Alan Rickman News & Information

(February 2003)

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An Alan Rickman-related link to check out:NationalTheatreUK

If anyone attends this, please give the GB a full report!

The event AR will appear at is called Collateral Damage. He will appear in the second one "Collateral Damage II." He is scheduled to appear on Friday, March 14, 2003. Performances start at 5:15 pm. Tickets are free. Here is the press release on his event, Collateral Damage II:

********************************************* The second in a series of free early evening events, informally staged at the National Theatre, in which a wide range of artists present their responses to the ongoing global situation. The series aims to illuminate, examine, satirise and grapple with the issues that surround the impending war on Iraq.

This evening's contributors include Jeremy Hardy, Terry Jones, Joe Penhall, Vanessa Redgrave, Alan Rickman and John Sessions.

Running time is 45 minutes.

Admission is free and unticketed, although numbers may be limited.

Details of participants are subject to change.

Performances start at 5:15 pm, unless otherwise indicated

Mar 2003
Fri 14 ***********************************************

For more information on all of the Collateral Damage events, visit the National Theatre website at www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/collateraldamage

MP
- Friday, February 28, 2003

Copyright 2003 Reed Elsevier Inc.
Daily Variety
February 28, 2003, Friday
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 20
HEADLINE: FILM PRODUCTION CHART
HIGHLIGHT: FILMING OUTSIDE THE U.S.

. . . . . . . . . .

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (1492 Pictures/Heyday Films) 2/24, U.K. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Gary Oldman, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, David Thewlis, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Georgiana
Seattle - Friday, February 28, 2003

Here is the Alan Rickman Birthday photo from Woman's Own magazine: Woman's Own
Kimberly
Michigan - Friday, February 28, 2003

Copyright 2003 Toronto Star Newspapers, Ltd.
Toronto Star
February 21, 2003 Friday Ontario Edition
SECTION: ENTERTAINMENT; Pg. D01
HEADLINE: Spacey thrives on 'difficult'
BYLINE: Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star

HIGHLIGHT: Impressive career marked by series of complex characters not always easy to like or pigeonhole This time, he plays a convicted murderer in anti-death penalty drama The Life Of David Gale

. . . . . . . . . .

And just like Lemmon did, Spacey continues to divide his time between the stage and the screen. He's recently been announced as the new artistic director of London's Old Vic Theatre, he frequently drops by our Stratford Festival to check things out, and if you ask him to name one of the most rewarding experiences of his career, he has no hesitation in pointing to his stage performance as Hickey in The Iceman Cometh, both in London and New York.

"I originally agreed to do the play because of (director) Howard Davies. Back in 1987, he closed his Broadway production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses when the producers wouldn't approve me as Alan Rickman's replacement, because I wasn't a big enough star. I never forgot that and, 11 years later, when the Almeida Theatre asked me to star in Iceman with Howard Davies directing, I didn't have to think twice."

. . . . . . . . . . .

Georgiana
Seattle - Thursday, February 27, 2003

Hope you don't mind Suz but I had a go at scannning the Don McCullin AR pic from Harpers as the one posted was a bit *digit-y* Hope this is a bit clearer.
Sue
England - Thursday, February 27, 2003

Here is the other Picture from March Harper's Mag
Sue
apologies for quality, having scanner probs., England - Wednesday, February 26, 2003

Here is the only picture from the book that I hadn't seen before. Rest were standard, Snape, GQ ones etc.

Sue
England - Wednesday, February 26, 2003

"Alan Rickman: The Unauthorised Biography: Revised and Update Edition," by Maureen Paton, can be purchased from Amazon.co.uk here: AlanBiography
Kimberly
Michigan - Wednesday, February 26, 2003

Copyright 2003 Times Newspapers Limited
The Times (London)
February 25, 2003, Tuesday
SECTION: Home news; 7
HEADLINE: Matthew Kelly cleared over child-sex claim
BYLINE: Adam Fresco

THE television presenter Matthew Kelly was cleared of child abuse yesterday after police said that there was insufficient evidence against him.

But Mr Kelly, 52, was forced to make a public apology to his fans and family after it emerged that a small quantity of cocaine was found in a search of his London home.

The presenter of ITV's Stars in Their Eyes was arrested last month by Surrey Police investigating a claim of sex abuse, as part of an investigation concerning boys under 16 in the 1970s. The investigation had placed a question mark over the future of one of ITV's most popular presenters. But ITV said that it now looked forward to his return and that the discovery of the Class A drug would not affect his future. Mr Kelly had been arrested by plainclothes officers as he came offstage from a pantomime performance as Captain Hook in Birmingham. Mr Kelly had been due to answer bail at Guildford police station next month, but was brought back early to Staines police station in West London yesterday and was told that there was no evidence to proceed.

Outside the police station, Mr Kelly said: "I'm delighted that after an extensive and thorough police investigation, which included inquiries abroad, it is clear there is no truth in the single allegation that was made against me.

"I strenuously denied the allegation when interviewed by the police and have given them all possible assistance with the investigation they were under a duty to carry out. I was always confident my name would be cleared in due course. However, it's been a very anxious and upsetting time for me and my family not least because of press coverage at the time of my arrest.

