I am too evil and cannot resist. ;-p 'The End of the Affair' By Kirk Honeycutt (11/19/99 - Variety) Neil Jordan, a novelist and short story writer-turned-acclaimed filmmaker, is capable of poetic, erotically charged explorations of the dark worlds of fantasy ("The Company of Wolves"), crime ("Mona Lisa"), doomed romance ("The Crying Game") and violence ("The Butcher Boy"). But he is also capable of making inchoate, tone-deaf works such as "High Spirits" and the recent "In Dreams," where he appears clueless as to the film he wants to make. "The End of the Affair" falls decidedly among the latter works. A lugubrious romantic tale adapted from one of Graham Greene's religious novels, the movie contains too many scenes that invite chuckles if not downright laughter at the misguided melodrama. This Columbia release has little hope of reaching much of a theatrical audience. Feeling like a stodgy drama from the 1950s despite several graphic sexual encounters, "The End of the Affair" may fit more comfortably into the venues of pay and cable TV. Greene, one of the century's finest writers, was a convert to Roman Catholicism who penned novels he called "entertainments" along with more serious works such as "The End of the Affair" (1951), arguably his most autobiographical work, that examined moral and religious issues. The story concerns an adulterous affair during the London Blitz between a moody novelist (Ralph Fiennes) and a lapsed Catholic (Julianne Moore), who is trapped in a polite though loveless marriage to a career civil servant (Stephen Rea). Two years after the affair ends, the film begins with a chance encounter one rainy night between the writer and the husband of his ex-mistress that causes the writer to re-enter her life and learn why she broke off with him. Without revealing too much here, that reason revolves around the question of the existence of God. Jordan films all this dreary unhappiness in dark streets and brooding interiors backed by a lush, overwrought string section. Scenes such as the lovers making love in his dowdy flat with German bombs rocking the walls and debris falling from the ceiling are so patently comic that one wonders why no one on the set was able to protect Jordan from his own worst instincts. You half expect Monty Python's Flying Circus to burst through the door, crying out: "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" Jordan is further hampered by flat-footed performances from two of his three leads. Fiennes, easily one of cinema's most self-absorbed actors, provides absolutely no sparks in his romantic trysts with Moore. He makes love the way most men would open a tin of meat. Jordan favorite Rea sets off on the wrong tack in the first scene and never recovers. Playing the cuckold as a morose, disconsolate and beaten man in every moment, he excites disdain rather than pity. Only Moore fills the bill here, bringing sexual energy and a tragic awareness of betrayal to her portrait of a woman torn between physical and spiritual love. The look of the film is clearly hampered by budgetary restrictions, leading to a paucity of locations and sets. But Roger Pratt's cinematography and Anthony Pratt's production design nicely evoke the grim atmosphere of wartime London and the dampened spirit of its beleaguered populace. The lighting and design have a professional vitality that embarrasses the muddled dramaturgy. For the record, Greene's novel was unsuccessful filmed once before in 1955 with Deborah Kerr, Van Johnson and John Mills. And Jordan's film further underscores the autobiographical nature of the story by having the writer take his lover on a date to see one of "his" movies, which is in fact "21 Days Together" (1938), a Laurence Olivier-Vivien Leigh drama written by Greene.

Sorry, thought I had closed that bold. Will do so now.

Well so much for that Oscar nomination. Roll on SUNSHINE.

From the article one would guess it's a difficult book to turn into a film...

LOL, Karen. Ho-hum, here comes the Spanish Inquisition again! He makes love the way most men would open a tin of meat. Woo-ooo, low blow :-P

From the "go figure" department: There's an excellent review of The End Of The Affair from yesterday's Variety, this one written by Emmanuel Levy. He calls it "brilliant," "better than The English Patient," etc. I loved your Spam art, Karen, but I have to wonder if these two guys saw the same movie. Here's what Levy says about Rafe: "In his most accomplished screen perfromance to date, Fiennes shines as the disenchanted, skeptical and hate-ridden novelist, who gropes his way toward faith and deeper comprehension of the meaning of love." About Moore and Rea: "Sporting a spot-on English accent as she did in An Ideal Husband, Moore also excels in revealing the depths of emotions of a woman who, after her mystical union with God, is blessed with miraculous powers, both physical and spiritual. Jordan regular Rea plays the civil servant in a dignified manner that defies sterotypical cliches in portraying a cuckolded husband." All I can say at this point is, I'm glad CF didn't get the Rea part. ;-) Mari

Two reviews in Variety? How strange. But as you'll come to see, Mari, I *enjoy* Rafe-bashing and will use any ammunition I can find (true or not true) and will likely see the film too! ;-D

