Alan Rickman Guestbook

pixxaa, I look at your name and think "Pix Anne", like a pixie blowing fairy kisses. You and GML talking about that Brit slang word, "wanker"? The English language is so difficult; it's fun to play with, though. Man! you have to be so careful what you say! It must drive foreigners wild when they try to learn it!

There is a 4 page photo piece on Love Actually in the new Empire magazine. Here is a Selfridges Pic. The accompanying comment by Richard Curtis is as follows:

It's All Smiles Now...
"This photo was taken during a shoot in Selfridge's that lasted from 9pm until 5am the next morning. It must have been taken early. By 5am, no-one was smiling anymore."

Nice picture! Thank you Juliet and Sue!

My Halloween card

Judging from the acute dislike of Rickman, the judgemental tone, the poor word choice.... yes, I think the Wicked Whisperer must be no other than

*drumroll, please, Maestro*

Benedict Nightingale of the Times .

Don't know about the ear, it's a pretty damn fine nose!!!LOL

Here's the quote from Chris Columbus explaining why Roth was approached before Alan: ----------------------------

From: TOTAL FILM DECEMBER 2001

'...One thing that proved surprisingly possible was finding exactly the right cast. As Columbus puts it, the adult cast list "reads like a British greatest hits." With Richard Harris as Dumbledore, Maggie Smith as McGonagall, Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, Ian Hart as Quirrell and Alan Rickman as Snape, you can see what he means. "It was embarrassing because everyone who was our first choice said 'yes'," Columbus continues. "There was a situation with Tim Roth, who we first approached for Snape (Roth opted to do Planet of the Apes instead), but ironically, the only resaon why we didn't go straight for Alan Rickman was because he was the one person who we thought would say 'no'. And it turned out he wanted to do it very much."...' -------------

... "And finally, I am delighted to learn that the charming Emma Thompson shares my low opinion of the over-rated Die Hard thespian Alan Rickman. Recalling their joint experience on Richard Curtis's forthcoming Love Actually, she says: 'I think you have to be really bloody good to get through to Alan. You would have to go up and lift your top up and say: "How about it?" Then he would still go: "How about what?"'"

(Daily Mail-UK-10/29/03)

Who writes this column anyway?

Buying the Radio Times in Sainsburys today my heart skipped several beats to see 5000 LA previw tix free.on the front cover!! I have had their free tix for movies before and they generally have a showing at Guildford near me. Tore to page 40 and *!?*!% NO shows at Guilford(sobs hysterically).

HOWEVER to show how big I am I list all the participating cinemas here!! Just take the voucher as soon as possible to the cinema and get your 2 free tix! All showings are on Tuesday 1tth November (times in Radio Times)

***MAJOR Love Actually spoiler***

Filtrum: Tobias Hill

Londoner Tobias Hill is an award-winning poet and novelist. His third novel, The Cryptographer, was published this year.

How would you like to rub shoulders with the stars?

Now you have a chance to do just that. We have 2 tickets to the premiere of Love Actually, to be held at London's Odeon Leicester Square on the 26th November. Plus we have 10 runners up prizes of indulgence kits to be won.

United International Pictures are offering you the chance to win tickets to the UK premiere of "Love Actually." Included in the prize are ticktets to the aftershow party, where you can mingle with stars!

Besides her elected position on the local council as representive for the St. Charles Ward (Kensington/Chelsea area of London), she sits on various boards, mainly schools/non-profit organizations.

I guess my question is-Why would a film that is billing itself as THE funny, breezy, romantic comedy of the holiday season need to carry an R rating.?

The *big house* in Marlow is subdivided into apartments in reality, hence the small kitchen I assume, although as the conservatory was actually a house in North London, it could be that the kitchen shots are same North London house.

"Staging Youth Theatre: A Practical Guide," by Rex Doyle, with Foreword by Alan Rickman. Here is the brief foreword by Alan Rickman. (Otherwise, the book offers no additional mention or any photos of him.):

"I first met and worked with Rex Doyle at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, when he directed me in his own play about the life of the great dancer Nijinsky.

