NYTimes article on Renee (requires registration): http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/08/arts/08HASK.html "...she nevertheless manages to win, convincingly, the hearts of two breathtakingly attractive men: Hugh Grant as the infamous Daniel, Bridget's womanizing boss, and Colin Firth as Mark Darcy (reprising his heartthrob role as Jane Austen's hero in the BBC "Pride and Prejudice.") Mr. Grant has dropped the faux-innocent mannerisms of recent films and is more appealing as a bit of a sleaze than he ever was as a male ingenue, while Mr. Firth manages, with one sexy glower, to summon up all those misogynistic heroes of 19th-century women's novels who are brought back to life by the sheer spunk of an unconventional heroine � in this case, a girl with a heart on her sleeve and knickers on her bottom."

RE: NY Times aritcle--Molly Haskell is a noted feminist author, so it's interesting to get her take on things. Some other noteworthy bits: "Austen's Pride and Prejudice is the beating pulse of Bridget Jones, the book and the movie . . . If Maguire occasionally errs on the side of broadness, one of the very literate delights is the way book and movie, film and literature, play off each other; this is intertextuality with a vengeance." "As Bridget, Zellweger is not a pushover by any means, or entirely lovable: she guzzles chardonnay, gossips, is a little too ``needy'' in current psycho-parlance and can be as tart-tongued as any Austen heroine. One look at Mark Darcy's reindeer sweater when they first meet and her Bridget is as withering as any fashion snob, as prone to prejudice as Austen's Elizabeth Bennet."

RZ is wearing a scarf in that picture and she does not wear one at the end of the film. ;-) Nor much else. ;-D That shot is before they go up to her flat. For all those who have seen the movie, check out the Spoiler topic. Thanks, Ann, for the NY Times article. Interesting that Molly didn't like the book, but thinks the movie is far better and the changes have made Bridget much more palatable and believable. This is glowing praise. Wonder what Time will say. Will they get off their feminist high horses? Answer on Monday. ;-D

Tineke (congrats, btw), Murph, Karen, hope you don't mind I used your picture for scientific purpose: http://www.firth.com/bjd/2xdarcy.html Question: Do you think it was intention or by accident they used the (almost) identical wine glass? And is there something like a red Chardonnay?

"The actress has lost Bridget's extra pounds, but let's hope she never loses the magic that makes her such an unusual star. " Great article. I think we can safely say that Renee's sticker price has now gone up.

Am shocked no one was curious to see rest of the teaser pics. So I've just put them up on the Premiere page. They are Colin and more Colin. ;-D http://www.spring.net/karenr/mdbro/bjdprem.html BTW, for equal time, here's something for the guys:

Nice analysis, Renate, but as you'll see, those pics represent such very different points in the story. (aloof vs totally thawed) ;-D

Heads up, Roger Ebert and his new partner (Ropert?, the Siskel replacement) will be reviewing BJD next weekend on TV. Check your local listings.

The Movie Mom website has rating for BJD. Says the audience is for 16 and older, yet the movie is rated R, which means 17 and older. Also says there is no nudity. They must have missed those naked people on the floor. ;-) And under violence/scariness, it says "comic fistfight." v. scary indeed http://www.moviemom.com/apps/showreview.cfm?ReviewID=298 Another review from internet whippersnapper: http://www.sick-boy.com/bridgetjones.htm Lovely one, but a woman who gets it, although she got who was apologizing throughout the fight scene wrong: http://adfilmworks.com/films2001/bridgetjonessdiary.html "As the two suitors, Grant and Firth are wonderfully cast....The solemn Mark Darcy is at the opposite end of the spectrum: brooding, condescending yet ultimately capable of sturdy commitment and gourmet cooking. The very casting is in homage to the BBC production of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE in which Firth played the brooding Mr. Darcy. Bridget (and author Fields) clearly has her crushes in high places."

Fox New Channel will have a BJD story in next week's "Celebrity Spotlight". I also liked the film better than the book. BJ of the book was maddening to me. BJ of the movie is a bit of a screw-up, but she's much more proactive about her life.

Ann, when does the Celebrity Spotlight air?

Am shocked no one was curious to see rest of the teaser pics I took them as the physical manifestation of contradictory career moves.

Lizza - I too watched Parky and was most dis-chuffed that there were no CF clips, however BJ's walkout scnene was hilarious. I agree with everything you said about Huge, he is clearly Rent-an-A**e with a ready quip and unsavoury anecdote on any subject. But loved seeing him squirm when Parky asked about Liz, & touched upon that incident. He did mention DB in passing but only to regurgitate the 'telling the stunt co-ordinator to p***-off' and RZ was only an opportunity to use the Princess Margaret line again..*yawn*

This is all so excitng but frustrating also because have os little time to get to pc and comment. Re Huge Gnat (love that, Karen) on Parkinson. I laughed out loud to start with; he was very funny but then as you sy, it began to pall. My DH appeared half way through, took one look at the screen and said "he is ill" (should point out my DH is a doctor). I didn't think he looked ill but thought he looked tired but also as the interview progressed, I thought he was a rather desperate man. He showed no interest in the other guests and when a comment was made to him , to include him in general conversation, he just hogged the limelight. And as for his mother and the cat. That was weird.

Also in the Sunday Telegraph, an article about the producers, Bevan and Feller, is that right. Told you I was in a hurry, can no longer find the paper! It gives a good insight into the finances of the project (the article is in the Business Section). They seem to think that success in the UK is assured. What they are really worried about is the States. The first weekend is the big one which determines everything. From this, it is easy to see why they are flogging HG. Even in the UK I saw an add which made on mention of MD but had clips of all the bawdiest bits, including anal sex (yuk). This is to draw in the young men 18 to 25. If they can get them to go, success is assured. They are not going to be impressed by CF or MD; they couldn't aspire to it;-) As Evelyn says if the film makes $$$$$ then CF will win - even if he is not mentioned by the publicists. Clever guy. He might end up having his cake and eating it. Or put another way, making mucho lire and getting to spend quality time at Sainsburys.

but had clips of all the bawdiest bits, including anal sex (yuk). Not possible! I thought they were poking fun at Hugh and his divine arrest in LA. I can understand that a lot of people will think that it is about anal sex. That was part of my DH's comment that it was unnecessarily vulgar. What did everyone think? Which one is it? (no pun intended)

Love your London Prem page Karen. Thanks. I am of course not surprised at the modesty you have shown in not wishing to promote pictures of your own glowing (it sure was cold!) entrance at the NY Prem last Monday. For those not in the know I believe you were introduced as the author of "the definitive web-site on Bridget Jones" to some of the press as well. Eric Fellner (the one that looks like a young Duke of Kent!) who introduced the film was so impressed by your faux snakeskin Miramax souvenir sash , which said "So talented, it sucks." that he promptly forgot Colin was even in the film let alone one of the stars. Of course your image was slightly dented when you and your companions whooped at the entrance of a mere "walk on" extra, even if he was dressed in Burberry, during the film. And finally rumours of you leaving, even before Jamie O'Neal, for a hip Italian restaurant in an up and coming "village" are not exagerated, although People magazine may have got hold of the storyline that earlier in the evening you were heard asking stray men for a date at the theatre entrance. Of course, as we often say here, where Karen goes Geri Halliwell will have to follow.

Lizza! ROTF! Way to go "So talented, it sucks" Karen!

Karen, Were you really introduced at the Premiere? Way to go, girl!