(Karen) But as you'll come to see, Mari, I *enjoy* Rafe-bashing and will use any ammunition I can find Then move over, honey, and make room for me! IMO, this guy is so frosty he could start his own cryogenics lab.;-) There's a big spread on "Affair" with huge photos of Rafe and Julianne in the latest issue of EW. She looks gorgeous; he looks like he just got back from the taxidermist's.;-) See how easily led I am? ;-D

"I like Rafe"...she said timidly ~~~~~~ Evening Standard reports that Jennifer Ehle is among the actors attending the ES awards lunch on Monday. I am not making any predictions for fear of jinxing the outcome :-)

Nan's Birthday is on Monday, November 22nd. Your presence and presents are requested here on Drool 72. Let us honor the lady, without whom we would not be as special as we are. See you (saddling up the Yak and I's gone...) on Monday!

Have you remembered to invite her, too? She's still up to her eyeballs in her studies, poor thing, and I wouldn't be surprised if she forgot her own birthday. **** Oh, goody! I was hoping for a spot of Rafe bashing! Listen to this: "Ralph Fiennes should stick to the desert when it comes to angst-ridden, soul-searching romantic heroes. In The English Patient, his sun-blasted looks earned a swoony following that his cold character didn't deserve. His Onegin is a similarly chilly, enigmatic soul to whom it's hard to respond warmly. Where he's really at a disadvantage is in his looks. [...] pasty and sallow, as if he's just woken up [...]; his hair [...] worn in an odd, curly mop with vast sideburns. When he ends up agonised and lovelorn, it's a struggle to be moved by his tragedy.[...]" (from the Express, 21 Nov. 1999) Enough, madams?

Yes, Evelyn spoke to her (IRL via telephone)and told her we were going to have a party for her on 72. I also emailed her to tell her to make herself available to us or we'd play with the toys we are bringing to her. I think she will show up when she can spare a moment or so. How often does a gal turn 30 anyway ;D On with ole Lizard-Lips bashing. The Family Fiennes does nothing for me (or for CF's fortunes, unfortunately) You cannot imagine how delighted I am to see you so active on Drool again. Brava, My Dear! Keep up the Good Fight...

You cannot imagine how delighted I am... Whoa! And where have you been? And I should really be doing something very different somewhere far far away from here...

On with ole Lizard-Lips bashing. Let's get those features right! It's lizard-eyed and pencil-legged. Got it. BTW, I have no problem with his "simian-faced" brother. ;-D 30!! Really? Why was there a smirk...

Well, isn't she 30 yet? Am I the only one that old amongst us?! (the smirk was for my duplicity in presuming to pretend I was not yet that old...) Watch out for lightning bolts in Hilo! *lol* I have been around. Check just about any conference, I have been keeping Spring flowing almost single fingered these weekends with the exception of the ladies of Drool, who have always kept the place full of fluid and brimming with enthusiam. I do play about in Geo from time to time, as well...!

It is the zero-hundred hour of Nan's Birthday. That means time to get out my goodies... HAUOLI NA HANAU Spring's traditional Birthday Tiara with CF to present it to you... Your Ilima and Tuberose Lei Some guys to escort you to your party:

A computer worthy of your talents A house worthy of your Cray and of you - next door to Pemberley And, a few more guys to wrestle that Cray into your mansion and to party with you afterward. Celebrate, My Dear Nan!

Happy Birthday to Nan! I guess this is the place for this post. I'm just back from a long weekend in Philly where I had an out-of-body experience that only Firthettes would understand. Walking along 2nd Street there when I came to the Arden Theater and saw that the marquee said Now Playing - Three Days of Rain!!! Good thing I was alone, Firthettes. I got light-headed. I thought I've finally done something right and the gods have rewarded me with a space-warp wormhole to London. Alas, the mist cleared momentarily, but I went in to the box office and asked them for a program. So now I have a memento for a run in which ODB is not appearing-the core of my collection of nonFirthiana. And of course it said nothing about concurrent runs elsewhere. However, it turns out that there are many touches of CF in Philly. The place where I ate breakfast Sunday had a lovely color poster of him as Wessex next to Dame Judy. The Free Public Library dug out all the reviews of AC from 1984 for me (Vincent Canby said it was insufferably smug but CF and RE gave good performances). I bought the screen play of SIL (one tiny pic of ODB vs many of that skinny Fiennes the Younger). For the dedicated Firthette, ODB is never far away. And now I have four days of lovely posts from all of you to catch up with!

Nan, Nan, we have missed you dear. You are too dedicated to your career. All your snappies and your quick remarks I am sure you employ in your Arts. So today on your Birthday I find pleasure, In letting you know you�re a treasure. Tanti Auguri a Te! Now let�s do the �Go Go Rangers� dance!