"In the course of the police investigation a search of my London home was carried out which resulted in a small quantity of Class A drugs being found. They were for my personal and occasional use only. I recognise the use of such drugs is both illegal and foolish. I want to apologise to my family and members of the public who may feel let down.

"I am deeply appreciative of the extensive public support I have received."

During the investigation he was forced to stand aside for three Stars In Their Eyes celebrity specials, which were presented by Davina McCall. In a statement Granada and ITV said: "Now that this matter has been resolved, we look forward to him returning in the forthcoming series. Matthew has always protested his innocence and we gave him our full support. We are delighted he has now been fully vindicated.

"Earlier this year, Matthew had made a decision not to present Kids' Stars in their Eyes. He will be on a theatrical tour while the series is being recorded.

This has no link to the false allegation, which came after Matthew had made this decision."

After Mr Kelly's arrest, actors including Julie Walters, Alan Rickman and Pete Postlethwaite signed an open letter giving him their backing.

Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Denholm, who emerged from the police station with Mr Kelly, said: "Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service it has been decided there is insufficient evidence to support the allegation against Mr Kelly." Mr Denholm said that two men were still on bail in connection with the investigation and a further man had been interviewed under caution.

Georgiana (This is one of many articles reporting the same...)
Seattle - Tuesday, February 25, 2003

And the Cambridge School Shakespeare series edition of "Antony and Cleopatra" has a photo of AR from an RSC performance he did with Glenda Jackson and Alan Howard: CambridgeBook

The isbn for this edition is 0-521-44584-1. The most recent edition was published in 2001. *Note* Oxford spelling: Anthony Cambridge spelling: Antony

Kimberly
Michigan - Monday, February 24, 2003

This is the cover of the Oxford Univ Press 2002 edition of "Anthony and Cleopatra": Book Cover

Kimberly
Michigan - Monday, February 24, 2003

OMgiddyness, it's amazing what a simple picture will do to a person; made me burst out laughing hysterically. There's a 2002 ed. of the book ANTHONY and CLEOPATRA, published by the Oxford Univ Press that bears just an amazing pic. ISBN is 0198320574 FYI incase anyone wants to have a look.

jody
CA USA - Sunday, February 23, 2003

Copyright 2003 Business Wire, Inc.
Business Wire
February 21, 2003, Friday
DISTRIBUTION: Photo Editors/Entertainment Editors
HEADLINE: ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' Commences Production for Warner Bros. Pictures and P of A Productions
DATELINE: BURBANK, Calif., Feb. 21, 2003

Gary Oldman, Timothy Spall, Michael Gambon, David Thewlis, Pam Ferris and Paul Whitehouse Join All-Star Ensemble Cast

Warner Bros. Pictures' highly anticipated film "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" will commence principal photography in Leavesden, England on February 24, it was announced today by Jeff Robinov, President of Production, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Renowned actors Gary Oldman ("Hannibal"), Timothy Spall ("Nicholas Nickleby"), Michael Gambon ("Gosford Park"), David Thewlis ("Timeline"), Pam Ferris ("Matilda") and Paul Whitehouse (star of the BBC's "The Fast Show") have joined the esteemed ensemble cast of the film, which is being directed by Academy Award nominee Alfonso Cuaron ("Y Tu Mama Tambien," "Great Expectations," "A Little Princess") and produced by David Heyman, Chris Columbus and Mark Radcliffe.

The executive producers of the film are Michael Barnathan ("Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"(a), "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets") and Callum McDougall ("Die Another Day"). The screenplay is by Steve Kloves ("Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"(a), "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"). In "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermione return as teenagers to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their third year of study, where they delve into the mystery surrounding an escaped prisoner who poses a dangerous threat to the young wizard.

"We couldn't be more excited about 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' being in the hands of such a relentlessly imaginative director as Alfonso Cuaron and are thrilled about the new actors he has assembled to join our already established cast," said David Heyman.

"To be entrusted with such rich and beloved material, and given the opportunity to collaborate with this extraordinary cast and crew on the next 'Harry Potter' adventure is an honor," Alfonso Cuaron said. "I look forward to bringing this intricate story to the screen and sharing it with film audiences around the world."

"I'm so proud to have been involved in this truly amazing film series, both as a director and a producer," added Chris Columbus. "I look forward to seeing it grow as Alfonso and the cast and crew further our imaginations with their truly inspired work."

In "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," Gary Oldman plays Sirius Black, the eponymous prisoner whose escape is thought to pose a great threat to Harry Potter; Michael Gambon plays the role of Professor Dumbledore, Hogwarts' venerable headmaster; Timothy Spall portrays Peter Pettigrew, an old friend of Harry's father, James Potter, from their days at Hogwarts; David Thewlis plays Professor Lupin, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor who harbors a mysterious secret; Pam Ferris plays Harry's overbearing Aunt Marge; and Paul Whitehouse portrays Sir Caddogan, a Knight who becomes the temporary guardian of Gryffindor Tower.

