(Evelyn) FYI Oliver James has appeared with the RSC. Really? I didn't know that. I thought he was on the verge of becoming a member of an N'Synch-type band when Dennie auditioned him (not that he couldn't have done RSC, too). Thought that was all he'd done. Didn't memorize his bio. (Katty) WAGW, his first and only significant professional job. For semantics sake.... his first and only significant professional *film* job. Maybe that's more accurate. (Evelyn) There are greater things in an actor's life than appearing in a Hilary Duff movie. True, except when you are a young actor aspiring to filmdom and wanting mass exposure. I thought it was a smart move. Her movies aren't *that* bad. But they are high profile.

From the Telegraph: Another string to his bow - Mendes turns impresario By Nigel Reynolds Filed: 13/02/2004 Sam Mendes, the Oscar-winning darling of the London theatre, unveiled a new identity yesterday - as a big-time impresario. In a deal thought to be unique in British entertainment, the man who brought a naked Nicole Kidman to the stage and then won a directing Oscar for his debut film, American Beauty, announced that he is to start a new company producing both films and theatre shows. His ambitious first slate includes seven film projects, almost a dozen plays and a big-budget musical. A film of the Sondheim stage musical Sweeney Todd and, in a neat reverse, a stage musical of the hit film Shrek are among the projects. Mendes, 38, who made his name running the small Donmar Warehouse theatre in London and whose career is closely followed on both sides of the Atlantic, has been unwilling to be pigeon-holed as a theatre director, a Hollywood director or a producer. His new London-based company, Scamp, will allow him to combine all three roles and it has high-powered backing. DreamWorks, the Hollywood studio founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, has a first-look deal for all of Scamp's film productions. Mendes, married to the actress Kate Winslet and now a father, will direct both for the theatre and cinema but, almost a year on from his last project, a Broadway revival of Gypsy, he is keeping his cards close to his chest about his next task. He is likely to direct only a handful of the projects announced yesterday but bring in others to do the job. Caro Newling, a director of Scamp, said: "Sam is a rare bird and producing has always been something he has done. He's great at it and enjoys the collaboration. "Lots of people assume that he's run off to Hollywood and is not doing theatre any more. But he's passionate about both, he wants to do both and he doesn't want to go off and become a jobbing freelance director." Variety will be the name of Mendes's game. The films will be co-productions in Britain or America; some plays will be new commissions, others revivals and they may be staged on either side of the Atlantic. Among the films are The Kite Runner, a story about two childhood friends set against the background of Afghanistan, based on a novel by Khaled Hosseine; Lifestory, about the race to discover DNA, to be written by William Nicholson and directed by David Yates; Tom Fool, a thriller about the adventures of a 17th century court jester written by Tim Firth, who wrote Calendar Girls; and a Second World War spy thriller by Peter Moffat, writer of the BBC television series Cambridge Spies. The theatre projects include Edward Hall directing the first London revival of Howard Brenton and David Hare's Pravda; the UK premiere of Anna in the Tropics, Nilo Cruz's 2003 Pulitzer Prize winning play; a stage adaptation of the 1942 Ernst Lubitsch film To Be Or Not To Be, a comedy about a ramshackle theatre troupe who outwit the Nazis; a new Owen McCafferty version of J P Miller's play Days of Wine and Roses; Katie Mtchell directing Macbeth; and a new play by Heidi Thomas (who adapted I Capture the Castle for television) about the Russian royal family's last days before their assassination. Producers on Broadway have made the unusual announcement that Sam Mendes's �5.6 million revival of the musical Gypsy is to be reprieved. They had previously said it would close this month. In the interim, ticket sales have picked up and cast and crew have agreed salary cuts.

Thanks, Karen. Sounds like some interesting projects on his plate. UK premiere of Anna in the Tropics Hope it does better there than here. Producers on Broadway have made the unusual announcement that Sam Mendes's �5.6 million revival of the musical Gypsy is to be reprieved Through May 20, so far, if anyone's coming to NY to catch shows.

I think this pretty well answers the question on some people's minds: Host of stars set for Orange Baftas A host of stars are set to attend The Orange British Academy Film Awards in London on Sunday night. Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen and director Peter Jackson are among the celebrities who will be at the awards in Leicester Square. Love Actually writer and Director Richard Curtis will also be at the awards where he'll be joined by two of the stars of the film - Emma Thompson and Bill Nighy. Also attending the event at the Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square will be Paul Bettany, Benicio Del Torro, Jude Law and double nominee Scarlett Johansson. Renee Zellweger, nominated in the Best Supporting Actress role for Cold Mountain, is also due to attend. Uma Thurman, Tim Burton and Holly Hunter are also confirmed for the awards ceremony. The Orange British Academy Film Awards, which is being hosted by Stephen Fry, will be shown on BBC1 at 9pm.

From my friend Gill (Is Colin not in the country?): Got this off a media related message board so can't say whether it's totally true, but look like at least one of your lads will show up this year. Hosted by Stephen Fry, nominees confirmed to attend include: Paul Bettany, Tim Burton, Sofia Coppola, Richard Curtis, Benicio Del Toro, Holly Hunter, Peter Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Jude Law, Laura Linney, Sir Ian McKellan, Anthony Minghella, Bill Nighy, Judy Parfitt, Anne Reid, Emma Thompson, Uma Thurman, Naomi Watts, Peter Webber, Tim Robbins and Renee Zellweger. Confirmed citation readers for Sunday's ceremony include: Pedro Almodovar, Lord Attenborough, Helena Bonham Carter, Billy Boyd, Mackenzie Crook, Jason Isaacs, Val Kilmer, LL Cool J, Thandie Newton, Clive Owen, Joely Richardson, Miranda Richardson, Dougray Scott, Alicia Silverstone, Patrick Stewart, Jon Voight, and Olivia Williams.

FYI: For those without BBC America, the Baftas will be shown on Monday morning (8:30amish) on E! But from what I remember of two years ago, E! will edit the program and you won't see all the categories, just the main ones. I think they did a little montage bit with the winners of the lesser awards (hair & makeup, etc.)

BBC America has a one-hour red carpet show starting at 7 PM, Eastern time, on Sunday. So who's England's answer to Joan Rivers? ;-) Also, despite their bizarre claims of "live" coverage, the BBCA show starts at 8, so it could not possibly be live,. Then again, I hear it's not being shown live in Britain either. Just a heads up to stay away fomr your computer if you don't want to know the winners in advance. (Murph)Is Colin not in the country?) He's not out of the country, he's just out to lunch. :-( Some cool casting news for Nip/Tuck fans: Joely R's mom, Vanessa Redgrave of course, will do three episodes next season, playing . . . Joely's mom. She comes to Miami to get a facelift performed by Sean, but there are complications. New season starts in June.

(Dorine)Hope it does better there than here. It opened in Princeton about a month before it went on to NY-same cast-terrible reviews. Thanks for the BAFTA news. I'm quite put out;-(

(Mari)Also, despite their bizarre claims of "live" coverage, the BBCA show starts at 8, so it could not possibly be live,. Then again, I hear it's not being shown live in Britain either. Just a heads up to stay away fomr your computer if you don't want to know the winners in advance. I checked my Directv magazine yesterday and it's listed to show Baftas on Sunday at 4:00 pm to 6:00 and again from 8:00 to 10:00.

Did anyone catch With Malice last night? I turned it off after 20 minutes. I thought the characters were very cold. I know it was the nature of the show, but I felt as though I had no reason to care about them or their work. I'm enjoying Wire in the Blood series on BBC America much more. I tune in to that each week for both the characters and the story.

WAGW, his first and only significant professional job. FYI Oliver James has appeared with the RSC. Oliver only had minor work in plays, commercials, tv, and a newly-forming boy band, so that movie WAS his first big break of any kind. He himself said "I'd done t.v. spots but nothing noticeable, just back in the U.K. My background is in stage really. I trained at an acting school and then when I left I'd done a few commercials and stuff but mainly in theater. Not huge jobs in theater but just kind of learning my craft." (http://www.oliver-james.net/articles/article040403b.html) Denny Gordon talks about "discovering" him. So basically he made a big leap from being a virtual unknown. Anyway, at least he has a chance to be seen again by millions of people and show his stuff, even if it is in the shadow of the latest teen queen. The vast majority of aspiring actors never get that chance, and he's getting it twice already.

