Thank you again Dorine. It is sometimes unbelievable the amounts of money, that flows through this business. btw - don't you ever sleep?

(Tress) And now we have the real reason he isn't doing the junket! (LOL) Let's see TIOBE, Love Actually and WAGW. Seems like all the London work gives CF and LD plenty of time to moonlight at their own production company. ;) Clever couple.

Thanks for sharing with us all of your very interesting information Dorine. And how great it must be to be learning so much first hand. Thanks again. Thank you for great pic Karen. He looks nice and relaxed.

Thanks Karen, Mari, Dorine, and Maria, for all the reviews, articles, and interviews. (DG)I wanted to make something smart, witty and fun, so parents could enjoy the movie, too. I liked the idea of the love triangle. As a parent who has sat through the likes of Dudley Duright and several other Gawd-awful films with my daughter, this is certainly a treat...with or without the CF obsession;-) (DG): He's doing some satellite interviews, but thought it better to stay at home with his wife, who is six months pregnant. Congratulations to the Firth's. I'd sure love to see some of those satellite interviews.

Oh sorry to double post, but thanks Karen for the picture of Colin at the London play, he looks great. The sideburns look very Mark Darcy...yeah I know, Trauma first.

On the producers for WAGW - older work and grosses - From Show Biz Daily: Producer Denise Di Novi WHAT A GIRL WANTS WARNER BROS. Year Title Gross 2002 WALK TO REMEMBER, A 41.23 2001 ORIGINAL SIN 16.25 2000 NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, THE 50.38 1999 MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE 52.80 1998 PRACTICAL MAGIC 46.61 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Producer E.K. Gaylord II WHAT A GIRL WANTS WARNER BROS. Year Title Gross 2002 WHITE OLEANDER 16.35 2002 DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA YA SISTERHOOD 69.59 2002 WALK TO REMEMBER, A 41.23 1991 MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN COWBOYS 3.60 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Producer Bill Gerber WHAT A GIRL WANTS WARNER BROS. Year Title Gross 2002 QUEEN OF THE DAMNED 30.31 2001 AMERICAN OUTLAWS 13.26 2000 GET CARTER 14.97 --------------------------------------------------------------------

'What a Girl Wants' is fairy-tale froth 04/03/2003 By Ann Brown ARIZONA DAILY STAR Apparently, what teen-age girls want is a loving and attentive father, a boyfriend from the pages of Cosmo Girl, and an undaunted, true sense of self. "What a Girl Wants" is a cotton-candy Cinderella fairy tale that stars Amanda Bynes (Nickelodeon's "All That") as spunky but feeling incomplete Daphne Reynolds. Seventeen-year-old Daphne and her mom, Libby (Kelly Preston), live in a fifth-floor walkup in New York City's Chinatown. Libby sings in a rock band at weddings, at which Daphne is a waitress. Daphne dreams of dancing with her never-met dad. The guy who didn't know he had a daughter is Lord Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth), who met and married Libby in an impromptu ceremony in Morocco. When Libby and Henry returned to England, the extra-crispy uppercrust Brits and Henry's manipulative handlers sent heartbroken Libby packing, telling Henry she'd found another. Daphne, feeling she's missing a part of herself, bursts off to London in hopes of finding Papa. She immediately meets dreamy, heartthrob musician Ian (Oliver James), the "half-breed" offspring of a commoner and a debutante. Free-spirited Daphne sneaks onto the huge, fancy-dancy Dashwood estate and finds that her father, a prestigious politician amid a campaign, now has a prissy fianc�e (Anna Chancellor) with an uptight daughter (Christina Cole). Daphne is a bull in an aristocratic English china shop. Her go-for-it personality puts Henry's election in jeopardy. To make her new father-daughter relationship work and save his career, Daphne trades her boots and bluejeans for pumps and pearls, and gracefully glides into English society. (Remember Greek mythology? Daphne was a nymph who was changed into a tree to escape attention.) At no point is the airy plot ever plausible - this is a fairy tale, after all. "What a Girl Wants" gets off to a cheesy start, reminiscent of 2001's "The Princess Diaries," but whips to a fuller froth when Daphne arrives across the pond. Bynes, pretty and cute, but not drop-dead gorgeous, adequately skips through the role, which is not a test of acting ability. Chancellor and Cole play the wicked, almost stepfamily with icy, gonna-get-what-I-want perfection. Their last name is Payne - get the not-so-subtle symbolism? Sure you do. Eileen Atkins brings a gracious balance and a contrast to the other women's characters. The absolutely adorable James plays a smart, kind, sweet-voiced, hard-working guy who loves Daphne for who she is. Ian is the breathtaking boyfriend every girl wants. But Dashing Dad is the real Prince Charming. Firth melts hearts with his usual charm as an honorable man struggling to balance his responsibilities and expectations with his newly found daughter and his heart. This make-believe story has a moral that Cinderella never discovered: finding Prince Charming isn't the key to happiness. To live happily ever after, you need to follow your heart and be true to yourself.

Thanks, Mari, for posting the interview with Dennie Gordon. Stuff like this reinforces my feeling that sometimes Colin's fans are his worst enemy. I mean, how could anyone who adores him so much want him to be in such a triviality like this film? I would think she'd want him to be in good/great films. Seems incongruous to me. Liked all the inside info about the marketing and the poster. May-December? *snort* Nicer way to put it than another Lolita or worse. ;-) Thanks, Bethan, for the update on Trauma.

Wow! so much gong on! A new baby on the way--congrats, Colin. That must be why he was on his own at the play. I don't like the untucked look with the jacket, looks too messy for me. Notice the bag in his hand? A souvenir for his wife, perhaps?

(Karen)I mean, how could anyone who adores him so much want him to be in such a triviality like this film? I know, I know, but sometimes we're just grateful to see him in SOMETHING, even "for dough" movies while we're waiting for the "for show" movies.

The bag is in the hand of the lady to the left. If I answer the other part, this will turn into a career debate. :-(

(Kate)That must be why he was on his own at the play. Not sure why being 6 months pregnant would preclude attendance at a play--or, more to the point, prevent hubby from going on a short business trip to promote his work, for that matter. I worked until the day before I delivered. I have colleagues who have gone straight from the office to the hospital. That's what women do today. It's not like you're ill. Oh, whatever. (Karen)I mean, how could anyone who adores him so much want him to be in such a triviality like this film? I would think she'd want him to be in good/great films. LOL, but she doesn't make good/great films; she makes very commercial ones. And you know what? He's coming out smelling like a rose in most of these reviews. Even the ones that don't like the film, like him. Cinderella tale is what this girl wants By Leslie Gray Streeter, Palm Beach Post Staff Columnist Saturday, April 5, 2003 Every once in a while, as I prowl The Palm Beach Post offices to look for creative inspiration or free snacks, I drop in on Scott Eyman, the Post's very own books editor/maharaja of movie history. Recently we pondered what differentiates a genuinely good actor from an adequate actor who seems great only because he lucked out in a once-in-a-lifetime role that not even a comatose ferret could screw up. I was reminded of that little chat this week while watching the truly talented and dashing Colin Firth stammer and beam his way through a stock part in the cheesy/sweet What a Girl Wants. This father/daughter fish-out-of-water fairy tale, based on Vincente Minnelli's The Reluctant Debutante, has a plot so simple that kindergartners with a working knowledge of Cinderella could predict it. Luckily, the movie also has Firth, as an upper-crusty candidate for the British Parliament who meets the free-spirited, 17-year-old American daughter (Amanda Bynes) he never knew he had. As Henry Dashwood, Firth wears his decency in his stammer, in his shy grasp for words, in his low, educated diction and in the way he desperately flounders to maintain his expected propriety, all while his heart is urging him to rebel. He's a non-cutesy Hugh Grant. I admit, I dig it. I don't know whether much of what Firth does is actually in the script. But he and the equally cute and talented Bynes can turn a goofy line or dumb musical montage into escapist joy without saying a thing. Bynes is Daphne Reynolds, raised in a tiny apartment in New York's Chinatown by her quirky wedding singer mother Libby (Kelly Preston). Daphne has never met her dad, Henry, but she knows all about how he and Libby met in Morocco, were married by Bedouins, much to the disapproval of Henry's snooty family of noblemen and their adviser, the crafty, evil Alistair Payne (Jonathan Pryce). Libby high-tailed it back to New York, never telling Henry that she was pregnant, because she thought Henry had chosen his position over her. Meanwhile, Henry never looks for Libby, because he believes she has ditched him for someone else. Sadly, both have been hoodwinked by the dastardly Alistair, because that's what crafty, evil advisers do. Unaware of all this nefariousness, Daphne aches for her father at each birthday and during every father/daughter dance she sees at the weddings where Libby and her band play. One day, Daphne hops a plane to London and looks up Henry, who is planning a wedding of his own -- to Alistair's dippy daughter Glynnis (Anna Chancellor) -- and a run for Parliament. Henry is understandably shocked to meet Daphne, but, being a decent chap, he eventually invites Daphne to stay the summer and take part in the social season, which appears to be like the Palm Beach season, except during the summer and with even more hats. Quirky, self-assured Daphne must fit in or be ostracized, understanding that if she's rejected, she's also likely messing up her newfound father's election. But as Ian (Oliver James), Daphne's eventual boyfriend, tells her, she was born to stand out, not fit in. High jinks, heartbreak and much musical goofiness ensue. Being a Cinderella story, What a Girl Wants gives us a wicked stepmother in Glynnis, who catches on that Henry might still carry a torch for the lovely Libby. Chancellor seems to be making a career of portraying uptight Brits whose fianc�es are really in love with quirky Americans (Grant ditches her at the altar for Andie McDowell in Four Weddings and a Funeral). Sure, she's not right for him, but if Henry doesn't love Glynnis, why is he engaged to her? I know Henry's the good guy, but doesn't this make him a little bit of a dog? Just wondering. As goofy and predictable as What a Girl Wants Is, I love that Daphne is a sweet, strong girl who stands up for herself without being disrespectful. I loved the movie's emphasis on family, its lack of sex, violence or bodily fluids, and especially the sweet, unspoken chemistry between Firth and Bynes. No, it's not Shakespeare. But with performances this good, it doesn't have to be. Besides, the Bard's family dramas never worked out this well. The Flick Chick's Bottom Line: What a Girl Wants is a big, sticky bucket of sweetness that your dentist would probably warn you against. But it's a lot less fattening than cheesecake.

