An eclectic post

The Pride and the Glory

• Good news, everyone. A fab new trailer for Pride and Glory was released a couple of days ago. On the downside, it includes even less footage of Jennifer Ehle than the first one! Still, the movie looks very exciting. Both Trailer 1 and Trailer 2 can be seen at youtube.
• In response, Filmstalker has posted some musings and speculations about the upcoming film and hopes that the trailer does not turn out to be one huge spoiler, but rather, "just the beginning of the thriller." (Perhaps Ms Ehle is the movie's secret weapon?)

Out and About

• The Irish Independent reports that Jennifer Ehle was among the elite guests invited to attend one of director Richard Colgan's "post-show soirees" at the Lincoln Center Festival in July:

  Move over P Diddy. Irish impresario Michael Colgan is being credited with reinventing the ritual of the "after-party" during the Gate Theatre's critically acclaimed Beckett Season at the prestigious Lincoln Center festival.

  Instead of hosting one big bash to celebrate the sold-out performances of acting A-listers Julianne Moore, Cynthia Nixon, Ralph Fiennes and his Schlinder's List co-star Liam Neeson, Colgan treated the countless celebs who flocked to see his work to a series of post-show soirees -- held backstage in the fuss-free dressing rooms of the various stars.

  Those who made the cut for 'Colgan's List' --including Lauren Bacall, Laura Linney, Kevin Kline, Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Ehle, Aidan Quinn, Natasha Richardson, Lori Anderson and Lou Reed -- report that the late-night sessions were, as Time magazine lauded "Gate: Beckett ... as comic as it is cosmic."

  (Note whose name precedes Ms Ehle's.) For more information regarding the Gate Theatre's Beckett Season in New York, visit Playbill.

Wishful Casting

• We don't have any genuine casting announcements to make at the moment, but "the Shelver" over at The Shelf Life blog has included Jennifer Ehle in a "dream cast" for a movie based on the new novel Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society. Here is a description of Sophie, Ms Ehle's suggested character:

  [...] Sidney's sister Sophie is Juliet's closest friend. She and Juliet have known each other since boarding school and Sophie is Juliet's touchstone. Jennifer Ehle would be perfect! Juliet is wooed by a rich American publisher who appreciates her intellectual attributes as much as her physical ones. He's a little cocky, and very, very self-assured. Dermot Mulroney fits the bill perfectly. [...]

  Sounds intriguing, methinks, but how about Jennifer Ehle as Juliet instead?! She's overdue for another strong leading role and Juliet sounds like a good fit:

  [... ] The book is told primarily from the point of view of Juliet Ashton, a reporter for the Spectator during WWII, and now a writer in search of a meaningful subject for her next book. [more]

The Rain Gauge

• The wonderfully named Betsy Pickle of the Knoxville News Sentinel lauds all four members of the Before the Rains acting quartet:

  [...] Bose gives an outstanding performance as T.K. He has a way of watching what's going on around him so intensely that his thought processes are impossible to misread. Roache ("Law & Order," "Priest") is perfect as the pleasant, new-experience-embracing entrepreneur who reverts to type when things go south. Das is compelling as the sensual but ultimately naive Sajani. Ehle ("Pride & Prejudice") brings more to the screen than the loving wife she first seems. [...]

• Jeremiah Robert Wierenga of Boise Weekly speaks of the "always charming Jennifer Ehle," but wishes the film had been longer so the characters could have been more fully developed: (*slight spoiler alert*)

  [...] I rarely feel like a film deserves more than two hours of my attention, but in this case 98, minutes simply isn't enough. More detail on the Indian independence movement would have helped flesh out the story, and although all the actors admirably portray their characters, you can see there is much more to each of their stories. Henry's belief in his own omnipotence is shattered, but we don't get to see the aftermath, nor are we satisfied with his conflict over throwing T.K. to the wolves. We barely glimpse the depths in Sajani and Laura, both of whom love Henry and are crushed by his betrayal. [...]

• A blogger in South Africa, who attended the Durban Film Festival, saw "beauty in Before the Rains."

  That was all I wanted to say. I experienced the beauty in tonights gem of the film fest. I wish I could see it again.

Leapin' Lizzies

• Many thanks to the fan who sent us the links to these high-resolution photos from Pride and Prejudice. Enjoy!

(My apologies for the late postiness, everyone. I had a K9 emergency this weekend.)