(Mari) Also, despite their bizarre claims of "live" coverage, the BBCA show starts at 8. (Beedee) I checked my Directv magazine yesterday and it's listed to show Baftas on Sunday at 4:00 pm to 6:00 and again from 8:00 to 10:00. I'll be watching the live feed starting at 3:30ET at the BAFTA party. BAFTA-LA must be on @ 12:30 PT. I wonder why 4. And I wonder why they don't show it live in the UK. Jason Isaacs, Clive Owen, Dougray Scott, Nice consolation prizes! ;-)

(Beedee) I checked my Directv magazine yesterday and it's listed to show Baftas on Sunday at 4:00 pm to 6:00 and again from 8:00 to 10:00. (Dorine)I'll be watching the live feed starting at 3:30ET at the BAFTA party Thanks, ladies. Neither can be "live" though because that would mean the show doesn't start until 8:30 PM or 9 PM in London--and I believe their website says 6:30. I think in this case "live" really means simultaneous with the BBC broadcast--which isn't live, it's delayed 2 hours. Gah, am so confused . . .;-)

This is from empireonline: Two Hour Delay For BAFTAs If you don't want to know who's won - look away now 11 February 2004 UK film fans are once again being given short shrift when it comes to the televising of the BAFTAs. Although the British Academy Awards are widely regarded as the UK's most prestigious movie event, for the second year running they will only be shown on TV once the live ceremony is over. This will, of course, allow film fans to find out who the winners are before the television show commences. The event, which kicks off at the Odeon Leicester Square on Sunday evening at 6.30pm, will only be broadcast in edited form on the BBC at 9.00pm � with a break for the news. Given the American Academy's outrage at a measly five-second delay between The Oscars and its broadcast transmission on ABC, it's amazing that the British have put up with this with nary a whimper. And while the BBC won't be revealing the winners on its own 10-o'clock News, which cuts into the televised ceremony, any fool with a remote control or access to the internet will be able to either switch channels or go online to find out who's won. 'It's the best possible scheduling,' a BBC spokesperson told Empire Online, blithely unbothered that knowing the results in advance would take all of the suspense away from the show. Rant aside, it promises to be another brilliant year for the BAFTAs, with a large number of stars flying over to London for the event. Confirmed attendees include Uma Thurman, Scarlett Johansson, Naomi Watts and Jon Voight. And that's just for starters. Anyone wanting a glimpse of the stars should be heading down to Leicester Square to secure their patch roughly � er � now. Coverage On The Night As you've come to expect, Empire Online will be there on the red carpet this Sunday night, communing with the Hollywood massive and chinwagging with Britain's finest. We'll be bringing you the winners as soon they're announced (which of course you'll have to ignore if you're planning on watching the show), and we'll have a full review on the ceremony up on the site later that evening.

The OC (my guilty pleasure) comes to the UK (brief Colin mention in there): The future's Orange County The hottest show in the US is the teenage-obsessed OC. It will be the new Sex and the City, says Hadley Freeman Friday February 13, 2004 - The Guardian Nature may well abhor a vacuum, but not as desperately, I would wager, as do television schedulers. Following the announcement of the demise of the publicity-friendly Sex and the City, "the new Sex and the City" became the TV producer's favourite cliche. Any new show in which one or more of the characters mentioned sex (cue Kenneth Williams' pursed lips) or wore something more adventurous than a hooded Gap top was immediately deemed to merit this much sought after crown. Contenders included The Mind of a Married Man (aka Sex, Lies and Misogyny) and Miss Match (aka What Clueless's Alicia Silverstone Tentatively Did Next). But all this misses the point of what made the original programme such fun: despite its title, it was not the sex, nor, for that matter, the endless, adoring shots of Manhattan - both of these have long been supplied by the film industry. Rather, it was the show's shameless trashiness (only 80s movies starring Judd Nelson had cheesier soundtracks and close-ups) combined with its understanding of the meaning that overly style-conscious women (and men) attach to fashion. Thus Samantha's bold and blowsy Matthew Williamson and Ungaro equals her less uptight American, more easy-going European approach to relationships and sex, and the disastrous afternoon when Carrie ran into her ex's new wife in the Marni changing room equals ultimate humiliation as she realises that she will not even have a better outfit than the Stick Insect. Now, though, a proper new Sex and the City is about to arrive (and yes, ma'am, that is a trumpet fanfare you hear in the background). The OC is not, despite what its name suggests, another hospital drama, but an abbreviation for California's Orange County, and it is a truly worthy pretender to the throne. Ryan is a kid "from the wrong side of the tracks" - so wrong, in fact, that it is called "Chino". "Uh, Chino?" sneers one of his new snotty friends on learning of Ryan's human stain. "Ewww!"And frankly, who can blame her? He is adopted by an "idealistic public defender", taken back to his new luxurious house where he is not, surprisingly, forced to work as a rent boy, but where, to quote the press release, "nothing is quite what it seems" (in other words, the rich kids all take drugs and stay out late and the parents exchange meaningful glances with people other than their spouses). Oh my lord, it is Fresh Prince of Bel Air meets Melrose Place in one glorious package. It is the kind of programme in which teenagers say, "We're from different worlds", without even a smidgen of Dawson's Creek-style irony or self-analysis (thank God). As for the fashion, the first episode revolves around a charity fashion show and the trials such events entail: "What are you doing putting my daughter in Calvin Klein? She was supposed to be in Vera Wang!" wails one mother. Ah yes: the old dilemma: is fashion self-obsessive or just a bit of fun? The show's basic take is that it is only the former when fashion love tips over into vanity, such as when one mother solemnly asks her pre-pubescent daughter, "Do you like my hair this straight or is it too Avril Lavigne?" All a far cry from carefree Carrie tripping about in head-to-toe Chanel. Admittedly, The OC's decidedly West Coast approach to fashion (cropped tops, micro-minis, beaded flip-flops) might be problematic, temperature-wise, for British fans to copy but, heck, we are the country that tricked out Topshop versions of Oscar de la Renta couture and Dior saddlebags. Set in California, as the theme tune pointedly reminds us, the emphasis is on bare shoulders and tummies that are flatter than the Midlands, as opposed to Sex and the City's pinched waists and perfect pedicures. There is much smoking of odd-smelling substances, but little of tobacco, and a wholesale disinterest in trying to be - say it with me - the new Sex and the City, and, as all fashion-followers know, those who try too hard are doomed to fail. But, most importantly, the show is fantastically timely. The emphasis is decidedly on the under 18s, just as the current focus in Hollywood and on the radiowaves is, too. After belatedly rediscovering the power of the youth market in the wake of the success of American Pie, it is tempting to think that this is the only market that American film producers are interested in, judging by the focus on the likes of Ashton Kutcher (25), Kirsten Dunst (21), Jake (23) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (26), Eva Green (23), Scarlett Johansson (19) and Keira Knightley (18). As for the pop charts, Britney Spears (22) now being a bit past it, take your pick from the likes of Joss Stone (16), Amy Winehouse (20) and Katie Melua (19). Melua's recent song, The Closest Thing to Crazy, has provided the frontrunner so far for this year's inadvertently most amusing song lyrics. In it, she croons about "feeling 22, acting 17", the early 20s perhaps representing wizened decrepitude (and perhaps they do: Knightley recently said she would cons der plastic surgery "in about five years"). One could take a disapproving sniff about all this, but if one looks determinedly past the current weirdness of Chris Moyles extolling the joys of Stone every morning on Radio 1, and Colin Firth nuzzling Johansson's neck on the poster of Girl with a Pearl Earring, it is more reminiscent of the joyously teen-friendly late 80s and early 90s, from the Brat Pack films and the Cosby Show kids to Beverly Hills 90210. And this homage to the young is why OC is a more worthy aspirant to SATC's crown than any show about dating and vibrators could ever be: it is representative of the age we live in, and fun to boot. We all got into a lather at the prospect of Diane Keaton (58) having sex on screen in Something's Gotta Give, but SATC did not cause any seismic change in our culture - it just reflected the changing demographics of that period, which meant that more women were beginning to stay happily single for longer. Now we have a renewed interest in the teen market and, voila, a teen-focused show. If SATC left any legacy, it is an assumption of the audience's knowledge of fashion ("Where's my Betsey Johnson?" is wailed like a refrain throughout The OC), and one that can still be seen on the British high street. "Every day's a fashion show for these kids," grumbles The OC's teenage misfit. Welcome to the post-Carrie generation.

Two Hour Delay For BAFTAs They've come a looooong way. A few years ago, they used to telecast it 2 days later, LOL.Talk about old news. I lay my gauntlet down on: Oliver James. Enough already. Who cares? I've posted the four films that Rafe has in pre-production on #40. Jeremy Northam has "Toyer" (horror) with Juliette Binoche directed by Brian Di Palma. With luck one of them will bow out and Colin can get it;-) They are all Colin-type roles.

