Abbreviations

February 28, 2002

- From Yahoo/Reuters:

Alfred Molina is joining the ensemble of "I.D.," the James Mangold-directed Sony thriller which stars John Cusack and Ray Liotta. He'll begin shooting March 4 in Los Angeles, and then head directly to Munich to star alongside Joseph Fiennes in "Luther," the Eric Till-directed biopic of religious reformist Martin Luther.

February 27, 2002

- US TV alert:

On Saturday March 02 the HBO Signature channel will show Stealing Beauty at 5:00 PM.

February 26, 2002

- Australian pupils study Joe:

Reel spiel
Herald Sun Australia
26 February 2002
By Loretta Hall

Rub shoulders with Joseph Fiennes during VCE

Watching a movie is no longer a weekend activity, it is commonly a part of the curriculum. But don't for a moment consider the teacher's suggestion that watching a video of Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes means it's time to kick back and relax with your classmates. Film is serious study in the classroom and it is slipping into many different subjects, with 95 per cent of schools across the state this year studying film as a text in Year 11 English.

"It's a very high incidence, which is not so in other states in Australia," says VCE assessor Ross Huggard. The Bard would be titillated by the double twist that exists in text studies for Year 12 English students. They are studying Shakespeare, bu it is not Macbeth or another tale that has been mulled over by many a student. Nor is it a traditional text in book form to be well-thumbed and read in class by Romeos, Pucks and Cordelias.

Shakespeare in Love is one of the choices among 30 texts for VCE English, and it is a film. "We're looking at texts which surround students, not just traditional novels, short stories and poetry", says Huggard, who teaches VCE English at Cranbourne Secondary College. Not only is the medium non-traditional for English studies, the England that the 1998 film depicts for Will's 16th-century life story puts a comic modern slant on Elizabethan times. Huggard says by Year 12 students should no longer focus on the plot, particularly for a film text study. "They should have moved beyond what is happening to why and how it is happening", he says. "We find the students have remarkable little insights into how to critically analyse what is before them because they are captivated by the images. They need to think why a scene is constructed in this way, what the intention is behind it and how it can be deconstructed."

The Romantic
"There's not much glamour in this profession," insists Joseph Fiennes. He convinces no one. With his good looks and talent, the younger brother of Ralph has made his own mark. Much of his best work has been confined to Elizabethan England (Skakespeare In Love, Elizabeth), but last year he made it to the realms of the Second World War in Enemy At The Gates. Despite a burgeoning Hollywood career - he will next be seen in Killing Me softly alongside Heather Graham - Fiennes's first love is theatre. His critically aclaimed portrayal of Edward II in last year's Crucible Theatre production proved why.

February 24, 2002

- Residents or visitors of South Carolina, be on the lookout for Joe. The Feature Film "Leopold Bloom" will be filming in Charleston for a 30 day schedule starting mid February. Try to find out whether you could be an extra. The Casting line phone number is 843 747-2535. Resumes may be faxed to them at 843 747-2132 . This information was taken from the South Carolina Film Office

February 21, 2002

- From this week's Now Magazine (UK):

Heather, currently on screen in "From Hell" with Johnny Depp - "no romance there," - she says, is set to cause on-screen controversy with her role opposite Joseph Fiennes in the thriller "Killing Me Softly. The sex scenes are so raunchy that the film company is wondering what reaction it will get from the censor. Her character enjoys sex after being tied up and agrees to more and more extreme pleasures. "It meant a week in bed with Joe at one stage," says Heather. "It was easier doing all the sex scenes in one long session, to be added in at the point they occur in the film. I know many women who would love to spend a week in bed with Joe, but it was tough work. I had to put aside all my inhibitions and let myself become very relaxed, while concentrating on the script and what this women is being put through."

February 19, 2002

- The IMDB release dates for Dust changed yet again - it's now May 3, 2002 for the UK and 5 April, 2002 for Italy.

- The IMDB release dates for Killing Me Softly are listed as follows: USA 18 January, 2002 (oh really?), UK April 2002, France 5 June, 2002 and Netherlands 3 October, 2002. Whether all this is correct remains to be seen.

February 18, 2002

- Rancid Aluminium is going to be released on DVD in the US on April 9, 2002 - you can preorder it here.

- Film Society Touts Unrecognized Features:

As Hollywood embarks on the annual onslaught of Oscar lobbying from the majors and the mini-majors, another collection of films is being celebrated at New York's Walter Reade theater. The distinction: these titles, unlike those being honored at the Kodak Theatre on March 24, have a cumulative U.S. box office total of $0. Starting today and running through Feb. 28, the Film Society of Lincoln Center will begin screening the best unseen films of 2001, as determined by the editors of sister publication Film Comment. Dubbed "Film Comment Selects" the two week series will feature 14 overlooked titles that, for one reason or another, have yet to be screened commercially in the U.S. (though several will see release later this year). The selection ranges from controversial works by European festival darlings (Claire Denis' "Trouble Every Day," Michael Haneke's "The Piano Teacher") to U.S. films that slipped under the radar (Paul Schrader's "Forever Mine,") .
For further information, please visit the FSLC website.

February 17, 2002

- The Australians are not the only ones that think Shakespeare in Love is a great date movie. The E! channel (US) has named SIL #4 in their list of best date movies. There was also a small clip of Joe talking about the movie from his interviews from the time so try to catch it. The show is called Rank Best 25 dates movies.

February 15, 2002

- Darkhorizons reports that Terry Gilliam is in talks with Johnny Depp and Robin Williams for the main roles in "Good Omens" so it seems that the talks about Joe playing one of the main characters is nothing but a rumour.