LOL Cymbeline! And you didn't go see the play? Just think what an experience you could have had...channeling Colin into the lead. And I was so eager to hear your comparison of the Philly Walker/Ned with what you imagine Colin's to be. ;-D So talented a poetess, Moon. (my sister's been bugging me to write a poem for a shower invite... please ;-D

So talented a poetess, Moon. (my sister's been bugging me to write a poem for a shower invite... please ;-D Would you believe I have never been to a shower. I refused them for my wedding and babies too. Of course, Gi's was different, what an international blast!

(Karen) And you didn't go see the play? Just think what an experience you could have had. Think of the experience the rest of the audience would have had as I burst into loud sobs when pseudoWalker appeared and had to be carried out screaming, "Where's Colin? Why are you wasting our time? No, officer, it isn't I you should be arresting but that man up there impersonating the greatest actor now working in the English language!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY , NAN

Nan, Oh, Nan.....

Another friend wants to say .... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NAN (Sorry, couldn't resist...hee, hee)

WIN TICKETS TO AN ADVANCE SCREENING OF "MAN ON THE MOON" Reel.com and Universal Studios invite you and a guest to a special advance screening of "Man on the Moon", starring Jim Carrey official opening 12/25). If you live near one of the cities listed below, you can win passes to a special advance screening for Entertainment Weekly readers and NewsReel subscribers. The tentative date for the screening is 12/16/99. The special advance screenings will take place in the following U.S. cities only: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Ph ladelphia, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. To qualify, your entry must be received by November 29, 1999. Winners will be selected at random and your passes will be mailed to you. For complete details, go to: http://www.reel.com/content/other/forms/moon_sweep.asp

Nan, Happy Birthday from a semi-lurker.

Happy Birthday Nan! Sorry I'm not as creative as others and do not have a clue how to download pictures. Anyway have a great one. Hi Evelyn, I made it! I LOVE that picture of CF, how do you do it?

It's Nan's birthday May I say, dear Nan, that you're number One?

Reminder for P&P fans: For those of you that does not have "Pride & Prejudice" tapes, A&E will be airing P&P this Sunday, 11/28/99 starting 2PM (Eastern standard time) and will show all parts. I'll be watching!

(Nancy)Hi Evelyn, I made it! I LOVE that picture of CF, how do you do it? WELCOME NANCY to Drool... Hey Gang...Nancy is a big JE fan of the library....I told her we wanted her here with all of us. Nancy, all I did was carry that picture home (brute strength!).Karen does all the brain labor!!

Happy Birthday, Nan from your neighbor across the river *waving to you from Joisey* Isn't grad school the pits? It's an endurance test. I hope you're taking some time to enjoy your day.

(BTW, Nan, those were Hockey players on Summer Holiday I chose for your escorts) Aloha Nancy!! I do have a JE Keepsake list...on 113 Moon, you are too much...love your poem! Darlene, wow!!! An actual post from you?! Must be a special occasion (and it is) Cymbelline, Dear, Join the close encounters with CF but not quite close enough...club We all have double takes like that from time to time. I know how embarrassing it can be when you are not alone when they occur!

Have a great Birthday Nan! *consider yourself sung at by me* (and be grateful i'm not there to do it in person, and risk inflicting permanet damage to your delicate ears) :)

NAN!!! Hope you are having a great day! :-D

Once again, Happy Birthday, Nan... Enjoy your day, your year, your life... Forgive me for coming here empty handed, but I've searched all the obvious places for some newer pics of ODB and couldn't find any. Maybe it's because I'm a cyberdumbo! So you'll just have to wait until we get our cf.com archives up and running again and one day every pic worth having will be in there, I promise. Well, nearly. xxx 3:=8) 3:=8) 3:=8) P.S. 30 years old??? Delicate...? Ppppppppppfffffffffft! ;-)

WOW! Where else can you find Colin Firth, Mark Messier, and a surfing pig all on the same page? ;-) Topic 72 rules! ;-) A very happy birthday to you, Nan. Murph says you and I are a lot alike. (Please don't be too upset with her.;-) Have a wonderful year, dear! Love the Italian flag, Moon. Baci e abbracci! Evelyn, that's a gorgeous poster for Sunshine. But who's the guy? ;-) Cymbeline, Philly is even more Firthful than you thought; MLSF is still playing in the far northern 'burbs. Glad you had a nice visit.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Nan!

BTW we got our weekly Ebert tonight, and he loves Mansfield Park. Thinks it's great that they've changed Fanny's character and made her an alter ego of JA's. Didn't mention the sex.