(Kate)sometimes we're just grateful to see him in SOMETHING, even "for dough" movies while we're waiting for the "for show" movies If this was so horrible it was painful (as it seems it was for Karen), then I'd beg to differ, but I do think it's cute and like the two of them together. And that Oliver James kid is good, too. It has redeemable qualities. Even Anthony Hopkins and Michael Caine do "dough" movies in order to do "show" movies. Michael Caine readily admits it. Granted they are better known, but that's the breaks! (Karen) If I answer the other part, this will turn into a career debate. I bet that could be dangerous. ;-) Thanks, Bethan for the Trauma info. Has anyone seen that other movie of his?

Dorine, thanks so much for the notes from your class and the Dennie G behind the scenes stuff. I love reading the inside poop. Great info! I can't blame them for not wanting to shell out a million bucks for Whole Lotta Love. Awesome song, but RNR Hoochie Koo works well. And WB wanted Brosnan, eh? Not surprising. And no way would Huge take second billing to anyone unless they're of equal career stature to him (e.g., Sandra Bullock). I went again last night and the theater was packed. This was cute: 2 little girls were sitting directly behind me. Right after Daphne and Libby leave England, the younger girl starts to cry, big heaving sobs. "This is soooo sad, she's gonna lose her daddy again, waaaaahhhhhhh!" The older girl tries calming her with, "don't cry, he'll come and get her, it's going to get happy again real soon, that's how movies like this are." She'd seen this plot before. Hee hee.

Thanks, Mari for the PB Post Review. Gotta love those (W.) Gotta love those (W.) Palm Beachers. ;-D I like her writing style...and taste, of course. (Mari) Not sure why being 6 months pregnant would preclude attendance at a play--or, more to the point, prevent hubby from going on a short business trip to promote his work, for that matter Remember, he had to get in his quota of boycotts. ;-) But, I totally agree with you.

The older girl tries calming her with, "don't cry, he'll come and get her, it's going to get happy again real soon, that's how movies like this are." She'd seen this plot before. Hee hee. LOL! And they'll go to see 45 times more.

(Dorine) Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" during the BLP scene. I love this song! Oh...it would have been good (it's still good....but to see ODB rocking out to LZ?? OMG!). I'm a sad human being....I bought the soundtrack. And I like it. Oh well... (Dorine) Love the untucked look Me too! Those jeans! And I like the shoes....they look comfy (my first priority in shoes). And the sideburns.....mmmmm.....Thank you Karen for the pic and article about the play. (Joyce) (LOL) Let's see TIOBE, Love Actually and WAGW. Seems like all the London work gives CF and LD plenty of time to moonlight at their own production company. ;) Clever couple. And I was thinking it was GWAPE time.....LD liked that scruff on his face the way we all did!! (Karen) If I answer the other part, this will turn into a career debate. :-( I liked WAGW, so am not too distraught over this career move....I don't think it will hurt his career (won't push him toward anything great either, but won't hurt. Even many of the negative reviews say that ODB did well in his dad role). But, as I was telling someone yesterday, at least he isn't in any of these current pictures: The Life of David Gale (with Oscar winner Kevin Spacey) or The Hunted (with Oscar winners Benicio Del Toro and Tommy Lee Jones)...or Boat Trip (with Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr.)....View From the Top (Oscar winner Gwenyth Paltrow)...then there is Anger Management to look forward to....(Oscar winners Jack Nicholson and Marisa Tormei). Even 'certified' good actors make poor choices. ODB could have done much much worse (anything is better when compared to L'dum). (Mari) Not sure why being 6 months pregnant would preclude attendance at a play--or, more to the point, prevent hubby from going on a short business trip to promote his work, for that matter. I think it may have more to do with their privacy than with her feeling 'ill'. I mean, before Dennie Gordon mentioned it, we hadn't heard anything about it. Seems they want to do this 'alone' and not under the glare of reporters. Don't blame them really. And remember it was Luca's birthday as well....

(Karen)LOL! And they'll go to see 45 times more. Just like me, and besides, it helps the box office!!!;-) (Tress) But, as I was telling someone yesterday, at least he isn't in any of these current pictures,... I'll take WAGW anyday over the ones you mentioned. I agree, Dorine, Oliver James was excellent. Thanks, Bethan

(Tress) But, as I was telling someone yesterday, at least he isn't in any of these current pictures: The Life of David Gale (with Oscar winner Kevin Spacey) or The Hunted (with Oscar winners Benicio Del Toro and Tommy Lee Jones)...or Boat Trip (with Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr.)....View From the Top (Oscar winner Gwenyth Paltrow)...then there is Anger Management to look forward to....(Oscar winners Jack Nicholson and Marisa Tormei). Even 'certified' good actors make poor choices There was an article in the NYTimes or WSJ in the last week about that very thing. Toast of the town right after Oscars, ignored in the next few months or years.

Top 5 box office estimates for Friday from boxofficemojo.com. No real surprises. May change over the weekend? Title/screens/gross PHONE BOOTH 2,481 $5,060,000 A MAN APART 2,459 $3,980,000 WHAT A GIRL WANTS 2,964 $3,480,000 HEAD OF STATE 2,155 $2,770,000 BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE 2,910 $2,370,000

(Tress) But, as I was telling someone yesterday, at least he isn't in any of these current pictures...Even 'certified' good actors make poor choices. ODB could have done much much worse (anything is better when compared to L'dum). He isn't in that league yet, with the award winners, and won't. He'll be getting lots more of these scripts. Reread Dennie Gordon's comment about Greek Wedding and how they think out there. No one is going to consider him for a substantial role based on this and then Love Actually and maybe Hope Springs, if we live long enough. He'll be the Daddy version of Hugh Grant. What a waste. :-( Thank goodness for GWAPE and maybe Trauma. Maybe the next will be as a disfigured homeless person or killer. A girl can only hope... *sigh*

Remember, ticket prices are less for WAGW's audience. ;-)

LOL, it was cheaper for me yesterday, too. A bargain matinee *and* it's cheaper in another state. ;-) (Karen) Maybe the next will be as a disfigured homeless person or killer. A girl can only hope... *sigh* LOL! A serial killer! More than just the one in MOTM. More candles ordered. ;-)

Thanks for all your hard work ladies in posting the info on WAGW. I know it doesn't sound like the greatest movie ever, but I think it'll be great eye candy, if nothing else! I'm sad that the news of the new baby has leaked out (I'm sure he wanted this kept quiet), and I think it also explains Livia's non-appearance at the play in London the other night. - I bet he's gutted!

