colyne's mystical journal

2003-03-23T18:06:00.000-08:00

Quotes from Harry Potter series****
"I will only truly have left this school none here are loyal to me... Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."
-Dumbledore

"The first word out of those poor petrified people's mouth's will be 'It was Hagrid.' Frankly, I'm astounded Professor McGonagall thinks all these security measures are necessary."
-Gilderoy Lockhart

"There is no good and evil, there is only power...and those too weak to seek it." -Quirrel

"If you made a better rat than a human, that's not much to boast about."
-Sirius Black

"To the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."
-Albus Dumbledore

"Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see where it keeps it's brain."
-Arthur Weasley

"It is our choices Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -Dumbledore

"You should have died! Die rather than betray your friends, as we would have done for you!
-Sirius Black

"Fear of a name increases fear of a thing itself."
-Dumbledore

"Voldemort...is my past, present and future..."
-Tom Riddle

"When a wizard goes over to the dark side there's nothin', and no one matters to 'em anymore."
-Hagrid

"Haven't I already told you that killing mudbloods doesn't matter to me any more, for many months my new target has been... you."
-Tom Riddle

"Humans have a knack for choosing precisely the things that are worst for them."
-Dumbledore

"Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter."
-Madame Rosmerta

"His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad'
his hair as dark as a blackboard,
I wish he was mine, he's really divine,
The hero who conquered the dark lord."
-Ginny

"I'm not blamin' yeh...but I gotta tell yeh, I thought you two'd value yer friend more'n broomsticks or rats. Tha's all." -Hagrid

"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." -Sirius Black

"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldermort. Remember Cedric Diggory." -Dumbledore

"Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world." -Ron

"I don't need a cloak to become invisible." -Dumbledore

"I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death -- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." -Snape

"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort can't understand, its love." -Dumbledore

"Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground." -Dumbledore

"I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules," said Dumbledore. Ron opened his mouth in horror. "Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words," Dumbledore went on, smiling.

"And Potter -- do try and win, won't you? Or we'll be out of the running for the eighth year in a row, as Professor Snape was kind enough to remind me only last night..." -Prof. McGonagall

"I don't go looking for trouble," said Harry. "Trouble usually finds me."

"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed? Only innocent lives, Peter." -Sirius Black

"There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them." -Sirius Black

"Are you insane? Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?" -Harry

"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione," he said. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead...but I won't deny that I am a werewolf." -Lupin

"He was my mum and dad's best friend. He's a convicted murderer, but he's broken out of wizard prison and he's on the run. He likes to keep in touch with me, though...keep up with news...check if I'm happy..." -Harry

"Please, sir," said Hermione, whose hand was still in the air, "the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf--"
"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," Snape said coolly. "Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."
Hermione went very red, put down her hand and stared at the floor with her eyes full of tears. It was a mark of how much the class loathed Snape, they were all glaring at him, because every one of them had called Hermione a know-it-all at least once, and Ron, who told Hermione she was a know-it-all at least twice a week, said loudly, "You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask it if you don't want to be told?"

"I still don't like your tone boy. If you can speak of your beatings in that casual way, they clearly aren't hitting you hard enough. Petunia, I'd write to them if I were you. Make it clear that you approve the use of extreme force in this boy's case." -Aunt Marge

"You might even have a scar now, if you're lucky...that's what you want, isn't it?" -Harry to Ron

"There you go, Harry!" Ron shouted over the noise. "You weren't being thick after all -- you were just showing moral fiber!"

"You are truly your father's son, Harry..." -Sirius Black

"'Course Dumbledore trusts you. He's a trusting man, isn't he? Believes in second chances. But me -- I say there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, know what I mean?" -Moody

2003-03-19T20:50:00.000-08:00

from V graham Norton show

2003-03-19T20:16:00.000-08:00

Harry Potter has been described as the biggest and best hero since James Bond. How does that make you feel?
Wow! It makes me feel very privileged to be playing him. It's very exciting because Harry's got such an interesting life.
What advice have your parents given you to handle fame?
My mum and dad have just told me to enjoy it. There are a lot worse things [that could] happen than just being recognized.

What was the most memorable part of film-making, and the most nerve-wracking?
I'm not just saying this, but one of the best parts was working with Chris [Columbus], because he's a total inspiration. He really enjoys what he does, and it's a real honour working with him. The most nerve-wracking thing was the first day, because before that it had just been me, Rupert [Grint], Emma [Watson], and Chris, rehearsing in Chris's office. I got the call sheet for the first day, I looked under the cast and it said "Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint". So I thought, Fine, I'm used to that. Then I turned over the page and it said: "Extras, 150." At that moment, I got quite scared.

How will you feel if you're still playing Harry when you're 17 or 18?
I'm just going to take it one book at a time. Harry advances so much in each [school] year, he comes more out of his shell. If I'm thinking about playing Harry in the fourth book or the third or whatever, I could end up bringing his character from one of them and put it in the second, and it just wouldn't look right.

2003-03-19T19:54:00.000-08:00

i finally went to the admin office to see and ask what are the requirements for my education units

2003-03-19T19:07:00.000-08:00

Smallville Welcomes Christopher Reeve [03.01.03]

CNN.com posted the following article on their website on 24th February:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Tom Welling has learned firsthand: Being Clark Kent isn't easy.

That, above all, is the lesson of "Smallville," which finds Clark, even more than the typical teen, consumed with awkward self-discovery.

Clark feels like an outsider without understanding why. He senses an emerging destiny, yet he's blind to his future as the Man of Steel. His plight is any teen's plight, writ large and shrouded in secrecy.

"You play this kid in school who's trying to be normal and has these abilities he thinks work against him," says Welling, who stars as that kid. "It's like an exaggerated form of puberty for him as he gets these abilities, which are just exaggerations of things that we all can do: We can all run, he can just run faster; we can all pick things up, he can pick up things that are heavier."

Big deal. What Clark really wants -- the heart of schoolmate Lana Lang (played with winsome appeal by Kristin Kreuk) -- remains beyond his reach. The pain it causes him proves he's not invulnerable.

Catching Clark at this formative, pre-Superboy stage has spelled success for "Smallville" (Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on the WB). Its second-season ratings are up by more than one-third. Viewers readily identify with the self-actualization process he is struggling with, even as they relish knowing what no one in Clark's world has any inkling of: the life as a superhero that awaits him.

Making a visit

Of course, there's one person who may have a better idea than most.

Christopher Reeve -- who, for millions, personifies the man Clark grows into -- has only recently seen "Smallville." He approves.

"What they did was take the segment of 'Superman I' on the farm and draw it out into a series," says Reeve, who, of course, starred in that 1978 film and three sequels.

Speaking from his home outside New York City, Reeve recalls scenes from the movie with young Clark (played by another actor) "kicking a football into outer space and racing beside a train. He has all these powers and doesn't know why."

Now 50, Reeve was paralyzed in a 1995 horseback-riding accident and has since spent much of his time as an advocate for research into spinal-cord injuries. But he returns as an actor to the Superman saga for a "Smallville" guest appearance Tuesday night.

He plays an astronomer who unaccountably detects signals from Clark's doomed home planet, Krypton.

"Clark and I talk about what the meaning might be," says Reeve.

His scene with Welling was filmed in New York -- a far piece from the countryside outside Vancouver that doubles as Smallville's Kansas heartland.

Preparing for heroism

When Welling landed the role, he clearly fit the blueprint for Clark: Boyish good looks, plenty of hustle -- and no idea what he was in for.

For one thing, Welling was a former model who, apart from a six-episode guest shot on "Judging Amy," came to "Smallville" with no acting experience.

"The first season, I didn't know how to act," he admits, chatting with a reporter on a recent visit to Manhattan. "I just tried to believe in the character. But I think my confusion on-set translated into Clark's confusion as a character.

"If you watch how Clark is now, he's a bit more comfortable. I'm a bit more comfortable, too. I don't know if there's a direct correlation, but I think there's a connection."

Moreover, Welling began "Smallville" as a Superman novitiate.

"I didn't know anything about the mythology of Superman," he confesses. "But I think it was a blessing in disguise. I don't have any of that information in my head to compare anything to, and Clark doesn't have that either -- HE doesn't know who he's gonna be."

'I'm not Clark Kent!'

The 25-year-old Welling has made a comfortable home near Vancouver with model Jamie White, whom he married last summer. But hours on the set are long and demanding. Being Clark Kent isn't easy.

"The show takes up so much of who you are, you can't do it unless you absolutely love it," says Welling. "But it's complicated when people don't separate me from Clark.

"There was this car explosion and a character gets thrown out of the car. The director comes up and says, 'OK, Tom, I want you to run over, pick him up and carry him across the street.'

"He wants me to bend down and pick a guy who weighs 200 pounds up off the ground!

"I go, 'I'm not Clark Kent!'

"Another time, we had a shot where Clark gets a saliva swab inside his mouth for DNA. The director wants to shoot into Clark's mouth while it happens.

"I remind him, 'I've got fillings.'

"He says, 'How do you have fillings?!'

"I say, 'I'm not Clark!' "

Welling sighs. "They get carried away".

2003-03-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

Tom's Movie Plans [03.11.03]

The following was recently posted at ComingSoon.net. Thanks to everyone who let us know.

Smallville star Tom Welling and Agent Cody Banks topliner Hilary Duff are joining Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt's family in the Shawn Levy-directed Cheaper by the Dozen for 20th Century Fox, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Welling, making his feature film acting debut, is in talks to play the family's oldest son, and Duff has closed a deal to play one of the daughters in a role written specifically for her. Shooting on the film begins March 31.

"Dozen" is a contemporary redo of the 1950 feature comedy about the Gilbreth family and its often-amusing struggle to keep it all together with a brood of 12 children.

Welling will shoot the film while on hiatus from his duties on The WB series. Duff will begin work in late April before segueing to the recently set up Cinderella Story for Warner Bros. Pictures.

2003-03-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

Two men. Two actors. Two Clark Kents. One is impossibly handsome and a heartthrob to millions. But the other is in many ways a true superman whose heroism is an inspiration to everyone.

Earlier in the month, it was announced that Christopher Reeve would guest star in an episode of SMALLVILLE as Swann, a rich scientist who gives young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) some very important information about his home planet of Krypton. Clark must travel all the way to New York to confront Swann. Reeve, of course, portrayed Superman in four movies, and was paralyzed from the neck down in a 1995 horseback riding accident.

To publicize the episode, which airs February 25th, and a PSA which Welling and Reeve are filming, the two appeared together at a press conference in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Although SMALLVILLE is shot in Vancouver, the production moved to Brooklyn for the day to shoot the scene, in deference to Reeve, whose ability to travel is limited.

Seeing the two together, it was clear that there was a great deal of mutual respect. When asked to compare the two Supermen, Reeve scolded, "Shhhh, he doesn't know he's Superman yet!" Welling, perhaps stepping around a direct comparison, pointed out that he was only 2 years old when the first movie came out, but that meeting Reeve had been inspiring on all levels and working together was a thrill. The door may even be open for Swann to be a recurring role, although, Reeve joked, "Let's how see this goes!"

Reeve mentioned how refreshing it was to get a chance to play this role. "It's a great break from lobbying and politics," he said, referring to his ceaseless work as an activist for spinal cord research, including his own Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. Reeve also devotes his time to directing, for which he's been nominated for multiple awards.

Asked about the upcoming Superman movie, Reeve said that producer Jon Peters had called him up a few months before. "He told me that his original idea was to do a film of SUPERMAN VS BATMAN, to be directed by Wolfgang Petersen. They were pretty far into it, and then Jon saw the documentary that my son made about me and how five years after the injury I started to move." Peters was so moved that he began to rethink the idea. "Why should [they] have two superheroes fighting? The movie that Warner Brothers is making now will be a much more uplifting and spiritual story. " He declined to name anyone he thought would be suitable for the title role, but added "The character is more important than the actor who plays him because of the mythology. I'm sure that they'll take their time and find the right man. But it should be an unknown." He then looked at Welling and said "Tom, you're probably not an unknown any more."

Reeve also told how he had recently watched the Superman DVD which includes his screen test in the extra features. "I had to laugh. I was horrified. I'm skinny, I'm underweight. I was so nervous you could literally see me sweating under my armpits during the whole screen test. I looked ridiculous, and yet somehow they trusted me to do the work and bulk up."

After the press conference, the two actors went off to shoot their scenes. Although the severity of Reeve's disability is apparent, to see him in person is nothing less than inspiring. His humor, intelligence and passion for his work and activism are undimmed. All the comparisons between the man and the role he is best known for are obvious, but true. Reeve himself summed it up when he recalled meeting Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster when he was making the first movie, and spoke about how important the character of Superman is as a mythological icon, from World War II to today: "It's about hope.

Mile High Comics: January 20, 2003.
By: Heidi MacDonald.

2003-03-19T18:57:00.001-08:00

Star Week: Superstars of 'Smallville'

A revealing peek inside the Vancouver sound stage of the youthful superhero hit

Vancouver BC - Golden, dappled sunlight streams through the windows of the Kent familty kitchen, bathing everything in a warm, ethereal summer glow.
A few dozen steps away, beyond the wall-to-ceiling photographic farmland facade, past the craft services table, the wardrobe and prop rooms, and on and out through the industrial sound stage doors... suddenly, we're not in Kansas anymore.

Outside, it is a typically overcast, rainy January day in Vancouver. The interior illusion of Smallville sunshine is achieved with a ring of 5k tungsten spotlights that line the length of the sound stage walls, augmented by a half-dozen or so directed 10k spots, their light diffused through an opaque sheet (called "cheese").

"Make it pretty," one of the lighting crew playfully admonishes another. "In Smallville, everything must be pretty". And everyone. You would be hard-pressed to find a more attractive group of people all in one place outside the catwalks of Milan.

Tom Welling, the series' impossibly tall and handsome lead, was in fact a former underwear model. Edgemont actress Kristin Kreuk, discovered in a cross-continent talent search right here in Vancouver, has since become the well-scrubbed public face of Neutrogena. And even without hair, bad-guy-to-be Michael Rosenbaum has quickly emerged as a hottie heartthrob in his own right.
What can you say about a town where even the parents -- former Duke of Hazzard John Schneider and the movies' Lana Lang, Annette O'Toole -- are relatively young and gorgeous?

For one thing, that it doesn't exist. Except in the comics, on TV and at the movies. And even then, this shiny new contemporary Smallville is miles away from earlier incarnations of the nascent Superman's traditional boyhood home.
Literally...although Smallville's economically more viable Vancouver location is seen as something of a mixed blessing by its young super-star.

"We say it's like being in a submarine," grins Welling, kicking back on the Kents' back porch.

And on a day like today, it's a leaky submarine, because it rains so much. But that's the way it is. A submarine. You're here. You can't leave. Communication is often sketchy. And every once in a while, a ship comes by...

"But mostly you're confined here. It's a whole different world."

A world away, certainly, from the many distractions of an industry-obsessed LA.

Which suits co-star Kristin Kreuk just fine.

"I'm really not LA at all," insists the pretty, petite brunette (incredibly, both Welling and Kreuk are even better-looking in person than they are onscreen).
"I'm not completely immersed in the business. It's just not high on my list of priorities. I wouldn't fit in there at all really. I like to walk places. I'd miss the rain. I'd miss the cold. I'd miss having seasons. But I know it's hard for certain cast members, because they've got their family down there."
For Kreuk, however, home is right at hand. "I'm still here," she beams. "Still live at home. Still have my friends from high school. It's great. I'm really so lucky."

Not that her new-found fame hasn't had an impact, even way here in the BC boonies.

"It's odd." she acknowledges. "A lot of actors, I think part of them wants that, they want that recognition. They like it when people see them on the street and know who they are. But for me, I don't know. I genuinely don't like it that much. I mean, I do appreciate the fans. I love that people watch the show. It's just hard to not be anonymous. It's hard to not be able to just sit in a mall and kill time just reading a book and not have people come up and talk to you. That can be kind of unnerving."

Much as Kreuk may cherish her privacy, Welling is the one with the stand-offish reputation. Visitors to the set are warned to avoid his eye-line. A week or so earlier, when a local paper ran an embarrassing unauthorized photo, he reportedly threw a major hissy fit.

