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Ex-PM Lord Callaghan dies aged 92
Former Labour prime minister Lord Callaghan has died on the eve of his 93rd birthday.
He passed away at home in East Sussex, just 11 days after his wife Audrey died aged 91. Lord Callaghan, who leaves a son and two daughters, was the longest living former British PM in history. He entered Downing Street in 1976 after the resignation of Harold Wilson. Prime Minister Tony Blair called him a "giant" of the Labour movement. He held each of the major offices of chancellor, home secretary, foreign secretary and prime minister during his career and became Lord Callaghan of Cardiff in 1987.
Chancellor Gordon Brown said the former PM would be "mourned throughout the world". "It was a commitment to public service that brought Jim Callaghan into Parliament in 1945, and while Jim rose to the top he never forgot his roots." Former cabinet colleague Lord Hattersley said his first reaction on hearing the news was "immense sadness".
"It was not a major surprise - I knew what a blow the death of his wife Audrey was a few days ago," he said. "He was a decent kindly man who helped me and my generation of politicians immensely.
"The Labour party and the country will be poorer without him." Conservative peer Lord Heseltine said that despite their political differences, he and Lord Callaghan became friends. "You don't get to the premiership unless you have a streak of determination," he said. "But I saw the other side of Jim Callaghan, he became a personal friend in a way, and my family and I were very fond of him." Tory leader Michael Howard said he would be remembered with "affection and respect". Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said: "When I was first elected in 1983 as the youngest MP, he was the "Father of the House" and as such took a very keen interest in my early days in Parliament.
"He was always full of warmth and wisdom." Born in 1912 and educated at Portsmouth Northern Secondary School, Lord Callaghan became a clerk at the Inland Revenue. He enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1942 and rose to the rank of lieutenant. Elected for a Cardiff constituency at the 1945 general election, he represented Cardiff seats for more than 40 years. After serving as a junior minister in the Attlee government, he became chancellor of the exchequer when Labour returned to power in 1964.
With sterling under pressure, he resisted devaluation for three years, before being forced into it in 1967. His political career was not without controversy. When he refused to support prime minister Harold Wilson and Dame Barbara Castle over the latter's trade union manifesto, In Place of Strife, in 1968, he said: "I am not going to resign. They will have to throw me out". When home secretary, he ordered British troops to march into the streets of Belfast to protect Catholic civilians amid rising violence - a decision that has dominated British politics into the 21st century.
As foreign secretary in the early 1970s, Lord Callaghan kept an open mind about the UK's entry into the Common Market, seeing the advantages of the UK's entry. He once travelled to Idi Amin's Uganda in 1975 to plead for the life of a British lecturer, Dennis Hills, who was under a death sentence for treason.
His political life was often tempered by battles against the hard left of the party. In the autumn of 1978, before the "Winter of Discontent" when trade unions carried out strikes that brought the country to a standstill, Lord Callaghan refused to hold an early election which may have delivered a Labour victory. As garbage lay uncollected in the streets and hospital staff, council workers and even gravediggers stayed off work, Lord Callaghan failed to predict the mood of the country. When Britain went to the polls in 1979, Tory leader Margaret Thatcher was swept into power in a landslide victory, and Lord Callaghan resigned as Labour leader.
| He held each of the major offices of chancellor, home secretary, foreign secretary and prime minister during his career and became Lord Callaghan of Cardiff in 1987.Former Labour prime minister Lord Callaghan has died on the eve of his 93rd birthday.Conservative peer Lord Heseltine said that despite their political differences, he and Lord Callaghan became friends.Lord Callaghan, who leaves a son and two daughters, was the longest living former British PM in history.When Britain went to the polls in 1979, Tory leader Margaret Thatcher was swept into power in a landslide victory, and Lord Callaghan resigned as Labour leader."It was not a major surprise - I knew what a blow the death of his wife Audrey was a few days ago," he said.Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said: "When I was first elected in 1983 as the youngest MP, he was the "Father of the House" and as such took a very keen interest in my early days in Parliament.Former cabinet colleague Lord Hattersley said his first reaction on hearing the news was "immense sadness".In the autumn of 1978, before the "Winter of Discontent" when trade unions carried out strikes that brought the country to a standstill, Lord Callaghan refused to hold an early election which may have delivered a Labour victory."It was a commitment to public service that brought Jim Callaghan into Parliament in 1945, and while Jim rose to the top he never forgot his roots."His political career was not without controversy.Born in 1912 and educated at Portsmouth Northern Secondary School, Lord Callaghan became a clerk at the Inland Revenue.His political life was often tempered by battles against the hard left of the party.As garbage lay uncollected in the streets and hospital staff, council workers and even gravediggers stayed off work, Lord Callaghan failed to predict the mood of the country. |
Blair ready to call election
Tony Blair seems certain to end weeks of phoney war on Monday and announce there will be a general election on 5 May.
The date has been pencilled into the diaries of politicians and political journalists for many months and, despite occasional panics that the prime minister was on the verge of calling a snap poll, it has not shifted. Over the weeks, there have been any number of signs that 050505 was going to be the day Mr Blair would go for an historic third term. And the calling of a special political cabinet meeting has only added to the belief that the announcement is imminent. The prime minister and his campaign boss Alan Milburn have already insisted the election will be fought on the economy and what they claim is a stark choice between Labour's stability and investment against Tory cuts and boom and bust.
And Chancellor Gordon Brown has stepped into the front line of the campaign - to the relief of many of his supporters in Westminster - to underline that economic message. And it is certain one of the big arguments at the centre of the election battle will be around the big parties' tax and spend policies.
During the phoney campaign, Labour got into trouble over its central claim that Michael Howard was planning £35 bn cuts in public services. The prime minister found himself struggling to explain how a smaller, slower increase in spending planned by the Tories compared to Labour's plans was a cut. And it looked like the Labour campaign - which was already being criticised for being thrown into defensive mode by Mr Howard on issues such as immigration and health - was on the rocks. Then deputy Conservative Chairman Howard Flight was reported to have suggested Mr Howard was secretly planning even bigger "cuts".
He was sacked for his gaffe, but the damage had been done and the faltering Labour campaign was back on track. A second central argument will be over taxation, with the Tories claiming the Chancellor has to fill a black hole at the centre of his finances and will be forced to raise taxes if Labour wins again. Mr Brown slaps that aside, claiming his forecasts are accurate and that previous claims of looming economic disaster have proved inaccurate. As usual, the Liberal Democrats will have to fight to get their voice heard over the sounds of battle between the two big parties. But leader Charles Kennedy believes he has set out a distinctive manifesto with plans for a tax rise for the wealthiest to finance extra spending and the abolition of the council tax in favour of a local income tax. Other issues are certain to play a part - immigration and asylum, the war on Iraq, law and order and education, for example. But, as ever, it will be the economy that will almost certainly decide the outcome. And, whatever that outcome, 2005 is set to be a far more lively, even bitter campaign than 2001's non-event.
| And it looked like the Labour campaign - which was already being criticised for being thrown into defensive mode by Mr Howard on issues such as immigration and health - was on the rocks.During the phoney campaign, Labour got into trouble over its central claim that Michael Howard was planning £35 bn cuts in public services.He was sacked for his gaffe, but the damage had been done and the faltering Labour campaign was back on track.Then deputy Conservative Chairman Howard Flight was reported to have suggested Mr Howard was secretly planning even bigger "cuts".The date has been pencilled into the diaries of politicians and political journalists for many months and, despite occasional panics that the prime minister was on the verge of calling a snap poll, it has not shifted.And it is certain one of the big arguments at the centre of the election battle will be around the big parties' tax and spend policies.A second central argument will be over taxation, with the Tories claiming the Chancellor has to fill a black hole at the centre of his finances and will be forced to raise taxes if Labour wins again.The prime minister and his campaign boss Alan Milburn have already insisted the election will be fought on the economy and what they claim is a stark choice between Labour's stability and investment against Tory cuts and boom and bust. |
Economy focus for election battle
Britain's economic future will be at the heart of Labour's poll campaign, Chancellor Gordon Brown has said.
He was speaking after Cabinet members held their last meeting at No 10 before the expected election announcement. He said voters would recognise that Labour had brought stability and growth, and would continue to do so. Meanwhile the Tories outlined their plans to tackle "yob culture" and the Lib Dems gave more details about their proposals to replace council tax. Earlier the Archbishop of Canterbury wrote to all three parties urging them not to fight the election by exploiting people's fears.
In an open letter, he called on them not to turn the election into a competition about who can most effectively frighten voters about terrorism, asylum, and crime. He said they should concentrate instead on issues such as the environment, international development and the arms trade, family policy, and the reform of the criminal justice system.
Shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram said: "We have fought a very positive campaign. I think he will want to look quite carefully at what Jack Straw said about Michael Howard."
In a speech to the Foreign Policy Centre Mr Straw said of the Tory leader: "He is clever, fluent and tactical, but he is not wise. "He lacks strategy and good judgment, and his quick temper and impetuosity too often get the better of him." The Foreign Secretary told the BBC: "I was making the observation that because of Michael Howard's impetuosity you can get lurches of policy." Liberal Democrat chairman Matthew Taylor said: "People are already really turned off by the kind of campaign the others are fighting and you will see us putting emphasis on some of these huge issues facing the world, particularly the environment."
Labour's focus on the economy as their key message - came on the day a new report was published by the Institute of Fiscal Studies, suggesting that household incomes have fallen for the first time in more than a decade. The IFS says the drop partly reflects measures announced in what it called the Chancellor's tax-raising Budget of 2002. The Treasury dismissed the research as "complete rubbish". Party election supremo Alan Milburn said the apparent drop in average incomes was because self-employed people had been affected by a "world downturn" which hit their profits. Since 1997, the reported average take-home income had "risen by 20% in real terms" if you took out the self-employed, Mr Milburn told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Mr Brown also dismissed the figures insisting that the "typical family" has been much better off under Labour.
| Party election supremo Alan Milburn said the apparent drop in average incomes was because self-employed people had been affected by a "world downturn" which hit their profits.Shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram said: "We have fought a very positive campaign.The Foreign Secretary told the BBC: "I was making the observation that because of Michael Howard's impetuosity you can get lurches of policy."In a speech to the Foreign Policy Centre Mr Straw said of the Tory leader: "He is clever, fluent and tactical, but he is not wise.Britain's economic future will be at the heart of Labour's poll campaign, Chancellor Gordon Brown has said.I think he will want to look quite carefully at what Jack Straw said about Michael Howard."Mr Brown also dismissed the figures insisting that the "typical family" has been much better off under Labour.He said they should concentrate instead on issues such as the environment, international development and the arms trade, family policy, and the reform of the criminal justice system. |
Sainsbury's Labour election gift
Science Minister Lord Sainsbury has made a £2m donation to the Labour Party for its General Election fund.
It is the latest hefty donation to the party by the billionaire - he has contributed more than £10m since 1999. David Sainsbury said he was pleased to give cash to a party that had the "vision" to deliver economic prosperity and better public services for Britain. General Secretary Matt Carter said it was "a fantastic gift" that would help Labour "fight and win the election".
"Through the generosity of David Sainsbury and other Labour supporters, Labour will be campaigning hard to take Britain forward and to stop the Tories taking us back," Mr Carter said. Lord Sainsbury added: "I am pleased to be able to make this contribution to the general election funds of the Labour Party because I believe that they are the only party that has the vision to deliver both economic prosperity and better public services for Britain." The 64-year-old latest donation follows a £2.5m gift to the party in 2003. Lord Sainsbury was created a life peer in 1997, a year before he was appointed as minister for science.
| Science Minister Lord Sainsbury has made a £2m donation to the Labour Party for its General Election fund.Lord Sainsbury added: "I am pleased to be able to make this contribution to the general election funds of the Labour Party because I believe that they are the only party that has the vision to deliver both economic prosperity and better public services for Britain."David Sainsbury said he was pleased to give cash to a party that had the "vision" to deliver economic prosperity and better public services for Britain.The 64-year-old latest donation follows a £2.5m gift to the party in 2003. |
Voters 'don't trust politicians'
Eight out of 10 voters do not trust politicians to tell the truth, a new poll conducted for the BBC suggests.
And 87% of the 1,000 adults quizzed by ICM for BBC News 24 said politicians did not deliver what they promised. The poll comes after Foreign Secretary Jack Straw predicted trust would be "the key choice" at the next election. Both the Tories and the Lib Dems are keen to emphasise a perceived lack of trust in Tony Blair, following his claims over Iraqi weapons.
But according to the BBC poll, 61% said the issue of trust made no difference to whether or not they would vote at the next election, widely expected on 5 May. The poll also looked at what lay behind the lack of trust in politicians. Some 87% said politicians did not keep the promises they made before elections, while 92% said they never gave "a straight answer". Just under three-quarters of respondents (73%) said politicians had shown themselves to be dishonest too often.
Mr Straw told activists in Blackburn on Thursday that voters would have to decide at the next election which party "best deserves" their "future trust". "That in the end is the key choice at the next election."
He acknowledged that the public had lost faith in Labour, but suggested it could persuade people to "reinvest their trust with us" if the party could overcome Tory attempts to spread cynicism in politics. The Conservatives are keen to highlight the trust issue. During his response to Gordon Brown's Budget statement on Tuesday, Michael Howard compared the chancellor's figures to the prime minister's claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
The Lib Dems are also keen to highlight the trust issue, with Charles Kennedy has claiming voters had a "fundamental lack of trust in the prime minister". And the Green Party unveiled a billboard opposite the Palace of Westminster accusing the government of lying over the Iraq war.
Former education secretary Estelle Morris told BBC News 24 that there was a "real problem of trust" between the public and the politicians. She said she did not feel her own colleagues could be trusted, but suggested the "three-cornered relationship" between the press, politicians and the public had a hand in the issue. The public was often turned off by sitting on the sidelines in "the battle of words" between the politician and the journalist, she added. Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman Menzies Campbell said the Iraq war had hit trust in politicians hard. "Issues of war and peace, life and death do have a very damaging effect on the credibility of politicians". Martin Bell, who won the Tatton seat from Tory Neil Hamilton on anti-corruption platform, said politicians often failed to see themselves as others did. "We need public figures we trust to tell the truth and who can see themselves as others see them."
| But according to the BBC poll, 61% said the issue of trust made no difference to whether or not they would vote at the next election, widely expected on 5 May.Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman Menzies Campbell said the Iraq war had hit trust in politicians hard.The Lib Dems are also keen to highlight the trust issue, with Charles Kennedy has claiming voters had a "fundamental lack of trust in the prime minister".Eight out of 10 voters do not trust politicians to tell the truth, a new poll conducted for the BBC suggests.The poll comes after Foreign Secretary Jack Straw predicted trust would be "the key choice" at the next election.The Conservatives are keen to highlight the trust issue.Former education secretary Estelle Morris told BBC News 24 that there was a "real problem of trust" between the public and the politicians.The poll also looked at what lay behind the lack of trust in politicians.Mr Straw told activists in Blackburn on Thursday that voters would have to decide at the next election which party "best deserves" their "future trust". |
'No UK apology' for colonial past
The days of Britain having to apologise for its colonial past are over, Gordon Brown has said.
The chancellor, speaking during a week-long tour of Africa, said it was time to talk about enduring British values of liberty and tolerance. Mr Brown has signed a debt relief deal with Tanzania which could cost the UK £1 billion. South African president Thabo Mbeki has attacked British imperialists, saying they treated Africans like savages. Mr Brown said that missionairies had come to Africa because of their sense of duty. He added that the history of internationalism and enterprise had given Britain a greater global reach than any other country. BBC political correspondent Mark Mardell said Britishness had long been a theme of the chancellor's but "never before has he been so outspoken in defending Britain's past history".
The UK has pledged to pay 10% of the developing world's foreign debt bill in an attempt to fight poverty. On top of the relief deal with Tanzania Mr Brown said the UK would make similar offers to 70 poorer nations around the world. Under the plan - which could cost the UK £1bn - countries must spend the cash saved on health, education and welfare. "We make this offer unilaterally but we are now asking other countries to join us," the chancellor said. Mr Brown, on a week-long tour of Africa, spent two days in Tanzania before heading on Friday evening to Mozambique, a country where more than half of the 17-million population lives below the poverty line.
There he is expected to strike a similar debt relief pact. The chancellor said he hoped other G8 and European countries would follow suit. The UK has already cancelled its bilateral debts - money the UK alone is owed - with the world's poorest nations including Tanzania. Former international development secretary Clare Short questioned the effectiveness of debt relief as a means of tackling poverty.
| Mr Brown has signed a debt relief deal with Tanzania which could cost the UK £1 billion.On top of the relief deal with Tanzania Mr Brown said the UK would make similar offers to 70 poorer nations around the world.The days of Britain having to apologise for its colonial past are over, Gordon Brown has said.The UK has already cancelled its bilateral debts - money the UK alone is owed - with the world's poorest nations including Tanzania.Mr Brown said that missionairies had come to Africa because of their sense of duty.Mr Brown, on a week-long tour of Africa, spent two days in Tanzania before heading on Friday evening to Mozambique, a country where more than half of the 17-million population lives below the poverty line."We make this offer unilaterally but we are now asking other countries to join us," the chancellor said. |
Blair prepares to name poll date
Tony Blair is likely to name 5 May as election day when Parliament returns from its Easter break, the BBC's political editor has learned.
Andrew Marr says Mr Blair will ask the Queen on 4 or 5 April to dissolve Parliament at the end of that week. Mr Blair has so far resisted calls for him to name the day but all parties have stepped up campaigning recently. Downing Street would not be drawn on the claim, saying election timing was a matter for the prime minister.
A Number 10 spokeswoman would only say: "He will announce an election when he wants to announce an election." The move will signal a frantic week at Westminster as the government is likely to try to get key legislation through Parliament. The government needs its finance bill, covering the Budget plans, to be passed before the Commons closes for business at the end of the session on 7 April.
But it will also seek to push through its Serious and Organised Crime Bill and ID cards Bill. Mr Marr said on Wednesday's Today programme: "There's almost nobody at a senior level inside the government or in Parliament itself who doesn't expect the election to be called on 4 or 5 April. "As soon as the Commons is back after the short Easter recess, Tony Blair whips up to the Palace, asks the Queen to dissolve Parliament ... and we're going." The Labour government officially has until June 2006 to hold general election, but in recent years governments have favoured four-year terms.
| Tony Blair is likely to name 5 May as election day when Parliament returns from its Easter break, the BBC's political editor has learned.Andrew Marr says Mr Blair will ask the Queen on 4 or 5 April to dissolve Parliament at the end of that week.Mr Marr said on Wednesday's Today programme: "There's almost nobody at a senior level inside the government or in Parliament itself who doesn't expect the election to be called on 4 or 5 April.The Labour government officially has until June 2006 to hold general election, but in recent years governments have favoured four-year terms.The government needs its finance bill, covering the Budget plans, to be passed before the Commons closes for business at the end of the session on 7 April. |
Tories urge 'change at the top'
Tory delegates are gathering for what is expected to be their last conference before the general election, declaring Britain needs "a change at the top".
The party goes into its spring forum trying to highlight what it sees as a clear choice between it and Labour. Tory co-chairman Liam Fox has opened proceedings with a speech criticising Tony Blair's record in government. Labour's rule has been characterised by "lost trust and failure to deliver", he told the Brighton conference. He also attacked the government's "failure" to control immigration and asylum and criticised its record on the NHS, telling delegates Labour cannot be trusted on education or crime. A Tory government would sort out the "shambles" of immigration, put patients before statistics and bring discipline to schools, he said. Dr Fox also underlined Tory promises to cut tax by £4bn.
BBC political correspondent Shaun Ley says opinion polls suggest the Tories still lag some way behind Labour on the issues of health, education and the economy. Conservative leader Michael Howard, who had been due to welcome delegates to the conference on Friday, will address them in a lunchtime speech. His welcome address had to be postponed after he stayed in London to lead the party's opposition to the Prevention of Terrorism Bill in its lengthy progress through Parliament. The bill was finally passed on Friday evening, after more than 30 hours of debate. Mr Howard is likely to defend his party's handling of the bill, which was only passed after the Conservatives accepted Prime Minister Tony Blair's promise that MPs would be able to review it within a year.
| Tory co-chairman Liam Fox has opened proceedings with a speech criticising Tony Blair's record in government.Conservative leader Michael Howard, who had been due to welcome delegates to the conference on Friday, will address them in a lunchtime speech.He also attacked the government's "failure" to control immigration and asylum and criticised its record on the NHS, telling delegates Labour cannot be trusted on education or crime.Mr Howard is likely to defend his party's handling of the bill, which was only passed after the Conservatives accepted Prime Minister Tony Blair's promise that MPs would be able to review it within a year.Tory delegates are gathering for what is expected to be their last conference before the general election, declaring Britain needs "a change at the top". |
Blair 'up for it' ahead of poll
Tony Blair says his personal standing in the eyes of voters will be "an issue" in the general election.
The prime minister said he was "up for it" as the country waits to go to the polls, possibly in a matter of weeks. He told The Observer government life was a "constant barrage of attack" but said he would not stay in charge if he felt unable to contribute. Mr Blair also spoke of meeting many people across the country with concerns about the compensation culture.
He said Britain was in danger of needless panic over public safety issues.
Speaking amid a flurry of pre-election campaigning, the prime minister said: "I am an issue, I always will be. Whoever is the prime minister will be." He added: "If you are afraid to take criticism, you should go and do another job." Asked if he would quit as leader if he felt like a liability to Labour, he said: "It's important always not to do the job unless you feel you have something to contribute." Whether he still had something to offer, he said, was a judgement for people to make. Mr Blair's assessment is likely to be seen as a signal that replacing him would not bring an upsurge in fortunes for the Labour administration.
His comments come as the co-chairman of the Conservative Party, Liam Fox, on Saturday called him "a disappointment of historic proportions" as a prime minister. Mr Blair said he had learned from a series of at times tough encounters with members of the public, during question and answer sessions across the country in recent weeks. He pledged to clamp down on Britain's growing compensation culture, which has brought concerns that doctors, teachers and other professionals are being hampered in their work by the fear of frivolous lawsuits.
"I was quite shocked to be told by people who were running a nursery that they were worried about letting the kids out into the playground when it was wet in case one of them slipped and fell and they ended up having a legal case [against them]," he said.
"We have got to look at a way of getting people protection on that." Mr Blair said the government was also looking at "how to make sure that legal aid is not abused with actions against doctors and others", as part of a review being carried out by the Lord Chancellor's Department. And there should be "real debate" about the risk posed by public safety threats, he said. "We are in danger of - depending on whatever is the media campaign of the day - ending up spending literally hundreds, sometimes millions of pounds meeting quite a small risk."
His comments come after the government announced it is to spend £200m on drugs to treat a possible outbreak of bird flu, and the Sudan 1 food scare. Meanwhile, Commons leader Peter Hain has warned that on the campaign trail he has seen "dangerous complacency" being displayed by Labour voters convinced of a general election victory. If Labour voters "stayed at home" in marginal seats they could see Tory leader Michael Howard "coming in the back door to Number 10 with the tradesman's key to Number 10, getting into power", he added.
| The prime minister said he was "up for it" as the country waits to go to the polls, possibly in a matter of weeks.Whether he still had something to offer, he said, was a judgement for people to make.Speaking amid a flurry of pre-election campaigning, the prime minister said: "I am an issue, I always will be.He said Britain was in danger of needless panic over public safety issues.Mr Blair said the government was also looking at "how to make sure that legal aid is not abused with actions against doctors and others", as part of a review being carried out by the Lord Chancellor's Department.Asked if he would quit as leader if he felt like a liability to Labour, he said: "It's important always not to do the job unless you feel you have something to contribute."He told The Observer government life was a "constant barrage of attack" but said he would not stay in charge if he felt unable to contribute.Mr Blair said he had learned from a series of at times tough encounters with members of the public, during question and answer sessions across the country in recent weeks.Mr Blair also spoke of meeting many people across the country with concerns about the compensation culture. |
Top Tories on Lib Dem 'hit list'
The Liberal Democrats are aiming to unseat a string of top Tories - including leader Michael Howard - at the next general election.
Mr Howard's seat is at the top of the Liberal Democrats' list. Others targeted include Oliver Letwin, David Davis and Theresa May, Lib Dem's elections chief Lord Rennard said. He said it was "nothing personal" but that "very many of the prominent Conservatives" had slender leads in seats where the Lib Dems were second.
In 2001, Michael Howard won the Folkestone & Hythe seat with 20,645 votes, compared to 14,738 for the Liberal Democrat candidate Peter Carroll, giving the Tory leader a majority of 5,907. Asked if this amounted to the party's much vaunted "decapitation strategy" Lord Rennard said it was not a term he had ever used. But he urged Labour supporters to vote tactically to remove prominent Conservatives. "I just don't think Labour voters in these sort of seats could resist the temptation to use their votes effectively to remove a Conservative." He denied this strategy was opportunism, insisting the Lib Dem's policies on issues such as tuition fees, the council tax and free care for the elderly appealed "to all sides of the political spectrum". "We are in favour of tactical voting as long as the tactic is to vote Liberal Democrat," he added. A Conservative spokesperson said: "The Liberal Democrats can talk all they like about strategy. The problem the Liberal Democrats face is that a large number of Lib Dem voters do not agree with their policies. "We will be pointing out how they are soft on crime, how they support higher taxes, their opposition to controlled immigration and support for giving Europe more control over our lives".
| A Conservative spokesperson said: "The Liberal Democrats can talk all they like about strategy.Mr Howard's seat is at the top of the Liberal Democrats' list.He said it was "nothing personal" but that "very many of the prominent Conservatives" had slender leads in seats where the Lib Dems were second.In 2001, Michael Howard won the Folkestone & Hythe seat with 20,645 votes, compared to 14,738 for the Liberal Democrat candidate Peter Carroll, giving the Tory leader a majority of 5,907.The problem the Liberal Democrats face is that a large number of Lib Dem voters do not agree with their policies.The Liberal Democrats are aiming to unseat a string of top Tories - including leader Michael Howard - at the next general election. |
Lib Dems unveil election slogan
The Liberal Democrats will present themselves as "the real alternative" in the forthcoming general election campaign, Charles Kennedy has said.
Unveiling the slogan at the party's spring conference, he said there was no "glass ceiling" to its ambitions. He told delegates that Labour had abused the public's trust and that the Tories had failed to oppose them. In response, the Conservatives insisted that theirs was the party that understood the "forgotten majority".
Speaking in Harrogate Mr Kennedy said: "People want a credible, principled political party which offers a different vision of what Britain can be."
Only the Liberal Democrats stood against the Iraq war, he said, and they had also provided strong opposition to the government's plans on ID cards, anti-terror measures and taxation. He said: "If you voted Conservative in 2001 ... what good did it do you? Your vote was wasted. "What people needed was ... a party which was listening to their concerns; a party which was prepared to stand up and say so; a party which said no to the prime minister." Responding to the claims Tory Party co-chairman Liam Fox said: "Like Labour, the Lib Dems are soft on crime, support higher taxes, oppose controlled immigration and support giving Europe more control over our lives."