(Karen) He isn't in that league yet, with the award winners, and won't. He'll be getting lots more of these scripts. I know ODB isn't in that league yet (and may never be....because he doesn't appear to really want it) but I was trying to say that just winning an Oscar doesn't make you 'golden'...sometimes it is fine acting that goes unnoticed by the masses! ;-) And that even with an Oscar under your belt, you can still just not know what you are doing when it comes to picking worthy projects. I am sure all the actors listed saw tons of scripts after their wins, what made them choose their current films? I am anxiously awaiting GWAPE....(but even it if does well, and ODB gets recognition...I still expect to see some more WAGWs in his future).

(Tress) I was trying to say that just winning an Oscar doesn't make you 'golden'. Actually, it does - or 50 years of making movies (with nominations) and getting a Lifetime Achievement Award. And that even with an Oscar under your belt, you can still just not know what you are doing when it comes to picking worthy projects. I never said that this isn't frequently the case. My *only* point is that he hasn't made it yet as a serious actor for serious directors for serious films and films like WAGW, HS, LA, TIOBE, and BJD aren't going to attract that element. I don't know what Colin wants, nor do I presume to know. I only know what I would like to do with his talents, which is not squander them. He acted up a storm in WAGW and was wonderful, but who in power positions is going to think of him for an important movie? H'wood thinks in sequels and ripoffs. Too bad he wasn't available for "Daddy Daycare." because he doesn't appear to really want it Let's not start this.

(Janet) I'm sad that the news of the new baby has leaked out (I'm sure he wanted this kept quiet)...I bet he's gutted! I agree. She had no business telling anyone. It wasn't her place.

Thanks again for all the updates on WAGW. I liked this comment about stars in the eyes! - another one from IMDB. "I have read several reviews of this film, and I have to say that men just aren't going to "get" this one. Our local paper's reviewer said he just didn't get the "stars in the eyes" of the women leaving the theater. His review didn't even MENTION Colin Firth. Well, I will! Colin is what is going to attract women to this film, and he does not disappoint. He is the best thing about the movie. Amanda Bynes is cute, and I enjoyed her too. The rest of the cast is quite good too...Anna Chancellor (Caroline Bingley, for those Pride and Prejudice fans...), and Eileen Atkins, particularly. I found the storyline about the daughter longing for her father and the father who just discovered her quite sweet and moving. Yes, the script was a bit sloppy and the humor often falls flat, but overall, Colin Firth's performance made it worth seeing for me. This is definitely a chick flick, though :) "

Thanks,Bethan. I overheard a handful of *men* over several showings, grown men, say they really liked it and it was a nice "feel-good" movie that's perfect for this point in time. (Karen) Too bad he wasn't available for "Daddy Daycare." Perhaps you forgot your winkie? ;-)

(Karen) Too bad he wasn't available for "Daddy Daycare." (Dorine)Perhaps you forgot your winkie? ;-) winkie? barf bag, more like. I saw the trailer for Daddy Daycare. ugh. In fact, most of the trailers I saw with WAGW were for movies that looked pretty dumb. Colin could have done a lot worse. I bet keping the pregnancy quiet was why Livia didn't go to the play. I wonder if a reluctance to travel will cause her to have to "suffer in English" this time? Interesting that EOR is supposed to begin filming in August (isn't that the latest info?), jut after his "baby leave" from work. (Karen) Remember, ticket prices are less for WAGW's audience. ;-) Yeah, AND they go to matinees (are kid's tix cheaper at matinees?). Still, with schools having Easter/spring vacations around now, I expect this movie to do a lot of matinee business.

Let's not get too hung up over whether the pregnancy was a secret. I distinctly remember Colin saying when she was pregnant with Luca that she was always out and about, but no one in the press reported it. There'd be no reason to keep such things secret, or act as if you're hiding something. Which is probably why DG didn't give a second thought to mentioning it. Celebs' wives get pregnant and have babies every day, and nobody in the press makes much note of it that I can recall. I thought this was funny, from "Teen Hollywood": Amanda is fun and her scenes with Colin as dad are cute, well-acted and touching, although he looks young enough to be her boyfriend.

he looks young enough to be her boyfriend. I was thinking that about the picture on the left from the play. He doesn't look a day over 30 to me in that one, and that's without makeup help (one hopes :) )

(Kate)I wonder if a reluctance to travel will cause her to have to "suffer in English" this time? LOL, I was wondering that myself. But then, again, suffering in Italian has such nice ring to it;-) (Odile)He doesn't look a day over 30 to me in that one, and that's without makeup help (one hopes :) ) Amazing how they succeeded in making him look beyond his years in the Morocco scenes...with make-up.

As for this slightly older girl, I got something I wanted, too: British hottie Colin Firth -- Mr. Darcy, now and forever -- goofily rocking out in skin-tight leather pants. Please and thank you. Kimberley Jones [2003-04-04] http://www.auschron.com/gbase/Guides/Film?Film=oid%3A152858

(Karen)No one is going to consider him for a substantial role based on this and then Love Actually and maybe Hope Springs, if we live long enough. We just may! Just got back from the theatre and the good news is they had a Hope Springs coming soon poster up!!! I almost had a heart attack when I saw it and then made a complete fool of myself begging the 19 year old manager with the ill fitting suit coat for it (unsuccessfully):-(

Thanks for all the great reviews of WAGW. It is so interesting to read so many different views of the same movie. I just came back from the movie. I did enjoy it, it was very cute. Certainly not a stretch for ODB, probably one for the dough. My daughters and the hundred other girls in the theater LOVED it. I thought he looked unbelievably handsome! I didn't think he and Kelly Preston pulled off looking like 20 something year olds at the begining of the picture though. Every time Anna Chancellor (Glynnis) touched him and called him darling I cringed...eeewww Miss Bingley. I also thought there were quite a few P & P references, his mother was the something of Wickham & he pointed to a portrait of an ancestor named Bingley Dashwood. I hated the American and British stereotyping in this movie, though that is were all the laughs come from. All in all it was quite lovely drooling through all his screen time.

Oh P.S. Karen, thank you for that luvvlleee new picture!

(Maria) they had a Hope Springs coming soon poster up! No!!! We have to talk. There's a weird coincidence about this and where you live. v. Twilight Zone. Another "interview" with Colin here: http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0404/p16s01-almo.html I have a feeling these are all the result of the "satellite." They probably held a press conference for him via satellite to whoever wanted to plug in. Damn! Why didn't they let me know. ;-)

From The Sun-Herald's Rob Lowing, as part of a 'What to see in the school holidays' page. What a Girl Wants Story: American 17-year-old Daphne (Big Fat Liar's Amanda Bynes) searches London for her aristocratic father (Colin Firth). Her free-spirited ways shock the Brits but dazzle a nice local lad (Oliver James). Language: One swear word ( What? I missed it! ) Sex: Teenage smooching. Violence: A punch. Ages: 3-6: Gosh, no. 7-12: Too romantic for younger kids. 13-plus: Catnip for devotees of Cinderella clones, like The Princess Diaries. Adult compatibility: Better than expected, thanks to Bridget Jones's Diary charmer Firth. Rating: 7/10

Something to make Karen happy....from today's "Sunday Telegraph"... :-) ...Colin Firth tells me that he has tired of costume drama, light romantic comedy and aristocratic parts in general. Firth scarcely has the menace of Vincent Price, but he is having a stab at horror. "I am about to start doing a film called Trauma which is a dark and surrreal psychological thriller." he told me last week "I play a man who wakes up from a coma to find his wife has died. It's wonderful, just what I wanted. "

(Karen) No!!! We have to talk. There's a weird coincidence about this and where you live. v. Twilight Zone. LOL! You mean there is a difference?!

costume drama, light romantic comedy and aristocratic parts in general My voodoo sacrifices have finally worked against the Terrible Threesome. ;-) *shaking chicken bone one more time* Thanks, Bethan, for the good news.

"Don't ask my wife about my cooking. She'll agree the food is quite wonderful, but after I'm finished, the kitchen is far from tidy." Can a cooking show be far behind? Thanks, Maria for the HS update. Looks like I'll have to search the multiplex for posters this afternoon. Yes, I'm going again.

(Linda) Looks like I'll have to search the multiplex for posters this afternoon. Ask the manager if they're showing the LA teaser trailer before anything. I did and they called up to the projection rooms and it wasn't.

Box Office: Pretty darn good... 1 (*) Phone Booth ............... $15.0 million 2 (*) What A Girl Wants ......... $12.1 million 3 (*) A Man Apart ............... $11.2 million 4 (1) Head of State ............. $ 8.8 million

(Bethan/IMDB) Our local paper's reviewer said he just didn't get the "stars in the eyes" of the women leaving the theater. Oh I think he got it. Acknowledging and accepting it is a difficult task for the mere mortal man.