But that attitude is nowhere in evidence today. The actor could not be more accomodating and pleasant, particularly given his workload, which is considerable even under normal circumstances, what with Clark Kent required to appear in almost every scene.
Today, completing just one of those scenes, a complicated super-speed effects shot, will take him most of the morning and afternoon. When I remark on how labour-intensive it all seems, Welling just good-naturedly shrugs: "Just another day in Smallville, I guess."

Arriving as he did, as an acting neophyte, Welling came to TV with few expectations and even fewer preconceptions.
"It wasn't much of an adjustment, really, because I had nothing to adjust from. This is all I know. In that sense, I'm kind of like Clark, still trying to find my way."
He can, however, compare this year to last. "This season, I think we've found our legs a bit more, and it's more of an efficient machine. Last year, it was crazy, twice as much as this year. Looking back, I realize how incredibly chaotic it was. But at the time, I had no idea."

The cast and the fans agree that, good as the show initially was, this second season has been a vast improvement.

"Out of the box, the show was a lot about building up the character of Clark," Welling allows, "getting out the information on where he was from, what he was about, what abilities he had."
After that, there was a period of excessive focus on kryptonite-created teenage villains, or as they became known, "freak of the week."
"This season," he says, "we've gotten away from the villains...or at least made them more of a catalyst to bring out the issues the (regular) characters have to deal with. It's more about the six or seven main cast members. And I think that's what's interesting. That's what people really want to see."

Things have gotten more interesting on a personal level too. First came the pivotal episode where best pal Pete Ross learned Clark's super-secret -- a most welcome plot development, according to Welling, in that it has allowed his character to finally loosen up and have a little fun with his powers.
Then came "red kryptonite", a recurring story device that will affect Clark's abilities in unpredictable ways. "It's going to take away his powers, make him sick, make him evil, give him even more abilities...so basically, it's a clean slate. It's great to play, and it opens things right up. We're having a lot of fun with it."

There are also plans, in coming seasons, to further mind the comic-book mythos, perhaps by introducing Clark and Lex to the young Bruce Wayne, or Lana and aspiring journalist Chloe to a teenaged Lois Lane.

And there there was last week's ultimate homage to Superman's illustrious history, a guess appearance by the former movie Man of Steel, Chistopher Reeve.
"What a great guy, " Welling enthuses. "I got to know him a little bit. We had a lot of fun. A very inspiring person. We hope he'll become a recuring character."

Smallville become much more than a genre super-hero show, or a teen angst show, or any of the other descriptions by which it was originally defined.
"At the beginning it was marketed that way, and everyone expected it to go there" Welling says. "But now it has blossomed into this thing that people of all ages have been able to identify with and accept and have a good time watching."

His TV dad, John Schneider, can't help but agree. "The kids enjoy watching it, the teens certainly enjoy watching it, but the amazing thing is that it's written for people 30 and 40 and 50 years old, as well. And they're watching it. So we run a gamut, demographically speaking. And we should. You don't look at Smallville and say, 'Gee, I wonder why that works?' You look at Smallville and say, 'Damn, that's a great show!'"

Star Week: March 1-7 2003.
By: Rob Salem.

2003-03-19T18:57:00.000-08:00

YM: Tom

There's nothing sexier than a sensitive boy with dark hair, green eyes, and a kind soul, especially when he's a superhero. Tom Welling, 25, can't deny that his good looks helped him get the part of teenage Clark Kent on Smallville. The former model's only preparation for the role was his Halloween impersonation of the S-Man when he was younger. Fortunately for him (but maybe not for us,) Tom won't ever squeeze into that formfitting costume on TV - the show has a "no tights, no flights" policy, so he gets to dress like a regular guy.

Tom's favorite aspect of the show: Clark's relationship with Lex Luthor, the richest guy in town. "You know where both these characters are going to end up, but it's how they get there that's the intriguing part," says Tom. Our favorite storyline is the continuing tumultuous romantic entanglement of Clark, Lana, and Chloe. Just when you think he's going to settle down with one of them (like after he took Chloe to the dance or all the times he's almost kissed Lana,) it doesn't happen.

In real life, sadly, Tom is very, very unavailable. When he's not busy acting out every boy's fantasy on-set in Vancouver, this self-described homebody is usually spending time around the house with his wife. Don't we always want what we can't have?

YM: March, 2003.
By: Melissa R. Glassman

2003-03-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

In Style: Man of Style

Tom Welling is a lucky guy. Blessed with soft hazel, mocha brown hair and a 6-foot-3-inch frame, the former model reluctantly signed on to play an all-too-familiar comic book hero, which could have killed his nascant career. But the WB's Smalville, now in it's second season, is smart stuff, with Welling as a teenage Clark Kent on the cusp of becoming Superman. And if fans sometimes confuse him with his character, Welling doesn't mind. "He's got high standards," says the actor, who turns 26 this month. "It's a great way to be perceived."

You were born in New York, then moved to Wisconsin, Delaware and Michigan. Which place influenced you the most?
Michigan is where I graduated from high school, yet I think my strongest influences come from my growing-up years in Hockessin, Del., from third grade until after my freshman year of high school. I played soccer on a team that travelled up and down the East Coast, so I got to see a lot. The things I like and the kind of home I want are of an East Coast style.

Which means...?
I love old things. In Los Angeles, if you look for antique furniture, they show you things from the sixties. I don't know much about architecture, but I really love colonials, Cape Cods, Greenwich, Conn., makes me feel like I might have lived there before. I like the sun in L.A., but when I'm done in Vancouver [where Smallville is shot], home will probably be back East.

What's your favorite piece of furniture you and your wife, Jamie, have bought?
The bed. People say there are two things worth spending money on - your shoes and your bed. Because you spend a lot of time in them.

Speaking of shoes, you have size 14 feet. That can't be easy.
Growing up, I was self-conscious about it. They were big when I wasn't. But I've come to grips with it. I walk into shoe places and I don't ask, "Can I see this?" I ask, "What do you have in a 14?" Gucci is the only place I can go for dress shows, because they actually carry my size. And in a sense, I get more for my money. Because it's the same price for me to buy a size 14 as it is for a guy who buys a size 9 - and I get more material. So I'm getting a bargain.

Your first modelling job was shooting the Abercrombie 7 Fitch catalogue. How did that change your sense of style?
I was working a construction job in a warehouse in Michigan after high school. Then I went to New York and gave modelling a shot - travelled, lived in Europe, had a great time. The idead [of fashion] became more interesting. Growing up, I'd throw on a T-shirt and jeans and take off. That's still my getting-around gear. But I wasn't a very good model. I'm not good a sitting still for a camera.

Which designers do you prefer?
I've got a great fashion consultant - my wife. She has an elegant, classic style. We shop together. We're best friends. And we like a lot of the same things: Ralph Lauren, YSL [Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche], Gucci, Hermes. We also go to places like Gap. And Club Monaco is one of our favorites.

What's your most prized piece of clothing?
My wedding tuxedo. It was a gift from YSL. They fit it for me four times over four visits, and that thing is like a second skin. I also love Helmut Lang jeans. Even when I couldn't really afford them I was buying them.

You and Jamie got married last July. How did you meet?
I was in a Miami coffee shop and this beautiful woman walked in. She looked really familiar, and I said, "I think I've met you before." She thought I was just giving her a link and said, "I don't think so." I said, "I'm not hitting on you." We started talking. It turned out we had met twice before. We've been together ever since. That was five years ago.

Who makes you starstruck?
Christopher Walken. I saw him in L.A. and kind of said, "Hello, I really enjoy your work." I was just another fan. And that was fine - it wasn't about me, it was about him. Now, if he wants to come up to me and say hey, that would be great.

In Style: April 2003, pg 197/8.
By: Michael Joseph Gross.
© In Style.

2003-03-19T18:42:00.000-08:00

Allison Mack's Biography

Allison Mack was born in Germany. At the age of 2 she moved to Southern California with her family. She started her acting career at the age of 4, with print work and commercials.
When she was 7 Mack began studied at The Young Actors Space in Los Angeles. Most recently,Mack has appeared the television movies "My Horrible Year and "Opposite Sex". Mack's other TV movie credits include "Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves'", "Unlikely Angel", "Care and Handling of Roses", "Dad, the Angel & Me", and "Stolen Memories: Secrets From the Rose Garden" to name just a few.

Mack was a regular on the television comedy "Opposite Sex". She also displayed her comic talents a series regular on "Hiller and Diller". Mack guest-starred on "7th Heaven" playing Nicole in the episode "Cutters", and "Kate Brasher" playing Georgia in title role "Georgia". Look for her in a guest appearance on The WB's: "The Nightmare Room".

Mack lives in Los Angeles and enjoys reading, movies, theatre, and time with her family and friends

2003-03-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

Eric Johnson's Biography

Eric Johnston was born on 7 August 1979, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where he grow up. When he was 9, he enrolled theater school and began to perform professional theater and landed small television and film roles.
At 14, he was cast as the teenage Tristan in the Western drama "Legends of the Fall". His second film debut come when he starred in "Scorn" an independent fact based film about a teen who hires two other teens to kill his family. His other television movies appearances are in the "Atomic Train", "Oklahoma City "and "Children of Fortune".

Recently, he finished production of Texas Rangers in which he will be seen opposite James Van Der Beek and Dylan McDermott . The movie is scheduled to release in theatres in April 2002. He can be seen in the newly released video/DVD "Bear With Me".

Johnston is relocating to Vancouver for the filming of Smallville.

He enjoys playing guitar, camping and playing basketball, football and baseball.

His character: Johnston plays Whitney Fordman Smallville High's star quarterback and Lana Lang's boyfriend. Although he is self-centered, it is evident that he cares for Lana a lot. His biggest dream is to play football professionally.

2003-03-19T18:39:00.000-08:00

Orlando won Best Supporting Actor Award
posted by Lady Illahir, 03/17/03
Orlando won for Best Supporting Actor at the AOL MovieGoer Awards. Other winners include...Best Scene: Gollum fights with himself; Best Director: Peter Jackson; Best Actor: Viggo Mortenson; Best Picture: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Congratulations! Also thanks to everyone who has emailed the news

2003-03-19T18:34:00.000-08:00

An article about Troy....
DAVID BENIOFF ON "TROY"...

How do you handle the pressure and the responsibility that comes with adapting The Iliad - one of the most important books in literature? Mirtha
I don't type my sentences on an arena's pitch, surrounded by thousands of cheering or booing fans - I don't feel pressure to please a crowd. While working on "Troy", I can't think, "Oh my Lord, this is the mother of all epics, the cornerstone of Western literature. If I screw it up, classicists around the world will issue a fatwa and assassinate me with bronze daggers."

I can't measure up to Homer. His composition has survived for nearly three millennia and remains the world's most beautiful and mournful depiction of war. But the story of the Trojan War does not belong to Homer. The characters he employs were legendary long before he was born. Dozens of different versions of the War have been told, and my script ransacks ideas from several of them. The script is not, truly, an adaptation of The Iliad. It is a retelling of the entire Trojan War story. So I'm not worried about desecrating a classic - Homer will survive Hollywood.

Other than The Iliad, what sources are you using for the "Troy" screenplay? Mary
The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Robert Graves' The Greek Myths and a good detail of critical literature, particularly the work of Bernard Knox, whose introduction to Robert Fagles' superb translation of The Iliad is probably my single favorite work of Homeric analysis.

I was wondering why The Gods of Olympus were excluded from "Troy", who all played a big part in The Iliad. Steph
"Troy" is an adaptation of the Trojan War myth in its entirety, not The Iliad alone. The Iliad begins with the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon over the slave girl Briseis, nine years into the war. The equivalent scene occurs halfway through my script. Meanwhile, The Iliad ends after Priam returns from Achilles' shelter with his grim cargo - long before the construction of the Trojan Horse, and a good twenty pages before my script ends.

This is a massive story that we're trying to tell in two-and-a-half hours. The narrative is crammed with some of literature's most intriguing characters: Achilles, Hector, Helen, Paris, Priam, Odysseus, Agamemnon, Patroclus, etc. All these characters have to emerge on screen as fully realized human beings. The battle scenes have to mirror the epic confrontations Homer described. The journey of the thousand ships from Greece to Troy has to be depicted. Everything takes times, and we're not making a twelve-hour miniseries. We're not making a trilogy of three-hour movies.

There is no such thing as a faithful adaptation. Even when I adapted my own (very slim, very un-epic) novel, I had to eliminate one of my favorite characters, because there simply wasn't enough time to tell his story along with everyone else's. Every adaptation requires that the screenwriter make difficult choices - and in particular, difficult cuts. In the case of "Troy", I chose to tell the human story: the story of Helen's love for Paris, of Achilles' epic duel with Hector, of the fatal trap that Odysseus sprung on the Trojans.

The gods do not appear on screen but their presence is everywhere and their influence profound.

What is your take on Helen of Troy? Was she the ultimate bad girl, or a victim of circumstances beyond her control? Cat
Well, neither, really. Tolstoy must have thought about Helen when creating his Anna - a woman famed for her beauty, bored with her marriage, abandoning her home for a dashing but somewhat feckless suitor. If we strictly adhere to the mythology, it would be fair to call her a victim of circumstances, for she was the prize Aphrodite gifted Paris upon being awarded the golden apple. But, as stated ad nauseam above, the gods are not floating about Mt. Olympus in this telling, and there is no deus ex machina. If Helen's will is free, the choice is her own, and the consequences on her own conscience. I think - I hope - that the script doesn't judge her for the choice, but doesn't shy away from depicting the devastation such a choice inflicted on innocent people.

If the "Troy" is well received, do you think that there would be any chance of a sequel, maybe in the form of The Odyssey? And would you write the script? Mike Devreux
As this is Hollywood, I'd say if the movie makes money (as opposed to whether it's well received or not), there's an excellent chance for a sequel. So an Odyssey is possible, or the studio could go in a different direction and take on The Aeneid. Either way, I wouldn't want to take myself out of the running prematurely, but currently I'm not keen on the idea.

2003-03-19T18:28:00.000-08:00

Gang-busters
Full Bloom, 03/20/03
Sure, he's an actor, but Orlando Bloom sounds genuinely disappointed his scheduled red-carpet appearance for Saturday's Ned Kelly world premiere in Melbourne has been cancelled. "Oh yeah," he moans from LA. "I'm so disappointed. I'm working on this pirates movie at the moment, then I'm going to do this film called Troy. I have to go back to London to rehearse Troy and there's just no physical way I can make it." The OB Shrine has a scan.

2003-03-19T18:22:00.001-08:00

Michael Rosenbaum Biography

Michael Rosenbaum was born in Oceanside, N.Y. and raised in Newburgh, Ind., Rosenbaum discovered drama in high school. He went on to study mass communications and theater at Western Kentucky University.
It was at University that he started performing in theater productions during his summer breaks.

After graduation, he moved to New York where he landed roles in off-Broadway plays and small independent films.This soon lead to regular appearances on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in a sketch called "The Amsterdam Kids.
He became a regular on "The Tom Show" with Tom Arnold, and then landed a role as Jack on "Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane."

On the big screen, Rosenbaum's can be seen in "Sweet November," with Keanu Reeves, "Urban Legend," and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."

Rosenbaum's upcoming film is "Dog Catcher" where he stars opposite Harland Williams and Barry Watson. Watch for it in theaters in 2002. He is starring in the film "G.S.P.O.T." with Tom Arnold which has just started production this summer. Rosenbaum can also be seen in the lead role in the independent drama "Poolhall Junkies" with Christopher Walken, Rick Schroder and Chaz Palminteri.

Rosenbaum lives in LA, belongs to an ice hockey league, plays guitar, and enjoys the occasional video game.

His Character: Rosenbaum plays Lex Luther the only son of pesticide "king" Lionel Luthor of Luther Corporation. At the age of 9 Lex suffered a misfortunate accident which caused him to loose all of his bright red hair. Since the accident occurred while Lex was in his father's care, Lionel felt responsible. Lionel's guilt and shame caused him to spoil Lex by lavishing him with gifts and money, while at the same time pulling away from Lex and providing very little emotional support. Lex is disturbed by his father's lack of compassion.