(Lassie) Karen,Were you really introduced at the Premiere? She sure was ..to the press. LMAO...Lizza ...that was great...She did mingle with the hoi -poloi too... Standing right next to RC... A night to remember...what a hoot...Wish you all could have been there..

LMAO...Lizza ...that was great...She did mingle with the hoi -poloi too... Standing right next to RC... A night to remember...what a hoot...Wish you all could have been there.. So...will we get to see some pictures of this?! Congratulations, Karen!!! But then you being the author of the definitive BJD Movie website is NOT news to your fans here!

So...that's how you got tickets... Nice coup...

Ann, when does the Celebrity Spotlight air? } Not sure. I think it was on today at 1:30 Central, but my paper said it should have been on at 2pm Central--so something is mixed up. ------- I actually had about 4 hispanic (at least they were speaking what sounded like Spanish to me) guys sitting behind me at the Sat. screening--no women with them. I thought that was a bit strange, since it would seem to be more a chick-flick type of film. I don't know whether they liked it or not, but seeing them there was a hopeful sign, I think, that it can attract guys.

Just checked FoxNews.com, they seem confused about their schedule too. Their Saturday listing shows Celebrity Spotlight playing at 8 am Eastern, but if you follow the link to the CS page, it says Saturdays at 2 pm Eastern (but then, a special was on today at 2pm, so maybe that threw their schedule off, which is why I saw it on Sunday at 1:30pm Cent, when their schedule doesn't list it on Sundays at all.) I think all that boils down to it being on 2pm Eastern Saturdays, maybe.

faux snakeskin Miramax souvenir sash, which said "So talented, it sucks." You mean the ones we picked up on Canal Street with Prada stamped on them? ;-D I may have hurt our chances of being invited back again when Richard Curtis overheard me lamenting the lack of insipidly dopey lines. How this was not vintage Curtis material. ;-D

Just saw a commercial for "Regis & Kelly, Live" (ABC talk show): HG will be the guest tomorrow (today, actually), Monday, April 9. Its on ch. 7 @ 9am (NYC metro area). Apparently, plugging BJD.

Karen, congrats on the deserved recognition. Fantastic!

Congrats ladies, you've made it to the tabloids! Colin's dad comments in the Mirror on the fact that a group of American women actually travelled all the way to see him at the Donmar! Must have made a lasting impression in the Firth household. There's a 2 page spread, mostly re-cycled old stuff I think. But a few comments from Colin's dad. Also a pic of CF at school in the US and a comment from his teacher, and a pic of him at 6th form college. For tabloid stuff, it's all very mild...nothing nasty at all. Mentions birth of son. Also his dad says that he (CF) has lost all his grandparents in the last 5 years...the surviving one died a few weeks ago and he was v. upset. This must be online? Also interview in Times and good pic.

Incase it isn't online....snippets... His dad says when he was younger he formed a band with some friends, playing guitar and being the lead singer. He describes him as "quite an excitable person who likes larking around. He's very noisy - the life and soul of the party. He's a very dominant personality....he's very close to his family and tries to see as much of them as possible". His teacher in the US, Carol Welstahoff says "I think it was a lonely time (for him) but he spent a lot of it reading. He was a very conscientious top of the class student." A distinct lack of shocking revelations!

Here's the text from the Mirror article. I wish the online version had the pictures! http://www.mirror.co.uk/shtml/FEATURES/P22S2.shtml FROM DUSTMAN TO DARCY CHAMPAGNE glass in hand and surrounded by celebrities, actor Colin Firth couldn't stop smiling. The Bridget Jones's Diary star was over the moon and wanted the world to know it. But his proud grin at the London premiere last week marked a personal milestone as well as a professional triumph. He had become a dad a few days earlier. His Italian wife, Livia Giuggiolo, gave birth to their son less than a week before the premiere, but still made it to the star-studded party. Friends say the couple, who married four years ago, are "walking on air" after the arrival of the longed-for baby. It has been an unforgettable few weeks for the 40-year-old actor who once worked as a dustman and stuffed his worn-out shoes with cardboard because he had no money for new ones. His career has been advancing steadily since his sullen scowl, wet shirt and tight breeches as Mr Darcy in the BBC's Pride And Prejudice six years ago turned him into a pin-up overnight. Now his ironic performance as love interest Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones's Diary looks set to make him one of the biggest names in British films - a very English heart-throb to rank alongside Hugh Grant and Rupert Graves. But as our pictures show, he wasn't always so dashing. In his student days, he wore flares, an orange waistcoat and dodgy rocker hairdo as he larked around with friends for the 1979 end-of-year photo at Barton Peveril sixth-form college at Eastleigh, Hants. Mr Darcy would not have been impressed by their antics as a friend playfully hooked a walking stick round Colin's neck. But his time at college did mark a turning-point. He took up drama, discovered rock music - especially Genesis and The Who - and became a pin-up for the first time. Teacher Penny Edwards remembers that he was a hit with the girls as well as being one of the lads. She says: "He was very sociable and a lot of the girls liked him. THIS really beautiful girl had a terrible crush on him, but they never got together. It became a running joke. "Colin was very sensitive to literature and had this stage presence. "I wasn't surprised he did so well. Underneath the laddish exterior was quite a shrewd character who knew exactly what he wanted to do." College was the first time he really felt accepted and started making serious plans for an acting career. Before that he'd floundered around, unsure of how to go about chasing his dreams. Travelling seemed to be in his blood, but it meant that he was never in one place long enough to settle down. Born in Grayshott, Hants, he spent his childhood moving around as his father, a teacher, travelled abroad to work. Today, with an Italian wife, an American ex and an 11-year-old Canadian- American son, William, Firth spends much of his time flying all over the world. His teacher parents David and Shirley were born in India and carried on travelling as Colin was growing up. At two weeks old they took him to Nigeria. He showed early signs of being an entertainer. Banned from watching TV, he took up piano lessons and kept his sister Kate and brother Jonathan amused with jokes and impressions. David says: "Colin always had a very vivid imagination. He loved dressing up and really liked Batman." Soon, the piano lessons were replaced by Saturday-morning acting classes run by Freda Kelsall, who was to coach him for 10 years. She is a close friend, and flew to Italy for his wedding to Livia. When Colin was 11, the family moved again - this time to America, setting up home in St Louis, Missouri. Posing in a lumberjack shirt for his high-school yearbook picture, he looks every inch the all-American kid. But he was shunned by the other pupils for being different and became a loner. He said later: "It was a really nasty school. I was put in a class of guys with long hair, earrings and combat jackets with drugs slogans on their backs who would bring drugs to school. I was still into train sets." Teacher Carol Welstahoff remembers: "The others kids didn't take to him because he was different. To them, he was your stereotypical English schoolboy. "I think it was a lonely time, but he spent a lot of it reading. He was a very conscientious, top-of-the-class student." His dad explains: "He would have found it difficult fitting in at any school - partly because of moving and partly because he wanted to go off and follow his own interests. He started a band with some friends, playing the guitar and being the lead singer." Back in England, the family moved to Winchester and Colin went to Montgomery of Alamein secondary school - in the class above comedian Jack Dee - after failing his 11-plus. But he felt he was seen as "posh" because of his middle-class upbringing. He recalls: "There was a whole area of playground chat I couldn't join in. WE didn't have popular culture, I hadn't seen Crossroads, Magpie or Randall and Hopkirk." The teachers despised him, he believes. He says: "I had the intelligence, but never worked out how to do exams. Arrogance got me through school." He took part-time jobs as a dustman and paperboy, but never seriously contemplated anything but acting. By the time he got to college, his mind was made up. He auditioned for drama schools and spent a summer working with the National Youth Theatre. Determined to make it, Colin moved again, to London. He worked in a series of poorly-paid jobs at the Shaw Theatre and National Theatre, eventually winning a place with a grant at the Drama Centre. He lived in a rundown bedsit in North London, and times were hard. Freda recalls: "I went to see him and he didn't have much money - he had holes in his shoes and was going to walk two miles to a play. "But he was determined. I thought: `This boy is going somewhere.' "And he has. He's a lovely person. He might be a heart-throb, but he's still got his feet on the ground. He never stops talking, and he's very funny - very kind." Firth didn't have to wait long for his big break. In his last year at the Drama Centre, he was snapped up for a starring part in Another Country on the West End stage. His proud father says: "We never dreamt he would be straight on to the West End stage. Then he was in the film version. It was about rebels against the system, so it was quite appropriate. Seeing him on stage was amazing, but the thing that made the biggest impact was going down the road past the Shaftesbury Theatre and seeing his portrait, huge, outside." Colin had a string of stage and TV roles, including playing a policeman in the Granada series Crown Court in 1984. By 1988, it looked as if Hollywood was beckoning when he won the title role in the costume drama Valmont. But the movie flopped and he was off on his travels again - this time to British Columbia with his co-star, American actress Meg Tilly. They set up home in a forest cabin and had their son William. Firth wrote fiction and developed a handy streak, but the relationship ended after five years and he returned to England. He started bagging new roles, including the lead in the film Fever Pitch. He also acquired some new lovers, including his Pride And `Prejudice co- star Jennifer Ehle, before meeting Livia. Although the series based on Jane Austen's novel made him a household name, Colin gets tired of the Darcy label. He said: "I enjoyed the recognition in some ways, but it was as if my whole career came down to that one part. It wasn't really me that everyone was crazy about - it was the character." DAVID adds: "I think people are quite shocked when they meet him. They expect him to be like Darcy, but he is quite an excitable person who likes larking around. "He's very noisy - the life and soul of the party. He's a very dominant personality. He doesn't get recognised much, because he doesn't look like Darcy in his own clothes. But he was in a play in London and a group of American women arrived to see it. They had travelled all that way to see him." Now his fans have had to accept that Colin is spoken for. He fell in love with student Livia, now 31, on the set of another BBC production, Nostromo. They married in Italy in 1997 and live in Islington, North London. Despite his hectic schedule, he always finds time for his family. His sister Kate, 38, is a voice coach and brother Jonathan, 33, is an actor. Their dad says: "He is very close to his family and tries to see as much of them as possible. He lost four grandparents in the last five years. One of the funerals was only a few weeks ago and he was there, very upset." With a successful career and new baby to fuss over, it looks as if the nomadic Mr Darcy may be settling down at last. He said recently: "I've always felt stimulated by change and travel and things that are new, but as I've got older I've felt the need to put down roots." Modestly, he adds: "I never believed I had the capacity to be a star. Sometimes I can't get my head round the fact that I'm a dad and successful. It doesn't seem likemy story." c.donnelly@mirror.co.uk