Mr Kennedy also outlined his party's plan to impose a 50% income tax rate on earnings over £100,000 a year. The money would be used to help pay for key policies such as abolishing university tuition fees, scrapping council tax in favour of local income tax, and providing free care for the elderly, he said. Labour and the Tories claim the sums do not add up, and that working families would be hardest hit. Mr Kennedy said: "Britain is the fourth-largest economy in the world. We have world class businesses and a world class workforce.
"So why are two million of our pensioners living below the poverty line?" All the parties are campaigning hard for an expected election in May, although Prime Minister Tony Blair has not confirmed any timing. Earlier, Mr Kennedy told Radio 4's Today programme there was no possibility of forming a coalition with Labour in the event of a hung Parliament. "We go into the election as an independent party and we come out as an independent party," he said. Mr Kennedy has been under fire in recent days for missing Monday's Commons vote on the government's controversial anti-terrorism laws, along with 16 other Lib Dem MPs. On Saturday, the Lib Dem chief executive said it was "just a cock-up" that Mr Kennedy and his colleagues missed the vote, which the government won by a majority of only 14. "Nobody had any idea that was going to happen," Lord Rennard told reporters at the party conference. He said he was certain MPs would get another chance to vote against the plans.
| "What people needed was ... a party which was listening to their concerns; a party which was prepared to stand up and say so; a party which said no to the prime minister."On Saturday, the Lib Dem chief executive said it was "just a cock-up" that Mr Kennedy and his colleagues missed the vote, which the government won by a majority of only 14.Mr Kennedy said: "Britain is the fourth-largest economy in the world.He said he was certain MPs would get another chance to vote against the plans.Speaking in Harrogate Mr Kennedy said: "People want a credible, principled political party which offers a different vision of what Britain can be.""We go into the election as an independent party and we come out as an independent party," he said.Unveiling the slogan at the party's spring conference, he said there was no "glass ceiling" to its ambitions.Earlier, Mr Kennedy told Radio 4's Today programme there was no possibility of forming a coalition with Labour in the event of a hung Parliament.The Liberal Democrats will present themselves as "the real alternative" in the forthcoming general election campaign, Charles Kennedy has said.Your vote was wasted. |
Abortion not a poll issue - Blair
Tony Blair does not believe abortion should be an election issue, arguing it is a matter for individual conscience.
The prime minister's spokesman set out Mr Blair's view after the top Catholic in England and Wales backed Michael Howard's stance on abortions. The Tory leader supports a reduction in the legal limit from 24 weeks to 20 and has said current rules are "tantamount to abortion on demand". The prime minister has made it clear he has no plans to the change the law.
Mr Blair's spokesman said: "The Catholic church has a well-known position on this issue and it was one of many issues the Cardinal mentioned and therefore it should be seen in that context." His words came as Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster, backed Mr Howard's stance and distanced himself from Labour. In a statement, he said abortion was a "very key issue", saying: "The policy supported by Mr Howard is one that we would commend, on the way to a full abandonment of abortion."
Cardinal O'Connor claimed Labour had "developed" the notion that it was the natural party of Catholics, but he said: "We are not going to suggest people support one particular party." The Family Planning Association says a reduction would particularly affect young women who often seek help later. More than 180,000 women in England and Wales had terminations last year, of which fewer than 1% were carried out between 22 and 24 weeks.
In the Cosmopolitan interview Mr Howard said: "I believe abortion should be available to everyone, but the law should be changed. "In the past I voted for a restriction to 22 weeks and I would be prepared to go down to 20." All three main parties say the issue is one for each MP's conscience, rather than one where there is a party-wide policy. Mr Howard stressed his views were his personal views. Shadow home secretary David Davis said he understood Mr Howard had been signalling that a Conservative government would allow a Commons vote on the issue. Mr Blair and Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy also gave their views during interviews, conducted as part of the magazine's "High Heeled Vote" campaign.
Mr Blair, who last year denied he planned to join his wife and four children in the Catholic faith despite regularly taking communion, said abortion was a "difficult issue". "However much I dislike the idea of abortion, you should not criminalise a woman who, in very difficult circumstances, makes that choice. "Obviously there is a time beyond which you can't have an abortion, and we have no plans to change that although the debate will continue." Mr Kennedy said he had previously voted for a 22-week limit but medical advances mean "I don't know what I would do now". The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff, the Most Reverend Peter Smith, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the church merely wanted people to "reflect on issues in light of the gospel" before voting. Anne Weyman, chief executive of the Family Planning Association, asked: "What is the benefit to women, or to the potential child, of forcing a woman to have a baby?" Anti-abortion group the Pro-Life Alliance "congratulated" Mr Howard on his new stance, but said it did not go far enough.
| In a statement, he said abortion was a "very key issue", saying: "The policy supported by Mr Howard is one that we would commend, on the way to a full abandonment of abortion."Mr Blair's spokesman said: "The Catholic church has a well-known position on this issue and it was one of many issues the Cardinal mentioned and therefore it should be seen in that context."Mr Blair, who last year denied he planned to join his wife and four children in the Catholic faith despite regularly taking communion, said abortion was a "difficult issue".In the Cosmopolitan interview Mr Howard said: "I believe abortion should be available to everyone, but the law should be changed.Shadow home secretary David Davis said he understood Mr Howard had been signalling that a Conservative government would allow a Commons vote on the issue.Mr Kennedy said he had previously voted for a 22-week limit but medical advances mean "I don't know what I would do now".Anti-abortion group the Pro-Life Alliance "congratulated" Mr Howard on his new stance, but said it did not go far enough.The Tory leader supports a reduction in the legal limit from 24 weeks to 20 and has said current rules are "tantamount to abortion on demand".The prime minister's spokesman set out Mr Blair's view after the top Catholic in England and Wales backed Michael Howard's stance on abortions.Mr Howard stressed his views were his personal views. |
Labour faces 'cold calls' inquiry
Labour is to be investigated by a watchdog over claims its election campaign has broken the rules on "cold calling" householders.
The information commissioner is to look into a complaint from the Lib Dems about how Labour uses its call centres. The Lib Dems say Labour is telephoning people who have signed up to make sure they do not get marketing calls. Labour denies breaking rules. It says calls are not marketing if they just ask about people's voting intentions. The party says it would expect the watchdog to take complaints seriously but it has clear legal advice on the issue.
Telephone call centres are expected to be used as never before by all the three major parties in the run-up to the general election. But seven million telephone numbers are on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) lists, which ban unsolicited sales and marketing calls. Lib Dem chairman Matthew Taylor has written to the watchdog accusing Labour of a "flagrant and systematic breach" of the laws governing the TPS.
He says the initial call may not be marketing but it identifies voters to whom the party can send promotional material in the future. His letter to the commissioner quotes from a Labour Party handbook about "identifying target voters". And it quotes a Stevenage Labour Party members' newsletter explaining how voters will be telephoned about their voting intentions.
The voters are put in 24 categories according to their last known voting intention, ranging from "Labour (firm)" to "target (Conservative)" - those who supported the party in the past but this time will be voting Tory. The newsletter says: "Using the information we know about people, we can send them direct mailings. "For example, we could send the target (Conservative) people a letter from someone who had defected from the Tories to Labour explaining the reasons why voting Tory is a bad idea or we could send Labour (weak) people a letter encouraging them to sign up for a postal vote."
Mr Taylor tells the commissioner: "It is clear beyond peradventure from the above that the Labour Party is engaging in a large-scale voter ID project for subsequent promotional purposes through targeted and segmented mailings. "Insofar as this project is directed at TPS subscribers, it is equally clear that it is unlawful." The Lib Dems raised worries about Labour and Conservative calls in February and 680 people have signed up to the website they set up to help people to complain. A party official said there was only scattered evidence of the Tories breaking the rules but people had complained every day about Labour.
A spokeswoman for the Information Commissioner's Office said it was examining one complaint about political calls - understood to be Mr Taylor's. "We are investigating one of the complaints where some evidence has been given to us," she said. "Obviously evidence is needed for us to start investigations." The commissioner's office will now examine the Lib Dem evidence. "The guidance is that cold calling can be made as long as no marketing is going on," said the spokeswoman. If Labour is judged to have broken the rules, it will be asked stop immediately. If it fails to do so after two or three warning letters, the commissioner can issue an enforcement notice spelling out what the party needs to do or stop doing.
The party could appeal against the decision to an Information Tribunal. If the appeal fails and it continues breaking the rules, it could be fined up to £5,000. Labour says it avoids those on TPS lists when telephoning people about membership or fundraising but not when making "voter identification" calls. Asked about the commissioner's inquiry, a Labour spokesman told BBC News: "We expect the information commissioner to take any complaint seriously. However, we are absolutely clear that we haven't broken any rules. "As the information commissioner himself has said, if people are not marketing something, if they are asking them which way they are going to vote, they are not in breach of the law. "We always ask everyone we phone up whether they would be happy to be contacted by the Labour Party again."
| The information commissioner is to look into a complaint from the Lib Dems about how Labour uses its call centres.A party official said there was only scattered evidence of the Tories breaking the rules but people had complained every day about Labour.The Lib Dems say Labour is telephoning people who have signed up to make sure they do not get marketing calls.His letter to the commissioner quotes from a Labour Party handbook about "identifying target voters"."For example, we could send the target (Conservative) people a letter from someone who had defected from the Tories to Labour explaining the reasons why voting Tory is a bad idea or we could send Labour (weak) people a letter encouraging them to sign up for a postal vote."And it quotes a Stevenage Labour Party members' newsletter explaining how voters will be telephoned about their voting intentions.Labour denies breaking rules.The Lib Dems raised worries about Labour and Conservative calls in February and 680 people have signed up to the website they set up to help people to complain.Labour says it avoids those on TPS lists when telephoning people about membership or fundraising but not when making "voter identification" calls.Mr Taylor tells the commissioner: "It is clear beyond peradventure from the above that the Labour Party is engaging in a large-scale voter ID project for subsequent promotional purposes through targeted and segmented mailings.Asked about the commissioner's inquiry, a Labour spokesman told BBC News: "We expect the information commissioner to take any complaint seriously."As the information commissioner himself has said, if people are not marketing something, if they are asking them which way they are going to vote, they are not in breach of the law.The party says it would expect the watchdog to take complaints seriously but it has clear legal advice on the issue.If Labour is judged to have broken the rules, it will be asked stop immediately. |
Parliament's record of scandal
In a locked room at the heart of Parliament there is a hive of scandal.
Sex, betrayal and custody of children are all there in this affair but this time it has nothing to do with the recent troubles of David Blunkett or Boris Johnson.
Few realise that Westminster in effect has its own divorce den. For sprinkled among 12 floors of archives are blow-by-blow accounts of marital break-ups - and now you can search what's there online. Until 1857, the only way in England to get a full divorce which allowed re-marriage was to obtain an Act of Parliament by proving adultery or life-threatening cruelty. The legacy is pages of testimonies used in the hearings, dating back to 1670, all recorded among the 325,000 items which fill the 12 floors of the parliamentary archives in Parliament's Victoria Tower. Most people researching their family history want to discover some tale of illicit love. This gives them the chance.
Divorce by Parliament was an expensive process open really only to the rich but the records also include the testimony of maids, butlers and coachmen about their masters and mistresses. Among the records is the story of Jane Campbell, the first woman ever to divorce her husband. That happened in 1801 after she had discovered her husband, Edward Addison, had committed adultery with her sister Jessy.
A transcript of evidence from Jessy's maid, Amelia Laugher, shows her telling how Addison frequently passed by her on the way to the room where she had just put her mistress naked to bed. It must have been a killer blow to Addison's case - he had already fled abroad rather than pay the £5,000 damages ordered by a civil court. As well as making divorce history, Jane Campbell won custody of her children - unusual for a woman at the time. But divorces are by no means the only documents in the archives which hold personal details of people often far removed from politics and Parliament.
There are the protestation returns from 1642 - lists of the Protestants who pledged to "maintain the true reformed Protestant religion". There are details of foreign nationals made British citizens by act of Parliament, including composer George Frideric Handel in 1727. And the mass of private bills which, for example authorise the building of railways and roads, contain both the names and addresses of those involved and testimonies giving people a unique perspective on how their ancestors opposed them.
Tax bills may be an extra source for pedigree hunters - the longest stretches for about 300m and is longer than the Palace of Westminster itself, listing the names of appointed tax collectors. This wealth of material has long been open to the public at the House of Lords Record Office, with visitors able to phone ahead when they want to view particular items in the search room. But now five years of work has produced an online catalogue. David Prior, assistant clerk of the archives, says the catalogue opens up new possibilities for research. "Before, you just could not do it, you faced trawling through pages and pages of printed material," he says. Mr Prior sees the changes as part of a wider revolution in archives generally. "The archive profession may look fairly staid but is in an enormous period of change, mainly motivated by the potential of IT, which is opening up all sorts of vistas for us," he says.
The archives do, of course, hold records of high (and low) politics too for both Houses of Parliament, including copies of all acts passed since 1497 - the oldest dealing with the employment of workers in the woollen industry in Norfolk. Records for the Commons only date back to 1834 - anything earlier was wiped out by the fire which destroyed most of the Parliament buildings in 1834.
But that still leaves some of the most important documents of UK political history - parts of the Bill of Rights from 1689, the death warrant for Charles I, the private papers and diaries of major politicians such as David Lloyd George and Andrew Bonar Law. There is also the 1606 act establishing 5 November as a thanksgiving day - the year after the Gunpowder Plot. That document is likely to feature in the exhibition the archives will put on next year as part of a series of events across London to mark the 400th anniversary of Guy Fawkes' conspiracy. As Mr Prior remarks as we walk by shelf after shelf of vellum (parchment made from goat's skin): "All human life is here."
| But divorces are by no means the only documents in the archives which hold personal details of people often far removed from politics and Parliament.Divorce by Parliament was an expensive process open really only to the rich but the records also include the testimony of maids, butlers and coachmen about their masters and mistresses.Until 1857, the only way in England to get a full divorce which allowed re-marriage was to obtain an Act of Parliament by proving adultery or life-threatening cruelty.The archives do, of course, hold records of high (and low) politics too for both Houses of Parliament, including copies of all acts passed since 1497 - the oldest dealing with the employment of workers in the woollen industry in Norfolk.Among the records is the story of Jane Campbell, the first woman ever to divorce her husband.As well as making divorce history, Jane Campbell won custody of her children - unusual for a woman at the time.Mr Prior sees the changes as part of a wider revolution in archives generally.The legacy is pages of testimonies used in the hearings, dating back to 1670, all recorded among the 325,000 items which fill the 12 floors of the parliamentary archives in Parliament's Victoria Tower.Few realise that Westminster in effect has its own divorce den.This wealth of material has long been open to the public at the House of Lords Record Office, with visitors able to phone ahead when they want to view particular items in the search room.There are details of foreign nationals made British citizens by act of Parliament, including composer George Frideric Handel in 1727.For sprinkled among 12 floors of archives are blow-by-blow accounts of marital break-ups - and now you can search what's there online.That document is likely to feature in the exhibition the archives will put on next year as part of a series of events across London to mark the 400th anniversary of Guy Fawkes' conspiracy. |
Labour MP praises Tory campaign
The Conservatives have been "a lot smarter" in the way they have conducted the general election campaign, a Labour backbencher has said.
Derek Wyatt said having a five month campaign "turned off voters" and suggested people were already "rather bored of the thing". He wants a greater campaigning role for Chancellor Gordon Brown. Labour said the economy was at the heart of the campaign and Mr Brown therefore had a prominent role. But Mr Wyatt argued: "By some way, he is currently the figure in all of the polls that people trust and see that has delivered over eight years an economy unmatched anywhere in the world. "So, it would be a tad foolish of the Labour Party if we did not use him as we have done over the past three elections."
Labour's election chief Alan Milburn denied there was an attempt to sideline Mr Brown after facing criticism for letting the Tories set the agenda. However, Mr Wyatt predicted the campaign would get under way properly once the chancellor delivered his budget. The MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey said Prime Minister Tony Blair had been "trying very hard" to improve his own standing with the electorate through a "sort of campaign of trust". But Mr Blair had been "hurt" by the Iraq controversy, he added. A Labour party spokesman played down differences with Mr Wyatt and said Mr Brown already had a prominent campaign role. "This election is a choice between Labour taking Britain forward and the Conservatives taking us back."
| A Labour party spokesman played down differences with Mr Wyatt and said Mr Brown already had a prominent campaign role.Labour said the economy was at the heart of the campaign and Mr Brown therefore had a prominent role.However, Mr Wyatt predicted the campaign would get under way properly once the chancellor delivered his budget.The Conservatives have been "a lot smarter" in the way they have conducted the general election campaign, a Labour backbencher has said.But Mr Wyatt argued: "By some way, he is currently the figure in all of the polls that people trust and see that has delivered over eight years an economy unmatched anywhere in the world. |
Blunkett hints at election call
Ex-Home Secretary David Blunkett has given fresh clues that the general election will be announced on Monday.
He told BBC Radio Five Live: "I'm out in my constituency getting ready for what we presume will be an announcement very shortly at the weekend." He clarified that he meant he would be in his Sheffield seat this weekend, not that he expected an election call then. Tony Blair is tipped to ask the Queen on Monday to dissolve Parliament ready for a 5 May poll.
| He clarified that he meant he would be in his Sheffield seat this weekend, not that he expected an election call then.Ex-Home Secretary David Blunkett has given fresh clues that the general election will be announced on Monday. |
Sayeed to stand down as Tory MP
Tory MP Jonathan Sayeed is to stand down on the grounds of ill health.
The decision comes after Mr Sayeed survived an attempt to de-select him in a row over allegations he had profited from private tours of Parliament. The Mid-Bedfordshire MP had denied a claim that he was paid for guiding visitors around the Palace of Westminster. Conservative leader Michael Howard has now accepted the MP's resignation, it has been announced.
Mr Sayeed was suspended from Parliament for two weeks last month after the Commons standards and privileges committee said his conduct had fallen "well below the standards expected". The Conservative Party had already been withdrawn the whip for a month. But his constituency association voted against a move to deselect him, with Mr Sayeed winning 173 of the 299 votes. After the vote, Mr Sayeed said only a fifth of association members had voted against him and he intended to get on with winning the election. But the vote prompted constituency association president Sir Stanley Odell to resign in protest. The Standards and Privileges Committee inquiry was launched after the Sunday Times alleged English Manner Limited charged clients for access to Westminster through Mr Sayeed. Mr Sayeed had denied the claims, saying the suspension was "unjust and wrong" but he made an "unreserved" apology to MPs in the Commons chamber. He insisted that the committee's report had contained a "few errors of fact". Mr Sayeed has been MP for Mid-Bedfordshire since 1997. He represented Bristol East from 1983 to 1992.
| Mr Sayeed has been MP for Mid-Bedfordshire since 1997.But his constituency association voted against a move to deselect him, with Mr Sayeed winning 173 of the 299 votes.After the vote, Mr Sayeed said only a fifth of association members had voted against him and he intended to get on with winning the election.Mr Sayeed had denied the claims, saying the suspension was "unjust and wrong" but he made an "unreserved" apology to MPs in the Commons chamber.Mr Sayeed was suspended from Parliament for two weeks last month after the Commons standards and privileges committee said his conduct had fallen "well below the standards expected".The Standards and Privileges Committee inquiry was launched after the Sunday Times alleged English Manner Limited charged clients for access to Westminster through Mr Sayeed. |
Arthur Hailey: King of the bestsellers
Novelist Arthur Hailey, who has died at the age of 84, was known for his bestselling page-turners exploring the inner workings of various industries, from the hotels to high finance.
Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, on 5 April 1920, Hailey was the only child of working class parents, They could not afford to keep him in school beyond the age of 14. He served as a pilot with the Royal Air Force during World War II, flying fighter planes to the Middle East. It was an occupation that was later to feature in his authorial debut, the television screenplay Flight into Danger. Hailey emigrated to Canada in 1947, where he eventually became a citizen. He wanted to be a writer from an early age, but did not take it up professionally until his mid-thirties, when he was inspired to write his first screenplay while on a return flight to Toronto.
"I fell to daydreaming. I visualised the pilots at the controls and wondered what would happen if they both got sick. Could I fly the airplane? I was a rusty wartime pilot who hadn't flown for nine years... " Hailey later recalled. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation bought Flight into Danger for $600 (£318) and it was shown on TV in April 1956. It was later memorably spoofed in the 1980 comedy Airplane!, starring Leslie Nielsen. Hailey worked as a screenwriter for a couple of years, before turning to novels. He went on to produce 11 best-selling books, which were published into 38 languages in 40 countries. Flight into Danger was adapted to become Hailey's first novel, Runaway Zero-Eight in 1958. The Final Diagnosis and In High Places followed, both achieving a popular following. But it was not until Hotel, in 1965, that Hollywood came calling. The hit novel took four years to write, and stayed on national best-seller lists for a full year. It was turned into a movie in 1967 and later adapted into a glossy soap in the 1980s, starring James Brolin. Airport (1968) arguably remains Hailey's best-loved work and prompted the disaster movie genre. The thriller follows events in the sky, and on the ground at a snow-logged airport, when a terrorist boards an airplane with a bomb.
The book was adapted into a hit film in 1970, starring Burt Lancaster as the harassed aiport manager and Dean Martin as a womanising pilot, alongside Jean Seberg and Jacqueline Bisset. In a testament to the popularity of the fledgling disaster genre - three sequels followed. The writer was known for his painstaking research into the professions around which each novel was centred, drawing his characters "from real life" and taking up to three years to produce each book. "I have never been able to write quickly or easily. I am too self-critical for that. I am never satisfied," he once said. In 1969, he moved to Nassau in the Bahamas, with his wife Sheila. Wheels (1971), The Moneychangers (1975) and Overload (1979) followed. Despite a lukewarm response from critics, and few literary accolades, Hailey was at the height of his fame in the seventies and continued to attract the attention of Hollywood producers. Strong Medicine, Hailey's blockbuster focusing on the pharmaceutical industry, was turned into a film in 1986, starring Sam Neill, Douglas Fairbanks Jr and a panoply of former soap stars. The 1997 novel Detective proved to be Hailey's final book, when at the age of 77 he decided to retire. Hailey's health began to deteriorate in recent years, twice undergoing heart surgery. He suffered a stroke just two months ago. He died in his sleep on Wednesday, after dinner with his wife and two of his six children at his home in New Providence island. "He had a wonderful life. His greatest ambition was to see his name on a book and he certainly achieved that," said his wife, Sheila.
| The writer was known for his painstaking research into the professions around which each novel was centred, drawing his characters "from real life" and taking up to three years to produce each book.It was an occupation that was later to feature in his authorial debut, the television screenplay Flight into Danger.Flight into Danger was adapted to become Hailey's first novel, Runaway Zero-Eight in 1958.I was a rusty wartime pilot who hadn't flown for nine years... " Hailey later recalled.His greatest ambition was to see his name on a book and he certainly achieved that," said his wife, Sheila.It was later memorably spoofed in the 1980 comedy Airplane!, starring Leslie Nielsen.It was turned into a movie in 1967 and later adapted into a glossy soap in the 1980s, starring James Brolin.Novelist Arthur Hailey, who has died at the age of 84, was known for his bestselling page-turners exploring the inner workings of various industries, from the hotels to high finance.Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, on 5 April 1920, Hailey was the only child of working class parents, They could not afford to keep him in school beyond the age of 14.But it was not until Hotel, in 1965, that Hollywood came calling.He wanted to be a writer from an early age, but did not take it up professionally until his mid-thirties, when he was inspired to write his first screenplay while on a return flight to Toronto.The book was adapted into a hit film in 1970, starring Burt Lancaster as the harassed aiport manager and Dean Martin as a womanising pilot, alongside Jean Seberg and Jacqueline Bisset.The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation bought Flight into Danger for $600 (£318) and it was shown on TV in April 1956.Strong Medicine, Hailey's blockbuster focusing on the pharmaceutical industry, was turned into a film in 1986, starring Sam Neill, Douglas Fairbanks Jr and a panoply of former soap stars.Despite a lukewarm response from critics, and few literary accolades, Hailey was at the height of his fame in the seventies and continued to attract the attention of Hollywood producers. |
Vera Drake scoops film award
Oscar hopefuls Mike Leigh and Imelda Staunton were both winners at the 2004 Evening Standard British Film Awards.
Vera Drake - Leigh's 1950s drama about a backstreet abortionist - was named best film and Staunton, who played the title role, was named best actress. Other winners included Paddy Considine, who was crowned best actor for his role in Dead Man's Shoes. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason was named Evening Standard Readers' Film of 2004 at the central London ceremony.
Leigh was presented with his winner's statuette by Timothy Spall and Staunton's award was announced by Patrick Stewart, during the glittering ceremony at The Savoy on Sunday night. Evening Standard film critic Derek Malcolm said: "He [Leigh] has never made a film that is better controlled and technically more secure... If this isn't one of the films of the year, I don't know what is." The Alexander Walker Special Award - which honours those who have made a supreme contribution to British film - went to Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, the co-chairmen of Working Title films. The production company is behind films such as My Beautiful Laundrette, Billy Elliot, About A Boy, Shaun of The Dead and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
Simon Pegg, who stars in and co-wrote Shaun of the Dead, won the 2004 Peter Sellers Award For Comedy. Other winners included Emily Blunt and Nathalie Press who were jointly named ITV London Most Promising Newcomer Award for their performances in Pawel Pawlikowski's rites-of-passage story, My Summer of Love. Pawlikowski won the best screenplay statuette, while Roger Deakins won the Technical Achievement Award for his cinematography on The Village and The Ladykillers. Guests at the ceremony included Dame Judi Dench, Kim Cattrall, Charles Dance, Bill Nighy and Colin Firth. The awards, which were hosted by Jack Dee, are to be screened on ITV London on Tuesday at 2300 GMT.
| Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason was named Evening Standard Readers' Film of 2004 at the central London ceremony.Vera Drake - Leigh's 1950s drama about a backstreet abortionist - was named best film and Staunton, who played the title role, was named best actress.Oscar hopefuls Mike Leigh and Imelda Staunton were both winners at the 2004 Evening Standard British Film Awards.Evening Standard film critic Derek Malcolm said: "He [Leigh] has never made a film that is better controlled and technically more secure...Other winners included Paddy Considine, who was crowned best actor for his role in Dead Man's Shoes.Leigh was presented with his winner's statuette by Timothy Spall and Staunton's award was announced by Patrick Stewart, during the glittering ceremony at The Savoy on Sunday night. |
Levy tipped for Whitbread prize
Novelist Andrea Levy is favourite to win the main Whitbread Prize book of the year award, after winning novel of the year with her book Small Island.
The book has already won the Orange Prize for fiction, and is now 5/4 favourite for the £25,000 Whitbread. Second favourite is a biography of Mary Queen of Scots, by John Guy. A panel of judges including Sir Trevor McDonald, actor Hugh Grant and writer Joanne Harris will decide the overall winner on Tuesday.
The five writers in line for the award won their respective categories - first novel, novel, biography, poetry and children's book - on 6 January. Small Island, Levy's fourth novel, is set in post-war London and centres on a landlady and her lodgers. One is a Jamaican who joined British troops to fight Hitler but finds life difficult out of uniform when he settles in the UK. "What could have been a didactic or preachy prospect turns out to hilarious, moving humane and eye-popping. It's hard to think of anybody not enjoying it," wrote the judges. The judges called Guy's My Heart is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots "an impressive and readable piece of scholarship, which cannot fail but leave the reader moved and intrigued by this most tragic and likeable of queens". Guy has published many histories, including one of Tudor England. He is a fellow at Clare College, Cambridge and became a honorary research professor of the University of St Andrews in 2003.
