Okie doke. Who knows what lurks in my inbox. ;-D Where is Vera's report? And I'm sure she must have pics to share as well.

Karen, don't hold back. Keep them coming. Also, I'm taping E!News live tonight, but I'm also going to watch and tape Access Hollywood. Last week they did several spots from the Venice FF and I'm hoping they do the same for Toronto.

Aaagh! Too much excitement for words... and I'm practically living at the computer. Thank you all for pictures, reviews, emails, and all the other juicy tidbits!

(Annette) I can only speak for myself: Bring it on!! (Evelyn) These are heady days. Annette can speak for me anytime. As for the heady days, when it rains, it pours. RL could not be more frantic right now and all I can think of is I wish I was in Toronto.

Sorry to post again, but... GWAPE after party pictures are up at wireimage. http://www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?navtyp=SRH&logsrch=1&sfld=A

(lindak) She also couldn't believe that, as he sat watching the film, he had his hand over his mouth in Mr. Darcy fashion. I'm surprised she watched the movie at all, since she had him live and in person! It also makes me wonder if this is the first time he's seen the film in its completed form. (Karen) Gaaah! Am having impossible time keeping. Can't read and update at same time. Need to clone self. ;-D You're doing great, Karen, as are all of our intrepid reporters! Thanks to everyone for all their hard work!!

Thanks Linda for continually checking the site. Have now updated Public Eye page with three new pics of Colin socializing, white wine in hand. ;-D http://www.firth.com/p_eye8.html

My eyes are starting to blur but I think this photo is new: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030905.ffred0905/BNStory/SpecialEvents3/ Go to the photo gallery.

Here you go:

Harumph! I'll do it this way...

No idea if this link will work, but there are sxeveral more from the GWAPE premiere. http://newsandsport.gettyimages.com/source/CFW/searchResults.aspx?ss=2412718&as=0&pp=16&df=0&be=0&lv=1&bt=0&si=0&osi=0&opp=16&by=2&sub=-1&src=-1&da=0&db=&de=&ph=&cns=&sts=&cts=&pes=&lr=500

Love this one!

You beat me to these; am on the phone with them to see why I can't log in anymore. :-(

Boy, everyone loves to touch and hug Scarlett. ;-) (Meredith) It also makes me wonder if this is the first time he's seen the film in its completed form That was my thought, too. Apparently Mr. Delaney forgot what Colin looked like when he misidentified PW as Colin in one of them. Thanks everyone!

Have got them all, nice and big, but expect to see lots more grey in hair. *am exhausted*

The director and cast (L-R), Richard Curtis, Colin Firth (news), Laura Linney (news) and Duncan Kenworthy, pose at the after party for their film 'Love Actually' after a screening of the film as a work in progress at Toronto Film Festival September 7, 2003. PHOTO TAKEN SEPTEMBER 7 NO SALES MANDATORY CREDIT REUTERS/Sam Barnes/Universal Studios

Actors Laura Linney (news) and Colin Firth (news) (R) pose at a party for their film 'Love Actually' after a screening of the film as a work in progress at the Toronto Film Festival September 7, 2003. PHOTO TAKEN SEPTEMBER 7 NO SALES MANDATORY CREDIT REUTERS/Sam Barnes/Universal Studios/Handout

Here's another very nice picture of Colin from another source: http://www.digitalhit.com/fest/tiff/2003/4/photos/60

Thanks for all the pics. Several from GWAPE before Colin's if you click on "Previous". Not into Scarlett's lipstick and love the strategically placed pearls. ;-D Also, she might have thought of going to one of those instant tanning spas to get rid of her tan lines for that dress. ;-)

(Karen)Have got them all, nice and big, but expect to see lots more grey in hair. *am exhausted* And though I cannot speak for the others, I for one thank you for your effort, Boss! Now why don't you go have a lie down? Don't want you to be so tired you can't enjoy the big b-day party coming up. ;-)

Thanks Linda, Mari, Karen,Marianne and Katty for the latest *slurp* pics...the one from post 1517 had me on a nipple hunt and wishing he had just come in from a very cold rain...(think I need to go splash my own face now..)

ODB's good fortune that HG or Liam Neeson didn't show...he had the spotlight. I think SJ is stunning; dressed for the occasion.Lipstick matches the rose on the pony tail;-)

Am going for a liedown (figuratively) shortly...as am expecting someone here shortly. Myou emailed me with the link katty supplied, so that (lightened and made more aesthetically pleasing) and several of the Gettys have been added: http://www.firth.com/p_eye8.html

From DigitalHit.com

gah! From DigitalHit.com

Marianne, the one I posted above is from digitalhit. Thanks for the new ones from the LA bash.

(Evelyn) I think SJ is stunning; dressed for the occasion. Absolutely agree. Lipstick matches the rose on the pony tail;-) Saw that. Like it in the hair, not on the face. Just my preference. Would've liked something a shade, or 2 or 3, darker. Or maybe even a bit lighter, a tad subtler. Maybe it's the size of her lips combined with the distortion of pictures, but it borders on looking like a kid playing with mom's lipstick. Or a clown. Just my particular perception, not right or wrong. ;-)

Thanks to everyone for all the terrific stuff. I've been lurking around for the last few weeks, but here's info from the E!News website for tonite. Wishin' and hopin' that ODB is among the "other stars"!!! Although, truth be told, not sure I can stand much more!! Have to rest up for the 10th!!! From E!News.... We're on the party circuit, hitting the red carpet in NYC for the premiere of Once Upon a Time in Mexico, with Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith, Salma Hayek, Enrique Iglesias and others; plus, we're at the Toronto film fest with Nicole Kidman, Nicolas Cage and other stars

A report on seeing GWAPE from Teg, which can be read at austen.com's Tea Room, here: http://TheDWG.com/babble/bindex.cgi?read=84939 plus her comments on Colin a couple of messages below http://TheDWG.com/babble/bindex.cgi?read=84940

Here;s another review - not postive. Same criticism about it being TOO subtle with no action: http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_09.04.03/film/tiff.html As muted and still as a Vermeer painting, Girl With a Pearl Earring has atmosphere to burn and a near-total action vacuum. Scarlett Johansson is Griet, a servant sent to the house of artist Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth), a brooding type who quickly sizes her up for his next masterpiece; Johansson's milk-white skin and bruised-looking lips make her a dead ringer for the painting of the film's title. Much of the film dwells on the life of a 17th-century kitchen drudge in the form of Griet's endless chopping, stirring, washing and fetching. When Vermeer initiates her into the life of an artist, it's just more housework for the girl: more fetching and dusting, and now mixing and pounding to make paint. The conflicts in the film are so deeply sublimated, they're almost non-existent. CT

