GWAPE reviewd by Ebert and Roper this week. Repeats today at 11:30 EST It�s a tricky one to get into so I'd rather they didn�t read it in The Telegraph. Stupid question, IMO. Kind of like parents asking a child, if we get divorced who would you live with. How do you answer that? But, I agree, he should have just left it there.

For Lindak ...Thanks for the Ebert and Roper tip - was able to set my timer and I look forward to what they have to say.

GWAPE reviewd by Ebert and Roper this week. Repeats today at 11:30 EST Unfortunately, I don't get the repeat, but I caught it last night and it's worth taping. Aside from rave reviews for GWAPE, the second half of the show is their "Memo To The Academy"--their recommendations on people the Academy should nominate who may be otherwise overlooked. Richard Roeper's pick for Best Supporting Actor was Colin . . . in Love Actually.

(Ildiko) If Colin was less than happy with how the movie turned out it's a good way to get out of giving a straight answer. LOL. What a guy...picks on the best thing he's done since the fifteen minutes on "Conspiracy"...never said a word about the other turkeys he's done. Re: parents remark: I've always said he talks too much. A simple diplomatic: "At different times in my life I've been closer to one than the other". But noooo... If he posted on Drool, I'd scroll through those long answers;-)

Richard Roeper's pick for Best Supporting Actor was Colin . . . in Love Actually. Really? Over Bill Nighy?

(Mari) but the answer about his parents is even worse So did I, but my backside is still sore from the kicking I got from the Firth Anti-Defamation League over the "supposed" slur. What is "functional, to an extent"? Talk about planting the seeds for further public discussion and speculation on a private matter. The question was "are you closer to your mother or father?" All he had to do was say he had good relationships with each at different ages. Period. My mother would say this guy has no "sechel." :-( (Ildi) If that's not how he felt about the movie I'm glad he didn't say it...They praise the movie out of duty, and although I understand it's the honourable thing to do, still, it's a lie. Maybe when he's 95 years old and writing his memoirs, but not now. He was being interviewed to promote the movie; he has a contractual obligation to do his best to sell it. What's more annoying is that he's finally associated with a film that is receiving widespread critical praise, people are going to get nominated for Academy Awards, the studio is pushing his name for same, and the clown can't even clearly express his unqualified support for the film. He needs a minder, not to an extent, but badly. :-( (Mari) Richard Roeper's pick for Best Supporting Actor was Colin . . . in Love Actually. Yes, wasn't *that* a nice surprise. Have another article that I'll put up in a bit, from the National Post, from Jennie.

(Mari) Richard Roeper's pick for Best Supporting Actor was Colin . . . in Love Actually. Yes, wasn't *that* a nice surprise. Amazing and wonderful surprise especially since Ebert said Colin's performance was the weakest of the lot when he reviewed LA...today he commended RR for three great picks. (Dorine)I completely agree with that call, especially in light of the problems with BA flights over the holidays. Quite frankly, I wouldn't want to hear a reference to it sitting on any plane, going anywhere. So do I, as one who just left Heathrow and had to watch the passengers from that delayed Washington flight being loaded onto a bus so they could board the plane sitting all alone in the center of the runway.;-( Also, BA at least has individual screens for in flight films and parents can lock out the channels with R rated movies. Sitting side by side you can't really see what is on the screen beside you...but you can by peaking through the seats of the next row;-) Just a reminder: E! news weekend with the GWAPE junket clips repeats, tomorrow at noon.

(Evelyn) If he posted on Drool, I'd scroll through those long answers;-) ROTF!! (Mari) Richard Roeper's pick for Best Supporting Actor was Colin . . . in Love Actually. (Moon) Really? Over Bill Nighy? Yeah, I'm surprised, too.

Here's the Sunday (National) Post article from Jennie: http://www.firth.com/articles/04sundaypost_0111.html It's a lot of the same old, same old, but there's a new shot from the red armchair/black trainers with white laces photoshoot. I've also put up last Saturday's Daily Record article with Janet's scan of the cover that wasn't online: http://www.firth.com/articles/04dailyrecord_103.html

Thanks boss...you're right ,nothing there. Goofy pic in the Post and the Daily Record cover looks like he's in the Witness Protection Program.

Thank you Janet, Jennie and Karen. Loved the pictures from the Post (Karen)What's more annoying is that he's finally associated with a film that is receiving widespread critical praise, people are going to get nominated for Academy Awards, the studio is pushing his name for same, and the clown can't even clearly express his unqualified support for the film. ...He needs to put a sock in it-never knows when enough is enough. But it still reminds me of the 'I'm on the brink therefore I'll try and blow it' syndrome.

Have found something new: �What strikes me about the Italians is their attachment to family,� he smiles. �Livia�s family is wonderful and close. You get a sense of security and stability. We English, on the other hand, we�re always off by ourselves. Other than the bolded part, this is verbatim what we translated from the Italian Vogue article and was up on the website before somebody's brother made a few revisions. ;-) If this even came up in the current interview, he probably *smiled* when he heard the weird translation. The other Italian quote is verbatim. These writers have no shame. ;-)

Posted on Sun, Jan. 11, 2004 CHICK FLICK REVIEW Masterpiece theater By Marilyn Bailey Star-Telegram Staff Writer LION GATE ENTERTAINMENT/JAPP BUITENDIJK Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth in Girl With a Pearl Earring Flick: Girl With a Pearl Earring Chick: Scarlett Johansson, who plays Griet (pronounced "greet"), a maid in the home of 17th-century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. The fairy tale: An artist and his model fall in love. Vermeer (Colin Firth) is becomingly moody, a middle-aged, married-with-children painter of genius. Griet is a nubile maid, new to a household that includes a jealous wife, four children and a stern mother-in-law. Vermeer becomes fascinated by Griet, and she poses for his most personal and mysterious painting. You-go-girl moments: They're many, but they're extremely subtle. This movie is almost as quiet as a still life. Though she's illiterate and poor, Griet sees and feels things like the artist and is more useful to Vermeer than his privileged and educated wife. Griet silently but boldly suggests he change the composition of one of his paintings, and he does. She alone is allowed to clean his studio and help mix his paints, and she stands up to a predatory man who tries to abuse her low position. Reality check: You feel that these are 17th-century people -- the characters don't leap into bed together, for instance. The sexiest scenes are when Vermeer and Griet sit side-by-side grinding paints. What it's worth: Full price, for the sensation of stepping into a ravishing Vermeer canvas.

Thanks for all the new news and photos! Colin is to be on a Canadian TV show this next week called "TributeTV". I caught a short interview with him on a show called "Inside Entertainment" yesterday. It was done at the Toronto Film Festival, filmed outside at probably the same place he was hugging SJ. Here's the transcript I wrote out for it: IE: The 2 actors never touch in the movie but Colin says their onscreen sexual tension comes from a strong off screen friendship. CF: "I think that if you have...if you're relaxed with each other, if you can develop ideas together, if there's no conflict, it's just so much better." "This was a man who I'm sure lost hours and hours and hours in front of a canvas, and even though I might be a fairly crappy painter, I can still lose hours and hours in front of a canvas." IE: This 43 year old is quick to point out the similarities between the ancient art world and modern day Hollywood. CF: "And there's wonderful accounts of Michaelangelo in the Sistine Chapel with the Pope coming in like a Hollywood producer. 'When do I get to see it, when do I get to show it to my sponsors?' And he says no one gets to see it. It's like a film in the cutting room and they even had a physical fight at one point. I think the Pope hit him with a stick and Michaelangelo had to run away to Florence. You know this could be a modern story between a director and a producer perhaps."

Variety: Lions Gate's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" added 17 playdates for a total 41 and grossed $308,000, a notable $7,512 per engagement. Scarlett Johansson-Colin Firth starrer totes a $1.3 million cume as it prepares for expansions on Friday and Jan. 30. Off to watch the Eagles!:-)

(Evelyn), Goofy pic in the Post and the Daily Record cover looks like he's in the Witness Protection Program. I don't like any of them. Looks mighty ugly. A big contrast to the Mushimoto ones. Get back to LA, ASAP, Colin! ;-D We English, on the other hand, we�re always off by ourselves. He has also stated that he rarely sees his brother Jon. I think he might have said it's been 2 years. Thanks, Karen!

(Me), He has also stated that he rarely sees his brother Jon. I think he might have said it's been 2 years. I am referring to an article I read in 2003. And yes, I read it here. Sorry I can't remember which mag. or paper it is from.

OK, although it's not important information in the grand scheme of things, I was hoping you all could set me straight on two points regarding ODB's love interests, past and present. 1) I have heard various sources state that Livia is either an a)producer of documentary films, b) a television producer, c) an assistant producer, and d) a production assistant. Does anyone know which it is, if any? Does anyone know any of the work she's been associated with? 2) One of the recent articles posted referred to Meg Tilly as his 'ex-wife'. I was under the impression that they had never been married. Am I mistaken? Thank you all. I just like to try and keep my facts straight.

Leslie, as far as I know Colin and Meg never married, and Livia is a producer of documentary films. I don't know her body of work, this is the only link I found: http://www.fandango.it/eng/documentari/giuseppe/giuseppe.htm A doc. with Marc Evans who directed Colin in Trauma.

