Ack..completely forgot to do August birthdays. 8/15 - Maria 8/28 - Murph BTW, Boss, may I ask what is this year's theme for September? I must have many weeks to figure something out;-)

(Karen) the car chase (my eyes glazed over) and the fight in the apartment, where he strangles the former Treadstone guy. I loved the car chase!....sure as hell better than the one in the second Matrix. I was surprised I didn't get bored as I did with the latter since it was pretty long. I thought the fight itself was great......absolutely couldn't stand the way they filmed it though. Like someone was right there dodging them. Annoying. Fortunately I suppose, I haven't read the books. Only seen the miniseries and don't remember any of that. Probably the best fight scene I've seen all year was in Kill Bill, Vol 2 between Daryl Hannah and Uma Thurman.

(Ada) what is this year's theme for September? I must have many weeks to figure something out;-) Nothing yet. If you want to toss out any ideas http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/drool/110/new would be the place. (Dorine) Fortunately I suppose, I haven't read the books. Only seen the miniseries and don't remember any of that. Precisely. It all depends on what you want to see, a movie with a storyline about a person that is fully developed and interesting or a series of action sequences. Action sequences bore me to tears, like special effects. Am not into that stuff, which was probably why I found King Arthur lacking as well.

(Dorine) I loved the car chase!....sure as hell better than the one in the second Matrix. I saw a "making of" thing on cable. Those cars were only going 35 mph (in Russia, in Berlin they were going as much as 100 mph). They had all sorts of permits, but were not allowed to exceed that speed. MD said it was a lot of fancy camera work and good stunt drivers making it look like they were racing around. I thought the film was just okay. I missed Franka Potente...wished she could have hung out a bit longer.

(Karen) the car chase (my eyes glazed over) Right there with ya on that one Karen. I hated it. I liked the car chase scene in The Italian Job much better. My all time fav(comedic) car chase was in What's up Doc. OMG - I still laugh my arse off every time I see that one. Saw Young Adam today. Has anyone here seen it? Is there a discussion about it floating around somewhere? Ewan sure does have a lot of sex in it!!!

I thought it was a good, yet odd and very dark film. I think there's a Ewan McGregor topic with a slight discussion of it, maybe.

No discussion there to read through, just a link to an interview w/ the director. Went to rent a copy of Before Sunrise to watch before seeing Sunset. Found a used copy for sale...Yippeeee :o)

Oh, then the little bit may have been on the O&E topic. I think there was a small discussion of it when I went to see it with a Q&A with EM, but I could be wrong.

(Dorine)I loved the car chase!.... Me too. I liked the whole movie. Didn't read the book...don't want to. 'sides..a film stands on its own;-)

(Evelyn) Didn't read the book...don't want to. 'sides..a film stands on its own;-) Did I say I liked the book better? ;-) My criticism had to do with there being little, if any real story and no dialogue and little acting that I could discern. Car chases and fight scenes do not a movie make for me. I liked the miniseries better. ;-) It all depends on what you want to see, a movie with a storyline about a person that is fully developed and interesting or a series of action sequences. Action sequences bore me to tears, like special effects. Am not into that stuff, which was probably why I found King Arthur lacking as well.

(Karen) About time he learned he was David Webb. That happened at the end of the Bourne Identity...but silly me, they're not following the book, especially as Marie shouldn't have been killed off. (Evelyn) Didn't read the book...don't want to. 'sides..a film stands on its own;-) (Karen) Did I say I liked the book better? ;-) But would you not consider this a negative implication that because it didn't follow the book, and you didn't like the movie, that you liked the book better? ;-) And presuming you'll protest that ;-).....it does kind of give that impression, IMO. My criticism had to do with there being little, if any real story and no dialogue and little acting that I could discern. I don't recall GWAPE being all so talky and some have said there wasn't much going on in it (though the acting was v. good). As I recall, you weren't so down on that. ;-) Or maybe you weren't so enamored and I forgot.

(Karen), Marie shouldn't have been killed off. I agree. The first movie was better because he had Marie there to share the insanity. I did like it, but the car chase was a bit long.

Anybody watching Leno tonight? Kim Basinger on. She looks incredible...as she did in The Door in the Floor (though a tad too much blush, IMO). Jamie Cullum is supposed to be on, too....the guy who is doing a song for TEOR that we discussed recently. Saw Little Black Book tonight. My tagline for it....when a bad movie happens to good actors. Well, that goes for probably everyone in it except Brittany Murphy. How does she keep toplining movies? Can't be for her comedic/acting abilities. Q&A after with the 2 women producers...they run Julia Roberts production company for her. Anyone that asked a question about it was rather effusive with praise (except me). Just asked my question. Had to be one for the dough for most of the actors in it. As I was leaving, someone pulled me over to whisper that Brittany Murphy was there (saying she looked very anorexic....I myself couldn't see her enough to tell). Apparently she was off to the side, just behind me. Not sure if she was there the whole time, or came with the producers later. When I looked over, some guy was sitting leaning over to her rather protectively, like she was upset (if she was there the whole time and noticed the marked absence of laughter, I could see why). But someone said they were just trying to keep her shielded so no one would know. Not like the bodyguard and PR looking person standing right there were obvious or anything. ;-)

(Dorine) I don't recall GWAPE being all so talky and some have said there wasn't much going on in it (though the acting was v. good). As I recall, you weren't so down on that. ;-) Or maybe you weren't so enamored and I forgot. Big difference there is that CF wasn't in Bourne. If he was, I think we would all be enamoured of it. Watched Before Sunrise last night. LOVED IT!! Can't wait to go to Sunset this weekend.

(Dorine) But would you not consider this a negative implication that because it didn't follow the book, and you didn't like the movie, that you liked the book better? ;-) And presuming you'll protest that ;-).....it does kind of give that impression, IMO. I don't recall GWAPE being all so talky and some have said there wasn't much going on in it (though the acting was v. good). As I recall, you weren't so down on that. ;-) Or maybe you weren't so enamored and I forgot. Bwaaaaaaaaaaa!! Mom, Dorine's picking on me. ;-) Nevermind, I need to go rewatch the chase scenes in GWAPE to compare. ;-) (Yvette) If he was, I think we would all be enamoured of it.

(Yvette) If he was, I think we would all be enamoured of it. You better hide before the "we" patrol comes for you. ;-) If *we* were all enamoured of everything he was in, all of us would have liked HS and L'dum, too, I'd presume. And for me at least, he couldn't save those, more dialogue or not. ;-) Also, Bourne is kinda Bond-like. I wouldn't necessarily want to see him in something quite like that. Glad you liked Sunrise. Will be curious to hear your thoughts on Sunset. I thought it was better.

Oops! The "we" patrol beat me to it. ;-)

(Karen) I need to go rewatch the chase scenes in GWAPE to compare. ;-) Would the scenes where Vermeer is tearing throught the house looking for the comb and Pieter runs after Griet for a short bit in the field constitute chase scenes? ;-D

No, I was thinking about the barge chases through the canals. Did you forget about those? ;-)

Weren't those barge chases with the deleted scenes? Dorine would have missed them if she doesn't have the European DVD. ;-)

LOL!! You guys are such cards! *slapping knee* I do have the European version, but apparently have gotten stuck on the "I'll paint you as I first saw you" deleted scene. Haven't made it to those barge chases yet. ;-)

And who can forget the scene where Vermeer (in Oddjob fashion) threw his palette and sliced off that Maria Thinn' head. Oooh, the spurting blood!

Oooh, no....He threw his palette at Catherina when she came at him with the paint trowel! Maria Thins' is really sitting mummified in the attic and Vermeer is delusional that she keeps harping on him to finish those paintings so he can get paid.

Sorry, I was mixing up GWAPE and GWAPE2. You know how it is with those sequels.

Oh, I can't wait to see the pictures... ;-))) ROME -- Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Irons will chair the AmFar Cinema Against AIDS event during the 61st Venice Intl. Film Festival. The annual dinner and live auction will be held Sept. 3 at the Giorgio Cini Foundation on the isle of San Giorgio.

Well, when he was here for a time for a production last year, I did hear from someone who worked with him that he was a cad. And he's right up her alley, too! ;-)

"ROME -- Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Irons will chair the AmFar Cinema", Aw, she'll piss 'n moan again about being paired with an old guy.

(Evelyn)Aw, she'll piss 'n moan again about being paired with an old guy. Nah, she'll just have sex with him in a gondola;-)

(Linda) Nah, she'll just have sex with him in a gondola;-) *choking* Got to get that Windex out to clean off my monitor. ;-))

(Linda) Nah, she'll just have sex with him in a gondola;-) But wouldn't that be as unsanitary as an elevator? ;-)

(Linda) Nah, she'll just have sex with him in a gondola;-) (Dorine)But wouldn't that be as unsanitary as an elevator? ;-) Maybe, but the waves in the canals will have that same up and down motion. ;-)

Scarlett Johansson is one of the judges at this year's Venice Film Festival. The VFF will be quite different this year, they had a big controversy with last year's head who was Austrian. They had never had a foreigner head the festival and it did not go well. The new head is Italian.

Lots of "patrolling" going on today :O) (Katheryn) Amscray, it's the trivia police!-- (Dorine) You better hide before the "we" patrol comes for you. ;-) Consider me properly chastised for the use of the W. word. *Hanging my head in shame* :o)

A blurb from the NY Post... East End sightings: * A svelte Renee Zellweger showing up at Citta Nuova with brunette hair and a healthy glow, causing Diary spies to remark that while her figure looks fantastic, her dark hair washes out her face.