Nan, long time no see ;-D

I forgot to say, "Welcome, Nancy!" I'm a newbie also and a fan of JE's. Sorry to do this but, I hate to see someone miss out. To the person who e-mailed me about specifics on MLSF in the Philly 'burbs: my messages to you keep bouncing back, so I have to do it this way. It's the County Theater in Doylestown, PA. I just checked their website and it looks as though it will be there at least through Sunday. There are good directions there as well, from various points. Go to: http://www.countytheater.org

Great, Mari. I've also emailed the info to Cymbeline. She has one of those addresses that don't come through here correctly, proxies, or some such. One way or another, she will get the info...but will she want to make the long journey??? BTW, has everyone read Cymbeline's Wife of Wessexland's Tale? She posted it at 34, but not everyone reads the fan fic (or do they??) It is sheer brilliance and I am still waiting for the bawdy part. Mr. Chaucer will not rest until it is finished. ;-D Here it is, for those who haven't read it: ********** This isn't exactly fiction, but I post it here b/c calling it a poem is really rather fictional. Shudder, Firthettes and gallant Firthians, wring hands all. For Eros, chestnut-eyed and auburn crown-ed bright Hath bent my humble keyboard to his call. Wherefore I wing you, though my words be trite, That which we long for, e'en with rhymes that pall -- A little touch of Colin in the night: The Wife of Wessexland's Tale When that November with his shoures raw The fevered pitch of summer hath perced down the maw And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which women's secret laughter is the flour; When Edward eek with his mossy breath Inspire-ed hath in every loft and heeth By his video new; And the younge sonne Hath in the low countries from his truelove yronne, And small pigges haven their houre Wherein the cock crows twice albeit the sun do towere. (So pricketh him Maria in her corages) Thanne longen Firthettes to go on pilgrimages And droolers for to seeken straunge strondes Of another country cometh from sondry landes. And specially from every shires ende of Englande to Donmar they wende The father, son, playmaker for to seke Whose velvet voice hath laid us all in ecstasy when that he did speake.

I'm here! I finally made it home from class and then my roomie was on the phone so I couldn't log on... You are all excellent creatures for going to so much trouble for me...especially since I never have the time to stop by anymore. Things have been a bit nuts these last few months. I'm looking forward to winter break (a whole month!) so that I can have some drool time (or sleep time, not sure which is more critical at present) :-/ I'm writing more. I just wanted to let you know that I've arrived. I need to read through the messages. Be right back...

[BETTER BELATED THAN NEVER] GET YOUR NOSE OUTTA THE BOOKSLONG ENOUGH TO ENJOY IT!

Well, I got a Yapp error when I posted that last message. Aaaah, the comforts of home...;-) It's comforting to know that some things never change, even Yapp quirks. (Marcia) How often does a gal turn 30 anyway ;D (Karen) 30!! Really? Why was there a smirk... (Arami) P.S. 30 years old??? Delicate...? Ppppppppppfffffffffft! Well, thanks for clearing that up, Arami ;-p But alas, she speaks the truth. though I'm not all THAT removed from 30, actually calling me 30 is starting to sound delicate ;-D And honey, you never go anywhere empty handed. Any photo you posted couldn't possibly be any more intriguing (or entertaining, depending on your mood) ;-}. (Arami) 3:=8) 3:=8) 3:=8) LOL! I forgot that one. Too funny! ;-D Renate, deer--something about that photo looks familiar ;-p Oh, how I miss those days when we'd spend hours figureing out the best way to touch up a Colin photo. BTW, all those hours did come in handy...I kick some serious Photoshop butt at school. It gave me something to barter with when I needed programming geeks to help me with projects ;-) And my beloved Messier! Man of my dreams, keeper of all things testosterone...:-)~~~ (But couldn't you find him in a Rangers jersey? ;-p) Evelyn, you crack me up. I notice how you just plopped me smack in the middle of the great Ralph debate. I'll admit that some of the comments about him on this board are...er...creative, I also have to say for the record that I like him. Don't misunderstand, he's no Colin and he's certainly no Messier. But a man with such eyes cannot be completely devoid of attraction for me. Besides, I like saying "Rrrrraafe!"...rolls off the tongue, don't you think? ;-D Moon! I thank you for the poem. I'm flattered you'd take so much time to create something like that for me. Love the animated flag too, since we have that paisana thing happening ;-) (Mari)A very happy birthday to you, Nan. Murph says you and I are a lot alike. (Please don't be too upset with her.;-) Mari! I'm very glad to see you here. I had no idea you had joined the fun. Murph has said the same thing about you. And of course I'm not upset with her. As far as I can tell your only flaw is that you're not a Ranger fan ;-p Then again, considering their current record, you can't expect anyone to be a Ranger fan. Hope your Flyers are doing better than we are... Marcia, I do so love to be wished a happy birthday in another language. Makes me feel real continental-like ;-) BTW, I notice that everyone is posting photos of men. Does this say something about me, do you think? ;-p (Eileen) Happy Birthday, Nan from your neighbor across the river *waving to you from Joisey* Wavin' back atcha from the city, babe! ;-) Isn't grad school the pits? It's an endurance test. And it feels like a Pap smear...:-/ Whoa! Did I say that? Well, if nothing else grad school has taught me to cut to the chase. I'm sure that line gave you all an instant vision of my semester thus far ;-) (SB) *consider yourself sung at by me* Okeedokee ;-) (and be grateful i'm not there to do it in person, and risk inflicting permanet damage to your delicate ears) :) Honey, there ain't a delicate thing about me...and I'm getting less and less delicate all the time ;-p Karen and Heide, thanks for welcoming me back. BTW, naughty Karen-girl...where did you get that flasher? Not that I object, mind you, I was just curious as to where you've been surfing ;-p I must return to work (have a 3D project due on Wednesday *sigh*) but I thank you all, old friends and new, for taking time out of your lives to celebrate my birthday. You have no idea how much I needed a boost and this was it ;-D When the semester is over and the dust settles, I'll come back wearing my big rubber boots. So get ready to lay it on thick, ladies. I'll need the diversion by then... Many thanks again. Much love, Nan (La Gardienne du Bicorne Incroyable, not to be confused with HIS INCROYABLE, devoted friend of the WET SHIRT, yada yada yada...) Geez, it's been ages since I typed that. It felt GOOD ;-D