Reprising their roles from "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" are Daniel Radcliffe in the title role; Emma Watson as Hermione Granger; Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley; Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid; David Bradley as Argus Filch; Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy; Richard Griffiths as Uncle Vernon Dursley; Robert Hardy as Cornelius Fudge; Alan Rickman as Professor Snape; Fiona Shaw as Aunt Petunia Dursley; Dame Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall; Julie Walters as Mrs. Weasley; and Mark Williams as Mr. Weasley.

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," a Warner Bros. Pictures and P of A production, will be distributed worldwide in 2004 by Warner Bros. Pictures, an AOL Time Warner Company.

(a) "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is entitled "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" in Canada, the U.K. and some additional international territories.

Georgiana
Seattle - Saturday, February 22, 2003

Copyright 2003 MGN Ltd.
The Mirror
February 22, 2003, Saturday
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 9
HEADLINE: PAUL PULLS FAST ONE ON POTTER
BYLINE: GARY O'SHEA
HIGHLIGHT: MOVIE: Paul

THE Fast Show's Paul Whitehouse will appear in the next Harry Potter film, movie bosses revealed yesterday.

Whitehouse, who will play a knight called Sir Cadogan, will be joined in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by Gary Oldman, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis and Pam Ferris. Oldman will play the prisoner Sirius Black, while Spall will star as Peter Pettigrew, an old friend of Harry's father.

Ferris will be Harry's overbearing Aunt Marge and Thewlis will play the mysterious Professor Lupin, the new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher.

Sir Michael Gambon takes over as Professor Albus Dumbledore, replacing the late Richard Harris, who played the character in the first two Harry Potter movies.

Old favourites such as Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Dame Maggie Smith and Julie Walters will appear again.

Georgiana
Seattle - Saturday, February 22, 2003

These are links to the two music articles:

... for a .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) version of "Symbol, narrative and the musics of 'Truly, Madly, Deeply'" and

On Suzanne's page: Collage and subversion in the score of 'Die Hard'"

The Guardian, the Independent, and the Press Association note that it is Mr. Rickman's birthday, 57, a date he shares with, among others, Nina Simone, 69.
Georgiana
Seattle - Friday, February 21, 2003

As Sarah mentioned below (thanks, BTW!), there's a full page back & white photo of AR in the March issue of Harpers & Queen. A very nice one, I might add. :-) Here it is:

He's No Angel

And Happy Birthday to Alan Rickman!!!

Suzanne <Suz@mail.usa.comfoo>
Don't you just love leather?, TX USA - Friday, February 21, 2003

Interesting full-page b/w photo of Alan in the March edition of Harpers&Queens mag (UK). Could be from AABA?? He's wearing a battered leather jacket.

Caption reads:
He's No Angel. Actor Alan Rickman. Because..nobody does bad quite like Rickman ("I challenge you to write about me without using the word 'villain'). Because...the actor spent 3 years as a dresser to Nigel Hawthorne and Ralph Richardson. Because...from his stage portrayal as Valmont in Dangerous Liasons, which played to packed audiences in the West End and on Broadway, to his roles in Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, nobody steals the show quite like Rickman. Because...he proved he could be nice as the charming but pathetic Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility. Because....he has endeared himself to a whole new audience with his portrayal of the wicked snape in the Harry Potter films. Because...he's Truly, Madly, Deeply sexy, and women can't get enough of his unique charms.

Sorry, I don't have a scanner! Happy Birthday, Mr R!
Sarah
London, - Friday, February 21, 2003

Copyright 2003 Scottish Media Newspapers Limited
The Herald (Glasgow)
February 20, 2003
SECTION: Pg. 16
HEADLINE: Billboard
BYLINE: Edited By Keith Bruce

Portrait of the artist

ALWAYS one to hang out with the nobs, artist Jack Vettriano will once again be lending his support to the gilded ones of St Andrews University today when, as is his wont, he poses with a cluster of models. Last year it was at the beach, in a nod to one of his most commercially successful prints, this year it's the cloisters of St Salvador's Quad. The student charities campaign fashion show will take place at St Andrews Bay Hotel on Sunday, March 23, in aid of Juvenile Diabetes and Scottish International Relief. Other celebrity supporters of the event are Dame Judi Dench, Alan Rickman, and DJ Spoony. Design students from Paris and Rome have contributed couture and Pierce Brosnan's outfit from Die Another Day will also be modelled.

Georgiana
Seattle - Thursday, February 20, 2003

BBC-A will carry the BAFTA's live and commercial free starting at 4:00PM EST on February 23rd!
Claudia
GA US - Thursday, February 20, 2003

Copyright 2003 EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS
Sunday Express
February 16, 2003
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 2 3
HEADLINE: BRITAIN ON THE BRINK VAST ARMY OF PEACEFUL PROTESTERS MARCHES INTO LONDON; ONE MILLION SAY: DON'T GO TO WAR
BYLINE: By Hilary Douglas and Michelle Stanistreet

: A HUMAN river of protest at least one million strong converged on London yesterday, with people united in anguish about an impending war with Iraq.

It was a remarkable day, the like of which had not been seen in the capital since VE Day celebrations in 1945 marked the end of the Second World War.

. . . . . . . . . .

Celebrities who joined the protesters included Blur singer Damon Albarn marching alongside actors John Hurt and Alan Rickman. . . .

