We have gotten firm confirmation that The Talented Mr. Ripley will indeed be opening in the US on Christmas Day, not Friday December 24 which seemed quite possible.

We have seen an AMC booking calendar which shows Ripley opening that day along with the Andy Kaufman biopic, Man On The Moon, starring Jim Carrey; Oliver Stone's latest, On Any Sunday; Tim Allen's Galaxy Quest, as well as others.

As if that's not stiff enough competition, the previous week sees the opening of Robin Williams' Bicentennial Man, the true-life epic, Anna and the King, starring Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat, along with the much anticipated The Green Mile with Tom Hanks!

And, there's a good chance a number of big releases from late November, including Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow with Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci will still be haunting theatres.

It is our guess that the studios are conceding Friday, Christmas Eve as family-get-together time, and aren't interested in diminishing those all important numbers on a day, unlike Christmas, that won't offer stellar grosses.

As for Hollywood, the New York Times recently polled a number of movers-and-shakers in Hollywood inquiring as to which films they were particularly looking forward to. While writer/director Paul Schrader mentioned Sleepy Hollow, as did director Wes Anderson (Rushmore), who also mentioned Man On The Moon, a few seemed quite interested in our Cate's upcoming film:

LAUREN SHULER DONNER
(Producer of Ladyhawke/Bulworth/You've Got Mail and the upcoming Any Given Sunday and the upcoming X-Men)

"...The movie I'm most excited about is "The Talented Ripley." I'm a fan of the director's, Anthony Minghella, and it's based on a book by a great mystery writer. It's also exciting to see talent grabbed just when it's getting hot and Minghella here managed to get Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett and Matt Damon just as they were about to explode. As a producer, nothing is more exciting. I know when I produced "Ladyhawke" with a largely unknown Michelle Pfeiffer and "St. Elmo's Fire" with all the young actors of that time, it was a great feeling."

PHILLIP NOYCE
(Stylish Aussie director of Dead Calm/Newsfront/Heatwave and the upcoming The Bone Collector)

"I guess the one I'm most looking forward to is "The Talented Ripley." I admire the novel by Patricia Highsmith, the director, the cinematographer who's a fellow Australian, and I'm anxious to see Matt Damon emerge as a star in his own right. I must say when reading the book, I didn't immediately imagine it as a film, but as directors we get so many novels to read for that purpose that just to sit back and read a book was a rare pleasure".

MARY HARRON
(Hot buzz director of I Shot Andy Warhol and the upcoming American Psycho)

..." I'd also say "The Talented Ripley" because I loved the novel and I loved "The English Patient" made by the same director, Anthony Minghella. There was a film made from the Ripley book already -- a French film called "Purple Noon" -- which I didn't see, but I'm very interested in what Minghella does with the story."

So, readers Stateside who venture to the theatre in late December might do well to glance over their shoulder. There could be someone famous sitting nearby.

RIPLEY - BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

Friends from AICN recently attended an advance test screening of The Talented Mr. Ripley and offered the following comments. It's not the most definitive nor polished review you will ever read...protocol at AICN demands that comments remain spoiler free in order not to spoil any of the fun. And, the lack of mention of our Cate could potentially confirm her appearance as a virtual cameo, although Jude Law also fails to get a mention, and, overall, it's not exactly an actor-driven review. Decide for yourself:

THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY research screening ran just under 2 1/2 hours, considerably shorter than earlier screenings.

The film moves right along, leisurely at times, but never less than compelling. Very brave performance by Matt Damon at Tom Ripley. I love it when these hot stars are confident and take on risky parts. I mean, are teenage girls ready for Matt to play a nerdy gay guy who can violently, yet calmly, murder people?

But, the young cast (Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow) don't make this a teen film. It is an event for 25 year olds and up, although younger, serious filmgoers should come and enjoy it as well.

All performances are strong and there are surprises galore. Even though we shouldn't like Ripley, we do. Something about his character appeals to our own hidden secrets and we empathize with him.

Director Minghella continues to prove himself a master director who surrounds himself with great talent on screen and off. The cinematography around Italy makes you want to fly there tonight. The art direction and costume design are stunning, evoking the 50s yet still feeling very contemporary.