Jonathan Rhys Myers - long! The Sunday (UK) Times - Magazine - August 08, 2004 The sweet hell of success Dark. Decadent. Difficult. And that was before Jonathan Rhys Meyers became famous. Now as the lead roles and plaudits pile up, can the boy from Cork take the pressure? By Ann McFerran Jonathan Rhys Meyers has, he tells me, more than one personality. There's Johnny, the 27-year-old Irish actor with a string of glittering credits, who's highly temperamental but touted by directors as a stellar talent in the making, the next Johnny Depp. This one lives a slightly unreal life out of a suitcase and on film sets, creating a series of magnetic roles, most recently as George Osborne in Mira Nair's Vanity Fair, and Cassander in Oliver Stone's Alexander. Then, in contrast, there's the self-described "stupid little imp" who's most at home on a farm in County Cork. This personality goes for long walks in the countryside, talking silage and sick calves with his adoptive family who "don't give a shit about Hollywood". In the week we first met he was offered no fewer than six big roles. Then, when we last met, he was with Woody Allen in London, playing the lead in a typically top-secret Woody film with no title, opposite Scarlett Johannson. The first time we meet he is crouched in a corner of Soho House's upstairs bar, a wraith-like figure on his mobile to Christopher Crofts, the Cork farmer who has been a father figure to Rhys Meyers since he was 15. He has spent the afternoon being photographed and looks less like a film star than a fashionably wasted art student. When you take in the fine detail of this male beauty in all its androgynous splendour � the full red lips, the wide grey-green eyes, the chiselled features, an insouciant gaze � and Johnny Rhys Meyers starts talking in his husky Cork brogue, you start to understand what all the fuss is about. His legs entwined around each other, drinking alternately out of a glass of beer and an even larger glass of milk, he pushes two fish cakes around his plate before settling into a pack of Marlboros. At times he seems like a combination of the brilliant, tormented actor Daniel Day-Lewis (who also "becomes" every character he plays) and the super-shallow Graham Norton, camping it up outrageously, shrilly mimicking his fellow actors and directors and being very funny. Actually, Rhys Meyers doesn't do comedy. "I've always played what I know: dark, intense, extreme characters. Besides, I'm not sure if people would get it if I played ..." He unwinds his legs and goes into a verbal frenzy: "... a shit, bugger, bugger, shit, f***, f***, terribly twee Hugh Grant sort of guy". Listening to this colt-like creature embark on a fairly bonkers stream of consciousness, which appears to be fuelled by something other than a desire to emulate Joyce, can make you, if you're the maternal type, yearn to put your arms around him and say: "Johnny, just relax, you don't have to try so hard." It can be a dazzling but confusing performance. His cheeky charm and self-possession also hint at the crippling insecurities "everyone" tells you about. Julian Fellowes, who wrote Vanity Fair's screenplay, says: "Jonathan so evidently enjoys his own beauty, and boy, do I envy him! If only we could have all walked into parties at the age of twenty-something and know we're doing the room a favour!" Saying goodbye after our first meeting, Rhys Meyers kisses me elaborately, all the while watching me, watching him, watching me � a mother of children his age � smile. I also faintly want to slap him as he drifts off, heels barely touching the ground like a centaur, to grace another room. His guardian, Crofts, tells me: "Jonathan is entirely comfortable with his sexuality; he can camp it up openly and even kiss a man in a way which doesn't bother him at all." Later that week, in Ireland, Rhys Meyers told me: "Sometimes I speak to girls at a bar or party and the question comes up, 'Are you straight or are you gay?' They can't really tell, so I tend not to protest my heterosexuality or my bisexuality. I give a bit of a wry smile and a little wink. It's more fun for them and for me that way." Has he ever been gay? "No," he says. "Never." You seem hetero but... I begin. "That's showbiz!" he smirks. Pretending to be someone else is what he loves to do more than anything else. "Of course he's a brilliant actor," says Crofts, "because he's acted all his life; it's the only way he could cope." Born Jonathan O'Keefe on July 27, 1977 (he changed his name to Rhys Meyers in 1992 � Meyers was his mother's surname), he grew up in a tiny council flat in a rough area of Cork. When he was three, his father left home with his two younger brothers. Crofts, an Anglo-Irish farmer, now 64, with a family of his own, knew the family. "His mother drank a lot and didn't seem able to cope with looking after him properly," he recalls. On this subject, Rhys Meyers tells me: "I had a lot of rejection in my childhood. And when you're rejected you can't accept love and certainly can't give it. Of course I looked for an industry which has that much rejection, where I'd be rejected." On playing the lead role of Steerpike in Gormenghast, he says: "The evil in that character comes from his loneliness and rejection. All he wants is love and respect. He thinks, 'If I'm king of the castle, someone will love me.' It's about wanting to be cuddled more than anything else." But young Johnny got few cuddles at home and has said that his mother's unhappiness rubbed off on him. At school he felt isolated. "I didn't get on with the teachers. I felt different to the other kids." At 10 he was cast as Buttons in the school pantomime, Cinderella. He remembers shaking in the wings until the teacher pushed him on stage. "I slid on my arse from one side to the other. When I hit the ground I thought, 'I've two options: I can run away and cry, or I can get up and carry on.' Everyone was laughing and my mother was saying, 'He's not mine; he's not mine.' I stood up and said, 'Terribly icy weather, Cinderella.' Everyone thought it was part of the play, so I got away with it. After, I thought, 'Jaysus, that's not bad. I can do this � me and my porky pies.'" Creatively improvising his porky pies to protect himself is still a strong temptation for him. "We human beings are fantastic creatures, because we're so very adaptable," he says. "Acting is so near the edge and precarious, competitive and vulnerable. But vulnerable to me is very dangerous, because vulnerable is someone who feels an awful lot. You have to be a very powerful person to realise your vulnerability." At 14 he was expelled from his Christian Brothers school and began hanging around Cork's pool halls. While playing the arcade game Quasar, he met Crofts, a devotee of the game. "Quasar involves a lot of hanging around chatting, waiting to play," Crofts tells me. "Johnny and I were often on the same team. I bought him a cup of tea. I was very struck by him. I'll never forget the reaction of a deaf-and-dumb man to him. He wasn't fancying him but he couldn't take his eyes off him." Rhys Meyers asked Crofts if he could stay on his farm for a few days. "It wasn't particularly kind of me to agree," says Crofts. "Remember, a farm has plenty of space and there's always food on the table. I'm not a psychiatrist but I could see he had terrible insecurities. Everyone needs to live on a farm because it brings you down to earth." Was he struck by the boy's plight? "No," replies Crofts, "I always felt that he chose me. I, personally, am gay, but I've never fancied him. We've always had a father-son relationship. I could see he needed stability and structure in his life � and a phone." Rhys Meyers is slightly younger than Crofts's eldest son, Alex, who has recently taken over the running of the farm. (Crofts also has an older son and younger daughter.) "Johnny is exactly the same age as the son I lost, when he was five months old. That son is buried on my land and Johnny often visits his grave." Crofts can legally sign documents when Rhys Meyers is away, but he isn't his legal guardian. "Our relationship has grown into a friendship. Nothing more, nothing less. After the insanity of filming, coming home to a farm is very important to him." Eyebrows were raised in certain film circles about their relationship, but I believe it is as they describe: a good friendship and a much-needed secure home base. "They really know me well on th farm," Rhys Meyers says. "They've seen me with the worst bed-hair ever, lounging around the house, smoking cigarettes." Shortly after Rhys Meyers moved into Crofts's farm, David Puttnam's casting agents came to Cork looking for extras for War of the Buttons. They saw Rhys Meyers and gave him a screen test. "The camera loves you," Puttnam told him. "And I love the camera," came his reply. Briefly, he was considered for the leading role in the film, but was later dismissed for being "too knowing" for the part of a 13-year-old. He was terribly disappointed. "I thought I never wanted to put myself through the process of being rejected again. Then I thought, 'If I got that far, I might as well chance my arm again.' I spent months travelling to Dublin for auditions." Soon after, Neil Jordan took a chance on him in his film Michael Collins, casting him as the assassin who killed Collins. Just before filming started, Rhys Meyers went with friends on holiday to Thailand. The trip turned into a series of mishaps and misadventures, climaxing with our would-be star passing out at Bangkok's departure gates after smoking too many cigarettes and eating too many chocolates. But somehow he made it to his first day's filming, alongside Alan Rickman. "Michael Collins was a doddle," he says now. Roles began to pour in. "When I started making films I grew up very quickly," he says, "but in certain ways I didn't grow up at all. Film-making is Peter Pan time. As actors we're slightly immature, and very looked after, so lots of big stars end up not being able to take care of themselves. I can't stand the thought of being like Dirk Bogarde, who couldn't even write a cheque." For the boy who once stole to survive, the world of film location was the family life he'd never had. Even as we talk at Soho House, the tab for the fish cakes and Marlboros is invisibly paid for. He tells me that he'll make his own way to his hotel, but as he's staying at the Groucho Club, 100 yards up the street, it's hardly the ultimate challenge. The daily life of an in-demand actor can be a series of surreal impossibilities, he tells me. "One night, when I was making I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, I was drinking with [the director] Mike Hodges and Malcolm McDowell. The next morning I was in Brixton having a cup of tea, then I'm dragged off by two men in tuxedos and Malcolm is raping me over a tyre iron. How can you share that with family and friends? How can you tell them, 'I was raped at 8.30am, then I had chips and peas for lunch, then I killed someone'?" With no formal acting training, he "becomes" every part he plays. This, he says, means "I take and give away parts of my own character that I've never shaken off." To Brian Slade, the ruthless 1970s bisexual rock star he played in 1998's Velvet Goldmine, he says he gave vulnerability. He was 19 when he took this role � the youngest on the film's set by six years. He also had an affair with the leading lady, Toni "Muriel's Wedding" Collette, which lasted a year. "She's a good woman but I wasn't mature enough," he says. For the Cannes premiere of Velvet Goldmine, he flew in from the Missouri set of Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil,where he was playing the "cold, unforgiving killer" Pitt Mackeson. "I was being paid shite, so when I had to go to Cannes I thought, 'Bollocks!' I turned up in a civil-war suit, weighing eight stone [normally he weighs 101/2] and talking with a Missouri accent. I was so unrecognisable they wouldn't let me into the premiere. At the after-party I sat in front of a poster of myself, talking to two girls who didn't even know I was in the film." Velvet Goldmine � primed to be a huge hit � bombed. Ride with the Devil, and Titus, followed suit. In 2001, Rhys Meyers auditioned for The Loss of Sexual Innocence. Its director, Mike Figgis, recalls: "He marched in and talked nonstop about his hair. After three minutes I offered him the part. He's extraordinarily talented, but his terrible insecurity means you've got to consider the effect on the other actors. He's like Robert Downey Jr with his ability to extract sympathy and protectiveness from everyone around him." After Figgis's film, he appeared in Gormenghast. "He's one of those fabulous creatures," says its director, Andy Wilson. "He acts like a rock star, because if he's not satisfied with what he's done, he goes and beats up the dressing room." Directors may speak fondly of Rhys Meyers, but his fellow actors often find him difficult. "Mad and maddening," say some, "but don't quote me." "Very talented," they all add. In Bend It Like Beckham, he played the hunky football coach, Joe, opposite Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra. Rhys Meyers says: "Joe is the most normal and challenging character I've played. I wanted to make him a regular guy who goes to the cinema once a week, then has a bag of chips." Knightley remains very fond of her co-star. "He's a completely beautiful, vulnerable human being," she enthuses. "And his vulnerability makes him absolutely mesmerising to watch on screen." Last year, when Knightley was in LA doing publicity for Pirates of the Caribbean with her mother, Sharman MacDonald, whom she travels with (Knightley has no PA or PR), she had tea with Rhys Meyers at LA's Four Seasons hotel. When MacDonald joined the couple, Rhys Meyers suggested they go for a cigarette. "We sat shivering and smoking and talked for ages," recalls MacDonald. "I thought he was a sweetheart, but I worry about him in this business." Crofts shares her concern. "He has his agents and PR people, but he needs someone to keep an eye on things for him. Jonathan has a huge hunger to succeed but he also has these huge insecurities. I went to see him in Rome when he was making Titus, with Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange. We went to dinner with Anthony Hopkins. Halfway through, Anthony broke down crying, saying he'd never work again. Most actors are screwed up, and there's no use telling them how wonderful they are because they don't believe it, but they need to hear it every minute." Might a steady relationship help? "Johnny loves beautiful girls," says Crofts, "and beautiful girls throw themselves at him all the time. But he breaks their hearts, because how can he have a relationship when he's not happy with himself?" Rhys Meyers says he's been in therapy, and then adds: "Bt life is therapy." He says he's fallen in love only once, with a Dublin girl called Chacha. He describes in mock Shakespeare how they met: "In St Stephen's Green, where we set our scene. She was beautiful, with eyes like a kitten and a gap between her teeth. Gorgeous. I was so besottedly in love with her that I couldn't speak to her." Eventually, Chacha took the initiative and turned up at Crofts's farm. Rhys Meyers sums up his first love story in Mills and Boon mode: "Together we were dynamite, but I was away a lot. We needed different things in our lives, but she'll always be my first true love." He sounds much more himself describing his portrayal of George Osborne in Vanity Fair, due for a September release. "I looked like something out of Quality Street," he cackles. "George is the ultimate bastard. It was daunting how naturally it came!" Far more demanding was his most recent role in Oliver Stone's Alexander, in which he plays Cassander, the rival to Colin Farrell's Alexander. Crofts says: "The set of that film was a heavy scene � pretty decadent. Johnny's part had a lot to do with jealousy, which wasn't great for him because he does go into his part � so he was angry, jealous and upset for most of the six-month shoot." Stone was determined to instil his actors with mistrust and competitiveness. "So I focused on that," says Rhys Meyers. "'Why aren't I Colin Farrell? Why aren't I king?' As bad as Cassander feels in the film, Johnny has to feel just as bad. I upset myself quite a bit and gave my ego a battering, which made me sad; Oliver knew that." To help his actors become brutal warriors, Stone had them attend, in character, a boot camp in the Moroccan desert with 200 Moroccan and American soldiers.Rhys Meyers tells me: "On the first day of battle, Stone said, 'I'm sick of seeing people being heroes in this war. I need a coward.' So everyone else is being a he-man, going, 'Hey, look at me, wanna shag?' And I have to ride into battle, cut my own arm, and let myself down." As he rode away, Rhys Meyers fell off his horse, which reared and kicked him in the face. "There was blood all over my face. Colin rode over and said, 'Jaysus! Your lip's a bit swollen, but don't worry, you'll be grand.' People thought I'd be off home, and it caused me a loss of confidence, but it was part of who Cassander was." What do you have in common with Cassander? "Cassander had to fight every inch to get what he wanted, sometimes using methods that weren't kosher. Like Cassander, my success is totally down to me." Later in Ireland, Crofts reveals that Rhys Meyers � after my first interview with him � went to a party hosted by Val Kilmer, who also starred in Alexander, at London's Dorchester hotel. "I wouldn't have been happy at him going, because those parties can be wild. But he knows he must keep himself together, because it's leaving scars." Recently, Rhys Meyers bought his mother a house in "a nice bit of Cork. Her great delight is decorating it. She's got her life and she's happy. I've got mine and I'm struggling to be content". Rhys Meyers was on Crofts's Cork farm the last time we spoke. That morning, he claimed he'd got up with the milking and cooked lunch. "It's such a relief to be back," he said. With his voice an octave lower, he sounded much calmer. And in the immediate future? He groans. "I'm going to tidy my bloody room. I might do bit of hoovering! Very sexy! I might even hoover wearing a pair of gold-lam� Calvin Kleins!"

