Wednesday, June 11, 2008

(Little-um) Omnium Gatherum

  • In answering some fan questions, Martha Plimpton adds to the positive reminiscences of the Coast of Utopia marathons:

[...] Performing those all-day marathons and spending the entire day, from 11 am to 11 pm (with meal breaks, of course) with the same audience those nine times that we did it, was an indescribably gorgeous experience. Believe it or not, those were the days that seemed to go the smoothest. Everyone was on top of their task, working together and staying focused. Adrenaline was generally high. We were always so pumped up afterward, we'd go out and have dinner together en masse and stay out until four in the morning, usually.

Nothing ever went wrong during a marathon that I can recall, outside of the normal odd things that happen in live theater. Those days were particularly golden for everyone. It involved a crew of outstanding men and women who are the best in the world at what they do. It is a testament to the brilliance of the Lincoln Center crew that I can say we never noticed anything going wrong on those days. [...]

  • The Sun meanwhile issue some disappointing thoughts about Thomas Lefroy, the man considered to be the real Mr Darcy.
[...] A mini-portrait of Lefroy on sale in London this month shows him as a pale wimp. One expert said: “He looks a bit girlish with rather wispy, curly hair. He certainly does not appear to have any of Mr Darcy’s rugged qualities.” ... Austen met Lefroy through a friend and flirted with him but they were parted in 1796 by their families. The book was written about that time but not published until 1813. [...]

[...] When they met last year with executives at New Line Cinema, marketing consultants Seth Lockhart and Jamil Barrie pitched 10 alternative titles for Pride and Glory, a police drama starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell. The title One of Our Own caught the eye of Russell Schwartz, New Line's marketing chief at the time, who asked, "What's wrong with this one?"

That's when Lockhart, who hated One of Our Own because it sounded like a tag line, gave a kick under the table to Barrie - who thought it perfectly suited the tale of cops betrayed by a corrupt colleague. ... As it has turned out, New Line has stuck with Pride and Glory for its long-delayed drama, now set for release in 2009. [...]

  • Before the Rains news today comes from cinema goers themselves. Moviepie Musings are largely positive, and were particularly glad to see the 'lovely' Ms Ehle whom they consider to have been 'sorely missing in action lately'. The intriguingly named Cheeseblabbery have a more mixed opinion, but describe Ms Ehle as 'radiant'.
  • A reminder that the film's next festival appearance will be at the Edinburgh International Film Festival later this month, where it will be screened twice.
  • Lastly, a reminder that the 2008 Tony Awards will be taking place this Sunday, June 15. Among the nominees are Tom Stoppard, Martha Plimpton, David Pittu, Scott Pask, Catherine Zuber and Natasha Katz.

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