Portrait of perfection (Filed: 09/01/2004) Daily Telegraph Girl With a Pearl Earring recreates the world of 17th-century artist Vermeer with astonishing attention to detail. Sarah Crompton talks to an expert in Dutch art about the way it brings the paintings to life Cinema loves a tortured artist. Whether it's Charlton Heston cramped on his back painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling in The Agony and the Ecstasy, or Ed Harris splattering his canvases, fag in mouth, in Pollock, film delights in the recreation of genius at work. But I can't remember a film that goes to more trouble to make each scene look like a work of art than Girl With a Pearl Earring, which is released here next Friday. Starring Colin Firth as Vermeer and Scarlett Johansson as the servant girl Griet - very different but just as wonderful as she is in Lost in Translation and a very convincing look-alike for the girl in the famous painting - it evocatively and precisely recreates the painter's household in 17th-century Delft. In doing so, it vividly recalls the paintings of the period. Axel Ruger, curator of Dutch Painting at the National Gallery, was impressed. "The film takes the atmosphere and some of the pictorial language of the time and translates it into a cinematic language - a moving image of the still paintings, if you like. It's a great achievement. "Very often you see the protagonists involved in some kind of manual household task - peeling vegetables, washing, sweeping the floor - and it is almost as if a painting has come to life." He says that this is particularly true of the interiors, which are deliberately framed by Eduardo Serra's sumptuous cinematography to look like the rooms in a Vermeer. "Very often you see a box-shaped room, with a window on the left, subtle lighting and interior arrangements and furniture just like those you see his work." Such careful authenticity is all the more surprising because Tracy Chevalier's best-selling book, the source for the film, is based not on the facts of Vermeer's life (about which we know very little) but on a credible but fictitious premise. What if, she asks, Vermeer had been inspired by the beauty of a maid who came into his household, with whom he fell in love, with complicated consequences? It makes a great story, but the fact is, no one knows who posed for Vermeer. It may be that one of his daughters was the model. But Ruger says we simply do not know, just as the identities of the models for his other paintings remain lost in the mists of time. "Chevalier's novel extrapolates Vermeer's character from his paintings," he says. "Because he paints quiet scenes, she argues that he must be a contemplative man who is withdrawn from his family. But we know he had 10 children, so that would be quite involving. We know he was active in the Guild in Delft, and that he travelled round Holland. He was a prominent public figure. For all we know, he could have been out at the pub every night." This hardly chimes with the moody, silent character portrayed by Firth, full of suppressed emotion and wistful longing. But the film is faithful to another fact about the painter's life: we do know that Vermeer and his mother-in-law dealt in art, and we glimpse paintings on the wall of their home - such as The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius - which it is feasible that they might have sold. It is also engrossing on the way Vermeer painted, building up depth of colour on his canvases. One episode shows him receiving a camera obscura, and snuggling with Griet under a cloak better to see its image. This is potentially controversial, since argument has raged long and hard in the art world over whether the artist did actually use optics to gain his pellucid effects. But Axel Ruger is satisfied that the notion is not overplayed. "I am adamantly against the idea that he directly used a camera obscura for his effects. But, on the other hand, Delft at that time was a centre for optics, and he was a very cultured man; so he would surely have been aware of the optical possiblities." Some of the loveliest scenes in Girl With a Pearl Earring are those where Vermeer teaches Griet how to prepare his paints, introducing her to the secret art of grinding and mixing heavy black, bright lapis lazuli, rich vermilion. The induction becomes a tender moment of understanding, but the techniques used, if not the emotion depicted, have their roots in a real and arduous process. Ruger explains: "It's all quite authentic. It was very laborious and involved, and every artist had his own recipes and idiosyncracies. Usually, the artist had an apprentice who paid to be in his studio and learn from him - whether Vermeer would have used his own servant for that is another point. But perhaps he was so besotted with her" That's only in the story, I point out. Ruger laughs. That's the thing about Girl With a Pearl Earring. It looks so beautiful and its story is so charming, that you are in danger of confusing the fictional Vermeer with the real thing. http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2004/01/09/bfgirl09.xml

As I was leaving the house this morning, BBC 1 Breakfast's show started to talk about the boom of the British film industry, and that they were reporting live in a few minutes from Shepperton Studios after the filming of BJD2 has just ended. And I am pretty sure they said they'd be talking to Colin and the producer of the movie, so I set my VCR. Won't be home till like 6:30pm to check, and the website mentions nothing so far. But check there later: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/programmes/breakfast/default.stm as they usually have a clip.

From Variety: BAFTA narrows its best pic contenders Final 5 noms for each category to be announced Jan. 19 By ADAM DAWTREY LONDON -- "The Last Samurai," "Something's Gotta Give" and "In America" are among Oscar contenders that cannot win the best film prize at this year's British Academy Film Awards. All three failed to make the long list of 15 contenders in BAFTA's best film category, which was published Friday. Pics that emerged strongly in the first round of BAFTA voting, with 10 or more entries each across all categories, include "Cold Mountain," "Big Fish," "Girl With a Pearl Earring," "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," "Lost in Translation," "21 Grams," "Calendar Girls," "Kill Bill Vol. 1" and "Mystic River." The BAFTA long lists are voted by all the members. In the second round of voting, which closes Jan. 14, the members will choose five nominees in each category, to be announced Jan. 19. In the final voting, the members vote on the winners of the best film prize and the four acting awards, but the other sections are decided by specialist juries. The BAFTA ceremony takes place Feb. 15 in London. Hard to measure With 15 contenders on each long list, it's hard to pick front-runners, since pics that figure strongly at this stage do not necessarily show up on the short lists. But the long lists do at least make clear which films have not found favor with BAFTA voters. "The Last Samurai" may have missed out in the film and director sections, but it received several nods in the acting and technical categories. "In America" figures in the prestigious acting, directing and original screenplay sections. But "Something's Gotta Give," which has hardly been screened, made no impact whatsoever. Another U.S. kudos contender largely absent from the Brit list is "House of Sand and Fog," while "American Splendor" is nowhere to be seen. The value of sending out screeners was highlighted by a good showing for "The Station Agent," which figures on the best film list and several others. Other pics that clearly benefited from their screeners include "Big Fish," "The Barbarian Invasions" and "21 Grams." Small fish overlooked But smaller British pics, including several that sent out screeners, were largely overlooked. The best film list contains only three Brit pics (four if "Cold Mountain" is counted as British) -- two big commercial hits, "Love Actually" and "Calendar Girls," plus "Girl With a Pearl Earring." Some of these British omissions, however, will be rectified in the Brit film category, which is not voted by the membership and therefore does not have a long list. Both the short list and the winners are chosen by a jury. Several British contenders for American kudos are not eligible for this year's BAFTAs, because their U.K. release was in 2002. These include "Bend It Like Beckham," "Dirty Pretty Things" and "The Magdalene Sisters."

(Moon)He has also stated that he rarely sees his brother Jon. I think he might have said it's been 2 years. That must have been at Luca's christening as Jon is a godfather I believe! I am sure they must mingle occasionally. Jon lives (or used to) in the flat above Nick Hornby's office which indicates that he gets introduced to his brother's friends. Also didn't Helen Fielding write about gong to Arsenal with NH and the 2 Firth brothers and could could not get over having Mr Darcy to the left and right. Also he was at 3DOR. Have I just dreamt all this or can others confirm?

Colin Firth: The Q Interview 11 January 2004 Firth, 43, spent part of his childhood in Nigeria and the US, where his parents were university lecturers. He attended a Hampshire comprehensive, then went straight from drama school to the West End, in Another Country, also starring in the film version of the same. Firth's other films include The English Patient, Fever Pitch, Bridget Jones's Diary and Shakespeare in Love. In 1995 he became f�ted as "the male Ursula Andress" after emerging from a pond as Mr Darcy in the BBC's production of Pride and Prejudice. Firth has three sons: Will, 14, from his relationship with the actress Meg Tilly, and Luca, two, and Mateo, six months, by his wife Livia Giuggiolo. They divide their time between homes in Hampstead and Umbria. In Girl with a Pearl Earring, you've got rather good teeth for a 17th-century character, if I may say so... Well, the Dutch were absolutely fastidious about hygiene and cleanliness. The Dutch word for "beauty" is actually the same word for "clean", which shows how much they valued it. They were incredibly bloody civilised. Are you a clean person? Yes, I am. It doesn't mean I'm particularly tidy but, oh yeah, even in my most bachelor self, I've never been able to abide dirt. I don't mind papers all over the place but the kitchen and the bathroom have always been well scrubbed. You sound domesticated - do you cook? I'm married to an Italian who is a phenomenal cook, and far more fastidiously tidy than I am. I tend to make an outrageous mess in the kitchen. I like to think the results are OK but the process is pretty grisly. What's the best thing about life in Italy? Oh, you name it. It's got most things covered, Italy. You can go there for the food alone. The fashion, the sculpture... it really excels in every corner of culture, other than pop music. Do you feel yourself becoming more English when you're there? No, but I've spent a lot of time feeling like a bit of an expatriate [Firth lived in Canada for five years during his 30s] and I think that means you often seem more identifiably English, in the old-fashioned sense. I remember coming back from several years away and being told by an old school friend that I'd got plummier. But I don't think I had, you see. I think what had happened was he'd got less plummy, because he'd been listening to Jonathan Ross. There'd been a gradual move towards estuary that I hadn't been party to. Expat Brits don't tend to put on plumminess; they just stay in a time warp. Then they come back speaking like Celia Johnson and no one here still sounds like that, unless they're the Royal Family, or my grandfather. One of our staff relates how she once dropped her shopping, only to find the person helping her pick up her frozen peas was you. Really, good heavens... did I? Peas? Is the moment not as etched on your mind as it is on hers? I don't remember it, I'm afraid. Don't tell her. Are you normally chivalrous? Of course, if someone dropped their shopping I'd help, absolutely. Speaking of supermarkets, people often look at me and shake their heads in kind of funny-old-world disbelief. Then they often get out their mobiles. It's odd to go to the supermarket and find people staring at what you've got in your trolley and telling their friends. You feel as if just by existing, you're a bizarre spectacle. As an actor, how do you become magnetic? God, don't ask me. But if you want an earnest answer, you need to be riveted, absolutely spellbound by the person you're looking at. Forget "trying" to be sexy. That's just gruesome. Thinking of your fight in Bridget Jones, have you ever really been involved in fisticuffs? Yes, and I lost very decisively. I got the girl but I lost the fight. Yes, there were marks on my face. But I wasn't being very gallant. I think I spent most of the time running away, actually. A romantic gesture, nevertheless. Not really. I think the thing that's required the most courage that I've done in the name of romance was getting married, to be honest. If you're as scared of marriage as I was, it's a pretty romantic thing to have done. That and learning her language, I suppose. Specifically for courtship in Italian? Well, it's wonderful to have an excuse to learn a language. Her English is better than my Italian will ever be. But if you're going to live your life with someone you should, as a mark of respect, try to learn their way of conceptualising things. What music are you listening to at the moment? Um, it's very haphazard, always. There's an American singer called Kelly Joe Phelps, who I've got quite a passion for. I like the new Blur album, actually. And the Flaming Lips. Do you know them? I like Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. They often have celebs dressed as animals on stage at their concerts, don't they? I'd expect they probably do. They make me think of New York art school. Justin Timberlake dressed up as a dolphin - what would you be? It's unlikely I'd be tempted. When I see audience participation in a show I reach for my revolver. Are you stylish, or prone to fashion clangers? Oh, so many. And the worst thing is I probably liked some of them at the time. I used to wear Rupert trousers. Yes, big flared tartan trousers. Revolting. And, God, my Seventies hair's enough to spend my life apologising for. Vermeer hair. I burnt a lot of my photos from the time. Is your body a temple or a bike shed? It's an old converted houseboat moving slowly down the Thames. BY Hermione Eyre 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' opens on 16 Janua http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/film/interviews/story.jsp?story=480468

It's an old converted houseboat moving slowly down the Thames. Oh, I love this quote! Sounds like he's responding to the pleas on these boards to "turn the ship around", etc. If CF were starring in The Tortoise and The Hare, is there any doubt which role he would play?