From the Guardian: Author green lights Cholera film After denying Hollywood for years, Gabriel Garc�a M�rquez agrees to sell the rights to his 1985 novel Jo Tuckman in Mexico City Monday August 9, 2004 Unswerving defender of Fidel Castro and Latin American literary patriarch he may be, but Gabriel Garc�a M�rquez appears to have finally succumbed to Hollywood's call, signing over the film rights to Love in the Time of Cholera. The Los Angeles production company Stone Village Pictures is reportedly paying the Colombian Nobel laureate between one and three million dollars to make a movie of what producer Scot Steindorff recently termed "the best love story ever told, next to Romeo and Juliet". Despite selling millions of books around the globe, the 76-year-old novelist, who is battling with cancer, is said to be worried about the financial future of his lifetime partner Mercedes and their two sons Gonzalo and Rodrigo. Garc�a M�rquez, who has lived in Mexico most of the time since 1961, reportedly sank substantial sums into a news magazine called Cambio that he started in Colombia before launching a Mexican version with mixed results. Born in Colombia in 1928, Garc�a M�rquez spent years as a struggling journalist before making his name crafting fantastic tales told with breathtaking naturalness, often inspired by the lives of his own family and the turbulent history of his native country and continent. He shot to international literary fame with his 1967 novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, loosely based on the experiences of his own grandparents. In his recent autobiography Bill Clinton described the book as "the greatest novel in any language since William Faulkner died". Love in the Time of Cholera, published in 1985, follows the struggles of Florentina Ariza to win the heart of Fermina Daza. It takes the hero 51 years, nine months and four days, but he wins her in the end. The Colombian newspaper El Espectador quoted a triumphant Steindorff as saying it took him two years of constant badgering to persuade the novelist to agree to sell the rights. "Like the main character in the book I persevered and never lost hope until I achieved my goal. We are going to work very hard to make the most beautiful film Hollywood has ever made." The project is an apparent about-turn for Garc�a M�rquez, a veteran defender of Latin American independence under pressure from successive US regimes intent on imposing their political priorities and cultural trends on the whole hemisphere. The novelist has remained fiercely loyal to Fidel Castro, even after many others on the left distanced themselves from the Cuban leader because of his apparently indiscriminate crackdown on dissidents and political use of the death penalty. Last year this issue drew Garc�a M�rquez into a bitter polemic with Susan Sontag, who publicly lambasted the author for not criticizing his old friend. Up to now Garc�a M�rquez has always resisted the temptation to allow high-budget English language films of his work. The most commercial adaptation of his books to hit the screen so far was the 1987 Italian version of Chronicle of a Death Foretold, directed by Francesco Rosi and starring Rupert Everett. Details of who may direct or star in the movie have yet to be released, although the names of Nicole Kidman and Jude Law are already circulating. Steindorff himself has reportedly hinted that Garc�a M�rquez could be persuaded to write the screenplay.

From Variety, think I have found the perfect co-star for Colin: As a former Miss World, Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai has the looks, and judging from her performance in Gurinder Chadha's upcoming "Bride and Prejudice," she has the talent to make the major Hollywood breakthrough she's seeking. But there's just one snag. Like Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman," Rai doesn't kiss. As a good Indian girl, she has never smooched onscreen, and she doesn't intend to start now. In Chadha's movie, the two "kissing" scenes involve Rai coyly pressing her forehead against co-star Martin Henderson's chin. Chadha did ask Henderson to plant an unauthorized smacker on Rai's lips when the pair were sitting atop an elephant in the climactic marriage scene, but when the cameras started to roll, Henderson chickened out. He later confessed to his director that he thought Rai would slap him.

The latest speculation from THR: Disney in talks to let Harvey Weinstein leave NEW YORK -- Walt Disney Co. and its Miramax Films unit, which is run by Harvey and Bob Weinstein, are expected to meet this week to discuss letting Harvey Weinstein start a production company, and his brother remain at Disney to make movies, the New York Times said on Tuesday. Citing unidentified people involved in the talks, the newspaper said an agreement is not expected this week, and the sides are far apart on several big issues, but the progress shows that both sides recognize the importance of maintaining a successful relationship, the newspaper said. The two sides would like to reach an agreement before Disney's fiscal year starts on Oct. 1, it said, citing several people involved in the talks. Disney, based in Burbank, California, bought New York-based Miramax in 1993 from the Weinsteins, the studio's co-founders. Miramax's recent movies include "Chicago," "Cold Mountain" and "Kill Bill." Under an agreement being negotiated, Disney might give Bob Weinstein a four-year contract, a small staff and a $300 million to $350 million annual budget to make four to six movies under his Dimension Films banner, the newspaper said, citing two people involved in the negotiations. Dimension, a unit of Miramax, produces highly profitable film franchises such as the "Scream," "Scary Movie" and "Spy Kids" series. Harvey Weinstein would become an independent producer, and secure financing for movies to be distributed by Bob Weinstein, the newspaper said. Disney might license the Miramax name back to Harvey Weinstein, but only for movie projects, it said, citing the two people. Miramax's film library would not be for sale. There remains a 60% chance the Weinsteins might leave Disney, the newspaper said, citing a senior person involved in the talks. Miramax plans to lay off at least 120 people as soon as this week, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday. The cuts reflect that the studio has too many people for a reduced number of projects, and are not being implemented at the behest of Disney, the person said.