Hamlet / The EIFF

Hamlet

• Yesterday evening was the opening night of Shakespeare in the Park's Hamlet. Ms Ehle (described by Brian Scott Lipton as 'lovely') attended as did former Utopian Ethan Hawke, while David Harbour was among the cast. The above photos constitute the majority from Getty Images. (See Wireimage and Theatermania for gorgeous variations on a theme.) For more about the production, visit the Public Theater's website.

Before the Rains at the EIFF

• Secondly, the 62nd Edinburgh International Film Festival kicked off today and will run through to the 29th. Before the Rains is one of 142 films appearing, and forms part of the 'Gala' section. It will be shown tomorrow (19th) and Friday 20th. There is no sign of any cast/crew attendance at present. Post-festival, the film will be released on July 25 in the UK, before making its way to Australia, New Zealand and Russia.

• Also, Mark Kilian's beautiful soundtrack for the movie, released by Lakeshore Records, is now available on iTunes. (A reminder that a snippet of the score can be accessed on the official Before the Rains website).

• In the press arena, the Herald's Alison Rowat briefly highlights the film as one of sixteen to look out for over the festival. IndieWire also mention that Rains drew 'huge crowds' at the recent Maui Film Festival in Hawaii.

• Blog-wise, it is a mixed verdict from viewer Creative Loafing but he does give some interesting thoughts - some important, some slightly less important:

On the visuals:

[...] Before the Rains is filled with stunning landscapes and handsome period costumes, with expert cinematography that makes even the most mundane objects sparkle like the artificial dirt at Disney's Animal Kingdom. [...]

On the character of Henry Moores:

[...] [Moores is] a British plantation owner who doesn't understand all the fuss over colonialism, since all he wants to do is build schools, hospitals and a road to transport spices across India. "Today tea, tomorrow cinnamon," crows this self-described "man of the future," a benevolent dictator who sincerely loves India, even as he snags, depletes and discards her resources. [...]

On feet:

[...] The film takes place in 1937 in the Kerala region of India, where the bottoms of the locals' feet are never dirty despite everyone walking around barefoot all day. [...]

• Lastly, the words of Edinburgh writer Matthew Turner are largely synoptic, but he does consider Ms Ehle 'as lovely as ever'. In summary, he says:

[...] The cast do their best (Bose and Das are particularly good, though Ehle's rather wasted as Laura) but the end result is rather underwhelming. ... Watchable enough, though and the scenery is fantastic. [...]

Ivanov

• As you may have guessed, 'to be or not to be' is still the question here, but we'll keep you posted!

(Photo from Wireimage)

Rainbows, Rains and Rockefeller

Greetings all!

On Monday night, Ms Ehle was one of many well-known faces who went along to the Rockefeller Plaza's Rainbow Room to support playwright Neil Simon, who was receiving the Monte Cristo Award from the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. (Photo from Theatermania).

The Courant have more information, revealing that Ms Ehle was also more than just a spectator in the event:

[...] The 80-year-old Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer...was feted with dinner, speeches and scenes performed from his plays. ... Among the performers were Lucie Arnaz...and husband Laurence Luckinbill, who did a scene from "Chapter Two;" Jennifer Ehle was poignant in a scene from "The Good Doctor"; and Bob Dishy and Dick Latessa scored huge laughs with a scene from "The Sunshine Boys". [...]

• Before the Rains meanwhile continues to make its way round the film festivals. With the Sarasota Film Festival having recently ended, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) began yesterday and will continue through April 27. For any in the vicinity, Rhythm Village note that Before the Rains soundtrack composer Mark Kilian will be performing tracks from the film live tonight between 9 and 9.30pm. The film itself will be shown tonight at 7.15pm.

• And just when you thought that was it, the Tribeca Film Festival also starts today! That festival will run through May 4, with Before the Rains being screened April 29, May 1 and May 2.

In other news:

• The Kudzu Gazette speak to John Ehle about the aforementioned NCSA name change:

John Ehle, a founding father of the school, thinks the name change is a “tricky” situation. “It [NCSA] is not a university,” Mr. Ehle said in a phone interview. “If it is characterized as a university it will become the only university in the system that picks its students based on auditions and portfolios.” He went on to add, “The school has a dynamic chancellor and maybe he can make it work out, but I don’t know what will happen after he leaves.”

The Carolina Mountains Literary Festival also report that Mr Ehle will be one of many authors participating in that event which is being held September 12 and 13 in Burnsville, North Carolina.