Thanks for posting the interview Maria, I very much enjoyed it. And thanks for the reviews ladies, more more, more! I hear GWAPE is coming out here in Canada this friday, so I'm all excited! (Evelyn) If he posted on Drool, I'd scroll through those long answers;-) LOL! Would you really? Come on, I thought you liked a good challenge. (Evelyn) What a guy...picks on the best thing he's done since the fifteen minutes on "Conspiracy" That is your opinion and many others', but not everybody's. It might not be his either, so let's take that into account. (Evelyn) A simple diplomatic: "At different times in my life I've been closer to one than the other". That's diplomatic? LOL! I would rather dodge the question altogether. Better safe than sorry. (Dorine) Not like he's had much to brag about recently. When was the last time he was in a potential bonefide Oscar contender? Not recently for sure :-), but are we sure that is what he is after? We know that's what WE want, for him to get as much recognition as possible and all kinds of awards, etc. but is this what HE wants? (Karen) Maybe when he's 95 years old and writing his memoirs, but not now. He was being interviewed to promote the movie; he has a contractual obligation to do his best to sell it. No thanks, I prefer the honest Colin now, not 50 years later. I don't want to read how he was full of s*** all those years ago. I appreciate his honesty, and his attempts at diplomacy. Sometimes he succeeds, and sometimes not. Just like the rest of us. As for his contractual obligation to do his best to sell the movie, I think he fulfilled his obligation by giving a great performance that's being recognized by both his fans and the critics, and that IMO will sell the movie better than any fake praise he can produce. He's also been doing the press rounds for GWAPE, so he is doing his part well I believe.

Oops, how do I fix that?

"It's odd to go to the supermarket and find people staring at what you've got in your trolley and telling their friends. You feel as if just by existing, you're a bizarre spectacle. " Poor guy:-((( Good excuse not to go to the supermaket, though. Great little interview, Maria.As always you do trot out the gems.

Is the moment not as etched on your mind as it is on hers? I don't remember it, I'm afraid. Don't tell her. LOL! Good questioner. ;-) Thanks, Mary, for the Bafta long list highlights. Have seen SJ's name mentioned at the BBC site: US actress Scarlett Johansson, 19, is featured twice on the best actress longlist - for Lost in Translation and Girl With a Pearl Earring. A few other names mentioned, but no Colin...as yet. No full list of possibles. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3389151.stm

Evelyn) If he posted on Drool, I'd scroll through those long answers;-) (Ildi)LOL! Would you really? Come on, I thought you liked a good challenge. S c o o o l l i n g

Karen, thank you for being gentle. :-) You are right, I'll withdraw the WE. The rest remains.

Gentle Reminder There are no WE's here. Also, no one is presuming to know what Colin wants. The opinions expressed here have been and will continue to be the opinions of the poster only. Thanks! :)

Thanks for the article, Maria. Very tongue-in-cheek which is a nice break from time to time. Gosh, would I like to drop my peas in the market and come face to face with ODB!

Is the moment not as etched on your mind as it is on hers? ...at least I have permanent sharpie etched on my coat from the premiere. I'll treasure that stain, always whether he remembers or not. When I see audience participation in a show I reach for my revolver. LOL, that's not one I've heard before. Good thing he doesn't ever accompany me to one of his films. Thanks Maria, great article and thanks Murph for the BAFTA list. Emma, welcome back. Please keep us posted on the BBC1 interview. ...did they mean finished filming for the day or finished filming altogether? I thought the schedule for TEOR took them to early Feb? Loved that article, Maria thank you.

(Ildi)Not recently for sure :-), but are we sure that is what he is after? Actors (all of us, really) want to be associated with work that is respected. I don't have to know him to know that. IMO, he has no family rift and he's happy with GWAPE--it's just that with certain media outlets he starts giving these portentious responses and they wind up obscuring what he's trying to say. I like the new Q&A, Maria, thanks. And the Flaming Lips. Do you know them? Am pretty sure these guys are Sooners, Ev. Can see you lining up for concert tickets.;-)

Hey...your'e right...Over ot O&E For Flaming Lips....

Maria thanks for the article, vey funny, put a smile on my face. You know you just have to love a guy who has to have a well-scrubbed kitchen and bath & seems to know how to do it himself.

(Evelyn) What a guy...picks on the best thing he's done since the fifteen minutes on "Conspiracy" (Ildiko) That is your opinion and many others', but not everybody's. It might not be his either, so let's take that into account. Though, he did admit at the Burns Q&A that he has had a run of poor judgement as far as projects go. (Ildiko) Not recently for sure :-), but are we sure that is what he is after? We know that's what WE want, for him to get as much recognition as possible and all kinds of awards, etc. but is this what HE wants? I can't imagine that what HE wants is to be if not universally, but locally bashed by the critics in projects... that many people, if not most critics, think or verbally express, are way beneath his talents. That being said, just because I liked WAGW (cute for what it was) and TIOBE (though might have been better with a different adaptation and director), I still think he hasn't done anything truly worthy of his talents since his small part in Conspiracy...until now. The awards are icing on the cake. I just want to see him in good projects that I'd be proud to watch or recommend to others.

Maria, thank you! That's the best one I've read in a long time! Allison), That must have been at Luca's christening as Jon is a godfather I believe! That must have been when I was away for the summer, because I don't recall reading anything about Luca's Christening. Also he was at 3DOR. Have I just dreamt all this or can others confirm? Again, I've never read that he did. Does anyone else remember?

Girls, as always . .thanks for the all the articles and pics . .Forgive me, my home computer died on us . .and 2 days without Drool . .almost unbearable! (Robert Horton)I can't think of anything wrong with Colin Firth's performance as Vermeer, except that he seems fundamentally miscast. (Linda)How? Why? I hate when a statement gets thrown out like that with no reason. Not that he isn't entitled to his opinion, but give the reason. sheesh! I was going to say the same thing . .umm why do you feel that way, Mr. Horton? Examples from the film, please . . . (Marc Evans interview)Q. What's the one glaring lesson you learned while making this film? A. The importance of casting. Since he appears to like Colin . .who he is talking about . . Mena? . .I thought she was an odd choice to put against Colin . . . (Tress)should you try and pigeonhole them back into their former 'genre'? I wholeheartedly agree . .unfortunately the realtity of show business, esp in Hollywood, is if that can stick you in that pigeonhole they will. It's just an easy way I think of keeping everyone straight . .this is the comedic actor, this is the character actor . .this one does only the quirky type roles , this one is great with heavy drama. . .there have been the lucky ones who have spanned the gammut (a Tom Hanks for instance) . . god bless em, they are lucky . .but few and far between . . I've actually been told by fellow actors and some casting directors that if you don't know your niche . .your pigeonhole, don't go out to LA, b/c you'll just be adrfit in a sea of faces;) . . . (Leslie)OK, Kimberly, should we put your DH on notice?? (CF - Telgraph)I am very attracted to people who are not English, and I am very interested in other cultures, . . I don't know what you may mean . .(*smiling slyly . . *) . . (Karen)Lots of factual errors ( re: the Telegraph article) You mean like this . .;) - (CF - Telgraph) Firth, then 30, married his Valmont co-star Tilly, Mmmmm . .love that Colin Bell photoshoot . .the one with him by the barn and in the woodpile . . (The Q Interview) "the male Ursula Andress" SNORT . . ok ther's a description I wouldn't have thought of! (The Q Interview)Q.Is your body a temple or a bike shed? A. It's an old converted houseboat moving slowly down the Thames. Can I come aboard?

Is the moment not as etched on your mind as it is on hers? I don't remember it, I'm afraid. Don't tell her. Well, that answers my question about if he would remember me from the loos in Toronto at the GWAPE gala. He probably doesn't even remember that he went to the 'wash rooms', but it will be forever etched in my brain....the twenty seconds I shared with "Mr. Darcy"! ;-) Thanks Maria and everyone else for the wonderful articles and pics. Have been away for a few days and you all have been busy!!! Wonderful stuff!!! **blowing kisses** Okay....and there is something going on in ODB's pants in these pics...I can't quite put my finger on it (wish I could, but I can't!). Just find some of these images fascinating....(I think there is a picture of ODB 'working it' with a water glass during this photo shoot...naughty....I don't know if it is him being naughty or me just me thinking naughty....either way....) ;-)

BBC yeah...oops, never mind. The Breakfast interview was with the producer of GWAPE. However the interviewer was confusing calling him Colin Firth's producer so no wonder I heard it wrong. Nothing too interesting to mention. No internet at home right now, sorry could not correct myself earlier.