Georgiana
Seattle - Tuesday, February 18, 2003

Though the below article did appear in today's paper, we do not believe at this time that Alan Rickman is actually in the film.

Suzanne
TX USA - Sunday, February 16, 2003

There is an article in today's New York Times that shows some promise. The article is "The Subject Is Fear and the Excesses It Breeds" by Mervyn Rothstein. The article is about Irish playwrite Conor McPherson and here is the part that pertains to The Man:

Mr. McPherson, who has close-cropped bright red hair and looks young enough to be a student at University College Dublin, earned a master's degree in philosophy there, where he was a tutor in ethics and moral philosophy. His career has expanded to include the movies, and he has written and directed several films, among them "Saltwater," a loose adaptation of "This Lime Tree Bower," and "The Actors," a comedy with Michael Caine, Miranda Richardson, Alan Rickman and Michael Gambon that is to open in Europe in April and in the United States in September.

Copyright 2003 P.G. Publishing Co.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
February 14, 2003 Friday ONE STAR EDITION
SECTION: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Pg.W-20
BODY: Hed: Renting a romance
Sub: Looking for love in the video store? The staff has a few suggestions.

Sweet Home Alabama," "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "Brown Sugar" will be the big fat romantic rentals of the weekend but there are plenty of other movies suitable for Valentine's Day. Post-Gazette staffers are ready with suggestions although you may have to venture into the dark corners of the video store. But if you can navigate your way around Pittsburgh during tunnel closures, we think you can make it out of the older-release aisles alive.

"MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING" (2002)
. . . . . . . . . .
-- Cristina Rouvalis, Staff Writer

"CHOCOLAT" (2000)
. . . . . . . . . . .
-- Karen Carlin, Staff Writer

"HIS GIRL FRIDAY" (1940)
. . . . . . . . . .
-- Samantha Bennett, Copy Editor and South columnist

"THE WINGS OF THE DOVE" (1997)
. . . . . . . . . . .
-- Kim Crow, Staff Writer

"High Fidelity" (2000)
. . . . . . . . . . .
-- Scott Mervis, Weekend Editor

"Truly, Madly, Deeply" (1991)

This gem takes many of the same themes from "Ghost" -- grief over a dead lover, ghosts and parting with the past -- and handles them deftly with genuine emotion and humor. It also has an endearing group of spirits who stay up all night watching movies on video. Hey, it's not like they have to catch the 61C in the morning.

Juliet Stevenson is a bereaved Londoner and language translator who misses her soulmate, a low-key Alan Rickman, truly, madly, deeply. He returns as a spirit and she must decide whether to cling to him or move on with someone who is, well, alive. The film's premise is surprisingly easy to buy and if you need further convincing, be advised that it's from director-writer Anthony Minghella, who later gave us "The English Patient."

-- Barbara Vancheri, Staff Writer

"Bridget Jones's Diary" (2001)
. . . . . . . . . . .
-- Andrew Druckenbrod, Classical Music Critic

"Emma" (1996)
. . . . . . . . . . .
-- Caroline Abels, Cultural Arts Writer

"The Road Home" (1999)
. . . . . . . . . .
-- Ron Weiskind, Movie Editor

"Anna and the King" (1999)
. . . . . . . . . . .
-- Rosa Colucci, A&E News Assistant

"White Palace" (1990)
. . . . . . . . . . .
-- Jim Heinrich, Staff Writer

"Falling in Love" (1984)
. . . . . . . . . . .
-- Monica Haynes, Staff Writer

. . . . . . . . . .
-- Patricia Lowry, Architecture Critic

In case nothing here strikes your fancy, we did similar roundups in 1998 and 2000 and recommended: "Moonstruck," "Sleepless in Seattle," "Bull Durham," "Manhattan," "Robin and Marian," "Groundhog Day," "Choose Me," "The Quiet Man," "Sense and Sensibility," "Dangerous Beauty," "Great Expectations," "Shall We Dance," "The Sure Thing," "Edward Scissorhands," "The Remains of the Day" and "The Philadelphia Story."

Georgiana
Seattle - Saturday, February 15, 2003

Copyright 2003 MGN Ltd.
The Mirror
February 15, 2003, Saturday
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 2,3
HEADLINE: THE WORLD AGAINST THE WAR: FEB 15, 2003: A MILLION MARCHING; LONDON PEACE DEMO BIGGEST SINCE VE-DAY
BYLINE: JUSTINE SMITH

GERMANY; Faces painted, Shiva Magnussen, four, and her sister Luna, two, at a chain of peace candles in Hamburg; AUSTRALIA; Some of the 200,000 who marched in Melbourne, launching biggest world peace demo Picture: REUTERS; LONDON; PEACE POWER: Stop the War Coalition workers Husniye and Devrim Akipinar prepare Mirror posters for today's march through London by up to a million protesters telling Tony Blair they do not want war on Iraq waged in their name
Picture: PHIL HARRIS

UP to a million protesters will pack the streets of London today to march against war on Iraq.

About 25,000 more will protest in Glasgow where Tony Blair will speak to Labour's spring conference.

The astonishing street scenes will be repeated across the world as millions more demonstrate in 600 cities and towns in the biggest global appeal for peace in history.