Some great jazz (Chet Baker, Charlie Parker) plays in the background, but is essential to the plot and in a funny scene in a jazz club where Damon and Jude Law sing with an Italian about "Americanos." Also, Tom Ripley is an amazing impersonator and a sequence where he appears to be singing "My Funny Valentine" as Chet Baker is truly spooky.

A long beautiful title sequence sets up the story with sepia and other monochromatic overlays setting off the uncrowded series of credits giving each person their proper due.

During this set-up, there is some confusion about the music that Ripley listens to because he says he doesn't like jazz while we earlier saw him listening to it. Evidently it's a work-in-progress time shuffle and it will be interesting to see if it changes.

The focus group had a only a few quibbles and really liked the unexpected ending which is totally different than PURPLE NOON, the wonderful Rene Clement 1960 French thriller based on the same book.

Wim Wenders 1975 AMERICAN FRIEND with Dennis Hopper and Bruno Ganz is based on a follow-up book, RIPLEY'S GAME, and while not as successful, it worth a video rental.

AUSSIE NEWS

Next weekend marks the official opening of "Fox Studios Australia" in Sydney although quite a few films have already been made there. Actor Hugh Jackman is hosting the night of nights and as we predicted a couple of weeks ago Cate will be walking the red carpet. Other noteables will be Hugh Grant and Liz Hurley, Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, Charlie Sheen, Tina Arena, Cate Ceberano, Human Nature plus lots of surprises. Of course, anybody who is anyone in the Aussie industry will be there with bells on. Channel 9 will air the telecast Sunday, November 7 at 8.30.

The following week, November 13 marks the 41st AFI awards held at Fox Studios, with films such as Praise, Two Hands, Siam Sunset and Soft Fruit all up for nominations. It is confirmed now that Cate will present one of the awards on the nite - she won "Best Actress in a Supporting Role" for Thank God he Met Lizzie in 1977 and was nominated for "Best Actress in a leading Role" for Oscar and Lucinda last year. The AFI Awards will be screened live on SBS. For all you non-Aussies out there, SBS will have a live Webcast of the event from 7.30pm EST.

HILLARY & CATIE

Oddly enough, our Cate was mentioned in political columns around the globe recently. In a political piece in the New York Times related to a poll taken against the backdrop of the New York Senate race, which finds First Lady Hillary Clinton likely to face NY governor Rudy Giuliani, it was said:

In a Fox News poll about the Senate race, voters here were asked "Which of the following is the biggest threat to New Yorkers' quality of life?" Sixty percent chose the West Nile virus; 8 percent chose the Brooklyn Museum's "Sensation" exhibit, and 20 percent were most alarmed by Bill Clinton's moving into the neighborhood.

A whopping 65 percent of those polled felt that Mrs. Clinton's bid would be more successful if the President did not campaign for her.

This conjured up an image of Hillary as Cate Blanchett in the movie "Elizabeth," when the vibrant young woman, feeling she must desexualize herself to rule, chops off her long hair, covers her skin with white pancake makeup and assumes the grim visage of the Virgin Queen.

As usual, Hillary Clinton finds herself on a seesaw. The worse her husband treats her, the more popular she is. The better he treats her, the worse she'll do. Maybe he should do her the favor of being bad again.

Well, we like sarcasm as well as the next person, but, that's going just a little too far!

PRESIDENT BLANCHETT

From the East Coast of the US, we take you back to Oz where our Cate also fits into the political dialogue. According to observations made by Mark Chipperfield in the UK Telegraph, Cate might very well find herself being consider for high office in the not-too-distant future:

THE question of who would become Australia's first president if the country votes to abolish the monarchy in next month's referendum has emerged as the key issue as the campaign enters its final stages.

If Australia votes to remove the Queen as its constitutional figurehead, electors fear that the new president will be drawn from the ranks of leading sporting and entertainment personalities whose interest in constitutional issues may be non-existent.

Kay Masters, a pro-republican Sydney advertising executive, said: "I'd never accept Kylie Minogue as Australia's president. Or any other celebrity. We'd be a laughing stock. But the British Royal Family are a disgrace. I don't care as long as we get rid of them."