DAVID WEDDLE (Variety) In "Girl With a Pearl Earring," director Peter Webber and his production team created a living, breathing, fully dimensionalized portrait of the 17th-century Dutch town of Delft on a budget of just $10 million. The secret to their success lay in the angle of attack. Webber is a passionate admirer of Stanley Kubrick's 18th-century epic, "Barry Lyndon." But upon reading Olivia Hetreed's screenplay for "Pearl Earring," Webber saw a key difference between Kubrick's film and the one he was about to make. "Kubrick was obsessed with the spectacle and manners of the period," says Webber. "So he staged these elaborate and expensive set pieces. My film was about the intimate relationships within a single household." "Pearl Earring" focuses on painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth as he forms a covert relationship with 17-year-old servant girl Griet (Scarlett Johansson. "The characters who pass through Vermeer's house come from a broad spectrum of society, from the very wealthy to the very poor," says Webber. "You get a microcosm of 17th-century Holland under one roof. So the film is, in a sense, an intimate epic." Production Design Finding a production designer who could bring this distilled drama to the screen proved difficult. "The various British production designers whom I spoke to approached the film a bit like it was a museum piece," says Webber. "They wanted to get all of the period details exactly right, and were slightly scared of not getting it right." When Webber met Ben van Os --- who had worked with Peter Greenaway on "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover" and "Belly of an Architect" --- he knew he had found the right person. "Ben is Dutch; this story is in his blood," says the helmer. "So he wasn't intimidated by the period obligations. He was much more interested in story and character. How are we going to create this mood? Ben said, 'We'll take this from this period and this from that period.' It was music to my ears. "The most important things are the story and the characters. I really don't care if I'm going to get a letter from some expert in Dutch architecture saying, 'That roof design wasn't used until 17 years after your movie takes place.'" Van Os created a cross-section of Dutch society by building three interior sets: the drab monochromatic, Calvinistic home of Griet; the lurid, painting-filled Catholic chaos of the Vermeer house; and the mansion of Vermeer's wealthy patron, van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson , filled with curios gathered on his world travels and eerie stuffed animals, which convey van Ruijven's predatory nature. The Vermeer house presented the biggest challenge. Van Os constructed the three-story set on one of the largest soundstages in Luxembourg. "We wanted the house to give us that sense of frames within frames so familiar from Vermeer's paintings," says van Os. "We built rooms with connecting doorways that led the eye through the house to give a feeling of space --- and lack of privacy. We wanted Griet to always feel watched because the film is about being observed, either by Vermeer as he paints her, or by the other family members with their various agendas." Van Os knows that the little details give this cloistered world authenticity. "For instance, the windows are all exact reproductions of the those that were used at the time," he says. "That was a big undertaking, quite expensive. We went to a company that restores all kinds of windows in old churches and historic buildings and had them build them for us." For the exteriors, Webber and van Os spread dirt and trash to give the streets the feel of a crowded city. "I was obsessed with getting animals --- dogs, livestock --- into as many shots as I could," says Webber, "because it brings a breath of life to the piece. Costume Design The distillation process extended to the wardrobe as well. "I wanted a stripped-down look," says Webber. "If I dressed all the actors in the real costumes of that era, they would be wearing ruffles and baggy outfits. I didn't want to put Colin Firth in that. For a modern audience he's going to look too costumey. So we came up with a look we jokingly called period Prada, to give the clothes sleek lines. I called it my Vermeer filter: take the real clothes from the period and reduce them to their essence." Costume designer Dien van Straalen --- who worked for Greenaway on "The Cook, the Thief" and "Prospero's Books" --- combed through second-hand clothing and furniture stores, Indian silk shops and garment marts throughout London and Holland in search of period fabrics. Old curtains and slipcovers were converted to jackets and dresses, and aged with sandpaper. The wardrobes for each character varied from prosaic to grand. Again, the clothes made up a cross-section of the 17th-century Dutch society. "We used pale colors for Scarlett Johansson to give her the drab look of a poor servant girl," van Straalen explains. As for Vermeer, "obviously he was not a wealthy man, though he was considerably better off than Griet. So I wanted to keep him as plain as I could. He sometimes had to go out to social events, so we gave him one aged black dress suit with a simple white collar and a bit of braid. "Vermeer's patron, van Ruijven, wants to control Vermeer and enjoys his power over other people. For me he was a peacock strutting around with his money. I used more braids and more gold, big hats with feathers, and cloaks. We have costume makers in Holland who used to work for the opera so they know exactly how to make fancy clothing from that period." Makeup and Hair "The makeup for Scarlett Johansson was very simple," says makeup and hair designer Jenny Shircore, who worked on "Dirty Pretty Things"; "Notting Hill"; and "Elizabeth," for which she won an Academy Award. "We just had to keep her skin looking milky, thick and creamy. This required some makeup because Scarlett has spots and things that happen to a 17-year-old. We wanted to present her as if she had no makeup on. We gave her a little bit of help by bleaching her eyebrows, because in the Vermeer paintings it's all about skin and face, nothing else gets in the way, so you eliminate those other features." Almost all of the actors wore wigs, which presented problems. When Johansson's wig arrived a couple of days before shooting, it had the wrong color and texture. "It was a nightmare," Shircore laughs. "I didn't dare say a word to Peter, because I thought: 'We must sort this out without giving him a headache.' We were up all night dyeing, straightening, curling and redyeing the wig." "For Vermeer's wife, Catharina (Essie Davis), I used a very simple Dutch hairstyle. The women wound their hair round the back of their heads. There comes a point when you've finished the hair, it can't be wound anymore because the length is used up. Instead of neatly pinning it away, we let the ends splay out, because in looking at references, little drawings and prints, we found that that's what they did. Once you're actually working within a period, the hairstyles evolve very naturally." http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/variety/20040113/va_sp_ev/girl_with_a_pearl_earring_1

Variety - Nice news for those of us with IFC! IFC NABS 21-PACK OF LIONS GATE PIX - Ten titles to make network TV preem on cabler The Independent Film Channel has acquired "Shattered Glass," "Girl With a Pearl Earring" and "The Cooler" as part of a 21-film licensing deal with Lions Gate Films

(Tress) ...there is something going on in ODB's pants in these pics... ROTF! Now what would that be I wonder? Are those your car keys in your pocket my love, or you are just happy to see me? I like that pic for some reason, and the new ones from the Daily Telegraph. I saw the huge version of those, and on the one where he stands in the room looking down my eyes are always drawn to his denim covered thighs. A most lovely sight if I may say so. And the other one..., this man has the most beautiful profile. Maria, thanks for another great article. I had to laugh when I read about the problems with Scarlett's wig. What a fuss, and the thing was seen in the movie for 5 seconds only... (Dorine) I still think he hasn't done anything truly worthy of his talents since his small part in Conspiracy...until now. I agree, and it's frustrating. I'm still waiting for "The One", that will be worthy of his talents AND give Colin a bit more chance to shine than Conspiracy and GWAPE. This is a funny thing, you know. There were 2 other actors in my life I got all enthusiastic about. One kept making movies that pleased the crowds, and the few time he made ones to please himself he was ripped apart by critics and fans alike. So he made popular ones again and the crowd applauded, and he looked miserable. The other one got tired of the crowd pleasers and started making little arthouse movies that made him very happy, and his fans miserable. So where is the middle road, and where is the "perfect" script and the role that would keep all happy? Sounds almost impossible.

I didn't see Ebert and Roeper's show and was curious what Roeper's reason for picking Colin as Best Supporting Actor. I certainly liked him in the movie, but hardly thought it was of Oscar-worthy. Can anyone enlighten me?

He would have talked about him...if only the interviewer had asked.... Peter Webber Interview Director of Girl With A Pearl Earring http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/filmmaking.asp?ID=63

From a Japanese fan: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/ross/ Apparently, Colin will be interviewed this Saturday by Jonathan Ross on BBC2 Radio. It is listed as being on from 10:00a-13:00p and can be heard online.

(futuremovies)PW: In a way that�s one of the questions that the film is trying to answer: What is love? What different kinds of love are there? Wait . .doesn't that sound like a line Richard Curtuis used about Love Actually?;) Thanks for the articles Maria!

Good article, Maria. I like reading PW interviews. Wonder if the producers would have chosen him if he hadn't been an art major. I'm glad they lightened the film up, dark films don't do well on TV screens, IMO. (PW)"They were really in tune with the kind of film that we wanted to make and weren?t ever trying to make us too ?Hollywood?. LOL. Poor "Hollywood", always takes on a pjorative tone. Bet he only says that in UK;-/

(KarenR)Apparently, Colin will be interviewed this Saturday by Jonathan Ross on BBC2 Radio. It is listed as being on from 10:00a-13:00p and can be heard online. This is an absolute must! JR sends his guests up something rotten, but he is so funny they don't seem to mind, and enjoy it as much as the listeners.

Do they keep these archived online? I'll be on a plane.

(Dorine)Do they keep these archived online? I'll be on a plane. Yes, they do. The whole show from last Saturday in online and can be accessed via the BBC Radio Player on the Radio 2 Website. - Don't know how long it stays up though. GWAPE was reviewed by Jonathan Ross on Film 2004 on BBC tonight. Yes, the same JR from Radio 2. His comment on CF: Colin Firth is measured, subtle and effective. It's true that he isn't called upon to do much more than look troubled and moodily romantic while wearing a frilly blouson, but I suspect that there are many of you who will find that more than satisfactory - you know who you are, ladies! Really looking forward to Saturday!

If we want to listen to this BBC interview, here in the states, is it live? does that mean 5am est. or is this pre-recorded? Does that make sense? Thanks for the articles and news, ladies.

Girl With A Pearl Earring Director: Peter Webber AAH, THE BRITISH costume drama. What an institution. Girl with a Pearl Earring is of course actually set in Holland, but hey, what�s the harm in a Merchant Ivory accent or two? You wouldn�t want things to stray too far from the norm. Use real Dutch people? Madness, surely. Bring on the all the marks of a BBC-esque period piece - over the top character acting; working class people from Yorkshire (irrespective of actual geographical setting); pretty set and costume design; a bland-but-likeable story; Colin Firth - and everyone�ll love it. Girl with a Pearl Earring, adapted from Tracy Chevalier�s incredibly popular novel, invents a background story to artist Johannes Vermeer�s most famous painting. In real life, little is known of Vermeer himself, and nothing is known of the girl in the portrait. This, a potentially interesting premise, is dulled by Chevalier�s storytelling hands into limp clich�: �great artist� is inspired by an unlikely female muse. It is not, however, the story that makes Girl with a Pearl Earring the relatively enjoyable film that it is. Thanks to the talents of cinematographer Eduardo Serra, the whole thing genuinely looks like a painting, uncannily close, in fact, to a painting by Vermeer. The images of 17th century Delft deserve in themselves to be immortalised on canvas and beautifully composed shots emerge scene by scene, from two lovers strolling beside a canal, to Vermeer and his maid elaborately grinding and mixing his paint colours. Vermeer�s studio is permanently bathed in muted, golden shades, shot entirely in natural light and exquisitely recreated from scenes from the artists work. So much attention is paid to minute detail, even down to the less pleasing aesthetics of a fat maid rubbing lard into a chicken�s ass, that the blandness doesn�t hit you too hard. Scarlett Johannson, playing Griet, the young maid who ends up posing for Firth�s Vermeer, matches the film�s overall prettiness. She is so beautiful as to be actually mesmerising, with her wide eyed innocence, longing gaze and pouting lips. As always, Mr Firth has little to do other than look slightly stern, slightly brooding and intensely sexy (aka �repressed artistic passion�). This is probably all he can manage - that�s a whole three RADA lessons at once - but, to be fair, he is damn good at it. The chemistry between Griet and Vermeer is predictable and uninteresting, although both actors are fairly convincing in their roles, Griet�s growing artistic sensibility is underplayed, and, unfortunately, the content of Girl never quite lives up to its stunning packaging. http://www.studentnewspaper.org/view_article.php?article_id=20040113180340

(lindak)If we want to listen to this BBC interview, here in the states, is it live? does that mean 5am est. or is this pre-recorded? Does that make sense? The show would go out at 5am est. Not sure if it is pre-recorded or live. It does have the feel of a live show; some of his comments can be outrageous but very funny! The guest is in the studio during the broadcast, and chats to Jonathan in between the music segments - not a two minute spot by any means.

10 to 1 PM GMT....???? Does this show go on for 3 hrs???? You're kidding.... According to the website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/ross/ One should be able to hear it later .... When is "later" ;-) I don't know.