Happy Birthday Nan.

Happy birthday Nan!

Happy Belated Birthday, Nan!!

For those who have been wondering how High Fidelity is being done, here's a paragraph from the AICN site (and I didn't even need to edit out the "so-called" more colorful language): Stephen Frears' "High Fidelity" with John Cusack completely pulls off something that is rarely done well: Cusack talks to the camera. A lot. And it works. Perfectly. Shoving a novel into a film is frequently a hard thing to do, and for most filmmakers use voice over as a cheap cop-out that means they don't need to do the real work of trying make external the internal. Breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the audience is risky, and can leave you with the worse of both worlds. But here, it's per ect. It's something this character would do, not something the filmmaker put in his mouth. And on top of it all, this film of Cusack's character looking back at failed relationships is really, really funny. Smart funny, not this "Big Daddy" crap that pollutes the multiplexes these days. (Not that Cusack would have gotten near a project like that.) Watch the ads blow the best jokes, though.

Mari, Happy Belated Birthday! When was it anyway? Welcome to drool, love to see other newbies as well. Nan, where are you in the city and where do you go to school? I'm also in the city (work in midtown), its good to know that we have something in common in this big apple. Eileen, hello to you from this side of the river.

Tineke! Long time no see...;-) (Nancy) Nan, where are you in the city and where do you go to school? I live in midtown and go to NYU. It's a schlepp, but I've grown used to the subway...:-/ I'm also in the city (work in midtown), its good to know that we have something in common in this big apple. We have all kinds of things in common...even our names ;-) Tell me, did you have a hard time finding a license plate for your bike as a child? It was always sold out around here... Once again, thanks everyone for the good wishes (both here and in email). You made my day ;-)

NANCY!! Forgive me for not welcoming you properly before, but I had thought you posted before--after I emailed you the instructions. Make yourself comfortable and enjoy all our topics. :-D

(Nan) But couldn't you find him in a Rangers jersey? Ahhh, the good old days... BTW, naughty Karen-girl...where did you get that flasher? Not that I object, mind you, I was just curious as to where you've been surfing ;-p Scroll up to Esbee's birthday party. Note the pic with the foot. Sorry, Karen, I couldn't resist! Nancy, hope you can leave work early tomorrow--worst travel day of the year in these parts. Ugh.

(Nan) BTW, naughty Karen-girl...where did you get that flasher? Not that I object, mind you, I was just curious as to where you've been surfing ;-p In answer, well... we all can't be as good and wholesome as you, Nan! ;-p I am learning so. Feet and their adornments, including rubber boots, are a major fetish area!!