Just FYI, Lizza was joking. Absolutely none of that happened. :-) (Bethan) Must have made a lasting impression in the Firth household. Mari, could it be that Aunt and Uncle F told David? (Bethan) A distinct lack of shocking revelations! Are you not amazed that his father spoke to the media? Wasn't there an incident when his mother was quoted long ago and CF was upset about it? a very English heart-throb to rank alongside Hugh Grant and Rupert Graves Rupert Graves, who has gone onto become....???? ;-D

Some of it did, you are just sooo modest , it sucks my dear.:')

All Evelyn's Donmar lurking paid off then!!

BTW there is a picture of Colin on the front of the paper with the headline "Firth Born." I was quite amused to see that didn't appear to know the baby's name even! You heard it here first.

Some of it did, you are just sooo modest , it sucks my dear.:') Second. *evelyn, who wuz there*

And of course behind every definitive faux sash wearer, is her "wheeler and dealer," also making things happen! Hats off to you Evie.

Rubbish, utter rubbish, except for the part where Lizza was overheard propositioning Eric Fellner (aka Handsome Man in the credits to Elizabeth) ;-D

"Are you not amazed that his father spoke to the media? Wasn't there an incident when his mother was quoted long ago and CF was upset about it? " I think it was Livia's mother who spoke to the press.

Lizza, LOL at your post about the NY premiere. Hurrah! Karen is world-renowned webmaster/whiz woman! (Karen) You mean the ones we picked up on Canal Street with Prada stamped on them? And that would be the 'Pra-duh' line, spread out on a blanket, no? Regarding the Mirror article, what's this about Col' attending college? Also, Colin doesn't strike me as having 'motor mouth' tendencies.

close Sorry about that. Got things reversed. :-)

There's a transcript of HF's online chat at the UK BJD site: http://www.msn.co.uk/Page/34-612-696.asp Here's the last question: MSN Live: One last question, Helen. Well, two. Will you write about Bridget again? If you don�t, would you miss her? Helen: I feel very protective about Bridget and so if I write about her again, it would have to be for a very good reason and a very good story to tell. I don't miss her, because she's always there. If something embarrassing happens to me, I always imagine it happens to Bridget, and how much more embarrassing she could have possibly made it be...

Review by James Berardinelli (3-1/2 stars out of 4) Bridget Jones's Diary is, quite simply, the finest motion picture released by Miramax Films since 1999's The Cider House Rules. Based on the novel by Helen Fielding, the screenplay for Bridget Jones's Diary (written by Four Weddings and a Funeral scribe Richard Curtis) successfully adapts the book into an easily-manageable 90 minute chunk while retaining much of the humor and remaining faithful to the tone. Bridget Jones's Diary is smart, sassy, and thoroughly enjoyable, and features one of the most endearing and believable characters to grace the screen this year. The film tells the story of a year in the life of an average, single, thirty-something British woman, who, armed with only her wits and charm (and a diary), goes in search of the ever-elusive Mr. Right. Unlucky-in-love Bridget (Renee Zellweger) has two candidates: the fun and sexy Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) and the dour Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), whom she overhears calling her a "verbally incontinent spinster" when they first meet at a party. Not surprisingly, she goes for Daniel, but he turns out to be a less-than-perfect catch. Then, just when her interest in Mark begins to emerge (following his statement that he likes her just as she is), he hooks up with man-eating lawyer Natasha (Embeth Davidtz), who is determined to marry him. Meanwhile, her parents' marriage is on the rocks and she embarks upon a career in television news. (The line that gets her the position: "I got fired from my last job for sleeping with my boss.") In England, the casting of American Renee Zellweger was initially greeted with much resistance by the press and the public. It was argued that not only was Zellweger an American, but she was too skinny to play the chubby Bridget. Well, some time between casting and shooting, Zellweger put on a few pounds (she's pleasingly plump - not fat by any means, but certainly of Kate Winslet proportions) and worked hard to perfect a British accent (there are a few slips, but they're mercifully rare). These qualities, coupled with her natural charm and screen presence, make her a flawless choice for the lead. Not since her breakthrough roles in The Whole Wide World and Jerry Maguire has she given a performance of this all-around quality. Zellweger embodies Bridget, and is a huge reason why the movie works. Those who have read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice will find some familiar characters and elements in Bridget Jones's Diary. It doesn't take much deduction to determine that Helen Fielding is an Austen admirer, and that all of the nods to Pride and Prejudice are intentional. While it would be unfair to call Bridget Jones's Diary a 20th-century re-interpretation of Pride and Prejudice, there are some parallels - at least one of which the filmmakers have decided to emphasize. The casting of Colin Firth as Mark Darcy is inspired. Firth, who essayed Mr. Darcy in the hugely popular 1995 BBC/A&E television production of Pride and Prejudice, plays this part exactly as he played the earlier role, making it evident that the two Darcys are essentially the same. He's a repressed snob who gradually, unwillingly finds himself falling for the least suitable woman around him - Bridget (who, upon closer examination, bears a passing resemblance to Elizabeth Bennet). Hugh Grant brings all the charm he can muster to the oily role of Daniel - a man who enhances his chances with Bridget by telling a lie about Mark. Like Austen's Wickham, this guy is too good to believe, and proceeds to prove our suspicions correct. Grant, who, like Firth, has appeared in an Austen adaptation (Sense and Sensibility), is at home in the role. Strong supporting performances are given by Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones as Bridget's parents. Bridget Jones's Diary is filled with moments of truth and flashes of humor (sometimes the two are the same). The direction, by newcomer Sharon Maguire, shows the deftness of a veteran. The energy level is consistently high and the characters (especially Bridget) don't take long to endear themselves to the audience. The result is worthy of exultation, especially in the bleakness of the winter/spring cinematic landscape. I smiled at the biting one-liners, laughed at both the subtle and the overt comedic aspects, and nodded my head in sympathy with Bridget's all-too-familiar plight - and I'm a male. Imagine the female reaction. Congratulations to all involved. Bridget Jones's Diary is a triumph. http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/b/bridget.html