Hi Everyone Wanted to stop by and tell you that I went to a screening of WAGW last week and I thought CF looks so good in this. While the film may not be everyone's cup of tea, it wasn't meant to be. It is what it is and no one should expect it to be anything different. If you go in knowing that then you can just relax and enjoy the movie and his performance in it. As always he did a great job and had the best lines throughout. I have to tell you that he got so many laughs from the audience and I loved it when he says "Back when I was groovy". :) Just go and enjoy his performance and don't get too hung up on the premise of the film or whether it is critically aclaimed or not. Actors can't and don't always get to do Oscar material work and they should not be expected to. Colin is well known and respected in the industry of his peers and I think that by doing a wide variety of films and roles only helps not hinders. Professionally speaking I would rather he do s bit of fluff every now and then that gets him a wider audience and more opportunities than just do obscure arthouse films that no one sees. He does and can do both and still have a terrific career. On a personal level I love the fact that Colin measures success on "his" terms and while it may not be everyone else's measurement stick, he is a working actor who is one of the best we have today and that is success. I sometimes find a certain bit of hostility towards Hugh Grant on the part of CF fans and that is something that truly puzzles me. There is room for both in this world. Both men are terrific actors but are as different as night and day. I've worked with both and have enjoyed each time immensely. I am looking forward to working with them again and give them each their proper credit and respect. Take care everyone. I'll be back when I can with some LA news as time draws nearer for the publicity campaign to roll out.

Hello Lola! It is always good to 'see' you! Hope married life is treating you well.... (Lola) On a personal level I love the fact that Colin measures success on "his" terms and while it may not be everyone else's measurement stick, he is a working actor who is one of the best we have today and that is success. I completely agree with you here. I am just happy that ODB is a working actor. And he is a success! He has dozens of films, has lasted in an industry were most do not....and has the talent to continue working. I look forward to all his projects (blindly, of course...I'm an optimist when it comes to his films, it cannot be helped). I also can't help ribbing him along the way (that cannot be helped either)... (Lola) Both men are terrific actors but are as different as night and day. I've worked with both and have enjoyed each time immensely. I am looking forward to working with them again and give them each their proper credit and respect. I'm going to read into this that we can still expect more (good) news about TEOR?! Yippee!!

(HolaLola)Wanted to stop by and tell you that I went to a screening of WAGW last week and I thought CF looks so good in this. Ohhh Yeahhhhh!! (HolaLola) As always he did a great job and had the best lines throughout. I have to tell you that he got so many laughs from the audience and I loved it when he says "Back when I was groovy". :) I loved this too! (Must confess that the word "groovy" is part of my everyday language...;-) Thanks for stopping in Hola, and giving us the insiders perspective!! :-)

Bethan)TRAUMA stars Colin (BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY) Firth and sounds a bit like a nastier SPIDER (Ralph Fiennes). (Telegraph)"I am about to start doing a film called Trauma ".. he told me last week "I play a man who wakes up from a coma to find his wife has died. It's wonderful, just what I wanted. " There is a God!!! Thanks Bethan, keep the Trauma news coming. Anybody besides the boss and me see Spider with Rafe.? The pinnacle of acting.No HD stuff. Just hard work. He won't be able to phone in this performance. (Tress)I know ODB isn't in that league yet (and may never be....because he doesn't appear to really want it) I don't want to go there either, Tress, but read his interviews a few years ago. You'll get a different insight.

First of all, thank you for all the reviews and articles, and thank you Lola for your "input". I can only agree with you when it comes to the working actor Colin Firth. Speaking for myself, I'm happy he has been in so many different movies. It makes it possible to find one that fits almost any mood you're in. And imho it does only proof him to be a versatile actor. So - I'm looking forward to both WAGW and Trauma and what ever the future has in store for us - just like Tress: I look forward to all his projects (blindly, of course...I'm an optimist when it comes to his films, it cannot be helped).

(Evelyn) No HD stuff. Just hard work. He won't be able to phone in this performance. Agreed; however, I wouldn't say that he phoned in HD. Not saying it was a huge challenge, but some of the reviewers have even commented that he could have phoned it in but didn't. (Lola) Just go and enjoy his performance and don't get too hung up on the premise of the film or whether it is critically aclaimed or not. Thanks, Lola. I couldn't agree more, and I think that's precisely what many of us are doing.

Hey Lola! Nice to hear from ya. Can't say I expected much, even less as I thought AB was going to annoy the bejeezus out of me, but she didn't and I thought it was really cute. Been seeing quite a few heavy, downer movies lately and I enjoyed lightening up. I resisted seeing The Princess Diaries for a long time until so many adults without kids kept telling me how much they liked it. Glad I did. And, of course, it goes without saying the eye candy was delish. ;-)

(Dorine)the eye candy was delish. ;-) Speaking of eye-candy; what a girl wants is a new poster for Hope Springs: http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/ui--89F2D80B1D724DACA44F99FF6AAEF95E/PD--10095848/sOrig--CAT/sOrigID--11509/Hope_Springs_(double-sided).htm

And while I'm looking forward to LA (and maybe HS in my lifetime), the one I just can't wait for is GWAPE. Much the way I anticipated Chicago and GONY last year. Though I guess I'll have to be patient. Not my virtue. ;-)

Thanks, Annette! What a smile! Mmmm Mmmmm! :-D

(Dorine)the one I just can't wait for is GWAPE. Me too. I think it has a lot to do with our book-discussion. So many subjects were debatted, and it will be very interesting to see how the director/screenwriter or whateveryoucallthem will interpretate the book. the first picture from the movie (with Scarlett Johanson) also gives great promises for more eye candy

From Yahoo News Entertainment - E! Online "Phone Booth" Rings in First By Bridget Byrne Phone Booth rang up an estimated $15 million as the new No. 1 movie. After several weeks dominated by comedies, audiences apparently were ready for a good fright, or maybe just a glimpse of hot wild Irish boyo Colin Farrell. Debuting in the second slot was What a Girl Wants, in which Amanda Bynes plays an all-American girl who crash lands in the British social season in order to connect with her upper crust dad, played by Colin Firth. The PG Warners romantic comedy fable about this reluctant debutante earned an estimated $12 million by appealing to its target audience of young women and girls. appealing to its target audience of young women and girls. And young-at-heart women ;-) (Annette re GWAPE) ...it will be very interesting to see how the director/screenwriter or whateveryoucallthem will interpretate the book. It could be both who put their own spin on it. And, yes, that picture was quite a tease. Hope they put out more soon. I'm a glutton for punishment. ;-)

Found this review from a college newspaper. Not that college film critics are particularly influential in the entertainment world, but I thought it was interesting to see what someone that age would say about the movie: http://www.vanderbilthustler.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/04/04/3e8d0da78a1a0 from the Vanderbilt Hustler (yes, that's right) at Vanderbilt University: by Shelley Thomas The movie "What A Girl Wants" asks the age old question that still mystifies guys to this day: What does a girl want? Well, boys, in this movie you are still not going to find the answer to this question, because what this girl, Daphne Reynolds (Amanda Byrnes) wants is to become close to her estranged father (Colin Firth) in this definitely predictable, but fairytale-fun flick. Daphne is the all-American, fun-loving teenage girl who lives in New York with her bohemian, wedding-singer mother, Libby (Kelly Preston). Daphne, dejected by the failed whirlwind romance between her father and mother, watches the father-daughter dances at weddings with dismay wistfully hoping that someday that girl will be her. And, thus, the movie begins, with Daphne hopping a plane to London and clumsily finding her way into her father's life. Her father, Lord Henry Dashwood, just happens to be a member of the British nobility in the middle of a campaign for election to Parliament and is engaged to a stuffy British socialite (Anna Chancellor) with an equally stuffy daughter (Christina Cole). Along the way, Daphne finds a new friend/love interest Ian, (played by newcomer Oliver James), an aspiring rocker who is her champion throughout the movie and helps her to find her real place in British royal society. Needless to say, Daphne's arrival throws everything into an uproar. In an effort to present herself as the respectable daughter of a prominent political figure, wacky antics ensue and, of course, we find ourselves at the climax of the movie wondering if Daphne and her father will ever be together in the father-daughter relationship she's always dreamed of - will there be a happily ever after? Of course, if you know anything about movies clich�d and formulated for teenage girls everywhere, you know the answer to that one. Although there are one too many "Let's go try on fun clothes and dance while we're trying them on" montages and the ever-so-popular choreographed danced sequence, the movie goes past cheesiness and becomes surprisingly endearing with the perfect balance of wackiness and sentiment. Byrnes, with Nickelodeon shows like "All That" and "The Amanda Show" on her resume, seems to find a niche on the movie screen, with an ability to play physical shtick and say lines like "I love you one million red M&Ms" without causing the audience to cringe too much. Byrnes is a fresh face who is at her best in the movie when her character has her goofy moments, and her moments between her love interest James are genuine and heartfelt. The reason to go see this film is Colin Firth. He is the anchor of the movie and gives a reliable portrayal of a man torn between the love of a daughter and his ambition for a high-ranking political career. Firth shows a mildly wild side, driving off on a motorbike in the middle of a Royal Regatta Party, and his best moments are when he becomes the anxious father awaiting his daughter's return from a date. Firth is supported by a delightfully snobbish British cast, exactly what one would expect, with one-liners that make the movie a comedy. Is this the ultimate fairy tale for the 21st century as the tag line suggests? Probably not, but if you like watching Firth dance around in tight black leather pants and can handle a tolerable amount of the teenage movie clich� and predictability then this movie is for you. It is a fun MTVed fairytale that will be perfect for a harmless night of girls' night, out at the movies fun.

