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NEWS BRIEF STOCKING STUFFERS
Yes, this page is the literary equivalent of dumping your Christmas stocking come Christmas morn and finding everything but the kitchen sink.
Charitable Cate We missed this story a couple of weeks back as it was not widely publicised, but, The European Charity Premiere of MGM/UIP's The World Is Not Enough took place in London at the end of November at the Odeon Cinema, Leicester Square.
Once again supporting children's aid, our Cate was in attendance at the premiere, which was in aid of Children's Promise. Also attending were the stars of the film: Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards, Robbie Coltrane, Dame Judi Dench, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Goldie, Desmond Llewelyn, Colin Salmon, Serena Scott-Thomas, Samantha Bond and director Michael Apted as well as producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
Also attending the event were a host of celebrities including Boy George, Naomi Campbell, Benicio del Toro, former Bond girl Shirley Eaton, Ben Elton, John Hurt, Jools Holland, Vinnie Jones, Kevin Keegan, Lee Majors, Van Morrison, Jonathan Pryce, Jonathan Ross, Emma Thompson, Ray Winstone and Greg Wise.
Children's Promise, part of the Millennium Experience National Programme, is asking everyone in the UK to donate the value of one hour's earnings from this millennium to create a better future for the children of the next.
For the first time in a fundraising initiative, seven major charities that work for children have come together in a unique partnership. They will use their expertise to allocate the money raised to the development of new projects which will help the most vulnerable children in the UK and overseas. The charities are Bernardo's, BBC Children in Need, ChildLine, The Children's Society, Comic Relief, NCH Action For Children and NSPCC.
Should you feel so inclined, please make a donation on behalf of Cate.
Odds and Sods We must mention that Cate is again topping the lists...lists of all kinds. She was recently named #1 in She Magazine's "Women of Substance" listing. If that wasn't enough, she also was mentioned on the Guardian UK's "Quotes of the Year" compilation for having said, regarding her lunch engagement with the Queen, "The dogs were there. She came in and hundreds of corgis came in with her and started tearing the curtains down." (laugh)
Cate On Redface Redux One of our goofier discoveries of late was the rare footage of Cate appearing on "Hey Hey It's Saturday (Melbourne)" for her Uni Review in 1987, and Dean's hilarious description of it at Cate On Redface. Now, our amazing Lillie has ridden to the rescue again by providing a revealing video capture of the event which may be viewed at Cate In Green. History is not always pretty.
Shekhar Update We feel something of an allegiance to Shekhar Kapur for helping to make our Cate look so sensational in Elizabeth, so we have been following the trail to see what he may do next.
Word comes out of the UK that Ecosse Films and Film Four are set to spend upwards of £10m on a new film about the relationship between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Douglas Rae of Ecosse says his dream team is Day-Lewis as Henry and Kate Winslet as Anne, with Shekhar Kapur, who directed Elizabeth, behind the camera. Rae says: "Henry is only 37 in our film, so he was still slim. Anne Boleyn was the It girl of the day."
Allan Scott, who wrote the screenplay of Regeneration, is working on the film's second draft and Rae hopes to be shooting at Hampton Court by summer. The film will plot the disastrous marriage which led to the king's excommunication, her beheading and the sacking of churches.
Bangers Update It appears "Bangers" is about to have an imminent theatrical release in OZ, or at least in Melbourne. It will be the support for "Feeling Sexy" at the Nova theatre in Carlton and the Kino in the city beginning Boxing Day, with advance screenings now taking place.