Everything that makes Rex such a fine director and teacher was evident in that production. Meticulous research and great leaps of imagination. But perhaps most importantly it was a production that was guided at all times by Rex's openness and generosity towards the actors and his boundless gift for encouragement. And it was fun. The rehearsal room was by definition a market place for common sense, fleeting instincts, and mad ideas.

This excellent book is fed by exactly the same balance of the creative and the practical. Whether you need information on fund-raising, auditioning, running a rehearsal or making a prop, it is all here.

Youth Theatre continues to prove its worth not only in training young actors, directors and technicians, but also in developing the confidence and self-esteem of young people in a much wider sense. Dedicated youth leaders will benefit hugely from the guidance and inspiration which this book offers in abundance. Alan Rickman"

On another subject, I was so engrossed in the new job and the exam revisions, I never noticed Love Actually creeping on us. It's out soon, yepeee. There were pages of the film supplement of the Daily Torygraph devoted to it on Saturday, photos of Curtis, Firth, Neeson, Grant, McCutcheon, Thompson... Nighy... everybody. Well, nearly everybody. Mmph. Will you still be in England when it comes out? By the way, to the Bill Nighy fans here, I was looking up Corin Redgrave filmography yesterday to see if there was something getholdofable I hadn't seen yet and found that he (and Nighy) will be in a new movie soon, still in production. OK, I forget the title. Something about love.

Magda, agreed about the link html instructions on the 'add' page. I never add links because it takes my PC 30 minutes to change pages when I want to check...

Off to see if there is life on the Off-Topic page.>hic!<

"For instance Grant's Prime Minister character spends a lot of time off the subject, doling out anti-American political fodder that seems to have been included more because the Director wanted to slip in a political statement rather than having anything to do with the film itself. Maybe that time could have been used to wrap up a few unaddressed plot points? Most threads are tied up in a suitably satisfying fashion, but some, such as the status of Rickman and Thompson's marriage are simply left hanging. Good though it may be, in some ways, I get the sense that Love Actually wishes it was P.T. Anderson's much better Magnolia, set as it is on bringing so many disparate stories together, right down to doing so with unifying musical cues. In the end, despite Curtis' absolutely heroic efforts, Love never seems to have the necessary deftness to reach that high a plateau."

Anyway, Newsweek review of LA up:Newsweek review. It's not that good, frankly. Here's the AR/ET portion that answers the burning question about whether his character commits adultery or not: "The P.M.’s sister (Emma Thompson) is grappling with the wandering eye of her husband (Alan Rickman), whose saucy secretary (Heike Makatsch) is doing her best to seduce him. This triangle doesn’t really resolve itself, it just peters out."

Also, here's the relevant portion of the Daily Record article, such as it is:

PIRATES of the Caribbean beauty Keira Knightley is Britain's sexiest female film star. The 19-year-old won more fans in Bend It like Beckham before starring with Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom in the swashbuckling Disney hit. But dishy Bloom lost out as Britain's sexiest film star to Bridget Jones hero Colin Firth, who won female hearts as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.

More mature sex symbols Alan Rickman, Sean Connery and Sean Bean also made the top five in the poll of 4500 people by internet provider Tiscali.....

It's been a long time since but what a terrific time I had those months in London - a must be done experience-

(Au fait, Nice to hear about you GML, I really hope that your exams was a success).

Well, I've decided to take a little time to share with you some experience you would surely like to hear. I'd nearly forget about Alan Rickman when suddenly someone has reminded me about him and the fact that he would be in Bowness (many thanks to this person). Well, that's wonderful because I wanted so much to visit the Lake District, Northern England and Scotland. I needed a little vacation before going back to Paris so I've decided that it would be a wonderful occasion to meet AR and in the meanwhile visiting the North of England so that's what I've done!!! So I've been to Bowness-on-Windermere for the Festival and then headed off to Scotland... I know that you are more impatient to hear the story of our encounter with Alan.