The dilemma facing avowed republicans is simple enough: they want to cut the last symbolic ties with Britain, but fear what the Australian people might do with their new-found power. Leading republicans have been trying to reinforce the message that candidates for the top job will be selected on merit and popularity. But for the average Australian this could only mean one thing: a sports star such as Pat Rafter, David Campese or the former Test captain Mark Taylor.

Failing that, singers such as Kyle Minogue and Nick Cave would be the pick of younger voters, while international actors Bryan Brown, Geoffrey Rush and Cate Blanchett might have an outside chance.

A more eccentric choice might be the Australian classical pianist David Helfgott, whose life was immortalised in the film Shine. Judith Durham, the lead singer with the Sixties group The Seekers, is another name that has been mentioned.

Earlier this year the expatriate arch-Australian Dame Edna Everage - the comedian Barry Humphries - announced her conversion to republicanism, saying that in future she would be known as plain Mrs Everage. President Everage might suit the new Australian republic perfectly.

Hmmm...Is it just us, or does there seem to be a serious epidemic of waggery posing as political reporting flying about these days? Oh well, speaking from the country that twice elected a rather dimwitted, mediocre actor as President, one might look forward to having someone with the enlightened views of Ms. Blanchett at the helm. But, as usual, we're biased.

PUSHING ON TO THE UK

Mike Newell's comedy, Pushing Tin, has stormed the UK and we're pleased to say its reception has been very hospitable. While some of the same qualifications have been noted that were mentioned in the States, it would appear there has been an even greater appreciation of the film's merits, the most prominent being, of course, our own dear Catherine.

Here are excerpts from a couple of pieces out of the UK, whose main disagreement seems to be that there simply isn't enough Cate to go around. We warned you long ago that after having been spoiled by Lucinda and Elizabeth, it was going to be difficult to put the Genie back in the bottle, and go back to the standard roles generally offered to women in films these days. These gents, apparently, did not take heed of our prediction.

Peter Bradshaw, writing in the Guardian UK commented, "The only sour note is the movie's reminder that all star actresses sooner or later have to eat the shit sandwich of playing the boring, demeaning "wife" role. There was Lisa Kudrow in Analyze This - and now there is Cate Blanchett, formerly Queen of England, here in the unflattering knitted cardy, provincial nail varnish and uncool, shaggy hairstyle. She's fine in this - she's more than fine - but I hope there are meatier parts lined up for her".

Rich Cline, writing for Shadows On the Wall, observed. "Cusack and Thornton command the screen and superbly convey the subtext in their relationships with spouses, colleagues and each other. But Blanchett and Jolie are so much more interesting that the film seems out of balance--we want more of the women, yet we get endless sequences of the men at work, playing mind games with each other and competing at everything from basketball to karaoke."

Alas, don't say we didn't warn you. With Cate's "cameo" in Ripley the only thing within sight, and her elfin part as Galadriel two years away, the possible Sam Raimi project sounds like the only one that may offer the kind of meaty, star vehicle role that everyone knows she deserves. Let's keep our fingers crossed. XX

SOMETHING'S FISHY

In conjunction with the promotion of Pushing Tin in the UK, UK Big Screen recently ran a bit on our Cate that offered the following:
Though she's model thin she says: "I really love eating and cooking big lunches. My favourite food has been Japanese fish-based dishes, although I'm now concerned about all the talk of our oceans being over-fished."

We told you our Cate would make a kind, benevolent Queen...errr...President. "Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, Joy to you and me" (with apologies and thanks to the late, great Hoyt Axton who left us this past week).

For the full article, check out Big Screen.

And, while we're sending you down the link highway, don't forget to check out our LOTR Movie News Update, with the latest news surrounding the exciting production of Peter Jackson's filmed trilogy of Tolkien's masterpiece, "Lord of the Rings".

We couldn't be more excited that our Cate will be a part of film history, playing the beautiful elfin Queen Galadriel. Check out the film news update at LOTR Movie News, and while you're there, wander about and discover everything you ever might want to know about this enchanting character Cate will be portraying.

Well, Blanchetteers, that's all the show we have for you today. So, until next time, don't forget that when all else fails, "PLAY A VOLTA!!"