The Telegraph: I thought: 'Who's playing a prank?' A haunting novel about Vermeer's maid has been so successful that its author, Tracy Chevalier, is still reeling. Cassandra Jardine meets her As you enter Tracy Chevalier's north London home, the silent gaze of a young woman catches your eye. It comes, not from Tracy herself, who is an open and voluble character, but from a poster hung on the wall of the room off the half-landing. It shows a girl wearing an elaborate headdress and a single pearl earring. "My sister had the picture on her wall for years," says Chevalier, "and, one day, I found myself thinking about what Vermeer had to do with that look on her face." From that seed of an idea grew one of publishing's most encouraging successes. When Girl with A Pearl Earring was first published in August 1999, it received a few good reviews but little attention. Chevalier's first novel, The Virgin Blue, had not even been, as she puts it, "a modest success". She was just another youngish female novelist, born in America and living in London with her British husband. When her second book sold 5,000 copies in hardback, she was delighted. "The first inkling I had that it might be big was when I came back from a walk, just after Christmas, to find a message on my answerphone from the picture desk at Time magazine," she says, still laughing at the memory. "They wanted a picture of me. 'Who's playing a prank?' I thought. But when I found it was for real, I put the phone down and thought: 'Oh my God'." Once the book was published in America, sales started to soar. She and her husband, Jonathan Drori, who runs the Government's Culture on Line website, opened champagne when sales hit 100,000, but that was only the beginning. Word of mouth began to get around; the novel became a favourite with book clubs. It began appearing on student syllabuses. Readers were riveted by her extraordinarily detailed evocation of the life of a girl in 17th-century Holland and the working methods of Vermeer, a painter whose life is shrouded in mystery. To date, Girl with the Pearl Earring has sold more than two million copies worldwide and has been translated into 21 languages. Sales will take off again, now that the book has been turned into a film, starring Colin Firth as Vermeer and Scarlett Johansson as Griet, the maid who poses for him. It was made on a set in Luxembourg, built as Venice, which was swiftly converted into 17th-century Delft using, she says, "sticking plaster and knicker elastic". The film of Louis de Bernieres's Captain Corelli's Mandolin, another great word of mouth success, was a souped-up disaster on film. "What will I say if I don't like it?" Chevalier wondered, as she went to her first screening. To her great relief, she loved it: "I found I could watch it like any other film. Occasionally, I would think: 'What happened to that line?' but then I would dive in again." Even more encouragingly, the film has received a rave review in Variety, the in-house journal of the movie business, which says it has "all the ingredients" of a hit. If she makes light of her success, it is because she still can't quite believe it. "What will prove it to you?" she says that her agent asked, in exasperation, when Chevalier replaced her old car with another second-hand vehicle. She doesn't wear designer clothes and her house, though meticulously neat, is not grand. Nor does she regret having sold the film rights for less than �10,000 before the book was published, to find that afterwards, Miramax and others were seriously excited by it. "At least this way it got made," she says. "Hollywood has a habit of putting books on the shelf - and I'm sure they would have changed the ending. This director [Peter Webber, who, until now, has made only television programmes, including The Stretford Wives] understood the point of restraint." The excitement of casting merely struck her as fun. She was taken by the idea of Ralph Fiennes as Vermeer though, in the end, he had to go off and make Maid in Manhattan. "Smart move, Ralph," she says. As for the thought of Reese Witherspoon playing Griet, she gagged. "I mean, it's quite a big leap for her, isn't it?" Since the book came out, she has had other, more important, matters to worry about, chiefly how to follow up on her success while being a mother. After Pearl Earring, she was careful to steer clear of art for her next book. Falling Angels is set in Highgate cemetery in the early 20th century, but she did stick to the lesson she learnt from studying Vermeer: "The power of understatement," she says, "is the power of finding a whole world in the corner of a room." For her latest book, The Lady and the Unicorn, she has returned to art. Again, she has chosen a well-known but little documented masterpiece - the 15th-century tapestries that hang in the Mus�e Cluny in Paris - and imagined where, when and why they were made. And, once again, it is as if long-dead women are speaking about their lives. It doesn't take a great leap to link this preoccupation she has as a writer with the key event of her early life - the death of her mother when she was almost eight. "Not many of her things are left," she says. "I have one silk scarf in bright blue and green and a photograph of her holding me. I have often wondered what she was thinking but I haven't tried to imagine her as much as I have my fictional characters. She's gone." Within her family, there is no taboo about speaking of her mother but she has rarely done so. Such memories are painful. Her mother had been ill for five years before she died from an enlarged heart that resulted from a bout of flu. For much of that time, she was bedridden and unable to play with her three children. "Reading was probably my way of getting through it," she says. Ever since she can remember, she has devoured books voraciously. But it was not until many years later that she thought of writing. At college in Ohio, she studied English. Eager to work in publishing, she came to London, where she met her husband, who was making science programmes for the BBC. He also edited art books and supported her while she went on the creative writing course at the University of East Anglia where, under Malcolm Bradbury and Rose Tremain, she learnt "how to make writing more central to my life. It gave me a year, a critical audience and a deadline." By the end of the year, she produced her first novel. Then, two weeks before her son, Jacob, was born, she had followed it up with Girl With a Pearl Earring. In the five years since it came out, she has been finding out how to juggle motherhood with writing. She has also been more curious about how her own parents coped with their three children. "It must have been really tough for my father, bringing up three children and working full time as a photographer for the Washington Post. "I'm learning how to write again as a mother - the broken time, the broken nights, having less mind space," she says, for she likes to become as totally absorbed in her creations as Vermeer did with his. "I used to be able to think about a book all the time standing in a queue in the grocery shop. Now, I think about how to stop Jacob getting bored." After a summer spent "painting my nails and trying to buy a coffee table", she is getting back to work, researching her next book, about William Blake, and thinking her way into her characters' lives. "He and his wife were said to sit in their London garden reading poetry to each other in the nude. I have always wondered what effect that might have had on others around them"

There's a tiny clip (are there any other kind?) on a Canadian entertainment show called etalk daily, in the first 10 minutes. The host is a cutie girl named Tanya Kim. They show Colin on the red carpet signing autographs. Then Tanya says to him, "You look very handsome tonight." He laughs the way he laughs and says, "Thanks. So do you." She laughs. A few minutes after that clip they show another quick look on the red carpet.

We had two amazing days. Yesterday I got home at 1 a.m and was off to the LA rush line by 9.00 a.m. I am happy to report that we all got in to see LA. Tress phone report covered most of the ground. GWAPE :Our long wait paid off as we were standing right at the barrier and all of us got autographs. Scarlett arrived first and went straight to the press and ignored the fans, which was not such a great loss as most of the people there were there for Colin. Peter Webber was there before Colin as well. He was very friendly and chatty he came over and was thrilled when asked for an autograph and claimed it was his first autograph. He told us Colin was on his way from LA. When Colin's limo arrived and he got out there was great excitement and everyone was yelling Colin, Colin. He was very serious and businesslike and in a great hurry as opposed to Denzel Washington who was there for the previous movie and took his time with the fans Only time we saw him smile when someone congratulated him on the baby, someone also called out boy or girl but naturally he ignored that question. Tress got some fabulous pictures. After Colin passed by us we ran to the line for the ticket holders. We were afraid that we might be locked out and they would start selling rush tickets but we fortunately got in and had great seats on the second balcony just opposite where Colin and the rest of the crew were sitting. Peter Webber and the rest of the cast were introduced and Peter Webber spoke briefly. He thanked his crew and the screenwriter and he said that he was thankful that his screenwriter was as good with silences as with words and this was very true because in GWAPE there are almost as many silences as there are words. The cast was introduced and Colin got the best and strongest applause. Scarlett stood right beside him and he put his arm around her (just as he did in the pictures many of us have we him) When the lights went out he and the rest of the crew sat right on the opposite side so we could see them quite well. After the movie there was a standing ovation and then we saw him make his way up the stairs talking to and hugging people among them Dennie Gordon, director of WAGW. Tress already reported on her almost close encounter when Colin got out of the washroom. The best part of the day beside seeing Colin and the movie was meeting so many other Colin fans, I never realized that there were so many of us (besides the internet groups). Two girls reported that they saw him the previous night in front of the Four Seasons hote and they called out to him and he seemed surprised that anyone recognized him. We were hanging out around that hotel as well but at the wrong time and we missed him. This is all for now.