• Jeffrey Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere stands up for Pride and Glory and lists Jennifer Ehle as one of those who give a 'special' performance in the film. There is only one thing that puzzles him:

[...] (Her) head is shaved in this thing - what's that about? [...]

• And very lastly, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette have a nice piece on ex-Utopian Erika Rolfsrud, while Tom Stoppard makes Oxford University smile by speaking to their student newspaper, the Cherwell.

Unconditional love for Lizzy

Jennifer Ehle was one of the many actors who attended the opening night party for Unconditional on Monday, at Colors and The Public Theater in New York. These lovely photos are from BroadwayWorld, while WireImage have an additional one. If you want to know about the play itself, see Playbill or this ad by the Labyrinth Theatre Company.

Also, thank you to the reader who let us know about the 'Making Of' feature included on The Russell Girl DVD. A reminder that the DVD can be purchased from Hallmark, or alternatively there are a few copies on Amazon. (Without giving everything away, the blisters in the rosebush scene were not stick-ons!)

Now for the latest in all things Austen:

• Mercury News talk about adaptations old and new as well as the Jane Austen House Museum in England. There is also some brief quotage from 1995 Pride and Prejudice director Andrew Davies.
  
• Lights, Camera...History! have included Lizzy Bennet/Jennifer Ehle in their un-ordered list of Top Ten Historical Heroines. Reminiscent of a similar comment quoted in our last post, they say:

[...] No favorite heroines poll could exist without Lizzy. Her path to love was not easy but she and Darcy were made for each other from the start. How could anyone resist her wit, her intelligent or even her eyes… Jennifer Ehle’s performance is magnificent and sometimes it’s even hard to think that she is not our Lizzie. [...]

• Two individuals from California Catholic Daily discuss Pride and Prejudice from a Catholic perspective, giving an overall thumbs up for the story, its author and its actors in the 1995 version:

[...] Elizabeth is Austen's finest character in what I think is her finest book. And it's not just that Elizabeth is witty, she's got an aggressive, independent, edge to her, though all, of course, within the confines of proper behavior. Again, I'm grateful to writer Andrew Davies, actress Jennifer Ehle, and director Simon Langton for capturing all of that so well. [...]

• Another writer describes the 1995 adaptation as the 'crème de la crème' of the Complete Jane Austen offerings, but spares a thought for the thousands of American Austenites consequently suffering from sleep deprivation at the moment.

The Masterpiece extravaganza has also reignited the fire of Pride and Prejudice discussion in the blogosphere. Comments made over the last few days from ordinary viewers include:

Firstly:

[...] I was most fascinated by Jennifer Ehle, who played Elizabeth and how she was without a doubt born to play the role of Elizabeth Bennet - the way she captured her was nothing less than astonishing. [...]

Secondly:

[...] As for Jennifer Ehle, she plays Lizzie exactly as she is written in the book - with a sparkling personality, opinions, wit, charm, someone anyone would want for a best friend (never mind Darcy's wife). [...]

Thirdly:

[...] Jennifer Ehle really encapsulates Eliza as I picture her, aside from appearing older than 20. [...]

Lastly, in LRN (Loosely-Related News):

• Filmcatcher have a video with director Santosh Sivan which we may have missed from the TIFF, in which he discusses Before the Rains. Gossip Nepal chat to Rahul Bose, albeit not about the film, and The Reeler pass comment on the Pride and Glory kerfuffle. Finally, Ben Brantley of the New York Times has a piece about playwrights Tom Stoppard and Edward Albee.

So, for Pride and Prejudice-ers in America, it is two down, one to go. Regardless of where you are however, see how many of these apply to you....

TIFF Time

The Toronto International Film Festival began its festivities yesterday, and Before the Rains will have it its first public screening on Friday evening!! Here is a super cool poster that Tez got from one of the writers of the film. It has gorgeous colors and a lovely picture of Ms Ehle methinks!

TIFFReviews seems to be a fairly comprehensive site, and hopefully they will post reviews of the movie once it has debuted. They have also compiled a list of links to trailers for 143 of the films showing in Toronto, but Before the Rains is unfortunately not among them. There is, however, a link to a trailer for Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Go to Brightcove to watch it and catch two fleeting glimpses of Rosemary Harris. And look for Utopians Ethan Hawke and Brian F. O'Byrne. Warning: the trailer gives away a lot of the plot!