I like what he said about ODB: Keira vs Scarlett: who trumps who? Daily Telegraph ...But more than all that, Johansson has, in these two films that have so suddenly made her name, inspired reputation-restoring efforts from her male co-stars. Murray and Firth, having coasted all too often in vehicles that were not up to their talents, react to the ascendant star with performances of real class. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2004/01/14/bfgirls14.xml&sSheet=/arts/2004/01/14/ixtop.html

Thanks for the BBC Radio link. Looks like you can listen to the prior week's show after the broadcast. There are links to the interviews, but from Janet's note it seems like they're interspersed with the music? I see Ryan Adams will also be on; remember, CF is a big fan. Just saw him last week on Letterman, I think. Scarlett was just on Jay Leno's show. They showed the clip of Griet and Vermeer disagreeing over whether she should wear the pearl earrings. She said "Colin Firth is gorgeous and lovely!"

She was cute, a tad hyper, perhaps. And *what* was up with the discussion about shopping for phallic faucets? ;-) Loved that blue shirt she had on. Good color for her.

(Do)And *what* was up with the discussion about shopping for phallic faucets? And the toilets Louisa, the toilets..... Probably nervous. I did appreciate her Colin gush.

((Do)And *what* was up with the discussion about shopping for phallic faucets? Maybe this will explain: Just an exerpt from Liz Smith's column this morning in the local paper. ...Of far more interest to Scarlett right now is her new apartment in Hollywood. Her father, who is an architect, is helping her fix it up. "Just this week, all I've done is sit on toilets, lay in bathtubs, turn on sinks." Thanks, Janet. The last Saturday I was in London, I was walking along a market area and one of the vendors had a radio on. I think it was the BBC1 show he must have been listening to. Crazy questions, lots of laughs and music. I could have sworn he said we have Colin Firth on the line...the reception was poor, but it was enough for me to duck in the tent and pretend I was looking at backpacks. The voice certainly sounded like Colin and the interviewer was teasing about the attention from female fans. One of the questions was...who was the first person you kissed on New Year's Eve. The guy/Colin? being interviewed laughed and said, My Mum". Then there was a "there you have it ladies, this heart-throb kissed his mum first. Then all this music started and I realized I hadn't moved from my spot and the vendor was saying, "lady do you want to buy anything?" More on GWAPE: The True Meaning of Pictures Telling a thousand words: Scarlett Johansson in 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' Image: LIONS GATE FILMS 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' peeks under the Vermeer by Jessica Winter "It's an image--a picture made from light," Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth) explains to his maid and muse Griet (Scarlett Johansson) after the startled young woman has peered for the first time through his newfangled camera obscura in Girl with a Pearl Earring. Tracy Chevalier's 1999 source novel, an enamored speculation on the 17th-century Dutch master and the genesis of his titular portrait, is not only an exemplum of fan-fiction as high lit, but (however fleetingly) a rumination on the ancestral origins of photography. Fitting, then, that the most obvious pleasures of Peter Webber's film version--as with John Maybury's essay on Francis Bacon, Love Is the Devil, and Derek Jarman's Caravaggio--lie in cinematographic mimesis. Eduardo Serra's images summon Vermeer's flickering play of diffused sunlight and shadow, his ethereal halations--captured in the effulgent wink of the famous Girl's dangling jewel. Better still, each performer of this chamber piece presents a face worthy of his or her own Vermeer treatment. Johansson and Firth's celebrated visages frequently fill the screen, of course. But behold, too, Judy Parfitt as the artist's imperious mother-in-law, wielding granite jaw and smelting gaze, and Essie Davis as Vermeer's wife Catharina, a sulky china doll with impossible azure orbs and strawberry hair that could only be conjured from a painter's palette. Back in real-life Delft, Vermeer made scant record of his mere 43 years on earth: Not a single piece of correspondence that he wrote or received survives today, though he did leave behind a mountain of debt, a prodigious brood of children (at least eight, perhaps as many as 11), and a precious cache of some 40 paintings. Focusing again and again on women lost or interrupted in mid-daydream amid familiar domestic surroundings, Vermeer found his great subject in what might be called enigmatic contemplation, and it occupies most of his waking hours in Girl with a Pearl Earring; holding to Griet's limited purview, the movie only projects generic creative torment and Heathcliffian allure onto Firth's stormy-eyed brooder. As Vermeer covertly enlists the illiterate Griet as his assistant and, eventually, his clandestine model, the film--embroidered by Alexandre Desplat's busily apprehensive score--becomes the unwritten diary of a chambermaid. Griet must also endure hard, repetitive labor, elude the suspicious spit of mopey Catharina and her meddling daughter Cornelia (Alakina Mann), and negotiate the vigorous advances of both a callow butcher's son (Cillian Murphy) and the lecherous patron Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), whose purchasing power leaves the entire extended household variously in his thrall. Proust once noted, quite arguably, that "passion and suffering and sex are banished" from Vermeer's art. Chevalier's book and, more openly, Olivia Hetreed's faithful screenplay strive to instate heritage-drama renderings of all three, planning many of the Vermeer-Griet encounters around erotic similes or substitutions. Foreplay is an intimate huddle beneath the curtains of the camera obscura. Griet disrobes by simply removing her cap, unveiling her taboo hair. The climactic penetration, naturally, is an ear-piercing. As much animation as adaptation, Webber's film is impeccably surfaced, but it neglects a shapely indication of the central pair's instinctual aesthetic affinities--their courtship, so to speak. (By contrast, Chevalier's book arranges a charming introduction of boss and employee when Vermeer notices Griet's intricate set designs for chopping vegetables: "The colors fight when they are side by side, sir," she points out.) Johansson, so intelligently unmoored in Lost in Translation, again shoulders a largely passive, reactive role: Griet forever gasps and gapes in her master's presence. The lavish breathtaking further underlines the movie's muted but stubborn assumption that Vermeer's obsessive vocation has become a surrogate for forbidden upstairs-downstairs coitus.

Thanks Linda....Nice audio encounter at the marketplace with Colin;-) anyway. "Foreplay is an intimate huddle beneath the curtains of the camera obscura. Griet disrobes by simply removing her cap, unveiling her taboo hair. The climactic penetration, naturally, is an ear-piercing. " Jessica Winters read the book and "gets" it; she did her homework. Lots of good heavy stuff here... *with dictionary in hand;-)* Let's get her to come for the film discussion.

I've put up a list of GWAPE's expansion dates and places in the US through mid-Feb here: http://www.firth.com/gwape_dates.html

Thanks Boss... LOL. Like your "Disclaimer"....what makes you think it's gonna stop them. You da' Man;-) Looks like GWAPE is gonna hit every "one horse town".] More than I ever thought.

(Evelyn) Looks like GWAPE is gonna hit every "one horse town".] I didn't see yours or the two horse town you usually go to. ;-) LOL. Like your "Disclaimer"....what makes you think it's gonna stop them I toyed with more violent language (sending Mari's Uncle Vito) ;-)

(Karen)I didn't see yours or the two horse town you usually go to. ;-) Easy for you to say, Ms. Big City Girl);-) I'd say wee's been robbed, Evelyn. How dare it not come to Princeton?...fairly two-horse town in the scheme of things-except it has an art house theater.They had TIOBE for two months, fergawd's sake. Looks like I need to become the squeaky wheel. Now where is that phone number?...

1/30 Cinemapolis Ithaca NY Yes!! Just across the street form where I work! Easy in and out slippage;-)) Thanks for making my day Karen!

I can't believe it. Rocky Hill is where TIOBE went after Princeton. Just another 5 minutes up the road. Yes! Crap theater, though. No stadium seating, stale popcorn, dirty bathrooms. But, whatthehell. If it was good enough for Earnest, it's good enough for Vermeer.

I was told Miami Beach opens this Friday by the Miami Herald's film critic and I'm sticking to that. Thanks for the reviews, ladies. I plan to attend a book reading with Tracy Chevalier this Saturday. Looking forward to Colin's radio interview too.

(Evelyn) Looks like GWAPE is gonna hit every "one horse town".] (Da Boss)I didn't see yours or the two horse town you usually go to. ;-) But Tulsa ain't bad. Only about 300 miles r/t.LOL Hey, I get excited if I don't have to fly to Dallas. (MLSF was worth it!)

(Evelyn) Looks like GWAPE is gonna hit every "one horse town". Yeeeeeee-haaaaa! Comes to the Fox on the 30th. Great theater, nice (high backed) seats that tilt....risers (so you have that one row that has railing in front of it (acts as a nice ottoman). Am most content now. Thanks Karen! Thanks Linda for the Winters review.... The lavish breathtaking further underlines the movie's muted but stubborn assumption that Vermeer's obsessive vocation has become a surrogate for forbidden upstairs-downstairs coitus. Oh! My! ;-)

Thanks again girls . .esp Karen for the GWAPE extended release dates. . Leslie! . .. . .GWAPE will be in Bronxville (*dancing around: yayyyy!!!*) . .a literal 5 minutes from my house after 1/30 . .if you'd like to catch it then;)(though will also do the 19th as well;)

Not a good review from FT. Particularly hates his comments on ODB. Another British-actor-hating British film critic, IMHO. Just a thin veneer of Vermeer by Nigel Andrews Financial Times Art about making art. What an amazing record the cinema has on this subject. Its products sit at either end of a scale ranging between the sublime and the ridiculous, with almost nothing in between. Art biopics and art dramas are either masterpieces (Andrei Roublev, Lust for Life) or madnesses, and the second group is divided into the accidentally lunatic (Song without End) and the designedly so (This is Spinal Tap). This week we spy on Johannes Vermeer as he befriends, appraises and paints his model for the canvas that became known as Girl with a Pearl Earring. And we follow three American folk groups converging for a reunion concert in A Mighty Wind. The first film is a serious period piece, the second a mockumentary. But how do you tell the difference? Both present their stories in a style of po-faced solemnity, one with droll intent, the other without. But the Vermeer film's pedestrian seriousness and fustian reverence are their own eventual parody: I found myself giggling in the intervals when I wasn't fidgeting. Biopics like this are the cinema's equivalent of putting a blue plaque on a wall. "Vermeer slept here". So may many moviegoers. Nothing wrong with serious style of course, except when married to a stupefying triviality of content. As an exploration of art's pains and processes, Girl with a Pearl Earring has all the profundity of a Mills and Boon novel. It is a tale of artists behaving badly - but ever so attractively and creatively - in 17th-century Delft. The eponymous girl (Scarlett Johansson of Lost in Translation) is a pale, succulent-lipped maid in the Vermeer household who warms the cockles not just of Colin Firth's painter but of Tom Wilkinson's randy patron. "Ripe as a plum, still unplucked!" exclaims he in one scene, backing her into a wall and all but twirling his grey moustache. The great artist himself takes 25 minutes to utter a line - not even Hamlet had a more important delayed-speaking entrance - and spends the remaining 80 minutes wooing the girl into comradeship and compliance, before he lovingly pierces her earlobe for the eponymous adornment. This scene almost touches a brief, weird tenderness. But down below in the parlour Mrs Vermeer is still semaphoring her sexual jealousy, while the artist's mother-in-law (Judy Parfitt) is a dragonish caricature in Calvinist black, vainly trying to speed Vermeer's productivity. "Three months", she harrumphs with each new painting, "another three months before he's 'satisfied'!" Add a housekeeper with keys to the clich�s cupboard ("no smoke without fire", "she's eatin' us out of house and home") and at times you rub your eyes to make sure this isn't a Monty Python sketch. Press-show colleagues admired the respectful, Vermeeresque lighting. But reverend intentions and a cosmetic fidelity are not at issue. Only excessive respect, indeed, could produce a film at once so droopy and so loopy, one that configures its characters in a circle of hackneyed stereotypes around a no less hackneyed vision of the genius as crypto-Byronic matinee idol. Colin Firth's Vermeer is a sexy, surly, storm-browed introvert, with a caustic aside or winning scowl for every occasion. Give him a wet blouse and he'd be Delft's Mr Darcy. http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1073281025230