I wrote someone at BAFTA for clarification and was told..... As far as I know, the BBC-America telecast begins the same time as our transmission, 4 PM, which I believe is the same time that London gets it. (It's slightly delayed from the live event to allow for some editing for time). I had seen on the web invite or somewhere that our party starts at 2 (which it does), but that the show started at 3:30. Had made a mental note at the time to make sure to get there earlier before the show started to mingle. We went late-ish last year and couldn't chat much before it started, discovering that people actually sit and pay attention to the show, rather than mill about the room chatting. Who knew??!

All I know is BBC America is advertising Live at the BAFTA's Sunday, 4PM EST. I even changed a Valentine Brunch to make sure I was home in time. I really thought that a certain YKW would be there...yeah I know I sound like a broken record. Won't mention it again:-(

From The Telegraph: Scarlett at Bafta awards So lofty is Scarlett Johansson's star these days that it's even causing logistical - and egotistical - problems for the movie moguls who've helped make her name. Having been nominated for Best Actress for her roles in two films - Girl with a Pearl Earring and Lost in Translation - the New Yorker will undoubtedly be the star of tomorrow's Bafta ceremony. The problem is that Johansson's two flicks have been made by two different production companies - Path� and Elemental Films respectively. And both firms want the kudos of having the star as their guest, rather than the other outfit's. An embarrassing stand-off was looming, but Spy hears that a compromise has now been arrived at. "There was frantic behind-the-scenes politicking between Pathe, Elemental and the organisers, but thankfully they seemed to have sorted it out," says my source. "Scarlett will arrive with the Elemental people and be photographed on the red carpet with them. She will then sit on a table with the Path� lot.'' Even that deal was apparently only made possible by another factor being removed from the equation. "Scarlett got on very well with Colin Firth when they were doing Girl with a Pearl Earring together," adds my source. "If he'd come along to the Baftas, I rather think that Elemental wouldn't have had a look-in, but he's decided to give it a miss."

It's really too bad. They could sit at the Humbert Humbert table. ;-)

In the totally OT department. It occured to me when I was watching SATC last night that Brady's name would now be Brady Brady since Miranda gave him Steve's last name as a first name. Now that they're married, surely the kid wouldn't keep Miranda's last name, as in Brady Hobbes, anymore. Some things are keeping me up at night. ;-)

(Karen) It's really too bad. They could sit at the Humbert Humbert table. ;-) LOL is that where Ashton and Demi are to be seated (no...wait...that's something else entirely, isn't it?? ;-D)....maybe he's staying away cuz there are no martinis or....maybe he is staying away as the last time Scarlett was in London she had scary hair....enough to frighten anyone away! Hopefully her rain-repellent Bob's Big Boy Hairdo won't be needed at the Baftas. What's the weather like there right now?? ;-)

....maybe he is staying away as the last time Scarlett was in London she had scary hair....enough to frighten anyone away! Hopefully her rain-repellent Bob's Big Boy Hairdo won't be needed at the Baftas. What's the weather like there right now?? ;-) Or maybe he is staying away as the last time Scarlett was with him she was photographed giving him googo eyes in manner of wife:-0

(Tress) is that where Ashton and Demi are to be seated (no...wait...that's something else entirely, isn't it?? ;-D) No, they're seated with Mrs Stone from Rome. ;-)

(Karen) No, they're seated with Mrs Stone from Rome. ;-) Oh! Forgot about Mr. Williams' version...I was thinking Charles Webb....humming "Mrs. Robinson" right now!

Elemental wouldn't have had a look-in What exactly does this mean..."look-in?" "Scarlett got on very well with Colin Firth when they were doing Girl with a Pearl Earring together," So? She couldn't bear to sit apart from him? Ohhhhh, the tragedy. ;-) (Karen) It's really too bad. They could sit at the Humbert Humbert table. ;-) (Tress) LOL is that where Ashton and Demi are to be seated (no...wait...that's something else entirely, isn't it??) ;-D Yes, at least he's out of his teens. ;-D

"If he'd come along to the Baftas, I rather think that Elemental wouldn't have had a look-in, but he's, decided to give it a miss." So, 'he'decided to give it a miss. Sheesh. I guess the French Riviera just couldn't wait! (Dorine)So? She couldn't bear to sit apart from him? Ohhhhh, the tragedy. ;-) I think the red finger nails took care of that problem.

(Linda) So, 'he'decided to give it a miss. Sheesh. I guess the French Riviera just couldn't wait! Uhhh...no offense to the Baftas, but I think I'd rather be lounging by that pool too (though there was no date on his "mini-break" and he could have been there last year for all we know)! ;-) (Linda) I think the red finger nails took care of that problem. LOL...yeah...she got her man to take her to the Riviera.....I'm sure he's not thinking about that bubble gum snappin', see-through shirt wearin' woman-child there. His mind is more agreeably engaged, I'm sure. ;-)

Wishing all Drooleurs or at least a nice box of Godivas to tuck into! ;-)

Thanks, Karen! Back at ya! (Leslie, moved from RF topic) The jury's still out on Jeremy Irons, though. Is he also busy at things I am unaware of or is he at home waiting for the *right script*? Saw him at Lincoln Center last Fall or Spring season (forgot which) where he was in A Little Night Music at NY City Opera. He was even "singing!" I hear he's a "window shopper," at least, if you catch my drift.....;-). I sat 2 seats from SATC's Miranda...didn't recognize her til someone started arguing about seats next to us.

The jury's still out on Jeremy Irons And he's older, so not a valid comparison either.

What exactly does this mean..."look-in?" A chance. It means she would have dropped the Lost in Translation people like a hot potato if CF was coming.;-) I'd love to see her win for GWAPE but with two noms in the same category, she'll probably cancel herself out. Still can't believe the Oscar idiots didn't nom her. As much as I like Samantha Morton, she had relatively little to do in In America. SJ carries GWAPE.

Thank you for your Valentine's Day greeting Karen, same to you and everybody else. Also thanks for the lovely Mark Darcy greeting at the main page. Those are some of my fave pics of him. Mmmmm...

As much as I like Samantha Morton, she had relatively little to do in In America. SJ carries GWAPE. I completely agree with you. Samantha did an excellent job, but hers was more of a supporting role, and was overshadowed by the amazing performances of the two little girls. She had no individual SAG, BAFTA or Golden Globe nominations like Scarlett had. There was no buzz about her at all, so her nomination was a complete surprise. I still can't figure out how she beat out Scarlett. Guess people just loved In America and wanted to nominate someone from it.

(Me) What exactly does this mean..."look-in?" (Mari) A chance. It means she would have dropped the Lost in Translation people like a hot potato if CF was coming.;-) Thanks, I thought that was the gist of that statement, but was still a bit unsure with that term. Wouldn't any of us drop anyone like a hot potato if Colin was in the vicinity? ;-) Wonder where "the source" got that inference from. ;-) (re:SJ) Still can't believe the Oscar idiots didn't nom her. And SAG didn't nom her either! Curious.

Dropping by a day late to thank you for the Valentine greetings and lovely (sadly whiskless) montage of Mark. Hearts and flowers by the bucket load;-))

According to an article in today's Observer, tickets to the Baftas are �300 and �650 each (there's a dinner afterward at the Grosvenor House Hotel). As Dorine mentioned, the producers (in this case Pathe) would be paying for their people to attend, so it wouldn't be out of pocket to Colin in any case. Other info here: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,6903,1148280,00.html (Lizza) (sadly whiskless) I always save that for your birthday. ;-)

Here's Scarlett: and Renee: and Joely: Emma: and the "scary" Emma:

Thank you, Karen for the up to the minute red carpet photos. I think Renee looks much better than she did for the GG's, but Scarlett looks like she's aged a bit...maybe it's the hair or the suntan?

No Linda it's the lippy! Awwwful on the close up. I really like ET but does she ever study pics of herself. There's one of her calling to the crowd and she twists her face so.... really unflattering. Still she's got 25 years on SJ and I think she looks great in her backless dress, go on Nanny McPhee! Like RZ's choice too.

Good to see Bill Nighy winning for LA!