Re: the Miramax article....here's a longer, more detailed article of the possible deal and their options. Not sure if it can be accessed without registration.... http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/10/business/media/10miramax.html

Yes, it does require registration. So here it is: August 10, 2004 Disney in Talks on Independence for a Weinstein By LAURA M. HOLSON LOS ANGELES, Aug. 9 - Representatives for the Walt Disney Company and its subsidiary, Miramax Films, are expected to meet this week to discuss an agreement that would allow Miramax's co-founder, Harvey Weinstein, to start a production company, while his brother Bob remains at Disney to make movies, according to people involved in the talks. A deal is not expected to be reached this week, and Disney and the Weinsteins remain far apart on several important issues. Still, the progress so far indicates that despite past clashes, both sides recognize the importance of maintaining a successful relationship that has produced many award-winning films over the last decade. For Disney, an agreement with Miramax would be a bright spot in a year when another successful partnership, with Pixar Animation Studios, unraveled after 13 years. Harvey Weinstein, in turn, would have the freedom to pursue other entertainment-related ventures without Disney's approval and market movies using the Miramax name. Under a deal currently being negotiated, Disney would give Bob Weinstein a budget of about $300 million to $350 million a year and a small development and marketing staff to make four to six movies under Dimension Films, said two people involved in the negotiations. Bob Weinstein, who started Miramax with his brother and sold it to Disney in 1993 for $80 million, already runs Dimension, a division of Miramax, which has produced film franchises like "Spy Kids" and "Scary Movie." Harvey Weinstein would become an independent producer, securing financing for movies to be distributed by his brother. Disney could agree to license the Miramax name back to Harvey Weinstein, but only for movie projects, the two people said. The two sides have yet to agree on a price. Harvey Weinstein is expected to discuss with Disney this week how many Miramax staff members he can take with him if he goes, as well as the fate of any movies now under development. Bob Weinstein's contract is likely to be for four years, but the two sides have yet to agree on several issues, the two people said, including how much he will make and what Dimension would be paid for distributing his brother's movies. One deal point not being negotiated is who would get Miramax's film library; Disney insists it is not for sale. But according to one person close to the Weinsteins, Harvey Weinstein would like to explore ways to exploit it, perhaps by re-releasing DVD's. An agreement is far from certain: a senior person involved in the negotiations said there was still a 60 percent chance that the Weinsteins would leave Disney altogether. Over the last several months, there have been bitter negotiations over whether to extend a four-year option on the Weinsteins' employment agreement, which ends in October 2005. Michael D. Eisner, Disney's chief executive, has complained that Miramax has strayed from its original mission of buying and marketing highly profitable art-house movies, venturing instead into money-draining enterprises like Talk magazine and expensive disappointments like "Gangs of New York" and "Cold Mountain." The Weinsteins, for their part, contend that they have turned Miramax into an Oscar juggernaut worth many times what Disney paid for it. While there is no deadline, several people involved in the negotiations said that the two sides would like to broker a deal before Disney's fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. The Weinsteins suggested the new arrangement to Disney about a month ago through an intermediary who approached Disney on their behalf, according to a senior person involved in the negotiations. That person, according to two people involved, was Skip Brittenham, an influential Hollywood lawyer and power broker. Mr. Brittenham did not return a call for comment. Disney executives have declined to speak publicly about the negotiations, as have Harvey and Bob Weinstein. But it appears the two sides have, at least for the time being, called a truce. Matthew Hiltzik, a Miramax spokesman, said on behalf of the Weinsteins, "The tone of our conversations has been extremely amicable." That has not always been the case. The relationship between Disney and the Weinsteins was at a low before the release of "Fahrenheit 9/11" in the spring, when Michael Moore accused Mr. Eisner of trying to block Miramax's distribution of the film. Two years ago, the two camps sparred when Disney sought an internal audit of Miramax's finances as part of a review of their bonuses. The Weinsteins, for their part, sought an audit of Disney's books last year. Recently, Disney threatened to audit the Weinstein's travel and entertainment expenses, said the senior person involved in the talks. Both sides agreed that they wanted to avoid the public embarrassment that would result if they were forced to arbitrate their dispute in court, the senior person said. But now even Mr. Eisner, who told friends in the spring he was ready to split with the Weinsteins, seems to be warming. At a recent conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, he publicly praised Bob Weinstein as a talented executive, although not without pointing out where his brother had strayed. Both Disney and the Weinsteins would benefit if they remained partners. Dimension has been a financial boon to Disney. Besides, said the senior person involved in the talks, "Bob likes what he is doing. He's got franchises built up there." Miramax, for its part, has brought Oscar prowess to Disney, and a distribution deal would allow Harvey Weinstein to market movies under the Miramax name, something he cannot do without Disney's permission. This summer, Miramax has been in a state of near-suspended animation, as it has already spent most of the $700 million that Disney gives the subsidiary each year to make and market movies. Disney, however, has apparently made an exception for Miramax in at least one case. According to one Miramax executive, Miramax was being pressed by officials in China to give an American release to "Hero," a movie about a fearless Chinese warrior. "Hero," directed by Zhang Yimou, was released in China two years ago, but Miramax lacked the money to market the film in the United States. Disney, which has close ties to China and is building a theme park in Hong Kong, agreed to give Miramax the money, a representative for Disney said. Still, production on future projects has largely halted, and Miramax is soon expected to lay off at least 100 employees, or as much as 25 percent of its work force, said a person involved in the negotiations. "My take is no one knows what will happen, including Harvey and Bob," a Miramax executive said. Sharon Waxman contributed reporting for this article.

Short's 'Glick' to Close Toronto Film Fest Tue Aug 10, 2:13 PM ET TORONTO - Martin Short is taking Hollywood to task with "Jiminy Glick in Lalawood," a comic tale of celebrity culture that will close next month's Toronto International Film Festival. Short plays the title character, an unknown entertainment critic for a Butte, Mont., TV station who comes to the Toronto festival and scores an unlikely coup: A rare interview with a reclusive movie megastar. Jiminy ends up in the middle of a tawdry sex scandal when a starlet turns up dead in his bed. Directed by Vadim Jean, the film was co-written by Short, who is also a producer on the flick. The movie is based on the character Short originated on his TV shows "The Martin Short Show" and "Primetime Glick." Other high-profile films announced Tuesday by the Toronto festival include: _ David O. Russell's ensemble comedy "I Heart Huckabees," featuring Dustin Hoffman, Naomi Watts, Jude Law, Lily Tomlin and Mark Wahlberg (news). _ "Kinsey," starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney in Bill Condon's film biography of Alfred Kinsey, the pioneer of human-sexuality research. _ "Imaginary Heroes," a coming-of-age tale featuring Emile Hirsch, Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Daniels (news) and Michelle Williams. _ "Head in the Clouds," a romantic drama starring Charlize Theron as a woman trying to maintain her hedonistic life against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War and World War II. _ "Sideways," Alexander Payne's road-trip story about aging pals (Paul Giamatti (news) and Thomas Haden Church) on a last joy ride before one of them gets married. _ "Crash," a film about eight characters drawn together by a car wreck and a murder investigation. The cast includes Sandra Bullock (news), Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon (news) and Thandie Newton. _ Sean Penn and Naomi Watts in "The Assassination of Richard Nixon," about a failed salesman who sets out to kill President Nixon in 1974. The Toronto festival, a key launchpad for Hollywood's big fall releases and Academy Awards (news - web sites) contenders, runs Sept. 9-18.

(Karen), From Variety, think I have found the perfect co-star for Colin: ROTF! I'm a huge Bollywood fan as you know, but this actress does kiss, Lisa Ray is one of the best ones there. Thanks for the articles. I've always been a fan of Miramax because they were doing the kinds of films I liked, but that was in the beginning.

(Karen), From Variety, think I have found the perfect co-star for Colin: ROTF! Too funny!

(Dorine) Glad you liked Sunrise. Will be curious to hear your thoughts on Sunset. I thought it was better. Saw Sunset yesterday. I liked it. I didn't love it the way I did the first time I saw Sunrise. I will have to see Sunset a few more times to find out if I can get over the disappointing sting of the ending. I just wanted to thank all of you ladies. If it weren't for this site, I never would have seen either of these films.