Their passionate plea was given a vital boost yesterday when UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix told the Security Council his team had still found NO evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The US and Britain said Saddam Hussein had "lied, concealed and played games". But France, Russia and China called for more inspections. MPs insisted there was NO excuse for war.

London will swarm with the biggest crowds since VE-Day in 1945. They represent the 84 per cent of people who do not want Britain to join a strike on Iraq without UN backing.

More than 1,000 coaches - twice the number laid on for October's Countryside march by 400,000 - will bring protesters from 300 cities and towns.

Stop the War coalition said: "This is going to be at least twice as big as October's demonstration. We could get a million, even more."

Thousands will be marching for the first time in their lives, bringing home-made banners with messages for Mr Blair and President Bush.

They will be joined by hundreds of celebrities, among them R&B star Ms Dynamite who said: "I believe war is never the answer. Our leaders claim they fight on our behalf for justice. They should remember that an eye for an eye makes the world blind."

Blur's Damon Albarn is expected to be there along with TV comedian Mark Thomas and Harry Potter star Alan Rickman.

Former world middleweight champion Chris Eubank will drive a giant truck covered in anti-war slogans from Brighton to join the march. A group of cabbies calling themselves Bedford Britons vs Bush and DJs known as Ravers Against the War will join Socialists against War, Grandparents Against War and Lawyers Against War. Rebel Labour MPs march as Labour Against War.

Thousands more will come from sports clubs, schools, universities and campaign groups. Organisers are asking everyone to buy a pounds 1 white ribbon to wear in protest.

The charge will go to make a case against Mr Blair in the International Criminal Court if any war crimes are committed in Iraq.

Carol Naughton, chairwoman of CND - co-organisers with the Muslim Association of Britain - said: "We want every politician to see people wearing these ribbons.

"Don't let them forget for a moment that they do not have a mandate from us to bomb innocent Iraqis."

In Glasgow, protesters will march to the Labour conference at the Scottish Exhibition Centre. Dublin's demo will finish with a city centre rally.

In New York, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and actors Susan Sarandon and Danny Glover will address more than 100,000 expected at a Manhattan rally.

Organisers in Rome are expecting more than one million people. Germany is predicting 100,000.

Parisians will lead more than 40 French cities in echoing their government's call for a peaceful solution.

The global wave of protest started yesterday in Melbourne, Australia, where 200,000 marched for peace. Another 14 cities were following suit.

More than 30 cities in Japan hosted demos with the biggest in Tokyo, where 6,000 followed a sound truck blasting out "Power to the People".

Protesters marched on US embassies in Sarajevo, Manila, the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo and the Consulate General in Hong Kong.

In Athens, demonstrators occupied UN offices before a giant march. Huge turnouts are expected at demos in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

Georgiana
Seattle - Saturday, February 15, 2003

Copyright 2003 MGN Ltd.
The Mirror
February 14, 2003, Friday
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 6
HEADLINE: BENN BLAST ON EVE OF MARCH
BYLINE: ROSA PRINCE
HIGHLIGHT: GETTING THE MESSAGE: Demo posters being prepared in London yesterday

TONY Benn yesterday accused Tony Blair of being al-Qaeda's best recruiting agent.

The veteran left-winger spoke as organisers distributed thousands of posters for the giant anti-war demo in London tomorrow

He accused the Government of whipping up hysteria for an attack on Iraq. In an interview on Xfm radio, Mr Benn added: "If you make war on a Muslim country you may expect a response - and I think probably Mr Blair is the best recruiting agent for al-Qaeda you could find."

Up to a million are expected to turn up for the London protest - with another 30million taking part in a day of action in more than 520 cities worldwide.

Protests will be held Glasgow, Dublin and Belfast - and the "No War" cry will also ring out in more than 50 languages from Kuala Lumpur to Kiev, Los Angeles to Lima. There will even be demos at the North and South Poles as hundreds of Inuit protest at Nunavut, Arctic Canada, while researchers at the US-run McMurdo Station, Antarctica, plan to make a peace symbol in the snow.

In Tel Aviv Jews will march alongside Arabs. John Rees, from the Stop the War Coalition, said: "It's much bigger than we ever imagined."

In London the Daily Mirror is sponsoring the big screen at the rally in Hyde Park and will be handing out "Not In Our Name" placards.

Meanwhile, 300 stars have signed an anti-war petition to the Government, branding any attack on Iraq "immoral and illegal".

They include Jim Broadbent, John Hurt, Julie Christie, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson and Phil Collins.

Georgiana
Seattle - Friday, February 14, 2003

Copyright 2003 Associated Newspapers Ltd.
The Evening Standard (London)
February 13, 2003
SECTION: Pg. 17
HEADLINE: Stars' antiwar message may boost rally turnout ACTORS, MUSICIANS AND SPORTSMEN SIGN UP

AMONG the celebrities who have signed the peace petitions are: Actors Richard E Grant, Alan Rickman, Dame Judi Dench, Dustin Hoffman, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Pryce, Emma Thompson, Joanna Lumley, Sir Ian McKellen, Eileen Atkins, Frances de la Tour, John Hurt, Sheila Hancock Anna Carteret, Julie Christie, Neil Pearson, Susanna York, Richard Wilson, Fiona Shaw, Juliet Stevenson, Harriet Walter and Jim Broadbent.