Lizza, LOL at your post about the NY premiere. Hurrah! Karen is world-renowned webmaster/whiz woman! (Karen) You mean the ones we picked up on Canal Street with Prada stamped on them? And that would be the 'Pra-duh' line, spread out on a blanket, no? Regarding the Mirror article, what's this about Col' attending college? Also, Colin doesn't strike me as having 'motor mouth' tendencies.

Arrggh, twin posts again. Methinks I need a vacation.

He describes him as "quite an excitable person who likes larking around. He's very noisy - the life and soul of the party. He's a very dominant personality....he's very close to his family and tries to see as much of them as possible". "I wasn't surprised he did so well. Underneath the laddish exterior was quite a shrewd character who knew exactly what he wanted to do." He never stops talking, and he's very funny This is when his horoscope matches Hughie's. ;-) Who would have thought it! :-D Thank you all for the articles and reviews! And Karen, I told you the webmistress thing would work. :-) We are awaiting pictures. I trust you have some?

He describes him as "quite an excitable person who likes larking around. He's very noisy - the life and soul of the party. He's a very dominant personality....he's very close to his family and tries to see as much of them as possible". "I wasn't surprised he did so well. Underneath the laddish exterior was quite a shrewd character who knew exactly what he wanted to do." He never stops talking, and he's very funny This is when his horoscope matches Hughie's. ;-) Who would have thought it! :-D Thank you all for the articles and reviews! And Karen, I told you the webmistress thing would work. :-) We are awaiting pictures. I trust you have some?

Sorry for the double post. BTW, I am still waiting your views on the naughty sex scene. Which is it?

First let me say that, as usual, I picked a lousy time to be away from my computer for a few days--nearly 300 posts' worth! Let me echo the thanks given to all for posting pics, articles, premiere experiences and opinions about the film, etc. Second, *waving hello to all the de-lurkers*. Sure is more fun around here when we actually have something to talk about besides the weather, collecting donations and the state of CF's career, isn't it? ;-) Third, was disappointed to read about audience reaction at the preview in DC. Where did they find these people? A bunch of sixth grade tourists in town for the cherry blossoms? Strom Thurmond's aides? Or Russell Crowe's FBI bodyguards, perhaps? Aargh! Sorry I couldn't be there whooping it up for ODB in manner of relocated loudmouth Jersey girl. ;-D (Karen) Are you not amazed that his father spoke to the media? Wasn't there an incident when his mother was quoted long ago and CF was upset about it? Yes, I am amazed...and as usual, a bit skeptical. CF's mother was supposedly quoted in that tabloid series that came out after P&P--the same one, I think, that paired him with actress Joanne Whalley, whom he had never met. (Karen) Rubbish, utter rubbish, except for the part where Lizza was overheard propositioning Eric Fellner LOL! Keep it going ladies and remember...the truth will out. ;-) In my absence I was able to tape the E! interview (though something is wrong with the sound). Agree with the general sentiment--thought CF was charming and genuine. Love these behind the scenes things. Watched the one about SiL long after the movie came and went. It isn't often we get to see ODB being himself and his character all at the same time. I managed the miss the VH1 offering this weekend (honestly, are any of these schedules accurate? :-/) but will catch it tonight at 11:30--thanks for the HG saturation alert.

I too was a little surprised at the provenance of the 'quotes' in the Mirror - it's probably our wonderful press up to its usual tricks again - but it's a harmless piece I suppose! Valerie - I wish the online version had the pictures! Ask and you shall receive (quality not great but you get the gist)....love that waistcoat *grin* , but does he really look like he's having fun? ;-)

Goodness. Check out the hair. And what, Firthcianados, is the policeman role (if that's what it is)?

Thanks, Tracy. Can you imagine his family handing out those pictures? I can't. Some enterprising tabloid journalists has been sifting through school yearbooks in St. Louis and other schools on your shores.

Ben - the policeman's role was a bit part in Crown Court (takes you back a bit - I only remember seeing it when I was off sick from school!)

Crown Court (1984). To my knowledge, no one has a video of that episode (or was it a recurring role???)

Agree Karen, I think I'd want to keep them v carefully hidden...in fact I DO keep my school photos v carefully hidden.....way too scary ;-)

You know in that young shot, he looks a lot like Jonathan Firth... hmmm... (I mean the one with the long hair)

*heehee* CF looks about 8 in that Crown Court pic (reminds me of that glimpse of him in Secret Garden). Someone should also tell the British press that 'high school' here in the states includes the ages of around 13-14 through 17-18, not 8. Thanks for posting, Your Scan-ness (aka Tracy)!

Crown Court was a long-running (not sure if daily or bi weekly or something) lunchtime drama, I didn't watch many but seem to recall that the story lasted just half an hour and didn't appear to use the same characters in subsequent episodes.

Watching a video of Crown Court would be a test of any Firthette's dedication. I can't really think of a US equivalent, but picture the cheapest, shoddiest daytime soap....and you still wouldn't be close. Tracy, would it have been ITV or Thames? There's probably a dust-covered reel of Super 8 in some vault.

(Ben) I can't really think of a US equivalent, but picture the cheapest, shoddiest daytime soap....and you still wouldn't be close. LOL! Sounds like one of our phony reenactment programs (which I don't watch). Isn't there one called Cops? Or how about those tacky hidden-camera-in-restaurant kitchen expose shows? ;-D

Coming out of lurkdom....I saw on a CNN show business report today that BJD was shown in 600 theaters over the weekend. They said they expect very good things from the movie, based on the comments. 65% of those attending were women, and they seemed to think that was a good thing. They only mentioned RZ and HG, of course, but they seemed v. enthusiastic. They gave other results from the surveys at the sneak peaks, but I can't remember any of the stats. Sounds like good news!