(Yvette) the disappointing sting of the ending. Disappointing? I loved the ending. Thought it was adorable and just right. (trying my best not to be spoilerish)

A relation to the char-monkey, a Dancing Bear speaks out: Feud Casts Shadow Over California's Steinbeck Country By Adam Tanner SALINAS, Calif. (Reuters) - Controversy stirs in John Steinbeck country, an area of northern California where the great 20th century author has long ignited passionate opinions. The author of "Of Mice and Men" and "The Grapes of Wrath," Steinbeck died in 1968, yet he and his work still spark debate. Last month, the author's only surviving son added dissonance by suing the heirs of his stepmother in a copyright battle. Since filing the lawsuit, Thomas Steinbeck, 60, has turned down interview requests. But he made an exception to discuss in a Reuters interview his father and his legacy, as well as the burden of being Steinbeck's heir in the land of Steinbeck. "Being a Steinbeck here isn't all that fun, let me tell you, because you have no privacy," he said, sitting on a terrace off Cannery Row in the seaside town of Monterey, an area that loudly trumpets its link to the novel "Cannery Row." "People feel they have a right to access you any time they want, for anything -- to back something, to be against something." With a rich lode of amusing anecdotes and strong echoes of his father in appearance, the son -- who prefers to be known as Thom -- is a crowd pleaser at the annual Steinbeck Festival, the 24th of which was held last weekend in his father's birthplace of Salinas. "I'm sort of the dancing bear. I'm more of an exhibit than anything else," he said with a laugh. "They sort of bring me in to poke me with a stick, you know, like a bear on a chain and I turn around in circles and people clap." During Steinbeck's lifetime, many in Salinas, 100 miles south of San Francisco, criticized him for his sometimes unflattering portrait of hardscrabble life in the region. Today the city of 138,000, which produces 80 percent of America's lettuce, has embraced the writer; his boyhood house and a separate $17 million museum celebrate his work. "He came from the ranching class. People thought he betrayed his class," said Thom, a writer who lives in Santa Barbara, California. "The sentiment is gone because the world fell in love with the work." Monterey, 17 miles from Salinas, has long capitalized on its Steinbeck connections in everything from a wax museum named after him to hotel suites and conference rooms in honor of the man who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. "If my father was alive he would insist that they burn it all down. He would have been terribly embarrassed by all of this," his son said. "He would have thought that this is just terribly inappropriate. The work stands by itself. It doesn't need a restaurant named after it." TV SHOW BOOSTS POPULARITY Steinbeck's lasting literary as well as market pull was highlighted last summer when talk show host Oprah Winfrey recommended "East of Eden." That recommendation sparked huge book sales and put the title back on bestseller lists. "Do you know how much money that made?" Steinbeck said. "When she chose East of Eden, millions and millions of copies were sold, in 137 different languages." Such success proceeded the copyright lawsuit pitting the son against the estate of Steinbeck's third and last wife, Elaine, who died last year, as well as his longtime literary agency McIntosh & Otis. The suit alleges a "30-year hidden conspiracy to deprive John Steinbeck's blood heirs." "The decision to file a suit was not a happy one for my clients," said Steinbeck's attorney Mark Lee. "They felt they had to file a suit to obtain the copyright interests to which they believe they were entitled." He said Thom Steinbeck had been deprived of at least $10 million in copyright interests and Steinbeck's granddaughter about $8 million. An official at McIntosh & Otis, which became the author's literary agent in 1931, declined comment. The dispute is complex even by the standards of copyright law and no court date has been set. Thom Steinbeck does receive income from some Steinbeck novels such as "East of Eden" but not others, Lee said. "There are a lot of heirs and everyone gets a taste but I mean you couldn't live on it," Steinbeck said. He shied away from discussing the details of the lawsuit. "It has nothing to do with money, let's put it that way," he said. "It's more complex than you can imagine." Asked if he was a wealthy man because of his father, Steinbeck said: "Hell no, man, I work for a living. You don't think I write because I think it's fun. I write because I'm very good at it and that's how I put a roof over my head." Following his 2002 collection of short stories "Down to a Soundless Sea" set in Steinbeck country in the 1930s, Thom Steinbeck is writing a new novel. Over the years he has also worked as a cameraman during the Vietnam War and a script doctor for Hollywood films. Steinbeck says his name does not magically open the portals of the literary world and notes he has received plenty of rejection slips. "You either can write or can't write," he said. "Like the Bach family, there was more than one guy who wrote music there."