Musicians include Craig David, Travis, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Damon Albarn, Jarvis Cocker, Sir Bob Geldof, Annie Lennox, Sting, Dame Cleo Laine, John Williams and Alfred Brendel.

Others backing the campaign are Chelsea footballer Graeme Le Saux; artists Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst; comedians Harry Enfield, Jeremy Hardy, Victoria Wood, and Alexei Sayle; TV presenter Mariella Frostrup; authors Nick Hornby, Jonathan Coe, Iain Banks, Julian Barnes, Nina Bawden, Susie Orbac, Beryl Bainbridge, Jilly Cooper; and Jeanette Winterson; theatre directors Nicholas Hytner and Richard Eyre; entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox; Diane Abbott MP; Mick Rix, General Secretary ASLEF; Bob Crow, General Secretary RMT; Mayor Ken Livingstone; Liz Calder, Bloomsbury Publishing; Sir Bernard Crick, citizenship adviser; Prof Terry Eagleton; playwrights David Hare and Harold Pinter; and Andy Kershaw, broadcaster/journalist.

Georgiana
Seattle - Friday, February 14, 2003

14 February 2003
Copyright New York Times
A Sense of Fine Qualities Trampled and of Something 'Terribly Wrong'
By SARAH LYALL

LONDON, Feb. 13 - When asked what they think of the United States in these uncertain times, European intellectuals tend to draw a swift distinction between the American government and the American people.

But European anti-Americanism is more than just straightforward opposition to the policies of the current administration. There is a growing sense here, reflected in interviews with writers, cultural figures and other intellectual leaders in Western Europe, that many of America's most admirable qualities - its respect for its great cacophony of voices, its belief in freedom, its proud democratic principles - have been so trampled in the debate over war as to have been rendered toothless or even nonexistent.

"Something has gone terribly wrong in America," said Jacqueline Rose, a feminist scholar in Britain. "America established a certain tradition of public dissent, with the civil rights and feminist and anti-Vietnam movements. But post-Sept. 11 there is a feeling that the American left has largely gone silent."

In The Times of London last month, the author John le Carré went further, writing that "America has entered one of its periods of historical madness, but this is the worst I can remember." Comparing the current crisis to the McCarthy era, he said, "The freedoms that have made America the envy of the world are being systematically eroded."

Opposition to the war is everywhere in Western Europe. Millions are expected to take part in antiwar protests around the world this weekend, and more and more people here have been signing petitions, publishing antiwar articles in newspapers and on the Internet, and giving speeches at antiwar rallies.

In France and Germany, dozens of influential writers, artists, scientists and others - including Günter Grass, Christa Wolf and Jacques Derrida - signed a statement opposing the war.

In Britain, a similar petition appeared today in The Guardian, signed by, among others, the musicians Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, the playwright David Hare and the actors Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman. In Spain, where the film establishment turned a recent film awards ceremony into a virtual antiwar demonstration several weeks ago, the director Pedro Almodóvar plans to present an antiwar manifesto at a rally in Madrid on Saturday.

Some of the antiwar sentiment goes hand in hand with an outright hatred of all things American, a view that many believe belongs in the category of "stupid anti-Americanism," as the author Peter Schneider, a German, put it in an interview. But stupid or not, such an attitude is on the rise.

"I would say that even in the Vietnam years, I've never seen so much anti-Americanism all over Europe as I see now," Mr. Schneider said. "This is something America doesn't realize."

But the cause for a subtler approach toward the United States, which Mr. Schneider advocates, is not helped by the American government's perceived lack of subtlety. The Dutch writer Cees Nooteboom says one of the most distressing recent developments is how the Bush administration seems to dismiss even well-thought-out European disagreement.

"I get rather upset if I read American comments from people like Perle and Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld that we are all anti-American," Mr. Nooteboom said. "I do not think I am anti-American; nor do I like it when people say I am, because of a difference of opinion."

In The Guardian today, Annick Cojean, a commentator from the French newspaper Le Monde, said the debate had descended into vicious name-calling from America's politicians, supported by a too-complacent news media. "This torrent of insults against France and Germany, these are insults that one thought belonged to a bygone century," she wrote.

Europeans have always been ambivalent toward the United States. Affections ebb and flow; each country has its own history and relationship with America. Cultural leaders might denounce the ubiquitousness of American influence, but they wear American clothes, read American books, listen to American music, watch (and make) American films, and cross the Atlantic as readily as they might cross the French-German border.

"Anyone who's sincere would admit to a certain degree of conflict or compromise in their own life about America," said Ian Jack, editor of the British magazine Granta. "You find that, even with writers who say, `I cannot stand what American culture has done for the world,' many of them have e-mail addresses ending in `harvard.edu.' "

The same is true among another growing anti-American group in Europe: young people who criticize what they see as imperialistic tendencies in the United States, bullying tactics, and an effort to turn the world into an American-owned subsidiary.