Sofia: Really bad lipstick choice: And a couple of lightweights:

Hey Karen it's your old friend from Ziegfeld ;-)

Looks like Scarlett's boobs are too big for the dress....shouldn't that seam hit below? And what is the thing hanging from the side (a bow? Looks like faux fur) Would be prettier without it. She looks 'womanly'....older than her teen years..... (Lizza) No Linda it's the lippy! Awwwful on the close up. Yes! She chooses interesting colors at times (and she has such full lips you really notice). She should have gone with straight red IMO. RZ looks good (I'm not a big lace fan but the dress suits her...she looks great all filled out). I agree Lizza, ET looks great in the backless dress! But I think the fur thing can go.....whatever it is..... Boy...they think Joan and Melissa are tough...wait til this is all over! ;-)

Glad to see Renee has something to add to her GG! Rounding off quite a week for her;-)

(Tress) Yes! She chooses interesting colors at times (and she has such full lips you really notice). She should have gone with straight red IMO. Definitely agree. This is one of those colours you find in nail polish on the discount table - the throw-outs! It's harsh. ET has a great bod and the dress has the wow! factor. RZ looks a little slimmer than GGs but she needs to perfect the non-squint look. She always reeks of - where the hell are my glasses?

First impressions of SJ and RZ on the podium as presenters.... lippy actually doesn't look too bad, not as harsh as expected, but she's under 20 so gets away with it. Renee's hair is just on the edge of too messy, she's looking good tho' so no need for those glasses Locarol.

Am surprised and pleased for SJ at the BAFTAs. I felt she gave very strong performances this year but didn't think she stood a chance. I thought the award would have gone to someone else given Scarlett's age and the other very fine and more seasoned talent she was up against. However, IMO GWAPE was a better performance. Perhaps my judgement is clouded by inherent CF bias, but I thought her peformance in GWAPE was technically more difficult and far more subtle than LIT. Also thought it interesting in light of the fact that many of the accolades she received for LIT referenced her 'minimalist performance'. But then again, I think I'm the only person in the universe who thought LIT was a very good film, but not a great one. Perhaps I'd read far too much *hype* before seeing it which often leaves me feeling let down.

Lots of "near the knuckle" comments from the inventive Stephen Fry. Hope they made it on to your coverage!! We have finished here.

RZ's dress looks great on her. Though do wish she spent more that 15 seconds on her hair. Tress, I agree SJ should have gone with a red, probably with a coral undetone. That color she wore has too much blue in it and makes her look washed out,IMO.

(Lizza)Lots of "near the knuckle" comments from the inventive Stephen Fry. Hope they made it on to your coverage!! Yes they did, thank God the thought police ignore cable TV!:-) Really laughed at Stephen's comments about having slept with Jude Law (in a movie) and that pregnant pause afterward. Enjoyed his "notes from mum" about the Best Pic nominees. Good job by SF as usual. Sofia Coppola looked about 1000% better than at the GGs. Scarlett stayed too long in the tanning bed, I think, but her hair looked better than usual. Would like to see her wear more color on her body instead of on the lips.;-) I liked Renee's dress, not crazy about the hair, and a nice diamond necklace would have set things off better. I liked Joely Richardson's look, color was great on her, let's hear it for red carpet color! These people go all beige or black and it gets boring. Good for Emma for going backless down to *there.* Work it girl, if you've still got it, flaunt it! BTW, did anyone catch her allusion to McPhooey, something about have to wear warts on her nose? Is that in the book? There goes my dream of Nanny/employer romance in manner of Maria and Capt. Von Trapp.:-(

I thought the award would have gone to someone else given Scarlett's age Age discrimination????;-) Shocking. I didn't think her performance in LIT compared with GWAPE, but I be the latter helped her get the award. But did the presenter have to degrade GWAPE by prefacing the award with: "Not for Girl With a Pearl Earring, but for LIT, the award goes to SJ" Bad form. Her acceptance speech was lovely. No notes! What poise and she'l lost all the uh's and um's. Happy, happy for Renee. She deserves it. JL gets more handsome every day. I guess Johnny Depp only smiles when they pay him. Thankgod for Bill Murray's speech for an otherwise boring show. Hoorah! We're finished with LOTR. Sadly , we have the Oscars to go with more of them.

So, what did he present? This eager mind wants to know. Thanks! Saw GWAPE today. Put my thoughts in the film spoilers thread.

(Mary) So, what did he present? This eager mind wants to know. There were 5 awards that didn't make the BBC cut; Clive presented two of them. I think they were for film editing and sound. Dougray and Thandie presented another one of the invisible awards and that Office person (Mackenzie and someone else) did a couple of others for small, invisible and/or animated films.

Haven�t read any of your comments, but here are mine....... Why was LL Cool K there? Did Scarlett have a fake tan? Tons of hair spray? It didn�t move when she looked down. ;-) Glad Bill Murray won. Most of room clapped when he won. Only time that really happened. *What* was Sofia Copppola wearing? As the person next to me said, she doesn�t have the presence to wear a dress like that. Went too far the other way from the sack. Renee looked great! Funny Harvey didn't hug or kiss her when she won. And she said unexpected?! Puh-leeze!! She's been the frontrunner since they were announced. I love her, but the false modesty's a bit much. Biggest surprise.....Peter Weir for Best Director. Steven Fry very funny as usual. And yeah, what ever happened to Pretty Young Things? Was looking forward to it. Bill Nighy � glad he won, but surprised Tim Robbins didn�t. Maybe they figured he�d get Oscar anyway. Big venue, they probably could have squeezed Colin in. ;-) Colin couldn�t be there (or here), so of course, I met his sub.....Matthew Modine!! ROTF!! He was sitting next table over. Came stag. LOL!! I didn�t even have the desire to meet him, nothing to say, but a friend of mine had met him earlier, and insisted introducing me when MM walked by our table after the show. Told him I wanted to meet him, but was too shy. ROTF! Yeah, right! Obviously he (my friend) doesn�t know me well enough to know if I really wanted to meet MM and had anything to say, I�d have been on him like white on rice! I mentioned to MM that I�d seen him at a few Knicks games and we talked about the Knicks and Yankees for a minute, then he left. Mentioned who he voted for in one category for Oscar, but forgot now. I was surprised at whatever it was. He�s extremely tall. Alec Baldwin there before the show. Helped give out several door prizes. Looks as he does onscreen. Didn�t have anything to say to him, so didn�t introduce myself. Had ample opportunity. Just realized as I�m typing this, could have given congrats on the Oscar nod and say I really liked his performance in The Cooler. C�est la vie. Nice to see several Colin clips, esp with LA. Surprised PW didn�t get first time director award. So were others at my table. My goody bag not so posh as those at awards. :-( It included..... Fodor�s London �04 guide A lined large journal from IFC/WE/AMC Latest edition of Variety A little Walker�s Shortbread Winter catalog from Savoy/Claridge�s Cadbury Caramel Egg $100 Gift Certificate at Gloss Day Spa toward the following: laser teeth whitening, airbrush body bronzing package, detox facial treatment, or silver star/microdermabrasion treatment. Tangerine Altoids This weekend�s FT A map/ travel wallet from a travel agency ( they also contributed a door prize of 2 nights at Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes-Orlando....just had my weeklong meeting there.....saw John Travolta. They have an awesome spa!! (which is what he was there for)). A CD of Lyra�s Oxford performed by author and full cast (by the author of His Dark Materials....????). And a DVD of the first year of The Office from BBC America (last year was Coupling). Didn�t win the best door prize ;-(....2 Virgin Atlantic business class tix to London. Will now check your comments during the show. :-)

From CF topic.... (Lizza) shame tho' when lots of his co-stars are present tonite. He would have made a great presenter, I agree. RZ, LL,and SJ, when's he going to have another year of opportunity like this again? Next year when he (and RZ and HG) have the high profile TEOR to promote. (Linda) Lots of Hugh, too. Everybody's wondering where ODB is, no one wonders where HG is? He's bigger really. (Bethan) Perhaps he wasn't invited? Now why didn't I think of that? ;-) (Lizza) Stephen Fry's (more and more a Harvey lookylikey!) First thing I said was what was up with that haircut?!

At least her nail polish matches her lipstick. ;-)

(Karen) As Dorine mentioned, the producers (in this case Pathe) would be paying for their people to attend, so it wouldn't be out of pocket to Colin in any case. Oh, actually when I was referring to producers, I meant the show producers, not the studios. And ouch on those ticket prices. I liked RZ's hair, obviously no fuss-no muss, unlike the super do's of SJ and LL. Serious curls/waves and hairspray/ mousse. Did LL go with Tim Curry? I was also surprised about SJ's win for LIT vs GWAPE, but she won anyway. (Leslie) I think I'm the only person in the universe who thought LIT was a very good film, but not a great one. I agree, but thought Bill Murray was a *great*. Helluva performance. The movie was his, IMO. (Mari) BTW, did anyone catch her allusion to McPhooey, something about have to wear warts on her nose? Is that in the book? There goes my dream of Nanny/employer romance in manner of Maria and Capt. Von Trapp.:-( LOL!! Caught that almost under the radar reference. (Evelyn) I guess Johnny Depp only smiles when they pay him. I thought he looked quite yummy anyway. :-P (Me) Why was LL Cool K there? Um, that's LL Cool J. Murph, thought Clive was quite handsome in the quick glimpse I got of him. Ok, think I'm caught up.