Lex can be described as an academically brilliant social misfit. He graduated from Metropolis University at the top of his class. His father , seeing Lex as a treat, sends him off to Smallville to turn a struggling fertilizer plant around. But Lex knows it's a one-way ticket. So Lex is planning to destroy his fathers business and take over Luthor Corp.
When Lex arrives in Smallville, a car accident brings him together with Clark Kent. They become friends. To Clark, Lex is the big brother he never had and to Lex, Clark is a trustworthy friend. And so it begins, the remarkable friendship that will eventually lead to the ultimate betrayal

2003-03-19T18:22:00.000-08:00

i hope the war will be stopped!

2003-03-19T18:19:00.000-08:00

Heath, Orlando and Naomi will be at Fox Studios Sydney
posted by Cristina & Avalonmists, 03/19/03
Cristina wrote: A radio spot on 104.1 2dayfm, Australia, says that Heath, Orlando and Naomi will be at Fox Studios Sydney, at 6 pm on Tuesday to walk the red carpet for the Ned Kelly premiere. On another note Avalonmists wrote to say that Naomi Watts was on Rove (Network Ten, Australia) last night, but no mention of Orlando. The clip from Ned Kelly they showed was Julia and Ned talking about she being his alibi. It was a bit longer than the same scene they showed on Today Tonight last week. Naomi got quite embarassed when asked about how it was working with your off-screen lover as an on-screen lover. She found it difficult to actually answer the question, aside from pointing out that her and Heath only became 'friends' during filming.

2003-03-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

2003-03-16T19:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Sean Biggerstaff!
Sean turns 20 years old today. It's really too bad that it's on such a sour note with him not reprising his role in PoA.
Book 5 death news?
It's unlikely that this could be considered an OotP spoiler, but, just to be on the safe side, the text below has to be highlighted to be viewed. It's from an interview with Robbie Coltrane on Parkinson (the premiere chat show host in the UK), and it's not exactly earth-shaking news, but I thought it was worth making a quick post about:

2003-03-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

2003-03-16T19:27:00.000-08:00

2003-03-16T19:15:00.000-08:00

some pics from sag awards

2003-03-16T19:11:00.000-08:00

Orlando Bloom As Man Of The Week
Why we like him?

Despite the soft, sensitive image of his character Legolas Greenleaf in The Lord of the Rings films, Orlando Bloom's a thrill-seeking wild man who's not afraid to risk smashing up parts of his body in the name of extreme living.

why is he famous?

Bloom plays the elf-warrior Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood, in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, debuting in 2001's The Fellowship of the Ring. He has followed up this role with appearances in more epic action flicks including Black Hawk Down (2001), The Two Towers (the second LOTR installment, in 2002) and The Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)

2003-03-16T19:06:00.000-08:00

Small project close to a hobbit's heart
Lord of the Rings actor Billy Boyd promotes latest film in Alberta tour

Liane Faulder
The Edmonton Journal

Friday, March 14, 2003

CREDIT: Supplied, File

Billy Boyd as Pippin in The Lord of The Rings series

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EDMONTON - When Billy Boyd, who plays Pippin in The Lord of The Rings, agreed to promote his small art film, Sniper 470, he did so in part to see Canada.

The Scottish actor's wish paid dividends Thursday during a short driving trip from Edmonton to Medicine Hat.

"It's a beautiful day," Boyd said by cellphone, enthusiastically describing a sparkling white prairie surrounded by blue sky.

Boyd was en route to the 'Hat to attend the debut of Sniper 470 at a small film festival there. He will return to Edmonton this weekend to help wrap up the Edmonton International Film Festival. Sniper 470 is among eight Scottish short films scheduled to screen Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Garneau Theatre.

Time for small projects close to his heart has been limited since Boyd was cast in the first instalment of the The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, released in 2001. But it was that connection with the epic movie series that placed him on Highway 1 to Medicine Hat.

"I met the people from (the Edmonton) festival in Toronto when I was opening Lord of the Rings and they said, Would I be able to promote Sniper 470?"

The film stars Boyd as a space soldier in the distant future. A sniper, he sits in his pod and waits, millions of miles from Earth, to destroy convoys of ships that cross the asteroid belt. The script came to Boyd while he was enjoying some rare time off at his home in Glasgow, Scotland.

"I felt it was really different and I liked the idea that film can be used in different ways," Boyd says of his attraction to the script.

"It's not just blockbuster hour-and-a-half movies. A film can be short, longer, use sounds and colour, whatever tells the story. And I liked the idea of this one. It seemed a real actor's job as well. No big budget for special effects."

Press reports often describe Boyd as having shot to fame since his debut in the first of Peter Jackson's trilogy of Tolkien features. To Boyd, it doesn't feel like an overnight thing.

"I'd been working as an actor for seven years or so ... working constantly doing TV, film and theatre. So it doesn't feel like a 'bang' thing," he said.

"But it's put my work on a world stage and more people have seen it."

Boyd's third and final Rings outing comes in December. Later this year, he'll be seen in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, starring Russell Crowe and directed by Peter Weir.

2003-03-16T19:03:00.000-08:00

what if the LOTR casts are Asians? here is a sample...hehehehe..what are your reactions?

2003-03-16T18:49:00.000-08:00

i saw this different orli pic so i am letting you see it too..hehehe look at the hairstyle

2003-03-16T18:45:00.000-08:00

Ned Kelly preview on Today Tonight
posted by Avalonmists, 03/13/03
Avalonmists wrote: Today Tonight (Australia) had a preview of the Ned Kelly movie on their show tonight. They showed some scenes I had not seen before, but it seemed to be mostly about a guy saying how he thought Ned was actually a villain. The story focused on Heath, but we got to have a bit of a look at Orlando in some of the scenes. The movie scenes they showed included:
- the gang entering a town on horseback
- Ned going after Aaron Sherritt, with Joe and Dan Kelly struggling to stop him
- the bank hold up, "His mates call him Ned"
- Dan Kelly and Steve Hart holding up Mrs Scott (Rachel Griffiths) and children
- Ned, Joe and Aaron Sherritt walking in camp
- Francis Hare (Geoffrey Rush) addressing police
- Ned and Julia talking, she being his alibi
- Ned giving his "my orders must be obeyed" speech
They also showed filming of Ned in his suit of armour shooting and being shot at. Only some of the Aussie actors were named, with no mention of the overseas actors.

2003-03-16T18:40:00.000-08:00

i like his colored socks here...hehehe

2003-03-16T18:38:00.000-08:00

10 Questions: Billy Boyd
Ten answers from Lord of the Rings' Peregrin 'Pippin' Took.

March 05, 2003 - To audiences worldwide, it's pretty safe to assume that Billy Boyd is most easily recognizable as Pippin Took, from Peter Jackson's globe-conquering adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings.

What you may not know is that this native Scot is an accomplished stage actor, as well as a world-class ukulele player. Okay, I made that last part up, but he is an accomplished stage actor.

He's also currently developing a buddy movie with Rings pal Dominic Monaghan (Merry).

You can learn more about Billy at his official site or keep an eye out for our huge upcoming interview with Mr. Boyd.

Until then, here are 10 Questions with Billy Boyd...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. What is your favorite piece of music?

"Adagio for Strings," from Barber.

2. What is your favorite film?

I couldn't answer that... but if I had to, Gregory's Girl.

3. What is your favorite TV program, past or current?

Simpsons.

4. What do you feel has been your most important professional accomplishment to date?

That's too difficult... Can we skip any?

5. Which project do you feel didn't live up to what you envisioned?

Can you skip two?

6. What is your favorite book?

Spike Milligan – Adolf Hitler and My Part in His Downfall.

7. If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?

I would make more about your job and less about spin and PR.

8. Who – or what – would you say has had the biggest influence on your career?

I would say going to drama school.

9. What is your next project?

Make sure Dom's finished that final draft. That's a project in itself.

Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd at the NY premiere of The Two Towers

10. What is the one project that you've always wanted to do, but have yet to be able to?

Hamlet.

2003-03-16T18:32:00.000-08:00

Legolas mentioned on Will and Grace
posted by Avalonmists, 03/14/03
Ronni wrote: On tonight's episode of Will and Grace, Will is talking about someone he met and says something like "he's the cutest guy I've seen since that blonde shooting elf in Lord of the Rings".

2003-03-16T18:30:00.000-08:00

LOTR actor at Alberta fests
Boyd oh Boyd

by Lisa Wilton
Calgary Sun

Not even a minute passes before someone recognizes Billy Boyd. A young boy whispers excitedly to his equally thrilled friends, who in turn run off to tell their classmates. And before you can say “Treebeard,” the Lord of the Rings actor is ambushed by more than a dozen pen-wielding pre-teens.
GOOD LORD ... Billy Boyd, who played Pippin in Lord of the Rings, poses in the Spaceport at Calgary International Airport March 13. — Nathan Denette, Calgary Sun
It’s become a common occurrance for the 34-year-old Scot — who plays the fun-loving hobbit, Pippin — since the blockbuster success of the first two Lord of the Rings movies, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, directed by New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson.
“The Lord of the Rings has become such a part of popular culture,” says Boyd, after taking care of his young fans’ photo and autograph requests.
“People love the movies and they just get excited when they see someone from them, no matter who it is. It’s always positive.”
Boyd was in town briefly March 13 and had the chance to check out the Calgary International Airport’s Spaceport science centre, where he met his idolizing school group.
The actor is in Alberta to promote Sniper 470, a 20-minute short film in which he appears as an astronaut dealing with the loneliness and solitude of space.
The piece was screened March 13 at the Medicine Hat Film Festival and will be shown March 15 as part of an evening of Scottish short film at the Edmonton Film Festival.
The Glasgow-based actor hasn’t had much downtime lately and in May, he and the rest of the LOTR cast will head back to New Zealand to film pick-up shots for the trilogy’s last instalment, The Return of the King.
Boyd has seen part of a rough cut of Return and says the new film is by far the best.
“I don’t think people have any idea — it’s incredible,” says Boyd, who still keeps in touch with his co-stars, including Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies.
“We’ve started with the best source material and then the script they wrote is probably the best screenplay I’ve ever read.
“I was near tears just reading the screenplay. It was so emotional. On top of that, people already know the character and have been on journeys with all these guys. This is sort of the end of all those stories. It’s just got so much going for it before (Jackson) adds the special touches.”
OSCAR 'TRAVESTY'
Boyd was disappointed that Jackson was snubbed in the best director category at this year’s Academy Awards and says it would be a “travesty” if he is overlooked next year.
“What he has done, no director has ever done,” Boyd says emphatically.
“No one has made a trilogy like this. And not only that, to make it so successful critically and with the public. It’s a beautiful piece of art and I really do think it would be a travesty if he didn’t win an Oscar for it, as well as every other award going.”
While Boyd admits most people are only familiar with his furry-footed LOTR character, he says the film epic has opened doors in his career.
He will be seen next in director Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with Russell Crowe in November.
As well, he and LOTR co-star Dominic Monaghan (Merry) have written a screenplay that has received some interest.
“I’ve had offers.”

2003-03-16T18:26:00.000-08:00

15th March

The Sun newspaper reckons Westlife will pull pints of Guinness and perform with a traditional Irish folk band for St. Patrick's Day in an undisclosed London pub on March 17th. Mark Feehily said, "It will be strange being on the other side of the bar on St. Patrick's Day." Their new single 'Tonight' will be released on 24th March.
7th March

Westlife are among a growing list of high profile musicians lining up to buy a unique guitar hand made in Donegal. Emerald Guitars is currently making two limited edition acoustic guitars for Westlife favourites Bryan McFadden and Kian Egan, who intend showcasing the stunning instruments in the band's upcoming tour. Bryan and Kian follow the 'Groover from Vancouver' Bryan Adams and Steve Vai of Frank Zappa fame, in falling in love with the sound and look of an Emerald guitar. Guitar maker, Alastair Hay, who is managing director of the company, said he is "thrilled" with the Westlife contract, won after Bryan McFadden heard 'You're a Star' favourite Mickey Joe Harte play an Emerald guitar three weeks ago on the popular RTE show. Bryan McFadden was in the audience that night and he thought that the guitar was the best looking instrument he had ever seen," said Alastair. "He played it backstage afterwards and when he heard the sound, that completely sold it for him." Alastair travelled to Dublin the following week with another sample of his work and Bryan put in an order for two. Along with fellow guitar maker, Shane Gallagher, the Donegal men are currently putting the finishing touches to the two guitars for delivery to the band next week." The green-coloured instruments, are each worth about 2,500 euro and are made from carbon fibre, a derivative of fibre glass and uniquely moulded from a single piece of material. Bryan and Kian, who are Westlife's main guitarists on tour, will each have their names inscribed in silver on their new handmade guitars.

2003-03-16T17:58:00.000-08:00

hey, i will remove some other pics of orlando bloom to replace some new ones and here is a new pic of wil turner, his new role in pirates of the carribean...he looked like a villain...i hope the movie will be a hit again...

2003-03-16T17:56:00.000-08:00

i saw will and gace yesterday and guess what...matt damon was their special guest. he was trying to be gay 'coz he wanted to be part of the choral group which sean hayes was a contender too...it was really a funny scene when they were fighting while singing and when debra messing(grace) was seducing him in the couch trying to reveal his true identity...he was an awesome actor...very versatile. that was the first time i saw him portraying a gay role and he was very convincing. he can also sing and dance! i was trying to record it but i don't have a spare tape...darn...i hope they will have a rerun of that. it was hilarious....

2003-03-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

my mom celebrated her 58th bday yesterday and her sister, my tita sally with her family came in full force. i had the time with my nephew who was quite heavy now. as you know, i am not really fond of babies but i am trying to like them...they didn't like me either but i had some nice and enjoying moments with him...my arm still hurt coz he really was heavy. we had lots of food and we had a great time.

2003-03-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

i love this photo so i wanted to post this. thanks che for the forwarded message...i hope my life could will be as colorful as this...

2003-03-16T17:27:00.000-08:00

Love Blooms for Kate & Orlando
posted by Leggyslove at the OB Fans board, 03/14/03
This is posted in the New Issue of US Weekly dated 3/24/03: After a Caribbean vacation earlier this year, actors Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings) 26, and his girlfriend, Blue Crush's Kate Bosworth, 20, are hotter than ever and back in L.A. They were recently spotted having a quiet lunch at the Urth Caffe in West Hollywood." Update: Here's a scan sent in by Fallen Angel

2003-03-16T17:22:00.000-08:00

Although things are not perfect
Because of trial or pain
Continue in thanksgiving
Do not begin to blame
Even when the times are hard
Fierce winds are bound to blow
God is forever able
Hold on to what you know
Imagine life without His love
Joy would cease to be
Keep thanking Him for all the things
Love imparts to thee
Move out of "Camp Complaining"
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Praise can do alone
Quit looking at the future
Redeem the time at hand
Start every day with worship
To "thank" is a command
Until we see Him coming
Victorious in the sky
We'll run the race with gratitude
X alting God most high
Y es, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...
Z ion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

2003-03-16T17:06:00.000-08:00

Friday, March 14, 2003

CREDIT: Herald Archive, Courtesy New Line Cinema

Billy Boyd, left, and Dominic Monaghan as hobbits.

CREDIT: Chris Fleming for the Calgary Herald

Billy Boyd, Pippin in the Lord of the Rings films, caused a stir in Medicine Hat, where he's promoting his movie, Sniper 470, at a Scottish film festival.

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For Billy Boyd, who plays the four-foot-tall hobbit named Pippin in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, there are no small parts.

"When I auditioned, I don't think I realized how much it would effect me -- it's still such a part of my life," says the 34-year-old Scottish actor.

Boyd, who's actually just short of five foot seven, is in Medicine Hat to attend a small Scottish film festival for a special screening of his latest project Sniper 470.

In the low-budget short film, directed by Paul Holmes, Boyd plays a marksman in outer space who is defending Earth from alien outlaws.

He is the only actor in the film, which was shot in just seven days.

That's a far cry from the cost of the $270-million US blockbuster Lord of the Rings trilogy which was filmed over a year-and-a-half by director Peter Jackson.