(Evelyn) No HD stuff. Just hard work. He won't be able to phone in this performance. (Rika)Agreed; however, I wouldn't say that he phoned in HD. Not saying it was a huge challenge, but some of the reviewers have even commented that he could have phoned it in but didn't. But, but I don't always agree with some of the reviewers. I like Camille, remember?;-)

say lines like "I love you one million red M&Ms" without causing the audience to cringe too much. Um, well.....the only serious cringeworthy moment in the whole movie for me. It gets worse the more I see it. Thanks, Rika.

oh s*** closed

(I posted this a few minutes ago and it got stuck inside of the italics that were open at that time. I deleted a reposted because it was pretty hard to read that way). If this one has been posted, I apologize for duplicating. I searched the topic for the author and some phrases from the review and didn't find it, but parts of it seem familiar. It's a good example of a reviewer who didn't like the movie but praises ODB all the same: http://www.boxoff.com/scripts/fiw.dll?GetReview?&where=Name&terms=What+a+Girl+Wants from Boxoffice Magazine, by Bridget Byrne (2 stars) Starring Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, Kelly Preston, Eileen Atkins, Anna Chancellor and Jonathan Price. Directed by Dennie Gordon. Written by Jenny Bicks and Elizabeth Chandler. Produced by Denise Di Novi, Bill Gerber and Hunt Lowry. A Warner Bros. release. Romantic comedy. Rated PG for mild language. Running time: 104 min. What a girl wants is a much better script, especially if she�s a girl with Amanda Bynes� talent. This popular TV teen star is woefully served by Jenny Bicks and Elizabeth Chandler�s clunky, ill-informed �What a Girl Wants.� This is a paint-by-numbers update of a romantic comedy titled �The Reluctant Debutante,� originally penned by William Douglas Home for the much more structured uptight 1950s, when American and British youth knew less about each other�s manners and mores than they do today. Bynes has charm, dignity, wit and sensitivity, which she holds on to as best she can even when asked to take completely unnecessary pratfalls or act out some incredible false moment. Her portrait of a cute, clever and essentially well-meaning all-American girl is believable, even when the scenes she�s plonked into are utter silly nonsense. The efforts here to satirize the upper-crust English society, which Bynes as Daphne penetrates in the hope of establishing a relationship with a father who didn�t know of her existence, are crass, ill-executed renditions based on superficial concepts. Peopling this high life with such cheap gimmicks as crude look-alikes of the British Royal Family and crashing chandeliers, set among cobbled together images of stately mansions and famous sporting venues, further destroys any sense of reality that might have made for a genuine, sweet, witty film fable about the power of a loving family circle. As it is, the moments of the film that do work are the tender, thoughtful, confrontational encounters between Daphne and her dad, Henry. He�s played, also with charm, dignity, wit and sensitivity (excluding a silly scene in which he gyrates in tight leather pants) by Colin Firth, able, remarkably, to put across another interesting take on the constipated romantic Brit, who�s actually much more complex and intriguing han the posh twit he initially appears. It�s the sort of role that Firth has mastered many times before, notably as Mr. Darcy in a television production of �Pride and Prejudice,� ad as the ultimate right guy, also a Mr. Darcy, in �Bridget Jones� Diary.� It�s interesting to see him work the same skills in a paternal role and he finds an excellent match in Bynes, who, despite her youth, has honed her talents for years in her own television variety show and the WB sitcom �What I Like About You.� Also to be liked are Kelly Preston, who seems utterly at ease in the role of Daphne�s glamorous singer mom, and Eileen Atkins, who draws all the pith possible from the clich� lines of Henry�s tartly sensible old mum. Oliver James, as the outside-the-fold British lad who catches Daphne�s fancy and conveniently turns up at the social occasions as band singer or valet parker, has suitable confidence to match up to Bynes. But clich� lines and scenes abound, and some of the roles are so heavy-handedly written there�s no way of overcoming the built-in problems. Chief victim of this is Jonathan Pryce, who simply smirks and smarms his way though the role of Henry�s scheming political advisor with aspirations to become his father-in-law. Also stuck with very unimaginative versions of the wicked stepmother and daughter roles are Anna Chancellor as Henry�s social climber fianc�e and Christina Cole as her bitchy offspring. The film is crammed with songs, some performed adequately enough by the �singers� of the script, Preston and James, but the opportunity to showcase them effectively as emotional pointers in the storyline is unfilled, so they come across mainly as just filler for a soundtrack album.-Bridget Byrne

Another one.... by Forrest Hartman, Gannett News Service. I've seen it on several newspaper web sites; here's one link: http://cityguide.news-press.com/fe/Movies/Reviews/030405_whatagirlwants.asp I can think of several better titles for "What a Girl Wants," but my favorite is "Firth Things First." Colin Firth's name belongs in the title because this isn't a movie so much as a star vehicle. Of course, my title has problems of its own. Namely, it fails to recognize Amanda Bynes, who makes up the other 50 percent of the film. When "What a Girl Wants" is working, it's because Bynes and Firth are charming us. When it's not, it's because the script got the better of them. Based on the William Douglas Home play "The Reluctant Debutante," which first was made into a movie of the same name in 1958, this is one of those exercises that does exactly what you expect at the precise times you expect it. It exists for no other reason than to sell its stars and as a result should succeed as a harmless distraction for 10-year-old girls. For adults, it's still harmless but considerably less distracting. The plot revolves around Daphne Reynolds (Bynes), a young woman who has spent her life longing to meet the father she's never known. After years of being shined on by her mother, Libby (Kelly Preston), Daphne takes matters into her own hands, flying to England where she meets her father, Lord Henry Dashwood (Firth). One look in Daphne's eyes and Dashwood is convinced of her paternity, accepting her into his home. Only problem? She's an unmannered American and he's a respectable British politician. We spend the rest of the movie watching Bynes do the fish-out-of-water shtick and Firth remembering what it was like to be young. It is "The Princess Diaries" meets "The Banger Sisters," and it's so mind-numbingly predictable that only a winning cast could save it. The remarkable news is they do, sort of. There is no getting around the film's manipulative nature and bland storytelling, but Bynes and Firth do the best with what's set before them. It would be easy not to care whether Daphne develops a relationship with her newfound dad, but Bynes ensures that we do. She is a charming actor, and the charm-o-meter is going full tilt here. Likewise, Firth plays Dashwood as the type of aristocrat we want to believe in. His character is dutiful and ambitious, yet governed by traits like honesty and morality. As if. The roles are cliche, yes, but Bynes and Firth put enough heart in their performances to sell them. And because we like them, we sometimes like the film. The key word being sometimes.