(Tracy Chevalier)She was taken by the idea of Ralph Fiennes as Vermeer though, in the end, he had to go off and make Maid in Manhattan. "Smart move, Ralph," she says. " Wrong. He had already finished MIM. The change in GWAPE directors, and time suspension, presented a conflict with a stage committment at the National. Otherwise, interesting article, thanks, Murph.

Thanks, Vera! So happy for you. Was PW the only one who spoke? No open Q&As with the audience? Also thank you ladies for the great pictures! Karen great job grabbing them. Can't wait to see what you do with them all, including Tress'.

Thanks Vera and Myou for the brilliant first-hand reports. I am thrilled for all of you! Thanks Karen, Mari, Marianne, Katty and Maria for the gorgeous photos. Love the Mark Darcy thing he's working on. Saw just a hint of stubble in the LA pics. BTW, what's with the black cord or chain around his neck (barely peeking from under his shirt.) Leave it to us to study every little detail when ODB is the subject of the photo;-) Of course those brown shoes do kind of jump out at you;-) Karen, thanks for working so hard to get news and photos posted quickly. And I love the emails you get from non-Droolers.

PW was the only one who spoke. There was no Q&A for GWAPE but there was one for LA which we saw today,

A Big Thanks to each and every one for the reviews, photographs,interviews first hand reports and input....next best thing to being in Toronto. Special kudos to Karen!!!!

Thanks for the report, Vera. Love how the crowd was mainly there for Colin and giving him all the adulation, instead of SJ. (Vera) hugging people among them Dennie Gordon, director of WAGW. Didn't anybody seek her out? I know if Linda had been there, she would've been genuflecting at this woman's feet. ;-D (Vera) and he seemed surprised that anyone recognized him. Maybe they should've had T-shirts that said "we are those people you've never met." *snicker* (Evelyn) Wrong. He had already finished MIM. The change in GWAPE directors, and time suspension, presented a conflict with a stage committment at the National. Exactly, but there's a huge fairytale of a production story that's being disseminated by the makers of this film and I guess some people are going to play ball. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I have lots more pics taken by several lovely ladies, which I'll put up at another Fan Gallery tomorrow. *yawn* There are some absolutely incredible shots. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Evidently, Disney isn't submitting $$$$ for Hope Springs' weekend box office. This listing has 134 films, some of which are only playing on 1 lousy screen and we know HS is on quite a few more. Oh well....everything about this release continues to remain a mystery.

Ooo[s, forgot the url: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2003&wknd=36&p=.htm

Think HS will be the first? ;-D http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=599&ncid=802&e=2&u=/nm/20030908/media_nm/leisure_disney_dc

*snort* I'd only get it if it self-destructed before the opening credits. But the answer is: No. Here are the first eight titles: http://video.movies.go.com/ez-d/ Not losers.

Saw giant headline on someone's Telegraph this morning on the tube about how fabulous LA is, so got the story... Actually, it's great fun (Filed: 09/09/2003) David Gritten on Richard Curtis's directing debut, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival Why is Richard Curtis Britain's most successful screenwriter by a mile? Partly it's because audiences happily turn up to his romantic comedies with a fair idea of what to expect. Anyone familiar with his hits - Bridget Jones's Diary, Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral - could tick off a list of elements one might reasonably expect from a Curtis film. These include a funeral, a wedding, Hugh Grant in a leading role, a character swearing intemperately, endearingly bad pop music, social gaffes, grief and pain juxtaposed with comedy, London looking ravishing, a specific kind of Englishness, and an optimistic world view. All the above are to be found in Love Actually, enthusiastically received at its first public screening on Sunday at the Toronto Film Festival. For the first time, Curtis has directed a film as well as writing its screenplay, and his stamp is unmistakable; Love Actually feels like a greatest-hits compendium. This is not to detract from the consummate writing skill underpinning it. Love Actually is what used to be called a portmanteau film, with Curtis dexterously cutting back and forth between nine sets of loosely linked characters and storylines. Appropriately for a film that opens on November 21, all the action occurs in the weeks leading up to Christmas. A newly elected bachelor prime minister (Grant) falls headlong for the woman who brings him his tea at Number 10 (Martine McCutcheon). His sister (Emma Thompson) is crushed to learn that her husband (Alan Rickman) is planning a fling with his secretary. One of his employees (Laura Linney) finally seduces a colleague she has long fancied, but the romance is halted by her need to stay in phone contact with her mentally disturbed brother. Liam Neeson is a grieving widower who must now tend to his 11-year-old stepson, himself a bit lovelorn. Colin Firth plays a writer, cuckolded by his own brother, who flees with his typewriter to a refuge in the south of France - and falls in love across language barriers with a Portuguese cleaning woman (Lucia Moniz.) New bride Keira Knightley is the object of unspoken love from best man Andrew Lincoln. And Bill Nighy shines as Billy Mack, a burned-out rocker (think Keith Richards meets Ozzy Osbourne) with a surprise Christmas Number One contender on his hands: a re-make of Love Is All Around, already familiar to Curtis fans. But that title summarises the film's theme: that love actually is all around. Curtis highlights people's essential goodness at crucial moments - weddings and funerals, of course, and also airports. In Curtis's world, Heathrow is ideal for observing people affectionately greeting each other, and for staging a dramatic dash to intercept a departing loved one. His world is also becoming gradually more inclusive: no Asian characters are seen, but three black Britons have (admittedly minor) speaking roles. The old pros in a strong cast acquit themselves splendidly. Nighy, looking hilariously wasted, almost steals the film, but Emma Thompson's beautifully nuanced performance is its emotional core. In the film's most affecting scene, she stands beside her marriage bed, tearfully breaks down, then pulls herself together; no words, just body language. Much rubbish has been written about her career being damaged by the hostile reception to her film Imagining Argentina; here is an eloquent response. Inevitably, some stories work better than others; Thompson's and Linney's are the simplest and most effective. Grant's much-vaunted turn as the PM never quite ignites, largely because his romance with McCutcheon (who seems flat and overawed in this starry company) never rings true. But the ever-watchable Grant has an amusing scene, boogeying around Number 10 unobserved (or so he thinks). He also gets the best speech - a stirring, patriotic moment when he lists Britain's virtues and berates an overbearing US president (Billy Bob Thornton) for bullying us. Cue cheers and applause in hundreds of Odeons. Still, Curtis is the real star: a master of the feelgood movie, a man not ashamed to be corny or sentimental, and happily asserting reasons to be cheerful. Love Actually re-affirms his stature as a great populist entertainer. Move over Calendar Girls, here comes the year's big British movie hit. ______________ Sorry Karen, I didn't get your message until this morning about the Evening Standard, missed it.

