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Copyright 2003 The Gloucester Citizen
The Gloucester Citizen
January 29, 2003
SECTION: News; Education; Schools; Pg. 9
HEADLINE: Spellbound youngsters go Potter for places at school

The school, which provided extras for the Harry Potter films, has said inquiries about places have almost doubled in the past two years. More than 100 pupils from the school joined to Gloucester Cathedral - the setting for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - have been used in Harry Potter the Philosopher's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets. Although magic lessons aren't on the curriculum, the school's website says King's has been "welcoming wizards since January 2000". It seems a love of Harry Potter could be as responsible for the increased interest in the school as its impressive league table performance. School registrar Kate O'Keefe said: "Obviously for some children it is a thrill to come to the school where Harry Potter was filmed.
"When the children come and look around the school they are very aware that is has been used in the film and they always say 'where are the Harry Potter children?' and ask about those things.
"When we take them around the Cathedral they recognise the cloisters from the film and that gets them very excited.
"But we always make it clear that if you come to King's it doesn't mean you are going to be a Harry Potter extra.
"We are not stringing them along.
"And we think the main reason for the improvement in interest in the school is our placing in the league tables." Those starting at the school this year will be able to hear stories of movie premieres and after-show parties from pupils who were lucky enough to appear in the first two Harry Potter films.
They got to mingle with the likes of Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith and the films' star, Daniel Radcliffe, between takes. Last summer 92% of 15-year-olds at the school achieved GCSE grades of A* to C. This placed it in ninth place in the 10 top-performing Gloucestershire schools. Inquiries by parents about places for 11-year-olds have soared at the school by around 30% in the past two years. There has also been a rise in demand for 13-year-old pupils coming in. The King's School is one of the nine famous Cathedral Schools established by Henry VIII in 1541. The school was originally created for the education of the Cathedral choristers and the choir continues to form an important part of the school community. You still have to be boy a to be a Cathedral chorister, but King's has been welcoming girls into the school for almost 30 years. It costs GBP 2,964 a term for Year Seven pupils at the school and the fees increase as pupils progress through the years.

STAR PUPILS: The popularity of the Harry Potter films is doubling applications for King's School.

Georgiana
Seattle - Thursday, January 30, 2003

Copyright 2003 The Scotsman Publications Ltd.
Evening News (Edinburgh)
January 27, 2003, Monday
SECTION: Pg. 11
HEADLINE: BITCHING FROM BRUNTSFIELD: POLITICIANS MUST CHANGE.. NOT US
BYLINE: Helen Martin

. . . . . . . . . .

Stars in their eyes

I'M sure it's all very laudable for Matthew Kelly's friends, stars of stage and screen, to get together and write a letter recording their "pride and pleasure in knowing and working with this gentle and caring man".

They go on: "The picture of him being painted in some quarters of the national Press is one we deplore and do not recognise."

But there is one thing Alan Rickman, Julie Walters and all seem to have ignored which is that it wasn't the Press who arrested him.

It was the police, who presumably feel they have some kind of evidence. Shooting the messenger doesn't change the message. I hope they still feel the same way if and when the evidence is read out in court.

Georgiana
Seattle - Wednesday, January 29, 2003

Copyright 2003 John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd
Sun Herald (Sydney)[Australia]
January 19, 2003 Sunday
SECTION: Television; Pg. 6
HEADLINE: CRITIC'S CHOICE
BYLINE: Annemaree Bellman

. . . . . . . . . .
TOP PICK

**** Masterpiece: Check The Gate: Putting Beckett On Film, Sunday, SBS, 9.30pm.

In 1998, the artistic director of Dublin's Gate Theatre proposed filming all 19 of Samuel Beckett's plays. The project sent many Beckett purists into shock. "Tiresome bores!" responds Irish director Neil Jordan, just one of the many interviewees in this introduction cum making-of. Jordan revelled in the challenge, starting with a Beckett comment and subsequently finding dozens of different ways to film Julianne Moore's mouth for Not I.

Some of the comments qualify their speakers for a spot in Pseud's Corner, but it's all interesting and innovative.

The result is 11 hours of film and the sort of names that get reviewers salivating: Atom Egoyan directing John Hurt in Krapp's Last Tape; Anthony Minghella's Play featuring Alan Rickman, Juliet Stevenson and Kristin Scott Thomas. Mamet, Gielgud, Pinter and Irons are also featured. SBS is screening the whole suite over the next week or so, beginning with Waiting For Godot after this program. Enjoy.

Ratings are:
***** Drop everything!
**** Great entertainment
Etc.

Georgiana
Seattle - Sunday, January 26, 2003

Copyright 2003 Financial Times Information
All rights reserved
Global News Wire
PR Newswire (US)
January 21, 2003
HEADLINE: LIGHTS, CAMERA ... ROMANCE?

LOS GATOS, Calif., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- When it comes to tender poems, red Valentine's hearts, and bended-knee proposals, are you a misty-eyed romantic or a hardboiled cynic? Regardless of your take on eternal love, this Valentine's Day the film lover in you knows that while roses wilt and chocolates melt, great love-theme movies never disappoint.