Welcome Lynn and all new comers. Like Eileen says it's more fun having lots of people to chat with. BJD was shown in 600 theaters over the weekend. Must be all the one-time previews.Though the newspaper adverts started last Thursday and are still there for next Friday. Are there ads in the UK newspapers? TV trailers? I hear NYC has them non-stop. "Coming Friday

Have picked myself off floor...Time Magazine review by Richard Corliss (of course, not by other humorless female staffers): Full-Witted Renee Zellweger shines in Bridget Jones's Diary With her ruddy skin, pulpy bosom and self-abasing zinger wit, she's so - well, so very English. One glance at Houston's own Renee Zellweger, and all anxiety about the casting of an American as Britain's favorite wounded bird of the '90s vanishes. (Hey, if Vivien Leigh could play Scarlett O'Hara...) She fits in, and stands out, perfectly. And as the plot of Bridget Jones's Diary ripens, and two handsome men - rapacious Daniel Cleaver (Huge Gnat) and dull Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) - tumble, vagrantly into her heart, Zellweger reveals, as in a soul's striptease, Bridget's appeal. Inside this "verbally incontinent spinster" (as Darcy calls her), a brilliant vamp is aching to be set free. The diary form, established by Helen Fielding in an Independent column and then two best blithe best sellers, is smartly adapted in the script by Fielding, Andrew Davies (BBC's Pride and Prejudice) and Richard Curtis (Blackadder, Notting Hill) - a virtual conglomerate of middle-class Brit humor. It gives good lines and cunning motives to the stars, especially the newly gaunt Grant, who's irresistible as a randy cad. And, except for a catastrophic third act that comprises about 14 endings, two transatlantic flights and a long, clumsy fight scene, director Sharon Maguire nicely juggles the slapstick and heartbreak. For this is a very romantic romantic comedy. That Firth, who was the dark dreamboat Darcy in Pride and Prejudice plays the dull dreamboat Darcy here simply underlines the comedy-of-manners connection between Helen Fielding's work and Jane Austen's. This, for the most part, is a tale of comic good sense and poignant sensibility.

dull dreamboat Darcyhmmm, is that good or bad? No TV trailers yet Evelyn, but loads of publicity on the radio, and mags and newspapers. The soundtrack for BJD is the "Album of the Week" on Radio 2 and The Ken Bruce Show is airing a track a day.

Newsweek liked it also (though the review wasn't done by David Ansen, who usually does the biggies). Here are pertinent excerpts: Jonesing for Miss Bridget Naysayers be damned, Renee Zellweger triumphs as Britain�s most famous singleton By Jeff Giles NEWSWEEK It�s late July in England, and it�s been as hot as 120 degrees on the set of �Bridget Jones�s Diary.� Today, gratefully, the heat has broken on the soundstage. It�s 106 degrees. THE FRAZZLED, LOVELORN singleton works in publishing�actually, �works� might be too strong a word�and it turns out that reproducing the flat, fluorescent glare of an office is something of a special effect, requiring three times the usual lighting. Between takes, Renee Zellweger clumps about un-self-consciously in black stiletto boots, her cheeks flushed from the heat, her hair tumbling out of a barrette, her nylons pushed down to her knees. �The boys won�t know,� she whispers, in her newly acquired British lilt. The temperature must be getting to Zellweger because when asked if she�s nervous about her accent, the native Texan launches into a standard-issue, PR-savvy reply ��I don�t think about it,� etc.�then suddenly puts her head in her hands and wails, �Oh, God, I hope it doesn�t suck!� Nearby, Hugh Grant� who plays Bridget�s rakish boss, Daniel Cleaver�paces alone, scarfing down a chocolate bar and cooling his face with a plastic pocket fan. Grant admits to being grumpy�and to having something of a beef with Zellweger. �I�m always the set bitch, and Renee won�t join in,� he says. �I can�t find anyone that she will say a mean word about.� After �Bridget Jones� opens this week, it will be harder still to find anyone who�ll say a mean word about her. �Bridget,� directed by first-timer Sharon Maguire, is a tremendously funny and touching adaptation of Helen Fielding�s best seller about one woman�s quest to lose 20 pounds. To stop drinking and smoking. To stop pining for a boyfriend. To find a boyfriend, for God�s sake�and not die alone in her apartment only to be found months later, partially eaten by dogs. /.../[Same ol' yadda about RZ's casting] Still, she�s so disarming and so deeply Bridget�gliding between mortifying slapstick and pathos�that she�s entirely won you over by the time the credits have rolled. The opening credits. �Bridget Jones� begins on New Year�s Day, as our hungover heroine trudges to an odious party with her parents. Bridget�s mother (Gemma Jones) immediately shoves her at the nearest bachelor, the cold, diffident barrister Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Bridget blathers. Darcy recoils in horror. And Bridget retreats to her flat in London, where she plays air drums to teary pop songs. Fortunately, Bridget�s devilish boss (Grant) takes notice of her, and they launch a raucous romance, as Darcy watches from the wings. �Bridget� distills Fielding�s novel into a conventional love triangle, and the pacing can be rough. (The hyperactive pop score suggests nervousness in the editing room.) But the script�partly written by Richard Curtis, who wrote �Notting Hill��is killingly funny, and Zellweger�s costars all shine. Grant, in particular, does a hilarious, lascivious turn. One night, he lays Bridget down on the rug and enumerates all the articles of clothing he�s about to relieve her of, including her unsightly, tummy-controlling undergarments: �Now, these are very silly little boots, Jones. And this is a very silly little dress�and, oh me, absolutely enormous panties!" /.../ [RZ's childhood, previous work, love life, etc.] �Bridget� should confirm Zellweger�s staying power. Director Maguire, a friend of Fielding�s and the inspiration for Bridget�s voluble buddy Sharon, says she cast Zellweger because, among other things, she made her laugh the minute she met her. Maguire, by the way, verifies Grant�s report that Zellweger was sweetness and light during production�and that Grant was the �set bitch.� �Him and Colin are both very campy,� she says. �They called each other �Mrs. Firth� and �Mrs. Grant.� Oh, how�s Mrs. Grant this morning? We had a running joke about whose turn it was for a hissy fit, and the boys would fight it out. It�s my turn for a tanty! Renee didn�t have any tantrums. There�s no bulls�t to her. She�s got no vanity. She just got on with the job.� So sue her for being sweet. After politely answering questions for hours, Zellweger heads out of the cozy cafe. The waiter knows her and likes her, so, during the interview, without telling her, he�s gone out to put quarters in her parking meter. Zellweger is touched� but it turns out that a policeman is writing her a ticket anyway. Zellweger dashes up to the cop, beaming nervously. �Did you already get me?� The cop nods indifferently. Zellweger points at the reporter and jokes, �It�s his fault! I was talking to him!� The cop nods again. �Yeah,� he says. �It�s always the guy�s fault.� Zellweger can�t charm the cop in the middle of the street. In a movie theater, he wouldn�t stand a chance.

"clumsy fight scene" Wasn't that rather the point? Doesn't that guy have ANY sense of humor???? The fight is hysterical!

Re TV trailers-there have been couple on over the weekend-one about it being Friday 13th & shows BJ singing karaoke.The other is longer & shows more clips but it may be for the soundtrack.

Forgot to mention the print version of Newsweek features a huge pic of sexy Renee with smaller ones of CF as MD (the original reindeer sweater pic) and Gnatman as DC.