Our Toronto group got to see LA as well. We got to the box office at 9.00 a.m. hoping for the same day tickets but they were all sold out so we had to line up at the rush line. It was a 3 hour wait but we all got in. What a contrast to GWAPE! GWAPE is a beautifully shot art film, almost as series of paintings unveiled before our eyes moving at a regal pace. Everything is very subtle, a look, touch, facial expression convey a lot. I can't see this as a box office hit. It will certainly appeal to sophisticated movie buffs who can appreciate the beautiful cinematography. On the other hand I can see LA filling those seats very well. It is funny, it is sad, it is poignant and it moves at a fast clip The stories are imaginative although some are unresolved at the end. There was a Q&A with the producer and he was asked about the unresolved stories and apparently that was Richard Curtis's purpose, love is like that not everything gets resolved. Colin had more time than I expected, he was the first one we see when the film starts. He did a lot of physical comedy playing a very clumsy guy. At the end we hear him speaking quite a bit in Portuguese. He should do more physical comedy he is very good at it. He looks terrific ( I must say I prefer this look over Vermeer). Some other questions asked at Q&A Question about casting: Richard Curtis had Emma Thomson and Hugh Grant in mind from the very beginning and the other actors were more than willing to work with him. Question about what was cut out They cut quite a bit, mostly small subplots, one about Emma Thompson's character's problems with her son. They also cut some scenes for every major character as well. The film we saw was digital they transfering it to 35mm and grading it ( I don't know what exactly it means, seems adjusting the colours). They will not be cutting anymore of the content though so we saw the finished product. Question about the airport scenes They filmed the arrivals at the airport and when they got a good shot, they rushed to ask people for release The audience loved it, laughed at all the right places and it got a huge applause at the end (but no standing ovation). We had incredible two days, seeing Colin, two new movies, meeting so many Firth fans and soaking up the festival atmosphere.

From this morning's Times 9/9/03 Liz Smith's column Has your tongue been hanging out waiting for the next romantic comedy from the team who gave us "four Weddings and a Funeral," "Notting Hill" and "Bridget Jones's Diary"? The new one is "Love Actually," starring, again, Hugh Grant. He plays a single prime minister who arrives for his first day at 10 Downing Street, and promptly falls in love with the tea lady, played by Martine McCutcheon. There are big stars in this romp-Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman. Hugh's cousin, Thomas Sangster, has a role. And Billy Bob Thornton does cameo duty as the president of the United States. "Love Actually" features innumerable interwoven plots and is directed by first-timer Richard Curtis, who also wrote the screenplay. Thansks, Emma, Karen, Vera and all for these great days of news, articles, and pictures. (Karen)I know if Linda had been there, she would've been genuflecting at this woman's feet. ...am I that transparent? LOL, I would have kissed them, as well.

A billion dollars is good....;-)) Most recent in memory, and therefore more likely to reflect reality, was Sunday night's "work-in-progress" screening of Love Actually, the directorial debut of British writer Richard Curtis. The name may not be familiar to everyone, but his scripts for Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones's Diary are the international gold standard in mainstream adult comedy. It was no surprise, then, that a mob scene descended on the historic Elgin Theatre on Yonge St., creating block-long lineups and bringing out Toronto's finest to keep the peace. It also encouraged Los Angeles's unfinest to push their industrial weight around in the protection of their corporate bosses, whose stretch limos took up an entire block off Yonge, engines idling in defiance of local environmental ordinance to keep their occupants chilled. Curtis introduced his film with the same elegant self-deprecation he brings to his work. He then brought on members from the production, including Colin Firth and Laura Linney, before taking a seat for the first public screening of a film that is expected to put healthy bonuses under Working Title/Universal Pictures's Christmas tree when it is released "in cinemas - on November 21, actually," to quote from a print press campaign already in full swing. The studios are flinging the PR money about because Curtis is the closest thing to a sure thing in the movies these days, and because he has assembled a British supergroup to act in a shamelessly manipulative and therefore appallingly appealing romantic comedy I like to call Four Weddings and a Funeral for Bridget Jones's Diary About a Boy in Notting Hill. Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, Rowan Atkinson, Firth and Linney star in a frantic, multiplotted story about the universality of love that alternatingly clogs the veins, quickens the pulse, fills the eyes and hammers the funny bone. It is, in other words, pure Curtis - boldly stolen from his own work and that of Nick Hornby, and set during the five weeks before Christmas (note release date) among the smart set in London, with side trips to Portugal and Wisconsin. A final split-screen montage of normal people hugging each other to the strains of Brian Wilson's incomparable God Only Knows sent a crowd that had been with Curtis since hello into a frenzy. Love Actually will make a billion dollars this winter. http://www.canada.com/montreal/aroundtown/story.asp?id=05189129-92C7-4799-BE3B-4EEF103F6A7D

Favorable but forgetting someone very important... Girl With A Pearl Earring Allan Hunter in Toronto 09 September 2003 Dir: Peter Webber. UK/Luxembourg. 2003. 95 mins Crafted with all the delicate judgement and fine brushstrokes of an Old Master, Girl With A Pearl Earring is an exquisitely understated period drama rich in atmosphere and emotion. A faithful adaptation of the Tracey Chevalier best-seller, this marks an auspicious feature debut from director Peter Webber that should find favour with discerning, upscale audiences all around the world. The strength of critical support and the extent of interest in the spellbinding central performance of rising star Scarlet Johansson will determine exactly how far the film can travel. Set in the Delft of 17th century Holland, Girl With A Pearl Earring tells of a young servant girl Griet (Johansson) who is sent to work in the household of the painter Johannes Vermeer (Firth). It is a household dominated by the influence of Vermeer's imperious, penny pinching mother Maria (Parfitt) and his jealous wife Catharina (Davis). The artist's studio is hallowed ground in which only the few can tread. Griet is ordered to clean it. Her sensitivity to his work wins his trust and eventually inspires a bond between them that transcends all the barriers of class and circumstance that might otherwise have separated them. Unfolding with an economy and subtlety that is hard to fault, Girl With A Pearl Earring looks an absolute treat. Vermeer's paintings come to life in the dappled light of wintry landscapes and the dusty darkness of candle lit interiors. Frozen clothes on a washing line, gleaming, polished cutlery at a dinner table and the dedicated preparation of vegetables and fowl for a special meal are just some of the detail that combine to create a glowing, utterly convincing picture of a long ago world. The film's strength lies in a mesmerising recreation of the period that is allied to emotions that are timeless. An artist torn between his dutiful wife and a servant girl with a much more profound understanding of his art, Vermeer becomes an entirely human figure even as we also learn of his painstaking technique and a life spent at the constant mercy of a rich patron. Griet may be a servant girl with a handsome offer of marriage from butcher's son Peter (Murphy) but it is entirely understandable that she should feel the frustration of wanting more once Vermeer allows her to see the colours of the world through his eyes. Distinguished by glorious cinematography and production design, this is a film that deals in the implicit rather than the explicit. Meaning is found in lingering glances and painful intimacy rather than bold statements or flamboyant drama. In this respect, Scarlet Johansson's central performance is a revelation. As luminous as pale moonlight, she has the ability to let her features become a map of her character's emotions, registering wide-eyed wonder, shame, enchantment or scalding injustice with little more than a hint of a smile or a modest look. The performance marks her out as a young actress with the promise of greatness in her future and is sure to win the film the attention it deserves. http://www.screendaily.com/story.asp?storyid=13940&r=true