"There's good and bad in both (kinds of film)," says Boyd, after signing a dozen autographs for teenage girls waiting in the lobby.

"With Pete, we had the best of both worlds."

Like many fans of Tolkien's books, Boyd was anxiously waiting to see the first film but didn't expect it to be as spectacular as it was.

"I don't smoke and I had a cigarette right afterwards," he recalls.

"It's not that I wasn't expecting it to be incredible -- just not that incredible. If they don't give the Best Director award to Pete next year (at the Oscars), it will be a slap in the face to the film industry.

"He's done something no one's ever done in film -- shoot a trilogy all at once."

The special effects, which took home an Oscar last year, even worked their magic on Boyd. His stand-in in the films was a four-foot-tall, female accountant from Thailand named Fon.

But it was only at the end of watching the first film that Boyd realized he couldn't tell the difference between himself and Fon when he saw her shots, which were mostly from behind.

As one of four hobbits, he was up early morning at 4 a.m. with Elijah Wood (Frodo), Dominic Monaghan (Merry) and Sean Astin (Sam) to give the makeup technicians time to apply their huge, hairy, hobbit feet.

"They were good fun at first, but after a year-and-a-half they were a bloody pain," Boyd says.

"We'd all line up for an hour-and-a-half in the morning on boxes, reading the paper, having a coffee and having our hairy feet put on."

Tucked safely away in New Zealand, where Los Angeles studio people did not often visit, Jackson filmed what has been called the biggest independent movie ever made.

During the long shooting schedule, he involved the cast and crew in making many decisions.

"With Pete, if you had an idea that he liked, he had no qualms about changing the scene," says Boyd, who embraced the opportunity to work with his director.

For example, in The Two Towers, Pippin talks to his best friend and fellow hobbit Merry about giving up and going back to the Shire. Merry replies: "If we don't do something, there won't be a Shire anymore."

At this point, Pippin commits himself to the task and becomes a key defender of the ring.

"When that scene was set up, we were supposed to deliver our lines just sitting talking.

"I said it'd be nice if I entered the scene and saw his sadness and felt that I had to say something," explains Boyd, who always read the scene from Tolkien's books in preparation for a scene.

"It seems like a small thing, but in film, that's huge. They spent a day changing the lighting and reblocking."

As Pippin, Boyd spent almost half the movie in a 20-foot animatronic tree that could reach down with tree-limb arms, pick the actors up, place them in its branches and sway from side to side.

"It was Treebeard from the knees up -- we could scramble up and climb down," says Boyd, who grew very attached to the old tree-herding character. "He's one of my favourites."

Boyd's role as Pippin was "a once in a lifetime acting experience," he says, but he might be distancing himself from it now.

He wasn't too eager to have his photo taken in an oversize lounge chair in the lobby of the Medicine Hat Lodge because it was too "hobbit-ish."

Of course, most Tolkien fans would argue there is no such thing.

2003-03-10T00:13:00.000-08:00

here is a moffatt pic...from their old photoalbum...

2003-03-10T00:12:00.000-08:00

+*+ Questions for Bob +*+

- What do you do to get into the right mindspace for touring?
I think on this tour, we’re fortunate enough to be able to rehearse before going on the road. We’ve got two days of rehearsing in a big space with the stage and putting up the lights and getting used to what we’ll be doing during the tour. We’re getting psyched, because we haven’t toured for awhile. Touring is our favourite thing to do and I think once we get on stage again for the first show, we’ll get right back into it.

- Are your favourite musicians drummers?
Not really. But when I do listen to a band, I usually listen to the drummer because I like to critique it a little bit. But, I look at musicians all around. My favourite band is The Beatles, and I think every guy in that band had an important role, and all of them were brilliant musicians. But I think my favourite musician would have to be a drummer – Dave Grohl, former drummer for Nirvana and now guitarist and singer of Foo Fighters. He’s an all around great musician.

- What’s your favourite type of venue to play?
Personally, I like to break it up a little bit. On this tour, we’re playing the Air Canada Centre [in Toronto] which is quite large – and in Montreal, we’re playing The Spectrum, which is like, a thousand seats. So, I think it will make it a little interesting for the tour. Of course, smaller venues are more intimate and you get to interact with the crowd a little better. But we saw Bryan Adams play [London’s] Wembley Arena and there’s a different vibe you get when you see an enormous crowd jumping to the music too.

- Why did you shave your head? (BTW, it looks great!)
I don’t think there’s anything special about my shaving head (laughs). This whole tour we did showed we’re changing teenagers. Me shaving my head is another change. There’s nothing special behind it, I just wanted to shave my head and I kind of liked it. It would take a long time for my hair to grow back.

- What’s the one thing in the universe you want more than anything?
Just being satisfied with what we’re doing right now. I think we want our fans to be satisfied, as well as the media with this album. When you’re changing, it’s hard to satisfy everybody – because a lot of people who bought our last album liked that sound and it’s hard for them to adjust to the material. But I think our main objective is to let them know that it’s okay to appreciate different sounds of music, and this is another sound. That’s our main goal with this album.

- Who would you most like to share a stage with?
Right now, probably Aerosmith. They’re still amazing entertainers, and they’re like 50 years old. You can learn a lot from them and if you want to have longevity as far as music goes, that’s a band to look up to because they’re still doing it well.

From WhatMagnet.com

2003-03-10T00:11:00.000-08:00

i really miss the moffatts..they are all boys who are siblings and they play pop songs...but as i read some articles, i found out they had broken up...that's bad...

2003-03-09T23:54:00.000-08:00

an acccount of a fan from the set of PoA
On Sunday 2nd March 2003 I was visiting London and having completely forgotten about notices I'd seen online, I stumbled across the filming of a scene for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Borough Market. Here's a little blow-by-blow account of what I saw.

I didn't have a camera with me so I have no photographs. At the time of writing, a few web sites, Omelete, danradcliffe.com, BBC Newsround and of course the ever-reliable Leaky Cauldron have published pictures, so I've "borrowed" a few of them for illustration purposes. Lots of other people were taking photographs so if any of you are reading this, I would be very obliged if you could get in touch with me! (If you're curious, I was the large chap in the bright green jacket and a black Umbro back-pack and three days'-worth of stubble).
5.00pm: Walking up Park Street, I see this. It occurs to me that filming was meant to be taking place here and as I have nothing better to do, I decide to stick around. I notice a posh black car with the registration plate "ACT IOON". Someone senior on the crew clearly takes pride in his job!

There's a group of about 30 onlookers standing by the back of the Knight Bus, which is parked in Stoney Street, near the entrance to Winchester Walk, facing North. Several people ask me to take photos of them standing next to the bus (with their cameras). Nobody in the crew objects, and I notice that some of them take trouble to stay out of the way while people have their pictures taken. They are far more lenient with the onlookers than I've seen crew on other film shoots I've witnessed in the past. The crew are very friendly and polite, and openly answer any questions as fully as they can. It's obvious that they have no objection to the onlookers being around, as long as we behave ourselves and don't get in the way. The crew are also very conscious of our safety, making sure that passing traffic, equipment, etc. are at a safe distance. I give the Knight Bus a very close inspection (or at least as close as I can do without getting on board), and smile when I see that a huge chandalier is hung on the inside from the roof. This thing looks exactly the way I'd imagined it in the books. Although I'd read about the filming of the Magnolia Crescent sequences a few weeks ago and seen pictures of the Knight Bus, it looked considerably more imposing, and well, "cool", in real life.

The camera crew are setting up a shot from the north with a crane-mounted camera. Dan Radcliffe's body double and Jim Tavare's body double (playing Harry and Tom the Leaky Cauldron barkeep), both dressed in black overcoats, rehearse walking a few steps towards the Leaky Cauldron doorway. The scene consists of Tom pulling Harry's Hogwarts trunk on a trolley and taking it through the door. Harry is a few steps behind him, and looks up at the hanging Leaky Cauldron sign as he walks beneath it. Tom walks through the Leaky Cauldron door, bows down very low and lets Harry pass him inside. Tom then pulls out his wand from his pocket and points it towards the street. He then closes the door behind them both.

The shots are called by Second Unit Director Peter Macdonald. A few takes are filmed with the actors still not in costume. It's still daylight, so these are clearly reference shots rather than destined to be part of the finished film.

5.40pm: David Heyman (producer) arrives, with three older teen-age girls and a boy aged about 10-12. He takes them on a tour of the location and on board the Knight Bus. The boy looks bored. Someone who may have been Alfonso Cuaron arrives. He goes inside the Leaky Cauldron door. I don't notice his presence again, and he doesn't take a commanding role in the filming so he may well not have been the film's director.

6.00pm: The onlookers are shunted into Park Street so that the Knight Bus can be moved into position in front of the Leaky Cauldron, pointing north. The guy driving the Knight Bus looks like an archetypal truck driver: big, burly and looking like you'd not want to mess with him... He has a very good command of this huge vehicle - despite being about as high as a two-storey house, the bus is steady and the driver manages to move it with pin-point precision. It doesn't wobble or look in the slightest bit unsteady.

I go into the pub to get a drink (only the Park Street entrance is open). I come out as the crew set up a video monitor for us to be able to watch a camera's-eye view of what is being filmed as the action location is not directly visible from our position. I also notice that a grey Citroen Xara car which was parked in front of the pub door is no longer there. The actors' doubles continue rehearsing what's going to be shot.

It's now dark. After a few minutes, it becomes clear that the real actors have taken their places, and a growing frisson among the onlookers becomes very evident, especially the girls: Dan Radcliffe is just around the corner!

After two or three rehearsals, Dan and Jim remove their overcoats and repeat the actions their stand-ins did earlier, although with the Knight Bus in place, a couple of things are clearer. They walk from the rear of the bus to the Leaky Cauldron doorway and go inside. Tom enters a couple of steps before Harry, bows almost to the floor and Harry walks in around him. Tom pulls out his wand and points it at the area at the front of the bus. The bus is not actually in the shot. Incidentally, the scene does not include Harry getting off the bus. It's just a very short sequence from standing on the pavement to getting inside the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry is dressed in khaki trousers, grey trainers, a blue checkered shirt and a dark tracksuit top. Tom is a hunchback (!) and is dressed in black from head to toe: a black long jacket, black trosers and black shoes, one of which has a six-inch thick sole, reinforcing the hunchback image.

11 takes are done of Dan and Jim doing the scene. The last six takes are exclusively of them entering through the door, Tom pulling out his wand and closing the door behind them.

6.30pm: The crew inform us that they've finished with this setup and need to move us to a different vantage point. A few of the girls ask if it's possible to get Dan's autograph. After a word through their walkie-talkies, the crew inform us that Dan has left as he's done all he was meant to do and won't be needed any more. Several onlookers leave, disappointed.

We're moved to a spot next to the market area between the bridge above us and Southwark Street. The crew start moving the camera around to the back of the Knight Bus.

Dan's stand-in and and Jim repeat the same sequence which had already been filmed. It becomes clear that they're going to be filming their passage from the pavement edge to the Leaky Cauldron from behind their backs. It's obviously important that they repeat their (and Dan's) previous movements exactly, so they watch a video playback of what Dan and Jim had done and try to duplicate it, several times. While the actors go through their paces, the crew very carefully spray the entire area, the street, the shop fronts and Knight Bus, with water. Whether this is only to make the surfaces more reflective or whether the film is going to give the impression that it's been raining (though clearly not raining "on screen") remains to be seen.

After a few minutes, Dan's stand-in takes off his overcoat to reveal that he's dressed exactly the same way Dan was. They film 13 takes, again focussing in several takes on Tom pulling out his wand, pointing it at the area to the front of the Knight Bus and then closing the door (photo here - incidentally, that photo has been doing the rounds online as Dan Radcliffe from the back. I'm sorry to disappoint anyone, but it's clear from the photographer's position that this was taken during this sequence, and it is therefore absolutely not Dan).

Dan's stand-in and Jim Tavare leave, independently of each other, passing about three feet in front of me. I am surprised by just how similar to Dan his stand-in appears, despite being visibly a few years older. He could be his older brother. I feel a bit sorry for him because absolutely none of the onlookers are interested in talking to him despite his proximity. If it had been Dan, I expect he'd have been mobbed...

7.30pm: The crane-mounted camera is moved a little further back and out into the street, and it becomes clear, partially because the crew light the back of the Knight Bus and its immediate interior, that they're planning a wider shot of what they'd already caught on film.

A young man standing inside the Bus at the back takes off an overcoat to reveal that he's wearing a purple bus conductor's uniform. He's handed a purple cap with a bright red band encircling it which completes the impression that he can only be Stan Shunpike! Even from about 30 feet away, I feel that the casting has been spot-on.

After a few rehearsals, they start filming. The sequence consists of Stan folding a newspaper (hey, The Daily Prophet with Sirius Black's picture on the cover!) and stuffing it under his arm, doffing his cap (photo here) towards Harry (who's standing on the pavement), and the Bus taking off and going around the corner of Park Street. During the first rehearsal, I realise what had happened to the grey Citroen Xara I'd seen earlier: it's now standing in front of the "Third-Hand Book Emporium" and the Knight Bus has to go around it to leave. Furthermore, the rear hazard lights on the Xara are flashing. Something I'd overheard one of the bar staff say to another when I was in the pub comes back to me: "They filmed the crash last week". I also start having an idea about why Tom pulls out his wand before closing the Leaky Cauldron door.

After about 11 takes of the Bus taking off, everyone appears satisfied. I am again astonished at the ease with which the bus moves while remaining absolutely solid. The driver is very, very good and is able to move off and around the corner at frightening speed, and return to exactly the same spot time and again despite having the road in front of him blocked by a car.

The actor playing Stan Shunpike walks in front of me as he leaves. He is exactly the way I imagined him. (photo here)

8.30pm: We are told to move again as the camera will be taking up a different position. We're now back to where we started, just past the Park Street intersection. I pay a visit the pub again for a drink and toilet break, for which I am becoming increasingly desperate. ;-)

The Citroen Xara is moved away and a camera platform is put in its place. A balding man whose remaining hair is silver (and quite, quite wild!) comes through the crowd, takes off his overcoat and climbs into the Knight Bus cab. He is handed a pair of black round-framed bottle-bottom thick spectacles. This must be Jimmy Gardner, AKA Ernie Prang! Sure enough, the directions being shouted out from behind the camera are: "Driving along" (Ernie makes appropriate movements) ... "Bang!" (Ernie looks startled - (photo here) "Jump!" (two men on the first floor of the Bus jump up; the Bus shakes, but not a great deal) "Brake!" (Ernie pulls on the brake) ... "Sandwich" (Ernie pulls a huge sandwich from next to him and takes a bite) ... "CUT!"

After many, many takes, the crew has what they're looking for. I take a moment to think that over the various rehearsals and takes, Jimmy probably ate a couple of sandwiches' worth of bread. I suspect he won't be needing any dinner when he gets home...

Everyone seems satisfied, Jimmy hands back his spectacles, pulls on his overcoat and leaves.

9.20pm: We're told that we're going to have to move again. As they will be doing tracking shots along the entire street and around Park Street, we have to go all the way around the corner into Southwark Street. There will be no monitor, and it's suggested (in a very positive and friendly tone) that we may as well leave as there won't really be much to see. Furthermore, the crew are about to have a meal break, so nothing will be happening for a while. I go off on a long walk around the area and to call the friend whom I was meant to have been visiting that evening (and who was going to be putting me up for the night). He doesn't answer his phone. I find a cafe to have something to eat.

10.00pm: I return to the Southwark Street intersection to find it still blocked off. Not only are the crew stopping anyone entering Stoney Street, but there are several policemen stopping the traffic along Southwark Street. This is a major artery and I am surprised that the production team were given clearance to stop traffic on such a busy road for ten-minute stretches, even if it is a Sunday evening. A lot of the car drivers get very impatient and there's a lot of horn-blowing. The entire area is bathed in bright light from several arc lamps.

I make my way all around Borough Market to try to get closer to the action. The entire Market is also bathed in light. I eventually make my way around. By the time I get to the entrance to Park Street, they've clearly finished what they were doing. I see the camera crane being loaded onto a big truck and some of the lighting being dismantled.