Both good reviews. Thanks Eileen and Karen for *typing* them out;-)) Richard Corliss of Time is a vampire....this is *really* good for him. You should have read what he said about Kenneth Brannagh...!

Have put up lots of new pics: http://www.spring.net/karenr/mdbro/bjdgal.html Those who haven't seen the movie yet, may want to wait...

(Karen) Mari, could it be that Aunt and Uncle F told David? Heh, heh, heh . . . probably. Was sure they were sizing me up for niece-in-law material.;-) V.v. sweet people--they were so proud of him, as if he were their own son. Nice family. (Scanning Queen) love that waistcoat *grin* , but does he really look like he's having fun? ;-) Pfft! Tracy, I'm still trying to figure out how he could be 8 in the US pic when the article says 11.;-) Very adorable as a little boy; I wonder if Luca will resemble his dad? These are all wonderful--thanks to everyone for the reports and scans, and thanks for the great reviews, too--Time *and* Newsweek like it! Very good news indeed. (Moon)BTW, I am still waiting your views on the naughty sex scene. Which is it? Definitely anal, IMO. How could it be anything butt? ;-)

(Karen) Have put up lots of new pics Reminds me, I meant to ask earlier: what is up with the crazylegs pic from the London premiere? Reminds me of my neice when she has to use the potty. (Mari) How could it be anything butt? *teehee*

(Moon)BTW, I am still waiting your views on the naughty sex scene. Which is it? (Mari), Definitely anal, IMO. How could it be anything butt? ;-) OK. Vulgar beyond belief. And she wanted to do it again staight away? No comment! Thanks for all the non-stop article postings. Enjoying this firhtfilled ride. :-)

Thanks for the pics, Karen. One of my fave scenes....MD coming down the stairs of the mini-break manor house in a cream shirt finds Bridget who just came in with wind-blown...electrified, really, hair.I've never seen a pic of that. I guarantee ya'...takes your breath away.

The new Talk Magazine is out with hairless Huge on cover. Apparently, donkeys are anatomically different in UK, as there's no evidence to support Evening Standard's remarks, unless photos mentioned by Tim Bevan were not published. ;-D ~~~~~~~~~ And that's why Grant is in Bridget Jones's Diary, a film based on Helen Fielding's best-selling novel about a plump thirtysomething woman whose love life is literally the stuff of Pride and Prejudice. Fielding got her wish to have Colin Firth play the proud, upstanding Mr. Darcy (he'd played the role to perfection in the PBS miniseries of the Jane Austen classic). [Ed. note: bad fact checkers at Talk.] Maguire then set about getting her wish: to have Grant play Darcy's womanizing rival, Daniel Cleaver, the head of the publishing house where Bridget works. "Hugh calls me 'Stalking Maguire,'" she says. "For two and a half years he'd take my calls but always say no. Then when Richard came on board to rewrite the script, that closed the deal," Maguire laughs. "I went to see Hugh after this series of seductive phone calls, and he said rather disingenuously, "I can't think of what this character's like." And I said, "Hugh, it's you. You know it's you." [...] (Ask Maguire if she's heard Grant's Heather limerick and she replies nonchalantly, "Is that the one that has '[can't type it]' in it? He wanted to put that one in the boat scene. Colin Firth came up with the one we did use. It's about a girl from Ealing.") [...] She [Hugh's mother] pauses reflectively and then adds, "I hope he gets a chance to write, because that's his other great gift, really." Maguire found that out firsthand when she had the actors write a diary in their character's voice, to be read aloud at the first rehearsal. "Ren�e's was as neurotic as Bridget's, all about gaining weight," she says. "Colin's was all about his work and had no problem with commitment. Hugh's character had come from divorced parents. It was basically an account of someone who had so much existential despair that the only way to overcome it was to live dangerously. He's a predatory character with an innate sense of humor, which he uses as a weapon. It was a really fascinating insight. I knew that we'd chosen exactly the right people for the parts. Hugh will never be the 'right' one. He'll always be dangerous. [They provide a few of HG's diary entries]

Lizza what a treat! you had me believing you! Tracy T... *snort* If those were my pics...! i never handed out a single senior high school picture, I'm glad i burned them all. Karen, love the new movie pics! (Evelyn) One of my fave scenes....MD coming down the stairs of the mini-break manor house in a cream shirt finds Bridget who just came in with wind-blown...electrified, really, hair. THAT particular moment had me out of my seat!

CF came up with that limerick???? Oh to have been there and heard him speak it! I might not have recovered...

From a column by Matthew Norman in the Evening Standard on 5 April: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/top_story.html?in_review_id=378471&in_review_text_id=324035 Help - I just don't know about Colin and Hugh CAN anyone help cure a nasty anti-social disease I've caught from sitting on a fence? Having considered the question for a fortnight, I still have no idea whether I'm a Hugh Grant person or a Colin Firth person - and with no opinion on what seems sure to be the only compelling talking point for the next six to nine months, I find myself looking down the barrel of dinner-party ostracism. So far, all I've managed is to work out that one is a competent actor hugely embarrassed about making so much easy money from being typecast as an absurdly tongue-tied English toff. While the other is Hugh Grant. If any telepath out there can divine which camp I belong to simply by staring at the above picture byline (it's a comparatively most recent one, by the way, taken in early 1957), write in, please, and free me from the spectre of long-term social leperdom.

I posted a letter in response to this Matthew Norman piece on the other board (109?). The gist was that any self-respecting Englishman would prefer to be CF than HG. Sure. I'd also prefer to be Pele than Maradona.

109? Where did that come from? I meant 143.

Is Colin supposed to be on the Today show today?

Fun review, written a la Bridget, containing this opening line: "Decided to attend film, as Colin Firth may remove shirt, and am tired of watching Pride and Prejudice just to get a peek. Theatre filled with groups of women apparently with same idea. Women v. loud in appreciation of film, and all seem to have encyclopaedic knowledge of the book it's based upon." http://www.hollywood-hostel.com/archives/viewcolumn.cgi?user=ChasingAmy&file=986745650.col Another which has the following line: "Colin Firth is also allowed to switch types and show off his leading man chops for change." [What type was he before? Masturbatory village pervert??] http://www.tnmc.org/dp/0409011.shtml A third, with this comment: "Equally as good is Colin Firth who plays the straight laced Mark Darcy. His cold straight lace manner is the perfect backdrop for Bridget['s] charming clumsiness." http://thewheeldealreview.homestead.com/BridgetJones.html A fourth, by someone who saw an advance version with different beginning: http://thefilmcritiquer.com/the_film_critiquer/Critiques/BridgetJonessDiary.htm

(Karen) [What type was he before? Masturbatory village pervert??] Really. Guess this writer never saw HOTPig, Femme Fatale or Playmaker. ;-D Stayed up to watch VH1's Behind the Movie last night. Am grateful for the warnings about Huge Blabbermouth--saved me some frustration. However, how come nobody mentioned those pop up thingys? You know, those little comic book type bubbles that allow you to see what the people are thinking (wot? They didn't air this version last weekend?). Here's what was going through CF's mind at the top of the show: Let's see...15 more minutes here, then 20 to the airport and I'm outta here... Hmm, if it's a boy, Luca or Nigel? Roberto or Giles? Shut up, shut up, you poxy self-centered *&^%%... I can't wait to get out of this jacket and put my black tee shirt back on. How can I get Rupie and Judy to do all this publicity crap for me when Earnest comes out? *** It was quite enlightening. ;-D

(pop up) Let's see...15 more minutes here, then 20 to the airport and I'm outta here... LOL! Absolutely perfect as permanent subtitling.