Here's a piece from AFI Press Release1998 Oscar / AFI Nominee (Elizabeth, Oscar and Lucinda) Cate Blanchett's latest film, Bangers, written and directed by her husband Andrew Upton and co-starring AFI Award nominee Lynette Curran, opens in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide next week, with other states to follow during January 2000. Described by Upton as a 'horror-comedy short film', Bangers, distributed to more than 10 cinemas nationally by the Australian Film Institute, will be screened with Davida Allen's Feeling Sexy. Bangers, lifted from Upton's unpublished novella, Planet Phil, is set in the kitchen of a south Sydney suburb where Julie-Anne, played by Blanchett, faces the task of cooking bangers and mash whilst consuming the best part of a four-litre cask wine. Preparing the meal becomes a manifestation of all the repressed tension's in her life, accentuated by Upton's clever use of the camera which works to make regular kitchen stuff appear super sexually charged. The film is light on dialogue because Upton decided to 'shave the words off!' "So your eye is reading so much more, so much quicker."
A VCA directing graduate, Andrew Upton has spent the past decade working in the film industry primarily in film editing (Babe) and continuity (Babe: Pig in the City). "With continuity, you work closely with camera crews, so I got to know lens sizes and the kind of things film directors want to know." Bangers, Upton's second short film, screened at this years Melbourne International Film Festival and the Edinburgh Film Festival.
Bangers screens Sydney Chauvel Cinemas, Dendy Newtown and Opera Quays from 23 December, Melbourne Kino and Nova from 23 December, Adelaide Palace Nova East End from 23 December, Perth Luna from 23 December, Brisbane Dendy from 13 January 2000, Canberra Electric Shadows from 13 January 2000, and Hobart AFI State Cinema from 13 January 2000.
Bangers - 35mm - colour - 9mins - fiction - 1999.
Geoffrey Rush Speaks Also, keeping tabs on Cate's theatrical soulmate, we offer the following article by way of The Australian:
Rush roots for the little guys
By Jane Albert
6dec99Hollywood couldn't be less interested in Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre but Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush believes small companies are the reason he has become a household name in Tinseltown.
Rush's acceptance speech in 1997 for his Best Actor Oscar in Shine was memorable for his recognition of small independent theatre, which he said was the secret to his success. Almost three years later, Rush is still taking pains to promote the little guy.
Delivering the fifth annual Rex Cramphorn lecture in Sydney yesterday, Rush joined friend and colleague Neil Armfield in a spirited discussion on the importance of grassroots companies in maintaining theatre's integrity.
Rush lamented the trend towards big-buck blockbuster productions, which were more focused on the marketability of the stars than true talent. "The arts has become a lifestyle promotion: 'They're about to do Cloudstreet in a stadium; Jimmy Barnes - who is he going to play next, Jesus?" he quipped.
Regarded as one of Australia's best and most successful directors, Armfield said Australia's youth and isolation were points to be celebrated and exploited, with Australia's separation from theatrical tradition and history meaning we could create our own. And, of course, government funding dutifully took its place on the stage, with Rush pointing out theatre companies might have a better chance of survival if the Government supported the arts, saying: "We need a government that supports or likes going to the theatre."
LOTR Update As always, we invite you to keep up with all the exciting news of the Lord of the Rings film shoot via our other News page, LOTR News. This week's edition features some cool photos of Liv Tyler from the shoot, so check it out.
Ode to Cate In our never ending search to find everything we can from the Wild, Wacky World of Cate, we offer the following. It seem's a chap, McKenzie Wark, has penned an Ode to Cate entitled, "Cate's Fate". And, we thought WE had it bad! This essay was written for the "Glossy" show at the National Portrait Gallery and may be experienced at Ode to Cate.
Chrissy Break Where will Cate spend Christmas/New Year?? Well according to Aussie newspaper The Daily Telegraph, Cate and Andrew will have some "time off" over Chrissy - spending it at their London home, while fellow actress Rachel Griffiths will stay in Australia celebrating at the Jambaroo pub with her stepdad, mum and brothers.
Well, it will be hard to top that, so let Lin, Dean and Lance take a moment to thank all of you for your invaluable support over the last year. And, we wish you all the happiest of holidays, and hope that the New Year finds all your dreams and wishes coming to pass. All the best to you and yours from all of us. Cheers!