Dying to know what they talked about;-)

SJ reminds me of Marilyn Monroe at a glance there. Hair just needs to be platinum.

(Dorine)SJ reminds me of Marilyn Monroe at a glance there. Thought so myself. She seems to be modeling MM frequently these days. Her costuming in the recent Vanity Fair shoot was very much a la Marilyn. The magazine editors/authors even made reference to it in their comments about the shoot. From the article... "Scarlett Johansson seemed to be channeling Marilyn Monroe when she arrived at VF's cover shoot with platimun hair and bright-red lipstick to match her name."

GAH! Forgot Red Carpet show on at 8am. Turned on with 10 mins to go. :-( Not repeated tonight it seems. What is this with a show like this at *8AM*!?:-( I know who Mackenzie Crook is now that I've seen him.

Baftas 'may influence Oscar vote' By Chris Heard BBC News Online BBC News Online assesses what impact Sunday's Baftas may have on Oscar voting in two weeks' time. US Academy members watched the prestigious Bafta award for best film being handed out in London on Sunday with their usual interest. But to what degree, if any, will the British Academy's choice have an impact on the Oscars two weeks later? It could be significant, according to some industry watchers who say this year's race is more wide open than many have made out. The Return of the King, the final part of Peter Jackson's Lord of The Rings trilogy, is favourite among most commentators to sweep the board in Hollywood on 29 February. It dominated the Golden Globes - the first major pre-Oscars testing ground - and won five Bafta awards including best picture. But if it had been overlooked in London on Sunday, Oscar voters may have been be swayed away from Middle-earth towards something more cinematically realistic, say film experts. Steven Gaydos, executive editor of Variety movie industry magazine, said: "I think this is an odd year - there is no clear consensus across the board and that's where the Baftas could have some impact. "You can't say Lord of the Rings is a sure thing at the Oscars. A fantasy film has never won in 76 years, and a lot of people in the acting branches are not impressed. They will be leaning more towards Mystic River, driven more by reality and a social element." Charles Gant, film editor of Heat magazine, believed Rings would sweep the board at both ceremonies, but said if something else had happened on Sunday, it could have made everyone think differently. The Baftas are now been staged in advance of the Oscars - a move that has dramatically increased their profile and influence in Hollywood. Before 2001, when Bafta trailed in Oscar's wake, they were seen as an anti-climax - and would barely have registered among many Tinseltown movers and shakers. Now, though, in a turnaround described as an act of "genius" by some observers, Bafta helps set the international film agenda and can affect the choice of Oscar voters. It does all this while proudly proclaiming an independence of spirit and maintaining its vital PR role for British movie-making. Actors and film-makers take advantage of the ceremony's red carpet exposure to give their movies a final push in the run-up to the Academy Awards. Last year, A-listers such as Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore flew to London to promote their films - with the attendant possibility of swaying undecided Academy voters. Peter Jackson is up for a prize for directing The Return of the King This year, Oscar voters will become conscious of who and what Bafta chooses to honour a full nine days before their own ballots close. Mr Gaydos said it was important for movie stars to show up at the London event. "Everyone is watching the awards season. We look at all the awards and see how they might be predictors, if the voters would be influenced. "If 250 critics have said Finding Nemo is one of the best films of the year, no Academy voter is going to ignore that when it comes to choosing the best animated film category." Mr Gant was agreed on the potential impact of the British prizes on Hollywood's jurors. 'Endgame' "Bafta is a very good way of catching (US) Academy members in the UK," he said. "Having the star come over and attend screenings is the process by which votes are sought. The endgame is to scoop up Academy members." This year the voting process on both sides of the Atlantic has been hit by the "screener" row - a ban on preview DVDs of fancied films for Academy voters, instigated by studios fearful of internet piracy. The ban was later lifted but it led to some voters missing out on seeing certain films. "Bigger companies like Warners didn't send out tapes and it meant that Mystic River didn't get a nomination because not enough people saw it," said Mr Gant. "I think Warner Bros missed a trick there." Whatever and whoever Bafta honours, the awards are firmly established as the most glamorous night on the UK entertainment calendar - and an event the world now takes even greater notice of.

Thanks, Karen re Clive O. Apparently you saw him in the UK broadcast at the very end of the show giving an award to Ronnie Ancona (not sure who she is or what the award was for):

Oops!

Glamour on Bafta's red carpet By Chris Heard BBC News Online entertainment staff Thousands of UK film fans gave some of Hollywood's finest a raucous welcome at the 2004 Bafta awards in London - and BBC News Online was there to see it all. Cheering crowds thronged Leicester Square to join the celebrations for the British entertainment world's biggest night of the year. It made for a rousing atmosphere as some of the cream of the world's actors and film-makers got briefly close to their adoring public. Providing the red carpet glitz were a wealth of movie talent: among them Johnny Depp, Holly Hunter, Jude Law, Scarlett Johansson, Benicio Del Toro, Emma Thompson and Naomi Watts. They were joined by a string of leading directors competing for the night's prizes including Peter Jackson, Anthony Minghella, Tim Burton and Sofia Coppola. All were greeted warmly - but by far the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp. Depp, nominated for best actor, emerged from his limo as a conspicuous last-minute arrival - defying speculation that he might not show up. Asked about the crowd's overwhelming reaction, he jokingly told BBC News Online: "I paid everyone, I paid everyone." Emma Thompson, in a show-stealing Maria Grachvogel dress with fake fur stole, admitted to feeling the chill of the cold February night. "I'm freezing, darling" said Thompson, competing for best supporting actress for Love Actually. "I've been outside for an hour in a frock that essentially is a front and no back and will turn into a sausage skin at about midnight." Her fellow Love Actually star Bill Nighy, nominated for best supporting actor, said he was amazed by the reception. "It's wild. I had no idea it was quite so big," he said. "I thought the premiere for Love Actually was big. It's a very big deal and I think it's getting bigger and bigger. Anything that celebrates British film, we need it. We have always had acres of talent - it must be in the DNA." Peter Jackson, director of the evening's big winner The Return of the King, was also thrilled by the audience's appreciation. "We've had our premieres here for the last three years and the Leicester Square crowd give you a hell of a reception, that's for sure," he said. "It's very important to us that Mr Tolkien (Lord of the Rings author) was born here and we have tried to adapt his story with the integrity that he put into it himself." Rings star Sir Ian McKellen said Leicester Square had been transformed into "a street party". "It's about drawing attention to the film industry and the British film industry," he said. "It's a party. It's end of term. It's people patting each other on the back. There should be more of this going on." One visitor apparently less comfortable with all the noise was 21 Grams star Naomi Watts, who admitted she was not used to so many people calling her name. "It's scary!" she said. "I don't think it's a natural experience. You get a little bit more used to it with time but I'm still pretty new at this!" Mystic River star Laura Linney - nominated as best supporting actress - seemed more relaxed. "I'm very proud to be here, it's very nice," she said. "It's different (to the US) in a really nice way. I love it here. I'm certainly not expecting anything - I'm rooting for Emma (Thompson), but I'm just thrilled to be here." Sofia Coppola, whose film Lost in Translation won best actor and actress awards for Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, said she was excited to be at her first Baftas but had no expectations: "I'm happy to be here." Cold Mountain director Anthony Minghella, whose film had led the shortlists with 13 nominations, said making the movie had been a reward in itself. "I'm thrilled that we got so many nominations. I feel like they are 13 arrows pointing at the movie and to audiences to say it was worth getting the movie out." Peter Webber, director of Girl with a Pearl Earring, was in a similar frame of mind: "To a first time film-maker (the Baftas) means a lot. You get the chance to make another film - that's the prize I've had already." While some observers remarked that this year's guest list did not live up to last year's stellar turnout (Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore), there was still plenty of star quality in evidence in central London. Despite the absence of big-name nominees such as Uma Thurman, Sean Penn and Bill Murray, fashion-watchers were at least reassured by the high designer count. Joely Richardson in Dior, a Prada-clad Scarlett Johansson and Jerry Hall wearing Vivienne Westwood were deemed to be among the evening's shrewder couture choices.

