-challenged romance with Cecily, a prelude to the farcical unraveling of just who is and who isn't Ernest. Dench barks Wilde's dialogue with wicked glee, while Witherspoon (copping an impressive British accent) and O'Connor bring an air of elated silliness to the heroines. Tom Wilkinson as the local parson and Anna Massey as Cecily's tutor spice things up as a clumsily enamored couple, roles Parker beefed up from a rare four-act version of Wilde's play. Firth and Everett appear ponderous and dull next to their cast mates, as unrascally a pair of rascals imaginable. If Parker's failed attempt to augment the play for the screen undermines the heart of "Earnest," the lethargy of Jack and Algy finishes it off. "The Importance of Being Earnest," a Miramax release, is rated PG for mild sensuality. Running time: 94 minutes. Two stars out of four.

Unlike Anthony Asquith's outstanding 1952 version, a fairly straightforward transformation from stage to screen, Parker makes bold but miscalculated choices in expanding the story cinematically. If Parker had re-made the 1952 version, with the same arch, artificial delivery,and straight from the stage immobility, the UK critics would have torn him to shreds. (They probably stll will do so - it's a no win situation). Delivery is much more natural now, and conventions are always being challenged. Masterpiece Theatre - not! When they market TIOBE for the UK market, IMO it should be promoted as "the first new Ealing comedy in 50 years (based on Oscar Wilde's TIOBE)" . How come Baz Luhrmann gets away with it?

Gee, I can't wait to see the NY Times review in the morning.:-( How come Baz Luhrmann gets away with it? Moulin Rouge got mostly negative reviews here, and didn't do that well at the U.S. box office. And I think few were sure of exactly what story MR was supposed to be based on.;-) It really is a no-win situation, as you say. Had they stuck to the theatricality and followed the play exactly, the critics here may have liked it (thought then they'd probably complain about how dated it was), but few members of the public would have wanted to see it, IMO.

AAH! Our digital cable is out and won't be fixed until Sat. Called the cable co.and realized my voice was becoming very high-pitched, sounding v. much like a lunatic. The guy at the other end said "I'm really sorry, you must really need to see something important." Anyway, I logged on to BBC America online, but it's the Star Wars episode. I think they run a week behind. Does anyone know? Must see the grey shirt!!! I almost said that to the cable guy. Thank you, again, Karen, Mari, Janet Welcome everyone.

Thanks so much, Kate, for the transcript. Great job! (TB) mention of RW as only American in cast, there to bring in literature-phobic American audience LOL! What Spider-man is not literature? ;-D (BTW, if the kid had a credit, that means he had lines to speak, i.e., not an extra) (CF) I don't know if anyone has particularly noticed [smiles] but I've, I have been doing things that are different. Oh, we noticed, honey, that the fleet's in! ;-D (CF) It's not really by design, unless one considers design as omission and not having gone to play the town and hunt it down. I could have done that, I suppose. I don't know whether I would have been successful or not. Wonder if that's the same approach he takes at garage sales, or maybe he just doesn't go to them either?

Don't blame me , I'm just the messenger.... Review from the June issue of MOVIELINE MAGAZINE (hard copy) "The play's the thing in this adaptation of the Oscar wilde classic, for the cast is far from ideal. Judi Dench seems altogether too sensible to play the dithering Lady Bracknell, Colin Firth misses the slyness of Jack Worthing and the usually delightful Reese Witherspoon seem ill at ease munching cucumber snadwiches. Rupert Everett and Frances O'Connor are more at home in the Wildean universe, but the best performance comes from Tom wilkinson, who turns the role of Reverend Chasuble in a comic truimph . Even in this uneven production, Wilde's wit breaks through , and the lavish sets and costumes beguile the eye."

(CF Newsday)"I don't get to be in that house that much." So where you be ,honey, in the past 5 months? Not workee;-)

(BTW, if the kid had a credit, that means he had lines to speak, i.e., not an extra) He's stuck in a skytram and yells "Help!" or the equivalent. It was too hard to make out his face, but the age is right. How cool would it be to have the Green Goblin coming at you and then Spidey rescues you?

amazon.com has the 1952 version of TIOBE listed as coming out on DVD sometime in june. what a "coincidence" that they decide to release a DVD version this summer.

Quick note-- I mentioned Neil Finn (he wasn't mentioned by CF) in an act of my wishful thinking. I guess that topic may be better served on odds and ends? He is playing in NYC in July. Hmmmm, what can Dorine do in that situation....! Thanks for the new articles everyone. Repression, repression, repression......