Flying like Cupid's arrow straight to the heart of the matter of movies and love, Netflix reveals its "Great Romance Movies," courtesy of Netflix Film Critic James Rocchi. Below are three types of romantic movies guaranteed to give your Valentine's Day some sizzle and some laughter!

The Triumph of Love:

1. THE APARTMENT - (1960) . . .
2. JERRY MAGUIRE - (1996) . . .
3. IL POSTINO - (1994) . . .
4. SENSE AND SENSIBILITY - (1995) A well-loved Jane Austen novel; a sparkling, Oscar-winning adapted script from star Emma Thompson; a sprawling cast of stars (Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman and more); Ang Lee's gorgeous direction. A classic film of a classic novel.
5. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN - (1952) . . .

The Tragedy of Love:

1. CASABLANCA - (1941) . . .
2. ROMAN HOLIDAY - (1953) . . .
3. TRULY MADLY DEEPLY - (1991) This British romantic comedy is, at heart, Ghost for grown-ups -- as Juliet Stevenson finds herself literally haunted by dead love Alan Rickman. Touching and funny, this British treasure is a little-seen gem.
4. ROMEO + JULIET - (1996) . . . 5. LOVE STORY - (1970) . . .

Love & Laughter:

1. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY - (1989) . . .
2. AMELIE - (2002) . . .
3. THE PRINCESS BRIDE - (1987) . . .
4. BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY - (2001) . . .
5. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY - (1940) . . .

For more recommendations or additional information on the DVDs noted above, visit http:/ /www.netflix.com/. Netflix provides quick summaries, information on the stars, directors and producers, critical reviews and DVD previews on nearly 13,500 movies available on the site.

About Netflix

Launched in 1998, Netflix is the world's largest online subscription-based DVD rental service, providing more than 850,000 subscribers with access to a comprehensive library of more than 13,500 DVD titles. For $ 19.95 a month, Netflix subscribers can rent as many DVDs as they want, with three movies out at a time, and keep them for as long as they like. There are no due dates and no late fees. DVDs are delivered directly to the subscriber's address by first-class mail from distribution centers throughout the United States. Netflix can reach more than half of its subscribers with next-day service. The company also provides background information on DVD releases, including reviews, member reviews and ratings and personalized movie recommendations. For more information on the company, visit http:/ /www.netflix.com/. Netflix

CONTACT: Rick Sneed of Netflix, +1-408-399-3709, or rsneed@netflix.com; or Eric Doyle, +1-415-648-3456, or edoyle@netflix.com, for Netflix

Web site: http:/ /www.netflix.com/

Georgiana (been clear for some time that someone at the Financial Times sure likes Mr. Rickman...)
Seattle - Friday, January 24, 2003

Copyright 2003 MGN Ltd.
The Mirror
January 23, 2003, Thursday
SECTION: FEATURES; Pg. 23
HEADLINE: BRIAN READE'S COLUMN: FASCIST BIGOTS TAKE THE GREAT OUT OF BRITAIN
BYLINE: BRIAN READE

WITH their extensive body mass, gargantuan gobs and luminous clothes there is no easier target in the Milky Way than an American.

And us cool, ironic Brits love to hit it more than we hit the bottle. Especially those vain, selfish hermits called superstars who sizzle by Hollywood pools. Oh, how we spit on their nose jobs. Well, maybe we should rethink this prejudice, because they are currently telling their deranged president where to stick his war, while our own stars are quieter than Gary Barlow's answerphone.

A 40,000-strong anti-war group, Not in Our Name, including Steve Earle, Sheryl Crow, Susan Sarandon, Danny Glover and Robert Altman have taken out adverts in the American Press, while Kim Basinger, Samuel L Jackson and a hundred others wrote to Bush in protest over Iraq. Sean Penn visited Baghdad, George Clooney has told Dubya he's acting like one of The Sopranos and Martin Sheen led a protest in Los Angeles with Jackson Browne providing the music.

A trickle of protest compared to the torrent of anger unleashed by their British counterparts? Not quite. Apart from veteran left-wing writers, the only household name on the anti-war marches is singer Damon Albarn. Indeed so few are banging the pacifist drum the Daily Mirror had to go to an awards ceremony to ask them to sign our petition.

And with respect to James Nesbitt and Tamzin Outhwaite, we aren't talking screen legends. Where are the Oscar-material radicals such as Pete Posthlethwaite, Alan Rickman and Julie Walters when our country needs them? They are putting their names to a different kind of petition.

One that begged for compassion towards their friend Matthew Kelly, "deploring" the way he is being hung, drawn and quartered for an offence he is, thus far, innocent of. As part of a wide police inquiry, Kelly was questioned over one allegation that he had sex with an under-age teenager 30 years ago and released. He dismisses the claim as ludicrous, says he has never met his accuser and is adamant he will clear his name.

Meanwhile, because our law says he can be named and shamed as an alleged paedophile, Kelly endures hell. Under the no-smoke-without-fire theory (the same one which almost ruined football manager Dave Jones when he was falsely accused of child abuse) Kelly's career is in tatters and he may never walk down a street again without grunts of "paedo" from readers of newspapers who imply his guilt before he is even charged.