(BBC) But to what degree, if any, will the British Academy's choice have an impact on the Oscars two weeks later? My assessment: zippola! C'mon, does anyone really think LOTR and Peter Jackson will not win? Obviously, it will have no influence on Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor, and RZ is considered the frontrunner anyway for Best Supporting Actress though articles have said the woman from House of Sand and Fog has momentum (I'm pulling for her over RZ, though I'd prefer Patricia Clarkson). (Mary) Apparently you saw him in the UK broadcast at the very end of the show giving an award to Ronnie Ancona (not sure who she is...) It was on the BBC America broadcast, at the very end. The woman in the pic is Sarah Flack, editor of Lost in Translation. He also presented the Sound award as well.

Her costuming in the recent Vanity Fair shoot was very much a la Marilyn. She looked like MM in looks, but a hideous dress.Vile! I like her in champagne color. Let Joeley wear orange;-/ Who was sitting next to JL ? Sienna Miller is supposed to be his squeeze but this gal was a brunette. (Dyed her hair for Alfie?) Odd that nothing was exchanged between Harvey and Renee when she won. Major shut-out for Mystic River;-/ (Dorine)I liked RZ's hair, obviously no fuss-no muss,.. You mean: "I'm just running over to Safeway look"? ;-)

(Karen) I'd prefer Patricia Clarkson Me too. Obviously, it will have no influence on Best Actress Just saw Monster last week. Anyone see that? She was incredible. Such a tragic story and life. Was wondering (and confused) about JL's seat mate,also. (Dorine)I liked RZ's hair, obviously no fuss-no muss,.. Sometimes the do's are a bit too done-up for me. LOL at the fashion commentator saying HBC reminded her of Bette Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.

The new PREMIERE Mag has a list of the best 100 Films last year : "The nation's top critics rate the most noteworthy films of 2003" 1. Finding Nemo 2. LOTR 3. LIT Hey, Murph....M&C came in #8 50 GWAPE 59 LA And for all the tomato- hurlers out there.... Gigli was *not* the worst movie of the year.....came in #97;-) Lara Croft Tomb Raider #98 Alex & Emma came in #99 And Cat in the Hat #100. (ATA received that place in '98!) Kangaroo Jack was not rated ;-)

(Evelyn)I didn't think her performance in LIT compared with GWAPE Neither did I, but I'm still glad for her. Her acceptance speech was lovely. No notes! What poise and she'l lost all the uh's and um's. One forgets that she's just a kid. Lots of poise, as you said. Hoorah! We're finished with LOTR. Sadly , we have the Oscars to go with more of them. What a bore. Can't believe they gave the adapted screenplay award to them for that bloated, pompous mess. Ahead of Brian Helgeland for Mystic River?! Was glad for Tom McCarthy who won original screenplay for Station Agent; terrific script, and he was good looking and funny.:-)

(Dorine)Bill Nighy � glad he won, but surprised Tim Robbins didn�t. I was also. Tim Robbins is just heartbreaking in MR, really. It's a beautiful performance. Surprised PW didn�t get first time director award. So were others at my table. I was shcocked. Poor PW got screwed. (Karen)My assessment: zippola! Agreed. The Oscar ballots are due in this week and I think I read that over 80% of them have been returned already. Still, it's smart of them to go before the Oscars; once the AAs are done, people have had it with awards shows. (Ev)Odd that nothing was exchanged between Harvey and Renee when she won. LOL, she didn't even look at him! I guess she figured it was bad enough she had to sit next to him.;-) Nice that she ran back to hug Anthony Minghella. Again, recognizing how much you owe to a good director. that was Sienna next to Jude. Her hair is just darker now.

I hope the producers of the Oscars learn something from the Baftas. It was so much better than any Oscar show I"ve seen yet.

(Dorine)Surprised PW didn�t get first time director award. This definitely calls for a song--though a slightly mutilated one: "Oh, I'm goin' to Colorado in my mind." Back to Colorado. Back to September. Back to a golden sunset. Back to the days when LIT was appropriately overlooked and GWAPE was the toast and talk of the town. Oh, how can this be? Did I read everything correctly? GWAPE got 10 noms and no awards? There was only a glimpse of PW broadcast? I won't get to see him and Andy do an acceptance speech? I honestly try to keep my bellyaching to a minimum but really, this is too much to be borne. Oh, I desparately hope GWAPE gets an Oscar just to show those BAFTA voters they should support the home team especially when its that good!!!

Long but interesting New film challenges full-frontal taboo Monday, February 16, 2004 NEW YORK (AP) -- A smitten young man in Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Dreamers" steals a photo of his inamorata and puts it next to his private parts, then is understandably embarrassed when she forcibly peels off his tighty-whiteys and discovers it. Rather than being appalled, she appears quite complimented by this different kind of Kodak moment -- a close-up that leaves nothing to the imagination as the picture gently catapults toward her. Such scenes got an NC-17 rating slapped on the new film by the director whose oeuvre includes the 1972 X-rated "Last Tango in Paris." But in the three decades since then, scenes with full-frontal male nudity usually can be timed with a stopwatch while those with nude women can be measured with a sundial. Even in "The Full Monty," filmgoers didn't get the full monty -- not even for a split second. Pop-culture observers maintain that's because a de facto sexism still exists in Hollywood, where women can parade around in the altogether but men can't. The instances of actors in mainstream American movies swinging in the breeze are so rare that movie buffs can catalog them off the top of their heads. Harvey Keitel has let it all hang out at least twice ("The Piano" and "Bad Lieutenant") and Ewan McGregor at least four times, including the upcoming "Young Adam." Bruce Willis in 1994's "Color of Night," Kevin Bacon in 1998's "Wild Things" and Geoffrey Rush in 2000's "Quills" as well as the prosthetically enhanced Mark Wahlberg in 1997's "Boogie Nights" are among the few others. Sarah Riddick, an English professor who heads the film program at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri, attributes it simply to the industry's gender makeup: "It is still a male-dominated business, and men are more likely to show female nudity." Only actresses with great clout such as Julia Roberts can insist on a no-nudity clause. Elayne Rapping, a professor of women's studies and media studies at the State University of New York, Buffalo, said it's such as it ever was: You can look back to classic paintings of the 17th and 18th centuries and see fully clothed men with nude women. "That's been a constant of Western culture for centuries in representational art -- that women have been presented as objects for what in film theory is called 'the male gaze.' The assumed viewer is male, and the woman is to be looked at for male pleasure," she said. She said another reason there are few full-frontal male nude scenes is that it raises an issue of vulnerability for men. "For a man to reveal his private parts is to be reduced to the position that women have always been reduced to -- which is to be examined, to be judged. And I think that's a scary thing," she said, adding: "When a man is flaccid, it's not a very virile thing." Sexuality in movies One theory holds that while women have several areas to satisfy scopophilia -- the term sometimes used in feminist film criticism that literally means the "love of looking" -- men really have just one, where size matters. So a woman might have a beautiful face or legs that offset, say, her breast size, but if a man has a certain shortcoming, a handsome mug or six-pack abs fail to make up for it. Yoko Ono once joked: "I wonder why men get serious at all. They have this delicate, long thing hanging outside their bodies which goes up and down by its own will. If I were a man I would always be laughing at myself." For a male view, there's Jim McBride, aka Mr. Skin, who runs a Web site that's a compendium of movie nudity. He was quoted recently as saying he prefers his silver-screen sex "without a guy in the scene." Rapping suggested that men also may be afraid of the "male gaze" for homophobic reasons. "The fear of male homosexuality is the fear of the loss of male dominance in our society -- if everybody gets equally sexualized and equally open to having sex with everybody else then the whole system of male dominance gets called into question." Fox Searchlight's release of "The Dreamers" -- uncut and with an NC-17 rating -- has refocused attention on the issue of sexuality in movies. When the distributor decided to go ahead with the unbowdlerized version, Bertolucci alluded to the expression "Make love, not war" from the late '60s (when his film is set) by saying: "After all, an orgasm is better than a bomb." "Americans are much more comfortable with extreme violence in their movies than any sexuality," observed Stephen Gilula, Fox Searchlight's president of distribution. Gilula, who attributes Bertolucci's comfort depicting sex to his European upbringing, said his company decided to release the film with an adult rating because while NC-17 has become "sort of a scarlet letter ... We felt it wouldn't be the liability everybody perceived it was." Unrated films with comparable -- and even more explicit -- content are playing in U.S. theaters anyway, he said, and Fox Searchlight research has dispelled the long-held notion that newspapers won't carry ads for NC-17 movies and movie chains won't show them. In the past 15 years or so, many porn theaters across the nation have closed because home video -- not to mention the Internet -- took their market away, he noted. "There is no longer any real issue about pornographic material in movie theaters," Gilula said. "It's really an issue (of): Can filmmakers make adult subject matter and utilize the NC-17 rating without having to go unrated?" Power of television, cinema Bertolucci's movie may help destigmatize the rating, he averred. "I think it opens the door for the possibility for distributors to consider using the rating without assuming it's a liability." Time was, even an X rating wasn't a drawback: John Schlesinger's "Midnight Cowboy" won the 1969 best-picture Oscar despite it. "How is it in 2004 we are more puritanical than 30 years ago?" Bertolucci said. And even before the exposure of Janet Jackson's right breast at the Super Bowl halftime show, Bertolucci talked about how kids at home in their rooms see what he deems an incredible amount of sex and violence. So he wonders why movies are so persecuted? "The power of television is much, much greater than the power of cinema," he said. After Philip Kaufman directed "Quills," his wife made a joke while they waited for the Motion Picture Association of America rating (which turned out to be R). "She said they should just put on, 'Not for children of all ages.' ... The movie was made for adults," Kaufman recalled. Still, the director of the first film to get an NC-17 rating -- 1990's "Henry & June" -- questions whether, if you take away topless shots, women are exposed more often than men. Even at that, he pointed out that his upcoming movie, "Twisted," shows more male nudity in the sex scenes involving Ashley Judd (none of it full-frontal). He also raised the question that many ask: Do women really want to see more male nudity? "Maybe, in fact, just because of the nature of our society and so forth, more male nudity is about to come," Kaufman said. When NC-17 supplanted X -- mostly because it had been proudly commandeered by the porn industry -- it retained a smutty stigma. But maybe that will change, Kaufman said; NC-17 will yet be matter-of-factly applied to films of "higher motive." Gilula of Fox Searchlight certainly hopes so. And he thinks "The Dreamers" might be the watershed. "It's a film of very serious intent. It has sex in it. But it's also about music, it's about politics, it's about relationships. It's about a lot of things. And it's about movies," he said. "Anyone who's going for any salacious intent I think will probably be disappointed."