The other contenders include Susan Fletcher for Eve Green, which won the first novel prize. Fletcher has recently graduated from the University of East Anglia's creative writing course. The fourth book in the running is Corpus, Michael Symmons Roberts' fourth collection of poems. As well as writing poetry, Symmons Roberts also makes documentary films. Geraldine McCaughrean is the final contender, having won the children's fiction category for the third time for Not the End of the World. McCaughrean, who went into magazine publishing after studying teaching, previously won the category in 1987 with A Little Lower than Angels and in 1994 with Gold Dust.
| The five writers in line for the award won their respective categories - first novel, novel, biography, poetry and children's book - on 6 January.The book has already won the Orange Prize for fiction, and is now 5/4 favourite for the £25,000 Whitbread.Novelist Andrea Levy is favourite to win the main Whitbread Prize book of the year award, after winning novel of the year with her book Small Island.The other contenders include Susan Fletcher for Eve Green, which won the first novel prize.Second favourite is a biography of Mary Queen of Scots, by John Guy.The fourth book in the running is Corpus, Michael Symmons Roberts' fourth collection of poems.Guy has published many histories, including one of Tudor England.Fletcher has recently graduated from the University of East Anglia's creative writing course. |
Hanks greeted at wintry premiere
Hollywood star Tom Hanks was in London's Leicester Square for the UK premiere of Polar Express.
The West End landmark was turned into a festive landscape complete with snow and carol singers to celebrate the arrival of the animated film. "This is Leicester Square like you've never seen it before," said Hanks, who plays five roles in the movie. Polar Express is based on a children's book which tells the story of a young boy's journey to meet Santa Claus. The 48-year-old actor crossed a three-metre high bridge built in the square, which he said was "almost impossible to get across". Hundreds of fans greeted the star, all wearing Santa hats, and mince pies were on offer. Hanks said that the new film has an "elegant message". "Christmas is a special time of the year and you get out of it what you put into it," added the two-time Academy Award winner.
"I believe in the spirit of Christmas and I think that's embodied in Santa Claus," he said. Polar Express uses technology similar to that used in Lord of the Rings to bring Gollum to life. The "performance capture" technique enables Hanks to play a number of roles, including the eight-year-old boy who is at the centre of the story, and Father Christmas. It is directed by Robert Zemeckis, who has previously worked with Hanks on Forrest Gump and Castaway.
| Hollywood star Tom Hanks was in London's Leicester Square for the UK premiere of Polar Express.Hanks said that the new film has an "elegant message"."This is Leicester Square like you've never seen it before," said Hanks, who plays five roles in the movie."I believe in the spirit of Christmas and I think that's embodied in Santa Claus," he said.Polar Express is based on a children's book which tells the story of a young boy's journey to meet Santa Claus. |
Bennett play takes theatre prizes
The History Boys by Alan Bennett has been named best new play in the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards.
Set in a grammar school, the play also earned a best actor prize for star Richard Griffiths as teacher Hector. The Producers was named best musical, Victoria Hamilton was best actress for Suddenly Last Summer and Festen's Rufus Norris was named best director. The History Boys also won the best new comedy title at the Theatregoers' Choice Awards.
Partly based upon Alan Bennett's experience as a teacher, The History Boys has been at London's National Theatre since last May. The Critics' Circle named Rebecca Lenkiewicz its most promising playwright for The Night Season, and Eddie Redmayne most promising newcomer for The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?
Paul Rhys was its best Shakespearean performer for Measure for Measure at the National Theatre and Christopher Oram won the design award for Suddenly Last Summer. Both the Critics' Circle and Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice award winners were announced on Tuesday. Chosen by more than 11,000 theatre fans, the Theatregoers' Choice Awards named US actor Christian Slater best actor for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Diana Rigg was best actress for Suddenly Last Summer, Dame Judi Dench was best supporting actress for the RSC's All's Well That Ends Well and The History Boys' Samuel Barnett was best supporting actor.
| The History Boys by Alan Bennett has been named best new play in the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards.The Producers was named best musical, Victoria Hamilton was best actress for Suddenly Last Summer and Festen's Rufus Norris was named best director.The History Boys also won the best new comedy title at the Theatregoers' Choice Awards.Diana Rigg was best actress for Suddenly Last Summer, Dame Judi Dench was best supporting actress for the RSC's All's Well That Ends Well and The History Boys' Samuel Barnett was best supporting actor. |
Redford's vision of Sundance
Despite sporting a corduroy cap pulled low over his face plus a pair of dark glasses, Robert Redford cuts an unmistakable figure through the star-struck crowds at Sundance.
It's a rare downtown appearance for the man who started the annual festival in Park City, Utah back in the 1980s. Now in its twenty-first year, Sundance continues to grow. Some 45,000 people are estimated to have descended on this small ski town with nothing but movies on the mind. It's an opportunity to meet and make deals. Redford wanted Sundance to be a platform for independent film-makers, but the commercial success of many showcased films have led to criticism that the festival is becoming too mainstream.
Smaller festivals like Slamdance and XDance, which take place during the same week in Park City, are competing for Sundance's limelight. But Redford is not worried. "The more the merrier," he says. "The point was to create opportunities for people who may not have them. "Once independent film had a place where the work could be seen, suddenly the merchants came. With them the celebrities came, then the paparazzi - and suddenly it began to take on a whole new tone," explains Redford.
"People started to say we had gone mainstream and Hollywood, but actually Hollywood came to us because suddenly there was good business in independent film," he adds. International film-makers have always been celebrated here, but 2005 is the first year a dedicated World Dramatic and Documentary competition is being held.
Redford wants the festival to encompass viewpoints he believes the American media fails to reflect, particularly how the US is perceived internationally. He has never hidden the fact that he is a Democrat. But he reserves particular disdain for the current Republican administration. "It's the ability to maintain the importance of dissent in a democratic system which right now is under threat with the attitude of this administration," he says. "I think many voices are being shut down or accused of being unpatriotic if they want to express another point of view. That's very unhealthy and very dangerous.
"If we take that policy into the world, there will be the same victims and the same consequences." Sundance isn't just one big screening. There are discussion panels and Q&A sessions with directors tackling controversial topics like America's "culture wars" and the Iraq war. While Redford wishes the festival to be a forum for dissent, the profile of the audience is fairly monolithic. Educated, middle class and predominantly white Americans comes Sundance, with views from the same end of the political spectrum - anti-war and socially liberal. But Redford knows this and started the Sundance TV Channel in an effort to reach a wider audience. "When you look at the films here, what we are presenting is very much egalitarian. And it's about good films and good story-telling be it African America, Asian, women, gay, lesbian. "Sooner or later we will do away with those stereotypical labels and people will say 'it's just a film by so-and so'."
| Redford wanted Sundance to be a platform for independent film-makers, but the commercial success of many showcased films have led to criticism that the festival is becoming too mainstream."People started to say we had gone mainstream and Hollywood, but actually Hollywood came to us because suddenly there was good business in independent film," he adds.But Redford knows this and started the Sundance TV Channel in an effort to reach a wider audience.While Redford wishes the festival to be a forum for dissent, the profile of the audience is fairly monolithic.With them the celebrities came, then the paparazzi - and suddenly it began to take on a whole new tone," explains Redford.But Redford is not worried."Once independent film had a place where the work could be seen, suddenly the merchants came.Smaller festivals like Slamdance and XDance, which take place during the same week in Park City, are competing for Sundance's limelight."The point was to create opportunities for people who may not have them."Sooner or later we will do away with those stereotypical labels and people will say 'it's just a film by so-and so'.""It's the ability to maintain the importance of dissent in a democratic system which right now is under threat with the attitude of this administration," he says.Redford wants the festival to encompass viewpoints he believes the American media fails to reflect, particularly how the US is perceived internationally. |
Richard and Judy choose top books
The 10 authors shortlisted for a Richard and Judy book award in 2005 are hoping for a boost in sales following the success of this year's winner.
The TV couple's interest in the book world coined the term "the Richard & Judy effect" and created the top two best-selling paperbacks of 2004 so far. The finalists for 2005 include Andrew Taylor's The American Boy and Robbie Williams' autobiography Feel. This year's winner, Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones, sold over one million. Joseph O'Connor's Star of the Sea came second and saw sales increase by 350%. The best read award, on Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan's Channel 4 show, is part of the British Book Awards. David Mitchell's Booker-shortlisted novel, Cloud Atlas, makes it into this year's top 10 along with several lesser known works.
"There's no doubt that this year's selection of book club entries is the best yet. If anything, the choice is even wider than last time," said Madeley. "It was very hard to follow last year's extremely successful list, but we think this year's books will do even better," said Richard and Judy executive producer Amanda Ross. "We were spoiled for choice and it was tough getting down to only 10 from the 301 submitted."
| "It was very hard to follow last year's extremely successful list, but we think this year's books will do even better," said Richard and Judy executive producer Amanda Ross.The 10 authors shortlisted for a Richard and Judy book award in 2005 are hoping for a boost in sales following the success of this year's winner.The best read award, on Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan's Channel 4 show, is part of the British Book Awards."There's no doubt that this year's selection of book club entries is the best yet.The TV couple's interest in the book world coined the term "the Richard & Judy effect" and created the top two best-selling paperbacks of 2004 so far. |
Slater to star in Broadway play
Actor Christian Slater is stepping into the role of Tom in the Broadway revival of The Glass Menagerie.
Slater, 35, is replacing actor Dallas Roberts in the Tennessee Williams drama, which opens next month. No reason was given for Roberts' departure. The role will be played by understudy Joey Collins until Slater joins the show. Slater won rave reviews for his recent performance in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in London's West End.
He has also starred in a number of films, including Heathers, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and more recently Churchill: The Hollywood Years. Preview performances of The Glass Menagerie will begin at New York's Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Thursday. Philip Rinaldi, a spokesman for the show, said the play's 15 March opening date remains unchanged. The revival, directed by David Leveaux, will also star Jessica Lange as the domineering mother, Amanda Wingfield.
| Actor Christian Slater is stepping into the role of Tom in the Broadway revival of The Glass Menagerie.The role will be played by understudy Joey Collins until Slater joins the show.Slater, 35, is replacing actor Dallas Roberts in the Tennessee Williams drama, which opens next month.Slater won rave reviews for his recent performance in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in London's West End. |
Famed music director Viotti dies
Conductor Marcello Viotti, director of Venice's famous La Fenice Theatre, has died in Germany at 50.
Viotti, director of La Fenice since 2002, conducted at renowned opera houses worldwide including Milan's La Scala and the Vienna State Opera. His time at La Fenice coincided with its reopening in 2003 after it was destroyed by fire in 1996. He fell into a coma after suffering a stroke during rehearsals for Jules Massenet's Manon last week.
He conducted some of the best orchestras in the world including the Berlin Philharmonic and the English Chamber Orchestra. Viotti was born in Switzerland and studied the piano, cello and singing at the Lausanne Conservatory. His career breakthrough came in 1982 when he won first prize at the Gino Marinuzzi conducting competition in Italy. Viotti established himself as chief conductor of the Turin Opera and went on to become chief conductor of Munich's Radio Orchestra. At La Fenice Viotti was widely acclaimed for his production of the French composer Massenet's Thais and some of his other productions included Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata and Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos.
The last opera he directed at La Fenice was Massenet's Le Roi de Lahore. Viotti's debut at the New York's Metropolitan Opera came in 2000 with Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly, followed by La Boheme, La Traviata and Fromental Halevy's La Juive. Giampaolo Vianello, superintendent of the Fenice Theatre Foundation, said: "I am filled with extreme sadness because, other than a great artist, he is missed as a friend - a main character in the latest joyous times, during the rebirth of our theatre." Viotti's last public performance was on 5 February when he conducted Vincenzo Bellini's Norma at the Vienna State Opera.
| Viotti, director of La Fenice since 2002, conducted at renowned opera houses worldwide including Milan's La Scala and the Vienna State Opera.The last opera he directed at La Fenice was Massenet's Le Roi de Lahore.At La Fenice Viotti was widely acclaimed for his production of the French composer Massenet's Thais and some of his other productions included Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata and Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos.Conductor Marcello Viotti, director of Venice's famous La Fenice Theatre, has died in Germany at 50.Viotti's debut at the New York's Metropolitan Opera came in 2000 with Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly, followed by La Boheme, La Traviata and Fromental Halevy's La Juive.His time at La Fenice coincided with its reopening in 2003 after it was destroyed by fire in 1996. |
Film row over Pirates 'cannibals'
Plans to portray Dominica's Carib Indians as cannibals in the sequel to hit film Pirates of the Caribbean have been criticised by the group's chief.
Carib Chief Charles Williams said talks with Disney's producers revealed there was "a strong element of cannibalism in the script which cannot be removed". The Caribbean island's government said Disney planned to film in Dominica. The Caribs have long denied their ancestors practised cannibalism. Disney was unavailable for comment. "Our ancestors stood up against early European conquerors and because they stood up...we were labelled savages and cannibals up to today," said Mr Williams.
"This cannot be perpetuated in movies." Shooting on the sequel is expected to begin in April, with hundreds of Dominicans applying to be extras in the movie.
About 3,000 Caribs live on the island of Dominica, which has a population of 70,000. Many Caribs were killed by disease and war during colonisation up to the 1600s. Mr Williams said he had received support from indigenous groups around the world in his efforts to have cannibalism references removed from the film. But he admitted there were some members of the Carib council who did not support the campaign. He said some did not "understand our history, they are weak and are not committed to the cause of the Carib people". The first Pirates of the Caribbean film took $305m (£162m) at the box office in the US alone. The cast and crew are to work on two sequels back-to-back, with the first to be released in 2006.
| Carib Chief Charles Williams said talks with Disney's producers revealed there was "a strong element of cannibalism in the script which cannot be removed".The Caribbean island's government said Disney planned to film in Dominica.Plans to portray Dominica's Carib Indians as cannibals in the sequel to hit film Pirates of the Caribbean have been criticised by the group's chief.Mr Williams said he had received support from indigenous groups around the world in his efforts to have cannibalism references removed from the film.The first Pirates of the Caribbean film took $305m (£162m) at the box office in the US alone.He said some did not "understand our history, they are weak and are not committed to the cause of the Carib people". |
West End to honour finest shows
The West End is honouring its finest stars and shows at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards in London on Monday.
The Producers, starring Nathan Lane and Lee Evans, is up for best musical at the ceremony at the National Theatre. It is competing against Sweeney Todd and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for the award. The Goat or Who is Sylvia? by Edward Albee, The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh and Alan Bennett's The History Boys are shortlisted in the best play category.
Pam Ferris, Victoria Hamilton and Kelly Reilly are nominated for best actress. Ferris - best known for her television roles in programmes such as The Darling Buds of May - has made the shortlist for her role in Notes on Falling Leaves, at the Royal Court Theatre. Meanwhile, Richard Griffiths, who plays Hector in The History Boys at the National Theatre, will battle it out for the best actor award with Douglas Hodge (Dumb Show) and Stanley Townsend (Shining City). The best director shortlist includes Luc Bondy for Cruel and Tender, Simon McBurney for Measure for Measure, and Rufus Norris for Festen.
Festen is also shortlisted in the best designer category where Ian MacNeil, Jean Kalman and Paul Arditti will be up against Hildegard Bechtler, for Iphigenia at Aulis, and Paul Brown, for False Servant. The Milton Shulman Award for outstanding newcomer will be presented to Dominic Cooper (His Dark Materials and The History Boys), Romola Garai (Calico), Eddie Redmayne (The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?) or Ben Wishaw (Hamlet). And playwrights David Eldridge, Rebecca Lenkiewicz and Owen McCafferty will fight it out for The Charles Wintour Award and a £30,000 bursary. Three 50th Anniversary Special Awards will also be presented to an institution, a playwright and an individual.
| Meanwhile, Richard Griffiths, who plays Hector in The History Boys at the National Theatre, will battle it out for the best actor award with Douglas Hodge (Dumb Show) and Stanley Townsend (Shining City).The Milton Shulman Award for outstanding newcomer will be presented to Dominic Cooper (His Dark Materials and The History Boys), Romola Garai (Calico), Eddie Redmayne (The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?)by Edward Albee, The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh and Alan Bennett's The History Boys are shortlisted in the best play category.The Producers, starring Nathan Lane and Lee Evans, is up for best musical at the ceremony at the National Theatre.Ferris - best known for her television roles in programmes such as The Darling Buds of May - has made the shortlist for her role in Notes on Falling Leaves, at the Royal Court Theatre.Festen is also shortlisted in the best designer category where Ian MacNeil, Jean Kalman and Paul Arditti will be up against Hildegard Bechtler, for Iphigenia at Aulis, and Paul Brown, for False Servant. |
Adventure tale tops awards
Young book fans have voted Fergus Crane, a story about a boy who is taken on an adventure by a flying horse, the winner of two Smarties Book Prizes.
Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell's book came top in the category for six- to eight-year-olds and won the award chosen by after-school club members. Sally Grindley's Spilled Water, about a Chinese girl sold as a servant, was top in vote of readers aged nine to 11. Biscuit Bear by Mini Grey took the top award in the under-five category. Winners were voted for by about 6,000 children from a shortlist picked by an adult panel.
The prize, which is celebrating its 20th year, is billed as "the UK's biggest children's book award". Fergus Crane includes text by Stewart and illustrations by Riddell, who also created The Edge Chronicles together. As well as the six to eights prize, it won the 4Children Special Award voted for by after-school club members. Julia Eccleshare, chair of the adult judging panel, said children's literature had "never looked stronger" in the prize's 20 years. "This award counts because the final choice of winners is made by children, who are the toughest critics of all," she said. "This year's young judges chose the winners from an exceptionally strong and varied shortlist which showcases the very best in children's books today." Previous winners have included JK Rowling, Jacqueline Wilson and Dick King-Smith.
| Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell's book came top in the category for six- to eight-year-olds and won the award chosen by after-school club members.Young book fans have voted Fergus Crane, a story about a boy who is taken on an adventure by a flying horse, the winner of two Smarties Book Prizes.As well as the six to eights prize, it won the 4Children Special Award voted for by after-school club members.The prize, which is celebrating its 20th year, is billed as "the UK's biggest children's book award"."This year's young judges chose the winners from an exceptionally strong and varied shortlist which showcases the very best in children's books today." |
Lit Idol begins search for author
The second Pop Idol-style search for literary talent has begun with the help of the brother of Simon Cowell.
Writer Tony Cowell is among the judges who will hear aspiring writers read their work aloud. The winner gets a deal with literary agency Curtis Brown. "I'm not going to be the Mr Nasty of books," said Cowell, 54, in reference to his brother's caustic remarks on TV shows Pop Idol and The X-Factor. The 2004 winner, Paul Cavanagh, went on to sign a deal with Harper Collins.
This year, the competition is specifically looking for a crime writer. Writers must submit up to 10,000 words from the opening chapters of their novels and a synopsis. Professional readers will choose a shortlist of five following the competition closing date on 14 January.
The final five will then have to read their work in front of judging panel. A public vote will also take place, which will account for 25% of the final decision. The winner will be announced at the London Book Fair on 14 March next year and could be screened on TV. "It's very, very hard to find an agent and extremely difficult, without an agent, to get a publisher to look at your work," said Cowell. "People do fall by the wayside and the more avenues we can provide for aspiring authors, the better," he added. Paul Cavanagh, a former university professor and health care consultant from Ontario in Canada, was one of 1,466 aspiring novelists to enter the first contest. He lifted the inaugural Lit Idol prize after reading aloud an excerpt of his work Northwest Passage. Three film studios are said to be interested in buying film rights for the book, even though it is not finished yet.
| Writer Tony Cowell is among the judges who will hear aspiring writers read their work aloud.The final five will then have to read their work in front of judging panel."It's very, very hard to find an agent and extremely difficult, without an agent, to get a publisher to look at your work," said Cowell.The winner gets a deal with literary agency Curtis Brown.The 2004 winner, Paul Cavanagh, went on to sign a deal with Harper Collins."I'm not going to be the Mr Nasty of books," said Cowell, 54, in reference to his brother's caustic remarks on TV shows Pop Idol and The X-Factor.The winner will be announced at the London Book Fair on 14 March next year and could be screened on TV. |
UK's National Gallery in the pink
The National Gallery, home to some of the UK's greatest artworks, has seen a big jump in visitor numbers.
Five million visitors made the London gallery - which houses treasures like Raphael's Madonna of the Pinks - the UK's most visited museum in 2004. It recorded a 13.8% rise in numbers and was the country's second most visited tourist attraction, behind Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Charles Saumarez Smith, the gallery's director, said he was "delighted". He said the number of visitors through the doors had boosted figures to pre-11 September 2001 levels. Mr Saumarez Smith added that the pedestrianisation of Trafalgar Square, where the gallery is located, and strong temporary collections throughout 2004 had led to the strong performance.
"Our 2004 exhibition programme of El Greco, Russian Landscape in the Age of Tolstoy and Raphael: From Urbino to Rome was particularly strong and exceeded all targets," he said. "The exceptional quality of the paintings in our permanent collection is also huge draw for the public. "The expectations of today's visitors are higher than ever and we have kept pace with their demands." Mr Saumarez Smith said he was confident the gallery could maintain the attendance. "With important exhibitions of the work of Caravaggio, Stubbs and Rubens in place for 2005, I am confident that the gallery is set for another highly successful year," he added. The figures were prepared by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva).
It found that the figures had been boosted by an increase in Europeans travelling to the UK on budget airlines. Popular cultural tourist spots such as the Tate Modern and the Natural History Museum all recorded increases of more than 10% in visitor numbers compared with 2003. But for legal or confidentiality reasons some Alva members did not submit figures for 2004, including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Madame Tussauds and Alton Towers. Alva director Robin Broke said: "Visits from Western Europe were up by 10% and from North America by some 9% compared to 2003, while numbers from the rest of the world rose 20%. "European figures were helped by the rapid growth of low-cost flights to Britain from Europe, especially from new EU countries."
| He said the number of visitors through the doors had boosted figures to pre-11 September 2001 levels.Mr Saumarez Smith said he was confident the gallery could maintain the attendance.The figures were prepared by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva).Charles Saumarez Smith, the gallery's director, said he was "delighted".Popular cultural tourist spots such as the Tate Modern and the Natural History Museum all recorded increases of more than 10% in visitor numbers compared with 2003.Mr Saumarez Smith added that the pedestrianisation of Trafalgar Square, where the gallery is located, and strong temporary collections throughout 2004 had led to the strong performance.Alva director Robin Broke said: "Visits from Western Europe were up by 10% and from North America by some 9% compared to 2003, while numbers from the rest of the world rose 20%. |
Da Vinci Code is 'lousy history'
The plot of an international bestseller that thousands of readers are likely to receive as a Christmas present is 'laughable', a clergyman has said.
The Da Vinci Code claims Jesus was not crucified, but married Mary Magdalene and died a normal death. It claims this was later covered up by the Church. The Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Dr Tom Wright, described the novel as a "great thriller" but "lousy history". The book has sold more than seven million copies worldwide. Despite enjoying Dan Brown's conspiracy theory, the Bishop said there was a lack of evidence to back up its claims.
Writing his Christmas message in the Northern Echo, the Bishop said: "Conspiracy theories are always fun - fun to invent, fun to read, fun to fantasise about. "Dan Brown is the best writer I've come across in the genre, but anyone who knows anything about 1st century history will see that this underlying material is laughable." A great deal of credible evidence proves the Biblical version of Jesus' life was true, according to the Bishop. "The evidence for Jesus and the origins of Christianity is astonishingly good," he said. "We have literally a hundred times more early manuscripts for the gospels and letters in the New Testament than we have for the main classical authors like Cicero, Virgil and Tacitus.
"Historical research shows that they present a coherent and thoroughly credible picture of Jesus, with all sorts of incidental details that fit the time when he lived, and don't fit the world of later legend." Brown's book has become a publishing phenomenon, consistently topping book charts in the UK and US. The Da Vinci Code has been translated into 42 languages and has spawned its own cottage industry of publications, including guides on to how to read the book, rebuttals and counter claims. The book, which has become an international best-seller in little over two years, is set to be made into a film starring Tom Hanks.
| Despite enjoying Dan Brown's conspiracy theory, the Bishop said there was a lack of evidence to back up its claims.A great deal of credible evidence proves the Biblical version of Jesus' life was true, according to the Bishop.The Da Vinci Code has been translated into 42 languages and has spawned its own cottage industry of publications, including guides on to how to read the book, rebuttals and counter claims.The plot of an international bestseller that thousands of readers are likely to receive as a Christmas present is 'laughable', a clergyman has said.The book, which has become an international best-seller in little over two years, is set to be made into a film starring Tom Hanks.Brown's book has become a publishing phenomenon, consistently topping book charts in the UK and US. |
Neeson in bid to revive theatre
Hollywood film star Liam Neeson has held a dinner party in New York to promote Belfast's Lyric Theatre.
The Ballymena-born actor said that the theatre on Ridgeway Street was in a "very dilapidated condition". Lyric chairman David Johnston has said that rebuilding the theatre, at a cost of £8m is the only answer. Mr Neeson said that the idea was to get a bunch of "healthy, wealthy Irish Americans" in one room and ask them to help with fundraising.
The Oscar-nominated actor, whose films include Schindler's List, Michael Collins and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, said: "The Lyric is too important to the cultural and social life of Northern Ireland for this building to crumble and fall apart. "It gave me a start professionally. Mary O'Malley, the founder of the theatre, gave me my future. "In those days, in the mid-70s, when I was there, we were doing a play every four weeks. "Belfast was not a pretty town to be living in. "There was serious trouble, as you know, but this theatre was like a Belisha beacon of light and hope six nights a week, doing everything from Shakespeare to Yeats to O'Casey with a group of actors and actresses that affected me very deeply and still do." The Lyric began 50 years ago but the doors opened at its present site on the Stranmillis embankment overlooking the River Lagan in 1968.
As well as Liam Neeson, it also launched the careers of Adrian Dunbar and Stephen Rea and playwrights such as Martin Lynch and Gary Mitchell. Speaking to BBC Northern Ireland before the event at New York's SoHo House, Mr Neeson said that his spirit belonged to the Glens of Antrim. And he said that there was one figure from his childhood that he would love to portray on the big screen - Ian Paisley. He said that the DUP leader and preacher was a "very dynamic, extraordinary figure". Neeson used to listen to his sermons on a Friday night in Ballymena. He said: "What an orator. He was from that old school of bible-thumping righteousness. But it was so dramatic. I found him very powerful. "I'd love to get a chance to play him some time."
| The Ballymena-born actor said that the theatre on Ridgeway Street was in a "very dilapidated condition".Mr Neeson said that the idea was to get a bunch of "healthy, wealthy Irish Americans" in one room and ask them to help with fundraising.He said that the DUP leader and preacher was a "very dynamic, extraordinary figure".But it was so dramatic.And he said that there was one figure from his childhood that he would love to portray on the big screen - Ian Paisley."There was serious trouble, as you know, but this theatre was like a Belisha beacon of light and hope six nights a week, doing everything from Shakespeare to Yeats to O'Casey with a group of actors and actresses that affected me very deeply and still do."Lyric chairman David Johnston has said that rebuilding the theatre, at a cost of £8m is the only answer.Hollywood film star Liam Neeson has held a dinner party in New York to promote Belfast's Lyric Theatre.He said: "What an orator. |
Mutant book wins Guardian prize
A book about the evolution of mutants and the science of abnormality has won the Guardian First Book Award 2004.