Thanks, Vera! Spoke to Tress again last night with the news of LA, but too worn out to post by the time I could get to it last night. ;-( Some bits about Colin's part.... He apparently speaks French, mix of Italian/Spanish, and Portuguese a bit badly purposefully, but comically. They cut out the "pencil dick" remark. Whatever the girlfriend says about him when Colin gets home and catches his brother there with her is said off-camera and must have been changed during dubbing. Re: the manual typewriter, she said it didn't seem to be addressed directly, but it's possible he left the laptop while being frazzled and in a hurry to leave town. Also, as the town he went to was fairly quaint, there wasn't much technology readily available. Electricity yes, but seems not a lot of modern conveniences beyond basics. Maybe I make it sound too primitive. He's wearing several layers under that nice cozy sweater. Almost has a "wet shirt" scene, but not quite so revealing with those layers. She also described what sounds like a very funny part when he goes to retrieve the book. I'll just say, it involved discomfort to a very, *ahem*, sensitive area. ;-) The housekeeper's dialogue was dubbed. She said it was funny how they would be speaking of similar things with opposite attitudes about it, such as... when the book flies away he says something like, "Don't bother chasing it, my grandmother could write better." At the same time she's stripping and going in the water to get it, she says, "I hope this book is worth it." Something like that. I'm sure you get the idea. That's all of Colin's I can remember at this moment. The rest....(this is even fuzzier)... She very much liked Liam Neeson and his part. Said interesting language thrown around with/by the kid. ;-) One long shot with Emma Thompson reacting to something was excellent. Singled out Rowan Atkinson (short part, as usual), HG, and Bill Nighy as being very funny. She didn't stay for the whole Q&A. She didn't hear the producer's name, but when I mentioned Tim Bevan from Working Title, she thought that might be it. Was she right, Vera? He said RC couldn't be there as he was with the press. Vera covered most of the other stuff Tress mentioned. Oh, the producer said while it was pretty much the final cut, the music may be tweaked/changed a bit.

(Dorine) I'll just say, it involved discomfort to a very, *ahem*, sensitive area. ;-) I'm trying to think of something constructive to say about this, but all I can think about is : wait for the DVD ! ;-)

Thanks for the articles/reviews, Maria. Screendaily's is actually a rave, despite not a word of mention for YKW. Re Love Actually premiere, I was told that a "Spanish" guy was also there. I expect it was the Brazilian actor that Laura Linney drooled over. (Tress's hotline) The housekeeper's dialogue was dubbed. Huh? You're kidding? Surely, they could get someone to speak her lines whilst lining up the lips. Or did the producer say they had to dub her because her English was unintelligible? Or am I not understanding???

Oh my, am laughing myself silly. Went to Screendaily's main page, where there's the sidebar for the review of GWAPE and lo and behold, they're using a pic of Colin from The Advocate (with big floppy hat). You'd think a trade publication, based in London, would get the right artwork. ;-D Have put up three sets of pics taken outside the GWAPE screening by Heather, Ildiko and Ann: http://www.firth.com/gwape_premgal1.html

Sorry, not dubbed, subtitled.

Thanks for the pics everyone! I actually like best, the one with the head almost in the way. Like the wide open eyes. Some animation in his face compared to most others.

Sorry Karen, I didn't get your message until this morning about the Evening Standard, missed it. But I did not! If you mean yesterday's ES with a big picture of CF and LL on the front page and another on Page 7! They were giving away a chocolate bar with each copy so I was obliged to eat it in spite of my diet. What I suffer in pursuit of CF ;-) There was no mention of GWAPE, only LA.

So? (we won't ask you to share the chocolate bar) If you can scan, pls send to my yahoo acct.

Karen - the picture # 4 that Iidiko took --- Here he is in almost the same pose a few years ago at the SIL opening, thanks to Anne: The hair is a lot better now.

Nice photo. The article's been posted before: http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/story.asp?id=44CC4A84-1865-415A-9ADE-8BE525EDE1CB

I know, Murph, I had the same sense of deja vu about that one in particular. ;-D

from the film fest site..

Thanks, Vera, Dorine, Emma, Maria and Karen! cut out the "pencil dick" remark. Whatever the girlfriend says about him when Colin gets home and catches his brother there with her LOL! It's a good thing, my DH would never let that one rest. ;-) Who plays his girlfriend and his brother? (Karen), Maybe they should've had T-shirts that said "we are those people you've never met." *snicker* The T-shirts will be in the party bag at the birthday party tomorrow. ;-) (Evelyn) Wrong. He had already finished MIM. The change in GWAPE directors, and time suspension, presented a conflict with a stage committment at the National. (Karen), Exactly, but there's a huge fairytale of a production story that's being disseminated by the makers of this film and I guess some people are going to play ball. I was surprised that Tracy didn't say that it didn't matter because Colin had done such a wonderful job. Why would she even bother talking about RF? (Karen), Oh well....everything about this release continues to remain a mystery. I shall conquer this, I shall! ;-) (Karen),Re Love Actually premiere, I was told that a "Spanish" guy was also there. I expect it was the Brazilian actor that Laura Linney drooled over. Check the wireimages. He's there.

Karen, "From the Ladies of Drool" was too funny. Any stranger would be wondering where are these ladies and how can I meet them? ;-) He's wearing a black cord type chain. Is there a locket with the baby's picture at the end? ;-D Thanks, Maria!

(Karen)I know, Murph, I had the same sense of deja vu about that one in particular It's the eyelashes. Very visible in the SIL one and here, too. Karen, thanks for posting the photos taken by the Toronto contingent. My favorite is the first one. Thank you so much Vera, Dorine, Emma, Maria and Karen! Heather, Ildiko and Ann you guys took really great pictures. Thank you!!

(Moon)He's wearing a black cord type chain. Is there a locket with the baby's picture at the end? ;-D My thoughts as well. Actually, I was imagining a picture of Livia and the baby.... Awwww! ;-)

Moon)He's wearing a black cord type chain. Is there a locket with the baby's picture at the end? ;-D I was thinking more along the lines of a chastity chain, it's looks long... (still in the blueprints stage...)Don't worry, I'm shaking my own head...

(Maria) I was thinking more along the lines of a chastity chain... OK, since you went there first, I'll submit what I just erased and admit I was thinking more along the lines of a leash. (Shaking my head with you and slapping hands for typing such a thing!)

(Maria) I was thinking more along the lines of a chastity chain... (BarbS)I was thinking more along the lines of a leash. LOL! I was thinking one of those electric shocker collars you put on dogs so they won't stray ;-)

Shame on you girls. ;-D

Maybe it has a GPS or LoJack transmitter in it. ;-)

(Dorine) Maybe it has a GPS or LoJack transmitter in it. ;-) She had better put a club on him, I hear those are hard to break into and some of those ladies faces in the background have that certain glazed look about them...;-D

Has anyone noticed a subtle change in ODB? Methinks he is beginning to believe that maybe he is a bit of a sex symbol. Previously all his pictures showed him with just one button open decorously at the neck. Now we have a 2 button exposure with just a flash of chest hair (and a leash).