And a Firthette reviewer weighs in: By BETH JONES THE ROANOKE TIMES Although you've seen this movie before (it was called "The Princess Diaries") it does have a certain sprightly charm - and Colin Firth. The filmmakers behind "What a Girl Wants" want to make sure the audience figures out their movie is a retelling of the "Cinderella" story. They hit us over the head with not-especially-subtle clues like dialogue about glass slippers and wicked step-sisters. I kept expecting singing mice to come out of the closet to help our heroine get ready for the ball. Maybe they thought that by keeping us focused on the fairytale connection, we wouldn't notice that "What a Girl Wants" is a rip-off of another formulaic, escapist film geared toward middle-school girls: the commercially successful "The Princess Diaries." That said, "What a Girl Wants" is at least a likable formulaic film. Amanda Bynes, its Cinderella, is a little rough around the edges but she's much more fun than stale Anne Hathaway of "The Princess Diaries." "What a Girl Wants" also has the one thing "The Princess Diaries" desperately needed: hubba, hubba Colin Firth ("Bridget Jones's Diary"). On her 17th birthday, Daphne Reynolds (Bynes) makes the same wish she makes every year: She wants to meet her long-lost, aristocrat Dad. Daphne's hippie mom (Kelly Preston) doesn't think it's a good idea. "Getting to know someone because they share the same DNA as you is not the answer," she says. "It's getting to know yourself." (Did Warner Bros. hire someone from Hallmark to write this stuff?) Daphne ignores her mother, of course, and somehow manages to buy a plane ticket to England without her mother's knowledge (this seems unlikely, as the pair obviously is short on cash, but hey, it's a fairytale) and shows up at the mansion of her kind, albeit uptight, father (Firth). Daphne has to battle her dad's social-climbing fiancee (Anna Chancellor) and her nasty daughter (Christina Cole, an unpleasant Reese Witherspoon clone). Of course, Daphne disrupts the household with her crazy teenage antics. Of course, she reminds her dad of the wild days of his youth (he digs out an ancient pair of leather pants and dances in front of a mirror). Of course, she wins his heart. Middle-school girls who spent their childhoods pretending to be princesses will likely enjoy this fairytale. Daphne's adventures fulfill most of their fantasies. She does, after all, get to live in a mansion, go on a big shopping spree, attend a ball held in her honor and meet a guitar-playing boy with a British accent and good hair. Although they know better, older chaperones may find themselves entertained as well. For one thing, there are British people saying funny things like "holy poo on toast." And then, of course, there's gorgeous Firth. It'll be worth the price of the DVD just to watch him shimmy in those leather pants.

but if you like watching Firth dance around in tight black leather pants and can handle a tolerable amount of the teenage movie clich� and predictability then this movie is for you. Oh I think I can handle it. Just came from the 3:00. V.V. large crowd. All ages, all enjoying. (Hola Lola)Colin is well known and respected in the industry of his peers and I think that by doing a wide variety of films and roles only helps not hinders. Professionally speaking I would rather he do s bit of fluff every now and then that gets him a wider audience and more opportunities than just do obscure arthouse films that no one sees. He does and can do both and still have a terrific career. Thanks, Hola for stopping by. I very much agree with your sentiments on the film and Colin's career in general. All I know is my daughter keeps bugging me to take her back. I will comply each and every time;-) I haven't been able to take her to see a truly enjoyable film in a long time, and be able to enjoy it with her. Thanks for more reviews, ladies, and thanks, Annette for the HS poster news.

See the section I've bolded at the bottom - might be of interest: http://www.sacbee.com/content/lifestyle/columns/baltake/story/6394975p-7347474c.html 'What a Girl Wants' is familiar tale By Joe Baltake -- Sacramento Bee movie critic (3 stars) By all accounts, the new Amanda Bynes lark, "What a Girl Wants," was inspired by Garry Marshall's Disney hit of 2001, "The Princess Diaries," which in turn was inspired by every other teen flick. These movies have a way of feeding off each other. "What a Girl Wants" and "The Princess Diaries" are virtually the same movie -- dealing with a young teenage girl, a commoner, who learns that she's actually from royalty. In "The Princess Diaries," San Francisco teen Anna Hathaway learned that she was the rightful heir to the throne of Genovia. She had no idea her mom had married a prince -- that the father she never knew was full-fledged royalty. In "What a Girl Wants," Bynes is Daphne Reynolds, another commoner -- the daughter of a single-mom singer (Kelly Preston) who performs at weddings. Daphne, who usually works as a waitress at her mother's gigs, has seen one too many father-daughter wedding dances. They depress her now. So she decides it's high time to jet to London to finally meet the father of whom she's been deprived all her life, Lord Henry Dashwood (played by Colin Firth), who is vedy British and quite high-toned. It seems that Daphne's mom fell in love and married Henry and then was iced out by his clan of political sychophants. If you've seen "The Princess Diaries," you know the rest. There are cute boys, mean-spirited rivals and, of course, kindly grandmothers who lend an old-fashioned "Cinderella" touch to what is otherwise your standard, all-American, coming-of-age story, girl-power variety. And the heroines are American charmers who simply won't be kept down. "What a Girl Wants" may have been sold to studio executives on the basis of the success of "The Princess Diaries," but its history dates back even further. It turns out that producer Denise Di Novi ("Heathers," "Little Women" and several Tim Burton titles) developed her film from the 1958 Sandra Dee comedy, "The Reluctant Debutante," which was directed by Vincente Minnelli and co-starred Rex Harrison as Dee's father. Playwright William Douglas Home adapted his stage show for the Minnelli film. I have no idea how old Di Novi is, but my hunch is that she's a baby boomer who fell in love with "The Reluctant Debutante" as a young girl and, later, dreamed of doing her own version one day -- just as some other young girl may fall in love watching "What a Girl Wants" and perhaps will harbor the same vague fantasies, projecting herself into them. Bynes, of Nickelodeon's "The Amanda Show" and last year's Frankie Muniz movie, "Big Fat Liar," is apparently a performer who also invites her audience of young girls to project. Incredibly poised and with charm to spare, Bynes makes a nice companion and guide through her film's various plot points and tested clich�s -- and she brings to mind another pert teenage heroine from another, more innocent era. Neophyte filmmaker Dennie Gordon has assembled a tony supporting cast for her film, surrounding Bynes with some of the finest British actors. Firth puts the "dash" in Lord Dashwood in the Rex Harrison role as Daphne's stunned but accepting father. Anna Chancellor, who was so good in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and last year's Andie MacDowell film, "Crush," inherits the role originally played by the irrepressible Kay Kendall as Lord Dashwood's prospective new wife, Glynnis Payne, a perfectly opportunistic snob inconvenienced by the sudden appearance of a potential teenage stepdaughter. However, while Kendall's character in the Minnelli version was a snob, she was a lovable snob. Not so here. Chancellor plays her as a flighty, hissable harpy. Rounding out the awfulness into which Lord Dashwood is marrying are Jonathan Pryce and Christina Cole as Alistair and Clarissa Payne, Glynnis' plotting father and shallow daughter. Eileen Atkins, meanwhile, provides the same warmth and support that Julie Andrews brought to "The Princess Diaries" as Daphne's newfound grandmother, and Oliver James is Ian, the young British musician (a musician just like Daphne's mom) who develops a crush on Daphne and proves to be a nice bridge between the clashing American and British cultures. Preston is, as always, a sunny presence as Daphne's mother and exhibits a pleasing singing voice on such numbers as "Shout" and "Because You Loved Me." The screenplay by Jenny Bicks and Elizabeth Chandler, of course, updates and tweaks the original story by Home. Angela Lansbury, for example, appeared in the 1958 film as Kendall's vicious cousin, a part that seems to have morphed into the Clarissa role here. And in the original, the love interest was not British, but a young American drummer, played by John Saxon. Incidentally, while "The Reluctant Debutante" is available on home video from MGM, for some reason it is rarely televised these days. The Turner Classic Movies cable channel, however, has scheduled it at 3 p.m. on May 21. This is your chance to compare and contrast, if you're interested.

Thanks for all the reviews, Rika. Apparently reviewers (at least these) appreciate ODB, if they don't quite appreciate the movie. Thank you, Annette for the poster link (yum!)