Armand Marie Leroi, a lecturer at London's Imperial College, scooped the £10,000 prize for Mutants: On the form, varieties and errors of the human body. "It is profoundly cultured and beautifully written in the very best tradition of popular science writing today," said judge Claire Armistead. The award recognises and rewards new writing across fiction and non-fiction. A panel of literary experts, including novelists Hari Kunzru and Ali Smith, director Sir Richard Eyre and comedian Alexei Sayle chose the winner from a five-strong shortlist.
The shortlist included Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, a novel about the magic arts at the turn of the 19th Century and The Places In Between, Rory Stewart's account of his trek, on foot, across Afghanistan. "What we found so impressive about Armand Marie Leroi's book was the scope of its reference, its elegance and its inquisitiveness," said Ms Armistead, chair of the judges and the Guardian literary editor. "While the subject matter of Mutants unsettled some involved in the judging process, the overwhelming majority found it fascinating," she added. Her words were echoed by Iris director Sir Richard Eyre who called Marie Leroi's work "extraordinarily thought provoking". The award, for first time authors, is open to books from genres including fiction, poetry, biography, memoir, history, politics, science and current affairs. Previous winners include White Teeth by Zadie Smith, in 2000, which went on to become a bestseller.
| "What we found so impressive about Armand Marie Leroi's book was the scope of its reference, its elegance and its inquisitiveness," said Ms Armistead, chair of the judges and the Guardian literary editor.A book about the evolution of mutants and the science of abnormality has won the Guardian First Book Award 2004.The award, for first time authors, is open to books from genres including fiction, poetry, biography, memoir, history, politics, science and current affairs.A panel of literary experts, including novelists Hari Kunzru and Ali Smith, director Sir Richard Eyre and comedian Alexei Sayle chose the winner from a five-strong shortlist.Her words were echoed by Iris director Sir Richard Eyre who called Marie Leroi's work "extraordinarily thought provoking". |
Public show for Reynolds portrait
Sir Joshua Reynolds' Portrait of Omai will get a public airing following fears it would stay hidden because of an export wrangle.
The Tate Gallery unsuccessfully tried to buy the picture from its anonymous owner after a ban was issued preventing the painting from leaving the UK. The 18th Century painting has remained in storage but the owner has agreed to allow it to be part of an exhibition. The exhibition of Reynolds' work will be shown at Tate Britain from May. Joshua Reynolds: The Creation of Celebrity will feature prints, caricatures, and sculpture by the 18th Century artist, who painted some of the most famous personalities of his day. Portrait of Omai fetched the second highest amount for a British painting when it was sold at auction for £10.3m in 2001. It was bought by a London dealer who sold it on to a collector. The unnamed collector wanted to take it out of the country, but was barred from doing so by the government because of its historical significance.
In March 2004, the Tate managed to raise £12.5m funding to buy the portrait but the owner refused to sell and it has been held in storage since. The portrait is of a young man who was dubbed "the noble savage" when he arrived in London from Polynesia. He became a darling of London society and was invited to all the best parties by people who were fascinated by such an exotic character. Sir Joshua painted him after his arrival in 1774, and it became the artist's most famous work after it was first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1776.
| It was bought by a London dealer who sold it on to a collector.Portrait of Omai fetched the second highest amount for a British painting when it was sold at auction for £10.3m in 2001.Sir Joshua painted him after his arrival in 1774, and it became the artist's most famous work after it was first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1776.The portrait is of a young man who was dubbed "the noble savage" when he arrived in London from Polynesia.The Tate Gallery unsuccessfully tried to buy the picture from its anonymous owner after a ban was issued preventing the painting from leaving the UK. |
Obituary: Dame Alicia Markova
Dame Alicia Markova, who has died in Bath aged 94, was the UK's first prima ballerina of the modern age, and, in her heyday, the greatest in the western world.
She was born Lilian Alicia Marks in London in 1910. Her parents were comfortably off - her father, a mining engineer, drove a Rolls Royce. When she was eight, her mother took a decision which changed her life. Fearing that she had flat feet and weak legs, she arranged for her to have ballet lessons. Very quickly it became apparent that she was something special. She was spotted by the Russian artistic impresario, Sergei Diaghilev, who wanted her to dance for his company, Ballets Russes. She became ill with diphtheria but kept in touch, and, eventually, with a governess in tow, joined Diaghilev in Monte Carlo when she was 14.
From here, she toured Europe, playing in all the top venues. It was Diaghilev who changed her name without even consulting her. Her life was one of great excitement. People such as Matisse and Stravinsky became like uncles to her, the latter put in charge of her musical education. Soon after Diaghilev's death in 1929, Alicia Markova returned to England and became Britain's first international ballerina. She helped launch the Ballet Club at the Mercury Theatre (later the Ballet Rambert), the Vic Wells Ballet, and then, with Anton Dolin, the Markova-Dolin Ballet of 1935-37. She also began working with young choreographers such as Anthony Tudor and Frederick Ashton who became huge influences on the direction of ballet in the west.
Her version of Giselle, all lightness and grace, is still considered to be among the finest ever. She was also outstanding in The Dying Swan. She was one of the first British ballerinas to take a major part in Les Sylphides. She, above all, helped popularise ballet both in Britain and in America.
Alicia Markova spent World War II in the United States where, in a re-formed Ballets Russes, she played to huge audiences. She even appeared in Hollywood movies. In 1950, back in England, she and Anton Dolin jointly established the Festival Ballet. She retired in 1963, an "instant decision" she said, "largely because of a leg injury". Created a Dame, she made a new career for herself as a teacher. She also travelled the world directing ballet companies and putting on shows. She became director of ballet for the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in New York, and for some years was full-time Professor of Ballet and Performing Arts in the University of Cincinnati. A critic once said of Dame Alicia Markova's dancing: "She gave the illusion of moving as if she had no weight to get off the ground."
| She became director of ballet for the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in New York, and for some years was full-time Professor of Ballet and Performing Arts in the University of Cincinnati.Dame Alicia Markova, who has died in Bath aged 94, was the UK's first prima ballerina of the modern age, and, in her heyday, the greatest in the western world.It was Diaghilev who changed her name without even consulting her.She helped launch the Ballet Club at the Mercury Theatre (later the Ballet Rambert), the Vic Wells Ballet, and then, with Anton Dolin, the Markova-Dolin Ballet of 1935-37.Very quickly it became apparent that she was something special.She was born Lilian Alicia Marks in London in 1910.When she was eight, her mother took a decision which changed her life.Her life was one of great excitement.She was also outstanding in The Dying Swan.She became ill with diphtheria but kept in touch, and, eventually, with a governess in tow, joined Diaghilev in Monte Carlo when she was 14.She was one of the first British ballerinas to take a major part in Les Sylphides. |
Poppins musical gets flying start
The stage adaptation of children's film Mary Poppins has had its opening night in London's West End.
Sir Cameron Mackintosh's lavish production, which has cost £9m to bring to the stage, was given a 10-minute standing ovation. Lead actress Laura Michelle Kelly soared over the heads of the audience holding the nanny's trademark umbrella. Technical hitches had prevented Mary Poppins' flight into the auditorium during preview performances. A number of celebrities turned out for the musical's premiere, including actress Barbara Windsor, comic Graham Norton and Sir Richard Attenborough.
The show's director Richard Eyre issued a warning earlier in the week that the show was unsuitable for children under seven, while under-threes are barred. Mary Poppins was originally created by author Pamela Travers, who is said to have cried when she saw Disney's 1964 film starring Julie Andrews. Travers had intended the story to be a lot darker than the perennial family favourite. Theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh has said he hopes the musical is a blend of the sweet-natured film and the original book.
| Mary Poppins was originally created by author Pamela Travers, who is said to have cried when she saw Disney's 1964 film starring Julie Andrews.The stage adaptation of children's film Mary Poppins has had its opening night in London's West End.Sir Cameron Mackintosh's lavish production, which has cost £9m to bring to the stage, was given a 10-minute standing ovation.Theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh has said he hopes the musical is a blend of the sweet-natured film and the original book. |
Musical treatment for Capra film
The classic film It's A Wonderful Life is to be turned into a musical by the producer of the controversial hit show Jerry Springer - The Opera.
Frank Capra's 1946 movie starring James Stewart, is being turned into a £7m musical by producer Jon Thoday. He is working with Steve Brown, who wrote the award-winning musical Spend Spend Spend. A spokeswoman said the plans were in the "very early stages", with no cast, opening date or theatre announced.
A series of workshops have been held in London, and on Wednesday a cast of singers unveiled the musical to a select group of potential investors. Mr Thoday said the idea of turning the film into a musical had been an ambition of his for almost 20 years. It's a Wonderful Life was based on a short story, The Greatest Gift, by Philip van Doren Stern. Mr Thoday managed to buy the rights to the story from Van Doren Stern's family in 1999, following Mr Brown's success with Spend Spend Spend. He later secured the film rights from Paramount, enabling them to use the title It's A Wonderful Life.
| The classic film It's A Wonderful Life is to be turned into a musical by the producer of the controversial hit show Jerry Springer - The Opera.Mr Thoday said the idea of turning the film into a musical had been an ambition of his for almost 20 years.Mr Thoday managed to buy the rights to the story from Van Doren Stern's family in 1999, following Mr Brown's success with Spend Spend Spend.He is working with Steve Brown, who wrote the award-winning musical Spend Spend Spend. |
Dirty Den's demise seen by 14m
More than 14 million people saw "Dirty" Den Watts killed off on Friday, marking EastEnders' 20th anniversary, according to unofficial figures.
Den's death came 16 years after he was supposedly shot in 1989. But he came back to the show in September 2003. The audience for BBC One's one-hour special averaged 13.7 million and peaked at 14.2 million in the last 15 minutes, overnight figures showed. Den died after being confronted by Zoe, Chrissie and Sam in the Queen Vic.
If the ratings are confirmed, the episode will have given the soap its highest audience for a year. The overnight figures showed almost 60% of the viewing public tuned into EastEnders between 2000 and 2100 GMT, leaving ITV1 with about 13%. "We are very pleased with the figures," a BBC spokesman said. "It shows viewers have really enjoyed the story of Den's demise." The show's highest audience came at Christmas 1986, when more than 30 million tuned in to see Den, played by Leslie Grantham, hand divorce papers to wife Angie.
Two years later, 24 million saw him apparently shot by a man with a bunch of daffodils by a canal. More than 16 million viewers watched his return in 2003. The show's ratings have since settled down to about 12 million per episode. Grantham hit the headlines in May after a newspaper printed photographs of him apparently exposing himself via a webcam from his dressing room. He also allegedly insulted four co-stars. He apologised for his "deplorable actions" and "a moment's stupidity".
| The show's highest audience came at Christmas 1986, when more than 30 million tuned in to see Den, played by Leslie Grantham, hand divorce papers to wife Angie.The audience for BBC One's one-hour special averaged 13.7 million and peaked at 14.2 million in the last 15 minutes, overnight figures showed.Two years later, 24 million saw him apparently shot by a man with a bunch of daffodils by a canal.More than 16 million viewers watched his return in 2003.The show's ratings have since settled down to about 12 million per episode.More than 14 million people saw "Dirty" Den Watts killed off on Friday, marking EastEnders' 20th anniversary, according to unofficial figures.Den's death came 16 years after he was supposedly shot in 1989. |
Paraguay novel wins US book prize
A novel set in 19th century Paraguay has won the $10,000 (£5,390) fiction prize at the US National Book Awards.
Lily Tuck's The News From Paraguay is a fictionalised tale about Paraguayan leader Francisco Solano Lopez and his Irish mistress. But the annual awards, which were presented in New York on Wednesday, were not without controversy. Children's author Judy Blume, who was given an honourary medal, used the ceremony to speak out over censorship.
Sales of Blume's books have exceeded 75 million, but her work - which features frank narratives about families, religion and sexuality - is closely watched by the censors. Blume said: "The urge to ban is contagious. It spreads like wildfire from community to community. Please speak out. Censors hate publicity." Her medal marks the second year in a row the honourary prize went to someone as notable for popular success as literary greatness. Last year's honorary winner, Stephen King, accused the industry during the 2003 ceremony of snobbery against popular writers. But his argument that the award should help sell books instead of honouring excellence is not shared by everyone.
This year's fiction panel overlooked high-profile works such as Philip Roth's The Plot Against America and instead chose five little-known books, all by New York-based women. One fiction judge, Stewart O'Nan, carried around a note written on a napkin that said: "I would hope that our caring more for the quality of a work than its sales figures make us a friend of books, not an enemy." The National Book Awards non-fiction prize was awarded to Kevin Boyle's for Arc of Justice, which focuses on a black family's fight to live in a white Detroit neighbourhood in the 1920s. The award had created a lot of interest this year after the surprise inclusion of the of the 9-11 Commission Report looking into the events of the 11 September terrorist attacks on the US. Pete Hautman won the young people's literature prize for his novel Godless. The winner in the poetry category was Jean Valentine for Door in the Mountain: New and Collected Poems, 1965-2003.
| A novel set in 19th century Paraguay has won the $10,000 (£5,390) fiction prize at the US National Book Awards.Children's author Judy Blume, who was given an honourary medal, used the ceremony to speak out over censorship.The National Book Awards non-fiction prize was awarded to Kevin Boyle's for Arc of Justice, which focuses on a black family's fight to live in a white Detroit neighbourhood in the 1920s.This year's fiction panel overlooked high-profile works such as Philip Roth's The Plot Against America and instead chose five little-known books, all by New York-based women.Her medal marks the second year in a row the honourary prize went to someone as notable for popular success as literary greatness.Sales of Blume's books have exceeded 75 million, but her work - which features frank narratives about families, religion and sexuality - is closely watched by the censors.The winner in the poetry category was Jean Valentine for Door in the Mountain: New and Collected Poems, 1965-2003.But his argument that the award should help sell books instead of honouring excellence is not shared by everyone. |
Versace art portfolio up for sale
The art collection of murdered fashion designer Gianni Versace could fetch up to £9m ($17m) when it is auctioned in New York and London later this year.
Among the pictures for sale are works by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Henri Matisse. The collection was housed at Versace's six-storey New York townhouse. The 51-year-old designer was shot outside his Florida home in 1997 by suspected serial killer Andrew Cunanan, who later killed himself. The auction, at Sotheby's, will feature 45 contemporary, impressionist and 19th Century paintings. One of the highlights of the sale is Roy Lichtenstein's Blue Nude which has been given an estimate of £1.8m ($3.4m).
Tobias Meyer, Sotheby's worldwide head of contemporary art, said: "This collection reflects Mr Versace's wide-ranging taste and impeccable eye, and many of the works were commissioned directly from the artists. "Outstanding later examples from champions of the Pop movement, such as Roy Lichtenstein, are juxtaposed with masterpieces from the most visible artists of the 1980's, including Jean-Michel Basquiat and the collaborative genius of Basquiat and Warhol, as well as Francesco Clemente." Much of the collection will be offered for sale at three auctions in New York in June, with smaller contemporary paintings going under the hammer in London on 22 and 23 June. A sale of Versace's furniture and artworks sold in 2001fetched £5.5m ($10.3m).
| Much of the collection will be offered for sale at three auctions in New York in June, with smaller contemporary paintings going under the hammer in London on 22 and 23 June.The collection was housed at Versace's six-storey New York townhouse.The art collection of murdered fashion designer Gianni Versace could fetch up to £9m ($17m) when it is auctioned in New York and London later this year.Among the pictures for sale are works by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Henri Matisse. |
Uganda bans Vagina Monologues
Uganda's authorities have banned the play The Vagina Monologues, due to open in the capital, Kampala this weekend.
The Ugandan Media Council said the performance would not be put on as it promoted and glorified acts such as lesbianism and homosexuality. It said the production could go ahead if the organisers "expunge all the offending parts". But the organisers of the play say it raises awareness of sexual abuse against women. "The play promotes illegal, unnatural sexual acts, homosexuality and prostitution, it should be and is hereby banned," the council's ruling said.
The show, which has been a controversial sell-out around the world, explores female sexuality and strength through individual women telling their stories through monologues. Some parliamentarians and church leaders are also siding with the Media Council, Uganda's New Vision newspaper reports. "The play is obscene and pornographic although it was under the guise of women's liberation," MP Kefa Ssempgani told parliament.
But the work's author, US playwright Eve Ensler, says it is all about women's empowerment. "There is obviously some fear of the vagina and saying the word vagina," Ms Ensler told the BBC. "It's not a slang word or dirty word it's a biological, anatomical word." She said the play is being produced and performed by Ugandan women and it is not being forced on them. The four Ugandan NGOs organising the play intended to raise money to campaign to stop violence against women and to raise funds for the war-torn north of the country. "I'm extremely outraged at the hypocrisy," the play's organiser in Uganda, Sarah Mukasa, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme. "I'm amazed that this country Uganda gives the impression that it is progressive and supports women's rights and the notions of free speech; yet when women want to share their stories the government uses the apparatus of state to shut us up."
| She said the play is being produced and performed by Ugandan women and it is not being forced on them.But the organisers of the play say it raises awareness of sexual abuse against women."The play promotes illegal, unnatural sexual acts, homosexuality and prostitution, it should be and is hereby banned," the council's ruling said.Uganda's authorities have banned the play The Vagina Monologues, due to open in the capital, Kampala this weekend.The four Ugandan NGOs organising the play intended to raise money to campaign to stop violence against women and to raise funds for the war-torn north of the country."There is obviously some fear of the vagina and saying the word vagina," Ms Ensler told the BBC. |
Fears raised over ballet future
Fewer children in the UK are following in the dainty footsteps of dancers like Darcey Bussell, and carving out potential careers as ballet dancers.
New research from the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) has found fewer children over the age of 10 are attending ballet classes and taking exams in the discipline. The organisation blames the growing popularity of computer games and other changes in lifestyle. And there are fears that if the trend is not reversed, there could be fewer British ballet stars in the future. The RAD found that the number of youngsters taking their ballet exams drops by almost 70% after the age of 10 or 11. Dance teacher Eve Trew, who has taught ballet for over 48 years, told BBC News she had seen a "vast" change over the years. She blamed modern lifestyles for the fall in ballet attendance. "I think the children of many years ago did not have as many hobbies," she said. "The trouble now is that they are wide open to computers, Gameboys and everything else children have got. "As a result, there is less time being spent on ballet lessons."
Hazel Gilbert, 23, an information manager from Newcastle, gave up ballet at the age of 10 and is typical of the problem. "It's not a very cool thing to do when you go to 'big' school and I think you have to be very focused on ballet to want to carry on doing it," she said. "I used to love it, but after a certain age it becomes much more disciplined and I didn't want that. "I started getting into other things, like swimming and kickboxing, and ballet just wasn't something I wanted to do any more." Ms Trew, who runs a dance school in Gateshead, admitted it would be "very difficult" to reverse the trend and said many young ballet dancers were no longer willing to make the sacrifices to succeed. "You have to be very dedicated and you have to be very disciplined. "It is a career that you have got to really want to do because it is such hard work. "Children these days have not got the time to spend perfecting it... that is very sad."
Currently, only two out of 16 principal dancers at the Royal Ballet - Darcey Bussell and Jonathan Cope - are British, compared to 16 of the 21 principals in 1985. But a spokesman for the English National Ballet told BBC News that although only two out of their 12 principal dancers were British, around a quarter of the company's dancers were from the UK. He said competition at open auditions in London was "fierce" between talented dancers from all over the world. The RAD have launched a new competition to try and reverse the decline in British ballet. Dame Antoinette Sibley, president of the RAD, launched the Fonteyn Nureyev Young Dancers competition earlier this week.
Aimed at children aged 10 to 13, it is hoped the contest will help keep British ballet evolving. A spokeswoman for the RAD said: "It is our responsibility to re-ignite the passion and nurture young dancers for the long-term future of ballet. "We need to provide them with a framework and a goal to work towards, with constant support and coaching in an environment where they can work with their peers and possibly leading artists and choreographers. "Perhaps more importantly provide them with the opportunity to experience 'performance' themselves. "What better way to reignite a passion for ballet than to let them experience the thrill of performance?"
| A spokeswoman for the RAD said: "It is our responsibility to re-ignite the passion and nurture young dancers for the long-term future of ballet.The RAD have launched a new competition to try and reverse the decline in British ballet.New research from the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) has found fewer children over the age of 10 are attending ballet classes and taking exams in the discipline.Fewer children in the UK are following in the dainty footsteps of dancers like Darcey Bussell, and carving out potential careers as ballet dancers.The RAD found that the number of youngsters taking their ballet exams drops by almost 70% after the age of 10 or 11.But a spokesman for the English National Ballet told BBC News that although only two out of their 12 principal dancers were British, around a quarter of the company's dancers were from the UK."It's not a very cool thing to do when you go to 'big' school and I think you have to be very focused on ballet to want to carry on doing it," she said.Ms Trew, who runs a dance school in Gateshead, admitted it would be "very difficult" to reverse the trend and said many young ballet dancers were no longer willing to make the sacrifices to succeed.Currently, only two out of 16 principal dancers at the Royal Ballet - Darcey Bussell and Jonathan Cope - are British, compared to 16 of the 21 principals in 1985.Aimed at children aged 10 to 13, it is hoped the contest will help keep British ballet evolving."What better way to reignite a passion for ballet than to let them experience the thrill of performance?"And there are fears that if the trend is not reversed, there could be fewer British ballet stars in the future. |
DVD review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
This third Harry Potter film brought a change of director and a dramatic visual shake-up that really shines on DVD.
Gone are the warm, bright colours found in the two earlier films, Alfonso Cuaron brings in a bleak and cold feel that is simply gorgeous - and looks even better here than in the cinema. It is all part of the progression of Harry's story into darker areas, but you'll spend time just marvelling at the beautiful Hogwarts landscape.
This is the first Potter film where you get so lost in the screen adaptation that you forget the book. It is the third year at Hogwarts and studies are interrupted, as they always are, by a calamity that only Harry, Ron and Hermione can put right.
It sounds corny. But Harry is no longer the winsome hero, he is a moody teenager and Daniel Radcliffe pulls it off very well. Emma Watson is ever better as Hermione, and the young stars are joined by the usual myriad famous actors including Gary Oldman and Emma Thompson. The film itself is the reason to buy this DVD. But it is laden with behind-the-scenes extras, including funny, if shallow, interviews with all the main cast. But what seems like a long list of features can be swiftly whittled down to the few that you are going to watch. Younger viewers will go for the games which include a Magic You May Have Missed memory test, and Crookshanks chasing off after Scabbers. Adult viewers will ignore those and go straight to the deleted scenes. You will understand why they were deleted but it is fun to see more footage - and not have to hunt through endless menus to find it, as we did on the first Harry Potter DVD. The most interesting pieces are an interview with JK Rowling in Creating The Vision and Conjuring A Scene, a short featurette about the making of the film's big moments.
| This third Harry Potter film brought a change of director and a dramatic visual shake-up that really shines on DVD.You will understand why they were deleted but it is fun to see more footage - and not have to hunt through endless menus to find it, as we did on the first Harry Potter DVD.It is the third year at Hogwarts and studies are interrupted, as they always are, by a calamity that only Harry, Ron and Hermione can put right.The film itself is the reason to buy this DVD.This is the first Potter film where you get so lost in the screen adaptation that you forget the book.Emma Watson is ever better as Hermione, and the young stars are joined by the usual myriad famous actors including Gary Oldman and Emma Thompson. |
Levy takes Whitbread novel prize
Orange Prize winner Andrea Levy has seen her book Small Island win the Whitbread Novel of the Year Award.
She is now favourite to win the overall prize after beating Booker winner Alan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty. Geraldine McCaughrean has picked up the children's fiction award for the third time for Not the End of the World. All the category winners go through to compete for the Whitbread Book of the Year title, which carries with it a £25,000 prize. A panel of judges including Sir Trevor McDonald, actor Hugh Grant and writer Joanne Harris will meet up on 25 January to decide the overall winner, with the announcement being made later that evening.
Bookmaker William Hill has placed London-based Levy's novel as the 6/4 favourite to win.
Small Island, Levy's fourth novel, is set in post-war England and centres on a landlady and her lodgers. One is a Jamaican who joined British troops to fight Hitler but finds life difficult out of uniform when he settles in London. The judges, who included authors Jenny Colgan and Amanda Craig, were full of praise for her writing. "What could have been a didactic or preachy prospect turns out to hilarious, moving humane and eye-popping. It's hard to think of anybody not enjoying it," wrote the judges. The first novel section was won by Susan Fletcher for Eve Green, beating the favourite Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. Fletcher has recently graduated from graduated from the University of East Anglia creative writing course. Waterstone's fiction writer buyer Suzie Doore said: "It is great to see Susan Fletcher win in the first novel category. As a relatively unknown author this award will give her exposure to a wider and mass audience that she may not have reached and is a perfect example of the influence of the Whitbread. "Fresh out of university she is certainly one to watch."
In the biography category it was John Guy's The Life of Mary Queen of Scots that was picked as winner. The judges called it "an impressive and readable piece of scholarship, which cannot fail but leave the reader moved and intrigued by this most tragic and likeable of queens". Guy has published many histories, including Tudor England. He is a fellow at Clare College, Cambridge and became a honorary research professor of the University of St Andrews in 2003. Michael Symmons Roberts' fourth collection of poems scooped the poetry award. His works mixes mysticism, erotica and philosophy through life, death and resurrection. As well as writing poetry, Symmons Roberts also makes documentary films. Children's winner McCaughrean, who went into magazine publishing after studying teaching, previously won the Whitbread Prize in 1987 with A Little Lower than Angels and in 1994 with Gold Dust. She has previously been the winner of the Blue Peter Book of the Year.
| Orange Prize winner Andrea Levy has seen her book Small Island win the Whitbread Novel of the Year Award.She has previously been the winner of the Blue Peter Book of the Year.All the category winners go through to compete for the Whitbread Book of the Year title, which carries with it a £25,000 prize.Bookmaker William Hill has placed London-based Levy's novel as the 6/4 favourite to win.She is now favourite to win the overall prize after beating Booker winner Alan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty.Fletcher has recently graduated from graduated from the University of East Anglia creative writing course.In the biography category it was John Guy's The Life of Mary Queen of Scots that was picked as winner.Geraldine McCaughrean has picked up the children's fiction award for the third time for Not the End of the World.Children's winner McCaughrean, who went into magazine publishing after studying teaching, previously won the Whitbread Prize in 1987 with A Little Lower than Angels and in 1994 with Gold Dust.Waterstone's fiction writer buyer Suzie Doore said: "It is great to see Susan Fletcher win in the first novel category. |
Artists' secret postcards on sale
Postcards by artists including Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin have sold just hours after the opening of the Royal Academy of Arts annual Secrets sale.