v. long From THR's head flack: 'Vanity' first of fall awards contenders By Martin A. Grove "Vanity" viewpoint: With summer's big popcorn movies now fading into the sunset, fall will be here soon with its annual gift of likely Golden Globe and Academy Awards contenders. The first of these, opening Sept. 1 via Focus Features, is Mira Nair's "Vanity Fair," starring Reese Witherspoon. Its screenplay by Matthew Faulk & Mark Skeet and Julian Fellowes, an Oscar and WGA winner for "Gosford Park," is based on William Makepeace Thackeray's classic novel set in England from about 1802-33. The Tempesta Films/Granada Film production also stars Eileen Atkins, Jim Broadbent, Gabriel Byrne, Romola Garai, Bob Hoskins, Rhys Ifans, Geraldine McEwan, James Purefoy and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Produced by Janette Day, Donna Gigliotti and Lydia Dean Pilcher, it was executive produced by Jonathan Lynn, Howard Cohen and Pippa Cross. Faulk and Skeet, the first screenwriters who worked on "Vanity," are also associate producers of the film. Thackeray's novel revolves around Becky Sharp, a lower class girl who despite the conventions of her day is determined to achieve a more glamorous life than her modest birthright would allow for. Wit, guile and sexuality are some of her key tools in trying to conquer English society of the time. Having greatly enjoyed talking to Fellowes when Robert Altman's "Gosford Park" opened to critical acclaim in 2001, I was happy to be able to catch up with him again Wednesday when he called from London to focus on what went into adapting "Vanity" to the screen. "Gosford," of course, was an original screenplay while "Vanity" is based on a book of about 900 pages. We began by talking about the challenges of boiling a book of that size down into a screenplay. "With any adaptation, a big element of it is selection," he explained. "You can't make a 15-hour film so you have to leave out a lot. And with a book that is as well-known as 'Vanity Fair' the challenge really is not to leave out the iconic bits. In any novel, I suppose, whether you're doing 'Great Expectations' or whatever, there are certain sort of key moments that pretty well everyone knows. I always remember when I was doing 'Little Lord Fauntleroy' (the 1994 BBC miniseries based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic novel) they wanted him to be a more modern child and so on. And I said, 'Yes, but just once we have to put him in a velvet suit with a lace collar because that's all that anyone knows about 'Little Lord Fauntleroy.' And so I got my way. In one party scene he was there in his dark blue velvet (suit) with his lace collar. "What happened with 'Vanity Fair' is that I came onto the project when Mira Nair came on. She decided that we would sort of start again and go right back to the beginning. It was Labor Day weekend in 2002 and I came over to New York and we just sort of sat and discussed this book and had the most delicious Indian food and just talked about the elements of the book that we were both interested in and that we thought everyone else was interested in and tried to sort of decide what our 'Vanity Fair' was. I think there are -- well, I hope there are -- kind of new elements in it." Reflecting on the book, he said, "What a lot of people don't understand is that Thackeray in the novel uses India as a way of expressing his opinions about the Empire. He was writing in the 1850's about the Regency, which was 35 years before (when the Prince of Wales was named Regent to act for the mad King George III, succeeding him as King George IV after his death in 1820). So he was able to make certain points about the dawning Empire from what was effectively the peak of it. He uses India for that. This (kind of) world is normally abandoned in adaptations, but of course it was very interesting to Mira -- and, indeed, very interesting to me because I'm very fascinated by India as well as the whole imperial experiment -- and so we have an element of that in the film, which I found very colorful and kind of interesting. Mira's got this extraordinary visual imagination, which I loved." Some major challenges, however, were posed by the basic storyline of Thackeray's novel. "When I sat down and read the book again," Fellowes said, "I thought, 'Well, it's no good now pretending that our generation can dislike Becky Sharp because she wants to make her own life and because she wants to reinvent herself and she wants to have a better life than the one she's been for. We don't dislike those qualities. We like them. And it would be, I felt, completely false to the generation at the beginning of the 21st Century to try and imply that Becky's ambition and her desire to get on are in some way abhorrent. I mean, Thackeray plays a very complicated game because he certainly believed Becky was the true heroine of the novel. Of course, when he calls it a novel without a hero it's because he wasn't able to name who the hero was because according to Victorian morality they very much admired the kind of modest take-it-on-the-chin little woman who sat at home and just kind of generally administered to things The ambitious woman who made her own luck and who goes out into the world and shakes the tree of life until its fruit fall into her lap is not something that the Victorians officially approved of. "And so Thackeray writes this novel extolling this woman, but sort of pretending all the way through that the real heroine is Amelia (Becky's well born and, therefore, less ambitious best friend) and Becky Sharp is not the heroine. But any reader can tell that that isn't the case. And, in fact, in one point in the novel -- because, you know, in those days they were published episodically once a month in journals -- his publisher actually asked him to make Becky do something unsympathetic because he felt it was scandalous that this character who was not moral was really the heroine. And so Thackeray made her hit her child or something rather obvious. But later he regretted it. He felt that he had been false to his own creation and that, in fact, he'd only done that under pressure (from his publisher)." In writing the role of Becky for the screen, Fellowes added, "I didn't feel that we had an obligation to make her a villainess. I felt that she was a very modern character and the fact that she is this Regency woman who basically makes things happen and doesn't just give in and gets a better husband than she probably could and gets a better job and so on, I felt we liked her for that. In the end, she is over ambitious and she overreaches herself and she makes celebrity and importance and richness too important to her and (gives) her social status too much importance. And in a way that seems to me to be a modern parable as well in this weird age of celebrity that we live in now when every magazine is full of these famous people who are supposedly leading lives that are more interesting and more worthwhile than anyone else's, which of course is not at all the case. "As a generation, we have this kind of weird respect for fame in almost any form. That again seems to me to be very similar and very kind of connecting with Becky's central flaw -- that, in the end, she loses her sense of proportion. Having manipulated the world and having in a sense made it do what she wanted it to do, in the end she is beguiled by the world and she is emasculated and weakened by the values of the world. We could name so many careers of people who have let that happen to them. They start out as these strong pioneers, but they get sucked into the values that initially they rather despise. And that, of course, is what happens to Becky. But, again, I feel that that's very modern." Indeed, Fellowes pointed out that he "found the whole book, actually, when I read it tremendously modern. Apart from anything else, Thackeray is very egalitarian. He doesn't patronize women at all. You know, Dickens' women are always kind of vicious and horrible or they're these little timorous wasp-waisted girls who never say boo to a goose! But Thackeray doesn't have that. He writes almost like a woman. Again, I found that fantastically accessible actually. One thing I always hope when I do an adaptation is that it will encourage people to read the book because however much you enjoy the film it will still be well worth your while to reread the book." Of course, we know from recent research that adult Americans are reading fewer novels than ever before. (That study by the National Endowment for the Arts was, indeed, the jumping off point for my column here Wednesday.) So it may not really be a matter of people re-reading classic books so much as, perhaps, prompting them to read them in the first place. "I think at times one is almost led to believe that the modern methods of communication are, basically, television, film and the Internet and that reading a book is somehow out of date and it's becoming (dated) like the opera or something," Fellowes said. "This is just not so. When people cut themselves off from books -- I mean, for me, anyway -- they're cutting themselves off from a tremendous source of pleasure -- never mind information or wisdom or anything else like that. Just straight pleasure. So anything that encourages anyone to read a book has got my vote." As for the hard work of adapting a book to the screen, I asked Fellowes to share some details about the mechanics of writing an adaptation. "First of all, I try to make a kind of list of the moments in the book, the scenes in the book, that we all feel we want in the film," he told me. "The really precise moments because sometimes in a book you can tell the same story, but in a different way. There are certain kinds of moments. For instance, in 'Vanity Fair,' it's not about the Battle of Waterloo at all, but Waterloo influences an enormous amount of the action within and the lives of the characters and so on. And because of that, in the book Thackeray visits the battlefield only when the battle is over. I felt and so did Mira that it was crucial that we did the same in the film. Of course, it was quite a big argument because it was a very large expenditure for what was, in essence, a moment rather than a sequence of narrative or anything. Because you're going (there) only when the whole thing's finished. An way, we did win on that and it is a fantastically powerful moment in the film. But we both felt that you can't have a story that basically turns on this battle and never see anything of the battle. "So I first of all do that. Then I make, I suppose, a kind of decision as to what the story is that we are going to tell. I think that any adaptation of 'Vanity Fair' -- on television, in the theater, whatever -- has to be (about) the rise of Becky Sharp because that is the kind of core story. However much in the novel he goes back and forth to Amelia, and so do we, and that has all sorts of other interesting points to make, nevertheless the spinal story of 'Vanity Fair' is Becky Sharp. So then you trace out what are the sort of key moments of that progression. She starts at the school. She then has her first taste of London. She then goes to (work as a governess to the daughters of eccentric Sir Pitt Crawley, played by Bob Hoskins) and learns how to use the family for her own advantage. She then comes back to London and makes her marriage and so on. And so you have a kind of map of the incidents of this story." After getting to that point, he said, "you start thinking in terms of a scene structure that will actually give you those incidents. The difficulty is always that one is having to compress and leave out (scenes) because it's such a rich novel. I'm sure that's why so often bad books or short stories make good films. You don't have to leave a lot out of a short story and with a bad book you don't care what you leave out. But with a classic you are sort of aware of the fact that you are serving something that is already great. And so you have a different kind of emotional relationship to it." But given the sad state of our world today people don't read classic novels the way they used to. They're actually more familiar with contemporary best-sellers so when you adapt a classic novel to the screen they may not actually know what's being left out. "Well, maybe they don't," Fellowes replied, "but I suppose I have a very basic philosophy that it is better to over-estimate the public than under-estimate them. It's sort of like if you treat children as grown-ups they will behave as grown-ups most of the time. If you treat the public as intelligent they will be intelligent most of the time. I think films or television, for that matter, that chase the public taste downhill don't do anyone any favors. It sounds very idealistic and I hope not pompous -- I don't mean it to be that -- but it's like that thing when (studio) executives want you to simplify everything and everything's got to be spelled out. And, finally, you have those scenes where people say, you know, 'I am in love with you' and this and tha the other (and) 'You are my sister. We had a happy childhood in Dakota.' And when you're watching them you think, 'Well, surely they know this.' "I just feel it isn't a bad thing for the audience to have to do a little bit of work and get involved in the thing a bit. So I suppose I like to credit them with a certain amount (of intelligence). But every film has to be a complete film. One can never pre-suppose knowledge of a book in order to (not put something into) the narrative. The film, whether it's 'Lord of the Rings' or whatever, must be cogent within itself. I don't think it works if people have to have read 'Lord of the Rings' before they see the film. And I think that was, indeed, where Peter Jackson was very successful (in that) he made films that you could follow and they had their own cogency whether or not you'd ever read the books. I hope, too, that that's what we've done and that the film will be very enjoyable for people who've never heard of 'Vanity Fair.' But, nevertheless, as the adapter I think you do feel a sense of responsibility to Thackeray. You don't want to mess it up. You want to make it as enjoyable as you can and, hopefull , stimulate them just conceivably to read it." After selecting the elements from the book that are to be incorporated into the film's screenplay, Fellowes explained, "then you start breaking it up -- at least this is what I do, I mean, everyone has different methods -- into scenes. In this scene we will learn this. In a film, a scene often has to perform several different functions so that you will learn this about this character, but that about that character. And you will know that he loves her, but she hates her. And you will use one dinner scene or whatever it is to achieve that because you haven't got the time to have a separate scene for every separate piece of information. So you start, in a sense, devising the scenes that will give you all the different bits of information that you need. And then, really, to be quite honest, I get writing -- because there is a point with all these things where you can sort of talk about it too much. I know there's always a moment with me with a director when I say, "Look, why don't I just write this and then we' l have something that neither of us like that we have a fight about?' Because there comes a point where just sitting in a room with a notepad isn't going to take you any further. And that really is when it sort of begins for me. "For the first draft I like to be kind of (left alone) -- not left alone in that kind of important way, but I like to make a draft script so that we all then have got something to work from. It becomes much clearer when there is a first draft that we don't need this, it's not necessary to show this because that's already apparent if we show that. The duplication of information becomes much more obvious once you've actually got a draft in your hand. Really, from then on, I work very, very closely with the director and they will tell you, 'I need a scene showing this,' 'I think we could cut this,' 'If think if I shoot this in the dog kennel we'll understand whatever.' From then on it becomes quite collaborative because they have their own very strong mental image, which you as a screenwriter are, after all, attempting to serve. I think one of the great disciplines of screenwriting is that you always have to remember they're not making your film. You are attempting to write their film. They are the ones who ar making this film and you are attempting to serve their vision. And that can be, of course, quite a discipline in that you might think, 'Oh, they would be better doing such and such,' but if they're absolutely sure, if they know what they want, then they probably have a good reason for it if they're good directors. And if they're not good directors you shouldn't be writing a screenplay for them. That's the logic of it for me." Asked how he actually does his writing, Fellowes said, "I write straight off a laptop. I always use Final Draft (software). It's fantastically time saving. It's absolutely brilliant. When I was first given it (while writing 'Gosford Park'), I was so frightened of it that I couldn't use it for about a month. I kept writing normally and then Robert Altman's secretary would turn it into Final Draft. Finally, she just sort of felt sorry for me and took me aside for about an hour and explained the whole thing. Of course, then I couldn't understand why I'd been so nervous of it. I thought it was brilliant. Now I wouldn't think of writing on anything else." In terms of his writing habits, he added, "What I normally do is I get started around half past nine or something and I stop for lunch. One of the things that I know, but that it seems to take an incredible time to get into my thick head, is that what I write that's worthwhile will almost invariably be written in the morning and that I should use the afternoon for re-reading, revisions or doing the daily business of being alive. My weakness is that I sit at my desk and I have an almost inescapable desire to sort out my e-mails and the letters and the bills and whatever. And, of course, if you do that it's 11 o'clock before you start working and I have wasted an hour and a half of my most creative part of the day. And that is the discipline I find hardest -- just to leave all that stuff until the afternoon. But it is something I'm gradually forcing myself to adhere to." When a writer is writing, Fellowes pointed out, "A fly walking up a looking glass is the most fascinating thing in the world. Anything is a worthwhile distraction. So a real message from a real human being has all the temptation of kind of Salome. And somehow you just have to block it out. I can't say I think I'm slightly good at it, but anyway, the morning is my time. I think people have their different times. I talked to a friend of mine the other day who's a very successful novelist and he gets up extremely early and basically by about 11 o'clock his day's work is done. And then he has a lovely time. I can't do that. "The other thing I find is that in the early morning when I'm awake but I haven't got up yet is when I go through various problems that I may have in a script. You know, how do I get through so-and-so, what can she say that will make it clear that she's whatever it is? And as I'm lying their on the pillows and very unflustered quite a lot of the answers come to me when they don't come when I'm sort of staring harassed at the screen of my laptop. In a way, I would be reluctant to kind of get rid of that time when you're awake and you've rested and had your sleep, but you're not yet in the kind of frenzy of the day. I find that is quite a useful time. You suddenly think, 'Why was I making such a fuss about that issue? If she just says this one sentence, everything's fine.' And this quite obvious solution comes to you when the day before you couldn't see it and you tried everything. And so, in a way, that's my other working time. It's not when I'm actually at a desk." All told, how long did it take for him to write "Vanity?" "It's always rather difficult to say how long," Fellowes replied. "I suppose the initial draft was about 10 weeks or something. But, of course, you have this period of talk and chat and then it starts to cook and then you write it. But then you never really stop writing because you're always doing this or writing a change of a scene. Suddenly they're going to have a death scene for Bob Hoskins. Suddenly they're going to have this (whatever it is). So you're writing all the way through the shooting of the picture. And then in this one after the first cut there was kind of a gap. I'd done lines for the ADR (post-production work) and everything else and you do start to think, 'Well, I guess that's probably it.' And then suddenly Focus were very thrilled by the movie and they decided to invest in another week of shooting in India to put a new ending onto the film and various other things. So suddenly there I was back at the old laptop doing a new end sce e and writing one or two other scenes that were actually not set in India but they could shoot them in India that had been cut and we all felt that they shouldn't have been cut. So suddenly I was in a flurry of activity after what I thought was the end." Frankly, he said, "the only time you've really finished writing a picture is when they have finished the final mix because that's when they've locked the picture and they've done the ADR and the sound. You're never completely free of a little message saying, 'Quick, what would the footman say? I've just got him turning away from the door and I want something to set it up before he gets into the what's-it.' The funny thing is you're probably only writing one first draft at any one time in your life, but you've probably got two or three other babies that are still going along in production and you have to sort of shake your head and go back into that one or back into this one. But I enjoy that, actually. "Also, (sometimes) they cut a scene for whatever reason and it's your job to see the information that's gone with that scene and to find another place where it can go in in a scene that hasn't already been shot because the obvious place where it could have gone in maybe has been filmed four months before. There's a kind of Chinese puzzle element to that, but that I find rather stimulating. It's a test of your IQ to kind of solve it. Again, I find that rather enjoyable. This was an enjoyable film to write. I really, really liked working with Mira, who was tremendously creative and interesting and always had really sort of unusual visual images and unusual ways of looking at it. I thought she was delightful. I'd write another film for her tomorrow."