In the Thank God for Renee Dept: RZ is scheduled for the Rosie Show today and the Late Show tonight. And he wonders why no one knows him in the States?

Well, if you must know, Colin Firth is celebrating my birthday... And decided that this day of all Holy days, he wouldn't be interviewed... ;)

Happy B-Day Lala!!! (I was all ready to post a notice on the Tea Room, but no Tea Room there on which to post :( )

Shut up, shut up, you poxy self-centered *&^%%... I can't wait to get out of this jacket and put my black tee shirt back on. How can I get Rupie and Judy to do all this publicity crap for me when Earnest comes out? ROTFLMAO! Oh Eileen, thanks, honey, I really needed the laugh. Keep 'em coming; am heading into meeting with bean-counting schmucks and will need cheering upon return. *E-Z Wipe Monitor Cover left firmly in place* Thank God for Renee is right, Evelyn; this kid is working like a dog to sell this. I see she's hosting Saturday Night Live this week; wonder if Huge will show as cameo guest.;-)

(Mari) wonder if Huge will show as cameo guest.;-) Yeeesss, I see it now...Renee will be delivering her opening monologue using British accent...HG, planted in audience, will stand and confront her about not being British...HG will then inform audience about RZ's brief Princess Margaret phase and that he was in British SAS... this kid is working like a dog to sell this If I heard the advert correctly, she'll even be on Divas Live tonight on VH1 (hopefully will not get OTT about Sheryl Crowe again).

Forgot to mention that Rosie Show will be even better today because the hostess, preoccupied with her non-healing surgical wound (I understand why but there's a time and a place to show your suture line), will be out sick and The View's Meredith Viera is substituting. This way they might even get around to talking about the film.

(Mari) wonder if Huge will show as cameo guest.;-) Well, you can be sure of who *won't* show....

Thank you all for another day's worth of entertaining posts. Almost as much fun as watching Huge Gnat descend into water....... ****** UK VID SET ALERT ******* Tomorrow 7pm Channel 5 Movie Chart Show Gail Porter interviews HG RZ and HF about BJD and reviews film *******************************

Eileen, LOL at your 'pop-ups.' V.v. good! (must purchase the Ronco Spit Take Screen Protector) If I have to look at Rosie's Frankenstein-esque sutures again, I may have to pull the plug. Too much information and sharing, Rosie! Lisa, who has watched way too many talk shows these past few weeks in search of BJD clips and cast appearances.....

Any Radio 4 listeners out there (MarkG our very own homegrown "Walk on By" star) Antonia Quirke reviewed the film last night, got a thumbs up but much droning on (and on) about a certain character's light comedy talents, Cary Grant in "North by Northwest" etc etc I think that she is the reviewer for the Independent, so I guess we can expect more of the same again at the end of the week. Her other comments were more spoilers, to be posted elsewhere!

From the Sunday L.A. Times Calendar, an article about RZ, with some brief mention and comments from CF. �Bridget Jones�s Diary,� the movie, opens Friday, with Zellweger in the title role opposite HG as a dashing scoundrel and CF as priggish barrister Mark Darcy, modeled directly on the character he played in the BBC�s production of Jane Austen�s �Pride and Prejudice.� Then came the table read, when the cast met for the first time to go through the script and check out Zellweger's command of the mother tongue. Firth says, �At an English read-through, the glasses go on, cigarettes come out, pens get chewed on, people are definitely scared, and there's always something slightly disingenuous where they say, "Don't worry everybody, this is not a performance, no one's going to judge anything, it's just a gentle read-through.� And then afterwards they come up to you and go,� Firth suddenly whispers conspiratorially, �You were great, although I'm bit worried about so and so; I thought they really sucked. �Yeah, of course they're judging you, which just makes it terrifying.� The silly outfits, bad hair and farcical fistfights�Firth likens his scratching, kicking showdown with Grant to a spat between �a couple of 7-year old girls��provide plenty of laughs, but it's Bridget's search for love that gives �Diary� emotional heft. http://www.calendarlive.com/top/1,1419,L-LATimes-Search-X!ArticleDetail-28349,00.html?search_area=Blended&channel=Search&search_text=A+Part+with+Meat+on+its+Bones

I saw that, Marianne, but you forgot Huge's big contribution to the LA Times article: "Sounded like Princess Margaret, blah, blah, slurred as stroke victim, blah blah . .. " I kid you not, folks. You're right, Karen, you *can't* say "Arsenal" every time!;-) Renee will be delivering her opening monologue using British accent...HG, planted in audience, will stand and confront her about not being British...HG will then inform audience about RZ's brief Princess Margaret phase and that he was in British SAS... LOL, Eileen! SIL deja vu, eh? You read it first here, folks.;-)

(Mari) this kid is working like a dog to sell this Didn't one of the articles mention that this is the first movie she's had to carry on her own? This is really important to her. It's whether she becomes a 'bankable' star; everyone already knows she can act. ;-D Gaah, do I have to watch Today each and every morning this week? This may be too much to bear. Firth likens his scratching, kicking showdown with Grant to a spat between �a couple of 7-year old girls ...with SAS training. Am currently watching two 7-year olds go flying through glass window across street. Hmmmm, maybe are 8...

And then HG's family will stand up and speak in the "voice of our dead cat." I loved the fact that he said his mother tapped on the legs to put his feet down from the seat in front at the London Premiere. 7 year old boy indeed!

Should have been 7 year old girl! BTW karen, getting back to Eric Fellner and the NY Premiere....... What you saw was not a proposition at all ! I am known for having a penchant for men with the odd balding patch, but his follicles are way past even beinf seriously challenged! (think Royal Family!)I was actually asking him why someone more attractive could not have been found to introduce the film, like Tim Bevan, and who knew the cast list in advance! I was explaining that a member of the audience had come all the way from Oklahoma (her words!)for this very experience and was disappointed at the lack of attractive men at the premiere. Hope that has cleared that up for you :~)