. . . . . . . . . .

Georgiana
Seattle - Thursday, January 23, 2003

Copyright 2003 Business Wire, Inc.
Business Wire
January 21, 2003, Tuesday
DISTRIBUTION: Entertainment/Photo Editors
HEADLINE: The Magic is Back ... April 11, 2003: The $260 Million* Box-Office Smash ''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' Comes to DVD and VHS
DATELINE: BURBANK, Calif., Jan. 21, 2003

Warner Home Video:
-- Loaded DVD Includes Never-Before-Seen Footage, Exclusive Interviews and Much More!
-- "Outmatches even its own predecessor with more action, humor and thrills." --Claudia Puig, USA TODAY

On April 11, unlock the magic as Warner Home Video (WHV) releases the $260 million* smash, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" on an extra features-loaded double disc DVD and on VHS. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," the second installment in the "Harry Potter" series, follows Harry, Ron and Hermione through their second year at Hogwarts School. The DVD delivers another adventure with more magic, more laughs and more thrills and with 19 additional/extended scenes, self-guided tours including background characters, an exclusive interview with author J.K. Rowling and screenwriter Steve Kloves and all-new interactive challenges. "The home video release of 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' extends the movie experience with more exciting DVD features than ever before," said Mike Saksa, WHV head of U.S. Marketing. "With special features such as crystal-clear, self-guided tours and One VoiceDVD technology that allows users to magically control their computers with their voices, the DVD offers fans the ultimate 'Harry Potter' experience."

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" will also be released on DVD and VHS in key territories such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia on April 11, 2003.

The "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" loaded, two-disc DVD will cast a spell on fans everywhere with magical features including the following:

-- 19 additional/extended scenes, including more Dobby mischief, more flying car adventure, a frightening encounter with the Malfoys in Borgin and Burkes and much more!
-- Crystal-clear, self-guided tours, which for the first time include background characters, let viewers have an up-close experience, allowing them to linger on the details of the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore's office and Diagon Alley -- including places never shown in the film such as more Diagon Alley shops, the sitting room in Dumbledore's office and more!
-- Interviews with Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron), Emma Watson (Hermione) and other cast members who talk about making the film, favorite scenes, what their friends think and more.
-- An exclusive interview with author J.K. Rowling and screenwriter Steve Kloves about rendering the adventure to the screen.
-- Fun-filled activities allow viewers to escape the Forbidden Forest, sneak into the Chamber and more.
-- Visit Lockhart's class, and get a closer look at his photos and memorabilia through the use of still galleries.
-- Feature film available in English and Spanish; subtitles available in English, French and Spanish.

The DVD-ROM has more than 15 special features including the following:
-- The One VoiceDVD technology will allow users to navigate through the DVD-ROM features and access set top features using only their voices, giving kids the illusion of a magical experience interacting with the DVD.
-- An animated, interactive Hogwarts timeline provides important dates in Hogwarts history with mini pop-up videos from the "Harry Potter" films.
-- A slider puzzle challenge featuring motion video.
-- Printable magic trading cards to collect and share with friends.
-- Jigsaw puzzles, matching challenges, downloadable screensavers and much more!

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" grossed more than $88 million in its opening weekend, the third largest opening 3-day weekend of all time just behind "Spider-Man" and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

Price
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is releasing on DVD in both widescreen and full-frame DVD formats for $29.95 SRP and for$24.99 SRP on VHS.

A Charmed Franchise

"Harry Potter" is the world's biggest family franchise. In 2001, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" shattered a number of box office records at the time of its release and became the sixth highest grossing film of all time domestically and the second largest film worldwide. The film garnered three Academy Award(R) nominations and seven prestigious BAFTA nominations, including Outstanding British Film of the Year. The launch of the "Harry Potter" franchise on home video proved to be a tremendous success, with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" as one of the top selling video releases of 2002. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" has grossed more than $255 million domestically with its theatrical release, making it the #1 family movie of 2002. The "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" novel has sold more than 50 million copies in more than 200 countries worldwide, and has received honors such as the Winner (1999) of the British Books Awards (Nibbies), Children's Book of the Year, Gold Winner (1998) of the Nestle Smarties Book Prize, Winner of the (1999) FCBG Children's Book Award and debuted at number one on the adult list of the New York Times bestseller list. J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" book series has sold more than 195 million copies worldwide.

Synopsis

Cars fly, trees fight back and a mysterious elf comes to warn Harry Potter at the start of the second year of his amazing journey into the world of wizardry. This year at Hogwarts, spiders talk, letters scold and Harry's own unsettling ability to speak to snakes turns his friends against him. From dueling clubs to rogue Bludgers, it's a year of adventure and danger when bloody writing on a wall announces: The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. To save Hogwarts will require all of Harry, Ron and Hermione's magical abilities and courage in this spellbinding adaptation of J.K. Rowling's second book. Get ready to be amused and petrified as Harry Potter shows he's more than a wizard, he's a hero!

The Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Heyday Films/1492 Pictures production of a Chris Columbus film, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," starring DANIEL RADCLIFFE, RUPERT GRINT, EMMA WATSON, KENNETH BRANAGH, JOHN CLEESE, ROBBIE COLTRANE, WARWICK DAVIS, RICHARD GRIFFITHS, RICHARD HARRIS, JASON ISAACS, ALAN RICKMAN, FIONA SHAW, MAGGIE SMITH and JULIE WALTERS.

Directed by CHRIS COLUMBUS from a screenplay by STEVE KLOVES, based on the acclaimed novel by J.K. ROWLING, the film is produced by DAVID HEYMAN. CHRIS COLUMBUS, MARK RADCLIFFE, MICHAEL BARNATHAN and DAVID BARRON are the executive producers.

ROGER PRATT, B.S.C. is the director of photography; STUART CRAIG is the production designer; PETER HONESS, A.C.E. is the editor; JOHN WILLIAMS is the composer; and the music was adapted by WILLIAM ROSS.

With operations in 78 international territories -- more than the video division of any other studio -- Warner Home Video commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. WHV's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top-quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment Company, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.

Harry Potter Publishing Rights (C) J.K. Rowling. HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and (C) Warner Bros. All rights reserved.

For more information on these and other titles distributed by Warner Home Video, visit www.whvdirect.com.
Artwork is downloadable at www.WHVDirect.com.
*Projected.
Note: A photo is available at CONTACT: Edelman Entertainment Marketing
Joanna Roses, 212/704-4498
Christina Argeris, 212/704-4479 URL: http://www.businesswire.com

Georgiana
Seattle - Wednesday, January 22, 2003

The Press Association, the Daily Star, and the Daily Record have all picked up the story regarding the Matthew Kelly support letter, which Mr. RIckman signed.

Georgiana
Seattle - Wednesday, January 22, 2003

Copyright 2003 Guardian Newspapers Limited
The Guardian (London)
January 22, 2003
SECTION: Guardian Features Pages, Pg. 9
HEADLINE: Thousands seek to emulate Slack Dad and his Zen-like inner calm. I may have to start giving classes
BYLINE: Nicholas Lezard

. . . . . . . . . .
Let me iterate this as clearly as I can: large, cumbersome presents which involve assembly skills and are tied in to fictional characters are extremely unwelcome in this house. Chief among culprits is Professor Snape's Potions Class Kit, which has never worked, and which I thought had been forgotten since last year's debacle; it has caused me to reflect ungenerously not only on JK Rowling's alleged quality-control over such matters, but even on Alan Rickman's sublime voice and acting skills. . . .

Georgiana
Seattle - Wednesday, January 22, 2003

Variety
January 20, 2003
January 20, 2003 - January 26, 2003
SECTION: SPECIAL REPORT: SPOTLIGHT: VARIETY YEARBOOK; Pg. A17
HEADLINE: CRITICALLY SPEAKING: LEGIT
BYLINE: CHARLES ISHERWOOD

HIGHLIGHT:
Legit spreads riches

NEW YORK On Broadway, openings tend to cluster together, particularly in April, when the Tony deadline approaches. But the theatrical highlights of the past year were, refreshingly, spread across the calendar.

First up, and foremost among a surprisingly healthy crop of new plays on Broadway during the calendar year, was Edward Albee's electrifying "The Goat," which warmed the winter months and took home the big Tony in the spring. With Bill Pullman contributing the performance of the year, this exploration of the limits of compassion and the complexities of love and sexuality was a scorching hour and a half of mind-tickling theater. Dizzyingly funny in the early going, it concluded on a devastating note. The spring Tony rush brought the one of finest revivals of the year, among the year's relatively small crop of West End-to-Broadway imports: Howard Davies' searing production of Noel Coward's "Private Lives." The sublime Lindsay Duncan and Alan Rickman played Coward's quips for real, revealing the dense thickets of emotional tension buried in the glib chatter. They looked pretty sensational in those silken dressing gowns and lathe-cut evening wear, too, ensuring that the evening didn't stint in the glamour department, either (helping the cause were the Tony-winning sets of Tim Hatley).
. . . . . . . . . .

Georgiana
Seattle - Tuesday, January 21, 2003

DAILY MAIL (London)
January 21, 2003
HEADLINE: KELLY'S FRIENDS
BYLINE: TARA CONLAN AND VICTORIA NEWTON

A HOST of celebrities gave their backing to presenter Matthew Kelly last night after his arrest over allegations that he abused children.

The actors Alan Rickman, Julie Walters, Jonathan Pryce, Pete Postleth-waite and Miranda Richardson were among the famous faces who lent their support to the 52-year-old host of ITV's Stars In Their Eyes.

More than 40 actors, writers and directors who have worked with Kelly have signed an open letter describing him as a 'gentle and caring man'. Kelly's TV career is in jeopardy following his questioning by detectives last week. He is also at the centre of another investigation after police raided his holiday home in Sri Lanka and removed a computer.

The letter of support was composed by actor George Costigan, who starred in the film Rita, Sue And Bob Too.

Others who signed it include comedian Les Dennis, his estranged wife Amanda Holden, Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine writer Willy Russell, Boys From The Blackstuff writer Alan Bleasedale, actor Antony Sher, singer-actress Toyah Wilcox, My Family star Robert Lindsay and actress Geraldine James.