10.45pm: I walk up Park Street towards the location and encounter several crewmembers carrying equipment. I ask if they've finished for the night, and am told that they're doing one more small shot, but the walkways through the Market have been re-opened. I get to Stoney Street. There is no sign of the Knight Bus, most of the equipment has disappeared, and it's clear that the crew are setting up for extreme close-up shots of the back of the Citroen Xara, which is back in its place in front of The Third-Hand Book Emporium. The crew's monitors are playing back footage already shot, presumably from last week. These consist of the Knight Bus banging into the rear of the car and pulling back.

I hang around for another ten minutes or so, and overhear the lady assistant director (I assume she's the assistant director because she had been the one giving all the orders to the crew throughout the evening) asking a group of policemen to close of Stoney Street and all approaching road for another half hour. Clearly I won't see anything interesting being filmed, and watching the crew dismantle their equipment isn't going to be worth a return trip, so I call it a night and leave.

Monday morning, 10 o'clock: I return to the area as it's on my way from where I was to where I want to be. The Leaky Cauldron sign has gone, the crew are dismantling the last of the scaffolding set up for lighting rigs, and are emptying the contents of The Third-Hand Book Emporium into the back of a truck. They've also taken down the fake sign from the top of the shop, revealing a gleaming (real) shop-front sign underneath: "Octopus House". It seems to me like they're finished with this location, despite reports I'd read online that they were meant to stay all week. As I walk away, they start washing down the shop fronts which they'd been liberally splashing with dirty water the night before.

Post-script: How I think the scenes I watched being filmed will look on screen:

First, I suspect that unlike the book, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge will not be waiting outside the Leaky Cauldron for Harry. If he had been, Stan Shunpike would have been saluting him, not Harry. Also, he'd walk along with Harry and Tom towards and into the Leaky Cauldron.

Second, I suspect that the whole pallaver with the decidedly Muggle Citroen Xara is that on the Knight Bus's arrival (which was filmed last week), it bangs into the back of the Muggle car parked there. Tom's wand-pointing as he closes the Leaky Cauldron door behind him is doubtless about fixing any damage caused.

I expect the whole sequence will run something like this: Harry gets off the back of the Knight Bus. He hands back the copy of the Daily Prophet to Stan, who puts it under his arm and salutes. Cut to a front shot of Harry and Tom walking towards the Leaky Cauldron. Cut to the Bus pulling out and moving around the corner, showing a damaged car where it had stopped. Back shot of of Harry and Tom entering the door. Cut to front shot of Tom pulling out his wand and pointing. Cut to Muggle car repairing itself and its hazard lights going out.

I can't speak for anything more, as I never saw it being filmed, nor could I extrapolate it from what I did see! :-)

In any case, I can't wait to see the Knight Bus, Stan and Ernie, and the reimagined entrance to the Leaky Cauldron!

I hope the above was interesting, and if you were one of the people there, and especially if you took photographs, I'd love to hear from you.

2003-03-09T23:44:00.000-08:00

Petition to keep Wood in PoA
An online petition to keep Oliver Wood in the third movie has been created and can be found here. Please take a few seconds to sign your name. Even if it's a futile effort, let's let the filmmakers know how we feel about this.

Note: The site, PetitionOnline.com, appears to be having technical difficulties and is timing out while trying to approve a signature. Stay tuned.

2003-03-09T23:42:00.000-08:00

and another two! sean bean and sam

2003-03-09T23:25:00.000-08:00

There's nothing more satisfying during a summer of event movies than to discover a spy thriller like "The Bourne Identity" that's packed with just as much intelligence as action.

Adapted from the slick and savvy novel by the late Robert Ludlum (whose two sequels are waiting in the wings), the picture stars Matt Damon in a sharply focused performance as a mysterious man found floating in the Mediterranean Sea with two bullet holes in his back and a wicked case of amnesia.

He speaks several languages ("Stop messing around and tell me who I am," he admonishes himself in a mirror in German and French). He possessed lethal instincts and martial arts skills, which he discovers much to his own surprise when he takes down two police officers who harass him after he's come ashore in Prague. He knows somebody with a lot of clandestine power is trying to kill him, and his only clue to their identity and his own is a tiny laser pen found embedded under his skin that projects an account number at a Swiss bank -- where he discovers a safe deposit box packed with cash, forged passports and a gun.

Directed by the understated and resourceful Doug Liman ("Swingers," "Go"), this is a film in which even a seat-gripping car chase through the streets of Zurich bristles with brain power as Jason Bourne (he got his name off one of the passports) out-foxes a dozen police cars by maneuvering a Mini Cooper at break-neck speeds down crowded sidewalks and a flight of narrow stairs.

Yet one of the movie's best scenes is the 30 seconds or so after he hides the car in a parking garage following the getaway. In a moment when any other action movie would opt for the clever quip ("I hate Zurich traffic!"), Bourne and the German girl he's offered $20,000 to drive him to Paris ("Run Lola Run's" fantastic Franka Potente) sit silently and let their adrenaline subside while they mentally regroup, realizing they have to abandon the car and wipe it clean of their fingerprints.

In the mean time, Liman takes us to CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., where a supervising agent played by Chris Cooper ("American Beauty," "October Sky") is holed up in a bare basement office, desperately trying to figure out what Bourne is up to while taking heat from above for risking exposure of a clandestine mission. It turns out our hero blew an assignment to kill a former African dictator who was writing a book on the CIA that was going to name names. Now the target has gone public with accusations and Cooper thinks his man has gone rouge, so he's activated every Agency assassin in Europe to track him down and take him out.

Liman and Damon do a brilliant job of tapping into Bourne's frustration and the tingling instincts that keep him alive as he hunts for answers. You can almost see the wheels turning in his head during a daring, wall-crawling escape from a U.S. Embassy during an early scene in which he's still disoriented but aware enough to realizes he's being flanked by guards.

The director practically reinvents the modern fight scene, bringing excitement to shoot-outs and mano-a-mano martial arts showdowns in a way that is as methodical and unhurried as the fights themselves. He never resorts to MTV-style editing, and uses the film's score of energetic electronica (by often-experimental composer John Powell who scored "Face/Off," "Antz" and "Shrek") as the background track it should be.

Like "Ronin" and the first "Mission: Impossible" film, "The Bourne Identity" is a complex espionage-fueled action flick that respects the viewer enough to let you connect some of the dots yourself. As the plot thickens and assassins on Bourne's trail are directed through a nervously inexperienced dispatcher (Julia Stiles) in a Paris safehouse, screenwriter Tony Gilroy ("Dolores Claibourne," "The Devil's Advocate") doesn't spell out every little detail. He trusts you to figure out how Bourne tracks his attackers back to the safehouse and tricks Cooper into coming to Paris and showing his cards.

Best of all, Liman lets the characters drive the story, with tense, suspenseful and emotional moments between Damon and Potente (who is much more than the traditional cinema spy's arm ornament) given as much weight and screen time as the tense and exhilarating stunt scenes.

Nothing feels contrived in "The Bourne Identity," even during the few scenes that raise questions (how does Marie know a body at the Paris morgue has been identified with one of Bourne's aliases?). And with the exception of a slick, screen graphic-intensive introduction of the assassins out to get our hero, the picture hardly feels like Hollywood at all. The European locales are not presented as postcards and Cooper's realistically dreary basement CIA office looks like anything but the production designer's high-tech wet dream you get in other spook movies.

I'm a big fan of the spy genre, and don't get me wrong -- I love James Bond flicks. But I'd take this kind of sensational, cerebral thriller over cartoony gadget- and stunt-driven pictures any day of the week.
from http://www.splicedonline.com/02reviews/bourneid.html

2003-03-09T23:04:00.000-08:00

2003-03-09T22:44:00.000-08:00

another biography of chad..
Full Name: Chad Michael Murray
Birth Date: August 24, 1981
Birth Place: Buffalo, NY USA
Residence: Southern California
Sign: Virgo
Height: 6'
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Dirty Blond
Parents: He looks up to Dad: "I idolize my father," says Chad. "I mean, he has worked so hard in his life." When Chad was 10 years old his mother left the house.
Siblings: Three brothers who are 15, 18, and 22, a 14-year-old sister a half-brother who is six.
High School: Graduated from Clarence High School, New York in 1999.
Pets: A pug named Gus and a boisterous cat named Jack.
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite CD: Incubus and Dave Matthews Band
Favorite Movie: Gladiator, Fight Club, Varsity Blues and Any Given Sunday
Favorite Book: Catcher In The Rye
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Mint Chocolate Chip
Favorite Food: Spaghetti with sausage or chicken with french fries
Weekend Attire: Jeans, sleeveless shirts, t-shirts and jean jackets
Dream Girl: A girl who is sweet, supportive, with a great personality; a girl who can talk, and who can listen; can enjoy doing nothing sometimes; a smart girl.
Bad Habits: "Putting my foot in my mouth" - when I talk sometimes I say stuff I don't mean. Usually very stupid things. I also eat way too much sugar and junk food.
Most Important Issue: Kids being drug free. I always want kids to be allowed to have a chance or a shot in life.
Happiest Place On Earth: Where you are at the moment. Wherever I am, I make that the happiest place with what I have. If not, the Bahamas!
Fan Mail:
Chad Murray
11271 Ventura Blvd., PMB 248
Studio City, CA 91604

2003-03-09T18:57:00.000-08:00

i will be applying for other jobs so i can't update that much...thanks for all your prayers...God bless!

2003-03-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

three lovely rupert grint's pics from his official site http://www.rupertgrint.org/index2.htm

2003-03-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

Leavesden Studios, Home of Harry Potter

Where and How to get there.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leavesden Studios T: 01923 685 060
F: 01923 685 061
South Way, Leavesden, Watford,,
Hertfordshire WD2 7LT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Public transport:
Train from Euston to Watford Junction followed by a cab to the studios

Driving instructions:
Take the M1 or A41 heading out of London
Get off at Junction 5 of the M1
Take the 3rd exit from the roundabout heading west along the A41
Follow the A41 for 1 mile across a set of lights to a roundabout
Take the 2nd major exit between 2 petrol stations up the hill
After half a mile take the slip road off the A41 to a roundabout with the A405 and take the 2nd exit
At the mini roundabout turn right into Hill Farm Avenue, towards Abbotts Langley
At the next roundabout, take the first exit onto South Way
Quarter mile down on the left hand side is the studio entrance

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, you want to be an Extra?

Extras, a name coined from an old film accounting term, are also referred to as background, walk-ons, supporting artistes or even SAs for short. Extras are employed to give authenticity and atmosphere to scenes. They may only be one of a handful of artistes in a pub scene or part of a large barbarian army rampaging through a forest. Whatever the scene, the artistes have been cast and specifically placed there for a reason.
With that in mind it becomes obvious that anyone can be an extra, regardless of age, shape or colour. In fact, often it is people who consider themselves to have the 'wrong look' for film that are most in demand! No-one can truly judge how successful anyone will be, no matter how beautiful or extraordinary looking, but there are a few pre-requisites that all SA's need to fulfill if they are to get work often enough to make the whole exercise worthwhile. The film world moves at a very fast pace and so being easily contactable and available at short notice would be the first of these pre-requisites. Another is the ability to get up very early in the morning, as most calls would require you to arrive on location between 06:00 and 09:00. Finally you must have a National Insurance number (a guarantee that your are eligible to work in the UK), if you are under 16 you will not have received one yet and would need to be licensed for engagements of work. Child agencies usually take on this task.

The next step is registering with an agency. This may seem like a daunting task but choosing an agency remains one of the most important decisions you will make. You must make up your own mind as to which agencies to apply to but there are a few guidelines you can follow to help you pick a reputable one.

Once on an agency's books the amount of work that you will receive is dependent on three things: you (appearance, reliability and availability), your agency and what is in production. Once committed to an agency, you have no control over two of the above points, therefore choose your agency wisely and be flexible with your look and wardrobe.

Production genre popularity like fashion trends change over the years and so artistes with certain looks are bound to get more than others. For example productions such as military films and police dramas benefit young men in the same way that period or costume dramas benefit characterful older faces and those with long hair. When a type of production is more popular than another, some looks gain from them and certain looks suffer by receiving less or no work from them. This is why there is no guarantee of the amount of work to expect, and why honest agencies will never offer one.

2003-03-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

this was taken by a fan...and the other two were from a mag..thanks bag-end inn

2003-03-09T18:36:00.000-08:00

here are some nice pics...i love it!

2003-03-09T18:30:00.000-08:00

Trainspotting the 11.00 to Hogsmeade

The Evening Times has an article about the train that's playing the role of the Hogwarts Express. The train traveled to Glasgow from Port William, where it caused a fire on the heather.

posted by heidi tandy at 1:09:52 PM - (Top of the page)
Comments [8] / Comments Terms of Use
Thursday, March 06, 2003

Come to Milton Keynes

Tom Felton and Warrwick Davis will be signing autographs at CollectorMania3, which takes place starting May 2, and runs through that Monday. Event details are here. Photos from the event would be appreciated by Team TLC.

posted by heidi tandy at 12:42:01 PM - (Top of the page)
Comments [16] / Comments Terms of Use
PoA on Location

Website This is Local London reports that a night shoot for Prisoner of Azkaban will be taking place in Palmers Green next month.

posted by Rhiannon Llewellyn at 11:42:54 AM - (Top of the page)
Comments [5] / Comments Terms of Use
Win a Ford Anglia That Doesn't Fly!

One of the Red Nose Day events is a drawing for a 1965 Ford Anglia signed by both JK Rowling and Stephen Fry, the voice of the Harry Potter audio books. Its boot is stuffed with goodies, including a Harry Potter trunk (worth £99.99) and travel bag full of CDs and cassettes.There's a fee to enter, and only residents of the British Isles, including the Channel Islands, who are aged 18 year, are eligiable to win - but we know there's a lot of you out there, so if you meet the criteria, go ahead and enter!

Thanks to Emerson for the link.

posted by heidi tandy at 11:26:33 AM - (Top of the page)
Comments [22] / Comments Terms of Use
CoS Nominated for Five Saturn Awards

CINESCAPE and The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films announced the nominees for the 2003 Saturn Awards ceremony yesterday. CoS has been nominated for five awards, including Best Fantasy Film, Best Director (Chris Columbus), Best Performance by a Younger Actor (Dan Radcliffe), Best Costume, Best Makeup and Best Special Effects. Thanks, Matthew, for the info.

posted by heidi tandy at 11:21:05 AM - (Top of the page)

2003-03-09T18:28:00.000-08:00

AhhhhhhhWhere's the Quidditch?

Sean Biggerstaff posted on his website today that it's now official - he won't be in the PoA film. We at TLC wonder what this means for Quidditch in the film, as that's a turning-point for a few bits of the plot. Thanks to Emily for the info, and best wishes to Sean in your next projects.

2003-03-09T18:25:00.000-08:00

my old friend tin with her boyfriend, randy met up with me in biñan yesterday and we had a long chat about our lives..and we also talked about our old jobs..that was a nice chat, i hope we could do it again. too bad tintin will be relocating in zambales..near subic.

2003-03-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

i would like to ask everybody to pray for a while for world peace...

2003-03-09T18:16:00.001-08:00

i got that report from http://www.canoe.ca/JamLordOfTheRings/mar7_boyd-sun.html

2003-03-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

Friday, March 7, 2003

Playing for a living

By STEVE TILLEY -- Edmonton Sun
When asked to cite the films that inspired them to devote their lives to the stage or screen, a lot of actors will rattle off a list of Shakespearean dramas, timeless Oscar-winners or the work of tortured European auteurs.

And you know they're probably pulling your leg with everything they've got.

Not so with Billy Boyd. The affable and unpretentious Scottish thespian, who's become an international star as the Hobbit Pippin Took in The Lord of the Rings films, says it was Star Wars and Back to the Future that sent him down the path of playing make-believe for a living.

"Growing up, I just wanted to travel through time or be a Jedi," Boyd said on the phone from Los Angeles, where he's recording audio commentary for the upcoming DVD release of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

"That's why I wanted to be an actor! I didn't want to explore anything or make anyone look inside themselves. I just wanted to have a hoverboard."