February 14, 2002

- Happy Valentine's Day! Why don't you celebrate it by watching Shakespeare in Love on video? An Australian magazine recommended just that, listing SiL as one of the "top 20 romance flicks" for "staying in today, hiring a video and getting in the mood". And don't forget that we have some nice Valentine cards on Cuppa Joe which you could send to friends.

February 11, 2002

- Some details about the Celebrity Bedtime Stories tape by Puffin Audiobooks:

The content of the tape is the following:

Side A
1. The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen
read by Joseph Fiennes
2. An Extract from The Railway Children by E Nesbit
read by Sam Janus
3. Ostriches Can't Fly by Jeremy Strong
read by John Humphrys
4. Mrs Pepperpot in the Magic Wood by Alf Proysen
read by Patricia Hodge
Side B
1. A Mad Tea-Party from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
read by Fay Ripley
2. How the Camel Got His Hump from Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
read by Richard E Grant
3. Pippi is Visited by Thieves from Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
read by Patsy Palmer
4. Blessu by Dick King-Smith
read by Cat Deely

It's a charity tape and all profits will go to the NSPCC. The NSPCC's Full Stop Campaign aims to end cruelty to children. On the cover of the tape is a donations hotline number: 0800 73 111 37. It is published by the Penguin Group, running time is 80 mins.

For UK listers who want to get it for themselves or friends:
Puffin Audio Celebrity Bedtime Story tape NSPCC Full Stop campaign.
£4.99 including packaging and postage
To get it phone: 01634 226206 (they accept credit cards)
or write to
Bedtime Stories Tape
PO Box 300
Rochester
Kent ME2 2HJ
enclosing postal order or cheque

There's been a Mail on Sunday offer which closed on January 31. Hello! Magazine has an offer with closing date 28th February, 2002 so hurry up.

- From Reuters/Variety:

Chambers to "Bloom" with Shue, Fiennes
Mon Feb 11,12:32 AM ET
By Dana Harris

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Justin Chambers, who played D'Artagnan in last year's version of "The Musketeer," will star opposite Elisabeth Shue and Joseph Fiennes in "Leopold Bloom." He will play a painter whose affair with an unfaithful young mother (Shue) takes a dark turn as age and alcoholism consume him. The role was originally taken by Donnie Wahlberg, who has dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. "Leopold Bloom" will be directed by Mehdi Norowzian. Chambers next will be seen starring opposite Uma Thurman and Juliette Lewis in HBO's "Hysterical Blindness." He also co-starred in "The Wedding Planner."

- From Yahoo! News:

Shakespeare with Love as Bard Gets Music Makeover
Sun Feb 10, 8:42 PM ET
By Hannah Cowdy

LONDON (Reuters) - Seventeenth-century drama met 21st century rock on Sunday when a galaxy of stars of stage, screen and song joined up for an early Valentine's celebration of the greatest love poet of them all -- Shakespeare. From award-winning composer Michael Kamen to pop diva Annie Lennox, musicians set the Elizabethan bard's love songs, sonnets and soliloquies to music as veterans of the British stage performed his works to rapturous applause at London's packed Old Vic theater. Sunday's performance marked the release of "When Love Speaks," a CD collaboration between Britain's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and record group EMI Classics, which hopes to introduce Shakespeare to a new audience almost four centuries after the death of the world's most famous playwright. Organizers said the CD, which features dozens of celebrities from sibling Shakespearean actors Ralph and Joseph Fiennes to seventies rock star Bryan Ferry, was shooting up the album charts after last week's release -- proof of the bard's lasting appeal. Actor Alan Rickman, who played the sinister Dark Arts teacher Professor Snape in "Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Philosopher's Stone," worked with Kamen on the recording. Proceeds will help struggling future stars of British stage and screen. "Shakespeare is quintessential English," Rickman told reporters after the show. "Shakespeare is simple and complex at the same time. It's the universal truth," he told Reuters. Oscar-winning director Richard Attenborough described "When Love Speaks" as "a fascinating marriage of historical literature and contemporary song, which I assure you is the greatest labor of love." The highlight of the evening was a reunion of pop band Eurythmics' stars Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. An elfin, delicate-looking Lennox, in a pale pink skirt and top with black boots, entranced the audience with a powerful rendition of "Live with me and be my love," taken from a poem by Shakespeare's contemporary, Christopher Marlowe. Other stars performing on Sunday included British singer Des'ree, Shakespearean actor Richard Briers and Pink Floyd's David Gilmour.

February 9, 2002

- The "When Love Speaks" album, which came out February 4 on EMI in the UK, is slated for release on EMI Classics in the U.S. later this spring. Many of the participants will take part in a live concert of the album February 10 in London.

- "Poles Apart" with Ranulph Fiennes will be on the US Sundance channel next week. The time listed below is Central time.
Sundance Tuesday Feb 12 07:35 AM
Sundance Tuesday Feb 12 09:00 PM

February 5, 2002

- Production on "Leopold Bloom" started on February 2 in Los Angeles.

February 4, 2002

- From Yahoo/Reuters:

Joseph Fiennes nails Martin Luther bio
By Ed Meza

BERLIN (Variety) - Joseph Fiennes has been tapped to play Protestant reformer Martin Luther in a project to be shot on location in Germany in April. "Luther" examines the rebel Catholic's personal battles and his transformation from a simple monk into leader of the Protestant movement and, in the eyes of the Vatican (news - web sites), an ecclesiastical terrorist. Peter Ustinov, Bruno Ganz and Uwe Ochsenknecht will also star. It's scheduled for a 2003 release. Director Erich Till will shoot the film in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt and other nearby regions where Luther was active. He previously directed "Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace," about another German man of the cloth. Fiennes' credits include "Enemy at the Gates" and "Shakespeare in Love."