The letter reads: 'As friends and colleagues of Matthew Kelly (some whose association with him goes back to the late 60s and early 70s) we wish to record our pride and pleasure in knowing and working with this gentle and caring man.

'The picture of him that is currently being painted in some quarters of the National Press is one we deplore and do not recognise.'

Many of the stars who have come forward worked with Kelly in his early days as an actor. Miss Walters, Postlethwaite and Kelly ran a theatre company called Van Load together in the early Seventies, touring Merseyside clubs and performing Bleasdale's work.

Kelly also appeared in the musical Blood Brothers, written by Willy Russell.

Russell said: 'This has been organised by George Costigan who is working with Matthew on his next tour and I've signed up to it. I'm supporting Matthew.'

Costigan is due to appear with Kelly in a touring production Of Mice And Men. Rehearsals are supposed to start at the end of the week. Costigan's agent said: 'There is nothing further to say beyond the letter at the moment.'

There was more good news for Kelly yesterday after ITV bosses changed their minds and decided not to edit out a report he had made for travel show Wish You Were Here? The feature, which was filmed last August, follows Kelly on the second leg of his journey on the Trans-Siberian railway.

But he is still being replaced by Davina McCall for three Stars In Their Eyes celebrity specials.

Kelly was questioned by Surrey police last week in connection with allegations of sexual abuse against boys under 16 in the 1970s. He was bailed until March 12.

The allegations are understood to be connected to Operation Arundel, the inquiry which lead to the jailing of pop mogul Jonathan King.

Kelly has 'emphatically denied' the allegations, saying they came as a 'complete shock and surprise'.

t.conlan@dailymail.co.uk

As friends and colleagues of Matthew Kelly (some whose association with him goes back to the late 60s and early 70s) we wish to record our pride and pleasure in knowing and working with this gentle and caring man. The picture of him that is currently being painted in some quarters of the National Press is one we deplore and do not recognise.

What the stars said in the letter

Georgiana
Seattle - Tuesday, January 21, 2003

Copyright 2003 Telegraph Group Limited
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH (LONDON)
January 18, 2003, Saturday
SECTION: Pg. 09
HEADLINE: It's hip to dip again Once the least wanted wedding present, the fondue is fast making a comeback, says Jonathan Goodall
BYLINE: By Jonathan Goodall

Tiroler Hut

Serves cheese fondues and chocolate fondues only, as it gets far too packed to leave pans of hot oil for meat fondues on the tables. Gloriously cheesy in all senses of the word. There are Heidi-style waitresses, a cowbell show, yodelling and accordion playing (by owner Joseph Friedmann). Celebrity regulars who appreciate a side order of irony include Jarvis Cocker, Kate Moss, Stella McCartney, Paul Weller, Alan Rickman and Ruby Wax.

Tiroler Hut, 27 Westbourne Grove, London W2 (020 7727 3981).

Georgiana
Seattle - Monday, January 20, 2003

I have watched this piece several times this morning while capturing images and sound and I am truly in awe of what he did with that light pen. I keep imagining the mess I would have made had I been at the stern! LOL

Meanwhile, I have posted some stills and a sound clip from "Alan Rickman: Painting With Light"

The Man and The Light
Claudia
GA US - Sunday, January 19, 2003

Got it! The Turner Classic Movies spot, that is. Add Claudia, please do make a Windows Media version, also (the more options the better, I say!). Anyway, here's the Videograms. Oh, how I love to hear him laugh!

Painting with Light on TCM Videogram (TCM.exe, 1.7 MB, 1 min, 15 secs)

Suzanne <Suz@mail.usa.comfoo>
TX USA - Friday, January 17, 2003

Copyright 2003 MGN Ltd.
The Mirror
January 17, 2003, Friday
SECTION: FEATURES; Pg. 13
HEADLINE: 3AM: SURVEILLANCE
BYLINE: WITH JESSICA CALLAN, NIKI WALDEGRAVE AND SUZANNE KERINS

SIMON Cowell buying a roast chicken at Rotisserie Jules on Bute Street, South Kensington... Mariella Frostrup, left, shopping for tracksuits in Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge... Alan Rickman, Roger Taylor and Juliet Stevenson having lunch at separate tables at J Sheekey, Covent Garden... Jonathan Pryce at Islington skating rink... Mel C in Finchley Road Sainsbury's, stocking up...
Georgiana
Seattle - Friday, January 17, 2003

Copyright 2003 NewsQuest Media Group Limited
January 15, 2003
SECTION: News
HEADLINE: Bolton Drawn Boy....

OUR own Damon Gough, aka music sensation Badly Drawn Boy, is set for a triumphant return to the charts with his acclaimed soundtrack album to the Hugh Grant film italicAbout A Boyitalic . 24:7 looks at the woolly hat-wearing boy from Breightmet who is delighting the critics once again.
. . . . . . . . . . .

Once Gough's fame could be reflected by fellow north-western luminaries like Johnny Marr, Mark E Smith and the Gallagher brothers, now he's attracting an international crowd -- Bono, Meg Ryan and Alan Rickman are fans. But they are only discovering what his Bolton followers have known for ages.
. . . . . . . . . .