I think the 2 button exposure is pretty consistent. If you flip back and forth between events: http://www.firth.com/p_eye_index.html (especially those with same shirt), most have the same. Perhaps he pulled it apart further at Toronto because it was so warm. Starting with the GQ awards in 2001: Progressing to the TIOBE premiere in NYC last year: Then to the more recent Hope Springs premiere... And now...

Hehe, Karen. Was just doing research on the subject as well, but of course you are on top of everything so quickly. ;-) Hard work, that research. ;-D

It must be something about the white shirt...

(Karen) If you flip back and forth between events: Hooah! Blood pressure edging toward danger zone! How quickly you pulled that together! You are too good to us! (If I scroll down the page really fast, wonder if it will be like those flip page things?) Thanks for the in-depth study Karen!

ROTF at the same outfit in all the pictures. Maybe along with varying the answers, he might try varying the clothes as well. ;-) But I do like the Toronto pic with the collar *wide* open. The GQ look still way on top for me. Though hard to tell a difference with the picture above. There's another from there that gets me...where he has the obvious tan.

Film Stew: Johansson Plays Toronto�s �It Girl� (With the Wireimage pic of Webber, Johansson and Firth) A far more realized work could be found on Sunday, September 7th during the gala presentation of Girl with a Pearl Earring, longtime TV director Peter Webber's debut feature film. Scarlet Johansson, undoubtedly this year's festival's �It Girl� by dint of her roles in this and Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation, stars as Griet, a maid in painter Johannes Vermeer's (Colin Firth) household. Assigned to clean the artist's studio, she develops an interest in the artistic masterpieces she discovers as she discharges her duties, a fascination that does not go unnoticed by her employer. Stressed by constant money troubles and lost in a sea of women that include his petulant, perpetually pregnant wife, Catharina (Essie Davis), Vermeer retreats to his studio where he begins cultivating the one female interested in his art, Griet. Girl with a Pearl Earring is a love story after a fashion, though the sensuality of Griet and Vermeer's relationship finds its greatest expression in the titular painting. Johansson, so very modern as Giovanni Ribisi's neglected wife in Lost in Translation, is pitch-perfect as the 17th-century servant and touching in her evident confusion over her feelings for her employer. The look of the film, shot in warm tones by cinematographer Eduardo Serra and carefully composed, adds to the richness of the drama as director Webber strives for and achieves the filmic equivalent of a Vermeer painting. This is one of those rare films about an artist that truly captures the glory of his work. What is a pity about Girl with a Pearl Earring is that both its gala TIFF screening and Monday, September 8th, matinee performance precede the screenings of Wonderland. After experiencing John Holmes' decadence, a visit to Vermeer's world could provide some badly needed uplift. Alas, it is not to be. Not at this year�s festival, anyway. http://www.filmstew.com/Content/DailyNews/Details.asp?ContentID=6700&Pg=2 (Scroll)

petulant, perpetually pregnant I love alliteration. :-) Think I'd want LA rather than GWAPE after Wonderland. Much peppier I'm sure. Thanks, Murph.

Looks like the US release isn't all that different from the UK one. While it will open on Dec 12 in NY and LA, it won't go onto to "select" cities until Jan 9th. :-( (knew it, knew it, knew it!!

and I've uploaded portions of the production notes to GWAPE here for your late night reading enjoyment. I'll add more pics when I...whatever... http://www.firth.com/gwape_notes.html

Have you seen the list of Dec. releases? I was wondering where GWAPE would fit in. How amy movies are called Wonderland? I've seen a few. BTW, He only has one buttom open in all the pictures, the top one would be for the collar.

Here is the account of my adventure at the GWAPE screening in Toronto. To write about my thoughts on the movie I'll go to Spoilers soon. My hubby and I arrived to the Roy Thomson Hall 1.5 hours before the gala. The plan was that he stands in line to try to get tickets, while I line up at the barricaded area to get a good spot for taking photos. I had absolutely no faith in getting tix, since they were said to have been all sold out, but wanted to try anyway. But when we got there a filmfest volunteer approached us and we were told that tickets were available at the box office for cash. You can imagine that I practically squealed with delight when I heard that. So we got the tickets, and hubby lined up to get in, and I got myself a good spot for taking pics. The red carpet was rolled out, lights, photographers standby, so it seemed an all out red carpet event. I was surrounded by plenty of women and I heard Colin's name casually mentioned about 200 thousand times. :-) Then trouble came, because they started letting the people in, and the actors were nowhere to be seen yet. I was in panic, because we had to go inside to get our seats, but I didn't want to be left out of the Colin experience. So we went inside but didn't go upstairs yet (we had seats on the balcony), hubby wanted, but I simply refused to move from where I was told the actors would come inside. So I stood there, hubby a few meters behind me, keeping our eyes peeled. I felt quite uncomfortable, because I didn't expect to be able to get in, so I was dressed comfortably for a few hours of waiting outside. People were dressed nicely all around, and I stood there wearing my jeans, running shoes, two cameras hanging from my belt, and my red sweater tied around my waist. I looked like a lost tourist for Pete's sake. I got some curious glances, but did my darnedest to ignore them all, and just concentrate on the task at hand. Which was Colin watching. It was absolutely nerve wrecking. It was 9:30 already, people went inside the theatre to take their seats, and my hubby kept nudging me to go, but I thought I'll be damned if I miss this opportunity, so we remained out in the hall with a bunch of others, hoping we'd still have seats when we are finished taking pics. Then finally they arrived, and spent an agonizing 10 minutes outside giving interviews, signing autographs, then Scarlett came in first, then 5 mins later Colin. Women all over started calling out to him, and the poor guy went around a bit, a minute or two, and signed a few, and I finally had a chance to take a pic or two. Unfortunately he was blocked most of the time, so I'm glad I was able to take the handful I did, but most of them turned out useless. At one point Colin was right in front of me, his face less than 3 feet from mine, but the security guard was right between us. I still managed to "hit" him, flashed into his face a few times, oh poor baby, while he quickly - and I'm sad to say, without uttering one word - signed a few things, then he was gone. I was so busy taking pics I never even thought of saying anything to him, let alone ask him to sign, but I didn't even want to. I was just out of my mind that he was standing right in front of me, looking so gorgeous that I just wanted to freeze time, take his face in my hands and just look at him for an hour. His face looked freshly shaved, his skin so whitish pink (must have been the lighting), his hands soft and artistlike, his hair brown and those sideburns.. sigh... they were there, and so were those lovely dimples when he smiled. In his dark suit and white shirt open waaaay down (or was it just my imagination?)he looked absolutely devastating. And I mean DEVASTATING. When he was still outside giving interviews he turned his back at us at one point, and I could clearly see that his hair was thinning big time on the top. I wonder how he is going to remedy that as it'll get worse. :-) Then he was gone, and we took our seats on the balcony. Before the screening they all came out to the stage and were introduced by Peter Webber. When Colin was called in the whole auditorium erupted whith applause and female "Whooo!"s. Maybe some of the husbands were screaming too, but not with pleasure I think.. :-) Then the movie started, and Colin and company took seats on the first level in the middle. I felt weird being in the same "room" with him, especially knowing he was watching himself. That must be a weird thing to do, but he is quite used to it I guess. After the movie was over they were all "lit" sitting there, and everybody applaused, then it was over. Needless to say I was on cloud 9, and was grinning all the way home. I think I'm going to be smiling all week long. :-)