Just popping up to comment on "The Dreamers." It wasn't the nudity, sex, incest or whatever their relationship was, it was the bad hygiene. Ugh!!!

Time was, even an X rating wasn't a drawback: John Schlesinger's "Midnight Cowboy" won the 1969 best-picture Oscar despite it. "How is it in 2004 we are more puritanical than 30 years ago?" Bertolucci said. Unrated films with comparable -- and even more explicit -- content are playing in U.S. theaters anyway, he said, and Fox Searchlight research has dispelled the long-held notion that newspapers won't carry ads for NC-17 movies and movie chains won't show them. V. interesting article, but I don't think the point was made firmly enough that MC" in '69 X rated content was hardly equivalent to today's NC17. If memory serves even Brenda Vacarro wore a coat in the post-coital scene. Bertolucci's comment seems self-serving. Americans are much more comfortable with extreme violence in their movies than any sexuality," observed Stephen Gilula, Fox Searchlight's president of distribution. So true. I remember JI on the Today show for HoS a few years back and they showed a clip from it where his character knocks the wee out MS's character but the expletive was deleted. JI commented that it was odd that on American TV, the curse was unacceptable but the violence wasn't. Elayne Rapping, a professor of women's studies and media studies at the State University of New York, Buffalo, said it's such as it ever was: You can look back to classic paintings of the 17th and 18th centuries and see fully clothed men with nude women. "That's been a constant of Western culture for centuries in representational art -- that women have been presented as objects for what in film theory is called 'the male gaze.' The assumed viewer is male, and the woman is to be looked at for male pleasure," she said. So true too. As this is, appropriately, the Odds & Ends topoic I will present my theory on why *some* actors (even when they're young and need the money) don't do full frontal at least in period pieces: circumcision. Thank goodness for Ewan McGregor. (At some other time, I will relate the unfortunate incident of my last minute visit to the mini-plex snack-bar for a hotdog to enjoy while viewing the "Pillow Book.")

(Mary Ann)It wasn't the nudity, sex, incest or whatever their relationship was, it was the bad hygiene. Ugh!!! I have to agree Mary Ann . .the nudity or sex scenes didn't bother me . .but erp . .what was it that grossed you out more . .the toothbruch incident or the aftermath of the girl's first sexual experience on the kitchen floor?;)

(Kimberley) what was it that grossed you out more . .the toothbruch incident or the aftermath of the girl's first sexual experience on the kitchen floor?;) OK, I had this movie on my 'must see' list after Ebert and Roeper this weekend but I might choose to take a pass after such lovely imagery. Sex and violence?? No problem. Bad hygiene? *Yuk!*

There is a long interview with Bernardo Bertolucci in this month's PREMIERE mag in which he says: "Why can a nine year old child go, with his family and see the most violent movies around---decapitation, lakes of blood--and they are afraid of sex"? Mr. Bertalucci does not have any children ... But movies with violence are rated PG-13 here. I don't know about France or Italy. And frankly I don't want to take my 9 yr old grand to see; "...scene of Theo masturbating...or the scene in the kitchen when Matthew and Isabelle make love and the other scene when Matthew is exploring the body of Isabelle and when he gets to her pubic area and says 'Ah'" I also don't take him to see "Columbine". Even with the farting maybe "Kangaroo Jack" wasn't so bad after all.

I've been seeing the trailers for this film for eons and it didn't grab me at all, but the all the controversy is pushing me *toward* seeing it. Now, that I know what it's about, the trailer is not doing it justice. Anyway, I thought the article made a few good points, several of which I hadn't really considered. I always chalked up the inequity to male objectifying and its acceptance. I hadn't thought about: "For a man to reveal his private parts is to be reduced to the position that women have always been reduced to -- which is to be examined, to be judged. And I think that's a scary thing," she said, adding: "When a man is flaccid, it's not a very virile thing." One theory holds that while women have several areas to satisfy scopophilia...men really have just one, where size matters. So a woman might have a beautiful face or legs that offset, say, her breast size, but if a man has a certain shortcoming, a handsome mug or six-pack abs fail to make up for it. But when I got to Yoko's quote, I knew I had to post this article because it was hysterical! Yoko Ono once joked: "I wonder why men get serious at all. They have this delicate, long thing hanging outside their bodies which goes up and down by its own will. If I were a man I would always be laughing at myself." (Louise) but I don't think the point was made firmly enough that MC" in '69 X rated content was hardly equivalent to today's NC17. No and NC-17 still isn't X. That rating still exists for porn. The idea behind NC-17 is that the film isn't porn (depictions of people having sex with a mere excuse, if any, for plot) but "film" with adult content, whether it be situational, drugs, sex, nudity or violence. Because such a category didn't exist in 1969, the comparison is not totally analogous but it's the best they can do under the circumstances. MC was rated X at that time; if there had been an NC-17, then it might have gone there (all thiings being equal). But I don't disagree that the criteria has changed over the years as well. Anyone watching HOTPig could see that it would never be an NC-17 rated movie today as the MPAA rated it then. (Louise) I will present my theory on why *some* actors (even when they're young and need the money) don't do full frontal at least in period pieces: circumcision. You think they don't do it because of authenticity or what? (Louise) Thank goodness for Ewan McGregor. LOL! I have to agree and love his attitude toward it.