(Karen)BTW, has everyone read Cymbeline's Wife of Wessexland's Tale? Yew sweet thang! You should be ODB's agent. At the least you would bring him out of his bad humor of last week. In the interests of even more ego-feeding, I'm posting the revised version, slightly more referential. I knew I should have let it simmer a couple more days -- Shudder, Firthettes and gallant Firthians, wring hands all, For Eros, chestnut-eyed and auburn-crowned delight, Hath bent my humble keyboard to his call, Wherefore I wing you, though my words be trite, That which we long for, e'en though the rhymes may pall, A little touch of Colin in the night - The Wyfe of Wessexland's Tale When that November with his shoures raw The fevered pitch of summer hath per-ced down the maw And bath-ed every veyne in swich licour Of which women's secret laughter is the flour; When Edward eek with his mossy breath Inspire-ed hath in every loft and heeth By his video new; And the yonge sonne In the low countries from his truelove yronne; And small pigges haven their houre Wherein the cock crow'th twice although the sunne do towere (So priketh hem Maria in her corages); Thanne longen Firthettes to go on pilgrimages, And droolers for to seeken straunge strondes Of another country tumbledown from sondry landes. And specially from every shires ende of Englande to Donmar they wende, The father, sonne, playmaker for to seke Whose velvet voice doth hold us hostages to ecstasy when that he do speake.

Karen, thank you for the welcome sign. Now I really feel like I belong. I also thank you for bringing me into drool, I love the topics of discussions but of my favorite is about our CF. Eileen, do you work in the city? I actually live out in Westchester and my commute shouldn't be too bad. Gettingout early tomorrow? Out of all days, I have to take a client out to lunch!! AAgghh!! Nan, NYU! you must be having a great time. I have some friends that went to NYU undergrad and some on grad school and they all loved it. Just love the village. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you out there!

(Nancy) Eileen, do you work in the city? Heaven forbid! Love the poem, Cymbeline. Wherein the cock crow'th twice Heeheehee

Cymbeline... the poem is marvelous! *clap clap* You should pop over to 113 and pick out some keepsakes -then favor us with more poetry *hee hee* ;)

OH - and welcome Nancy!!! (cant remember if i ever offically welcomed you) I'm so glad you've joined in the idolizing of ODB! EsBee :)

Nancy, where is Westchester? I grew up and graduated from New Rochelle HS as did my sisters. Small world and all that...(so what am I doing in Hawaii?!)

113 ia open for business...just make a request and I shall enroll you there, providing that your item has not been taken by another worthy Firthette (yeesh!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARLENE Your lie for your birthday... http://www.leisofhawaii.com/d.jpg (YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT TILL TOMORROW FOR THE REST...)

...and that is a LEI....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARLENE! HOPE YOU LOVED LISBON! We're sure you loved Gi.

Happy Birthday Darlene! Have a wonderful day and eat lots of cake and ice cream xoxox EsBee

Can't remember on which topic I put my Thanksgiving greetings, but I put my solipsistic American foot in my narcissistic American mouth, so will revise by saying Happy Thanksgiving to all on the west side of the pond who live north of the Mexican border and south of the Canadian not forgetting those in Alaska and on outlying islands even unto Guam where America's day begins and of course all Americans living abroad.

Are you sure you got everybody, Cymbeline? ;-D

Thank you, from the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Cymbelline!!!

Darlene's lei for when she awakens

A little something to slip into for Breakfast...

Something for dinner, a canary diamond of "important size" Something to soothe your eyes...

Marcia, is that eye-soother an opal? Loved the canary diamond ring. ;-) Happy Birthday Darlene! Welcome to our v. merry group, Nancy!

Happy Birthday Darlene! Its the newbie. Thanks for your welcome, moon. I'm getting hooked! HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Happy birthday, Darlene! And if you fall within Cymbeline's comprehensive turkey day boundaries.... Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DARLENE, HAVE A BALL

Happy Birthday, Darlene. It's been a while!!!!

Un Tango I couldn't get Jorge and Nelida, the tango dancers in your painting, to come and dance for your birthday, so I asked another couple, Leo and Eugenia, who agreed: And here's a little something to toast your birthday: and someone to toast it with: Happy Birthday, Darlene!

I meant Colin's pic to be larger!

Happy Thanksgiving! I could not resist the cow-thing! ;-D

What's with this 'Moo' thing? I hate tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

...they're gaining on me...