The identity of the artist remains unknown until each work is bought and the signature is revealed on the back. "There are still some big names left, such as Mario Testino," said RCA spokeswoman Sue Bradburn. All postcards are priced at £35. The sale opened at 8am on Friday and will close at 6pm on Saturday. Ms Bradburn said there was a big queue at the start of the sale but it had now gone down.
She said the people that had bought the famous name postcards had arrived early and had spent time studying each work. "They would have known what to look for." The exhibition has been open for viewing since 19 November. Film director Ken Loach, fashion designer Hussein Chalayan and former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon have all designed postcards for the sale. Some of the contributing artists are students or recent graduates of the Royal College of Art and other leading art colleges. Money raised from the sale will go towards the RCA's Fine Art Student Award Fund which supports students with grants and bursaries. The famous sale is now in its 11th year.
| Ms Bradburn said there was a big queue at the start of the sale but it had now gone down.She said the people that had bought the famous name postcards had arrived early and had spent time studying each work.The famous sale is now in its 11th year.Money raised from the sale will go towards the RCA's Fine Art Student Award Fund which supports students with grants and bursaries.Film director Ken Loach, fashion designer Hussein Chalayan and former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon have all designed postcards for the sale.Postcards by artists including Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin have sold just hours after the opening of the Royal Academy of Arts annual Secrets sale. |
Gallery unveils interactive tree
A Christmas tree that can receive text messages has been unveiled at London's Tate Britain art gallery.
The spruce has an antenna which can receive Bluetooth texts sent by visitors to the Tate. The messages will be "unwrapped" by sculptor Richard Wentworth, who is responsible for decorating the tree with broken plates and light bulbs. It is the 17th year that the gallery has invited an artist to dress their Christmas tree. Artists who have decorated the Tate tree in previous years include Tracey Emin in 2002.
The plain green Norway spruce is displayed in the gallery's foyer. Its light bulb adornments are dimmed, ordinary domestic ones joined together with string. The plates decorating the branches will be auctioned off for the children's charity ArtWorks. Wentworth worked as an assistant to sculptor Henry Moore in the late 1960s. His reputation as a sculptor grew in the 1980s, while he has been one of the most influential teachers during the last two decades. Wentworth is also known for his photography of mundane, everyday subjects such as a cigarette packet jammed under the wonky leg of a table.
| The messages will be "unwrapped" by sculptor Richard Wentworth, who is responsible for decorating the tree with broken plates and light bulbs.A Christmas tree that can receive text messages has been unveiled at London's Tate Britain art gallery.It is the 17th year that the gallery has invited an artist to dress their Christmas tree.The spruce has an antenna which can receive Bluetooth texts sent by visitors to the Tate.His reputation as a sculptor grew in the 1980s, while he has been one of the most influential teachers during the last two decades. |
US critics laud comedy Sideways
Road trip comedy Sideways has had more praise heaped on it by two US critics' associations, adding to honours it has already picked up.
The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) named it winner in five categories including best film and best actor for Paul Giamatti. But the director award went to Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby. The Southeastern Film Critics also awarded Sideways its best film of the year accolade. Director Alexander Payne was named best director, and he also won best screenplay shared with Jim Taylor. The CFCA awarded Thomas Haden Church the best supporting actor prize and Virginia Madsen the best supporting actress award for their roles in the film.
Sideways has already been voted best film by critics associations in New York and Los Angeles and has been nominated for a Golden Globe. British actress Imelda Staunton won the CFCA best actress for the gritty abortion drama Vera Drake, adding to a growing list of awards she has won for her performance in the Mike Leigh film. Scrubs star Zach Braff was named best new director for his debut Garden State. Michael Moore's controversial documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 won the best documentary, while A Very Long Engagement won best foreign film. The Chicago critics have yet to name a date for when their awards ceremony will be held.
| The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) named it winner in five categories including best film and best actor for Paul Giamatti.The CFCA awarded Thomas Haden Church the best supporting actor prize and Virginia Madsen the best supporting actress award for their roles in the film.The Southeastern Film Critics also awarded Sideways its best film of the year accolade.Sideways has already been voted best film by critics associations in New York and Los Angeles and has been nominated for a Golden Globe.Director Alexander Payne was named best director, and he also won best screenplay shared with Jim Taylor. |
Spark heads world Booker list
Dame Muriel Spark is among three British authors who have made the shortlist for the inaugural international Booker Prize.
Doris Lessing and Ian McEwan have also been nominated. McEwan and Margaret Atwood are the only nominees to have previously won the main Booker Prize. The new £60,000 award is open to writers of all nationalities who write in English or are widely translated. The prize commends an author for their body of work instead of one book.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Saul Bellow, Milan Kundera and John Updike also feature on the 18-strong list of world literary figures.
But other past winners of the regular Booker Prize, such as Salman Rushdie, JM Coetzee and Kazuo Ishiguro have failed to make the shortlist. The prize, which will be awarded in London in June, will be given once every two years. It will reward an author - who must be living - for "continued creativity, development and overall contribution to fiction on the world stage". An author can only win once. The international award was started in response to criticisms that the Booker Prize is only open to British and Commonwealth authors.
Margaret Atwood (Canada) Saul Bellow (Canada) Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia) Gunter Grass (Germany) Ismail Kadare (Albania) Milan Kundera (Czech Republic) Stanislaw Lem (Poland) Doris Lessing (UK) Ian McEwan (UK) Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt) Tomas Eloy Martinez (Argentina) Kenzaburo Oe (Japan) Cynthia Ozick (US) Philip Roth (US) Muriel Spark (UK) Antonio Tabucchi (Italy) John Updike (US) Abraham B Yehoshua (Israel)
| Dame Muriel Spark is among three British authors who have made the shortlist for the inaugural international Booker Prize.McEwan and Margaret Atwood are the only nominees to have previously won the main Booker Prize.The international award was started in response to criticisms that the Booker Prize is only open to British and Commonwealth authors.The prize commends an author for their body of work instead of one book.Margaret Atwood (Canada) Saul Bellow (Canada) Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia) Gunter Grass (Germany) Ismail Kadare (Albania) Milan Kundera (Czech Republic) Stanislaw Lem (Poland) Doris Lessing (UK) Ian McEwan (UK) Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt) Tomas Eloy Martinez (Argentina) Kenzaburo Oe (Japan) Cynthia Ozick (US) Philip Roth (US) Muriel Spark (UK) Antonio Tabucchi (Italy) John Updike (US) Abraham B Yehoshua (Israel) |
Hundreds vie for best film Oscar
A total of 267 films are eligible for the best film Oscar but only five will be chosen to go forward as nominees.
The Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences has sent out the first ballot papers with the full list of films vying for recognition. Among those expected to receive nominations are The Aviator, Million Dollar Baby and Sideways. Academy members will now vote for their favourites before the final nominees are announced on 25 January.
To be eligible for nomination a film must have been shown in a commercial theatre for seven consecutive days before the deadline of 31 December. Director Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio went on general release on Christmas Day in the US, ensuring it just made the deadline. Studios have already begun lobbying voters, taking out full page adverts in trade publications such as Variety urging them to remember particular films when it comes to choosing what to back. Other movies tipped for possible success include Closer, starring Jude Law and Julia Roberts, Finding Neverland, with Johnny Depp as author JM Barry and Kinsey starring Liam Neeson as the famed sex scientist Alfred Kinsey. Meanwhile, design engineer Takuo Miyagishima will be awarded an Oscar at the Scientific and Technical Awards Dinner on 12 February 2005. Miyagishima is the 18th recipient of the Sawyer Award, which is "presented to an individual in the motion picture industry whose technological contributions have brought credit to the industry." The main Oscar ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on 27 February.
| A total of 267 films are eligible for the best film Oscar but only five will be chosen to go forward as nominees.To be eligible for nomination a film must have been shown in a commercial theatre for seven consecutive days before the deadline of 31 December.The Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences has sent out the first ballot papers with the full list of films vying for recognition.Director Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio went on general release on Christmas Day in the US, ensuring it just made the deadline.Meanwhile, design engineer Takuo Miyagishima will be awarded an Oscar at the Scientific and Technical Awards Dinner on 12 February 2005. |
Baghdad Blogger on big screen
A film based on the internet musings of the "Baghdad Blogger" has been shown at the Rotterdam Film Festival.
The film has been directed by the man who calls himself Salam Pax, the author of the weblog about Iraqi life during and after the war. The movie version comes in the form of a series of shorts made by Pax on a hand-held camera. Baghdad Blogger is among a number of films about Iraq showcased at the Dutch festival, which runs until Sunday. Following the fascination with the writing of Salam Pax - not his real name - he began a regular column in The Guardian newspaper and was given a crash course in documentary film-making. For the film he travelled Iraq to document the changing landscape of the country and the problems it has faced since the invasion, speaking to ordinary Iraqis about their experiences. The festival will also see the screening of Underexposure, one of Iraq's first features to emerge since the toppling of Saddam Hussein.
Director Oday Rasheed made the film on discarded 1980s Kodak film taken from the remains for the former Ministry of Culture building. It centres on the lives of families and strangers going about their everyday business as Baghdad is under siege. Rasheed said the title was refers to the isolation felt by Iraqis under Saddam's regime and the difficult time the country is now experiencing. "Saddam's regime was hell, but now I think the hell has doubled," Rasheed said. The festival was also due to screen murdered Dutch film-maker Theo Van Gogh's film about the treatment of woman under Islam, but it was withdrawn due to safety fears. Van Gogh was shot and stabbed in November 2004, following death threats he received about his film Submission.
| A film based on the internet musings of the "Baghdad Blogger" has been shown at the Rotterdam Film Festival.Baghdad Blogger is among a number of films about Iraq showcased at the Dutch festival, which runs until Sunday.The festival was also due to screen murdered Dutch film-maker Theo Van Gogh's film about the treatment of woman under Islam, but it was withdrawn due to safety fears.The film has been directed by the man who calls himself Salam Pax, the author of the weblog about Iraqi life during and after the war.Director Oday Rasheed made the film on discarded 1980s Kodak film taken from the remains for the former Ministry of Culture building.Van Gogh was shot and stabbed in November 2004, following death threats he received about his film Submission. |
New Harry Potter tops book chart
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has topped Amazon's book chart less than 24 hours after its release date - 16 July - was announced.
Thousands of customers placed pre-orders on the amazon.co.uk website for the sixth book in the series. Rowling revealed she had completed the novel on Tuesday, ahead of the scheduled announcement on 25 December. It will be published simultaneously in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. JK Rowling's fifth book in the wizard series, Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix was Amazon's largest pre-ordered item ever, with 420,000 copies pre-ordered prior to its release in June 2003. Customers who pre-order Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince avoid standing in long queues at bookshops on the day of the book's release next July. "The fact that the book has already hit number one in our Hot 100 books chart shows how incredibly excited customers are about the sixth Harry Potter," said Amazon's Robin Terrell.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince takes up the story of Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as Lord Voldemort grows stronger. Rowling has already revealed that the Half-Blood Prince is neither Harry nor Voldemort. And she added that the opening chapter of the book had been brewing in her mind for 13 years. Rowling said she had plenty of time while pregnant "to tinker with the manuscript to my satisfaction and I am as happy as I have ever been with the end result". She also previously revealed that a character will be killed in the sixth book, but she has given no hints as to who it might be. Following publication of the sixth book, just one novel remains to complete the series.
| "The fact that the book has already hit number one in our Hot 100 books chart shows how incredibly excited customers are about the sixth Harry Potter," said Amazon's Robin Terrell.Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has topped Amazon's book chart less than 24 hours after its release date - 16 July - was announced.Rowling has already revealed that the Half-Blood Prince is neither Harry nor Voldemort.Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince takes up the story of Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as Lord Voldemort grows stronger.JK Rowling's fifth book in the wizard series, Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix was Amazon's largest pre-ordered item ever, with 420,000 copies pre-ordered prior to its release in June 2003.Following publication of the sixth book, just one novel remains to complete the series. |
Potter director signs Warner deal
Harry Potter director Alfonso Cuaron has signed a three-year deal with Hollywood studio Warner Brothers, according to Variety trade magazine.
The Mexican film-maker, who directed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, will produce mainstream movies and smaller Spanish-language films. "We had a wonderful experience with Alfonso on Harry Potter," Warner producer Jeff Robinov told Variety. Cuaron's other films include Mexican movie Y Tu Mama Tambien.
The 2001 rites-of-passage drama about two teenage boys who embark on a relationship with an older woman, brought Cuaron international attention - and box office glory.
It also won him and his brother Carlos, with whom he co-wrote the screenplay, an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay. Warner will distribute Cuaron's films in several languages outside the US. "This deal will give us the opportunity to collaborate with Alfonso on movies that make the most of his artistry and vision, and continue to offer him the mainstream worldwide audiences that our studio provides so successfully," said Mr Robinov.
His first film for Warner Brothers was 1995's family fantasy movie A Little Princess. Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess tells the story of a young girl who is sent to live in a New York boarding school when her widowed father enlists for war. After the erotic nature of Y Tu Mama Tambien, Cuaron was a surprise choice to direct the third Harry Potter film but his dark interpretation was received well by the public and critics alike.
| His first film for Warner Brothers was 1995's family fantasy movie A Little Princess.Harry Potter director Alfonso Cuaron has signed a three-year deal with Hollywood studio Warner Brothers, according to Variety trade magazine.Cuaron's other films include Mexican movie Y Tu Mama Tambien.After the erotic nature of Y Tu Mama Tambien, Cuaron was a surprise choice to direct the third Harry Potter film but his dark interpretation was received well by the public and critics alike."We had a wonderful experience with Alfonso on Harry Potter," Warner producer Jeff Robinov told Variety. |
Jarre joins fairytale celebration
French musician Jean-Michel Jarre is to perform at a concert in Copenhagen to mark the bicentennial of the birth of writer Hans Christian Andersen.
Denmark is holding a three-day celebration of the life of the fairy-tale author, with a concert at Parken stadium on 2 April. Other stars are expected to join the line-up in the coming months, and the Danish royal family will attend. "Christian Andersen's fairy tales are timeless and universal," said Jarre. "For all of us, at any age there is always - beyond the pure enjoyment of the tale - a message to learn." There are year-long celebrations planned across the world to celebrate Andersen and his work, which includes The Emperor's New Clothes and The Little Mermaid. Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary visited New York on Monday to help promote the festivities. The pair were at a Manhattan library to honour US literary critic Harold Bloom "the international icon we thought we knew so well".
"Bloom recognizes the darker aspects of Andersen's authorship," Prince Frederik said. Bloom is to be formally presented with the Hans Christian Andersen Award this spring in Anderson's hometown of Odense. The royal couple also visited the Hans Christian Anderson School complex, where Queen Mary read The Ugly Duckling to the young audience. Later at a gala dinner, Danish supermodel Helena Christensen was named a Hans Christian Andersen ambassador. Other ambassadors include actors Harvey Keitel and Sir Roger Moore, athlete Cathy Freeman and Brazilian soccer legend Pele.
| Bloom is to be formally presented with the Hans Christian Andersen Award this spring in Anderson's hometown of Odense.Later at a gala dinner, Danish supermodel Helena Christensen was named a Hans Christian Andersen ambassador.French musician Jean-Michel Jarre is to perform at a concert in Copenhagen to mark the bicentennial of the birth of writer Hans Christian Andersen."Christian Andersen's fairy tales are timeless and universal," said Jarre.The royal couple also visited the Hans Christian Anderson School complex, where Queen Mary read The Ugly Duckling to the young audience."Bloom recognizes the darker aspects of Andersen's authorship," Prince Frederik said. |
Box office blow for Alexander
Director Oliver Stone's historical epic Alexander has failed in its bid to conquer the box office, entering the US film charts at number six.
The swords and sandals blockbuster, rumoured to have cost more than $150m (£79m) to make, earned just $13.5 (£7m) over three days at the US box office. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the film opened on Wednesday, bringing its total takings to $21.6m (£11.4m). Top of the box office for a second week was action movie National Treasure. The family adventure, starring Nicolas Cage, took $33.1m (£17.m), ahead of animated comedy The Incredibles - now in its fourth week in the charts - which took $24.1m (£12.7m).
Last week Oliver Stone's film met with scathing reviews from US critics. The film stars Irish actor Colin Farrell as one of history's most celebrated leaders - a relentless and arrogant warrior who conquered much of the known world by the age of 25. In particular, its portrayal of Alexander as a bisexual has met with a hostile reception and the threat of legal action from Greek lawyers. "Though the battles have the blood-and-sinew bravado you expect from Oliver Stone, this three-hour buttnumbathon is hamstrung by a hectoring grandiosity," wrote one reviewer in Rolling Stone magazine. Others poured scorn on Farrell's bleached hair and Angelina Jolie's unwieldy accent, which Variety called "a combination of Mata Hari and Count Dracula" . But novelist Gore Vidal defended the film, saying it was "barrier-breaking" for its frank depiction of bisexuality.
In Sweden last Thursday, to pick up a lifetime achievement award at the Stockholm International Film Festival, Stone expressed the hope that Alexander might be better appreciated in Europe. "One of the reasons I am being honoured here is Europeans tend to see me a little differently than they do in the US," said the director behind JFK, Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July. He added Alexander "was not an easy movie, but then I've never made easy movies".
| Director Oliver Stone's historical epic Alexander has failed in its bid to conquer the box office, entering the US film charts at number six.Last week Oliver Stone's film met with scathing reviews from US critics.Top of the box office for a second week was action movie National Treasure.In Sweden last Thursday, to pick up a lifetime achievement award at the Stockholm International Film Festival, Stone expressed the hope that Alexander might be better appreciated in Europe.The swords and sandals blockbuster, rumoured to have cost more than $150m (£79m) to make, earned just $13.5 (£7m) over three days at the US box office.But novelist Gore Vidal defended the film, saying it was "barrier-breaking" for its frank depiction of bisexuality. |
Snicket tops US box office chart
The film adaptation of Lemony Snicket novels has topped the North America box office chart, displacing Ocean's 12.
A Series of Unfortunate Events, starring Jim Carrey, took $30.2m (£15.5m) in its debut weekend. Ocean's 12 fell to number two while new entry Spanglish entered the chart at number three, taking $9m (£4.6m). A Series of Unfortunate Events also stars Scottish comedian Billy Connelly, while Carrey takes on a number of different roles in the surreal film. The only other new entry in the top 10 was re-make, Flight of the Phoenix, at number eight, starring Dennis Quaid. Carrey entertained crowds at the UK premiere of Lemony Snicket in London on Friday. The actor grabbed co-star Meryl Streep and whisked her around Leicester Square. Based on the cult children's books by author Daniel Handler, the film follows three children who are orphaned when their parents die in a fire. They are taken in by their wicked uncle Count Olaf, played by Carrey, who schemes to get his hands on their fortune.
| A Series of Unfortunate Events also stars Scottish comedian Billy Connelly, while Carrey takes on a number of different roles in the surreal film.Ocean's 12 fell to number two while new entry Spanglish entered the chart at number three, taking $9m (£4.6m).A Series of Unfortunate Events, starring Jim Carrey, took $30.2m (£15.5m) in its debut weekend.Carrey entertained crowds at the UK premiere of Lemony Snicket in London on Friday. |
Spike Lee backs student directors
Film-maker Spike Lee says black representation is stronger than ever in cinema and TV but the true power in entertainment lies behind the camera.
The She Hate Me director urged students at his old Atlanta university, Morehouse College, to seek "gatekeeper positions" behind the scenes. Lee told them to "work up the corporate ladder because everybody can't be an actor, everybody can't make a record". He spoke as part of a discussion panel, then led a retrospective of his films.
Returning to his old university, which educates only African American students, Lee discussed the challenges facing black people in the entertainment industry. "Even Denzel (Washington), he's getting $20m a movie. But when it comes time to do a movie, he has to go to one of those gatekeepers," Lee said. He told aspiring young film-makers in the audience not to ignore non-traditional routes to getting a movie made, including raising funds independently and releasing films straight to DVD. "It's a huge market," the 47-year-old director said. "It's not something that should be looked upon as a stepchild." Lee has made more than 25 films, including Jungle Fever, Do the Right Thing, Summer of Sam and 1986 hit She's Gotta Have It.
| But when it comes time to do a movie, he has to go to one of those gatekeepers," Lee said.Lee has made more than 25 films, including Jungle Fever, Do the Right Thing, Summer of Sam and 1986 hit She's Gotta Have It.Returning to his old university, which educates only African American students, Lee discussed the challenges facing black people in the entertainment industry.Film-maker Spike Lee says black representation is stronger than ever in cinema and TV but the true power in entertainment lies behind the camera.He told aspiring young film-makers in the audience not to ignore non-traditional routes to getting a movie made, including raising funds independently and releasing films straight to DVD. |
Tautou film tops Cesar prize nods
French film A Very Long Engagement has received 12 nominations for France's Cesar film awards, despite a recent ruling it was "not French enough".
The World War I romantic drama starring Audrey Tautou, was recently ruled "too American" by a Paris court as it was partially backed by Warner Bros. But the Cesar organisers modified their rules to allow the film to compete. The film, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, received best actress, picture and director nominations.
Last November a court judged the film was too American to compete in French film festivals. Two associations of French producers challenged Jeunet's right to French government subsidies, because Warner Bros was a backer. The ruling meant the movie - which was filmed in France and used French actors and technicians - was not eligible to compete for French prizes. But Alain Terzian, president of Cesar organisers, the Academie des Arts et Techniques du Cinema, said the changes in eligibility rules, which allow films "of French expression", were made three months prior to the court decision. Other films in the best film category include Police drama 36, Quai Des Orfevres, Arnaud Desplechin's Kings And Queen, Abdellatif Kechiche's L'Esquive and France's number one film at the 2004 box-office The Chorus.
Best actors are Daniel Auteuil for 36, Mathieu Amalric for Kings And Queen, Gerard Jugnot for The Chorus, Philippe Torreton for L'Equipier and Benoit Poelvoorde for Podium. Tautou will compete against Maggie Cheung , Emmanuelle Devos, Yolande Moreau and Karin Viard for best actress. Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, The Motorcycle Diaries, Lost in Translation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and 21 Grams are all vying in the best foreign film prize. The awards ceremony will be held on 26 February. This year, Will Smith, star of I, Robot, Independence Day and Men In Black, will be given an honorary Cesar, along with French singer/actor, Jacques Dutronc.
| Last November a court judged the film was too American to compete in French film festivals.French film A Very Long Engagement has received 12 nominations for France's Cesar film awards, despite a recent ruling it was "not French enough".Other films in the best film category include Police drama 36, Quai Des Orfevres, Arnaud Desplechin's Kings And Queen, Abdellatif Kechiche's L'Esquive and France's number one film at the 2004 box-office The Chorus.The ruling meant the movie - which was filmed in France and used French actors and technicians - was not eligible to compete for French prizes.But the Cesar organisers modified their rules to allow the film to compete.The film, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, received best actress, picture and director nominations. |
Howl helps boost Japan's cinemas
Japan's box office received a 3.8% boost last year, with ticket sales worth 211bn yen (£1.08bn).
The surge was led by animated movie Howl's Moving Castle, which took 20bn yen (£102m) to become the biggest film in Japan in 2004. It is expected to match the 30.7bn yen (£157m) record of Hayao Miyazaki's previous film Spirited Away. Japan Motion Picture Producers figures showed that 170 million cinema admissions were made in Japan in 2004. The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise, was the biggest foreign movie hit in Japan last year, taking 13.8bn yen (£70.7m).
It was followed by Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Finding Nemo and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The second highest-grossing Japanese film was romantic drama Crying Out Love in the Centre of the World, followed by Be With You and Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation. Japanese films accounted for 37.5% of Japan's box office total last year, with foreign films taking the remaining 62.5%. This represented a 4.5% gain for the proportion of Japanese films in 2004 compared to 2003. The number of Japanese films released rose to 310 in 2004 from 287 the previous year. Sales of movies on DVD and video amounted to 497bn yen (£2.54bn) for the year.
| The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise, was the biggest foreign movie hit in Japan last year, taking 13.8bn yen (£70.7m).Japanese films accounted for 37.5% of Japan's box office total last year, with foreign films taking the remaining 62.5%.The surge was led by animated movie Howl's Moving Castle, which took 20bn yen (£102m) to become the biggest film in Japan in 2004.Japan's box office received a 3.8% boost last year, with ticket sales worth 211bn yen (£1.08bn).Sales of movies on DVD and video amounted to 497bn yen (£2.54bn) for the year. |
Stars pay tribute to actor Davis
Hollywood stars including Spike Lee, Burt Reynolds and Oscar nominee Alan Alda have paid tribute to actor Ossie Davis at a funeral in New York.
Veteran star Ossie Davis, a well-known civil rights activist, died in Miami at the age of 87 on 4 February 2005. Friends and family, including actress Ruby Dee his wife of 56 years, gathered at the Riverside Church on Saturday. Also present at the service was former US president Bill Clinton and singer Harry Belafonte, who gave the eulogy. "He would have been a very good president of the United States," said Mr Clinton. "Like most of you here, he gave more to me than I gave to him."
The 87-year-old was found dead last weekend in his hotel room in Florida, where he was making a film. Police said that he appeared to have died of natural causes. Davis made his acting debut in 1950 in No Way Out starring Sidney Poiter. He frequently collaborated with director Spike Lee, starring in seven Lee films including Jungle Fever, Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X. Attallah Shabazz, the daughter of activist Malcolm X, recalled the famous eulogy delivered by Davis at her father's funeral. "Harlem has come to bid farewell to one of its finest hopes," she said, quoting the man she knew as Uncle Ossie. "Ditto." "Ossie was my hero, and he still is," said Aviator star Alan Alda, a family friend for over forty years. "Ossie was a thing of beauty."
"I want so badly someday to have his dignity - a little of it anyway," added Burt Reynolds, Davis's co-star in the 90s TV comedy Evening Shade. Before the midday funeral, scores of Harlem residents formed a queue outside the church to pay their respects to Davis. "It is hard to fathom that we will no longer be able to call on his wisdom, his humour, his loyalty and his moral strength to guide us in the choices that are yet to be made and the battles that are yet to be fought," said Belafonte, himself an ardent civil rights activist who had been friends with Davis for over 60 years. "But how fortunate we were to have him as long as we did."
| "Ossie was my hero, and he still is," said Aviator star Alan Alda, a family friend for over forty years.Hollywood stars including Spike Lee, Burt Reynolds and Oscar nominee Alan Alda have paid tribute to actor Ossie Davis at a funeral in New York.Veteran star Ossie Davis, a well-known civil rights activist, died in Miami at the age of 87 on 4 February 2005."Ossie was a thing of beauty.""It is hard to fathom that we will no longer be able to call on his wisdom, his humour, his loyalty and his moral strength to guide us in the choices that are yet to be made and the battles that are yet to be fought," said Belafonte, himself an ardent civil rights activist who had been friends with Davis for over 60 years.Also present at the service was former US president Bill Clinton and singer Harry Belafonte, who gave the eulogy.He frequently collaborated with director Spike Lee, starring in seven Lee films including Jungle Fever, Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X. Attallah Shabazz, the daughter of activist Malcolm X, recalled the famous eulogy delivered by Davis at her father's funeral."Harlem has come to bid farewell to one of its finest hopes," she said, quoting the man she knew as Uncle Ossie. |
Berlin applauds Hotel Rwanda
Political thriller Hotel Rwanda was given a rousing reception by spectators at the Berlin Film Festival on Saturday.