(Ildi)Needless to say I was on cloud 9, and was grinning all the way home. I think I'm going to be smiling all week long. :-) And you have good reason... were I to ever see TMH in person, and as DEVASTATING as you describe him and the pictures show him, I don't know if would ever stop smiling! Yipee for you and a pat on the back for the DH for helping in your adventure. ;-)

(Ildi)I just wanted to freeze time, take his face in my hands and just look at him for an hour. Amen! Thank you, Ildi, for that wonderful report. You did everything right. I like a woman who stands her ground;-) (Maria)She had better put a club on him, I hear those are hard to break into and some of those ladies faces in the background have that certain glazed look about them...;-D ...hey, I can crack a safe in 10 seconds flat especially if I'm crazed, eh glazed;-)

OK, throwing my hat into the ring... Here's the account of my Colin encounter. (Settle in, this is going to be long!)My best friend and I decided to venture up to Toronto kind of at the last minute, so we weren't able to get advance tickets for either GWAPE or LA. When we got there, we realized that we would have to choose between standing in the rush line to try to get tickets, or just giving up on the movie altogether and standing amongst the fans so that we could be sure to see Colin. (The way the rush line was positioned--far from the red carpet--it was not possible to do both). Not a hard choice--the movie will be out eventually and we can see it then, but when would we ever have the chance to see Colin in person again? So we staked out a position very early in the afternoon (3:30) right in front of where the limos pulled up to the red carpet, literally two or three feet from where the stars were getting out of their cars. We killed the long hours waiting by talking to some other Firth fans (including Tress) and meeting Denzel Washington nd getting his autograph. When GWAPE time finally rolled around, Scarlett arrived first and breezed right past us. Then Peter Webber came over and talked to a few fans, but I wasn't able to hear much of the conversation. THEN, Colin's car pulled up. It was a towncar (I think) rather than a limo with tinted windows, so we were able to see inside. When he got out, he posed for a few press pictures on the red carpet with his back to us, then proceeded up to the press area. Some of the fans started calling his name and he came back and signed a few autographs. He stopped, though, when he got about three or four people down from me and it seemed like he wasn't going to make it down to our end (and we had thought we were in pole position!!). So people down on my end started calling his name, which didn't seem to be having much effect until my friend, with a note of utter desparation in her voice, called out "Colin, PLEASE!!" He turned around and looked right at her (GAH!!) and then headed our way. (As a side note she fully acknowledges that that was one of the single most pathetic moments of her life...but totally worth it!) ;-) So he heads my way and I hand him my GWAPE book, turned to the title page I wanted him to sign, but I have NO pen! (Instead of "Girl With a Pearl Earring" I'm "Girl Without a Pen"!) So he just stands there holding the book for a minute and gives me this look like "OK, so am I supposed to sign this in my own blood, or what?" So I snatch a pen out of someone else's hand and he signed my book. He hasn't said anything this whole time, but before he signed my book, my friend asked if she could take his picture while he signed it (we were REALLY close to him--as you can tell from my pictures--and the flash would have been right in his face) and he kind of nodded his head shyly and said "Yes." He signed a few more autographs in our area and then headed back up to the press line. And that was about the extent of our encounter. Unfortunately, due to our school and work schedules we weren't able to tay long enough on Monday to try to catch the 12:00 screenings of either GWAPE or LA. But we did see "The Human Stain" (which was excellent) and got to check out the gala premieres on Saturday night, too, so we still felt like we had gotten to do the whole film fest thing. Now, onto more important matters...he looked AMAZING! I will second Ildi's "devastating" and throw in a "drop dead gorgeous" just for good measure ;-) I was really hoping he would wear that exact outfit (although not realizing until I saw Karen's post that I probably needn't have been concerned, since it seems to be his favorite outfit!). He did not dissapoint in the height department...nice and tall, lean with those broad shoulders. As to the collar issue, I can tell you for certain that it didn't start out that wide open. We saw him as soon as he got out of the car, and as you can tell from my pictures, it wasn't open quite that much (no black cord visible in any of my pictures). So I don't know what the deal was there. His hair looked great (love the Mark Darcy sideburns) and he was clean shaven. I can't say I noticed the brown shoes...such a fashion no-no, but he looked so good otherwise that I can forgive it. I think that's about it, but I'm still on such a natural Colin high that I may have left out s me details in my stupor ;-) If so, I'll post them as they come to me!

(Dorine) ROTF at the same outfit in all the pictures. Maybe along with varying the answers, he might try varying the clothes as well. ;-) Hey, women have their little black dress; Colin has his little black suit ;) (Heather) We killed the long hours waiting by...meeting Denzel Washington LOL! Where else will I read such a blase' account of meeting DW?? Nowhere!! (Heather) gives me this look like "OK, so am I supposed to sign this in my own blood, or what?" *evil laugh* "Any body fluid will do, Colin" (sorry, couldn't resist; it was *screaming* to be said, lol) ;) Thanks, everyone for all the reports!! Sounds like a grand time was had by all...

Argh argh argh. Never have I been more bitterly resentful of being A) a poor grad student with no travel $$ and B) living in IOWA, land of Nowhere Near Anything Fun and Interesting. These stories are making me laugh with happiness for those who were there and cry for my own lack of being there. Thanks to you all for at least providing vicarious lives for me!!

(Allison) Now we have a 2 button exposure with just a flash of chest hair (and a leash). You don't think that's de rigueur in Winchester;-) Ildi what a nice gifts you come bearing...thanks for the pics and "on the scene " reports.

Ladies, thank you all for your wonderful reports of your Colin sightings (and sighings). How I wish I could have joined you. Did any of you just happen to catch his cologne? I have visions of a Bridget moment during research though!

I am getting a vicarious thrill out of reading all the Toronto attendees' comments. Thanks to all! I was telling my hubby that we should try to go to some film festival that we know Colin will be at so I can get a glimpse of him, too, as well as enjoy the festivities. He said Sure, as long as his wife is there. You see, he has as high an opinion of her beauty as I do of ODB's! I'd say we both have great taste.

(Ildi) Here is the account of my adventure at the GWAPE screening in Toronto. To write about my thoughts on the movie I'll go to Spoilers soon. Thud! OMG, not only pictures and stories, but she's a Drool organizational savant. ;-) *I'm a little light-headed* (Ildi) When he was still outside giving interviews he turned his back at us at one point, and I could clearly see that his hair was thinning big time on the top. I wonder how he is going to remedy that as it'll get worse. :-) Ah yes, it's been that way for a number of years and those hair and makeup people on his films deserve major recognition. (Ildi) Needless to say I was on cloud 9, and was grinning all the way home. I think I'm going to be smiling all week long. :-) No doubt for at least that long. (Heather) (As a side note she fully acknowledges that that was one of the single most pathetic moments of her life...but totally worth it!) ;-) ROTFLOL! Ashamed, never. She should be proud of herself. (Heather) So he just stands there holding the book for a minute and gives me this look like "OK, so am I supposed to sign this in my own blood, or what?" So I snatch a pen out of someone else's hand and he signed my book. At least it wasn't like at the LA SIL premiere, where he had to canvass the crowd looking for a pen that worked. Both Ildi and Heather's stories were enormously entertaining and so full of details I could pretend that I was right there too. Thank you so much for sharing with us.