Fake furry feet and a curly wig might not be quite as cool as a lightsaber or a time-travelling DeLorean, but Boyd - who will be in town next week for the 17th-annual Edmonton International Film Festival - is doing pretty darn well for himself nonetheless.

A busy theatre actor who has worked on some of Scotland's most prestigious stages, Boyd is coming to the Edmonton film fest, which begins tonight, to promote 8 Scottish Shorts, an octet of his homeland's film offerings. He stars in Sniper 470, a critically acclaimed 25-minute science-fiction film about a lone starship gunner who guards the frontiers of colonized space against invaders, coping with isolation, boredom and the knowledge he could be killed at any moment. 8 Scottish Shorts screens March 15 at the Garneau Theatre.

Not surprisingly, though, it's Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy that has irreversibly altered not only Boyd's life, but the lives of some of the films' fans.

"I can't believe the kind of passion people have for these movies, and the books beforehand," he said. "And it seems a real genuine thing. It's great to hear that people are so moved by it that it changes something in their life."

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the final movie in the trilogy, opens in theatres this December. It will mark the end of an odyssey for Boyd and the other cast and crew, who spent more than 15 months in New Zealand shooting the three films back to back.

"I definitely know it will be strange. When I left New Zealand after filming for that year and a half, that was a really weird sort of closing of a chapter. And I think when Return of the King comes out, that will be another one."

Boyd will have his fellow Hobbits to help weather the emotional storm, though. Despite a forced proximity with each other for 14-hour days over a year and a half, Boyd and co-stars Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Sean Astin (Sam Gamgee) and Dominic Monaghan (Merry Brandybuck) have formed an unbreakable bond of friendship that has endured long since the cameras stopped rolling.

They learned to surf together during downtime in New Zealand, went out pubbing and playing pool during their free nights and often flit around the world to accompany one another on holidays and special occasions.

"I don't know how it happened or why it happened, but it just worked out absolutely perfectly," Boyd said. "In fact Dom's on his way over here right now, and we're going to go surfing. Which I won't be doing in Canada, I'm sure."

While Boyd was on set in Mexico shooting the upcoming Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with director Peter Weir and star Russell Crowe, Wood and Monaghan were practically living at Boyd's beachhouse.

"Elijah and Dom were down every second weekend," he said. "They'd come and pick me up after work at 8 or 9 at night, and they'd been surfing all day and hanging out and eating tacos. That's great, innit?"

Crowe had a surfboard on set too, and while they never got around to hanging 10 together, it wasn't for lack of other fun things to do. "He likes all that stuff, and he organized rugby games every weekend, and we played some music together and stuff," said Boyd, an accomplished musician. "We had a little trailer at the studio that had some drums and stuff in it. It was fun."

With both The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers being nominated for the best-picture Oscar, it's a near certainty that The Return of the King will be as well, along with Jackson as best director. While most Oscar insiders don't expect The Two Towers to pick up the best-picture statuette at the Academy Awards ceremony in a couple of weeks, Boyd said it would be criminal if Jackson and The Return of the King aren't honoured next year as a representative of the trilogy as a whole.

"I just hope they don't miss Pete," he said. "I think it really would be a travesty if he's not seen as an incredible director. And I think The Return of the King is probably the best screenplay I've ever read. It's incredible. It's so emotional."

While not the last scene of the film, the very last scene Boyd shot with director Jackson had Pippin in the city of Minas Tirith with the mad ruler Denethor (John Noble). It was a fitting way to end his journey, both on the film and as the once-carefree Pippin, now a knight of Gondor.

"Pippin really starts to realize where he is, and that he can actually do something with his two hands to actually change things," Boyd said.

Boyd can't reveal what he figures will be the most eye-popping and memorable scenes in the new movie - despite repeated cajoling to do exactly that - but he will say that Pippin's experiences will tug at the heartstrings.

"If you've read the book, you know that Merry and Pippin split up," he said. "And I think after what people have seen in the first two movies, and see how close Merry and Pippin are, there's some lovely stuff when you see them split up.

"To see two of the greatest friends losing each other, the actual anchor they have to reality just goes, and they're basically left with nothing."

Geez, even just hearing about it is enough to break a guy's heart!

"Me too," Boyd said. "Luckily, Merry's on his way round for breakfast right now, so it must come out all right."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2003-03-09T18:14:00.000-08:00

Orlando in J-14
posted by Kaitlin, 03/09/03
Kaitlin wrote: I just got April's issue of J-14, and on page 81 there is a mystery person (a photo of the young Orlando, you're supposed to guess who he is). The caption says: "For this Brit boy, life's always an adventure. The happy-go-lucky hottie you see on the left gets his kicks from bungee jumping, skydiving, and surfingwhen he's not taking on the minions of evil in a well-known epic fantasy series. Do you know who the dashing daredevil is?" His identity will be revealed in the next month's issue.

Orlando is coming down under
Girlfriend.com, 03/08/03
Spunky ring-follower, Orlando Bloom is reportedly making his way back to Australia for the premiere of Ned Kelly! The world premiere of Ned Kelly is set for Melbourne on March 22 but because his current film is behind schedule, Orlando will only be able to make the Sydney premiere the following day. Orlando plays Kelly gang member Joe Byrne, and is scheduled to hook up with co-stars Naomi Watts and Heath Ledger.Orlando is currently filming Pirates of the Carribbean, which also stars Geoffrey Rush. We just want to know if he is bringing his new girlfriend, Kate Bosworth from Blue Crush!?

2003-03-09T18:10:00.000-08:00

Ready to BloomMarch 10 2003The Sun-Herald
Loving life . . . Orlando Bloom as Joe Byrne in Ned Kelly, with Heath Ledger.
There's more than one star of the upcoming Ned Kelly ... enter Orlando Bloom, Christine Sams writes. The appearance of an unruly, unshaven Irishman wandering the streets in rural Victoria is hardly likely to raise an eyebrow. After all, they pride themselves on the Kelly gang mythology down there.But when Orlando Bloom was off-duty during the filming of Ned Kelly, he took great delight in wandering through shops and pubs talking in full Irish brogue. He admits he didn't waver from the accent during the entire filming stint in Australia, despite his real-life clipped English tones."I loved that Irish accent," he said over the phone from the US. "Yeah, sometimes I'll even use it here in LA when I go out with friends. It's good for a laugh."In many ways, Bloom resembles a quintessential Irishman. With curly dark hair, pale skin and a glint of mischief in his dark eyes, he could easily claim Celtic ties.But he was born in England, the son of South African political activist Harry Bloom, and now resides in Los Angeles where he is being lauded as one of the actors who will conquer Hollywood over the next five years. ");document.write("
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Despite all the talk of Heath Ledger and his starring role in Ned Kelly, it's hard to ignore the impact of Bloom's involvement in Gregor Jordan's film.
His role as Kelly's best friend, Joe Byrne, is certain to attract attention among a legion of international fans who follow his career. Many of those fans have never heard of Ned Kelly, but Orlando is a name they can't ignore.
It's four years since Bloom started filming The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring and his starring turn as Legolas - the smooth, blond-haired elf - won him millions of fans around the world.
During the making of Ned Kelly, Bloom returned to his own hair colour (dark brown) and threw away the razor. "It was great to work with my own hair," he said with a chuckle.
"And I just loved working in Australia, I really enjoyed the pace of life. It's got so much to offer, it really has."
It's no wonder Bloom is a fan of the southern hemisphere. He scaled peaks in New Zealand for his role in The Lord Of The Rings, and his Hollywood career took on a similar trajectory. After appearing in Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down, he was wooed by Jordan for the role of Byrne.
"I met up with Gregor in LA and he spoke to me about shooting guns and riding horses in Australia. It sounded fantastic," he said. "But I have to admit, I didn't know a lot about the
real-life Ned Kelly or the members of his gang.
"In the end, it was so rewarding playing a character who was a hero in real life to so many Australians. It was gratifying to discover the historical details, to explore the impact of the Kelly gang and to know the effect those men had on the entire nation. It really moved me."
Even while coping with the juggernaut of The Lord Of The Rings, Bloom was talking excitedly about his "project in Australia". When I interviewed him in Wellington, New Zealand, in late 2001, Bloom was engaging and magnetic as he regaled journalists with tales from the set of The Lord Of The Rings. But his mind was already on the Kelly gang, because he kept referring to a "top secret" project Down Under, and spoke of his determination to spend time working in Australia.
Now the secret is out (with the Ned Kelly marketing campaign in full swing), Bloom admits his attraction to the role of Byrne was instant.
"He was a very different man from Ned Kelly. He was quiet, more thoughtful, and Ned often relied on him for advice. He was definitely his right-hand man. Sure, he smoked opium, but he was generally much more reserved than the other members of the gang. The first time he was arrested it was for the possession of meat. Can you imagine that?"
Apart from his intense fascination with the historical aspects of the story, Bloom became firm friends with Ledger during the making of the film.
And while he didn't spend as much time on set with Naomi Watts, he was pleased to discover the real-life romance between the two. "It was something that developed while the film was being made, it was a lovely thing which arose from that," Bloom said. "They're both really nice people, and they make a great couple."
Plenty of Australian fans are eagerly awaiting a glimpse of the on-screen chemistry between Ledger and Watts. But the presence of Bloom, alongside cast members including Geoffrey Rush, Rachel Griffiths and Joel Edgerton, doesn't hurt the film's sex appeal.
Although first screenings of Ned Kelly won't be held in Australia until next week, insiders are hinting Bloom's character emerges as more glamorous than Ledger's Kelly. But it's only because history paints Byrne as the most fashionable bushranger of them all.
The Iron Outlaw website (which specialises in historical analysis of the Kelly gang) reports that Byrne's sense of style went well beyond homemade suits of armour.
"Joe's high-heeled boots were his trademark, being referred to as larrikin heels during late 19th-century Victoria," reports the website. "Byrne was seen as one of the most glamorous gang members with his handsome, colonial boy charm and his strong opposition to police law and order."
Bloom becomes slightly withdrawn when the issue of being a sex symbol is raised. He acknowledges there could be worse things said about him but he tends to shun the idea of being a "Hollywood hunk".
"I appreciate the compliment," he said, "but it's a secondary thing to me. The primary goal is about choosing roles which affect me, which challenge me personally. That's why the Joe Byrne character meant so much to me - it was about exploring the integrity of the man."
Despite his good looks, there's no denying 26-year-old Bloom has avoided the cliches of a typical Hollywood "youth" resume. Somewhat thankfully, his career is not dotted with gross-out road movies or tacky romances. But he's also not afraid to have a little fun, now he has cemented his reputation.
He is currently filming The Pirates Of The Caribbean in Los Angeles, alongside Johnny Depp and Rush, and he's not averse to donning a pair of knickerbockers for the rollicking flick.
"It's all that fun, swashbuckling stuff, which is a good laugh. I'm loving it," said Bloom, in between takes on the set of the film. "But I'm really hoping to find a gap in my schedule to make it down to the premiere for Ned Kelly. I'd really like to be there."
In many ways Bloom should be considered an action star: his character Legolas was always running in The Lord Of The Rings, he jumped astride horses in Ned Kelly and these days he's indulging in sword fights with Depp. "I'm happy to keep up the momentum," he said, with a satisfied pause. "I'm having a ball."
Ned Kelly is released on March 27.

An interview with Orlando Bloom (Joe Byrne)

When Orlando Bloom was first approached about a role in "Ned Kelly", he had heard of the famous Australian outlaw, but knew very little about the story.

Best known for his role as Legolas the elf in "The Lord of the Rings", the young actor was initially under the impression that the Kelly Gang was a bunch of young guys travelling around, shooting guns and generally causing havoc. He soon discovered there was much more to the story.

"It was for a purpose, because they felt hard done by, they felt they were being persecuted unjustly," says Bloom. "That sounded to me to be something I'd like to be involved in.

"The story of Ned Kelly is kind of like a Western, but at the same time it's not at all, because it's Australian, and Irish. There's this whole mellow kind of Australian bushranger thing. It's mad and they are crazy. It's kind of cool and exciting to get inside those characters. It's a fun story to be involved in."

When he received the script, Bloom was asked to consider the roles of both Joe Byrne, Ned Kelly's best friend and first lieutenant in the gang, and Steve Hart, the best friend of Dan Kelly and fourth member of the gang.

"I was immediately drawn to Joe," he says. "He was Ned's right hand man, he'd live and die for the loyalty of his friends and particularly for Ned. He'd follow him to hell and back and I just felt that was something that I could work with, embellish, and make a strong character.

"Joe was very deliberate in his thought and action. He actually transcribed the Jerilderie letter for Ned... he's softly spoken in a way - he wouldn't say anything unless it needs to be said and he's kind of Ned's calm, in a way. I liked the idea of that. I just felt that it would be a good contrast to Ned."

Aside from the script, Bloom also looked into the true story behind the Kelly Gang to learn more about his character.

"There are so many different books and so many different stories. There are fictional stories and factual information - I basically took pieces of information that would help me, so that I could develop and build a character around that, like the way the police described Joe Byrne. He was described as a poet, and quite a thinker, he was the most educated of the gang, but a dangerous man at the same time. He wasn't afraid to kill somebody through loyalty to Ned, the gang, and what he believed in."

Although Ned Kelly is little-known outside Australia, Bloom believes international audiences will warm to the incredible story of the outlaw. "I think the themes of the story - camaraderie, loyalty, friendship, and standing up for what you believe in - these are all themes that an audience can relate to."

2003-03-09T18:07:00.000-08:00

okay..i will a pathetic fan again and tell more about my fave brad pitt! ahh...i totally accepted the fact that he was married now and i just want to tell more about him..read on..
Biography

William Bradley Pitt is the oldest of three children. He was born on December 18, 1963, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. His mother was a school counselor and his father worked as an executive at a trucking firm. The family moved to Springfield, Missouri, where Brad attended Kickapoo High School.

1963 - a star is born
William Bradley Pitt is the first child of Jane, a guidance counselor, and Bill, a trucking company manager. Though Brad is born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, the family later moves to Springfield, Missouri, where the Pitt family grows to include brother Doug and sister Julie. In Springfield Brad also worked for Colonel Day's Levi Emporium as a salesman.

1978-82 - Kickapoo High School
A tennis ace and basketball player for the Kickapoo High School Chiefs, Brad also participates in choir, drama, student government and the debate team. He's named Best Dressed by his classmates.

1982-86 - University of Missouri
Brad attended the University of Missouri, majored in Journalism and Advertising, joined the fraternity Sigma Chi, and 'got in enough trouble to keep things interesting.' He posed for the "Men of Mizzou" pinup calender and, in 1987 (his senior year), he left college, two credit hours short of graduation. He hopped in his car named 'Runaround Sue' and headed for California.

1986 - Arriving in Hollywood
He arrived in Los Angeles with $325.00 in his pocket.
His first jobs was handing out free cigarette samples, standing outside El Pollo Loco restaurant in a chicken outfit and also escorting strippers around in a limousine. He also worked as a swimming pool attendant, bus boy and refrigerator boy. The money from these odd-jobs helped to pay for community theater and acting lessons. Slowly, he began to find his way into television and later to his breakout role.

1991 - Thelma & Louise
Brad was cast in the role of 'J.D.' a lanky cowboy in the movie 'Thelma and Louise.' In just fourteen minutes of screen time, Brad created a character so memorable that it launched what will most likely be a long, high-profile film career. He followed up that success with a good turn in 'A River Runs Through It,'.

1995-97 - Gwyneth Paltrow
In 1995 Brad met Gwyneth Paltrow, his co-actor in 'Seven'. On June 16th 1997, Brad's publicist announced that the relationship was over..

1998-* - Jennifer Aniston
In July 29th 2000, he married Jennifer Aniston.

Did you know?

Given title "Sexiest Man Alive" from People Magazine in 1995 and 2000.
Was considered for the lead in The Matrix (1999).
Listed in "People Weekly's 'Most Intriguing People' list. (December 25, 1995)
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (1995).
Banned from entering China because of his role in Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
Turned down a role as an astronaut in Apollo 13 (1995) to accept his Oscar-nominated role in Twelve Monkeys (1995).
(Dropped out of the University of Missouri School of Journalism (Columbia, Missouri)
Posed for a campus calendar in college.