The Times's review. Marked 4 stars, but it's obviously been mislabled.:-( Peter Webber�s lavish melodrama, Girl with a Pearl Earring, pummels the senses with a Brian Sewell sense of its own painterly importance. It is quite brilliantly lit and dressed. Ducks are smothered in lard, and floorboards creak. But the master-and-servant romance has the erotic charge of a five-watt bulb. Set in Delft in 1665, the film picklocks the erotic mystery behind one of Vermeer�s most famous paintings. A humble peasant, Griet (Scarlett Johansson), is employed by the artist�s wife to launder sheets and scrub his studio. She is Cinderella in a house full of malevolent creeps and bitchy servants. The family is stony broke, and Colin Firth�s depressed, tetchy artist is blocked. But something about the 17-year-old waif with eyes as large as marbles inspires Vermeer to pick up his brush. Without at first knowing, or indeed desiring it, the vulnerable char becomes his inspiration and muse. I doubt there has been a more beautiful period romance that never happens. Firth smoulders like a damp rag. Johansson is the shapely marvel: she barely speaks a word, yet the entire drama is quietly frozen on her face. The rest is as Dutch as Dickens.

Empireonline's review is good: Tracy Chevalier�s novel, from which Girl With A Pearl Earring is adapted, attempts to solve the mystery that surrounds Vermeer�s painting of the same name. Although no-one is sure of the identity of the beautiful girl who inspired the artist to produce one of the world�s greatest paintings, Chevalier cobbled together a series of clues and created a bestselling novel. Director Webber sticks firmly to the book and, in doing so, has produced a captivating film whose stunning use of set design and colour recreates Vermeer�s sense of space and reality in almost every shot. Firth�s Vermeer is distant and untouchable, making his attraction to Griet all the more powerful. Johansson, meanwhile, shows a remarkable resemblance to the servant girl in the picture, and her ability to keep Griet simple and naturally beautiful (coupled with her turn in Lost In Translation) is a marker of good things to come. Very good � one of the rare book adaptations that actually benefits from a visual makeover.

Looks like the broadsheets have their knives out.

Girl with a Pearl Earring Alistair Harkness The Scotsman Girl with a Pearl Earring (12A) ** Directed by: Peter Webber Starring: Colin Firth, Scarlett Johansson GIVEN that Johannes Vermeer was a master of light, it should come as no surprise that this film version of Tracey Chevalier�s best-selling novel fictionalising the story behind the Dutch painter�s most famous work has been handsomely shot. Cinematographer Eduardo Serra beautifully evokes the mood of Vermeer�s paintings, giving the film an appropriately luminous hue. That, however, is about the best thing you can say about Girl with a Pearl Earring, a film that struggles to inject any life at all into its dreary source novel. Scarlett Johansson is suitably enigmatic as Griet, a maid in the Vermeer household whose pouting lips and soulful eyes attract the attention of the artist (Colin Firth), providing him with some much-needed inspiration - much to the chagrin of his wife. But understated and mesmerising a screen presence as Johansson is, there are only so many longing glances and wistful sighs you can take before you start questioning why any young actress would subject herself to wearing a milk maid�s hat for 90 minutes. Still, at least Firth succeeds in broadening his range. Not only can he do repressed and smouldering, he can do repressed and smouldering with hair extensions. Cool.

What do these people want? I'd like to see reviews of the movies they like...if anything.

This is good, from Scotsman on Sunday: Servant's brush with Dutch master is picture perfect AMERICA�s young hopefuls have precious few chances to shine. Tasteless teen comedies and tacky horror flicks rarely show the promise of a great future. It still seems a road that everyone has to travel, whether you are Tom Cruise (Losin� It), Leonardo DiCaprio (Critters 3), or Renee Zellweger (Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation). Scarlett Johansson may have films such as Eight-Legged Freaks and Home Alone 3 on her CV, but at just 19 she has already emerged as the most beguiling female star of her generation. In Lost In Translation, Johansson holds her own against an Oscar-worthy Bill Murray as the young American adrift in Tokyo. In Girl With A Pearl Earring she becomes an Oscar contender in her own right with a luminous, remarkably poised performance as the 17th-century Dutch servant girl who may have been the inspiration for one of the greatest paintings of all time. As tender and spellbinding a presence as the young Audrey Hepburn, Johansson makes critics feel inadequate - you don�t want to review her work, you just want to write her love letters. Crafted with the precise judgment and fine brushstrokes of an old master, Girl With A Pearl Earring also marks an auspicious feature debut for director Peter Webber, who has made a period drama that rivals the classic Babette�s Feast in its attention to detail and atmospheric re- creation of a faraway age. Based on the Tracy Chevalier bestseller, Girl With A Pearl Earring is set in the Delft of 17th century Holland and tells of the servant girl Griet (Johansson), who is sent to work in the household of the painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth). It is a household dominated by the influence of Vermeer�s imperious, penny pinching mother Maria (Judy Parfitt) and his jealous wife Catharina (Essie Davis). The artist�s studio is hallowed ground. Griet is ordered to clean it. Her sensitivity to his work wins his trust and eventually inspires a bond between them that transcends 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 is a visual treat. Vermeer�s paintings come to life in the dappled light of wintry landscapes and the dusty darkness of candlelit interiors. The film�s strength lies in a mesmerising re-creation of the period, 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. Griet may be a servant girl with a handsome offer of marriage from butcher�s son Pieter (Cillian Murphy) but it is understandable she should feel the frustration of wanting more once Vermeer allows her to see the world through his eyes. Distinguished by glorious cinematography and production design, this film 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, Johansson�s central performance is a revelation. She is able 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. It is a performance that emphatically confirms the maturity of her talent and the promise of future greatness. On general release from Friday

NY TImes January 15, 2004 Surf's Up at Sundance: Documentary Is First Film By SHARON WAXMAN LOS ANGELES, Jan. 14 � Hollywood packed up its parkas and sheepskin boots on Wednesday to head to Park City, Utah, for the 20th annual Sundance Film Festival, which will start on Thursday. For the first time, its opening film is a documentary. That film, "Riding Giants," is a fast-moving look at the origins of surfing by Stacy Peralta, who made his mark at the festival in 2001 with his first film, "Dogtown and Z-Boys," about skateboarding in Southern California. The festival will include 137 full-length films � 91 features and 46 documentaries � and 88 shorts. Another 30 short films can be seen at www.sundance.org, an online version of the festival. Festival programmers said they were optimistic about this year's slate, buoyed by the success of many of last year's entries, among them "American Splendor" and "The Station Agent," which were acquired by distributors and have gone on to critical acclaim and recognition during the current awards season. "The success of the films that were in the festival last year was very high," said John Cooper, the festival's director of programming. "That has us coming into this year on a high." Mr. Cooper noted a number of films this year that deal with memory and time, among them "The Machinist," "November" and "Trauma." He also observed that many of the entries experiment with nontraditional filmmaking techniques, such as mixing animation into a narrative or actors addressing the camera directly. "Those things don't throw the audience out of the film like they used to," he said. Already there was buzz around some films available for acquisition, including "The Motorcycle Diaries" by Walter Salles, about Che Guevara's journey into political activism, and "Open Water," a thriller about two people left to face sharks in the middle of the ocean. As has become the norm at the festival, there will be numerous films with major movie stars in them, including Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon, DMX and this year Robert Redford, the father of Sundance. "It's a sign of the economics of indie films," said Laura Kim, a consultant to Sundance and an executive with Warner Independent Pictures. "You get your films financed if you put stars in it. That's not just Sundance. That's the film economy."

(Dorine)What do these people want? I'd like to see reviews of the movies they like...if anything. LA

Oh, yeah. That's right.

From:http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_01.15.04/film/onscreen.html An affair of the art GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING by JASON ANDERSON Starring Colin Firth, Scarlett Johansson. Written by Olivia Hetreed from the novel by Tracy Chevalier. Directed by Peter Webber. (PG) 95 min. Opens Jan 16. Though Colin Firth gets top billing for his role as 17th-century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, Peter Webber's finely wrought Girl With a Pearl Earring has two more noteworthy virtues. One is the sumptuous cinematography by Eduardo Serra, who closely emulates the buttery light, vibrant colours and canny use of perspective in Vermeer's own works. Many movies have tried to convey the dusky, richly textured look of a Dutch Master painting, but only Peter Greenaway's The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover did so as memorably as Girl With a Pearl Earring. (Unsurprisingly, Webber's technical crew also includes Greenaway's production designer, Ben van Os.) The other virtue is Scarlett Johansson's precise performance as Griet, the 17-year-old girl who becomes the subject of Vermeer's titular painting (little is known of his real model). When Griet's own family falls on hard times, she goes into the service of Vermeer's. Despite her stoic expression and reserved manner, the young maid catches the fancy of several men: hunky butcher's son Pieter (28 Days Later's Cillian Murphy), Vermeer's rich and rapacious patron, Master van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson) and the painter himself, whose ardour soon turns his mostly female household into a simmering stew of sexual jealousy. After Van Ruijven gives a scandalous commission to the artist, Griet is forced into a potentially ruinous situation. Though the story (adapted from the 1999 bestseller by Tracy Chevalier) can sometimes seem as undernourished as its heroine, Girl With a Pearl Earring offers a remarkably convincing recreation of the period and a fairly deft variation on the familiar story of an artist becoming infatuated with a muse. Johansson's wide eyes, creamy complexion and quietly fraught performance as the increasingly compromised Griet are all good reasons for that infatuation. On the other hand, Webber's directions to the one-note Firth must've consisted of "smoulder!" and "OK, now smoulder harder!" Thankfully, this handsome period romance is often as good as it looks. I think this one might have been posted already, so I'll just post the link, incase it wasn't: Subtle 'Girl With A Pearl Earring' awash in visual splendor BY: DAN BENNETT http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/01/14/entertainment/movies/1_14_0412_52_55.txt