In his "preview" of Before the Rains, Tom Hall of the Back Row Manifesto dubs the movie "colonial noir":

The issue of imperialism is one of the "big themes" that will be on display this autumn; From the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq to films like Micheleange Quay's story of Hatian race consciousness Eat, For This Is My Body (more on this film in a couple of days), the cultural collisions and power relations between the haves and have-nots has always been an inspiration for film artists. Santosh Sivan's Before The Rains, which is having its World Premiere at Toronto, catches the eye for a single sentence in the festival's catalogue;

" A sweeping film full of striking vistas, Before the Rains has the look of a fine period epic, but as it binds its characters tighter and tighter within their dilemmas, it reveals the gears of a good film noir."

A colonial noir? The film that comes to mind immediately is Betrand Tavernier's Coup de Torchon and if Sivan's film comes close to matching the tone of that great classic, I will be thrilled. Obviously, I think Before The Rains promises something much different (particularly the perspectives of his Indian characters in the colonial moment), but as things stand in the world around us, a colonial noir sounds note perfect and a terrific antidote to some of the more literal-minded approaches to the stories of domination in our own times. [...]

He also mentions Jennifer Ehle specifically:

[...] I also have loved Jennifer Ehle since I saw her on Broadway in Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing; She is a magical actress, but I have yet to see a film that truly captures her abilities. I was lucky enough to have spent a day at Lincoln Center this past spring, and I saw Ehle again in Stoppard's three-play The Coast Of Utopia marathon and again, she was tremendous. If anyone can capture her prowess, maybe Sivan is the man to do it. Looking forward to this one. [...]

Sameer of BlogTo has provided a list of recommended movies to see at TIFF and Before the Rains has made the cut. (Its poster even made it to the top of the page.) Here is what Sameer has to say about the film:

Before the Rains - One of the most gorgeously shot films in years, Santosh Sivan's newest movie feature some fantastic acting by Nandita Das and Rahul Bose.

BlogTo will be covering the Festival, so we will be keeping a close eye on them for news.

The Indian Express has a nice article about director/cinematographer Santosh Sivan, who talks about his experience making the film:

[...] If not exactly a leap into the unknown, Before the Rains is a testimony to the spirit of adventure that drives Sivan. The basic idea came from the producers. The director decided to set the narrative in Kerala for “it suited adaptation to an Indian context.”

He explains, “Before the Rains is a film that incorporates something I relate to. As a boy I wondered by whom and when those treacherous roads in Kerala’s spice hills were constructed. The film explores the elements that went into the weaving of a road through nature, into the skies.”

That’s par for the course for a filmmaker who revels in blending the universal with the personal and who once dared to stake his all on a megastar-driven vehicle like Asoka, a visually lush but ill-fated epic. “The producers would obviously like to take Before the Rains to the world market,” he says.

“It was great working with talent from different parts of the world,” says Sivan. “A mix of languages were spoken during the shoot. For me, it was especially rewarding to have Malayalam actor Thilakan in a guest role. This was the first time I directed him after shooting him as a cinematographer for Perumthachan (1990).”

The shoot was a breeze. He says, “Rahul (Bose) and Nandita (Das) are at home with foreign productions and sync sound. Since the film is about relationships it was good to have a close-knit atmosphere.” Sivan reveals that Bose plays a character who straddles two worlds—the world of a colonial planter and that of his own. “The film is a study of the turmoil he goes through,” he adds. [...]

There is further quotage from Sivan at TIFF's South Facing Blog:

"My attempts to capture light are based on my experiences with weather the rain, sun, snow and clouds. In Kerala where I grew up monsoons made heavy rains a part of our life. Besides, there was always a presence of water -- Rain, ponds, sea water or the backwaters. My fascination for water in a very indirect way helped me hone my eye for colour and light in visuals and cinematography. [...]

Lastly, Playbill has one more photo of Jennifer Ehle at the opening of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Midsummers and movies and mums, oh my!

First off, lets all give a huge round of applause for Tez!!!! Thank you for everything, T!!!!

A cute photo of Jennifer Ehle in her full park attire at the opening of A Midsummer Night's Dream can be found at New York Magazine. I dig the red sneakers! The same photo can be seen at New York Social Diary (minus the annoying scissors border). There is one more photo of the Utopian trio at Theater Mania and a couple at getty images (search for "Jennifer Ehle"). New York Magazine also has an opening night photo of Martha Plimpton and a quote of her heroic attempt to speak in iambic pentameter offstage: “Methinks you ask a question very bold / I do not know if I have e'er been told a thing such as this / And I can't believe I'm letting you record me / Speaking in this way / Which is so embarrassing.” No pressure there!