One more. http://www.post-gazette.com/movies/20030404girl7.asp From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Barbara Vancheri 3 stars 'What a Girl' is a cute Cinderella story At a time when movie audiences crave comedies and family reunions have again become the stuff of wartime dreams, along comes "What a Girl Wants." It's cute, lightweight, predictable fun for tweens and teens and their carpooling parents looking for a little comic escape from the real world. As a bonus, you get a lesson about how important it is to know and be yourself. And if you're out getting a Diet Coke refill the first time it's delivered, not to worry. The message will be repeated a couple of times before the corny but sweet fairytale ending. The girl of the title is 17-year-old Daphne Reynolds (Amanda Bynes), being raised by her singer-mother, Libby (Kelly Preston), in New York's Chinatown. While traveling in Morocco years ago, the bohemian Libby met and married an Englishman named Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth), but they split before the uppercrust Brit realized he was going to be a father. Every time Libby entertains and Daphne waitresses at a wedding, the teen watches the father-daughter dance with longing. Fresh out of high school, Daphne takes off (alone) for England and the estate of Lord Dashwood. He's now a politician with a very promising future; he's also engaged to a social climber with a teenager of her own. Libby's arrival throws the sedate estate into turmoil. As she figures out a way to fit into Henry's life, she must contend with her father's conniving political adviser, his fiancee and her jealous daughter and, of course, the media. This Cinderella, however, is not without her allies in her paternal grandmother and a cute British boy (Oliver James). And it's a Cinderella story, to be sure, complete with ball gowns, diamond tiaras and references to glass slippers. It's just that the prince doubles as dad, but not in a creepy way. Loosely inspired by the 1958 romantic comedy "The Reluctant Debutante" with Sandra Dee, "What a Girl Wants" doesn't exactly reinvent any movie genre. It has one too many moments of Daphne dancing with abandon plus a shopping montage, de rigueur since "Pretty Woman." But it scores points for using The Clash song "London Calling" and capitalizing on the fresh-scrubbed charm of Nickelodeon's Bynes. She has an all-American girl quality with big, expressive eyes and she's lucky to be working with an actor of Firth's caliber. He does the tongue-tied, befuddled aristocrat with the soul of a hippie quite well. For girls whose dads are absent and not just living across the pond, they may watch this with the same pang experienced by Daphne. For the rest of us, it's a dandy diversion in a disconcerting time. Comic comfort food.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/WhataGirlWants-1121619/reviews.php Rotten Tomatoes has all the reviews and others that have not been posted. They keep updating.Bookmark it.

Again, many thanks for all the WAGW news! I meant to post a few snippets arising from the BBC programme on Vermeer...some you may already know. No-one knows how Vermeer and Catherina met, bur it was a love match. He was a poor Protestant, she was a rich Catholic. He converted to Catholicism. He seems to have been a devoted family man, liked and trusted by his mother-in-law (who held the purse strings.) The GWAPE painting was described as "the look of love" which is still entrancing people after nearly 400 years. Generally regarded as the most popular of Vermeer's paintings.

Here's a good review - from Australia, eonline critic, 4 stars. Very perceptive about CF! Extracts All movies are not masterpieces, nor were they meant to be. Light, escapist entertainment has its place, and it can be just what is needed. Yes it's predictable and corny, yes it's derivative and heavily influenced by The Princess Diaries, yes it strains credibility, yes its production values are suspect, and yes it seems to have run out of money when it came to making its opening titles, BUT sometimes charm is enough to carry the day, and charm it has coming out of its American and English ears. ............... Her father Colin Firth makes you believe he could actually be a man who finds the love child - of his one true love - he never knew he had, and that he could change his life for them. In the hands of a lesser and less charming and attractive actor, the man would have been little more than a plot device, but Firth provides the heart of the movie and makes his character someone you grow to like and really care about - and maybe fantasize about, too - as a father or a husband, depending on your demographic................. It's a lightweight fairy tale that often misses its mark, but it lets you forget your troubles for ninety minutes and generates megawatt charm and more than a smile or two to your face.,

(Evelyn) Rotten Tomatoes has all the reviews and others that have not been posted. Not all. Some of those I posted (along with others that have been posted here) are there; however, I found a couple it didn't have.

Has this already been posted? Seems familiar somehow. If so, sorry!

(Rika)The reason to go see this film is Colin Firth. He is the anchor of the movie and gives a reliable portrayal of a man torn between the love of a daughter and his ambition for a high-ranking political career. Firth shows a mildly wild side, driving off on a motorbike in the middle of a Royal Regatta Party, and his best moments are when he becomes the anxious father awaiting his daughter's return from a date. As it is, the moments of the film that do work are the tender, thoughtful, confrontational encounters between Daphne and her dad, Henry. He�s played, also with charm, dignity, wit and sensitivity (excluding a silly scene in which he gyrates in tight leather pants) by Colin Firth, able, remarkably, to put across another interesting take on the constipated romantic Brit, who�s actually much more complex and intriguing than the posh twit he initially appears. It�s the sort of role that Firth has mastered many times before, notably as Mr. Darcy in a television production of �Pride and Prejudice,� ad as the ultimate right guy, also a Mr. Darcy, in �Bridget Jones� Diary.� It�s interesting to see him work the same skills in a paternal role and he finds an excellent match in Bynes. "What a Girl Wants" also has the one thing "The Princess Diaries" desperately needed: hubba, hubba Colin Firth ("Bridget Jones's Diary"). And then, of course, there's gorgeous Firth. It'll be worth the price of the DVD just to watch him shimmy in those leather pants. And she's lucky to be working with an actor of Firth's caliber. He does the tongue-tied, befuddled aristocrat with the soul of a hippie quite well. Rika, thanks for mining out all of these excellent compliments. (I pulled out the best parts so I can read them again. Bad girl.) :)Really like the Boxoffice magazine one. Annette, Love this poster. Full on dimples! I feel like a deer in headlights. Help. Stun gun could not have much more an effect. ;)Good find. What would my DH say? Where would I put it?

Sorry for double post. Annette, I've copied the HS poster photo, enlarged it 300% and cropped out Heather and Minnie (sorry girls). Highly recommended. Just his big face. : )Was having such a hard time choosing wallpaper between the white shirt Instyle and Vermeer photos from day to day. Fear for my health if this pic comes up in the morning.;)

And then, of course, there's gorgeous Firth. It'll be worth the price of the DVD just to watch him shimmy in those leather pants. ....but if you like watching Firth dance around in tight black leather pants Think this may overshadow that wet shirt? Nahhhh...but still, it's too fun! Cannot wait for the DVD. My player will blow a fuse....have to make sure the remote is in good working order! In the hands of a lesser and less charming and attractive actor, the man would have been little more than a plot device, but Firth provides the heart of the movie and makes his character someone you grow to like and really care about - and maybe fantasize about, too - as a father or a husband, depending on your demographic................. Well said! Thank you Bethan and Rika for the reviews! Lovely! And thank you Annette for that amazing piece of eye candy!!! I have a slight weakness for those particular dimples!!

Mmmmm Annette, thank you for that link!

from www.westminster.gov.uk (my employer!) 28 Apr - Premiere of 'Hope Springs' - Odeon West End, Leicester Square

I just realised that is probably good news for appearances as the 28th is when the English PEN thing was first advertised, but was changed to the 24th. I might be spoiled this time. But will not get my hopes up =).

(Emma)But will not get my hopes up =) But you must get your hopes up, this sounds v. good. Good luck, Emma.

From the gossip column in today's Daily Express: He dons a paint-spattered smock to play the 17th-century Dutch painter Vermeer but Colin Firth is no artist. "I used to paint a bit when I was younger but you could give me a lifetime of lessons and I'd still never be able to produce a Vermeer," he admitted at the opening night of The Three Sisters - starring his English Patient co-star Kristin Scott Thomas - the other night. "Luckily, I just have to look like I can hold a brush and that's about it." However, in preparation, Colin, 42, fondly remembered as wet-shirted Mr Darcy in P & P, has been travelling the globe to familiarise himself with Vermeer's work. "His paintings are all over the world. Hitler even had one. It's in Vienna and it's still got the Nazi swastika stamped on the back. Chilling." ... The above text is accompanied by a smallish picture of Colin and KST together at the opening night. (Sorry, Karen, I haven't got access to a scanner, but if you'd like the pic, please e-mail me with your address and I'll post it to you.) Secondly, The Times includes a pretty disparaging mention of WAGW in its weekly round up of the new films at the US box office (the writer calls it a feeble cash-in on The Princess Diaries.) The item doesn't mention Amanda B at all, which probably reflects how well-known she is here in the the UK (amongst adults anyway.) I did quite like this bit, though: "As with every cross-Atlantic comedy under the sun, the British male is a stiff and the American female is a force of liberation, and emotional growth means learning to express your feelings. Oh for the reverse invasion where Hugh G goes to New York and spreads the joys of repression and denial." (The writer is a British male living in the US.)