Seems, at least according to this author's opinion, that we might see GWAPE mentioned at least a few times in the category of Oscar nominees this year. He even goes so far as to mention ODB as a best actor long shot. Music to my ears but I think highly unlikely. He was fabulous but the part was too small for an Oscar nod, IMHO. In any case, perhaps we'll get a glimpse of ODB on the red carpet this year? I believe this would be a first, no? Have the DD's ever successfully infiltrated this event? Given all the triumphs I've read about (trips to the loo, sharpie stains, clandestine passage of notes, and sweet utterings of 'darling') I think this event should be a piece of cake for the seasoned vets in this crew. It may also mark the first time I've stayed awake throught the entire show. I've always been a sucker for ODB in a tux. http://www.myinky.com/ecp/gleaner_entertainment/article/0,1626,ECP_4478_2573718,00.html LOS ANGELES -- The Academy Awards are shaping up as a literal horse race. Sweeping spectacle and historical pageantry -- featuring tons of horse flesh -- could dominate the ceremony Feb. 29. Everyone from jockeys and Hobbits to samurai and Civil War combatants are saddled up for a run at Oscar gold. Among the top contenders: the fantasy epic "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," the Civil War saga "Cold Mountain," the racehorse drama "Seabiscuit" and the 19th century warrior tales "The Last Samurai" and "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World." More intimate contemporary dramas produced many of the year's finest performances, including "Mystic River, "21 Grams," "In America," "Lost in Translation" and "House of Sand and Fog." Oscar nominations come out Jan. 27. The rundown of possible contenders in major categories: Best Picture: The top prize should come down to Frodo in Middle-earth vs. Odysseus in the Confederacy. Peter Jackson has scored back-to-back best-picture nominations with his J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation, and "Return of the King" is certain to make it three straight. The final chapter follows Hobbit Frodo Baggins' desperate attempt to destroy a ring of ultimate evil. But will Oscar voters crown a fantasy flick as the year's best? Such fanciful tales rarely are taken seriously enough to get nominated, and no fantasy film has ever won. Still, there's never been anything like "The Lord of the Rings," one of the most lavish spectacles in cinema history, whose three parts were shot simultaneously and rushed into theaters just a year apart. Academy members might lean toward "Return of the King" for best picture as a collective prize for the entire trilogy. Traditional Oscar wisdom should make Anthony Minghella's "Cold Mountain" the front-runner, though. Adapted from Charles Frazier's Civil War best seller, "Cold Mountain" is a reimagining of Homer's "The Odyssey" as a wounded Confederate deserter (Jude Law) wends his way home to his sweetheart (Nicole Kidman). "Cold Mountain" has the weighty drama, tragic romance and historical sweep that often clicks with Oscar voters. And it has something to offer every branch of the academy: A tremendous ensemble cast, passionate dialogue, lovely music, artful editing and cinematography, sumptuous sets and costumes. Since Minghella already has a best-director Oscar for "The English Patient," which also took the best-picture honor, academy voters might split their ballots. "Cold Mountain" could come away as best picture, with Jackson taking directing honors for his monumental "Lord of the Rings" achievement. Two other epics could creep into the best-picture mix, Peter Weir's Napoleonic-era naval tale "Master and Commander" and Edward Zwick's "The Last Samurai," an East-West culture clash set in 19th century Japan. Among more contemporary films, the strongest contender looks to be Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River," a somber drama of murder, remorse and suspicion centering on three reunited childhood friends. "Mystic River" is Eastwood's finest work since "Unforgiven" earned him best-picture and director Oscars. Other possibilities: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "21 Grams," a stark rumination on mortality, grief and vengeance; Gary Ross' buoyant "Seabiscuit," the story of the Depression-era racehorse that captivated the nation; Tim Burton's "Big Fish," a fanciful reunion story between a grandiloquent father and his down-to-earth son; "In America," Jim Sheridan's semi-autobiographical story about an Irish family in New York City; and Nancy Meyers' "Something's Gotta Give," a romantic comedy about a woman in her 50s wooed by a 60-something and a 30-something man. A handful of other acclaimed smaller films -- "Lost in Translation," "House of Sand and Fog," "The Station Agent," "American Splendor" and "Girl With a Pearl Earring" -- probably will not have the clout to compete for best picture but could score nominations in acting, writing and technical categories. Best Director: As with best picture, this looks to be a two-man race between Anthony Minghella for "Cold Mountain" and Peter Jackson for "The Return of the King." Clint Eastwood can figure on a nomination for "Mystic River." Other possibilities: Peter Weir, "Master and Commander"; Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, "21 Grams"; Tim Burton, "Big Fish"; Jim Sheridan, "In America"; Gary Ross, "Seabiscuit"; and Edward Zwick, "The Last Samurai." Women historically fare poorly, with only two female directors ever earning nominations. Still, Sofia Coppola for "Lost in Translation" and Nancy Meyers for "Something's Gotta Give" might have longshot prospects. Best Actor: Sean Penn has two great performances in the running, a plus and minus for his prospects. Penn plays a reformed hoodlum out for revenge over his daughter's death in "Mystic River" and a dying man who gets a second chance with a heart transplant in "21 Grams." The two roles could split Penn's support and leave him short of votes for a nomination on either film. But if he manages a nomination for one or the other (Oscar rules allow actors to be nominated only once in the same category), Penn could become the front-runner to win on the strength of both performances. Other possibilities: Jude Law, "Cold Mountain"; Bill Murray, "Lost in Translation"; Russell Crowe, "Master and Commander"; Ben Kingsley, "House of Sand and Fog"; Jack Nicholson, "Something's Gotta Give"; Tom Cruise, "The Last Samurai"; Tommy Lee Jones, "The Missing"; Michael Caine, "The Statement"; Jeff Bridges and Tobey Maguire, "Seabiscuit"; Ewan McGregor, "Big Fish"; Johnny Depp, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"; Colin Firth, "Girl With a Pearl Earring"; William H. Macy, "The Cooler"; and Robert Duvall, "Open Range." Last winter's top prize winners from the Sundance Film Festival produced two of the year's finest male performances: Peter Dinklage as a train-obsessed dwarf in "The Station Agent" and Paul Giamatti as gloomy comic writer Harvey Pekar in "American Splendor." But with such a strong lineup of bigger names in bigger films, it's questionable whether Dinklage or Giamatti could grab enough votes for nominations. Best Actress: Grim, grimmer, grimmest sums things up for three potential nominees, Jennifer Connelly, Naomi Watts and Charlize Theron. Connelly, a supporting-actress winner for "A Beautiful Mind," delivers a fierce performance in the bleak "House of Sand and Fog" as a woman battling to regain a home lost in a tax foreclosure. Watts is a bundle of fury and sorrow in "21 Grams," playing a woman who moves from grieving to vengeful over the deaths of her husband and children. Theron is absolutely ferocious in "Monster," playing serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a hitchhiking prostitute executed last year in Florida. For the unflinching role, Theron obliterated her cover-girl beauty, packing on 25 to 30 pounds and disguising herself behind dark contact lenses, fake teeth and a splotched complexion. Watts' pal Nicole Kidman, last year's winner for "The Hours," is a strong contender for her third-straight best-actress nomination with "Cold Mountain," playing a china-doll Southern belle who learns self-reliance amid the Confederacy's collapse. Other possibilities: Diane Keaton, "Something's Gotta Give"; Cate Blanchett, "The Missing" or "Veronica Guerin"; Julia Roberts, "Mona Lisa Smile"; Samantha Morton, "In America"; Scarlett Johansson, "Girl With a Pearl Earring"; Helen Mirren, "Calendar Girls"; Patricia Clarkson, "The Station Agent"; Diane Lane, "Under the Tuscan Sun"; Meg Ryan, "In the Cut"; and Gwyneth Paltrow, "Sylvia." Supporting Actor: Two lost souls might lead the way. Tim Robbins gives a career performance as a man emotionally shackled by childhood trauma in "Mystic River." Benicio Del Toro, a supporting-actor winner for "Traffic," adds another tremendous role in "21 Grams," playing an ex-con whose stab at going straight collapses in tragedy. Other possibilities: Last year's winner, Chris Cooper, for "Seabiscuit"; Albert Finney, "Big Fish"; Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen and Sean Astin, "Return of the King"; Ken Watanabe, "The Last Samurai"; Kevin Bacon, "Mystic River"; Djimon Hounsou, "In America"; Paul Bettany, "Master and Commander"; Alec Baldwin, "The Cooler"; Bill Nighy, "Love Actually"; and Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Cold Mountain." Supporting Actress: Like her co-star Kidman, Renee Zellweger of "Cold Mountain" stands to earn her third-straight Oscar nomination. This could be her year to win, playing a salt-of-the-earth handy-woman with great heart and humor. There also are possibilities for some child actors, who historically have had their best Oscar prospects in the supporting-actress category. In the running could be Keisha Castle-Hughes for "Whale Rider" and Sarah Bolger for "In America." Other possibilities: Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney, "Mystic River"; Melissa Leo, "21 Grams"; Scarlett Johansson, "Lost in Translation"; Shohreh Aghdashloo, "House of Sand and Fog"; Emma Thompson, "Love Actually"; Miranda Otto, "Return of the King"; Julie Walters, "Calendar Girls"; Patricia Clarkson, "Pieces of April"; Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles and Maggie Gyllenhaal, "Mona Lisa Smile"; Hope Davis, "American Splendor"; Holly Hunter, "Thirteen"; Christina Ricci, "Monster"; and Marie-Jose Croze, "The Barbarian Invasions."

FYI, the 27 Feb opening date floating around for Trauam in the UK is no longer any good.

the 27 Feb opening date floating around for Trauam in the UK is no longer any good. How traumatic! (sorry, couldn't resist -- slow day at work!)