Thoughtful article from the Independent. Bridget Jones: Essays in uncool 'Four Weddings...', 'Notting Hill', 'Bridget Jones...' - the trilogy of formulaic films made by Working Title all tell the same story of unfashionable people humiliated in their pursuit of romance. So why do we love them so much? By Judith Williamson 08 April 2001 A part of me was squirming at the prospect of yet another blockbuster from the makers of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill hitting our screens this week. The cynical corner of my mind had already dismissed Bridget Jones's Diary, the latest movie from producers Working Title, as just another shake-up of the formula that made the first two so successful: American actress + goofy Hugh Grant + backdrop of wacky friends in upper middle class milieu = box office hit. This time the American actress plays an English character; Hugh Grant � an essential ingredient � reappears as the bad guy; Colin Firth is thrown into the mix as the new love-interest; wacky friends remain, in the same milieu, with additional wacky parents. And the twist is that Bridget Jones is given the clutzy goofiness of the earlier Grant characters. However, the cynical mind is not always the best tool for understanding popular hits. And no one ever quite explained the massive success of Four Weddings and Notting Hill. Why did people � both sides of the Atlantic � love them so much? Of course they are formulaic: they are genre films, romantic comedies unashamedly modelled on the Hollywood prototype. But to berate them for that is about as pointless as berating Friends or Frasier for being sitcoms. It is certainly annoying, for those of us who still care about class politics, that the only slice of British society they show is a relentlessly posh one, but again, to dismiss them on that basis is a bit like dismissing Cukor's romantic classic The Philadelphia Story for being about white upper-class Americans. It is also true that these films break no cinematic ground aesthetically, but then, Philadelphia Story cannot be illuminated by comparison with, say, Battleship Potemkin. The achievement of popular culture has been to provide frameworks � precisely through the repeated formulae of genres � for dealing with strong feelings that may not be worked through anywhere else. The fact that they are dealt with entertainingly doesn't mean those feelings are not real: rather, that even painful and disturbing emotions can be explored and safely held by the generic structure itself. Any film, TV show, or popular fiction that sweeps to success does so not because of its format, but because of the fears and desires its format "holds" for us. And while formats may change little over time (romantic comedy demands that love be repeatedly thwarted but ultimately triumph) the fears and desires wound into them tell us a great deal about any social moment. Four Weddings and Notting Hill are generally remembered as light-hearted comedies where the floppily charming Hugh Grant gets his girl in the end. But, in fact, without the endings they would be about failure and insecurity and hesitation: about the pain of emotionally screwing up. Four Weddings begins with Hugh Grant messing up being best man at a wedding and then hideously putting his foot in it at the reception. This kicks off a series of increasingly embarrassing mistakes and, ultimately, humiliations � the worst perhaps being his having to choose a wedding dress for the woman he loves to marry someone else in. Notting Hill follows an exactly similar pattern: Hugh Grant starts off clumsy and awkward, then progresses through increasingly humiliating situations to downright hurtful ones � memorably, having to play "room service" to the woman he loves and her suddenly-revealed boyfriend. These painful situations are carried by a verbal wit which both lightens the films and, crucially, gives the Hugh Grant figure some dignity. The comedy is also carried by playing on his English stereotype. However, the films didn't just hit a nerve in Britain, but internationally: and, though "Englishness" may provide a cover, the directness of that hit says as much about gender roles as about national identity. For these two films place Hugh Grant in a role of passivity and suffering which is traditionally feminine: he waits on the sidelines while the woman � who's more successful and glamorous than him � comes and goes. Yet in neither film is he made to seem pathetic either because he loves her or because he suffers. And neither does the plot demand that she love him less. In fact, strikingly, the women make every physical move in both films. In Four Weddings, Andie McDowell has to coax him through his inhibitions and into bed with her. In Notting Hill, Julia Roberts phones first, initiates the first kiss, the first night together � and finally asks him straight out to love her. In a dating climate dominated by the ethos of how-to-catch-men guides like The Rules this is radical stuff: no messing about with egg-timers (so you don't spend "too long" on the phone) or not accepting weekend dates after Wednesday here. The Rules are about playing hard to get: about never going "too far". And the fear of going "too far" is precisely what fuels the ultimate pleasure of these movies. The characters in their different ways go so far they're off the map � but it all works out fine. Hugh Grant goes, in a sense, too far from the sexual stereotype of assertive masculinity � yet still gets the girl. Andie McDowell and Julia Roberts initiate every stage in their relationships � yet they never seem pushy or desperate. No one becomes unlovable in these films, despite the fact that the men make fools of themselves, and the women pursue them. And the pleasurable coup of Bridget Jones's Diary is to let its heroine be lovable despite doing both. Her Diary famously catalogues Bridget Jones's excess: most obviously, with calories, cigarettes, and booze. But these merely punctuate the emotional excesses that lead to her repeated knocks and humiliations. Like Hugh Grant in the earlier movies, she babbles nervously at the drop of a hat � talks too much, drinks too much and generally feels that she is too much. Again, comedy carries off some otherwise excruciating moments: a duff public speech at a book launch; having her bottom shown on TV sliding down a fireman's pole; and � a classic nightmare scenario � arriving at a "tarts and vicars" party only to find that the "theme" has been cancelled and she is sporting her bunny costume among normally clothed guests. The film is that awful "did I really do/say that?" moment writ large: the sense of having gone too far pervades the story. And yet Bridget � superbly played by Ren�e Zellweger, who brings a sweetness to the part � is never made pathetic; saved, like the Hugh Grant characters, primarily by her wit. The film rewards, rather than punishes her, giving her two men to choose from: caddish Hugh Grant (well-cast against his earlier roles) and good guy Colin Firth � appropriately cast as "Mark Darcy". And the heart of the film is the scene where, despite her string of humiliating cock-ups, Darcy says he likes her "just as she is" � a phrase so memorable she repeats it to all her friends. But she ultimately wins him over by saying it back to him: which she does with remarkable � almost embarrassing � courage and candour. By the end of the movie, she has broken every rule in the book � and still finds herself loved. It is a wonderfully gratifying � if fantastic � denouement. For which of us hasn't, secretly, wondered if The Rules mightn't be right after all... that the way to a man's heart is to be icy and aloof and never, ever, call? But a key book-to-film plot shift with Bridget Jones's Diary is that Bridget no longer hooks the cad by not returning his calls: even the tiniest vestige of Rules cool-dom has been totally excised. And the same principle holds for all three of these movies. There is a key conversation in Notting Hill when, accused by Roberts of playing it cool because he hasn't rung her back, Grant explains that his flatmate lost the message and that he has "never played anything cool in my life". He clearly hasn't � and the film suggests that this is what makes him lovable. For these films are deliberate, affectionate essays in uncool. Even on the sartorial front it's a central issue: the dream-boat Darcy is first encountered � and dismissed for � wearing a totally naff sweater. Embarrassment, failure, unfashionableness, physical and emotional excess � every possible dimension of uncool is explored, and ultimately forgiven, in these movies. No wonder they are so popular. And they are also films it is slightly uncool to like. There is a fear of pushing the boat out emotionally that is peculiarly British, which perhaps explains why the critical response to the earlier movies held a note of embarrassment here not found across the Atlantic. It is no coincidence that an issue addressed so centrally within them should also condition their reception. I suspect that Bridget Jones's Diary will, like its forerunners, do very well indeed. But these films are an embarrassment for a critical intelligentsia partly because of their success: their popularity is somehow excessive. They are not, of course, part of the great canon of cinema. But for most of us, if we are honest, they are moving and enjoyable "just as they are".

I�ve read so many reviews, I can no longer differentiate from those that are new or previously posted. Apologies is this is one of them � ��uptight and awkward Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth, cleverly cast in the same role that brought him fame in Pride and Prejudice.� "Colin and I were both queen-y and actress-y and went on diets. I wanted to be thin for once and Colin thought he would do it to. There we were being prima donnas while Renee was this bloke in the corner eating pizza and ice cream, so it was all reversed." http://www.sky.com/skynews/storytemplate/storytoppic/0,,30500-1010974,00.html From the online edition of Hello magazine, a report on the NY and London premieres w/ pictures of HG and RZ and assorted minor celebrities. �So it fell to the BBC�s Pride And Prejudice hunk Colin Firth to play the movie�s �nice guy�, sensitive, strait-laced Mark Darcy. In the book, Bridget and her friends Shazzer and Jude are crazy about Colin Firth, so it was something of a coup to get the Real McCoy in the cast.� http://www.hello-magazine.co.uk/2001/04/09/bridgetjonespremiere/ And CF made femail.co.uk's quote of the day: "I don't recall ever looking in the mirror and having a fully-fledged erotic experience" - Actor Colin Firth when asked if he found himself attractive