The movie's star Don Cheadle also received a standing ovation when he stepped onto the stage after the show. The film is the true story of the hotel manager who saved 1,200 Tutsis from death during the Rwandan genocide. The film, showing out of competition in Berlin, is nominated for three Oscars, including best actor for Cheadle. Sophie Okonedo, who plays Cheadle's wife Tatiana, is nominated for best supporting actress. The film is also in the running for best original screenplay. Cheadle, was joined on stage at Berlin by Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager he plays in the film, Mr Rusesabagina's wife and his extended family, who fled Rwanda and now live in Belgium. Mr Rusesabagina used his influence as a prominent Hutu businessman to shelter potential victims of the Rwandan genocide, contacting dignitaries including Bill Clinton, the King of Belgium as well as the French foreign ministry. Hotel Rwanda is one of two films addressing the genocide at the 55th Berlin Film Festival, which runs until 20 February. Sometimes in April is a feature by Raoul Peck competing for the festival's coveted Golden and Silver Bear awards. The film was made exclusively in Rwanda whereas Hotel Rwanda was shot mostly in South Africa, with some scenes made in Kigali.
| Cheadle, was joined on stage at Berlin by Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager he plays in the film, Mr Rusesabagina's wife and his extended family, who fled Rwanda and now live in Belgium.Hotel Rwanda is one of two films addressing the genocide at the 55th Berlin Film Festival, which runs until 20 February.Political thriller Hotel Rwanda was given a rousing reception by spectators at the Berlin Film Festival on Saturday.The film, showing out of competition in Berlin, is nominated for three Oscars, including best actor for Cheadle.The film is the true story of the hotel manager who saved 1,200 Tutsis from death during the Rwandan genocide. |
Foxx and Swank win US awards
Jamie Foxx and Hilary Swank have won the Screen Actors Guild Awards for best male and female film actors, boosting their Oscars hopes this month.
Foxx's portrayal of late soul-singer Ray Charles in Ray had already earned him a prestigious Golden Globe award. Swank triumphed for playing a gutsy female boxer in Million Dollar Baby. Modest wine country comedy Sideways knocked out favourites Million Dollar Baby and The Aviator by taking the top prize for best cast performance.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) represents US film and TV actors. Its winners often go on to win Oscars. In other nominations, Cate Blanchett triumphed as the best supporting actress for her role as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator. Veteran actor Morgan Freeman took the best supporting actor award for playing a prize-fighter turned gym manager in Million Dollar Baby.
"Thank you for Ray Charles for just living so complex and so interesting, and making us all just come together," said Foxx, accepting his award in Los Angeles on Saturday.
He also praised the film director: "Thank you for Taylor Hackford for taking a chance with an African-American film. Taylor, you're my director of the year." Swank, too, was full of praise for her director and co-star Clint Eastwood. "I bow down to you," Swank said to the 74-year-old Eastwood. "You are a talent beyond compare. If I'm half the person you are and half the talent you are when I'm 74, I will know that I've accomplished something great."
Both Foxx and Swank are now considered to be among the favourites to get Oscars - the Hollywood's ultimate prize. However, Swank has to overcome a strong challenge from Annette Bening, a nominee for the theatre farce Being Julia. Meanwhile, ballots for Oscars - the Hollywood's top honours - were mailed earlier this week to members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The voting is due to end on 22 February - five days before the ceremony.
| Jamie Foxx and Hilary Swank have won the Screen Actors Guild Awards for best male and female film actors, boosting their Oscars hopes this month.Swank triumphed for playing a gutsy female boxer in Million Dollar Baby.Both Foxx and Swank are now considered to be among the favourites to get Oscars - the Hollywood's ultimate prize.Swank, too, was full of praise for her director and co-star Clint Eastwood.Modest wine country comedy Sideways knocked out favourites Million Dollar Baby and The Aviator by taking the top prize for best cast performance."I bow down to you," Swank said to the 74-year-old Eastwood.Veteran actor Morgan Freeman took the best supporting actor award for playing a prize-fighter turned gym manager in Million Dollar Baby.He also praised the film director: "Thank you for Taylor Hackford for taking a chance with an African-American film. |
'Landmark movies' of 2004 hailed
US film professionals have declared Fahrenheit 9/11 and The Passion of the Christ as two of the most significant cultural milestones of 2004.
The American Film Institute (AFI) hailed Mel Gibson's biblical epic and Michael Moore's political documentary as inspiring national debate. It claimed both film-makers "tossed Hollywood convention out the window". The Institute also cited the death of actor Marlon Brando and the changing landscape of TV news in the US. In referring to Marlon Brando's death on 1 July at the age of 80, the 13-strong AFI jury concluded "the art of screen acting has two chapters - 'Before Brando' and 'After Brando'.
It credited the screen legend's "raw hypnotic energy" and his ability to create characters like Stanley Kowalski and Terry Malloy "that will live forever in the annals of film history". The list also acknowledges key influences and trends in the world of film and broadcasting. Among current trends, it highlighted the final broadcasts of veteran newscasters Tom Brokaw, Barbara Walters and the impending retirement of CBS news anchor Dan Rather. It its place, the AFI fears, is a news landscape where "newscasters are more personalities than journalists" and balance and integrity are increasingly ignored.
The AFI also questioned "the long-term viability of evening news broadcasts", in the light of 24-hour news channels and the internet. The list also draws attention to the growing influence of US broadcasting regulator, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
The institute concluded the threat of regulation, which went into freefall following Janet Jackson's 'wardrobe malfunction' during a live Super Bowl performance in February, "had a profound effect on television". "Unsure of how the FCC will rule on an issue, the creative community has begun to self-censor their shows, a disturbing trend in a country founded on free expression," the AFI jury declared. To illustrate their point, the AFI cited ABC affiliates refusal to air Steven Spielberg's film Saving Private Ryan in an unedited form over fears of possible fines.
| The Institute also cited the death of actor Marlon Brando and the changing landscape of TV news in the US.The AFI also questioned "the long-term viability of evening news broadcasts", in the light of 24-hour news channels and the internet.The list also acknowledges key influences and trends in the world of film and broadcasting.In referring to Marlon Brando's death on 1 July at the age of 80, the 13-strong AFI jury concluded "the art of screen acting has two chapters - 'Before Brando' and 'After Brando'.It its place, the AFI fears, is a news landscape where "newscasters are more personalities than journalists" and balance and integrity are increasingly ignored.The American Film Institute (AFI) hailed Mel Gibson's biblical epic and Michael Moore's political documentary as inspiring national debate. |
US actor Ossie Davis found dead
US actor Ossie Davis has been found dead at the age of 87.
Davis, who was married to actress Ruby Dee, was found dead on Friday in his hotel room in Miami Beach, Florida, where he was making a film. Davis, whose 65-year career included credits as a producer, director, actor and writer for stage and screen, was also a civil rights activist. Miami Beach police spokesman Bobby Hernandez said the cause of death appeared to be natural.
Davis's body was discovered by his grandson and paramedics at the Shore Club hotel in Miami Beach, where the actor had been shooting the film Retirement. Mr Hernandez said: "After gaining entry, they found Mr Davis had passed away. "The cause of death appears to be natural. According to his grandson he was suffering from heart disease." Some of Davis's best known roles included The Joe Louis Story and Gone Are the Days - a film he adapted from his own play, Purlie Victorious. He also appeared in 7 Spike Lee movies, including School Daze, Do the Right Thing and Jungle Fever.
His film debut, in 1950, was in the film No Way Out, starring Sydney Poitier and Ruby Dee. Davis and Dee were married for more than 56 years and together received Kennedy Center honours in 2004 for their body of work. The Actors' Equity Association issued a statement calling Davis "an icon in the American theatre" and he and Dee "American treasures". Davis was also a prominent figure in the civil rights movement and was a voice for racial equality. He was a featured speaker at the funerals of both Martin Luther King Jnr and Malcolm X. Besides Dee, Davis is survived by three children Nora, Hasna and Guy, a blues artist, and seven grandchildren.
| Davis, who was married to actress Ruby Dee, was found dead on Friday in his hotel room in Miami Beach, Florida, where he was making a film.Davis was also a prominent figure in the civil rights movement and was a voice for racial equality.Davis, whose 65-year career included credits as a producer, director, actor and writer for stage and screen, was also a civil rights activist.Davis's body was discovered by his grandson and paramedics at the Shore Club hotel in Miami Beach, where the actor had been shooting the film Retirement.His film debut, in 1950, was in the film No Way Out, starring Sydney Poitier and Ruby Dee.Miami Beach police spokesman Bobby Hernandez said the cause of death appeared to be natural.Davis and Dee were married for more than 56 years and together received Kennedy Center honours in 2004 for their body of work. |
DVD review: Spider-Man 2
It's a universal rule that a film can either be a superhero special effects extravaganza or it can be good. But Spider-Man 2 breaks that rule in two.
It's not fantastically deep but you get quickly drawn into the tale of Spidey versus Doc Ock and more so into the fate of poor Peter Parker. Gigantic action set pieces seamlessly work with more brooding personal torment and it all looks stunning. A few effects look false but Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Alfred Molina make this compelling. The other universal rule is that DVDs of superhero films will have Making Of features only about the effects. This disc covers those special effects enough but as just one part of a detailed look at the film. Then there are commentaries, trailers and a blooper reel.
Sometimes quality comes in bulk: this set contains no less than 34 John Wayne films ranging from the Westerns and war movies to The Quiet Man.
Now is that a Christmas present or what? Give this to someone on 24 December and you won't see them again until early in the New Year. It's not truly a complete collection and leans more toward Wayne's earlier films: there's no True Grit, for instance, though there is Hellraisers. The films look well transferred to DVD, though none has extras.
It was very daft but it knew it was and somehow this famous 1979 series became a cult favourite that's been long awaited on DVD. This set has the first season of Buck (Gil Gerard) and Wilma's (Erin Gray) tongue-in-cheek adventures and it's all as camp and gaudy as you remember. But it's also a disappointment. The US DVD has this and the more po-faced second season - and you can import it for just about the same price. The bigger omission, though, is that there are no extras. That's particularly disappointing because originally there were meant to be commentaries and stars Gerard and Gray had agreed to do them.
| The films look well transferred to DVD, though none has extras.It's a universal rule that a film can either be a superhero special effects extravaganza or it can be good.This disc covers those special effects enough but as just one part of a detailed look at the film.The other universal rule is that DVDs of superhero films will have Making Of features only about the effects.This set has the first season of Buck (Gil Gerard) and Wilma's (Erin Gray) tongue-in-cheek adventures and it's all as camp and gaudy as you remember.The US DVD has this and the more po-faced second season - and you can import it for just about the same price.The bigger omission, though, is that there are no extras.Sometimes quality comes in bulk: this set contains no less than 34 John Wayne films ranging from the Westerns and war movies to The Quiet Man. |
Indie film nominations announced
Mike Leigh's award-winning abortion drama Vera Drake has scooped seven nominations at this year's British Independent Film Awards.
But the Venice winner faces stiff competition from Shane Meadows' critically acclaimed Dead Man's Shoes, which received eight nominations. Also in the running for a clutch of awards are My Summer of Love and the stalker drama Enduring Love. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on 30 November. The winners of the awards will be chosen by a jury chaired by Cold Mountain director Anthony Minghella and including actresses Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham-Carter.
The awards, which recognise independent film-making in Britain, were established seven years ago. "This year's nominees reflect the growing strength and diversity of British independent filmmaking," said BIFA founder and director Elliot Grove. Commenting on the diversity of the nominated films, he added: "Our selection committee had a harder time than ever narrowing down the field."
Joining Vera Drake and Dead Man's Shoes in the running for best film are My Summer of Love, climbing documentary Touching the Void and zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead. Geoffrey Rush wins a best actor nomination for his role as Peter Sellers in the recent biopic The Life & Death of Peter Sellers.
The Australian star faces competition from Daniel Craig (Enduring Love), Phil Davis (Vera Drake), Ian Hart (Blind Fight) and Dead Man's Shoes' star Paddy Considine. Considine is also nominated for a best supporting actor award for My Summer of Love. A rare US nominee, Scarlett Johansson, is among this year's best actress contenders for her role in Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Fellow nominees include Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake), Natalie Press (My Summer of Love), Anne Reid (The Mother) and Eva Birthistle (Ae Fond Kiss... ). Shane Meadows and Kevin McDonald, both former winners of the Douglas Hickox Award (for Best Directorial Debut) won best director nominations. Seasoned film-makers Roger Michell, Mike Leigh and Pavel Pavlikowsky challenge them to the award. Harry Potter author JK Rowling will receive a special award for her contribution to the industry.
| Considine is also nominated for a best supporting actor award for My Summer of Love.Joining Vera Drake and Dead Man's Shoes in the running for best film are My Summer of Love, climbing documentary Touching the Void and zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead.Shane Meadows and Kevin McDonald, both former winners of the Douglas Hickox Award (for Best Directorial Debut) won best director nominations.Also in the running for a clutch of awards are My Summer of Love and the stalker drama Enduring Love.Mike Leigh's award-winning abortion drama Vera Drake has scooped seven nominations at this year's British Independent Film Awards.The Australian star faces competition from Daniel Craig (Enduring Love), Phil Davis (Vera Drake), Ian Hart (Blind Fight) and Dead Man's Shoes' star Paddy Considine.But the Venice winner faces stiff competition from Shane Meadows' critically acclaimed Dead Man's Shoes, which received eight nominations. |
Baby becomes new Oscar favourite
Clint Eastwood's boxing drama Million Dollar Baby has become the new favourite to win best picture at the Oscars on Sunday.
According to pundits, the film has overtaken previous favourite The Aviator, with Eastwood also tipped to take the best director award. Its star Hilary Swank is favourite to win best actress while Jamie Foxx is tipped to win best actor for Ray. Million Dollar Baby has seven nominations while The Aviator has 11. The Aviator has scored a best director nomination for Martin Scorsese, who has never won an Oscar, while stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett are both nominated for acting Oscars.
"If you look at the Oscars race, The Aviator should be ahead," said awards pundit Tom O'Neil. "It is the most nominated film, and the most nominated movie has won best picture 18 times out of the last 20 years. "But the reality is Million Dollar Baby is the dark horse. People feel emotionally about it and Clint is a beloved Hollywood chum of the Academy voters," he said. Anne Thompson of the Hollywood Reporter said that Million Dollar Baby was "heart-wrenching". "It's very emotional, it even makes grown men cry," she said. "The Aviator is a gorgeous movie, but it's colder."
In the acting categories, Foxx is regarded as almost unbeatable for his performance as Ray Charles in Ray. "The performance is based on a real person who was a showbusiness hero with a handicap, who recently died," O'Neil said. "He has unstoppable momentum among the voters." Hilary Swank is the favourite to win best actress for the second time in six years. She previously won in 1999 for her performance in Boys Don't Cry. In the supporting categories, Cate Blanchett is tipped to win for her performance as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator, while Morgan Freeman is favourite to take home his first ever Oscar, for Million Dollar Baby. The Oscars will take place at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre on 27 February.
| Clint Eastwood's boxing drama Million Dollar Baby has become the new favourite to win best picture at the Oscars on Sunday.Million Dollar Baby has seven nominations while The Aviator has 11.In the supporting categories, Cate Blanchett is tipped to win for her performance as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator, while Morgan Freeman is favourite to take home his first ever Oscar, for Million Dollar Baby.The Aviator has scored a best director nomination for Martin Scorsese, who has never won an Oscar, while stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett are both nominated for acting Oscars.According to pundits, the film has overtaken previous favourite The Aviator, with Eastwood also tipped to take the best director award.Anne Thompson of the Hollywood Reporter said that Million Dollar Baby was "heart-wrenching".Its star Hilary Swank is favourite to win best actress while Jamie Foxx is tipped to win best actor for Ray."It is the most nominated film, and the most nominated movie has won best picture 18 times out of the last 20 years. |
Russian film wins BBC world prize
Russian drama The Return (Vozvrashchenie) has been named winner of the BBC Four World Cinema Award.
The film tells the story of two adolescent boys who are subjected to a harsh regime when their strict father returns after a 10-year absence. Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, The Return previously won the 2003 Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was presented at an awards ceremony held in London on Thursday and hosted by Jonathan Ross. The winner was chosen by a panel which included X Files actress Gillian Anderson, critic Roger Clarke and Touching the Void director Kevin McDonald.
Ross, who is the presenter of BBC One's Film 2005, was also involved in the deliberations. A shortlist of six films from around the world had been drawn up from which the panel chose. Other nominees included the Motorcycle Diaries, Zatoichi and Hero. A viewer poll saw director Zhang Yimou's martial arts epic Hero emerge as the favourite with 32% of votes cast. Tragedy struck the production of The Return when one of the young stars, 15-year-old Vladimir Girin, drowned in a lake where some of the film's scenes were set. The winner of the World Cinema Award last year was the French animated feature Belleville Rendezvous
| Russian drama The Return (Vozvrashchenie) has been named winner of the BBC Four World Cinema Award.The winner of the World Cinema Award last year was the French animated feature Belleville RendezvousDirected by Andrey Zvyagintsev, The Return previously won the 2003 Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival.Ross, who is the presenter of BBC One's Film 2005, was also involved in the deliberations.The winner was chosen by a panel which included X Files actress Gillian Anderson, critic Roger Clarke and Touching the Void director Kevin McDonald. |
UK debut for Kevin Spacey movie
Hollywood stars Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth attended the British premiere of new film, Beyond the Sea, in London's Leicester Square on Thursday.
Spacey, 45, wrote, directed and starred in the film, inspired by the life of 1950s croooner Bobby Darin. "This is my tribute to someone I think was a remarkable talent," said Spacey, who, as Darin, sings all 18 songs on the film soundtrack. Bosworth, 21, plays Darin's wife - real life Hollywood actress Sandra Dee. "I knew absolutely nothing about Bobby Darin before this film, but now I'm a huge fan," said Bosworth, who attended the premiere with British boyfriend Orlando Bloom.
"There is darkness and tragedy in the story, and it was a dream for me to land this part." Actress Sandra Dee continues to live in Los Angeles as a virtual recluse, but has given her approval to the biopic.
"She called me last week and said she loved it," said Spacey, who was joined at the premiere by members of the boy band Westlife. Spacey, a double Oscar-winner, has long been fascinated by the story of singer Bobby Darin. The voice behind Mack the Knife, Dream Lover and Beyond the Sea, fought childhood illness to become one the biggest stars of the 1950s, but died aged 37 from the heart condition that had troubled him all his life. "Bobby Darin was one of the greatest entertainers the world has ever known, and yet, because he died young, he's been kind of forgotten," said Spacey at the premiere. "Making this film was the most fun I've ever had in my entire life." The movie also stars British actors Bob Hoskins and Brenda Blethyn, as Darin's mother.
| "Bobby Darin was one of the greatest entertainers the world has ever known, and yet, because he died young, he's been kind of forgotten," said Spacey at the premiere.Spacey, 45, wrote, directed and starred in the film, inspired by the life of 1950s croooner Bobby Darin."This is my tribute to someone I think was a remarkable talent," said Spacey, who, as Darin, sings all 18 songs on the film soundtrack."I knew absolutely nothing about Bobby Darin before this film, but now I'm a huge fan," said Bosworth, who attended the premiere with British boyfriend Orlando Bloom.Hollywood stars Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth attended the British premiere of new film, Beyond the Sea, in London's Leicester Square on Thursday.Spacey, a double Oscar-winner, has long been fascinated by the story of singer Bobby Darin. |
Jugnot 'tops French actor league'
Actor Gerard Jugnot - star of the Oscar-nominated film The Chorus - has beaten Gerard Depardieu to become France's best-paid actor of 2004.
Jugnot made 5.45m Euros (£3.77m) last year, according to a table drawn up by France's Le Figaro newspaper. In The Chorus (Les Choristes), Jugnot plays an inspiring music teacher at a school for troubled boys in 1949. Despite starring in five films in 2004, Depardieu made 3.35m Euros (£2.31m) putting him third place in the chart. "His name [Depardieu] is no longer sufficient to guarantee the success of a film," said Le Figaro newspaper. The Chorus, which Jugnot also co-produced, has drawn an audience of nearly nine million people since its release last year.
Godzilla star Jean Reno was France's second best-paid actor in 2004, earning 3.55m Euros (£2.45m) . His roles include a recent uncredited cameo in the Oscar-nominated Hotel Rwanda. The highest-ranking woman on Le Figaro's list was Audrey Tautou in 10th place, earning 885,000 Euros (£611,000). She starred in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's A Very Long Engagement (Un Long Dimanche de Fiancailles) and is also lined up to co-star with Tom Hanks in Ron Howard's The Da Vinci Code. The Chorus is nominated for best foreign film at Sunday's Oscar ceremony. On Saturday, it will compete for the title of best film against fellow nominee A Very Long Engagement in France's Cesar film awards.
| Actor Gerard Jugnot - star of the Oscar-nominated film The Chorus - has beaten Gerard Depardieu to become France's best-paid actor of 2004.Jugnot made 5.45m Euros (£3.77m) last year, according to a table drawn up by France's Le Figaro newspaper.On Saturday, it will compete for the title of best film against fellow nominee A Very Long Engagement in France's Cesar film awards.Despite starring in five films in 2004, Depardieu made 3.35m Euros (£2.31m) putting him third place in the chart.Godzilla star Jean Reno was France's second best-paid actor in 2004, earning 3.55m Euros (£2.45m) . |
Aviator 'creator' in Oscars snub
The man who said he got Oscar-nominated movie The Aviator off the ground and signed up Leonardo DiCaprio has been shut out of the Academy Awards race.
Charles Evans Jr battled over his role with the people who eventually made the film, and won a producer's credit. But he is not on the list of producers who can win a best film Oscar due to a limit on the number of nominees. The Oscars organisers have picked two of The Aviator's four producers to be nominated for best film.
Up to three producers can be named per film but the studios behind The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby failed to trim their credits - so the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (Ampas) has done it for them. The Aviator's nominated producers are Michael Mann and Graham King - with Mr Evans and Sandy Climan, Mr Mann's former deputy, left off. Mr Evans sued Mr Mann in 2001, claiming he came up with the idea, spent years developing it and persuaded DiCaprio to play Hughes - but said he was later excluded from the project. The two sides settled out of court in a deal that has remained secret apart from the fact Mr Evans' name has appeared as a producer when the film's credits roll. At the Golden Globes, Mr Evans - who was named among the winners when the film won best drama film - evaded a security guard to have his photo taken with DiCaprio, director Martin Scorsese, Mr Mann and Mr King.
Ampas decided to limit the number of producers who could be nominated after Shakespeare in Love's victory in 1999 saw five producers collect awards. The eligible names for The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby were decided by Ampas' producers branch executive committee on Wednesday. The decision also saw Clint Eastwood get his third personal nomination for Million Dollar Baby. He is now named in the best film category as well as being nominated for best director and best lead actor. The Academy Awards ceremony will be held in Hollywood on 27 February. Chinese actress Ziyi Zhang, star of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero and House of Flying Daggers, is the latest name to be added to the list of presenters on the night.
| Up to three producers can be named per film but the studios behind The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby failed to trim their credits - so the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (Ampas) has done it for them.At the Golden Globes, Mr Evans - who was named among the winners when the film won best drama film - evaded a security guard to have his photo taken with DiCaprio, director Martin Scorsese, Mr Mann and Mr King.The Oscars organisers have picked two of The Aviator's four producers to be nominated for best film.But he is not on the list of producers who can win a best film Oscar due to a limit on the number of nominees.Ampas decided to limit the number of producers who could be nominated after Shakespeare in Love's victory in 1999 saw five producers collect awards.The Aviator's nominated producers are Michael Mann and Graham King - with Mr Evans and Sandy Climan, Mr Mann's former deputy, left off. |
No ads for Passion Oscar campaign
Producer Mel Gibson will not be using paid advertisements to promote The Passion of the Christ to voters in next year's Academy Awards.
Gibson and his Icon Productions partner Bruce Davey said they would not be campaigning in print, radio or TV for success at the Oscars in February. "This film should be judged on its artistic merit, not who spends more money on advertising," Davey said. But DVDs will be sent to Oscar voters, who will be invited to screenings. Icon spent very little on advertising the film, which deals with the last hours of Jesus Christ's life, when it was released earlier this year - instead, it made the film available for special screenings at churches. It went on to gross over $600m (£322m) in ticket sales worldwide. Over recent years, marketing films to the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has become a multi-million dollar industry. Last year, the academy formed a committee to tighten the rules after the campaigns spilled over into personal attacks between studios. Academy president Frank Pierson praised Gibson's move for working to restore the Oscars as a "celebration and appreciation of excellence," and resisting the "crass commercialisation that was threatening the integrity of the award".
| Icon spent very little on advertising the film, which deals with the last hours of Jesus Christ's life, when it was released earlier this year - instead, it made the film available for special screenings at churches.Over recent years, marketing films to the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has become a multi-million dollar industry."This film should be judged on its artistic merit, not who spends more money on advertising," Davey said.Gibson and his Icon Productions partner Bruce Davey said they would not be campaigning in print, radio or TV for success at the Oscars in February. |
De Niro film leads US box office
Film star Robert De Niro has returned to the top of the North American box office with his film Hide and Seek.
The thriller shot straight to the number one spot after taking $22m (£11.7m) at the box office. De Niro recently spent three weeks at the top with comedy Meet The Fockers, which was at number five this week. Oscar hopefuls The Aviator, Million Dollar Baby and Sideways all cashed in on their multiple nominations with stronger ticket sales.
In Hide and Seek, De Niro plays a widower whose daughter has a creepy imaginary friend. Despite lukewarm reviews from critics, the film took more than the expected $18m (£9.5m). "The element of a real actor in a psychological thriller certainly elevated it," said Bruce Snyder, president of domestic distribution at 20th Century Fox. Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby led the Oscar hopefuls with $11.8m (£6.3m), coming in at number three during its first weekend of wide release. The Aviator, a film biography of Howard Hughes that leads the Oscar field with 11 nominations, was at number six for the weekend with $7.5m (£4m). Oscar best-picture nominee Sideways entered the top ten for the first time in its 15th week of release. It came in seventh $6.3 (£3.35m). Last week's top film, Ice Cube's road-trip comedy Are We There Yet?, slipped to second place with $17m (£9m), while Coach Carter fell two places to number four, taking $8m (£4.25m) in its third week. Rounding out the top ten were In Good Company - starring Dennis Quaid and Scarlett Johansson - Racing Stripes and Assault on Precinct 13.
| Film star Robert De Niro has returned to the top of the North American box office with his film Hide and Seek.De Niro recently spent three weeks at the top with comedy Meet The Fockers, which was at number five this week.Oscar best-picture nominee Sideways entered the top ten for the first time in its 15th week of release.Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby led the Oscar hopefuls with $11.8m (£6.3m), coming in at number three during its first weekend of wide release.The Aviator, a film biography of Howard Hughes that leads the Oscar field with 11 nominations, was at number six for the weekend with $7.5m (£4m).Last week's top film, Ice Cube's road-trip comedy Are We There Yet?, slipped to second place with $17m (£9m), while Coach Carter fell two places to number four, taking $8m (£4.25m) in its third week. |
Sky takes over Oscar night mantle
Sky has signed a major new deal to broadcast this year's Academy Awards, taking over from three years of live Oscar coverage on the BBC.