Thanks, Karen for the extensive VF article. Seeing that tomorrow night, plus Q&A with Mira Nair and Julian Fellowes. Only time to skim now, will read whole article tomorrow when I have more time. (Yvette) I will have to see Sunset a few more times to find out if I can get over the disappointing sting of the ending. Was that because you really wanted them to get together and it ended rather suddenly and ambiguously?

(Dorine) Was that because you really wanted them to get together and it ended rather suddenly and ambiguously? Ambiguously? If you mean "way after" he misses his plane, then true. ;-) I'm hoping there will be another and that will fill in the blanks, as this one did.

Fascinating article , Karen.Thank you. Lots of good stuff there. Hope it transfers to the screen. Trailer looks good. Thought Sunset ending was brilliant.V. unpredictable. I liked that. (John Steinbecks' son) "I'm sort of the dancing bear. I'm more of an exhibit than anything else," he said with a laugh. "They sort of bring me in to poke me with a stick, you know, like a bear on a chain and I turn around in circles and people clap." LOL. Goes for any celebrity. Only he's an honest one to admit it.

(Karen) Thought it was adorable and just right. I thought THEY were adorable at the end. I just wanted more...I guess.

(Karen), I'm hoping there will be another and that will fill in the blanks, as this one did. You are not the only one. JD did say that it would probably happen. I too loved the end, absolutely loved it! Thanks, Karen for the extensive VF article. (Dorine), Seeing that tomorrow night, plus Q&A with Mira Nair and Julian Fellowes. Please ask Mira if at any moment she had visions of the actors breaking into song and dance. VF does have what it takes for a great Bollywood version. Better than P&P, IMO. Enjoy, VF. I can't wait to see it. I do wonder at their casting Reese as Becky, she is not my ideal choice. Bet TIOBE helped her.

(Yvette) If you mean "way after" he misses his plane, then true. ;-) I'm hoping there will be another and that will fill in the blanks, as this one did I don't think he'd technically missed it yet. He would've had to really rush to get there, but when they got to her apt, he still had a minimal amount of time as he told the driver to wait. Not sure he had planned to stay. And remember, this movie is supposed to have progressed in real time....80 mins. It's not that they were walking around for hours and hours. I think that's one of the reasons they talked so much and so fast....they had limited time. I, too, hope for another, though look how long it took them to get this part done...9 yrs! I don't want to wait that long, though if it comes out as good, it'd be worth it. I just wanted more...I guess. Me, too. But that's what I thought was so brilliant about it...you get so emotionally involved and interested in these two, then poof! it's over. Nothing like leave 'em wanting more. ;-)

Ummm, I said that, not Yvette. (Dorine) I don't think he'd technically missed it yet. He would've had to really rush to get there, but when they got to her apt, he still had a minimal amount of time as he told the driver to wait. Not sure he had planned to stay. Did you miss the last couple of lines? I plan to go back and see it again. But Celine says something to the effect of "you're going to miss your plane." And Jesse just smiles and kind of mumbles, "uh huh." He's not going anywhere, especially not rushing off to make that plane. ;-)

After reading the VF article, I was curious about ADR and found this: ADR Discussion -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James Crocket to CAS forum: Approximately what percentage of the dialog in a movie is ADR? Is it reserved mostly for outdoor scenes or do unpaddable, large, live rooms demand ADR dialog as well? Is there a standard or well known system of processing the voices to fit the environment seamlessly? Is ADR an absolute last resort that should be avoided at all costs, or just an everyday reality of the job? If your sync audio is unusable, it is good to record the dialog wild, true? Is this almost always more successful than looping it in post? (Provided of course that the actor can duplicate his/her lines from the take) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carl Warner: ADR is a film technique that is much in heated debate. True film purists will argue that ADR no matter how technically correct can not give a scene the same punch, mood and realism that original production dialogue can. Those of us who have been around this business for a while generally agree with this philosophy. There are however, some situations where ADR is unnecessary evil that directors and sound editors have used effectively. Perhaps the best excuse for ADR is when an actors crews up a name, date or other important piece of dialogue. This screw-up can be corrected, of course by ADR. Sometimes a director likes the staging and visual part of a scene, but does not like the way the actor delivered his lines. Again ADR is a useful tool to get a better reading of the dialogue. Then, there is the situation when there is just too much background noise because of location logistics. A really good production sound mixers should generally be able to get al least 90% of the production sound on a feature film clean enough when no ADR is required. This is what separates the really great mixers from the ones with little experience and no talent. Some directors are very sensitive to the sound portion of a film and demand to use as much location production as possible. They really would like to have every word original production sound. Other directors, (especially new to the profession and those getting by with little or no real talent) are not as sensitive to the sound. They have not yet been able to understand the difference between original dialogue and ADR. Is hard to give you an exact figure on percentages, but in general most feature films today will have about 90% original production sound, the rest ADR. I have worked on features that were 100% production sound (including wild track dialogue recorded on location. Many of the spaghetti westerns were 100% ADR. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Randy Thom: I guess everybody knew I'd chime-in on this one. I agree with most of what Carl has said. But I'd tend to give a different estimate of the ratio of production dialog to ADR. Many of the films I work on are "action-adventure" movies which have notoriously noisy sets. So they tend to have a much higher percentage of ADR. The movie "Contact," for example, was about 60% production and 40% ADR. "Apocalypse Now" was about 80 to 90% ADR. [ed note: a revelation!] Carl was right to point out that a significant amount of ADR is done in order to change the actor's performance. Sometimes lines are re-written, or the actor may have had a cold and sounded stuffed-up on the day they shot the scene, etc. The most difficult thing about integrating ADR into most films is that it is unusual for entire scenes to be ADRd. The poor dialog re-recording mixer is often asked by the Director to stick one or two words of ADR into the middle of a line of dialog which is otherwise "production." This is probably the single most technically difficult process in all of sound mixing. There are lots of techniques used to make ADR sound more like well-recorded production dialog. The best way is to record the ADR in an acoustic situation as close as possible to the one on the set, except without the noise of the set. Using the same mic as the production mic helps. The re-recording mixer uses eq, reverb, digital pitch-changing devices, and lots of other boxes to try to make the ADR sound like production. The dialog and ADR editors have typically also used systems (like VocAlign, for ProTools) which compare an ADR line to a production line and alter the duration of each ADR word in order to bring it closer to perfect lip-sync. In addition, they've used many traditional techniques, including the one of extending the "room tone" or "outdoor air" under ADR lines so that the production ambience doesn't disappear whenever an ADR line is used.

(Karen), But Celine says something to the effect of "you're going to miss your plane." And Jesse just smiles and kind of mumbles, "uh huh." He's not going anywhere, especially not rushing off to make that plane. ;-) Exactly! And the way he says it!!! I just loved it! He stays.

(Karen) Did you miss the last couple of lines? Are you talkin' to me? ;-) Yes, I knew what was said, hence my basis for that post.

(Dorine) Not sure he had planned to stay. You mean he really just wanted to go up to her flat to hear her songs? C'mon;-) Of course she does her share of seducing too. She made up that last song and then doing the little dance and Ella Fitz imitation. They were super together. Talk about chemistry! Whew! They had it in spades. Best film I've seen this summer.

(Dorine) Are you talkin' to me? ;-) Yeah, I'm talkin' to you! ;-) I don't think he'd technically missed it yet. He would've had to really rush to get there, but when they got to her apt, he still had a minimal amount of time as he told the driver to wait. Not sure he had planned to stay. Once he'd fineagled his way into the apartment, I don't think a crowbar was going to get him out. Maybe he really just wanted the tea. ;-)

Managed to get my hands on a copy of "Before Sunrise" to view last night. Then today I rushed to the theatre to see "Before Sunset" before it closed tomorrow,to discover it was bumped by "The Princess Diaries 2" . Hurried home to research alternative theatres and was rewarded with a showing just twenty miles south....... Heavy rain ensued but I was triumphant. I liked "Before Sunrise" and loved "Before Sunset" . I did become very involved with Jesse and Celine. I found the ending totally appropriate and extremely hopeful. I'll be happy to see a third installmet!

(Evelyn) She made up that last song and then doing the little dance and Ella Fitz imitation. Do you really think she made up the song on the spur of the moment? I kind of thought that, like Jess writing his book, she wrote it a long time ago as a way to free her conscious mind of thoughts of that evening. Ella Fitz...Nina Simmone comme ci comme ca, non? Congrats, Bonnie! I'm glad you persevered and got to see them both!!

(Yvette) Do you really think she made up the song on the spur of the moment? I kind of thought that, like Jess writing his book, she wrote it a long time ago Same here, though Jess had only just written the book. She probably wrote the song earlier. But the timeline isn't that important nor something we'd know precisely.

Yeah, he said it took him...3 or 4 years(?) to complete the book.

hi friends! I rarely find time to get over here on the boards... I miss you all! It's taken FOREVER to pass through all the old messages and finally get to the end of this thread... Anyway, I wanted to let you know I *finally* got married! The wedding was this past July, and was held in Quebec, Canada. You can see the wedding pictures at: http://photos.yahoo.com/jenniferesperanza Drool on! -winter

Congratulations, Winter! Thanks for sharing your pictures. Your new DH and you make a very nice looking couple. What a beautiful place to be married in, too. Nice to see you again!

Winter!!! How great to see you here to let us know and to share the pics. They're be-yew-tiful and you made a be-yew-tiful bride. Great dress and v. handsome husband BTW. ;-) Congrats to you both. Miss you lots, but be happy!