Georgiana
Seattle - Thursday, January 16, 2003

Copyright 2003 MGN Ltd.
Sunday Mirror
January 12, 2003, Sunday
SECTION: FEATURES; Pg. 12,13
HEADLINE: NON FRILLS; AIR FARES AS LOW AS POUNDS 25 RETURN HAVE MADE FRANCE GREAT VALUE FOR
BYLINE: SARAH WHITFIELD KING

CARCASSONNE

A FAIRYTALE medieval city that's perfect for a romantic weekend, Carcassonne is the oldest walled settlement in Europe.

It was the setting for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner and Alan Rickman, and long before that it inspired the artists at Walt Disney studios who designed the backdrops for the animated classic Sleeping Beauty.

Georgiana
Seattle - Thursday, January 16, 2003

Copyright 2003 Sun Media Corporation
The Toronto Sun
January 12, 2003 Sunday, Final Edition
SECTION: Showcase; Pg. S25; Get Over It
HEADLINE: AS ACTORS, THEY'RE QUITE THE CHARACTERS
BYLINE: LIZ BRAUN

. . . . . . . . . .
With character actors, you get certain reliable thespians whose mere presence in a film is sometimes the only thing that could keep a person sitting down for the duration.

Morgan Freeman is the leader of this reliable pack. You see him, you feel better, sitting there alone in the dark with your popcorn and your great expectations and your winter coat all bunched up behind you. Freeman is always good. And everything around him improves just because he's there.

We figure him to be the kind of actor who actually reads a script beforehand.

Likewise, any movie that includes such people as Brian Cox or Ted Levine or John Turturro permits us to hold out hope that whatever else happens, it can't be that bad.

There's a big list of such actors -- William Fichtner, John C. Reilly, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joan Allen, Catherine Keener, Campbell Scott, Alan Rickman, Fairuza Balk, Kyra Sedgewick, James Cromwell, Miranda Richardson, Steve Buscemi, Gary Sinise, Colin Firth, Steve Zahn, F. Murray Abraham, Chris Cooper, Colm Meaney, William H. Macy, James LeGros, almost everybody named Cusack on both sides of the Atlantic, Juliet Stevenson and Toni Collette, to name a few too many.

These are the people who make it worthwhile to rush out and rent Dance With A Stranger or Drugstore Cowboy or Truly, Madly, Deeply or Living In Oblivion or any other movies that stand up well when all the current releases smell like wet doggies.
. . . . . . . . . . .

Georgiana
Seattle - Thursday, January 16, 2003

Is this old news? Amazon.co.uk is listing a June 21, 2003 publication date for HP5, Order of the Phoenix.
Georgiana
Seattle - Thursday, January 16, 2003

From Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
January 12, 2003 Sunday REGION EDITION
SECTION: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, Pg.F-3
HEADLINE: THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS TWO-DOZEN FINE PLAYS SEEN ANYWHERE BUT HERE
BYLINE: CHRISTOPHER RAWSON, POST-GAZETTE DRAMA CRITIC

Seeing plays in New York, London and the Canadian theater festivals is a reminder of the unity of theater -- the larger context in which Pittsburgh holds a small but significant place. We import performers and playwrights, yes, but we also export them, carrying on a constant dialogue of talent and text, emotion and idea. So you can't fully understand Pittsburgh theater without seeing it in this larger context.

. . . . . . . . . . The result is that it's harder to pick the year's 10 best out-of-town shows than it was to pick the 10 best local (Dec. 27). I've compromised by allowing myself a top 12 and then two additional lists of runners-up.

They're just lists, but they serve as a skeleton map of that larger theatrical context. And the map contains signposts -- specific plays that one day will show up in Pittsburgh and hints of trends.

It is somewhat arbitrary, of course, based on what I happened to see and when I saw it. For example, Caryl Churchill's "Far Away" is in New York now, but it made my "travel bests" list last year, when I saw it in London. Mary Zimmerman's "Metamorphoses" made the list last year, too, as staged off-Broadway, so even though I reviewed it on Broadway in 2002, I ruled it out. I reviewed "Mamma Mia" in 2002, too, but I had seen it in late 2001, so I considered it for that year's list -- it didn't make it then, so it is spared the indignity of not making it again.

It isn't alone: Not even those two great Dames could get their vehicle, David Hare's "Breath of Life," on the list.

Another anomaly is Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre's production of Brian Friel's "Faith Healer," which I saw in Kilkenny, Ireland, in 2002. Although I hadn't seen this production before, it had made our Pittsburgh "bests" list in 2000, and so I decided it wasn't eligible again.

That's how it goes -- splitting hairs over eligibility helps pare the roster of excellence down to size.

. . . . . . . . . .
4. Noel Coward, "Private Lives" (Broadway, London transfer). Take one of the half-dozen best comedies in the language, add a gorgeous art deco set (starting with an ironic wedding cake of a hotel facade) and then serve with Alan Rickman and Lindsay Duncan -- delicious. These two beautiful, decadent adults caught all the sour awareness that shadows the comedy and makes it great.