Sky said it was "honoured to have won exclusive broadcasting rights" and promised to cover the event "in a way no other broadcaster could". The BBC denied it had lost a bidding war, saying it had "decided to pass the mantle to another broadcaster". The ceremony, hosted by newcomer Chris Rock, takes place on 27 February 2005.
Sky's coverage will launch with the nominations on 25 January and will include themed programming across Sky channels including Sky News, Sky Travel and the Biography Channel. There will also be a month-long season of Oscar-winning films on Sky Movies in the run up to the event and live uninterrupted coverage on the night. "We are honoured to have won the live and exclusive broadcasting rights for The Academy Awards," said Sky Networks' Sophie Turner Laing. "Sky is the natural place to see the biggest and most prestigious film event of the year, and will cover the event in a way that no other broadcaster could."
Sky first scooped Oscar rights from the BBC in 1999, but the BBC won them back in 2001 when Sky was forced to pull out of a bidding war due to financial constraints. "BBC viewers will of course be able to watch quality coverage of the 2005 Academy Awards on the BBC's bulletins and news programmes," a spokesman said. Among the films tipped to do well at this year's Academy Awards are Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, Jean-Pierre Jeunet's A Very Long Engagement and the Ray Charles biopic, Ray.
| Sky has signed a major new deal to broadcast this year's Academy Awards, taking over from three years of live Oscar coverage on the BBC.Sky said it was "honoured to have won exclusive broadcasting rights" and promised to cover the event "in a way no other broadcaster could"."Sky is the natural place to see the biggest and most prestigious film event of the year, and will cover the event in a way that no other broadcaster could.""We are honoured to have won the live and exclusive broadcasting rights for The Academy Awards," said Sky Networks' Sophie Turner Laing.Sky first scooped Oscar rights from the BBC in 1999, but the BBC won them back in 2001 when Sky was forced to pull out of a bidding war due to financial constraints. |
Ocean's Twelve raids box office
Ocean's Twelve, the crime caper sequel starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, has gone straight to number one in the US box office chart.
It took $40.8m (£21m) in weekend ticket sales, according to studio estimates. The sequel follows the master criminals as they try to pull off three major heists across Europe. It knocked last week's number one, National Treasure, into third place. Wesley Snipes' Blade: Trinity was in second, taking $16.1m (£8.4m). Rounding out the top five was animated fable The Polar Express, starring Tom Hanks, and festive comedy Christmas with the Kranks.
Ocean's Twelve box office triumph marks the fourth-biggest opening for a December release in the US, after the three films in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The sequel narrowly beat its 2001 predecessor, Ocean's Eleven which took $38.1m (£19.8m) on its opening weekend and $184m (£95.8m) in total. A remake of the 1960s film, starring Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, Ocean's Eleven was directed by Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh. Soderbergh returns to direct the hit sequel which reunites Clooney, Pitt and Roberts with Matt Damon, Andy Garcia and Elliott Gould. Catherine Zeta-Jones joins the all-star cast. "It's just a fun, good holiday movie," said Dan Fellman, president of distribution at Warner Bros. However, US critics were less complimentary about the $110m (£57.2m) project, with the Los Angeles Times labelling it a "dispiriting vanity project". A milder review in the New York Times dubbed the sequel "unabashedly trivial".
| Ocean's Twelve, the crime caper sequel starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, has gone straight to number one in the US box office chart.The sequel narrowly beat its 2001 predecessor, Ocean's Eleven which took $38.1m (£19.8m) on its opening weekend and $184m (£95.8m) in total.A remake of the 1960s film, starring Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, Ocean's Eleven was directed by Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh.Ocean's Twelve box office triumph marks the fourth-biggest opening for a December release in the US, after the three films in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.Soderbergh returns to direct the hit sequel which reunites Clooney, Pitt and Roberts with Matt Damon, Andy Garcia and Elliott Gould.A milder review in the New York Times dubbed the sequel "unabashedly trivial". |
Dutch watch Van Gogh's last film
The last film to be made by the slain Dutch director Theo van Gogh, called 06/05, has been premiered in The Hague.
Members of Van Gogh's family and celebrities attended the screening of 06/05, based on the murder of the anti-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn. Van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death in Amsterdam six weeks ago. A Dutch-Moroccan man suspected of radical Islamist links has been charged. The killing, and Fortuyn's death in 2002, convulsed the Netherlands. Many Dutch people have questioned their country's self-image as a peaceful, tolerant nation in the wake of the murders, which triggered heated debate about immigration.
An animal rights activist was sentenced to 18 years in prison last year for killing Fortuyn. Earlier this year, Van Gogh made a film accusing Islam of promoting violence against women. It caused outrage among Muslims and death threats were made against him. The film 06/05 will become available on the internet on Wednesday and go on general release in Dutch cinemas in January. Van Gogh's movie mixes real images of the day of Fortuyn's murder with a fictional plot about Dutch intelligence services conspiring to silence the politician. The story unfolds through the eyes of a freelance photographer who unwittingly takes pictures revealing the involvement of Dutch authorities in Fortuyn's murder. Photographer Jim de Booy then goes on the run from secret service agents who burgle his home and threaten his family.
| The last film to be made by the slain Dutch director Theo van Gogh, called 06/05, has been premiered in The Hague.Van Gogh's movie mixes real images of the day of Fortuyn's murder with a fictional plot about Dutch intelligence services conspiring to silence the politician.Earlier this year, Van Gogh made a film accusing Islam of promoting violence against women.Van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death in Amsterdam six weeks ago.Members of Van Gogh's family and celebrities attended the screening of 06/05, based on the murder of the anti-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn.The story unfolds through the eyes of a freelance photographer who unwittingly takes pictures revealing the involvement of Dutch authorities in Fortuyn's murder. |
Children vote Shrek 2 best film
Young UK film fans voted animated Hollywood hit Shrek 2 best film at the children's Bafta awards on Sunday.
More than 6,000 children voted in the only category chosen by fans. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, runner-up in the poll, was the choice of the Bafta experts who named it best feature film. BBC One Saturday morning show Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow won two awards - best entertainment and best presenters for Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood.
Former Playschool presenter Floella Benjamin was awarded the Special Award for outstanding creative contribution to children's film and television. She first appeared on Playschool 25 years ago and was made an OBE in 2001 for services to broadcasting. South American-themed cartoon Joko! Jakamoko! Toto! won the honour for pre-school animation and its writer Tony Collingwood for original writer. Debbie Isitt won the award for best adapted writer for her work with Jacqueline Wilson's The Illustrated Mum, which won the award for best schools drama.
Schools' Factual (primary) - Thinking Skills: Think About It - Hiding Places
Schools' Factual (secondary) - In Search of the Tartan Turban
Pre-School Live Action - Balamory
Animation - Brush Head
Drama - Featherboy
Factual - Serious Desert Interactive Bafta - King Arthur International category - 8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter
| Young UK film fans voted animated Hollywood hit Shrek 2 best film at the children's Bafta awards on Sunday.Debbie Isitt won the award for best adapted writer for her work with Jacqueline Wilson's The Illustrated Mum, which won the award for best schools drama.Former Playschool presenter Floella Benjamin was awarded the Special Award for outstanding creative contribution to children's film and television.Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, runner-up in the poll, was the choice of the Bafta experts who named it best feature film.BBC One Saturday morning show Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow won two awards - best entertainment and best presenters for Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood. |
Willis sues over movie 'injury'
Actor Bruce Willis is suing Revolution Studios over an injury he said he suffered while making Tears of the Sun.
Willis is seeking medical expenses after he said he was hit in the head by a firework during the filming of the 2002 movie, produced by the firm. The lawsuit said the star has endured mental and physical injuries as a result of the alleged incident. "We are not able to comment on pending litigation," Revolution Studios spokesman Sean Dudas said.
In Tears of the Sun Willis plays a US military commander who disobeys orders to try and help save a doctor and patients trapped in the Nigerian jungle. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film was poorly received by critics and did not perform strongly at the box office. According to the lawsuit, the injury was suffered during the firing of explosions as part of a special effect. The explosions, known as squibs, were intended to "simulate the appearance of bullets striking the ground". The lawsuit said Willis has endured "extreme mental, physical and emotional pain and suffering." There were no specific details on the injuries. While Willis does not seek specific monetary damages, the lawsuit noted that the star "was required to and did employ physicians and other medical personnel". It stated he will incur additional future medical expenses. The lawsuit said Revolution Studios and special effects foreman Joe Pancake "had a duty to Willis to ensure that the squibs were inspected, set up, placed and detonated in a safe manner, and to employ technicians who were trained and competent in their use".
| Actor Bruce Willis is suing Revolution Studios over an injury he said he suffered while making Tears of the Sun.The lawsuit said Willis has endured "extreme mental, physical and emotional pain and suffering."The lawsuit said the star has endured mental and physical injuries as a result of the alleged incident.While Willis does not seek specific monetary damages, the lawsuit noted that the star "was required to and did employ physicians and other medical personnel".The lawsuit said Revolution Studios and special effects foreman Joe Pancake "had a duty to Willis to ensure that the squibs were inspected, set up, placed and detonated in a safe manner, and to employ technicians who were trained and competent in their use".Willis is seeking medical expenses after he said he was hit in the head by a firework during the filming of the 2002 movie, produced by the firm. |
Tautou 'to star in Da Vinci film'
French actress Audrey Tautou, star of hit film Amelie, will play the female lead in the film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, it has been reported.
The movie version of Dan Brown's best-selling novel is being directed by Ron Howard and also stars Tom Hanks. Tautou will play Hanks' code-cracking partner, according to various newspapers. She is currently starring in A Very Long Engagement, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Jeunet was also responsible for directing Tautou in Amelie in 2001, which launched the actress into the mainstream.
She also starred as the lead role in critically-acclaimed film Dirty Pretty Things in 2002. Oscar-winning director Ron Howard chose Tautou for the part, preferring a French actress to a big name Hollywood star. UK actress Kate Beckinsale had been widely tipped as a possibility for the role alongside Vanessa Paradis and Juliette Binoche. The thriller upon which the movie is based has sold more than 17 million copies and is centred on a global conspiracy surrounding the Holy Grail mythology. The Louvre Museum, scene of the gruesome murder at the beginning of the novel, recently gave permission for filming to take place there, showbusiness newspaper Variety reported. The $100m movie will be produced by Columbia/Sony Pictures and is due for release on May 19, 2006 in the United States and France.
| French actress Audrey Tautou, star of hit film Amelie, will play the female lead in the film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, it has been reported.The movie version of Dan Brown's best-selling novel is being directed by Ron Howard and also stars Tom Hanks.Jeunet was also responsible for directing Tautou in Amelie in 2001, which launched the actress into the mainstream.Oscar-winning director Ron Howard chose Tautou for the part, preferring a French actress to a big name Hollywood star.She also starred as the lead role in critically-acclaimed film Dirty Pretty Things in 2002. |
Berlin hails European cinema
Organisers say this year's Berlin Film Festival, which opens on Thursday with period epic Man to Man, will celebrate a revitalised European cinema.
Of the 21 films in competition for the Golden and Silver Bear awards, more than half are from Europe with France particularly well represented. Festival director Dieter Kosslick says this strong showing signals "a new consciousness for European films". "They're on an incredible winning streak," he told the Reuters agency. "This isn't to say there aren't any good American films," he continued. "It's just that there are more good European films."
However, Mr Kosslick refused to accept that widespread opposition to the Iraq war had turned audiences against Hollywood imports. "There is no anti-American mood," he said. Some 350 films will be screened at this year's festival, with a further 300 shown at the European Film Market that runs alongside it. More than a dozen celebrities are scheduled to attend, among them Will Smith, Kevin Spacey and Keanu Reeves. But Mr Kosslick says more would be coming had the Academy Awards not been brought forward to 27 February. "I'm not worried that we won't be able to fill the red carpet with stars," he said, though he admitted the festival may be moved to January next year to avoid a similar clash. The 10-day Berlinale runs until 20 February.
| Festival director Dieter Kosslick says this strong showing signals "a new consciousness for European films".Some 350 films will be screened at this year's festival, with a further 300 shown at the European Film Market that runs alongside it."It's just that there are more good European films."Organisers say this year's Berlin Film Festival, which opens on Thursday with period epic Man to Man, will celebrate a revitalised European cinema.But Mr Kosslick says more would be coming had the Academy Awards not been brought forward to 27 February."This isn't to say there aren't any good American films," he continued. |
Animation charms Japan box office
Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki's latest film has set a new Japanese box office record, with 1.5bn yen ($14.3m) in two days, according to reports.
Howl's Moving Castle is the follow-up to Miyazaki's Spirited Away, which won best animation at last year's Oscars. It is based on the children's book by English writer Diana Wynne Jones. It has registered the highest opening weekend takings of any Japanese film in the country, according to trade publication Screen Daily.
The film is about an 18-year-old girl who is trapped in an old woman's body after being put under a spell by a witch. Its two-day takings represented 1.1 million cinema admissions, Screen Daily said. The film's distributor Toho expects 40 million people to see it in total - almost one third of the country's population - it added. The film won the Golden Osella for outstanding technical contribution at this year's Venice Film Festival.
| It has registered the highest opening weekend takings of any Japanese film in the country, according to trade publication Screen Daily.The film won the Golden Osella for outstanding technical contribution at this year's Venice Film Festival.Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki's latest film has set a new Japanese box office record, with 1.5bn yen ($14.3m) in two days, according to reports.Its two-day takings represented 1.1 million cinema admissions, Screen Daily said. |
US box office set for record high
Ticket sales at the US box office are predicted to break records this year, with figures expected to reach $9.4 billion, beating 2002's all-time high.
Overall figures could be dampened by the lack of a Christmas hit like last year's Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings. Traditionally, ticket sales during the festive season account for 20% of the annual total. Although admissions have actually fallen this year, the predicted high is down to increasing ticket prices. According to Exhibitor Relations President Paul Dergarabedian, the average cost of a cinema ticket could be as high as $6.25 in 2004, compared to $5.80 in 2002. This year some of the biggest hits such as The Passion of the Christ and Fahrenheit 9/11 came from outside the major studios which are usually responsible for the key blockbusters.
"Many of the films that did well (with audiences) are not necessarily the films that made a lot of money," said Mr Dergarabedian. He added that surprise hits had come from some of the more art-house offerings such as Napoleon Dynamite and critical hit Sideways. Sony Pictures, responsible for hits like Spiderman 2 and The Grudge, are expected to top domestic market share for the second time in three years, with $1 billion-plus in sales for the third consecutive year. Sony Pictures Entertainment vice chairman. Jeff Blake said: "We had a really diverse slate this year, and... certainly we pulled off one of the surprises with Grudge." Horror movie The Grudge cost Sony $10 million to make but brought in $110 million. It's the latest in a recent trend for Hollywood studios to back the upper and lower ends of the market, whilst ignoring the middle. Warner Inc are likely to end the year in second place on market share with around $1.25 billion, with Disney at number three.
| Sony Pictures, responsible for hits like Spiderman 2 and The Grudge, are expected to top domestic market share for the second time in three years, with $1 billion-plus in sales for the third consecutive year.Ticket sales at the US box office are predicted to break records this year, with figures expected to reach $9.4 billion, beating 2002's all-time high.Although admissions have actually fallen this year, the predicted high is down to increasing ticket prices.Warner Inc are likely to end the year in second place on market share with around $1.25 billion, with Disney at number three.This year some of the biggest hits such as The Passion of the Christ and Fahrenheit 9/11 came from outside the major studios which are usually responsible for the key blockbusters.Jeff Blake said: "We had a really diverse slate this year, and... certainly we pulled off one of the surprises with Grudge." |
Stars gear up for Bafta ceremony
Film stars from across the globe are preparing to walk the red carpet at this year's Bafta award ceremony.
The 2005 Orange British Academy Film Awards are being held at The Odeon in London's Leicester Square. A host of Hollywood stars, including Cate Blanchett, Leonardo DiCaprio, Keanu Reeves and Richard Gere, are expected to attend Saturday's ceremony. Hosted by Stephen Fry, the glittering ceremony will be broadcast on BBC One at 2010 GMT.
Other actors expected to add to the glamour of the biggest night in UK film are Gael Garcia Bernal, Imelda Staunton, Diane Kruger, Christian Slater, Anjelica Huston, Helen Mirren and former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan. Hollywood blockbuster The Aviator, starring DiCaprio, leads the field with 14 nominations, including best film.
It is up against Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Finding Neverland, The Motorcycle Diaries and British film Vera Drake, which has 11 nominations. British hope Imelda Staunton is one of the favourites to land the best actress award for her gritty role as a backstreet abortionist in the small-budget film. Other nominees in the best actress category include Charlize Theron for Monster, Ziyi Zhang for House of Flying Daggers and UK star Kate Winslet, who has two nods for her roles in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Finding Neverland.
DiCaprio faces competition from Bernal, Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey and Johnny Depp in the best actor category. And British actor Clive Owen is hoping to repeat his Golden Globe success with a best supporting actor award for his role in Closer. His co-star Natalie Portman is up against Blanchett, Heather Craney, Julie Cristie and Meryl Streep in the best supporting actress category. Mike Leigh is up for the best director award for Vera Drake, alongside Martin Scorsese for The Aviator, Michael Mann for Collateral, Michel Gondry for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Marc Forster for Finding Neverland.
| British hope Imelda Staunton is one of the favourites to land the best actress award for her gritty role as a backstreet abortionist in the small-budget film.It is up against Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Finding Neverland, The Motorcycle Diaries and British film Vera Drake, which has 11 nominations.Hollywood blockbuster The Aviator, starring DiCaprio, leads the field with 14 nominations, including best film.Other nominees in the best actress category include Charlize Theron for Monster, Ziyi Zhang for House of Flying Daggers and UK star Kate Winslet, who has two nods for her roles in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Finding Neverland.And British actor Clive Owen is hoping to repeat his Golden Globe success with a best supporting actor award for his role in Closer.Mike Leigh is up for the best director award for Vera Drake, alongside Martin Scorsese for The Aviator, Michael Mann for Collateral, Michel Gondry for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Marc Forster for Finding Neverland. |
Mumbai bombs movie postponed
The release of a film about the Mumbai (Bombay) blasts in 1993 has been postponed following protests by those on trial for the bombings.
Investigating the blasts which killed more than 250 people and wounded 1,000, the film Black Friday had been due to open across India on Friday. But 36 people accused in connection with the blasts said it should not be screened until the trial is over. Mumbai High Court postponed the film's launch until 3 February.
Black Friday is based upon the novel of the same name written by journalist S Hussain Zaidi, which looks at the 15 explosions which rocked Mumbai on 12 March 1993. Director Anurag Kashyap said the film's release should not be delayed as the book has already been on sale for two years. "If you have not gone against the book, then how can you go against the movie?" Mr Kashyap's lawyer Mihir Desai said. This is the second time that those accused in connection with the blasts have sought legal intervention regarding the film.
They previously asked that a line from the movie's poster, which claimed the film portrayed "the true story of the Bombay bomb blasts", be removed. Their lawyer, Majeed Memon, said: "We had argued that how can a film say it is telling the true story when the court itself is struggling to find the truth? "So we said they should remove the line from their promotional posters and they did give us an assurance that they would do so." The Mumbai bombings case is one of India's longest-running trials. A special court was set up to hear the case and regular hearings have taken place there for the last nine years, with more than six hundred witnesses questioned.
| The release of a film about the Mumbai (Bombay) blasts in 1993 has been postponed following protests by those on trial for the bombings.But 36 people accused in connection with the blasts said it should not be screened until the trial is over.Their lawyer, Majeed Memon, said: "We had argued that how can a film say it is telling the true story when the court itself is struggling to find the truth?Director Anurag Kashyap said the film's release should not be delayed as the book has already been on sale for two years.Investigating the blasts which killed more than 250 people and wounded 1,000, the film Black Friday had been due to open across India on Friday.This is the second time that those accused in connection with the blasts have sought legal intervention regarding the film. |
Ray DVD beats box office takings
Oscar-nominated film biopic Ray has surpassed its US box office takings with a combined tally of $80m (£43m) from DVD and video sales and rentals.
Ray's success on DVD outstripped its $74m (£40m) US box office total, earning more than $40m (£22m) on the first day of the DVD's release alone. Ray has been nominated in six Oscar categories including best film and best actor for Jamie Foxx. The film recounts the life of blues singer Ray Charles, who died in 2004. In its first week on home entertainment release the film was the number one selling DVD, with the limited edition version coming in at number 11. Sony horror film The Grudge, starring Michelle Gellar, was the US' second best-selling DVD, with Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere's romantic comedy Shall We Dance? at number three. Foxx's critically acclaimed performance as Ray has already earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award for best actor, as well as a prestigious Golden Globe. Ray director Taylor Hackford, responsible for the classic 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman, has also received an Oscar nomination in the best director category. The film's three other Oscar nominations are for costume, film editing and sound mixing.
| Ray has been nominated in six Oscar categories including best film and best actor for Jamie Foxx.Oscar-nominated film biopic Ray has surpassed its US box office takings with a combined tally of $80m (£43m) from DVD and video sales and rentals.Ray director Taylor Hackford, responsible for the classic 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman, has also received an Oscar nomination in the best director category.In its first week on home entertainment release the film was the number one selling DVD, with the limited edition version coming in at number 11. |
Hollywood ready for Oscars night
Hollywood is preparing for the biggest night in the film world's calendar, the 77th Academy Awards, on Sunday.
A host of stars are expected to grace the red carpet outside Los Angeles' Kodak Theatre, including Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchett and Leonardo DiCaprio. British actors in attendance include nominees Clive Owen, Imelda Staunton, Kate Winslet and director Mike Leigh. The Aviator leads the shortlist, but critics believe the night may belong to Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby. A recent poll of US pundits found Eastwood's boxing drama had become the new favourite to win best film over the Howard Hughes biopic.
If the 74-year-old does win, he will become the oldest person ever to be named best director at the ceremony. UK critics still favour The Aviator for best film, but believe the best director title will generate a close fought battle between Eastwood and Martin Scorsese.
Scorsese has never won the best director prize, despite four previous nominations for films including Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Gangs of New York. Eastwood has won best director once before, for Unforgiven in 1993. Most experts predict the twice-nominated Jamie Foxx will win best actor for his portrayal of singer Ray Charles, while Vera Drake star Imelda Staunton looks likely to lose out in the best actress field to Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby. The UK's highest hopes remain with Clive Owen, who has scooped both the Golden Globe and the Bafta for his supporting role in Closer. Actor and comedian Chris Rock will host the event, which will be broadcast with a seven-second time delay to allow censors to cut out any unsuitable content.
"We have the bleep machine ready, but bleeps will be used as needed," producer Gil Cates told reporters. However, he added that he strongly disapproved of the growing tendency to censor live broadcasts on US TV.
He also played down fears that Rock, who is known for using strong language in his stand-up routines, might cause controversy on the night. The 40-year-old comic has already promised not to swear live on air during the show. "Chris has a sense of humour and everything he says is really said humorously," Cates said. "You need a movie star and someone who is a stand-up comic so they can deal with the vicissitudes of the show." Security will also be tight, with police employing a system to detect sarin nerve gas. "We are pulling out all the stops," said John Miller, chief of counterterrorism at the Los Angeles Police Department. The show is "a symbol of American culture and has the potential to be a high-visibility target," he added. Meanwhile, organisers have erected a canopy over the red carpet following an outbreak of torrential rain in Los Angeles over the past week. Cates said the covers would be removed if the threat of wet weather receded. Details have also emerged of the contents of this year's gift bags, which are given to nominees and presenters on the night. This year's bags will include a gift certificate for a luxury beach resort, a pair of mink eyelashes and a kitchen set with a year's supply of tea and coffee. The event will be televised by the ABC network from 1700 local time (0100 GMT), and on Sky Movies in the UK from 0130 GMT.
| Eastwood has won best director once before, for Unforgiven in 1993.UK critics still favour The Aviator for best film, but believe the best director title will generate a close fought battle between Eastwood and Martin Scorsese.Scorsese has never won the best director prize, despite four previous nominations for films including Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Gangs of New York."Chris has a sense of humour and everything he says is really said humorously," Cates said.Most experts predict the twice-nominated Jamie Foxx will win best actor for his portrayal of singer Ray Charles, while Vera Drake star Imelda Staunton looks likely to lose out in the best actress field to Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby.The 40-year-old comic has already promised not to swear live on air during the show.If the 74-year-old does win, he will become the oldest person ever to be named best director at the ceremony.Details have also emerged of the contents of this year's gift bags, which are given to nominees and presenters on the night.A recent poll of US pundits found Eastwood's boxing drama had become the new favourite to win best film over the Howard Hughes biopic."We are pulling out all the stops," said John Miller, chief of counterterrorism at the Los Angeles Police Department.Actor and comedian Chris Rock will host the event, which will be broadcast with a seven-second time delay to allow censors to cut out any unsuitable content. |
Brando 'rejected Godfather role'
Late film star Marlon Brando is said to have repeatedly turned down his Oscar-winning role in The Godfather.
The actor's friend Budd Schulberg told Vanity Fair magazine that Brando's assistant suggested he read the novel. The actor repeatedly refused, throwing the book at her and saying: "For the last time, I won't glorify the mafia". But Brando, who died last July at the age of 80, eventually took the role of Don Corleone, winning him an Oscar in 1973 which he notoriously refused. The actor sent a young woman dressed in Native American costume to refuse the award on his behalf and to draw attention to the plight of Native Americans.
Schulberg told the magazine that Brando's assistant realised the film star had warmed to the idea of The Godfather role when he sported a drawn-on pencil moustache and asked: "How do I look?" His assistant, Alice Marchak, said that he looked like George Raft, an actor famed for playing gangsters on the silver screen. Every time she went to see Brando from then on, she added, he was wearing a different gangster-style moustache. Brando was asked to screen test for the role in The Godfather, as studio executives were said to be reluctant for the actor to play the part following problems on the set of Brando's previous film Mutiny on the Bounty . In fact Brando's Academy Award triumph revived his career. The actor was nominated for an Oscar the following year for his role in Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris. Before his death, Brando granted gaming company Electronic Arts the rights to use his voice and image in a video game based on the Godfather film and book and recorded voice-overs which closely resembled his role as Don Corleone. Brando's co-stars from The Godfather, James Caan and Robert Duvall, will also reprise their roles for the video game, it was confirmed on Wednesday.
| Brando was asked to screen test for the role in The Godfather, as studio executives were said to be reluctant for the actor to play the part following problems on the set of Brando's previous film Mutiny on the Bounty .Schulberg told the magazine that Brando's assistant realised the film star had warmed to the idea of The Godfather role when he sported a drawn-on pencil moustache and asked: "How do I look?"Late film star Marlon Brando is said to have repeatedly turned down his Oscar-winning role in The Godfather.The actor was nominated for an Oscar the following year for his role in Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris.Brando's co-stars from The Godfather, James Caan and Robert Duvall, will also reprise their roles for the video game, it was confirmed on Wednesday.Before his death, Brando granted gaming company Electronic Arts the rights to use his voice and image in a video game based on the Godfather film and book and recorded voice-overs which closely resembled his role as Don Corleone. |
Spirit awards hail Sideways
The comedy Sideways has dominated this year's Independent Spirit Awards, winning all six of the awards for which it was nominated.