Such are those who might take part in antiglobalization demonstrations and buy anti-American books - several were on French best-seller lists last year - but they could also be seen dancing to Bruce Springsteen at a recent concert in Paris, shouting themselves hoarse.

"I don't believe one should blame America; America is many other things besides whether or not there is a war in Iraq," said the Italian commentator Alain Elkann, an adviser to the Italian culture minister. "Each one of us for one reason or another dreams of America, and America is everywhere."

Johano Strasser, president of the German PEN Center, the international writers' organization that defends freedom of expression, said that if disagreeing with the United States meant being anti-American, "I know many Americans who are also anti-American.

"I think it's nonsense to talk about pro-Americanism and anti-Americanism," he said. "People have different opinions on very important political questions. Let's talk about the opinions and not the motivation behind them."

In Italy, where there is a particularly deep affection for the United States, even opponents of war say that many Europeans are unfairly dismissing the profound sense of anger and vulnerability that are driving American policy. "I would prefer an approach from America that was more open to discussion and different points of view," said Furio Colombo, the editor and publisher of the Socialist newspaper L'Unitŕ in Rome. "But anyone who was here and not in New York on Sept. 11 cannot understand in full the immensity of that tragedy."

But to many, even such sympathy is tempered by a real disillusionment in a country they once loved, or at least admired.

"As recently as the mid-80's, there was a view where you thought that America made mistakes but was a force for good in the world," said Will Hutton, chief executive of the Work Foundation in Britain and the author of "A Declaration of Interdependence: Why America Should Join the World." "Europeans, like Americans, were captivated by America's fantastic Constitution, by the promise of a whole continent consecrated by the idea of liberty."

"That's still there," he continued. "But there's another America which is rather threatening, a bullying America convinced of its own rectitude, profoundly disregarding the sensibilities of others."

That is the America that Mr. Nooteboom, the Dutch writer, said seems to be prevailing right now. "There's this enormous pressure by the United States to have it their way and do it their way," he said. "In the meantime, some very precious friendships and allegiances and great positive feelings toward one another are being ruined."

Georgiana
Seattle - Friday, February 14, 2003

Copyright 2003 The Stage Newspapers Ltd
The Stage
February 13, 2003
SECTION: Pg. 2
HEADLINE: SNAPS: Maria Bjornson

Maria Bjornson, the theatre designer who died in December, will be remembered at a tribute concert organised by her friends entitled For Maria With Love. It will be held at Her Majesty's Theatre at 8pm on Sunday, February 16. Vanessa Redgrave, Alan Rickman, Michael Ball and Sally Ann Triplett are due to appear. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster on 0870 890 6010.

Georgiana
Seattle, - Thursday, February 13, 2003

Copyright 2003 EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS
The Express
February 8, 2003
SECTION: FEATURES; Pg. 41
HEADLINE: BOOKS; PAPERBACKS

Alan Rickman, by Maureen Paton (Virgin, GBP 9.99)

Alan Rickman is one of our finest contemporary actors, with a range that embraces classic Shakespearean stage roles and the Harry Potter films. But despite starring in a string of Hollywood hits, he remains an elusive personality who shuns celebrity status. Paton does an excellent job in unmasking the man behind the greasepaint.

Georgiana
Seattle, - Thursday, February 13, 2003

Copyright 2003 The Irish Times
The Irish Times
February 8, 2003
SECTION: CITY EDITION; MAGAZINE; PEOPLE; Pg. 73
HEADLINE: Shooting Stars: A quiet-spoken Armagh man has become one of Hollywood'smost sought-after cinematographers. Seamus McGarvey tells Hugh Linehan how he helped Meryl Streep, Julianne Mooreand Nicole Kidman shine in his latest project, The Hours

Lighting cameraman, director of photography, cinematographer. So many names for just one job. With all the folderol, flim-flam and outright lies that surround movies and their making, it's hardly surprising that people forget the fact that at its heart is the process which occurs when chemicals on a strip of celluloid are exposed to light.
. . . . . . . . . . .

Among them was Butterfly Kiss, the directorial debut of Michael Winterbottom (Welcome to Sarajevo, 24 Hour Party People). A provocative, surreal serial-killer movie set in a nowhereland of motorways and service stations, it to some degree established the visual sensibility of several of his succeeding films, combining a sense of the rawness and mundanity of everyday life with a poetic eye for the everpresent possibility of transcendence. That same sensibility can be seen in his later work with two actors-turned-directors, Alan Rickman (The Winter Guest) and Tim Roth (The War Room). And he has a particular soft spot for Slab Boys, the film which brought him seven years ago to Scotland, where he now lives with his wife Phoebe and three-year-old daughter Stella.
. . . . . . . . . .
It seemed like an odd choice to move to Scotland when he was working regularly out of London, I venture. "I love London as a city," he says. "But my career was picking up and I was living in this swirl of celluloid. I completely fell in love with Glasgow, and this is such an itinerant existence that you want to be anchored somewhere. What's nice about Scotland is that I couldn't say anything to my friends about being at a table with Nicole Kidman at the Golden Globes. They'd either laugh at me or beat me up."
. . . . . . . . . . .