LA Times Review: 'Earnest' Forsakes Wilde Ways Director Parker's style is sometimes at odds with the playwright's, but the film builds up steam in time for the classic comedy's intricate finish. By KEVIN THOMAS, Times Staff Writer Since Oliver Parker so successfully directed and adapted Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband" to the screen in 1999, there was every reason to hope that he would do the same with "The Importance of Being Earnest." But this time he chose not to stick with the visual elegance and crisp, taut direction that worked so well the first time around, taking a freer and easier approach that's at odds with Wilde's epigrammatic dialogue and tight construction. After a steady start, this "Earnest" commences losing energy and pace, so crucial to keeping Wilde alive, and the film tends to meander until it begins to build tension again for its hilariously intricate denouement. In short, Parker's larky approach too often jars with the precision of the material, a feeling reinforced by Charlie Mole's score, which evokes 1940s swing music that, while pleasant and lively in itself, has no connection with an 1895 comedy. The result is a film " that is at best highly uneven and perversely at odds with itself. Luckily, Wilde's delicious sense of absurdity and peerlessly witty dialogue are pretty indestructible, and "Earnest" itself remains a peerless comedy of manners. Rupert Everett is Algernon Moncrieff, the foppish, chronically but imperturbably insolvent man about London, and Colin Firth is his best friend, John Worthing, whose decision to call himself Ernest in town and Jack in the country, the better to facilitate his moving between high society and low life, triggers the plot's myriad complications. Problems multiply when the name Ernest becomes so crucial to the attraction Gwendolen Fairfax (Frances O'Connor) feels for Jack--and also in the way Cecily Cardew (Reese Witherspoon) responds to Algy, who has also appropriated the name Ernest for himself. Judi Dench has some of Wilde's funniest lines as the very grand, obtuse and frivolous Lady Bracknell, who at one point declares, "The chin a little higher, dear. Style largely depends on the way the chin is worn. They are worn very high, just at present." It's the kind of pronouncement that fashion arbiter Diana Vreeland would make--but with a deliberate sense of outrageousness. The entire cast is enjoyable but Anna Massey as Cecily's tutor, Miss Prism, and Tom Wilkinson as Reverend Chasuble, who love each other from afar, capture the delicious spirit of Wildean foolishness most fully. Not surprisingly, there are some glorious sets and costumes--Lady Bracknell's London mansion is but a tad less grand than Buckingham Palace--but this "Importance of Being Earnest" is not as glorious as it should be. * * * MPAA-rated: PG, for mild sensuality. Times guidelines. Sophisticated family fare. 'The Importance of Being Earnest' Colin Firth: John (Jack) Worthing Rupert Everett: Algernon (Algy) Moncrieff Frances O'Connor: Gwendolen Fairfax Reese Witherspoon: Cecily Cardew Dame Judi Dench: Lady Bracknell Anna Massey: Miss Prism Tom Wilkinson: Rev. Canon Chasuble A Miramax Films and Ealing Studios presentation in association with Film Council and Newmarket Capital Group of a Fragile Film. Writer-director Oliver Parker. Based on the play by Oscar Wilde. Producer Barnaby Thompson. Co-producer David Brown. Executive producer Uri Fruchtmann. Cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts. Editor Guy Bensley. Music Charlie Mole. Costumes Mauriizio Millenotti. Make-up & hair designer Peter King. Production designer Luciana Arrighi. Set decorator Ian Whittaker. Running time: 1 hour, 33 minutes. Exclusively at the Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles, (310) 477-5581; and the Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (323) 848-3500; opening wider Friday.