It was named best film while Alexander Payne won best director and best screenplay, along with writing partner Jim Taylor. It also won acting awards for stars Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen. Sideways is tipped to do well at Sunday's Oscars, with five nominations.
The awards, now in their 20th year, are given to films made outside the traditional studio system, and are traditionally held the day before the Oscars. Other winners included Catalina Sandino Moreno, who took best actress for her role as a drug smuggler in the Colombian drama Maria Full of Grace. Moreno is also nominated for best actress at the Oscars. The best first screenplay award went to Joshua Marston for Maria Full of Grace. Scrubs star Zach Braff won the award for best first feature for Garden State, which he wrote, directed and starred in. Oscar-nominated euthanasia film The Sea Inside from Spain won best foreign film, while Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster was awarded best documentary. Actor Rodrigo de la Serna took the best debut performance prize for The Motorcycle Diaries. The awards are voted for by the 9,000 members of the Independent Feature Project/Los Angeles, which includes actors, directors, writers and other industry professionals. Last year's big winner, Lost In Translation, went on to win the Oscar for best original screenplay, for writer-director Sofia Coppola.
| It was named best film while Alexander Payne won best director and best screenplay, along with writing partner Jim Taylor.Moreno is also nominated for best actress at the Oscars.The best first screenplay award went to Joshua Marston for Maria Full of Grace.Oscar-nominated euthanasia film The Sea Inside from Spain won best foreign film, while Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster was awarded best documentary.Scrubs star Zach Braff won the award for best first feature for Garden State, which he wrote, directed and starred in.Other winners included Catalina Sandino Moreno, who took best actress for her role as a drug smuggler in the Colombian drama Maria Full of Grace. |
Wine comedy up for six film gongs
Sideways, a wine-tasting comedy starring Paul Giamatti, is up for six Independent Spirit Awards, the art-house version of the Oscars.
The awards are held on 26 February, the day before the Oscars. Spanish drama Maria Full of Grace, about a Colombian woman who becomes a drug courier, got five nominations. Controversial biopic Kinsey, starring Liam Neeson as sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, was one of four films to get four nominations. The awards, now in their 20th year, honour quirky low-budget films, all of which must have a degree of independent financing. Sideways is written and directed by Alexander Payne, who directed the 2002 hit About Schmidt, winning Jack Nicholson his 12th Academy Award nomination.
"These awards, for better or worse, mean everything," said Sideways producer Michael London, adding they were a "huge first step" toward getting recognition from other awards. Among the other films receiving four nominations apiece were Brother to Brother, a drama about a young gay black man forced to live on the streets, Robbing Peter and Primer. Primer, a $7,000 (£3,650) tale of discovery, won top prize at the Sundance film festival earlier this year. Walter Salles critically acclaimed The Motorcycle Diaries and the forthcoming thriller The Woodsman, starring Kevin Bacon, received three nominations each. Also in the running, with two nominations, are high school comedy Napoleon Dynamite, The Door in the Floor and Garden State - written, directed and starring Scrubs star Zach Braff alongside Natalie Portman. The awards were announced by actors Selma Blair and Dennis Quaid in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
| Sideways, a wine-tasting comedy starring Paul Giamatti, is up for six Independent Spirit Awards, the art-house version of the Oscars.Sideways is written and directed by Alexander Payne, who directed the 2002 hit About Schmidt, winning Jack Nicholson his 12th Academy Award nomination.Controversial biopic Kinsey, starring Liam Neeson as sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, was one of four films to get four nominations.Among the other films receiving four nominations apiece were Brother to Brother, a drama about a young gay black man forced to live on the streets, Robbing Peter and Primer.Also in the running, with two nominations, are high school comedy Napoleon Dynamite, The Door in the Floor and Garden State - written, directed and starring Scrubs star Zach Braff alongside Natalie Portman. |
Foxx and Swank take actors awards
Jamie Foxx and Hilary Swank have won the Screen Actors Guild Awards for best male and female film actors, boosting their Oscars hopes this month.
Foxx's portrayal of late soul-singer Ray Charles in Ray had already earned him a prestigious Golden Globe award. Swank triumphed for playing a gutsy female boxer in Million Dollar Baby. Modest wine country comedy Sideways knocked out favourites Million Dollar Baby and The Aviator by taking the top prize for best cast performance.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) represents US film and TV actors. Its winners often go on to win Oscars. In other nominations, Cate Blanchett triumphed as the best supporting actress for her role as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator. Veteran actor Morgan Freeman took the best supporting actor award for playing a prize-fighter turned gym manager in Million Dollar Baby.
"Thank you for Ray Charles for just living so complex and so interesting, and making us all just come together," said Foxx, accepting his award in Los Angeles on Saturday.
He also praised the film director: "Thank you for Taylor Hackford for taking a chance with an African-American film. Taylor, you're my director of the year." Swank, too, was full of praise for her director and co-star Clint Eastwood. "I bow down to you," Swank said to the 74-year-old Eastwood. "You are a talent beyond compare. If I'm half the person you are and half the talent you are when I'm 74, I will know that I've accomplished something great."
Both Foxx and Swank are now considered to be among the favourites to get Oscars - the Hollywood's ultimate prize. However, Swank has to overcome a strong challenge from Annette Bening, a nominee for the theatre farce Being Julia. Meanwhile, ballots for Oscars - the Hollywood's top honours - were mailed earlier this week to members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The voting is due to end on 22 February - five days before the ceremony.
| Jamie Foxx and Hilary Swank have won the Screen Actors Guild Awards for best male and female film actors, boosting their Oscars hopes this month.Swank triumphed for playing a gutsy female boxer in Million Dollar Baby.Both Foxx and Swank are now considered to be among the favourites to get Oscars - the Hollywood's ultimate prize.Swank, too, was full of praise for her director and co-star Clint Eastwood.Modest wine country comedy Sideways knocked out favourites Million Dollar Baby and The Aviator by taking the top prize for best cast performance."I bow down to you," Swank said to the 74-year-old Eastwood.Veteran actor Morgan Freeman took the best supporting actor award for playing a prize-fighter turned gym manager in Million Dollar Baby.He also praised the film director: "Thank you for Taylor Hackford for taking a chance with an African-American film. |
Director Nair's Vanity project
Indian film director Mira Nair has said she was thrilled to be given the chance to make William Makepeace Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair - as the book has been a favourite through her life.
The book is one of the classics of English literature - the story of scheming 19th Century social climber Becky Sharp, played in the film by Reese Witherspoon. Nair said that she jumped at the chance to work on the film, which she has - controversially - made in a Bollywood style, including two song-and-dance routines in the film's second half. "It was serendipity really - I was offered Vanity Fair by the studio Focus Features, who had distributed Monsoon Wedding," Nair told BBC World Service's Masterpiece programme. "They offered me their next-best thing, not realising that Vanity Fair had actually been one of my favourite novels since I was 16 years old in an Irish Catholic boarding school in India."
Since her 1988 debut feature Salaam Bombay! - nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar and winner of Best First Feature at Cannes - Nair has become one of India's most famous and respected directors. She is not restricted to Bollywood, however - she followed Salaam Bombay! with Mississippi Masala, starring Denzel Washington, and The Perez Family, her first Hollywood film.
Her career peaked with Monsoon Wedding in 2001, which won the Golden Lion award at Venice. Nair's Indian-style adaptation of Vanity Fair, however, has been attacked by critics in the US - where it only reached number eight at the box office in its opening week - who described the Bollywood elements as "jarring." The film has a new ending, with Becky Sharp running off for a new life in India. But Nair said that her film had picked up on the way Thackeray - who was born in India but moved to England as a young man - had seen the world. "First, when I was 16, it was Becky Sharp, who is a completely memorable character, because I recognised myself in her - I recognised all the ladies who did not want to be ladies, who wanted to buck the system that they were in," she said. "But it was the sort of novel I somehow kept at the side of my bed for many years, and I would dip into every now and then and suddenly get completely mesmerised again. "As I got older and read it, I think it was Thackeray's clarity - his clear-sightedness about his own society, the fact that he was born in India but came to England as a young man - that gave him the eyes of an outsider, and yet he was an insider. "That perspective was something I really loved."
Nair also defended her decision to cast an American actress - Reese Witherspoon - as Becky Sharp, despite the fact that all the rest of the cast are British or Irish. "I cast intuitively - in my films I cast as many non-actors as I cast actors," she said. "For me, it is intuition - I have to fall in love with an actor. It is a visceral response.
"Thackeray describes Becky Sharp as a minx. Also she's described as someone who's tiny, red-headed and thin. Reese had that completely minx-like irresistibility about her." Having won the role because she seemed physically perfectly suited to the part, however, Witherspoon then became pregnant. But Nair said that, though this had created the need for some filming tricks, it had in fact also helped the film. "It was a self-fulfilling prophesy - when I first met her husband [actor Ryan Philippe], I said 'knock her up, won't you, I need some flesh on the girl'," she joked. "I'm not a fan of the underfed Los Angeles actor at all. This was, for me, about Becky Sharp being, eventually, a full-blown woman through the course of the film. "I love the luminosity that pregnancy brings, I love the fleshiness, I love the ample bosom - it gave me much more to play with." Nair explained how camera tricks had been used to disguise Witherspoon's "bump" in various scenes - including hiring a number of young boys in costumes to stand in front of her. "She runs, she gets off coal carts, she jumps off horses - she does everything," Nair said. "But there's also a certain carriage with horses that is going to wipe the screen at a certain moment, because of the bump."
| Indian film director Mira Nair has said she was thrilled to be given the chance to make William Makepeace Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair - as the book has been a favourite through her life.But Nair said that her film had picked up on the way Thackeray - who was born in India but moved to England as a young man - had seen the world."First, when I was 16, it was Becky Sharp, who is a completely memorable character, because I recognised myself in her - I recognised all the ladies who did not want to be ladies, who wanted to buck the system that they were in," she said."It was serendipity really - I was offered Vanity Fair by the studio Focus Features, who had distributed Monsoon Wedding," Nair told BBC World Service's Masterpiece programme.Nair also defended her decision to cast an American actress - Reese Witherspoon - as Becky Sharp, despite the fact that all the rest of the cast are British or Irish.But Nair said that, though this had created the need for some filming tricks, it had in fact also helped the film.The film has a new ending, with Becky Sharp running off for a new life in India.Nair said that she jumped at the chance to work on the film, which she has - controversially - made in a Bollywood style, including two song-and-dance routines in the film's second half."As I got older and read it, I think it was Thackeray's clarity - his clear-sightedness about his own society, the fact that he was born in India but came to England as a young man - that gave him the eyes of an outsider, and yet he was an insider."It was a self-fulfilling prophesy - when I first met her husband [actor Ryan Philippe], I said 'knock her up, won't you, I need some flesh on the girl'," she joked.This was, for me, about Becky Sharp being, eventually, a full-blown woman through the course of the film.The book is one of the classics of English literature - the story of scheming 19th Century social climber Becky Sharp, played in the film by Reese Witherspoon."They offered me their next-best thing, not realising that Vanity Fair had actually been one of my favourite novels since I was 16 years old in an Irish Catholic boarding school in India.""I cast intuitively - in my films I cast as many non-actors as I cast actors," she said. |
Horror film heads US box office
A low-budget horror film produced by Evil Dead director Sam Raimi has topped the North American box office.
Boogeyman, which focuses on a man who returns to his childhood home to confront his traumatic past, took $19.5m (£14.9m) in three days. Last week's chart-topper, the Robert de Niro thriller Hide and Seek, fell to number four. Other new entries included The Wedding Date, a comedy starring Will and Grace's Debra Messing, at number two.
The road-trip comedy Are We There Yet? and multiple Oscar nominee Million Dollar Baby completed the top five. Other Oscar contenders, including The Aviator and Sideways, continued to perform strongly at the box office. The Aviator has taken $75m (£40m) so far, while Sideways has taken $46.8m (£24.8m) in a more limited release.
Boogeyman, which cost just $7m (£3.5m) to make, performed well even though it was not screened to critics before release - normally a sign that a film will get bad reviews or perform poorly at the box office. "I certainly believe it's a genre where people are going to be more moved by the marketing materials for the movie than by what the critics say," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony Pictures, which released the film in the US. Overall the weekend box office was strong despite the fact that it was American football's Super Bowl weekend - a time when cinema admissions generally fall. This year, the top 12 films grossed around $91m (£48.3m), compared to 2004's Super Bowl weekend when the total box office was $73.4m (£38.9m).
| This year, the top 12 films grossed around $91m (£48.3m), compared to 2004's Super Bowl weekend when the total box office was $73.4m (£38.9m).Boogeyman, which cost just $7m (£3.5m) to make, performed well even though it was not screened to critics before release - normally a sign that a film will get bad reviews or perform poorly at the box office.Other new entries included The Wedding Date, a comedy starring Will and Grace's Debra Messing, at number two.Other Oscar contenders, including The Aviator and Sideways, continued to perform strongly at the box office.A low-budget horror film produced by Evil Dead director Sam Raimi has topped the North American box office. |
DVD review: I, Robot
Only one man recognises that robots are a threat to humanity - but that's fine because it only takes one man to save the day in the thriller I, Robot.
Will Smith co-stars alongside more CGI robots than you can count and as a thrill-a-minute kind of action film, it's perfectly adequate. You'll have forgotten it all tomorrow but you'll have a fun night with the film and all the extras. There is a one-disc version that has commentaries and a Making Of but the two-disc adds more. Unusually for this kind of film, the extras don't solely concentrate on the special effects. They're covered but there's also a general Production Diary and a Post-Production feature.
Remember the National Lottery's draw machines Arthur and Guinevere? They were more accurate than this glossy Hollywood version of the tale.
But as long as you're not expecting a documentary, live with it: King Arthur is a fun, exciting, totally shallow experience and looks excellent. Clive Owen is the brooding king, Keira Knightly rises above her costume and Ray Winstone gives it all some grit. It's at its best in its battle scenes which are well done and are also the best part of the Making Of extra.
Less flashy than a David Attenborough show and less detailed than a Simon Schama one, the BBC series British Isles nevertheless turned out to be quite engrossing. Admit it, the fact that this is one of the shows Alan Titchmarsh left Ground Force to present did mean that you expected something equally frothy. But Titchmarsh turns out to know his subject and the sight of our present-day landscape being peeled back to reveal the past was fascinating. He's now written an accompanying book, too.
| Will Smith co-stars alongside more CGI robots than you can count and as a thrill-a-minute kind of action film, it's perfectly adequate.Unusually for this kind of film, the extras don't solely concentrate on the special effects.But as long as you're not expecting a documentary, live with it: King Arthur is a fun, exciting, totally shallow experience and looks excellent.Only one man recognises that robots are a threat to humanity - but that's fine because it only takes one man to save the day in the thriller I, Robot.Admit it, the fact that this is one of the shows Alan Titchmarsh left Ground Force to present did mean that you expected something equally frothy.It's at its best in its battle scenes which are well done and are also the best part of the Making Of extra. |
Berlin honours S Korean director
South Korean film director Im Kwon-Taek has received an honorary Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
Im, who has made more than 100 films in a 40-year career, was hailed for his "remarkable visual beauty, technical innovation, and intellectual depth". Twenty of his films are screening in a special retrospective during the festival, which runs until 20 February. The veteran film-maker, 68, won the best director prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002 for Chihwaseon. "Although his films vary in style, they all bear his unmistakable stamp: they are forceful and charged cinematographically, as well as reticent, stylised and musical," organisers said in a statement. Meanwhile, a film version of Bizet's opera Carmen - translated into the South African language Xhosa - has received a warm reception at the festival. U-Carmen eKhayelitsha (Carmen in Khayelitsha), which is one of 21 films up for Berlin's top prize, the Golden Bear, is British director Mark Dornford-May's first feature film. "It's the first time any opera has been translated into a black South African language. Xhosa works brilliantly, it's such a musical language," said music director Charles Hazlewood.
| South Korean film director Im Kwon-Taek has received an honorary Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.Meanwhile, a film version of Bizet's opera Carmen - translated into the South African language Xhosa - has received a warm reception at the festival.U-Carmen eKhayelitsha (Carmen in Khayelitsha), which is one of 21 films up for Berlin's top prize, the Golden Bear, is British director Mark Dornford-May's first feature film.The veteran film-maker, 68, won the best director prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002 for Chihwaseon. |
Fockers fuel festive film chart
Comedy Meet The Fockers topped the festive box office in North America, setting a new record for Christmas Day.
The sequel took $44.7m (£23.2m) between 24 and 26 December, according to studio estimates. It took $19.1m (£9.9m) on Christmas Day alone, the highest takings on that day in box office history. Meet The Fockers is the sequel to Ben Stiller comedy Meet The Parents, also starring Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand. Despite the success of Meet The Fockers, takings were down 26.5% on 2003's figures - which was blamed on Christmas falling over a weekend this year.
"When Christmas falls on a weekend, it's bad for business," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, which compiles box office statistics. The weekend's top 12 films took an estimated $121.9m (£63.3m), compared with $165.8m (£86.1m) last year, when the third Lord of the Rings film dominated the box office. Meet The Fockers knocked last week's top film, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, down to third place, with $12.5m (£6.5m). Comedy Fat Albert - co-written by Bill Cosby - entered the chart in second place after opening on Christmas Day, taking $12.7m (£6.6m). The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, took $9.4m after expanding from 40 to 1,796 cinemas on Christmas Day.
| It took $19.1m (£9.9m) on Christmas Day alone, the highest takings on that day in box office history.Comedy Meet The Fockers topped the festive box office in North America, setting a new record for Christmas Day.Despite the success of Meet The Fockers, takings were down 26.5% on 2003's figures - which was blamed on Christmas falling over a weekend this year.The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, took $9.4m after expanding from 40 to 1,796 cinemas on Christmas Day. |
Low-budget film wins Cesar
A film that follows a group of alienated youth in a Paris suburb as they prepare to perform an 18th Century play has won France's top cinema award.
L'Esquive earned a Cesar prize for its director, Tunisian-born Abdellatif Kechiche, and its young star, the 18-year-old actress Sara Forestier. It saw off competition from big-budget French epic, A Very Long Engagement, and the box-office hit, The Chorus. US film Lost in Translation won the award for best foreign feature. The wistful romantic comedy directed by Sofia Coppola has already won several awards, including an Oscar for best screenplay in 2004. Its late release in France made it a contender for this year's Cesars.
The low-budget L'Esquive depicts the travails of a group of youth getting ready to perform a school play by the 18th-Century dramatist, Marivaux. The actors are mostly amateurs and the action is set in the impoverished suburbs of Paris, home to thousands of immigrants from North Africa and their children. Kechiche said he made the film because he "wanted to show people we don't normally see at the cinema". A Very Long Engagement, a World War I drama featuring Audrey Tautou, won five Cesar awards. The Chorus, a film about a schoolteacher who introduces an unruly classroom to the pleasures of classical singing, won two awards - for best music and best sound. US actor Will Smith, who won an honorary award at the ceremony, thanked his family and his "hero", Nelson Mandela, in his speech.
| A film that follows a group of alienated youth in a Paris suburb as they prepare to perform an 18th Century play has won France's top cinema award.US film Lost in Translation won the award for best foreign feature.The Chorus, a film about a schoolteacher who introduces an unruly classroom to the pleasures of classical singing, won two awards - for best music and best sound.Kechiche said he made the film because he "wanted to show people we don't normally see at the cinema".A Very Long Engagement, a World War I drama featuring Audrey Tautou, won five Cesar awards. |
Rapper Snoop Dogg sued for 'rape'
US rapper Snoop Dogg has been sued for $25m (£13m) by a make-up artist who claimed he and his entourage drugged and raped her two years ago.
The woman said she was assaulted after a recording of the Jimmy Kimmel Live TV show on the ABC network in 2003. The rapper's spokesman said the allegations were "untrue" and the woman was "misusing the legal system as a means of extracting financial gain". ABC said the claims had "no merit". The star has not been charged by police.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles on Friday, says the woman's champagne was spiked and she was then assaulted. The rapper's spokesperson said: "Snoop will have the opportunity to prove in a court of law that [the alleged victim] is opportunistic and deceitful. "We are confident that in this case, [the alleged victim's] claims against Snoop Dogg will be rejected." The lawsuit names Snoop Dogg - real name Calvin Broadus - plus three associates, The Walt Disney Company and its parent company ABC Inc.
The woman waited two years to sue because she was trying to negotiate a settlement with the media companies, her lawyer, Perry Wander, said. Disney and ABC "failed to provide a safe working environment for my client," he said. The legal action comes after the rap star sued a woman who claimed they tried to blackmail him to keep quiet about an alleged assault. The 32-year-old rapper has enjoyed six US top 10 albums since bursting onto the music scene with hit songs like What's My Name? and Gin and Juice in 1993.
| The woman said she was assaulted after a recording of the Jimmy Kimmel Live TV show on the ABC network in 2003.ABC said the claims had "no merit".The rapper's spokesman said the allegations were "untrue" and the woman was "misusing the legal system as a means of extracting financial gain".US rapper Snoop Dogg has been sued for $25m (£13m) by a make-up artist who claimed he and his entourage drugged and raped her two years ago.The woman waited two years to sue because she was trying to negotiate a settlement with the media companies, her lawyer, Perry Wander, said.The rapper's spokesperson said: "Snoop will have the opportunity to prove in a court of law that [the alleged victim] is opportunistic and deceitful. |
Oscar nominee Dan O'Herlihy dies
Irish actor Dan O'Herlihy, who was nominated for best actor at the 1955 Oscars, has died at the age of 85.
O'Herlihy, whose Oscar nomination was for Luis Bunuel's The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, died at his home in Malibu, California, a spokesman said. The actor began his film career in the 1940s, playing Macduff to Orson Welles' Macbeth in 1948, and was also a regular in on the Dublin stage. He later appeared in Robocop and its sequel and cult TV show Twin Peaks. He played the CEO of Omni Consumer Products in 1987's Robocop and Robocop 2 three years later, and was saw mill owner Andrew Packard in Twin Peaks, also in 1990. Despite his Oscar nomination, he had few other lead roles and became a familiar supporting actor on TV and in film. The year he was nominated, the Academy Award was won by Marlon Brando for On the Waterfront.
| Irish actor Dan O'Herlihy, who was nominated for best actor at the 1955 Oscars, has died at the age of 85.He played the CEO of Omni Consumer Products in 1987's Robocop and Robocop 2 three years later, and was saw mill owner Andrew Packard in Twin Peaks, also in 1990.The year he was nominated, the Academy Award was won by Marlon Brando for On the Waterfront. |
Oscar nominees gear up for lunch
Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx and Hilary Swank are among those due to attend this year's Oscar nominees luncheon on Monday.
They will join more than 100 nominees from the 24 Oscar categories at the annual event, which will take place at the Beverly Hilton hotel, Los Angeles. British hopefuls, including Kate Winslet, Imelda Staunton and Sophie Okonedo are also expected to attend. This year's Oscar ceremony will be held on Sunday 27 February.
Martin Scorsese's The Aviator is leading the field at this year's Oscars with 11 nominations, while other multiple nominees include Million Dollar Baby and Sideways. Oscar nominees Swank and Foxx were among the winners at the Screen Actors Guild awards at the weekend, one of the many ceremonies held in the run-up to the Oscars. Swank won Best Actress for Million Dollar Baby while Foxx triumphed for his performance as Ray Charles in the biopic Ray. Sideways was also among the winners, taking the prize for best cast performance. The next major film award ceremony of the season is the Bafta awards, which take place at London's Odeon Leicester Square on 12 February. Many of those nominated for Oscars including DiCaprio, Foxx and Staunton - an Oscar nominee for her performance in Vera Drake - have also been nominated for Baftas.
| Oscar nominees Swank and Foxx were among the winners at the Screen Actors Guild awards at the weekend, one of the many ceremonies held in the run-up to the Oscars.Many of those nominated for Oscars including DiCaprio, Foxx and Staunton - an Oscar nominee for her performance in Vera Drake - have also been nominated for Baftas.Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx and Hilary Swank are among those due to attend this year's Oscar nominees luncheon on Monday.This year's Oscar ceremony will be held on Sunday 27 February. |
God cut from Dark Materials film
The director and screenwriter of the film adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials is to remove references to God and the church in the movie.
Chris Weitz, director of About a Boy, said the changes were being made after film studio New Line expressed concern. The books tell of a battle against the church and a fight to overthrow God. "They have expressed worry about the possibility of perceived anti-religiosity," Weitz told a His Dark Materials fans' website. Pullman's trilogy has been attacked by some Christian teachers and by the Catholic press as blasphemy. Weitz, who admitted he would not be many people's first choice to direct the films, said he regarded the film adaptation as "the most important work of my life".
"In part because it is one of the few books to have changed my life," he told bridgetothestars.net. The award-winning trilogy - Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass - tell the story of Oxford school child Lyra Belacqua. She is drawn into an epic struggle against the Church, which has been carrying out experiments on children in an attempt to remove original sin.
As the books progress the struggle turns into a battle to overthrow the Authority, a figure who is God-like in the books. Weitz, who directed American Pie and About A Boy, said New Line feared that any anti-religiosity in the film would make the project "unviable financially". He said: "All my best efforts will be directed towards keeping the film as liberating and iconoclastic an experience as I can. "But there may be some modification of terms."
Weitz said he had visited Pullman, who had told him that the Authority could "represent any arbitrary establishment that curtails the freedom of the individual, whether it be religious, political, totalitarian, fundamentalist, communist, what have you". He added: "I have no desire to change the nature or intentions of the villains of the piece, but they may appear in more subtle guises." There are a number of Christian websites which attack the trilogy for their depiction of the church and of God, but Pullman has denied his books are anti-religious. His agent told the Times newspaper that Pullman was happy with the adaptation so far. "Of course New Line want to make money, but Mr Weitz is a wonderful director and Philip is very supportive. "You have to recognise that it is a challenge in the climate of Bush's America,"
| Chris Weitz, director of About a Boy, said the changes were being made after film studio New Line expressed concern.There are a number of Christian websites which attack the trilogy for their depiction of the church and of God, but Pullman has denied his books are anti-religious.The director and screenwriter of the film adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials is to remove references to God and the church in the movie.Weitz, who directed American Pie and About A Boy, said New Line feared that any anti-religiosity in the film would make the project "unviable financially".The books tell of a battle against the church and a fight to overthrow God.Weitz, who admitted he would not be many people's first choice to direct the films, said he regarded the film adaptation as "the most important work of my life"."They have expressed worry about the possibility of perceived anti-religiosity," Weitz told a His Dark Materials fans' website.Weitz said he had visited Pullman, who had told him that the Authority could "represent any arbitrary establishment that curtails the freedom of the individual, whether it be religious, political, totalitarian, fundamentalist, communist, what have you". |
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