Georgiana
Seattle, - Thursday, February 13, 2003

Alan Rickman is said to appear in a concert in honour of the memory of Maria Bjornson (designer)at Her Majesty's Theatre in London this Sunday, 8pm.

Tickets can be reserved on 0870 890 6010 and are free :-)

Take care
Erika (out of lurk-dom)

Erika
London, UK - Thursday, February 13, 2003

Copyright 2003 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest Global Communications Corp.
All Rights Reserved
Vancouver Sun
January 31, 2003 Friday Final Edition
SECTION: Movie Weekend; Marke Andrews; Pg. F1
HEADLINE: Films filled with laughter Films sealed with a kiss: Marke Andrews will tell you which ones you can't miss. From the Cat in the Hat to sequels galore, 2003 brings plenty to purr about
SOURCE: Vancouver Sun
BYLINE: Marke Andrews

Taking the biblical advice to go forth and multiply, movie studios will have plenty of sequels and remakes to unspool at an octoplex near you this year.

But look hard past the Charlie's Angels and The Fast and the Furious sequels, and you will find some promising original films. Stephen Frears' Dirty Pretty Things could be a winner, The Runaway Jury has a cast to die for (as does Tim Burton's Big Fish), the underrated Johnny Depp will play writer J.M. Barrie in a fall movie, and I'm pretty stoked about The School of Rock, which combines the talents of actor Jack Black, screenwriter-actor Mike White and director Richard Linklater.

Here are some movies to watch, or maybe watch out, for. All dates are subject to change.

. . . . . . . . . . .
Love stories intersect in modern-day London in Love Actually, a romantic comedy starring Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson. (Nov. 7)

Georgiana (I had the good fortune to see "A Number" twice in November with Gambon and Daniel Craig--a true loss for New York audiences!)
Seattle - Tuesday, February 04, 2003

Copyright 2003 Times Newspapers Limited
Sunday Times (London)
February 2, 2003, Sunday
SECTION: Home news; News; 5
HEADLINE: Gambon to be Dumbledore
BYLINE: Richard Brooks, Arts Editor

SIR MICHAEL GAMBON, the distinguished character actor best known for his louche performances in British television dramas, is set to play Professor Dumbledore in the next Harry Potter film.

The role of the headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been vacant since the death of Richard Harris in October. Filming of the third Potter movie, The Prisoner of Azkaban, begins in two weeks' time.

Although Warner Bros, the maker of the series, would not confirm last week that Gambon, 62, had been chosen, the company is said to be talking to nobody else. If Gambon lands the part it will be his first major film role. The actor, who is best known for his starring role in Dennis Potter's television drama The Singing Detective, has recently rejected two other parts, saying he was going to do Harry Potter.

He was pencilled in as Cardinal Wolsey in an ITV drama about Henry VIII and had also been set to take Caryl Churchill's play A Number, in which he starred at London's Royal Court Theatre last summer, to New York.

Gambon is one of three actors considered suitable to play Dumbledore. The others are Sir Ian McKellen - Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films - and the veteran horror movie star Christopher Lee. But Lee, at 80, is probably too old and McKellen is too closely associated with the JRR Tolkien series, the main rival to the Potter films.

Gambon, most recently seen on television a fortnight ago as King Edward VII in Stephen Poliakoff's The Lost Prince, has had parts in Hollywood movies such as The Insider, which starred Russell Crowe, and Charlotte Gray, starring Cate Blanchett.

Dumbledore is one of the four key adult parts in the Harry Potter films: Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman play the teachers McGonagall and Snape, and Robbie Coltrane is Hagrid, the caretaker. The youngsters are played by Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, with Emma Watson and Rupert Grint as his friends Hermione and Ron.

The first Potter film, The Philosopher's Stone, was released in November 2001 and took Pounds 620m at the box office, slightly more than the first Lord of the Rings movie, The Fellowship of the Ring. It was directed by Chris Columbus, who was previously best known for Home Alone.

Columbus also made the second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which came out 10 weeks ago and has so far taken about Pounds 500m at the box office.

Columbus decided that devoting 2A years to Potter was enough and he has been replaced by the Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron, who is best known for his witty and sexy movie Y Tu Mama Tambien, or And Your Mother Too. The Prisoner of Azkaban will open in summer 2004.

Warner Bros has the rights to JK Rowling's fourth Potter book, The Goblet of Fire, which was published in 2000 and will almost certainly be made into a movie.

Although Gambon could play Dumbledore for many years, there is a question mark over whether Radcliffe, now nearly 14, can continue in the starring role for much longer. His voice broke 18 months ago and he might now be too tall.

Potter fans have less than five months to wait for Rowling's fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It will be released on both sides of the Atlantic on June 21.

The American publishers had originally wanted it out in May but were told by Bloomsbury in Britain that such an early release date would have played havoc with children sitting GCSE exams.

When Rowling failed to bring out the book last summer there were rumours that she had writer's block. She denies any such problems, saying she simply gave herself time off because she had just wed.

Although Rowling is expecting her second child in the spring she remains committed to at least two more Potter books.

Georgiana (I had the good fortune to see "A Number" twice in November with Gambon and Daniel Craig--a true loss for New York audiences!)
Seattle - Tuesday, February 04, 2003

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