NY Times review: May 22, 2002 By STEPHEN HOLDEN In translating a play into a movie, a filmmaker can easily lose sight of the fact that the essence of a great play resides in its language and not in a movie's ability to go on location or add cinematic frills. In opening up Oscar Wilde's 1895 comic masterpiece, "The Importance of Being Earnest," the director Oliver Parker, whose more straightforward adaptation of Wilde's "Ideal Husband" three years ago found an agreeable balance between period lushness and linguistic precision, has gone overboard. What would Wilde have made of the embellishments Mr. Parker has tacked onto the play like a reckless dressmaker tarting up a Chanel suit to resemble a Versace gown? Those additions include fantasy sequences, a ragtime band, a hot-air balloon and a horse-and-carriage traffic jam. An aggressively buoyant score (by Charlie Mole) washes through the movie, giving it a perky vo-dee-o-do flavor that feels more 1920's than 1890's. As much as possible, the play has been moved outdoors to intoxicate us with the rarefied air of an English country estate. And what of the language in a work where the refinements and ambiguities of speech are everything? Wilde's famous epigrams remain intact and are reasonably well spoken. But the extra visual accouterments have a profoundly distracting effect. They interrupt the rhythm and retard the momentum of brilliantly silly banter that could be described as incisive nonsense. When Lady Bracknell (Judi Dench), the play's ur-snob, declares, "Ignorance is like a delicious exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone," she conjures a privileged, cucumber-sandwich world where a devotion to the superficial is a code of behavior and proof of social superiority. The genius of the play is the brilliance with which it simultaneously embodies and sabotages its concept. While celebrating brittle badinage as a comic art form and willful superficiality as the ultimate revenge on a cold cruel world, it makes its garrulous, dissembling aristocrats look ridiculous. Its twisty artificial plot, in which the characters' assiduously cultivated lies turn out to be true, and the putting of the concept of "earnestness" through the comic wringer support Wilde's contention that "we should treat all the trivial things of life seriously, and all the serious things of life with sincere and studied triviality." Half a century ago, "The Importance of Being Earnest" was made into a classic, unabashedly stagy movie, directed by Anthony Asquith, with a cast led by Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell. It dispensed Wilde's aper�us with a brittle insouciance that is largely missing from this souped-up version. If this film, which opens in New York and Los Angeles today and in other cities Friday, has a blue-ribbon cast that more than matches its forerunner in name value, it misses its high-toned elegance. Rupert Everett, that pouty, spoiled princeling who exudes a Wildean hauteur tinged with a Wildean depravity, is Algernon Moncrieff, the debt-ridden charmer who spends half his life evading creditors by dashing off to the bedside of an imaginary friend. Colin Firth exudes a bogus stolidity as Algernon's friend and comic adversary, Jack Worthing, a foundling discovered in a handbag, who is now the legal guardian of Cecily Cardew (Reese Witherspoon), the dewy granddaughter of the man who adopted him. When visiting London, Jack plays his own charades, passing himself off as his own nonexistent brother, Ernest, to win the hand of Lady Bracknell's daughter, Gwendolen (Frances O'Connor), who is fixated on the name Ernest. But Jack's obscure origins become an insurmountable obstacle. As Lady Bracknell famously puts it, "You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter - a girl brought up with the utmost care - to marry into a cloakroom and form an alliance with a parcel." Ms. O'Connor plays Gwendolen as a mischievous refugee from screwball comedy, while Ms. Witherspoon, affecting a passable English accent, is every inch the simpering rosy-cheeked ing�nue. Since Cecily is also fixated on the name Ernest as the only suitable name for a husband, Algernon also lies about his name, and the confusion between the bogus Ernests sparks more than one hissy fit. But the movie is so romantically insecure it inserts over-decorated fantasy sequences in which Cecily imagines Algernon as a knight in armor. Its biggest gaffe, which lasts barely a second, is a flashback revealing Lady Bracknell to have once been a music-hall floozy dandled on the lap of her future husband. As tantalizing as it may be, the suggestion that many of the world's grander dames have shady pasts simply doesn't belong here. Dame Judi's Lady Bracknell is certainly redoubtable. But her level-headed, realistic portrayal of the play's comic linchpin and ultimate mouthpiece only hints at the absurd grandiosity that can make Lady Bracknell laugh-out-loud funny. I kept wishing I was hearing Maggie Smith reel off the same speeches edged with the acid she infused into her curdled aristocrat in "Gosford Park." Rounding out the principal performances, Anna Massey, as Cecily's tutor, Miss Prism, and Tom Wilkinson, as Dr. Chasuble, a discreetly enamored clergyman who fawns over Miss Prism, give careful understated performances in the same realistic key as Dame Judi's. The whole tone of the movie needed to be ratcheted up a note or two higher. For all its distractions and additions, "The Importance of Being Earnest" is still a reasonably entertaining costume comedy. Wilde's satirical voice may be muffled, but at least it is audible.

LOL! These reviews boggle the mind. Sometime I wonder if each has seen the same film because of the different ways they describe the exact same thing. Well, at least both of these Times haven't out and out panned it. (Amy) I guess that topic may be better served on odds and ends? Or the Music Conference... Terry would love for more people to use the other conferences. They don't bite. :-)

Well, at least both of these Times haven't out and out panned it. True, and the LA Times one is mildly positive. At least Miramax can squeeze some pull quotes out of both of them: "Entertaining--a blue ribbon cast!" --New York Times "A peerless comedy of manners!" --Los Angeles Times You think I'm kidding? Where is David Manning when we need him . . .;-) ;-)

(Karen) LOL! These reviews boggle the mind. Sometime I wonder if each has seen the same film because of the different ways they describe the exact same thing. Not having seen it at all, I am really becoming confused as to the nature of this film. What are they seeing...? Some are complaining it's too frivolous, others complaining its too serious. Some saying the action is 0TT and now ODB and RE are .. what was it? .. sluggish or something like?? I'm so **confused***!!! Have they created different individual versions for each of these reviewers, or are the color of the critics' glasses *really* that intense and overpowering over what is in front of their eyes?? I can hardly wait to find out which version I will get to see (whenever...)!

Regardless, they each feel something is wrong with the approach, and it is so difficult to pin it down.