The UK ivillage site has some items (interviews, reviews, etc.) for GWAPE: Colin Firth's top ten sexy moments: http://www.ivillage.co.uk/newspol/celeb/cfeat/articles/0,,528719_613615,00.html (I suggest any elaboration of the go to Firthology) *hint hint* Interview with Olivia Hetreed: http://www.ivillage.co.uk/newspol/readerswriters/writers/articles/0,,532364_613598,00.html (have put one of her answers on Spoilers as has to do with the ending and why it was done that way) Interview with Peter Webber: http://www.ivillage.co.uk/newspol/movies/features/articles/0,,532360_613608,00.html Was it hard to edit the movie? Were there any scenes that were really heart-wrenching to drop? You always have a hard time editing a movie. Anyone who thinks a film just falls together is kidding themselves. Films have to be bludgeoned, beaten and bullied into shape, and it's a terrible process because you're taking things that you really cherished and loved when you were shooting them and pulling them apart to make it work. There are many days you come home from the edit suite hanging your head in shame, thinking you're terrible, but it's all part of the process. The edit suite is where you really create the film - for me anyway. Having said that, there's a bunch of stuff I cut out that I'm quite proud of, but it just didn't work. Scenes that the people who have read the novel will undoubtedly miss. Though they'll get to see them later on, on DVD. This film had to be bare and taut, and I didn't want it to be self-indulgent. I'd rather leave people wanting more than wanting less. And because it had its own pace and its own kind of peculiar atmosphere - it's quite a delicate fragile film on one level - I got busy with the scissors. And the review: http://www.ivillage.co.uk/newspol/movies/features/articles/0,,532360_612903,00.html

You can watch several clips, plus an excerpt from the London press conference for GWAPE here: http://www.mymovies.net/features/features_media.asp?filmid=1519&avfid=2364 There is also a text portion for the press conference, though it doesn't include the last section, where Colin interjects that the pressure to have a scene where Griet washes her breasts came from him. ;-)

Thank you, Karen. Loads of goodies, today. SAG nominations on E! this morning. Nothing for GWAPE;-( Off to Firthology.

Aaaah�the wonders of being snowed in at home for a day. Gives one a lot of time to ponder. Not meaning to shift the topic of the current postings but�I viewed FP last night for the first time. There�s a scene where ODB is talking to himself late one night trying to justify his passion as a football fanatic. It immediately struck me as having an interesting parallel to the life of a drooleur. Thought I might share this idea with all the DD�s. Quoted from CF in FP: �Perhaps it�s not something you can understand unless you belong. But what about this? Three minutes to go and you�re 2-1 up in a semi-final. You look around and you see all those thousands of faces contorted with fear, hope, and worry. Everyone lost. Everything else run out of their heads. Then the whistle blows and everyone goes to despair. But just for those few minutes you�re at the center of the whole world. And the fact that you care so much, that the noise you�ve made has been such a crucial part of it, is what makes it special. Because you�ve been every bit as important as the player and if you hadn�t been there then who�d have been bothered about football really? And the great thing is that it comes around again and again. There�s always another season. If you lose a cup final in May, well there�s the third round to look forward to in January. And what�s wrong with that? It�s actually pretty comforting if you think about it.� Now, translated into �drool-speak� it might sound something like this: "Perhaps it�s not something you can understand unless you belong. But what about this? Oscar nominations are just three weeks away and you�ve got GWAPE being buzzed about by a number of industry insiders. You read the postings every day and sense all those thousands of keyboards atwitter with fear, hope, and worry. Everyone lost. Everything else run out of their heads. But when the list comes out, you know you might all fall into despair. But just for those few weeks you�re at the center of the whole world. And the fact that you care so much, that the noise you�ve made has been such a crucial part of it, is what makes it special. Because you�ve been every bit as important as ODB and if you hadn�t been there then who�d have been bothered about his rise to glory really? And the great thing is that it comes around again and again. There�s always another new release. If GWAPE doesn�t cement his position as a PMT, there�s always TEOR to look forward to next season. And what�s wrong with that? It�s act ally pretty comforting if you think about it."

Leslie: I have moved your Hornbyesque ponderings comments to Firthology.

Looks like the broadsheets have their knives out. (Evelyn) Yep...and we've still got the Telegraph, Guardian and Independent to come. And then there's Christopher Turkey. Oh, and Cosmo (what sort of name is that?) Landesman :-( I thought they would approve of GWAPE. Perhaps it's not miserable enough. I had a quick flick through the film mags and weeklies for reviews of GWAPE. Generally, all very positive reviews, especially "Now" magazine (main movie review, 2 page spread) - "hauntingly beautiful, timeless". All full of praise for Scarlett (a star is born etc). Colin fares less well. Hotdog (quite a good film mag) describes him as "eternally underated". Otherwise he's not mentioned (the focus is on SJ's performance), and there's one very nasty (on a par with the broadsheets!) comment about how the film serves to highlight Firth's limitations as an actor, whilst, contrastingly illustrates SJ's glowing talent. I heard a similar type of review on the radio - praise for the film, for the director, for the cinematography, for Scarlett, but criticism for CF- he "looked too old" for the part, was "not convincing" and apparently has "blank expressionless eyes." Who are these reviewers? I won't launch into my usual tirade, but they really do not seem to know what they are talking about. And they have the power to damage and undermine. What's with the Times "4 star so-called" review.. "But the master-and-servant romance has the erotic charge of a five-watt bulb.... Firth smoulders like a damp rag. " Sounds like he's writing under duress or drugs. FYI, the 27 Feb opening date floating around for Trauam in the UK is no longer any good. (Karen) Publicity-wise, it's very close to GWAPE. And runs the risk of being totally savaged by our sadistic "critics". Better hopefully to get a positive buzz at Sundance and a wider distribution deal. Incidently, the Times has a full page article about Sundance, and films showing there - and whereas all for all other films there's a mention of the cast, Trauma is just "Marc Evan's 'Trauma'. Okay, I'm getting paranoid... (Dorine)What do these people want? I'd like to see reviews of the movies they like...if anything They like "Young Adam" (explicit rough sex, degrading to women, nihilistic characters, dark) Morven Cellar(?), dunno what it's about, and "The Mother" (man has sexual relationship with girlfriend's 60-something mother, again, explicit sex, unlikeable characters, dreary). All got brilliant reviews but no-one went to see them (except the critics). On the other hand, according to the Guardian film critic, the Richard Curtis and Harry Potter movies are "crap". Not a word I particularly like, but one that tells you a lot about the current standard of film criticism in the UK!

Good review by Will Self in the Evening Standard. People who go out in the evenings read the ES! Full page review with striking picure of the ear piercing. sorry but have not the time to type it all out now but the salient bits: ....Vermeer - as depicted by CF- is no turbulent Impressionist, or polymorphously perverse Renaissance genius, but a rather weak, tongue-tied man, whose intense devotion to his work masks a failure to engage with his life. ....Vermeer is a man who manages to be conspicuously absent even when he is present. ...If all this makes GWAPE sound unappealing then it shouldn't.... Personally, I revelled in the exactitude of the period detail, from bloody pig's heads in the meat market to the mechanics of pre-industrial domestic laundering. It is good to see the full resourses of contemporary fil-making harnessed in the surface of historical verisimilitude on this small scale, instead oftheir usual epic expenditure. .... Scarlett Johansson may have a pout that speaks of congenital collagen, and certainly she brings a sly fortitude to her role; but in a film which features such powerful players as Wilkinson, Davis and Parfitt, I could not say that she stood out more than Firth. Still, perhaps this very febrile quality to their interaction was also one of the film's strengths.In the most heightened scene, Griet tears gerself away froma particularly intimate moment of depiction at the hands of Vermeer to throw herself into the arms of Pieter (CM), the butcher's boy who is wooing her. The implication that being beautifully portrayed is as acutely sensual as being made love to is what ties the whole conceit together most prettily.

but in a film which features such powerful players as Wilkinson, Davis and Parfitt, I could not say that she stood out more than Firth. Is this (scarcely able to believe it) actually praise for CF? Can't quite work it out. I like Will Self, and would lend far more credence to what he writes than to the the ramblings of the spotty oik "Total Film" brigade. IMHO a review in the ES can often determine whether a film is a box office success.

Bethan, can you stand another good one?;-) From Channel 4: GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING FILM REVIEW Intelligent adaptation of Tracy Chevalier's bestselling novel which is rich in atmosphere and gorgeous to look at, featuring Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson A deeply understated and intelligent film, this faithful adaptation of Tracy Chevalier's speculative novel on the life of the artist Vermeer marks an outstanding debut for director Peter Webber, and a fine turn from upcoming actress Scarlett Johansson. Chevalier's novel was a luminous evocation of the life of the 17th century Delft artist, fabricating an utterly believable tale around the celebrated portrait that forms the film's title, imagining its subject as the young maid Griet (Johansson) of Vermeer (Firth). Driven into domestic service after an accident puts her father out of work, Griet is set the tricky task of cleaning the artist's room without disturbing so much as a crease of material, all under the watchful eye of the other women of the house. Noticing her interest in his work and her eye for colour, tone, and composition, the otherwise detached Vermeer employs her in preparing paints, and eventually she poses for him, in a transgression of her position in the house which brings sparks of illicitness and intimacy to their chaste relationship, and later arouses the disgust of Vermeer's wife (Davis). Webber's film is pensively paced, leaving room for some beautiful cinematography from Eduardo Serra, whose sensitivity to Vermeer's work pervades the film's lush visuals like an omniscient visual narrator; an appropriation of the world and style of this outwardly stoic man which adds valuable insight into his character. Furnished with minimal dialogue, Firth, and especially Johansson, create subtle performances out of gesture and restraint, where the slightest glance can be loaded with emotional weight. Johansson's Griet is poised and unusually beautiful. In contrast, the film's more verbal moments are the only points at which it's in danger of becoming overblown, but not enough to upset its balance. Verdict Arty but accessible, Girl With A Pearl Earring pays tribute to its subject matter with some of the most beautiful visuals on screen this year. High on atmosphere and low on action, its restrained emotions go against Hollywood conventions, creating a rich and rewarding film.

Bethan, can you stand another good one?;-) From Channel 4: (Mari) Ah, not bad at all. Hope springs.. Let's see what the Telegraph, Independent and Guardian have to say. (If the Guardian prints a a good review, I'll frame it!)

(Evelyn) Looks like the broadsheets have their knives out. I didn't think they would and had greater faith that they'd reward this small Brit film. Am not looking at the FT as a trend setter necessarily. ...and I couldn't care less what Hotdog, which is aimed at the blockbuster and Bennifer crowd, publishes. When I've flipped through its pages, I don't know 99% of the people/things covered. Those people aren't going to GWAPE no matter what it says. (Bethan) Better hopefully to get a positive buzz at Sundance and a wider distribution deal. Trauma's distribution deal in the UK is done. I'll have more info next week. (Bethan) They like "Young Adam"...Morven Cellar...and "The Mother"...All got brilliant reviews but no-one went to see them (except the critics). On the other hand, according to the Guardian film critic, the Richard Curtis and Harry Potter movies are "crap". Not a word I particularly like, but one that tells you a lot about the current standard of film criticism in the UK! Tells me they have taste and higher standards than most audiences, but that'll only start a discussion about why people go to movies and what they see. ;-) Morven Caller was another brilliant piece by Lynne Ramsay ("Ratcatcher"); her films are like artwork and this one starred Samantha Morton. Need I say more?

(Karen)Am not looking at the FT as a trend setter necessarily. Agree, not for most films; but GWAPE would appeal to the highbrow audience who would read the Financial Times.