Lovely photos Winter! I remember you from past posts and wish you the best of luck! Speaking of luck, I'm soooo glad our dear Googlemeister Maria is now on the left coast out of Ft Myers and missing Charles. I hope that our dear Drooleurs in Fla and East coast will be safe!!

Thanks, Beedee! Congratulations, Winter! Nice to have you back.

Congratulations, Winter. You and your new DH make a lovely couple. Beautiful wedding picutes. Don't stay away so long.

The Pics are great Winter -looks like a beautiful wedding! :-) Come back and visit Drool again, we miss you!

(Beedee) Speaking of luck, I'm soooo glad our dear Googlemeister Maria is now on the left coast out of Ft Myers and missing Charles. I hope that our dear Drooleurs in Fla and East coast will be safe!! Thought the same thing, when I saw how Ft Myers got hit. 150 mph winds! Whoa baby! How are the Sunshine State Droolers? Safe and sound?

Congratulations, Winter, and thanks for sharing those lovely pics! Wishing you and your new husband much happiness.:-)

A girl can dream someone else would do this ;-)...... From today's Page Six in the NY Post BRUCE Springsteen knows the best way to bond with his fans is over tequila shots. The Boss was shopping at Barneys yesterday when he ran into a group of very excited New Jersey housewives. "Bruce took them all to lunch at Fred's," says our spy. "They were just sitting there in the middle of the restaurant, having a great time and downing tequila shots." Jersey native Springsteen chatted with his starstuck admirers before paying the fat tab and leaving.

Thanks for the wedding wishes, everyone. Can you believe I got most of the wedding party attire (my dress included) on EBay!? Amazing! I'd advise Ebay to anyone planning a wedding. Hubby and I are in North Carolina now (where he works), and are bracing ourselves for Hurricane Charley! Being new to these types of storms, I've been told that if a tornado were to come this way, "head for the bathtub!"

(Dorine) A girl can dream someone else would do this ;-)...... Dreaming is good; I just wouldn't hold my breath. ;-) eBay? Incredible! Batten down those hatches BTW.

(winter) "head for the bathtub!" Yes, and pull the mattress off the bed on your way....then pull it on top of the tub-will protectyour head and bod from possible flying objects!!!!! Jupiter, where I am, hardly had a drop-with only occasional wind gusts up to 40 mph..although we are still getting small bands of rain. I've been busy cleaning up my yard,and have not listened to the weather this a.m. just yet.I know most of Tampa and St. Petersburg were either mandatorial or voluntarally(sp?)evacuated. At least my namesake didn't cause too much damage in the Big Bend of Florida the other day.

Re: Bruce Springsteen. Yep, and the other day, internet fans had decided to work on a Habitat for Humanity housing project on E Street (namesake of his band); they had sent a note about it and the cell phone number of one of the volunteers/fans to the Springsteen camp. Well, he called up himself and joined them for pizza, chatted for an hour or so, and left a $50 tip... Congratulations winter, and best of luck to those in hurricane country!

I am very thankful that Charley did not come around to Miami. I was here for Andrew and my thoughts are with the rest of FL. Brucie baby is a doll!

Glad to hear South Florida Droolers seem OK. I'm originally from near Jupiter...W. Palm Beach. The parents of a friend who lives in Wachula (middle of FL) still live in Jupiter. Nice to hear things alright there. Glad I no longer have property there while living here. I remember the fear of Andrew coming, but we just got wind up our way. I see Charley is right at ya, Winter. Stay safe! And what a guy, that Bruce! A decent all around guy and gives probably the most amazing concerts of anyone. Had people literally shaking the upper deck of Shea Stadium when he was here last year.

Grrrr! Am surprised that NBC didn't censor the lighting of the phallic, sorry, I mean the Olymppic torch since cameras were held above the waist for these guys: There may be 4 channels or more covering the Olympics, but I still feel totally short-changed. :-(

I think "short" may be the operative word.;-) Looks like they're wearing tight shorts and then long tights, with something sprayed over them--yet things are still hanging out. No wonder Katie Couric got so quiet on the broadcast.;-) Pop Pop is produing this; guess who won't be in it;-) Col, Calley page 'Austen Book Club' Michael Fleming, STAFF Sony Pictures Entertainment has optioned screen rights to Karen Joy Fowler's bestselling novel "The Jane Austen Book Club." Former Sony topper John Calley will produce. Book centers around five women and a man who live in California and meet periodically to discuss Austen novels. Using Austen as the springboard, the book delves into the life of each club member. Published by the Putnam imprint Madian Wood, "The Jane Austen Book Club" has been on the bestseller lists for 13 weeks and has been selling briskly in foreign territories. Calley, always a fan of book adaptations when he was a film executive, is shepherding several as a producer. They include Dan Brown bestseller "The Da Vinci Code." He's producing that project with Imagine's Brian Grazer; Akiva Goldsman is scripting and Ron Howard is planning to direct at Sony.

(Mari) No wonder Katie Couric got so quiet on the broadcast.;-) LOL! That's true. ~~~ Empire had a pretty funny take on this, complete with a pic of asparagus: Pride And Pre-Production Jane Austen movie greenlit 13 August 2004 It is a truth universally acknowledged, that movies based on the works of Jane Austen, are big business. Her romantic tales have enough potential for smart laughs, female empowerment and snogging in the rain to make any Hollywood studio exec lunge for his Cliffs Notes. There have been a lot of takes on the canon of the nineteenth century novelist. Some are good, like Emma update Clueless. Some are useless, like Jim Abraham�s misguided effort Jane Austen�s Mafia! The latest attempt to cash in comes in the form of a forthcoming Sony adaptation of Karen Jay Fowler�s hit novel The Jane Austen Book Club. The book is set in the present and features a group of Californians who meet periodically to discuss Austen�s stories. It�s been on best-sellers lists in the US for over a year. And that�s all we know about it. Frankly, it�s a marginally less interesting story than that one about Meg Ryan. In fact, the film sounds as dull as asparagus. Unless, of course, it turns out to be a naked book club or one that gets invaded by classic-literature-hating alien assassins. So, um... seen anything good recently? http://www.empireonline.co.uk/site/news/newsstory.asp?news_id=16089

Unless, of course, it turns out to be a naked book club or one that gets invaded by classic-literature-hating alien assassins. Trust me, it isn't. I think I would have liked the aliens better;-(

Karen Jay Fowler�s hit novel The Jane Austen Book Club. I've started the book (Lora lent it to me), but I am bored and skipping right along to the parts they actually do the book discussions. I'm a fan of Calley's past choices, but this one? Love those pictures! Thanks, Karen! I missed it.

Am way behind on summer movie viewing, but did catch Collateral today. Anyone else see it? I thought it was terrific. Wickedly witty script, some great cinematography and lighting. Michael Mann is such a clever director. This turns the conventional "buddy film" genre on its head. Very good performances from Cruise and Foxx; great interplay between the two of them. Really enjoyed Tom as a baddie.

Our websites were down for a while and I just rebooted the server. If you notice the site is down please call me (512-699-4000) and I'll attend to it as quickly as possible. I got the "heads up" this morning from karenr.

Wot? It's Maria's Birthday?? I nearly missed it!!! I know she's always up for a little celebration so I'll just slip into my party hat and see if she'd like to do her favorite dance....You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out....c'mon Maria...if you can get an entire subway car to hokey pokey, surely you'll do it with me?! Or maybe you'ld prefer something more intimate? After everyone leaves?? Would you like to Google me? With the lights off???I'll save you a spot, right here, next to me...Happy Birthday Maria!!!

Dearest, loveliest Maria! I asked this guy to join the party and sing for you Hope you had the best birthday ever Tress - hilarious: Google me :-))))))

I'll dance with you anyday Colin, and we can try variations on the hokey pokey. And Googling you in the dark is my favorite thing, Throw in Excite with a big Yahoo at the end and I'd be set for life ! ;) Thanks Terry! And thanks for the song and the flowers Annette, being home is the best present I could have ever wished for. My prayers go out to all my friends and coworkers left behind in Ft Myers, I can't believe how fortunate I am...

Oh nooooooooooooo!!! Hope your birthday was very happy, Maria!

Bloody hell! I had a bit of an accident. Otherwise I would've been here to wish Maria a very Happy Birthday! Hope it was great!

A little something for Maria on her birthday:

So, I'm gone for the weekend, and the rest of you can't remember yesterday was Maria's b'day? Sheech! What a bunch of deadbeats;-)) Happy Birthday, ole buddie Mimosas all around....

Dame Winter...what a nice surprise. Cute DH...congrats. So, are you selling all your old JN and Colin tapes;-)) Stick around...we miss you. For all newbies...Dame Winter was the Drool rep at the SIL premiere in LA. Way early, when no one knew Colin and he was so thrilled to find any fans there who recognized him. Winter had nice encounter with Livia too....in the loo;-) "Former Sony topper John Calley will produce. " Huh? I thought ole Pop-Pop was gone ...dead;-) Who's he working for to get such high-profile projects.

Colin I hope the accident didn't hurt your boot and you only suffered a flesh wound! Why don't you get in the bath and I'll help wash you up? And thanks for the t-shirt Karen, I hope to need it again come November! :) (Evelyn)So, I'm gone for the weekend, and the rest of you can't remember yesterday was Maria's b'day? No worries Evelyn, poxy internet provider had me without service for the last 5 days so..grrr! The delicious mimosa is sure helping me forget that aggravation though, thanks!

Thought I'd move this in case this topic continues re: sequels... IMO, OT better variation of stories than NT (except Revelations was quite exciting ;-)), Liked neither Huck Finn nor Tom Sawyer Like both Godfather 1 and 2. Better sequel...The Empire Strikes back over Star Wars. ;-)

Happy Birthday, Maria! I feel less guilty because Maria was on my mind yesterday: But I hope you are ready to rock today Because we still need to get together and do some of these, remember? Hope you had a great one!

Closing tags sorry