Cute quote by Richard Curtis: "We hope you enjoy the film -- it was absolute hell to make," joked Curtis, who addressed the crowd Curtis also described both Firth and Santoro "as annoyingly handsome," and "the two men my wife says she would consider leaving me for." http://www.canoe.ca/FilmFestToronto03/sep9_shorts2-sun.html

Thanks Ildi and Heather! Great stories. Props to you, Ildi, for holding your ground waiting for Colin rather than following your DH to get seated. And props to your DH for being so patient and waiting with you. :-D Can't wait til Tress gets back on tomorrow to relate her experiences first hand.

Here's another bit from Colin: http://www.canoe.ca/FilmFestToronto03/sep8_shorts-sun.html BEING RIGHT MATTERS: Colin Firth, who spoke to reporters about his distrust of British Prime Minister Blair at a time when Blair was hugely popular, feels vindicated because of what's now happening with the Iraq war scandal in England. "Of course, now I'm having a sort of 'I told you so' feeling of almost erotic proportions," he says. Firth is here to promote Girl With A Pearl Earring, the luminous film about Vermeer in which he co-stars with Scarlett Johansson.

Another review... Film review: 'Girl With a Pearl Earring' By Kirk Honeycutt TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) - "Girl With a Pearl Earring" is a fictional exploration of the world of Dutch master Johannes Vermeer and the painting of his most enigmatic and beloved portrait, "Girl With a Pearl Earring." The movie takes us deep into the intimate realms of artistic inspiration. Based on Tracy Chevalier's best-selling novel, Olivia Hetreed's screenplay has imaginative fun, speculating on who that girl in the painting is and why she looks both amused and sad. The film, the directorial debut by television director Peter Webber, also offers lively lessons in the techniques and methodology of 17th century painting. This is an art film in spades. Boasting inspired performances by Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson -- the queen so far of this year's Toronto film festival, based on her work in "Lost in Translation" and this film -- "Girl" is not likely to move beyond the art house, but the film does succeed where few others have in penetrating the life of a painter and the source of his art. Cinematographer Eduardo Serra and designer Ben van Os make every frame of this picture a living tribute to Vermeer, utilizing his composition and lighting to capture the look of 1665 Holland. They use the famed "northern lighting" that catches faces and objects in a warm half-light that opens up common domestic scenes to the beauties of color and form. The film bathes its actors, furniture and open spaces in a glorious incandescence. Griet (Johansson), still a teenager, must leave her Protestant home to enter Vermeer's tumultuous, Catholic household in Delft when her father, a tile painter, becomes blind. The place is run by stern women. Vermeer's penny-pinching mother-in-law, Maria (Judy Parfitt), keeps a close eye on her emotional daughter Catharina (Essie Davis) -- perennially pregnant with another child to feed -- her mischievous granddaughter and a pair of gossipy female servants. On the floor above, in his studio, Vermeer (Firth) labors painstakingly but in peace on his paintings. He is not prolific, taking months to complete a commission, thus straining the household's finances. In the new maid, the daughter of an artist, Vermeer senses an appreciation of his work no one else in the family shows. He teaches her to buy and mix his paints. He notices her response to his experiments with light and space. And as her husband's interest in this fresh-faced lass grows, so does his wife's jealousy. The young beauty attracts the attention of two other men: the wealthy Master van Ruijven (Tom Wilkerson), Vermeer's lustful patron, and Pieter (Cillian Murphy), a butcher's son who shyly courts her. Sensing the tensions within Vermeer's household and desiring Griet himself, the cunning van Ruijven dangles a tempting commission before Vermeer. He asks the artist to paint Griet alone, behind his wife's back. Money-hungry Maria allows the commission -- and Vermeer's relationship with Griet -- to proceed. The film keenly observes the psychological warfare within the household even as it takes measure of the teeming township outside its door, where animals roam the streets and garbage lies in the canals. All this, the movie seems to say, goes into the painting of one masterpiece, all these tensions, hardships and schemes as well as the life of the times. Johansson's brave and intelligent innocence is nicely balanced by Firth's worldly, compassionate admiration of his painting's subject. In another time and place, these two would be lovers. But here, distinctions in class, religion and education make this impossible; here, their passion remains cerebral and platonic, though sexual tensions abound. High marks belong to the film's entire crew, including Alexandre Desplat's elegant score and Dien van Straalen's costumes modeled after Vermeer's work. Lions Gate Films

(CF) now I'm having a sort of 'I told you so' feeling of almost erotic proportions You can say "I told you so" to me as many times as you want to maintain that feeling. ;-D

ldi) When he was still outside giving interviews he turned his back at us at one point, and I could clearly see that his hair was thinning big time on the top. I wonder how he is going to remedy that as it'll get worse. :-) (Karen)Ah yes, it's been that way for a number of years and those hair and makeup people on his films deserve major recognition. Maybe they use that little can of spray paint ala The Fabulous Baker Boys;-D What ever they do is subtle, because especially in outdoor light, it is quite discernible (but not off-putting to me:))) The second best thing to being at TFF is hearing all the the first-hand accounts! I'm lovin' it along with everyone else. Thanks so much for sharing, Iadies!!!! laies!!!!

I just spent almost an hour reading all the reports and skimming the reviews, looking at photos, etc., and I'm in awe of everybody's experiences. Excellent work, everyone! All this, plus a crazed phone call from Tress on Monday, makes me almost feel I was there... almost, but not quite. Dena, Texas is even further from anything interesting than Iowa. Luckily, we have Drool to keep us informed. Thanks, everybody, for all the hard work (and the not-so-hard work of watching Colin).

I enjoy reading about all your encounters, and the positive reviews! Thank you ladies!Thank now to Heather. "OK, so am I supposed to sign this in my own blood, or what?" So I snatch a pen out of someone else's hand and he signed my book. LOL! Thanks, Heather, you chose well.

Thank you, Heather. I loved your encounter with Colin. Lucky, lucky lady! (Heather)He hasn't said anything this whole time, but before he signed my book, my friend asked if she could take his picture while he signed it (we were REALLY close to him--as you can tell from my pictures--and the flash would have been right in his face) and he kind of nodded his head shyly and said "Yes." Recurring impressions from most of our on-the-scene-ladies... Wonder why he seemed so subdued? Maybe it was just fatigue. Quite different from his "working the crowd" at the HS premiere in May. (CF) now I'm having a sort of 'I told you so' feeling of almost erotic proportions. Pregnancy, childbirth, and now politics...He's just an erotic kind of guy;-)

(Linda) Pregnancy, childbirth, and now politics...He's just an erotic kind of guy;-) ROTF, Linda.Great insight;-)