Georgiana
Seattle - Sunday, January 12, 2003

Copyright 2003 Nottingham Evening Post
Nottingham Evening Post
January 9, 2003
SECTION: Features; General; Letters; Pg. 22
HEADLINE: Dramatic Data On Rada History

Answer: The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art was founded in 1904 by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, the leading actor-manager of the day, famous for his spectacular Shakespeare productions at Her Majesty's Theatre in the Haymarket. Later that year he handed the academy over to an independent governing body and it moved to 62 Gower Street. Amy The Academy was granted its Royal Charter in 1920 and in 1921 a new theatre was built in Malet Street, backing on to the Gower Street premises In 1923, John Gielgud, who eventually became President and first Honorary Fellow of RADA, studied at the Academy playing 17 parts, including two Hamlets.

Four years later, the two Georgian houses which made up the Gower Street site were replaced with a single new building. At the height of the Second World War, the Academy's theatre was destroyed in an air-raid. Public performances were moved to the City Literary Institute and students also toured shows to the troops.

In 1950, George Bernard Shaw died and left one-third of all his royalties to RADA.

The new Vanbrugh Theatre was opened in 1954.

The academy has trained such actors as Margaret Lockwood, Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Glenda Jackson, John Hurt, Michael Williams, Anthony Hopkins, Richard Attenborough, Jonathan Pryce, Juliet Stevenson, Alan Rickman, Anton Lesser, Kenneth Branagh and Fiona Shaw.

In 1996, RADA received a GBP 22.7m grant from the Arts Council National Lottery Board towards redeveloping the academy's headquarters, including a complete re-build of the Vanbrugh Theatre and Malet Street premises.

Richard Attenborough, now Lord Attenborough, joined the Academy in 1941 as a Leverhulme scholar. He became chairman in 1972 and was appointed President in 2002.

A.P.

Georgiana
Seattle - Saturday, January 11, 2003

From The Guardian (London)
Copyright 2003 Guardian Newspapers Limited
January 11, 2003
SECTION: The Guide, Pg. 12
HEADLINE: The Guide: Big bad apple: Corruption, bloodshed and squalor - Scorsese portrays a city rotten to the core in Gangs Of New York. Joe Queenan rates his storytelling but not his history
BYLINE: Joe Queenan

. . . . . . . . . .
Daniel Day-Lewis's performance in Martin Scorsese's long-awaited Gangs Of New York is cut from the same cloth. Sporting a ridiculous Noo Yawk accent, a ludicrous collection of 19th-century duds that look like classic 1970s pimp wear, a glass eye with an American eagle inside and a daunting assortment of knives, awls and meat cleavers, Day-Lewis literally prevents anyone else in the film from breathing. His over-the-top antics rank right up there with Jack Nicholson as the Joker in Batman and Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood, Prince Of Thieves; that is, it is a performance that literally must be seen to be believed. I saw the movie twice just to make sure it wasn't the cold medication I was taking. Gangs Of New York is Scorsese's ambitious attempt to tell the largely unknown story of 19th-century Manhattan. The story runs like this: back in those days, New York was dangerous, it was dirty, it was filled with corruption and the rich people cavalierly ignored the misery of the poor. . . .

Georgiana
Seattle - Saturday, January 11, 2003

Copyright 2003 The Seattle Times Company
The Seattle Times
January 8, 2003, Wednesday Fourth Edition
SECTION: South Zone; Northwest Life; Pg. F5
HEADLINE: Shatner: a man for all seasons -- and planets
BYLINE: Malcolm Johnson; The Hartford Courant

All the world knows that William Shatner is a man of many parts -- some of them ridiculous -- as the 71-year-old actor-writer-director would be all too happy to prove, if asked.

The leading part, only slightly ridiculous, is James Tiberius Kirk, variously ranked as a captain, admiral and civilian, in retirement. Though new generations have supplanted Kirk and his crew, with the latest big-screen version being "Star Trek: Nemesis," Shatner's Kirk and the never-ending voyage are inseparably linked.

When the time came to make a feature-length parody of the "Star Trek" phenomenon, the highly amusing 1999 "Galaxy Quest" centered on Tim Allen as Jason Nesmith/Cmdr. Peter Quincey Taggart, the egomaniacal star of the long-canceled show and of its appearances at science-fiction conventions and ribbon-cuttings. There could be no doubt that Taggart was Kirk, or that Nesmith was Shatner. Yet one "Galaxy" element was a bit misleading. Alan Rickman's Sir Alexander Dane/Dr. Lazarus, the Spock figure, was drawn as a long-suffering Shakespearean, trapped forever in a rubber suit. "I played Richard III," he says.

Leonard Nimoy, who came to be known as the cerebral member of the "Trek" ensemble, came to his pointy-eared Vulcan with no notable classical credits. Shatner, on the other hand, made his Broadway debut in 1956 in Christopher Marlowe's "Tamburlaine the Great," directed by the legendary Tyrone Guthrie and produced in association with this hemisphere's most outstanding classical company, the Stratford Festival of Canada.