I think the #2 opening for WAGW is great, especially when you consider that kids 12 and under pay half price. If they counted number of admissions, WAGW would probably be on top. Anyway, here's how audiences rated the top 2, from CinemaScore, which conducts theater exit polling: Phone Booth (R) Male Female Under 21 B+ B 21 To 34 C+ C 35 and Up C+ C- What A Girl Wants (PG) Male Female Under 21 A- A+ 21 To 34 A- A 35 and Up A- A

From empireonline: Hugh Grant Cheers Up Is there anything worse than a multi-millionaire actor whinging on about how he's tired of being cast in roles for which, in return for a few week's work, he gets paid more than the whole Empire Online team makes in a decade? (Bitter � us? Not a bit of it!) Well Hugh Grant is at it again in the latest issue of Vanity Fair, where he moans on about acting, not having a woman and being too successful in his career at the expense of his home life. Thankfully, when Grant wasn't sniffing on about the tough life of a rich actor, he gave the reporter some news nuggets about his role in Richard Curtis's directorial debut, Love, Actually. Grant, who plays the newly-elected British Prime Minister , 'not based on anyone, I hasten to add,' in one of a series of overlapping stories will deliver the film's keynote voice-over as he explains. 'The camera is on the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport, and people are coming through and greeting friends, relations, mothers � kissing, hugging, all the stuff you actually see in airports. 'And the voice-over is saying, "Everyone says the world is going down the tubes, and full of hatred and misery. But that's not the way I see it. You know, when the planes hit the Twin Towers, the last messages from those planes and buildings weren't ones of hatred and revenge; they were ones of love. So I think that blah, blah, blah, blah....Love, actually, is all around as they say in the song."' It sounds very happy-clappy, but Grant is keen to explain that he won't be his usual fluffy self in the role, 'I said to Richard [Curtis], "I don't know that I really can go back to being that nice person"...But he kind of adjusted things and we put a little more steel in the character.'

(KateF) I bet keping the pregnancy quiet was why Livia didn't go to the play. I wonder if a reluctance to travel will cause her to have to "suffer in English" this time? First off, I think it's a shame CF & LD have been outed on the pregnancy. He hadn't said anything about it, so I assume they wanted to keep it to themselves. As for why LD wasn't at the premiere, I just assumed she's already in Italy for her 3rd trimester & the delivery. You're not supposed to fly during the last trimester, right? With the war it would make sense to get her settled a bit early. With all that said, (CF) "I play a man who wakes up from a coma to find his wife has died. It's wonderful, just what I wanted. " You might want to re-word that, luv :)

Thanks Annette for the HS poster link, Emma for the premiere news and Barbara for Express article. What fun! Lots to read...and here's another. From a Hong Kong lurker (who I'll get active soon), she's typed out an item from Premiere about GWAPE. There's a smallish pic of the director talking with the actors around a dining table, where Colin is not clearly visible, but he's there. Will try to get. GIRL WITH A PERAL EARRING Starring Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Essie Davis, and Tom Wilkinson; Directed by Peter Webber (Lions Gate) Dressed in a turquoise corduroy suit and sporting a shoulder-length mop of hair, the great Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer (Firth) is in the midst of a turbulent domestic scene with his wife (Davis), who has discovered that the servant girl, Griet (Johansson), has modeled for him - wearing her earrings. Quite a scandal, if you live in 17th-century Delft. "It's a film about painting," first-time director Webber says on the Luxemborg set of Girl With a Pearl Earring, an adaptation of Tracy Chevalier's 1999 best-selling historical novel that imagines a liaison between the artist and the subject of the eponymous painting. (Kate Hudson and Ralph Fiennes were originally set ot star until early financing fell through.) "But it's also about money and sex and obession and power and repression - watching people who want to shag each other's brains out and not being able to. That's much more interesting than seeing people do it." Little is known about the Dutch master, who when he died at 43 left behind a wife, 11 children, and 35 paintings, but virtually no record of himself. Firth's suit and coiffure are the filmmaker's improvisations. Is the hair real? "No," says the self-deprecating Firth (Bridget Jones's Diary), fondly twisting a strand. "I think this is probably no longer possible." The actor, who says he fell in love with the painter's work when he saw Young Woman With a Water Jug at the Met several years ago, admits that he has become a bit of Vermeer nerd. But gathering trivia hasn't helped him to demystify the artist. "I would love to know what Vermeer looked like, and what he had for breakfast, and what he sounded like when he spoke," says Firth. "I'm dying of curiosity. But it wouldn't help me get any closer to his pictures." Johansson (Ghost World), on the other hand, in dyed-blond eyebrows and period clothes looks uncannily like the subject of the famous painting. She also adopted a British accent. "I'm just trying to avoid sounding like a complete asshole," she says. The young actress is relieved to be shooting this understated love story in Europe, and that it's not a typical American production. "It would be completely hellish to have the pressure of putting on a Hollywood ending, or putting in a scene where Vermeer sees Griet washing her breasts." - Kirsten Hohenadel [Set Fact: "I have a mullet," Scarlett Johansson says of her new hairstyle, which works well under the headscarf that her character Griet wears throughout the film. "So it's not exactly a period cut."]

(CF) "But it's also about money and sex and obession and power and repression - watching people who want to shag each other's brains out and not being able to. I think that tells us how they've interpreted it. ...That's much more interesting than seeing people do it." For some people, perhaps. ;-)

Annette, thanks for the link. I like his smile very much. Thanks everybody for infos and reviews, so I can at least read about WAGW if I can't go and see it.

'And the voice-over is saying....... You know, when the planes hit the Twin Towers, the last messages from those planes and buildings weren't ones of hatred and revenge; they were ones of love Are you kidding me?!! (note there is no freakin winkie) Dressed in a turquoise corduroy suit Ewwww! "But it's also about money and sex and obession and power and repression - watching people who want to shag each other's brains out and not being able to. That's much more interesting than seeing people do it." Like I said, I can NOT wait to see this. ;-) Is the hair real? "No," says the self-deprecating Firth (Bridget Jones's Diary), fondly twisting a strand. "I think this is probably no longer possible." LOL! "I'm just trying to avoid sounding like a complete asshole," she says. The young actress is relieved to be shooting this understated love story in Europe, and that it's not a typical American production. "It would be completely hellish to have the pressure of putting on a Hollywood ending, or putting in a scene where Vermeer sees Griet washing her breasts." LOL, I've been such a fan of hers for a while now.

(CF) "I play a man who wakes up from a coma to find his wife has died. It's wonderful, just what I wanted. " (Emma) You might want to re-word that, luv :) LOL! Good catch. Got to be careful with those indefinite antecedents. ;-)

I'm just trying to avoid sounding like a complete asshole,"........ not a typical American production. "It would be completely hellish to have the pressure of putting on a Hollywood ending, or putting in a scene where Vermeer sees Griet washing her breasts." LOL, I've been such a fan of hers for a while now. Same here! Can see how she won his admiration.

(Karen) LOL! Good catch. Got to be careful with those indefinite antecedents. ;- Er, that was me, not Emma! Too many WAGW screenings? :) (SJ) I'm just trying to avoid sounding like a complete asshole,"........ not a typical American production. "It would be completely hellish to have the pressure of putting on a Hollywood ending, or putting in a scene where Vermeer sees Griet washing her breasts." LOL! I like her v. much already!

Dressed in a turquoise corduroy suit (Dorine) Ewwww! LOL....my thoughts exactly! Where are all those lovely earthtones and muted jewel tones? Hope Griet isn't wearing fuchsia....;-) But, like you, Dorine...I await this one quite anxiously! Can't wait to see all that repressed shagging (or...is that not see it?)! Either way! To quote Linda from Spoilers...bring it on! ;-)

About Scarlet Johansson: I'm ready to join the chorus; I like her very much, just as she is! Okay, another of my "silly minor finds". Someone mentioned something about giving the hairdresser from WAGW a price. Well, the makeupartist for GWAPE also did makeup on AMITC (am I the only one, who really didn't like his hair in that movie?) I much prefer the one picture released from GWAPE. One more, who gets better with age (the makeup artist, that is);-) http://www.mckinneymacartney.com/jenny_shircore.html

Had to post this bit from the NJ Star-Ledger's review (Linda, you may want to write this guy who has no clue): Still, this mild time-waster is worth one asterisk in the history books: It's the first movie I've seen that begins with a studio warning to audiences not to record it off the screen. There's also a plea to informers to call ushers if they see other people taping. Warners -- which has reportedly sent employees with night-vision goggles to screenings of other films, to search for bootleggers -- needn't be so concerned. I can't imagine anyone taping "What A Girl Wants" off the screen. Unless it's to prove to the stay-at-home parent that yes, they really did accompany their dear little daughter to see it. Rating note: The film contains one silly rake, and two very mild oaths. http://www.nj.com/entertainment/ledger/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/1049443999198290.xml

GWAPE Director:" "But it's also about money and sex and obession and power and repression - watching people who want to shag each other's brains out and not being able to. That's much more interesting than seeing people do it." "Oh yeah..speak for yourself, Peter.A little rumpy-pumpy on screen ain't so bad." Does sound like an R rated/adult movie though. Or maybe it's my wishful-thinking.

(Karen)Had to post this bit from the NJ Star-Ledger's review (Linda, you may want to write this guy who has no clue): Boss, I'm going to get on this right away. When I've finished with him, he'll definitely have a clue. I'll clue you in on the results.