(Mille excuse for my english but Alan's french is not better...Oups I didn't mean it Alan, I like your voice when you speak French, I really do, I promised...)

So let's start...

Friday morning in London, my journey has begun with an espresso (or more) and heading back to my office as usual. I was both exciting and impatient to finish my work and going back home. I've never seen the morning pass so quickly before and soon arrived the lunchtime that I've taken at the office (you know French meal always on the need for such a journey!). Afterwards, I went back home, my luggage ready for departure and so began my WE off, headed out of the flat to take the Picadilly line to Heathrow. On arrive, nearly missed the closure of the gate (Ouf). Taken my fly to Manchester and arrived on scheduled time. At the train station somebody has told me that there was a direct train to Windermere (well, that's great) but what a liar!!!! (Roger has told me never to trust the National Railway: I never had a better advice). However, after having waited for nearly I don't remember how many hours I finally got a train to Preston from Manchester Picadilly and then (after a while) to Oxenholmes. There, on the platform I've met two wonderful women (I'll call her L and H) who were also going to the Festival. So after having waited a couple of minutes (hours?) we have decided to take a taxi to Bowness. The landscape was really nice even in the darkness and soon we had arrived in Bowness. Me and H ( I'd rather not telling her name unless telling otherwise by her) went directly to the Old Laundry to take our tickets and see if we were on time for the evening performance and yes we were ( L was too tired to come with us), super I'd always wanted to see the BELCEA quartet, marvellous violonist, violoncellist playing Mozart, Bartok and Beethoven with an electrifying impulse.

The women at the Old Laundry told us that we even had enough time to go to our hotel and head back to the theatre. so I went to my hotel and headed back to the theatre but too late, the performance has already began but a very nice woman at the box office allowed me to listen to them from behind the stairs, what a funny place to listen to such a beautiful live music but I had enjoy it whatsoever. After a few minutes and my head full of Mozart, I was allowed to get into the studio (or theatre but more like a studio because it's very tiny inside). At the interlude, I met H again and we had a nice conversation. We decided to return to our place for the second part and what I really didn't expect came: Monsieur Alan Rickman en personne!! I was so shocked I didn't want to stop to say bonjour or whatsoever... I ask H if I really had seen him even if knew it perfectly so she turn back her head and Alan and another man(Roger Glossop) were waving at us, she waved back and we went back to the studio. Alan and Roger also took a seat at the highest row. I tried to concentrate on the musician and succeed well enough because I thought it was weird to have Alan in the same room when didn't expected, however I must recognize that I was really aware of his physical presence and from time to time I couldn't help myself looking at him, It was a curious feeling because my head simply wouldn’t admit that he could be here while I was expecting to see him the next day. After the performance, I went to the "ladies" and at my return H presented me to Roger Glossop, the director of the festival. It was nice meeting him; really, I daresay I admire the work he has done for the people who leave here and his devotion for the theatre.

- Roger if ever you read this I really wanted to tell you that I had been really pleased to meet you and Paul as well and I wish you all the best for your Festival, I really mean it. So if one day you and your family come to Paris I would be very pleased to escort you or simply give a very warm welcoming as you did for me and the same goes for Paul -

(If ever you have the chance to go Bowness go and see the Old Laundry and the fantastic world of Beatrix Potter especially during its festival. There are always nice plays to see and a lot of other cultural attraction. This year I think it was the new version of Antigone by Blake Morrison which is worth seeing and I have missed it, what a shame!)