Georgiana
Seattle - Thursday, January 09, 2003

Copyright 2003 Associated Newspapers Ltd.
MAIL ON SUNDAY
January 5, 2003
SECTION: Pg. 70
HEADLINE: Quit while you're ahead, star trek ahead, Star Trek ahead, Star Trek
BYLINE: Matthew Bond

***** Spider Star Trek Nemesis Films of the week Running time: 1hr 56mins. Cert 12a Running time: 1hr 39mins. Cert 15

With the arguable exception of the Friday The 13th series, any film franchise that makes it to ten has done very well indeed. But any that does should also ask itself some serious questions, starting with isn't it better to quit while you are still just about ahead? Some of you will now be assuming that I am about to tell you that the tenth Star Trek film, Star Trek Nemesis, is either bad or dull. Far from it: Nemesis, the third Star Trek film to feature exclusively the cast of The Next Generation television series, rather than Captain Kirk and the gang, is actually pretty good and provides an enjoyably exciting start to the New Year. The key thing, though and what should be setting alarm bells ringing in Star Trek HQ is that it has absolutely no right to be.

The script lacks finesse, the stunts and special effects have been seen before and, worst of all, the producers seem to have been too busy to go to the cinema to keep an eye on the competition. I mean, when the scriptwriters came up with the idea of Captain Jean-Luc Picard's nemesis being a bald-headed clone of himself, didn't anyone stick up a brave hand and say: 'Hey, isn't that a bit too like Mini-me from the Austin Powers movies?'

Apparently not.

Which is why the giggles are never far away once the new Praetor of the planet Romulus (a rather more elevated post than it was in ancient Rome) turns out to be Shinzon (Tom Hardy), who isn't Romulan or even Reman (yes, Romulus's twin planet really is called Remus) but a bald human clone of Picard (Patrick Stewart) wearing a very creaky, black leather catsuit.

Shinzon's after the normal things galactic domination and, oh yes, a drop or two of Picard's blood. Apparently he's having a spot of clone trouble with his own.

But there's worse: Hardy, a young British actor, is clearly under instructions to combine vocal reminders of Picard with the full, English baddie menace that Hollywood so loves. So there's a hint of Alan Rickman, a generous helping of John Hurt and just the tiniest touch of Julian Clary.

The overall effect, unsurprisingly, is camper than a row of Klingon tents.


Georgiana
Seattle - Thursday, January 09, 2003

This is the photo of Alan Rickman with Dougray Scott from the January 2003 "Theatregoer" magazine. (Please note the extreme redness of AR's face is from the scan and is not so prominent in the magazine photo.)

AlanTheatregoer

The caption with the photo reads:

Alan Rickman - who wowed Broadway audiences in Noel Coward's Private Lives last summer - hangs out with Enigma and Mission Impossible II actor Dougray Scott at the This is Our Youth after-show party.

Kimberly
- Wednesday, January 08, 2003

FYI: This month's issue (January 2003) of "Theatregoer" magazine has a nice sized 4x7 inch photo of Alan Rickman with Dougray Scott at the "This is Our Youth" after-show party. The pic is on page 15. The magazine is based out of the United Kingdom, for those in other countries.

There's also a great article on the 2002 invasion of American actors to the British stage, and vice-versa with the Brits coming to Broadway.

To quote: "Another fine import to Broadway from the UK was the Lindsay Duncan and Alan Rickman Private Lives, directed by Howard Davies. They became the darlings of New York, much as Noel Coward and his Gertrude Lawrence did when they played in its first Broadway outing in 1930. NY theatregoers, always hospitable as the British often are not to a foreign-born hit, adopted it immediately and one of my best memories of the year is Duncan sweeping on to that Private Lives balcony wearing not the 'white Molyneux dress' that Coward specifies but a black velvet plunging-neck number that made me gasp while a New York audience cheered.

"that was 02"
Byline: Bev Hislop
Page 28
Theatregoer Magazine
January 2003

On another note: Theatregoer reports Sir Ian McKellen will return in February to the British Stage (Lyric Theatre) in his revival of "Dance of Death."

That may be a big reason why he wont' be playing Dumbledore.
Kimberly
- Friday, January 03, 2003

Copyright 2003 MGN Ltd.
The Mirror
January 2, 2003, Friday
SECTION: FEATURES; Pg. 12
HEADLINE: 3AM: SURVEILLANCE
BYLINE: Jessica Callan, Niki Waldegrave And Suzanne Kerins

ALAN Rickman, right, wandering around London's Selfridges looking lost in his own world... Girls Aloud's Kimberley Walsh buying a bumper box of tissues in Bradford... Coupling's Gina McKee walking arm in arm with James Purefoy down Upper Saint Martin's Lane...

Lisa
Bavaria - Friday, January 03, 2003

Copyright 2003 Centaur Communications Ltd.
Televisual
January 2, 2003
SECTION: Pg. 8
HEADLINE: Actors talk about a favourite film

Actors talk about a favourite film while drawing scenes from it using a light pen for a series of pieces for the Turner Classic Movies channel. Turner's vp of creative services Shannon Davis directed the spots, which feature (among others) Sissy Spacek, Alan Rickman and Ving Rhames. The pieces will introduce various films and will TX early this year.

Georgiana
Seattle - Friday, January 03, 2003

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