Awards
1998 - Rembrandt Audience Award - Best Actor - "Seven Years in Tibet"
1997 - Blockbuster Entertainment Award - Favorite Supporting Actor - Science Fiction - "Twelve Monkeys"
1996 - Golden Globe - Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - "Twelve Monkeys"
1996 - MTV Movie Award - Most Desirable Male - "Se7en"
1995 - MTV Movie Award - Best Male Performance - "Interview with the Vampire"
1995 - MTV Movie Award - Most Desirable Male - "Interview with the Vampire"
1993 - ShoWest Award - Male Star of Tomorrow

Nominations
2001 - Oscar - Best supporting Actor - 'Snatch'
1996 - Oscar - Best Supporting Actor - "Twelve Monkeys"
1996 - MTV Movie Award - Best Male Performance - "Twelve Monkeys"
1996 - MTV Movie Award - Best On-Screen Duo w/Morgan Freeman - "Se7en"
1995 - Golden Globe - Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - "Legends of the Fall"

News
- iWon - Brad Pitt
- Jam Showbiz - Brad Pitt
- E! Online - Brad Pitt

Credits
Thanks Annica for your help.

2003-03-09T17:42:00.001-08:00

FELICITY RETURNS!
If you, like me, have been experiencing major Keri Russell withdrawal ever since Felicity went off the air last May, you'll wanna read this: The New York Post reports that the Golden Globe winner is being eyed to take over the role of Lois Lane in Warner Bros.' upcoming Superman update. Producers, meanwhile, are still on the hunt for a Man of Steel now that Josh Hartnett has dropped out. Hey, what about Scott Speedman?
News on Michael Rosenbaum's new movie(Updated)
With the exception of TVGuide.Com, "Bringing Down The House" has been panned by the critics. The film stars Queen Latifah and Steve Martin. Update- The movie has grossed 31.7 million dollars in its first week of release. "Poolhall Junkies," Rosenbaum's other film, made its debut at 26th place last wekend.

2003-03-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

a nice family

2003-03-09T17:41:00.000-08:00

Art of Being Chad Michael Murray
Talk To Me: "Someone once gave me the best advice about women. He said always choose a woman who is smarter than you. It worked. I never wanted to be that guy with a bimbo on each arm. That's not me."
I Did It My Way: "I was such a nerd in high school. Man, I had no friends. I didn't have a lot of money so I couldn't get all the cool clothes like everybody else. I did my own thing. That didn't go over so well. "

What's Up Doc?: "I was discovered by my nurse. I was in the hospital when I was 15 years old and my nurse, who was also a model, suggested I get into modeling. One thing led to another and by the time I was 18, I was living in Los Angeles and working as an actor."

What I'm Doing On My Summer Vacation: "I have a movie coming out called Freaky Friday [summer release]. It's a quirky comedy about a mother and daughter who switch souls. I get to be the love interest for both of them. It's a great movie. The funniest part is a scene where I have to sing. People are going to realize what I've known all along... I can't hit a single note."

2003-03-09T17:28:00.000-08:00

this is a cool interview of chad from wb.com...
'Everyone thinks I am a cocky jerk but I'm not.'

Chad Michael Murray (formerly known as Tristan on Gilmore Girls) is not a cocky jerk and wants you to know it. He's a fun-loving, nice guy who cares about kids and coffee. He's also ambitious, considering he's already nabbed yet another WB gig as the mysterious masked man himslef in The Lone Ranger.
The trait I admire most in a friend is:
Loyalty.

My friends can count on me to:
Get coffee, and to be there for them emotionally when they need caffeine.

People would be really amazed to discover that I am:
A nice guy. Everyone thinks I am a cocky jerk but I'm not.

The line that best describes my life so far is:
There's no such thing as competition.

If I could be the President for one day, the first thing I would do is:
Have more programs and charities for disadvantaged children. I think we should do everything we possibly can to give kids a chance in life.

Out of all the characters on the WB, I most identify with:
Pacey. He's fun, free-loving and doesn't give a crap.

Growing up I swore I would never:
Smoke.

When I'm on the dance floor I look like a cross between:
That's a horrible question!

If you peeked in my fridge, you'd find:
Old food, IBC rootbeers and bags of frozen French Fries

2003-03-09T17:26:00.000-08:00

7th March

Westlife are among a growing list of high profile musicians lining up to buy a unique guitar hand made in Donegal. Emerald Guitars is currently making two limited edition acoustic guitars for Westlife favourites Bryan McFadden and Kian Egan, who intend showcasing the stunning instruments in the band's upcoming tour. Bryan and Kian follow the 'Groover from Vancouver' Bryan Adams and Steve Vai of Frank Zappa fame, in falling in love with the sound and look of an Emerald guitar. Guitar maker, Alastair Hay, who is managing director of the company, said he is "thrilled" with the Westlife contract, won after Bryan McFadden heard 'You're a Star' favourite Mickey Joe Harte play an Emerald guitar three weeks ago on the popular RTE show. Bryan McFadden was in the audience that night and he thought that the guitar was the best looking instrument he had ever seen," said Alastair. "He played it backstage afterwards and when he heard the sound, that completely sold it for him." Alastair travelled to Dublin the following week with another sample of his work and Bryan put in an order for two. Along with fellow guitar maker, Shane Gallagher, the Donegal men are currently putting the finishing touches to the two guitars for delivery to the band next week." The green-coloured instruments, are each worth about 2,500 euro and are made from carbon fibre, a derivative of fibre glass and uniquely moulded from a single piece of material. Bryan and Kian, who are Westlife's main guitarists on tour, will each have their names inscribed in silver on their new handmade guitars. "It's incredible the way things have taken off. It's fantastic to get that kind of promotion in your own country from such a high profile home grown band," said the 28-year old father-of-two. Visit Emerald Guitars website at: http://www.emeraldguitars.com and at their showrooms in Cavancaw, St. Johnston.

Source: [Nicky]

2003-03-09T17:19:00.000-08:00

here is another fave of mine...chad! he reprised the role of lone ranger in WB two hour movie special. too bad we don't have WB here in the philippines! ahh...at first i really don't mind him coz he is really a snobbish person for me but ah, he challenges me and i really like his eyes..
PROFILE(Thank you to Chad Michael Murray Online at http://chadmichaelmurray.cjb.net for providing this biography)

Full Name....................Chad Michael Murray
Birthdate.....................August 24th, 1981
Height..........................6'0
Home Town................Buffalo NY
Status..........................Single
Shows.........................Gilmore girls- Tristan Dugray, Dawson's Creek- Charlie
Past Jobs...................Modelling
Siblings.......................Four brothers,6,15,18,22, A sister,14
Sports.........................Highschool football, quarterback, and receiver
Until 1999, Chad lived in Buffalo, New York, where he was also born on the 24th of August, 1981. Chad Michael Murray found an audience at a young stage. When he had been only about 4 or 5 years old , the young actor performed in front of his family throughout skits, and used his voice to entertain them with his own songs.

He relocated to Los Angeles after graduating high school. With a big interest in football during high school, he played the sport in sophomore year until an injury kept him out of school for four months. He was planning on pursuing a football career in college until realising that acting was his dream, and then deciding to pursue a career in acting.

He began with several guest star appearances, including one as a teen murder suspect on the suspense series, Diagnosis Murder. And then finally, he got the call he'd been praying for. He scored the role of Tristan Dugrey, on the WB series, Gilmore Girls, who he is commonly recognised for.

With a past occupation as a model, Murray stands at six foot, and comes from a family of 5 boys and one girl. With former modeling contracts with Sketchers, Tommy Hilfiger and Gucci, Murray is in admiration of fellow actors Ed Norton, Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Pacino and Robert DiNiro. Although having an obvious talent in acting, Chad is as fit as they come. He keeps himself in shape by working out at the gym, inline skating, playing soccer, volleyball and basketball, in addition to football pick-up games.

Chad Michael Murray is absolutely against the idea of drugs, and for this reason you may find him completely active at drug functions for children and teens. Besides the fact that he misses his family a lot, he does in fact own his own home, while also living with his dog named Gus, and a cat named Jack.

Apart from his role on Diagnosis Murder, a big credit to add to his name is his role in Dawson's Creek in 2001. Although; his role as irritating, yet sensitive, Tristan on Gilmore Girls have made audiences sit up and admire this young man's talent for acting.

FILMOGRAPHY

Aftermath (2001) (TV)
Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 (2001) (as Chad Michael Murray) .... David Alexander (Age 16)
... aka Megiddo (2001) (USA: short title)
"Gilmore Girls" (2000) TV Series .... Tristan DuGrey
"Dawson's Creek" (1998) TV Series .... Charlie Todd (2001 - )
"Dawson's Creek" (1998) playing "Charlie" in episode: "Capeside Revisited" (episode # 5.3) 10/24/2001
"Dawson's Creek" (1998) playing "Charlie"(as Chad Michael Murray) in episode: "Capeside Revisited" (episode # 5.3) 10/24/2001
"Dawson's Creek" (1998) playing "Charlie" in episode: "Lost Weekend, The" (episode # 5.2) 10/17/2001
"Dawson's Creek" (1998) playing "Charlie"(as Chad Michael Murray) in episode: "Lost Weekend, The" (episode # 5.2) 10/17/2001
"Dawson's Creek" (1998) playing "Charlie"(as Chad Michael Murray) in episode: "Bostonians, The" (episode # 5.1) 10/10/2001
"Dawson's Creek" (1998) playing "Charlie" in episode: "Bostonians, The" (episode # 5.1) 10/10/2001
"Diagnosis Murder" (1993) playing "Ray Santucci" in episode: "Cradle Will Rock, The" (episode # 8.6) 11/16/2000

CONTACT INFORMATION

Contact Chad by sending him fan mail through this postal address:
Chad Michael Murray
11271 Ventura Blvd. #431
Studio City, CA 91604

2003-03-09T17:11:00.000-08:00

my fave david sneddon...i really miss him..ahh where can i see him again perform?

2003-03-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

here's a nice pic of elijah from try seventeen..

2003-03-05T19:55:00.000-08:00

Lord of the Rings star Billy Boyd got so close to his fellow actors during the mammoth shoot for the fantasy trilogy, he has vowed to meet up with them every year.

The Scottish actor - who plays hobbit Pippin - spent sixteen months working side by side with pals Elijah Wood, Sean Astin and Dominic Monaghan and now won't let a year go by without seeing them.

He says, "We all became so close making the movies that there is talk we will arrange something so we can all meet once a year."

2003-03-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

learn more about elijah wood...
General

Name: Elijah Jordan Wood
Nicknames: Elwood, Lij, Monkey, 'The Funny'
Date of Birth: 28th January 1981
Place of Birth: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.A.
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Beautifully BLUE
Height: 168 cms
Pets: 2 dogs, Rascal and Levonne
Relationship: Currently single :(
Distinguishing Features: The most beautiful blue eyes i have ever seen, and a tattoo of the number 9, written in elvish which all the members of the fellowship got. It is located on the lower-right side of his torso.
Hobbies: Reading, fencing, photography, rollerblading, swimming, hockey, cooking, surfing, collecting Star Wars memorabilia, basketball and singing
Bad Habits: Smokes Clove Cigarrettes and bites his fingernails and toenails
Parents: Warren and Deborah Wood - now divorced
Siblings: Brother Zach (7 years older) and sister Hannah (2 years younger)
Motto: "There's nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self" - From Sid Arthur.

Favourites

Colour: Blue
Books: The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien and The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
Subjects: English and History
Movies: Star Wars Trilogy, Heavenly Creatures, Pulp Fiction, Braveheart
Music: Is there anything he doesn't like!? He's obsessed with music apparantly, so he likes mostly everything. But he does likes The Smashing Pumpkins, Massive Attack, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix
Food: Homemade Potato Salad
Actor: Tim Roth
Actress: Emma Thompson

Other Facts

If he wasn't an actor he would be a Secret Agent
He learns singing professionally
Elijah says that he is really interested in the film making process and would like to be a director one day.
He wears glasses but not all the time
He now owns the one ring and keeps it in a box at home
He loves animals
Elijah loves playing video games
To get the role of Frodo Baggins, Elijah hired a hobbit costume, went out into the hills with his friends and shot some scenes from the book.

a cool pic from kelly gang

2003-03-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

if you have notice some picture problems in my blog...sorry 'coz i can't edit some of it...i will try to do it some other time..again, sorry

2003-03-05T19:40:00.000-08:00

another fave LOTR pics

2003-03-05T19:39:00.000-08:00

this is one of my fave show...roswell..hey when will rpn 9 change the episodes..they only air reruns!oh..as i searched it in the web, it was cancelled.ahhhh
Show Stars
Shiri Appleby - Liz Parker
Jason Behr - Max Evans
Majandra Delfino - Maria DeLuca
Brendan Fehr - Michael Guerin
Colin Hanks - Alex Charles Whitman (Season 1-2)
Katherine Heigl - Isabel Amanda Evans Ramirez
Emilie de Ravin - Tess Harding (Season 2)
Adam Rodriguez - Jesse Esteban Ramirez (Season 3)
William Sadler - Sheriff Jim Valenti
Nick Wechsler - Kyle Valenti

2003-03-05T19:32:00.000-08:00

ah..second breakfast!

2003-03-05T19:24:00.000-08:00

love the family pic

2003-03-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

The cameras began rolling for Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban on 24 February, but its glitzy premiere will not happen until next year.

However, Chris, who plays head boy Percy Weasley, has given us the lowdown on what's happening at Hogwarts.

Graham Barnard spoke to him on the first day of filming. Chris, 19, revealed that this sequel is far scarier than the last two and and he talked about what his life is like as a jobbing actor.

What happens in this film?

Basically like the first and second one, Harry is still back at Hogwarts school with his friends Ron and Hermione.

He starts by having an argument with his uncle and aunt and runs away from home and gets the bus, the magic bus called the night bus, to London where he meets up with his friends and he then goes back to school.

There's lots of scary stuff happening. A guy escapes from the prison which is called Azkaban and they reckon he's after Harry for reasons I will not tell you because it will give away the story.

It sounds a bit darker than the first two films.

By far. It's a lot scarier than the first two.

Your character Percy is the head boy, but what does he get up to this time?

Not a lot this time. It's quite nice, he's taken a bit of a back seat because in the last two he was just a prefect but in this one he becomes head boy so he's still there and being as pompous and keeping order on things - but from a distance this time, which is good.

Have you learnt all your lines?

I don't know how I do it to be honest. It just happens - it goes in, I look at it, it's there.

Where is it being filmed?

Most of my stuff is going to be at the studios - called Leavesden Studios - just outside Watford which is actually where I am at the moment in a hotel in St Albans.

What have you been up to since the last film?

Well, the last film I finished shooting in June. I've been playing it a bit quietly. Obviously we had the premiere for it and then straight into pantomime over Christmas which was fantastic.

Since then I've been taking it nice and quietly and have had a bit of a break. I'm just starting to rehearse for a play at Little Sheringham Theatre which I'm doing at the end of March.

Can you believe that you are one of the stars of the Harry Potter films?

It's beginning to sink in now but it's still tremendous fun. I absolutely love doing them.

Do we have the same actor playing Harry Potter?

Yes, we do. Daniel's still doing it. The main cast - apart from the late great Harris - everybody who was playing a character is still playing them.

Who's replacing Richard [Harris] this time around?

I'm not sure. I've heard and read that Sir Michael Gambon is doing it but whether that's true or not I don't know.

I'd be lost for words if I found myself in the presence of all these great British actors, do you get in awe of them or is it everyday to you?

It was quite daunting to start with but they're just normal people I've discovered. Very, very civil and amazingly talented people. It's wonderful to work with them.

It's half past godness knows what know on the first day of filming, how's the schedule?

It depends on how big a day it is. Today I'm only doing costume fittings and hair and make-up so it won't be too harsh. I'm going to be there all day but it won't be too bad.

If I'm doing a big scene, like a Great Hall scene, we'd have started filming at eight and we'd finish at five or six in the evening.

Chris at work at the UCI cinema in Norwich.
Are you still working at the cinema in Norwich?