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

From my desk ... at work ... with barely a hint of envy: HAPPY YANKSGIVING also Happy Birthday (belatedly) Nan & Darlene

Thanks, Mark. We Yanks appreciate the sentiment. Think of us tomorrow too. Most of us will not be at our desks at work then either - traditional start of the Holiday shopping season, you know.;-) Other ladies above - why are you not busy peeling potatoes? I am heading to MaMa's with my peeler as we speak. Meanwhile the men are exercising their thumb for heavy remote control action today. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I want to thank all who send me birthday greetings. Eileen the dancing turkeys were so clever. Evelyn, yes I did have a ball last night, without seals yet! (we will meet in London, right?) It was good to hear from Laura again, it has been awhile, your daughter is probably old enough to vote by now. Mark, I am always happy to accept belated greetings. Marcia your lei was lovely, should I keep it in the refrig? Gi, I was really impressed with the dancing couple, especially the music, I think my Tango painting kinda glowed when I played it. Of course it was sooo nice to share all this with Darcy. This might be a good time to share some of the trip to Lisbon. On our first day there (after 36 hours with no sleep), Gi, Antonio and Patas pick us up at hotel to have lunch at at beautiful seaside restaurant. I brought a couple of small gifts for Gi, and the timing was great. On the ride Gi explained to Jim (my SO) about her virtual bridal shower. She told of the dancing Spam cans, Spam jewelery etc. Well, her first gift was a real can of Spam in a satin drawstring bag. While she was opening her sec nd gift, Antonio was muttering something about going to London in Jan. to see some actor. Of course her second gift was an autographed picture of CF as Darcy. We had great fun. If any of you get a chance to visit Lisbon, please do. It is a delightful city. It has something of the feel of Paris, but much cleaner, and more afordable. The scenery at times was breathtaking. People are very friendly, and the food is terrific and so inexpensive. They have castles,palaces and lovely old streets to walk. One afternoon Gi took us to see her art show (I was lucky enough to have one of her Tango paintings waiting for me to take home),then we toured an old church which housed the tomb of asco da Gama and Camoes, then off to a quaint tea. I've traveled quite a bit since I retired early this year, and Lisbon is on the top of my list to revisit. Of course the Gi,Antonio and Patas connection made all the difference. I want to thank them for all they did for a couple of strangers.

No Captain For 'Corelli' Director quits because of illness. Perhaps Nicolas Cage should be getting worried at the moment. Not only has his role in the ill-fated 'Superman Lives' apparently disappeared, but work on an adaptation of Louis de Bernieres' novel 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin' has suffered a setback. The reason? 'Notting Hill' director Roger Michell recently suffered a heart attack and as a result has decided to pull out of the project. It's well known Michell was keen to make 'Corelli' - it was his decision to have Hugh Grant reading the novel at the end of 'Notting Hill'. Cage is due to take the lead in the story of an Italian soldier and his company who are drafted to a Greek island during the Second World War. The locals are mistrustful but Corelli's happy-go-lucky attitude to their occupation of Cephalonia and his growing love for one of the local girls soon breaks down barriers.

Thank you very much for your kind comments, Darlene. But how can a fellow Firthian consider herself a stranger, especially after taking part in my bridal shower? Actually, it was a pleasure to meet you and Jim, and fun to try to be your guides without imposing our presence - which we couldn't do anyway because we had to work. We are looking forwards to meeting you again and sharing some foraging for art and antiques :-)

Thanks Darlene for sharing your Lisbon holiday. Portugal is a beautiful country...but its greatest asset are the incomparabe friendly and generous people.

That was a delightful story, Darlene. We know Gi and Antonio must have been generous hosts. I envy you your freedom to travel but love to hear your stories. Hope to see you continuing to post.

About TWINE, the critics were split. There were those who criticized it because it had recycled material in it (i.e., the remote-controlled car, although it was the brand-new Z8 this time); too much M (Judi Dench), who goes out into the field; Brosnan was too slight of build, etc. Nearly universal (except Ebert as I recall) was criticism re: Denise Richards, to which I wholly agree. Denise Richards actually made Lana Wood (Plenty O'Toole) look good! Robert Carlyle had the most bizarre accent, sort of ransylvannia-like. He was not a particularly good Bond villain. That being said, Sophie Marceau was excellent. She had the meatiest Bond woman role I think that's ever been written. Bond movies are based on a known formula. A villain, a sacrificial lamb woman, and another woman who goes with him. The innuendo, gadgets, and locations have become standard. In TWINE, there's a turn toward the serious. They went light on the jokes (which is good IMO). The opening sequence that everyone is raving about, well, it was OK and little too long. I was fortunate that a guy sitting behind me was really into all the innuendo comments. He was loudly laughing at them and they were pretty good. Hey, Bond movies are Bond movies and thank god that Roger Moore is no longer in them! :-D

A very belated Happy Birthday Darlene.