Re: The Dreamers My friend and I went to a BAFTA screening of this earlier this month . . . we left a bit puzzled . .I guess trying to figure out the main point of the film . . . My take of it was he was trying to exhibit that human need for wanting, belonging, and any sort of love . .it is that particular need, I think which draws in this American kid (Matthew)into the lives of the two French twins (Theo & Isabelle) It was facinating how Bertolucci intercut older black and white films with his "real time" actors . . . it showed how the twins and Matthew kind of lived in their own fantasy world . .realtity didn't seem as tangible to them as the cinema and the ideas . .Matthew, to me, first seemed to be the voice of reason/reality, until he really got sucked in by these kids, their sexual and mind games . .and he succombed to his vunerability, his own need for love . . . and then at the end of the film, he was harshly brought back into reality again. Sex was abundant, whether it be actual sex, masterbatory moments, implied incestual realtionships, an implied possible homosexual moments . . (the kitchen scene, Ev, my friend and I almost laughed at though there Matthew and Isabelle are going at it, with Theo watching, when in the middle of it, Theo goes and starts cooking eggs . .continuing to glance over every now and then . . .) (That website that had taken apart/found all sorts of "questionable" parts of GWAPE . .sexual and otherwise . .oh they will have a field day reviewing this film!) The sex/nudity didn't bother me at all . .but then, again, I wouldn't be taking any kids to see it by any means . . (Oh, BTW, was lovely to see Anna Chancellor as the twins mother!) As to Ewan McGregor . . . From a couple of his interviews: Which raises the question: Is there anything he won't do in front of the cameras? "I really don't think you can know that," he says. "I couldn't consider myself truly an actor if I had a list of things I won't do. There are actresses and actors who've said, 'I won't do any nudity ever again,' and you think, well, how do you know? What if there's a [expletive] amazing part and you're naked in the whole play or the whole film, how do you know you won't do it?... You could be denying yourself the best role in the world that could be your role, the role of a lifetime. But because your bum's in it, you're not going to do the part. That's stupid." (Ewan McGregor, Up for Anything by Alona Wartofsky - Special to The Washington Post / Sunday, May 18, 2003; Page N01) Given your past nude moments on the screen, are you thinking more about keeping your clothes on in future films? I've never understood actors who have rules against nudity. I wouldn't consider myself an actor if I had a list of things I won't do. It staggers me how big a deal everyone makes of it. In my everyday life, I'm naked a lot of the time--probably eight hours of my 24 hours are spent naked. Interacting with my wife and children at home, I'm quite often naked. And yet the second we put it onscreen, everybody f--king s--ts themselves. I don't get it. (Once-Swingin' Family Man Talks Love, Going Nude and Everything but the Episode III Script by Jeanne Wolf | May 14, 2003) http://ewanspotting.com/ewannews/archives/25.html I'm with you Karen, love his attitude toward it . .hey if you're comfortable enough with yourself . .just go for it . ..

(Louise) I will present my theory on why *some* actors (even when they're young and need the money) don't do full frontal at least in period pieces: circumcision. (Karen)You think they don't do it because of authenticity or what? I would say authenticity - unless the character is supposed to be Jewish;) I've noticed (only for scientific research, of course) that in historical dramas all exposed wahoos have been un-circumcized. This subject reminds me of the film, Angels & Insects, when the husband walks in on his wife inflagrante with her brother. When the Brother flees the bed and attempts to put on his pants, said brother's membrum virile is in a state of "agitation" - supposedly a first in a mainstream film. Entertainment Weekly had a little blurb on it entitled "What's My Motivation Here?" ROTFL

(Evelyn)But movies with violence are rated PG-13 here. And those with "decapitation, lakes of blood" are rated R--older teens and up. I'd like to know what his film is rated in Italy. And what's his beef anyway? This film is in large markets throughout the country, in mainstream cinemas. The only place they refused ads for it was Salt Lake, and you know what? That's their right. Sounds like he was pissed at the NC-17 when he thought it would affect the $$$$$$$ he'd make. Schmuck. (Ewan McG)Interacting with my wife and children at home, I'm quite often naked. Your older daughter is 8 years old, pal. If you think a young girl that age wants to see her dad's penis, then you're an even bigger ass than I've always thought you were.

(Mari)And what's his beef anyway? Yes, he's been heralded as a cinematic genius. But I can't help but think that in some ways his approach has been about titillation and provocation as a means to sell tickets. There are many talented directors who've made profound artistic impacts without grossing people out. It's a cheap trick, IMO. (Mari)If you think a young girl that age wants to see her dad's penis, then you're an even bigger ass than I've always thought you were. Well said.

(Louise) Angels & Insects...supposedly a first in a mainstream film. Entertainment Weekly had a little blurb on it entitled "What's My Motivation Here?" LOL! Must rerent this one, as I don't recall. However, I thought the first was Patrice Chereau's Intimacy in 2001...or maybe it was the first by a bona fide actor as opposed to the porn stars used in Catherine Breillat's films. BTw, Intimacy is a wonderfully acted, though sad, movie. (Evelyn)But movies with violence are rated PG-13 here. (Mari) And those with "decapitation, lakes of blood" are rated R--older teens and up. Yet parents think nothing about dragging their younger children along because they're too cheap to get a babysitter. Re: those Christian websites and their reviews Why would they even bother with this one? It would be so clearly unacceptable. The reviewer would never stop jotting down each and every frame of the film.

"The fear of male homosexuality is the fear of the loss of male dominance in our society -- if everybody gets equally sexualized and equally open to having sex with everybody else then the whole system of male dominance gets called into question." That's a stretch. I don't see how the equally sexualized, and sexy with everybody else, in films, calls male dominace into question.

Kimberly S: what was it that grossed you out more . .the toothbruch incident or the aftermath of the girl's first sexual experience on the kitchen floor?;) Yes and menstruation. I thought there was too much blood for their first time, and I thought they forgot that it should be mixed with something else. Now Scarlett (at the Brit Awards)... boy she's really showing off her curves ... not too sure about the eye shadow.

(Louise)said brother's membrum virile is in a state of "agitation Yes! I was watching A&I just the other night; I think HBO has been running it. Bro is at about a 90 degree angle. Maybe 80. Anyway, these shots are never close enough or lingering enough for me to tell if they're circumcised or not. And I've tried.;-)

Marianne - . . and menstruation Yes that bath scene was . . well not necessary I think . .bleah! I totally agree with you about the "first time as well" . .was thinking, good lord, get a torniquet for her . .she losing too much:). . SJ looks pretty . .I liked her dress the other night too. .but what is it with these very fair girls wearing champagne and other light colors that seem to wash them out? . .reminds me of NK at the GG . .she looked like a ghost! Guess I'm just a sucker for something with a bit more color . . .

(Mari) Anyway, these shots are never close enough or lingering enough for me to tell if they're circumcised or not. And I've tried.;-) Then, here's something for you to rent: It is probably the best performing penis ever to appear in a non-pornographic film, worthy of an Oscar in its own right - and it belongs to the star of the film, Mark Rylance. http://www.musicomh.com/films/intimacy.htm

I caught part of Intimacy the other night! Was on Sundance, I think. I guess I changed the channel too soon.;-) (Kim)was thinking, good lord, get a torniquet for her LOL!

Your older daughter is 8 years old, pal. If you think a young girl that age wants to see her dad's penis, then you're an even bigger ass than I've always thought you were. If a child is used to seeing her father naked, I don't think it'd be a question of "wants to see" his penis. It would be as natural as seeing any other part of him, and she wouldn't even notice it. In Europe it's very common for people to swim in the nude - and that includes people of all shapes and sizes and ages. They think nothing of it. In Japan families traditionally soak in tubs together, even though they were very modest in other parts of their lives. It's really all about what you're used to. I'm not used to walking around naked, so I would never want my kids to see me that way, but I think it'd be a healthier society if nudity wasn't such a big deal, and nakedness was a natural thing. I think the problem is that nakedness in our society is too synonymous with sex, when they are really two separate things. As for that Angels and Insects movie, I coincidentally saw it last Friday, and was pretty surprised by that perpendicular penis scene. It was definitely appropriate for the storyline. I feel uncomfortable about how far movies should go with this kind of thing. After a while it gets to be too much like pornography and prostitution when real sex is involved.

Interacting with my wife and children at home, I'm quite often naked. Ok. Ewan lives in England. Can anyone here who lives there tell us if it's the norm for a father to walk around naked in front of his 8-year old daughter when he's "interacting" with her at home.

Changing this fascinating subject....(Though I recommend renting "Close My Eyes" for some fontal and rear young Clive Owen - I disagree that pecs and a penis are all men have to offer. Some of them have great butts (think Colin). ******************************** Funny interview, but ultimately sad: The Guardian - Carrie Fisher -- 'Get me to the funny bar' Her childhood was catastrophic, her husband left her for a man, and she has battled with alcohol, drugs and manic depression. But Carrie Fisher can't understand why celebrities are such whingers... http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,6737,1148943,00.html

Re: Christian Movie Review websites. As an adult I never go there. But an agnostic liberal who is v. close to me regularly does to check on the films he takes his kids to;-) They do an exemplary job for parental guidance; "PG" doesn't give the details. And PG-13 is often v. deceiving in the interest of selling to a wider audience.

*SPOILER*SATC....This past Sunday: Methinks Alexander Petrovsky is French toast;-)

Methinks Alexander Petrovsky is French toast;-) With short-ening on top.;-) In the wise words of Miranda: "Go get our girl." Am still thinking Carrie will wind up with neither Big nor un-Big.;-) I'm going to miss the girls. Ok, Intimacy re-airs on Sundance Channel at 11 tonight. My cable guide says it's rated R; would you say that I'm not getting the, um, uncut version?;-)