Well back to the story--- So I speak to Roger and I don't how and when suddenly came Alan again but this time straight to us, no need to say that I was completly shocked and that has resulted to my being completely tart (well, that what I was thinking at the time). Roger presented me to Alan and Alan replied in French "enchanté de vous connaître" in a quite funny way but nice (I wonder how did he knew I was French, maybe my accent). But I didn't remember having said anything, maybe a quite shy "nice to meet you, Alan" but full of this frenchy pride; I wouldn't dare recognize that I was totally thrilled to meet him and I don't exactly remember when he did it but he gave us caramel toffee that I couldn't refused!! I’ve noticed that he seemed to like sweet quite much as he was eating nearly all the bag. At the time it didn't make me feel anything special to be next to him, I was just thinking that he was a man like everybody else, quite charming but just a man and I behaved myself like I always did in the presence of a man, always pleased to make new acquaintance. I believe now that I couldn't realised that it was the same Alan Rickman I've seen many times in the "In Demand" clip and a lot of other nice movies. I don't really know what he was thinking at the time but he was just here wandering around us trying to look at the various posters surrounding us and moving in a quite funny way that made me wondered if he wasn't a little bit drunk or if it was really his way of moving, you know like Baudelaire's "Albatros":

L'acteur est "...semblable au prince des nuées
Qui hante la tempête et se rit de l'archer ;
Exilé sur le sol au milieu des huées,
Ses ailes de géant l'empêchent de marcher."

I asked him if he‘d be there all day the day after, he mustn’t have really understood what I asked because he answered in with famous tone that he wouldn’t be here all day because he would mostly be at the Royalty Cinema to present the movies and that he would only be there for the interview. However, maybe I didn’t say what I meant because I simply wanted to know if he would be with us all-day or only during the interview so I laugh and he smirked at me. I hope he didn’t think I was laughing at him because I was only laughing about the misunderstanding between us and maybe also a little bit about the way he was moving his back (drunk or not?). Then I told “see you tomorrow then” and I return to H and roger to tell them goodbye because I suddenly wanted to go back to the hotel to swim at the hotel swimming pool ( I know I’m quite strange sometimes even for me) so that what I did even if I had that they might be quite surprise to see me going so quickly. In fact, I wanted to leave him alone because it was too weird for me to be so suddenly in his presence that I couldn’t stand it no more…

I think that it will be enough for today. Maybe I‘ll tell you the rest of the story another time. I hope you have enjoy it as much as I did, maybe more…

Aaargh...I've just had to do the happy dance in order to get rid of the Asian Lady Beetle down the back of my shirt - thus am I served for the crime of willful and malicious punning, and inciting to pun.

Thanks also to everyone who has offered answers to some of my CME questions. Very enlightening! Sue--if you email me I think I can help you out with a copy of CME.

JulietsPix1
JulietsPix2
JulietsPix3
JulietsPix4
JulietsPix5
JulietsPix6

Would love to discuss CME, but unfortunately find myself at a loss for most of your questions myself! Spoiler space follows:

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1-4 As an American, I'm ignorant as to the locations and the vocabulary, sorry.

5 I thought she was being a bit more reserved, as if she was a model lounging around for window dressing and was only supposed to be speaking very softly and carefully. (Perhaps this comes from Richard's derisive description of the party later). Or, conversely, she is closed in, not speaking of much because as soon as she opens her mouth, Sinclair jumps into either correct or agree with her and then goes off on one of his tangents?

6 I took it that she meant to grab the dress and trample it or tear it as a final symbol that it was all over

7 I'm having to go on memory, as I'm still waiting for the DVD to come, but my feeling (as someone who speaks Spanish rather than Italian) was that she was asking her not to come in and maid said something about 'your husband', meaning Richard, being asleep. I'll probably be corrected on this, or if no one else comes up with the answer I'll be sure to listen for it when I watch

8 Well, I guess I put this in the 'suspended reality' of the film experience. For the same reason that people have conversations and dialogues that go somewhere-it's required for the film as compared to how real life works. Either that, or the legendary 'English reserve' is more substantial than I thought (So sorry, noticed that you were bleeding all over the floor, but didn't think it was my place to intrude).