Oh, I have to share this. Guess who was on The View this morning? No, not *him.*;-) RALPH FIENNES! Too bad I didn't see the listing until tonight or I would have taped it. For anyone not familiar with The View, let's just say that this is the oddest possible combination of guest and talk show. He was on with Stephen Rea; I assume they're promoting The End Of The Affair, which I think opens here on Friday. I do give credit where it's due, however; Ralph is out there, backing his projects. Good for him. And what classy projects they are! I'd better not say any more.;-)

Evelyn said he was great on the show. Has definitely been taking lessons in having a personality. Barely cringed when one of them brutalized her pronunciation of Onegin (you can imagine).

Rafe was also on the Today Show yesterday. Julieanne Moore was on this morning. He is really doing PR these days. Let me tell you he looked v. comfortable with that group of women on The View...laughed, joked...at one point gave Star a big smooch... no kidding. I saw him on the Today show three years ago plugging TEP and he couldn't even look at Katie Couric in the eye. Defintely has been coached since then. Obviously he has caught on to the fact that the industry has changed. Actors can no longer walk away from a film when the director says the last "cut". A film is a product that h s to be marketed.And what better sales persons than the cast.

Was also on Charlie Rose last night.

The thing about RF--the three things actually. 1. He makes serious movies. 2. He stars. 3. His roles usually encompass more than the male sexual lead. 1.Either they are about issues: Quiz show--TEP--Schindler's List Corruption, scandal, war, and of course the Holocaust. You can't get much more serious than that. So people think they've done something important when they've seen them. Or they are classics--TEOTA--Onegin. And note that he didn't make either of these until he had established himself as a Serious Person with the issue ones. IMO Onegin is pure oneupmanship. It's right up there with Hamlet, the Iliad, and the Odyssey as one of the greats of all time. So you did a classic, I'm doing an epic; you did prose, I'm doing verse; you did an English work, I'm doing a Russian, you did Austen, I'm doing Pushkin. Who's cooler now? 2. He stars. His name precedes the title. He gets the fame and the interviews and the talk shows. He doesn't support; he's not a character actor; he gets the girl, he doesn't lose her. 3. His heroes do more than provide the sexual attraction. Although P&P is my favorite novel, and I am second to none in my adoration of Darcy, he really doesn't do much besides be rich and handsome. His transformation is effected in the cause of winning the girl. No larger outside issues intrude. So people don't realize the importance of what Austen was trying to say and don't think they've done anything but enjoy themselves after seeing P&P. You can think of CF movies that could have been made those ways. A0 could have dealt with the question of the Argentine disappeareds. Tumbledown could have dealt with the issue of colonialist war. FF could have dealt more seriously with drugs, mental illness, or the art scene. We know the objections re SLOW. Even FP could have dealt with sports obsession and violence on both public and family levels. But those aren't the kind of movies they are. And in the ones that do deal with bigger issues--SIL, TEP, ATA--he supports. OK, wake up, everyone. Just a little midmorning drone. Even

(Cymbeline). His heroes do more than provide the sexual attraction. Although P&P is my favorite novel, and I am second to none in my adoration of Darcy, he really doesn't do much besides be rich and handsome. His transformation is effected in the cause of winning the girl. I think there is nothing deeper than the transformation of the self. Darcy may be rich and handsome, but he changes and manages to create change in another person, Elizabeth. I always take offense when critics dismiss Austen as a "woman novelist", or her works as "feminine literature". I don't even consider her novels as being of "manners" as many people call them, but novels about the essence of humanity, about how to reconcile one's beliefs with society. Pardon me, but it sounds to me as if you are find ng fault with CF's choice of works in comparison with RF. Have I misinterpreted your post? I have no problem with RF, but the merit of a certain film has nothing to do IMO with whether it is a classic, an epic or a simple comedy. There are lots of so-called 'epic' movies that are pure trash, while there are others that have no such pretentions but are more deserving. So you did a classic, I'm doing an epic; you did prose, I'm doing verse; you did an English work, I'm doing a Russian, you did Austen, I'm doing Pushkin. Who's cooler now? I don't understand why he is cooler. Are you implying that Austen is a bit of fluff? Every work is different, and in truth, RF would have made a horrible Darcy, but I can well imagine CF as the soldier in Schindler's List. Everyone has his or her place. CF is a classically trained actor and he can do Shakespeare as well as RF can, so I do not see why the derision. He stars. His name precedes the title. He gets the fame and the interviews and the talk shows. That does not make RF a better actor, or his movies better. If he had not been in Schindler's List (in which he had a supporting role, and played a villain), he would be just another English actor. Sometimes it is just a matter of chance. May I ask you to elaborate on your comments? I don't know whether you are blaming CF because he is not as famous, or being sarcastic about RF's success.

That must be the reason he does not promote. And to think he also did Londinium! But it is the season to be jolly and I refuse to be brought down. ;-)