I haven't done so since the pantomime finished but I'll be going back in the next couple of weeks.

That's what I admire about you: you are big time but you're not.You're still happy to work in the cinema in Norwich.

I love it. It's such a good job!

-from BBC

2003-03-05T19:16:00.000-08:00

yey another legolas pic!

2003-03-05T19:11:00.000-08:00

karen's fave pics of samwise gamgee....and also of his friends...

2003-03-05T19:09:00.000-08:00

these are scenes from ash wednesday

2003-03-05T18:59:00.000-08:00

i am playing with websmileys now...Hahahaha

2003-03-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

this was a nice calendar of legolas so i am posting it...hope you will like this....

2003-03-05T18:47:00.000-08:00

i love plants! but we don't have so much space in the house to plant enough plants!

2003-03-05T18:38:00.000-08:00

another pics

Dolly competition changed
posted by Annette, 03/04/03
Due to Orlando unable to attend the Ned Kelly premiere in Melbourne, Dolly magazine has changed their 'Meet Orlando Bloom' competition to the Sydney premiere.

2003-03-05T18:32:00.000-08:00

a new pic from the official ned kelly gang site

2003-03-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

i miss websmileys...

2003-03-05T18:28:00.000-08:00

Ned Kelly contest in Empire magazine
posted by Sezza, 03/04/03
Australian edition of Empire magazine (April issue) is giving you a chance to win an exclusive preview screening of Ned Kelly for you and twenty mates! The also have 20 copies of Our Sunshine, by Robert Drewe, on which the movie is based on, to give to 20 runner-up winners. Competition is open to Australian residents only. The preview screening will be held on March 25, 2003 in the capital city of the state the winner resides in (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth). This April issue also has special feature on the making of Ned Kelly with exclusive interviews with cast and crew.

2003-03-05T18:27:00.000-08:00

Report from the Pirates of the Caribbean set
The Z Review, 03/05/03
The Z Review has a fan's report on the set of POTC, it mentions that the set in the country area is quite small, it has a small town, with a few houses, and a mill,and also a dock, a bridge, where Johnny and Orlando Run under, for one of the scenes, but they're really not the ones doing it, they just did the talking in that scene, and their doubles do the running.
The Very Secret Diary of Legolas
By: Cassandra Claire
Day One: Whee!

Day Two: I like to run!

Day Three: I look good when I run!

Day Four: I also look good standing still. Running across Riddermark v. good excercise. I swear my butt has just gotten firmer. Is that even possible?

Day Six: Is Gimli staring at my butt?

Day Seven: No wonder he's always lagging behind.

Day Eight: Unnerving moment when bumped into Eomer. Thought he might be prettier than me until he took off helmet. Fortunately he looks like an aardvark. He hit on Gimli but I warned him right off. Nobody tries it on with my dwarf.

Am still the prettiest.

Day Nine: Pile of dead and smoking Orc corpses so not pretty. Aragorn showed off and went on and on regarding hobbits laying about tied up. Do not know why he thinks kinky hobbit games so important.

Still prettiest.

Day Ten: Bother! Fangorn Forest. Leaf mold terrible for my complexion.

Still prettiest but a bit on clammy, unwashed side.

Day Eleven: Bumped into Gandalf who is all sparkly white now. Asked him, "Who do you have to blow to get last bottle of bleach in Middle Earth anyway?" Gandalf said, "The Balrog." So not worth it.

Am rethinking, though. Roots are showing.

Still prettiest although at this rate for how long?

Day Twelve: Asked Gandalf for Balrog's number. Gandalf said I couldn't call him. I told him not to be jealous and posessive. He said he wasn't, it was just that he killed Balrog last week.

Note to self: never date Gandalf.

Day Fifteen: Arrived in Edoras. V. upset. Suspect Eowyn may be prettier than me. Most unexpected as always thought shield-maidens were more hefty, pear-shaped types.

Not the prettiest! V. bitter.

Day Nineteen: Aragorn stood up to Theoden today. Aragorn so butch. Have goosebumps.

Day Twenty: Poke bonnet absolutely hideous. No longer even remotely pretty. Considering suicide.

Day Twenty-seven: Exeunt Aragorn, pursued by wolves of Isengard. On con side: Am stuck with ugly necklace. On pro side: No longer have to wear poke bonnet. Am pretty again!

Day Twenty-nine: Aragorn back. Apparently taking header off cliff not as deadly as one would have thought. Told him to throw me down and shag me senseless, but he just clapped me on the shoulder in a manly fashion and said, "Yeah, it can get a little chapped sometimes but just put some lotion on it."

Aragorn just kind of a wanker, really.

Day Twenty-Nine: Battle of Helm's Deep so embarassing. If was not bad enough to face thought of death at the hands of smelly Orcs in backwater rural province, have now been saved at zero hour by Haldir showing up with really bad weave.

On plus side, Eowyn stuck in rancid cave. Perhaps will develop cave blight. Then I will be prettiest forever.

Day Thirty: Battle over. Gandalf always fashionably late it seems. Hopes for after-battle quickie dashed because Aragorn sulking over postcard from Faramir. Is jealous over Ringbearer. Told him Sam will kill Faramir if he tries anything but Aragorn not cheered up.

Sod him. Have received suggestive note from Eomer. Will go see if what they say about men of Riddermark is actually true.

No one has bothered to get Eowyn out of cave yet. Still the prettiest by far! from http://www.ealasaid.com/misc/vsd/legolas2.html

2003-03-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

bryan, as a proud dad, with baby lily sue

2003-03-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

Troy casting for extras
Full Bloom, 03/05/03
Ray Knight Casting and The Stage have announced a casting call for extras in Troy: Major feature film being made in London studios, shooting during April/May/June. Men and Women required to work as extras Must be distinctly Mediterranean appearance. Aged between 16 and 65. Men with full beards (or able to grow one by April) and/or long hair particularly welcome.

2003-03-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

oh, my account in village photo has reached its limit...when can i get more space for my pics?

2003-03-05T18:14:00.000-08:00

2003-03-05T17:37:00.000-08:00

hello guys! hmmm... i finally decided that i will be enroling for education units, but i have still not decided when. i finally realized the good side of it...i can use it in US if we finally reside there in the future.

2003-03-05T17:22:00.000-08:00

KEVIN GREER: I heard the unfortunate news about Dawson's Creek coming to a conclusion this year! So I have to ask Paul Stupin: What is in store for the future? I can't wait to see what project you develop next.

PAUL: Thanks for being a fan, Kevin. Since variety is, after all, the spice of life, I’m currently looking at a couple of different projects, and I think the Dawson’s fans will enjoy what’s in store. I know there have been some inquiries about the possibility of a Dawson’s spinoff, but I’m sorry to report there are no plans for one as of now. And since the other projects are still being developed, I can’t say too much about anything in particular, but I can tell you that one of the projects that I hope comes together is a youth ensemble show that involves a lot of fun twists, and is set in a place that you’ve never seen on a TV series before. But believe me, as soon as I know what’s happening with a new show, you will be the first to know.

-from Dawson's Creek newsletter Wednesday, March 5th, 2003
EDITION # 219

2003-03-05T17:21:00.000-08:00

7 ups
1. Â Wake Up !!
Decide to have a good day."Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in
it."
2. Dress up
3. Shut up
4.Stand up
5.Look up
6.Reach up
7.Lift up

2003-03-05T17:18:00.000-08:00

TONIGHT ON "DAWSON'S CREEK":
"Living Dead Girl"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Dawson (James Van Der Beek) assists Todd (Hal Ozsan) in throwing a blow-out Halloween party on the movie set, Todd and Natasha (Bianca Kajlich) have Dawson believing he is seeing the ghost of a legendary film actress who was strangled to death on the same stage.

Meanwhile, Pacey (Joshua Jackson) and Audrey (Busy Philipps) arrive at the party together but leave separately; Jen (Michelle Williams) becomes suspicious about C.J. (Jensen Ackles); and Joey (Katie Holmes) gets stuck taking Professor Heston's (guest star Roger Howarth, "One Live To Live") teenage daughter (guest star Mika Boorem, "Blue Crush") to a haunted house with Eddie (Oliver Hudson).

Les Sheldon directed the episode written by Tom Kapinos.

Note: i am a viewer of dawson's creek but not a regular one coz sometimes the story sucks! oh well, i just want to share it to you...

2003-03-05T17:14:00.000-08:00

My Best Friend

Somewhere in Milaor, Camarines Sur, there lived a fourth grader boy who would follow this route to school everyday: He has to cross the rugged plains and cross the dangerous highway where vehicles are recklessly driving to and from.

Once passed this highway, the boy would take a short cut by passing by the Church every morning just to say Hi to God, and faithfully say his, "Magandang umaga po" in Bicol dialect. He was faithfully being watched by a Priest who was happy to find innocence so uplifting in the morning,

"Kamusta Andoy! Papasok ka na?" "Opo padre ... " he would flash his innocent grin, the priest would be touched.

He was so concerned that one day he talked to Andoy, "From school...", he advised "Do not cross the highway, you can pass through the Church and I can accompany you to the other side of the road ... that way I can see that you are home safe ...."

"Thank you father ..."

"Why don't you go home ... do you stay in this church right afterschool?" "I just want to say "Hi" to my friend, God," and the priest would leave the boy to spend time beside the altar, talking by himself, but he was hiding behind the altar to listen to what this boy has to say to his heavenly FATHER.

"You know my math exam was pretty bad today, but I did not cheat - although my seatmate is bullying me for notes ... I ate one cracker and drank my water, Itay had a bad season and all I can eat is this cracker. Thank you for this! I saw a poor kitten who was hungry and I know how he feels so I gave my last cracker to him ... funny but I am not that hungry ... Look, this is my last pair of slippers ... I may have to walk barefooted next week ... you see this is about to be broken ... but it is okay ... at least I am still going to school ... some says we will have a hard season this month, some of my classmates have already stopped going to school.. please help them get to school again, please God? ... Oh, you know, Inay had hit me again, it is painful, but I know this pain will pass away, at least I still have a mother ... God, you want to see my bruises? I know you can heal them ... here... here and .... oh ... blood ... I guess you knew about this one huh? Please don't be mad at Inay, she is just tired and she worries for the food in our table and my schooling that is why she hits us ... Oh, I think I am in love ... there's this pretty girl in my class, her name is Anita ... do you think she will like me? Anyway, at least I know you will always like me, I don't have to be anybody just to please you, you are my very best friend! Hey your birthday is two days from now!!! Aren't you excited? I am! wait till you see, I have a gift for you .... but it is a surprise! I hope you will like it! Oooops, I have to go ..." then he stood up and calls out, "Padre, padre, I am finished talking to my friend... you can accompany me to the other side of the road now"

This routine happens everyday. Andoy never fails. Father Agaton shares this every Sunday to the people in his church because he has not seen a very pure faith and trust in God, a very positive look at negative situations.

One Christmas day, Father Agaton was sick so he could not make it in the Church, he was sent to the hospital. The Church was left to 4 manangs who would chant the rosary in 1000 miles per hour, would not smile and would always find fault in what you do, they are also very well versed in cursing if you irritate them! They were kneeling, saying their kilometric rosary when Andoy, coming from his Christmas party, playfully dashed in, "Hello God!!!!! I "P----!!!!! (a curse) Bata ka!!!! Alam mo nang may nagdadasal!!!!! Alis!!!!!"

Poor Andoy was so terrified, "where's Father Agaton? He is supposed to help me cross the street .... and to be able to cross the street I will have to pass by the back door of this church ... not only that, I have to greet Jesus-it is His birthday, I have a gift right here ...." just as he was about to get the gift out of his shirt, the manang pulled his shirt and threw him out of the church. "Susmaryosep!!! (does a sign of the cross fervently) Alis kang bata ka, kung hindi matatamaan ka!!! So the boy had no choice but to cross the dangerous side of the road in front of the church.

He crossed. A fast moving bus came in. There was a blind curve. The boy was protecting his gift inside his shirt, so he was not looking. There was so little time. Andoy died on the spot. A lot of people crowded the poor boy, the body of a lifeless young boy ...Suddenly, out of nowhere a tall man in pure white shirt and pants, a face so mild and gentle, but with eyes full of tears... He came and carried the boy in His arms, He was crying.

Curious bystanders nudged the man in white, and asked, "excuse me sir, are you related to this child? Do you know this child?" The man in white, His face mourning and in agony, lifted up and answered, "He was my bestfriend..." was all he said. He took the badly wrapped gift in the bloody chest of the lifeless boy, and placed it near His heart. He stood up and carried the boy away and they both disappeared in sight. The crowd was curious ...

On Christmas Eve, Father Agaton learned of the shocking news. He visited the house, and wanted to verify about the man in white. He consulted the parents of Andoy. "How did you know that your son died?"

"A man in white brought him here." sobbed the mother. "What did he say?" The father answered, "He did not say anything. He was mourning. We do not know him and yet he was very lonely at our son's death, as if he knew our son very well. But there was something peaceful and unexplainable about him. He gave me my son, and then he smiled peacefully. He rubbed my son's hair away from his face and kissed him on his forehead, then he whispered something ..." "What did he say?" "He said to my boy ..." the father began, "Thank you for the gift ... I will see you soon ... you will be with me..." and the father of the boy continued, "and you know for a while, it felt so wonderful... I cried, but I do not know why .... all I know is I cried in tears of joy ... I could not explain it father, but when that man left, something peaceful came over me, I felt a deep sense of love inside...

I could not explain the joy in my heart, I knew my boy is in heaven now..but ... tell me father, who is this man that my son talks to everyday in your church, you should know because you are always there... except on the time of his death ..." Father Agaton suddenly felt the tears welling in his eyes, with trembling knees, he murmurred," ... He was talking to no one.... but.... GOD...."

- from Eva Alvarez

2003-03-05T17:12:00.000-08:00

One should have a desire for one's goals that is so strong that it is
able to numb the pain of failures during its pursuit------

An African proverb states that, "Before you get married, keep both eyes
open, and after you marry, close one eye." Before you get involved and make
a commitment to someone, don't let lust, desperation, immaturity,
ignorance, pressure from others or a low-self esteem make you blind to
warning signs. Keep your eyes open, and don't fool yourself that you can
change someone or that what you see as faults aren't really that important.
Once you decide to commit to someone, over time their flaws,
vulnerabilities, pet peeves, and differences will become more obvious. If
you love your mate and want the relationship to grow and evolve, you've got
to learn how to close one eye and not let every little thing bother you.
You and your mate have many different expectations, emotional needs,
values, dreams, weaknesses, and strengths. You are two unique individual
children of God who have decided to share a life together. Neither one of
you are perfect, but are you perfect for each other? Do you bring out the
best in each other? Do you compliment and compromise with each other, or do
you compete, compare, and control? What do you bring to the relationship?
Do you bring past relationships, past hurt, past mistrust, past pain?

YOU CAN'T TAKE SOMEONE TO THE ALTAR TO ALTER THEM.
You can't make someone love you or make someone stay. If you develop
self-esteem, spiritual discernment, and "a life," you won't find yourself
making someone else responsible for your happiness or responsible for your
pain.

Manipulation, control, jealousy, neediness, and selfishness are not the
ingredients of a thriving, healthy, loving and lasting relationship.
Seeking status, sex, wealth and security are the wrong reasons to be in a
relationship.

What keep's a relationship strong?

Communication
Intimacy
Trust
A sense of humor.
Sharing household tasks.
Some getaway time without business or children.
Daily exchanges (a meal,shared activity, a hug, a call, a
touch, a note) Leave a nice message on their voicemail or
send a nice email.
Sharing common goals and interests.
Growth is important.

GROW TOGETHER, NOT AWAY FROM EACH OTHER
Giving each other space to grow without feeling insecure. Allow your mate
to have outside interests. You can't always be together. Give each other a
sense of belonging and assurances of commitment. Don't try to control one
another. Learn to accept each others families regardless of the situation.
Respect his or her parents regardless. Don't put pressure on each other for
material goods. Remember, for Richer or for Poorer. If these qualities are
missing, the relationship will erode as resentment, withdrawal,
abuse,
neglect, dishonesty, and pain replace the passion.

-from Vince's hotmail message