At the Toronto International Film Festival site, the screening schedule for Before the Rains has been posted along with a description of the film: (Warning: it includes a few spoilers)

In the south of India in 1937, an Englishman could have his way with the land, the workers and sometimes with the woman of his choosing. Such power could shatter lives, even when exercised by the mildest of men. Acclaimed director and cinematographer Santosh Sivan explores this shock of collision between the forces of will and desire in colonial India.

Henry Moores (Linus Roache) has big plans to establish a spice plantation in Kerala. But his plans require a new road to be cleared through the vast hills, and the money and manpower to do it. To secure the trust of the local villagers, he depends on his right-hand man, T.K. (Rahul Bose). To satisfy his baser needs, he depends on his lover – and house servant – Sajani. Played with fire and intelligence by Nandita Das, Sajani is an irresistible, quicksilver beauty. Their sojourn to collect honey in the forest turns into a charged erotic encounter, but they are witnessed by two local boys – and Sajani has a husband back in her village. How long will it be before her betrayal becomes known?

The risk escalates when Henry’s wife and son arrive from England. Domestic demands rein him in, but Sajani will not be cast aside so easily. Threatened with death in her own village, she presses T.K. for help and Henry for refuge. Henry cannot reveal his infidelity, so he does what any man in his position might have resorted to at the time. Can his power and privilege still protect him?

A sweeping film full of striking vistas, Before the Rains has the look of a fine period epic, but as it binds its characters tighter and tighter within their dilemmas, it reveals the gears of a good film noir. Having made his reputation in Priest, Roache once again excels as a respectable man capable of catastrophic acts. Bose, however, as the local subaltern, is the heart of the film: here is the Indian man navigating all the harsh choices that came with colonization.

It seems that Before the Rains has been acquired by a new production company. According to Newswire, "Producer Robert Lantos, founder and former Chairman/CEO of Alliance Communications Inc., today announced his return to international and domestic film distribution with the formation of two new companies, Maximum Films International and Maximum Film Distribution...Maximum Film International will acquire, promote and sell independent films from around the world for theatrical release." Before the Rains is among the films on its initial slate. Interestingly enough, Robert Lantos was also the producer of Sunshine.

If anyone is planning to go to TIFF, you might want to check out this TIFF Talk blog. Richard seems to know his way around the festival and might be a good source of information.

There is exciting news for those of you on the US West Coast: Rosemary Harris will be starring in Oscar and the Pink Lady at the Old Globe in San Diego, CA from September 22 through November 4. According to Playbill, Oscar and the Pink Lady is a poignant one-woman play that "tells the story of a young hospital patient and his uplifting relationship with a kindly volunteer 'Pink Lady,' whose daily visits provide him with inspiration and hope." The Old Globe calls it "sensitive, heartbreaking, amusing, and ultimately life-affirming." Read more about the production at Theater Mania, BroadwayWorld, or SignOnSanDiego.com and visit the Old Globe website to order tickets online. (Remember that Utopia director Jack O'Brien has been the artistic director of the Old Globe since 1981.)

Speaking of Rosemary Harris, the Hollywood Reporter has a long article about her new film Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, which will make its world premiere at the Deauville Film Festival on September 7 before it heads to the TIFF. (See the TIFF site for the screening schedule and IMDB for international release dates.)

Also, the Spider-Man 3 DVD is now available for pre-order at amazon.com.

The Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS annual Broadway Flea Market has been scheduled to take place on September 23 in Shubert Alley (NYC). This is one of Broadway Cares most popular events. In addition to the possibility of finding a rare Utopian treasure, you might get the chance to see Amy Irving, who will be among the celebrity booth participants. Check out the official press release at All That Chat to see a list of all the participants. For those of us who cannot attend, we do have the option of participating online through FLEABAY during the month of September. The BC/EFA assures us that the FLEABAY auction will feature "at least 100 items that are typical of our true Broadway Flea Market finds. From authentic costumes to unique opening night gifts, from scripts to rare posters, many items featured are the only ones we have received."

Finally, some loosely related linkage:

• Tickets to Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll are now on sale to the general public.
• Brendan Lemon (remember The Coast of Utopia Backstage Blog?) has news of Brian F. O'Byrne's latest project: a movie called The International.
• At the Becoming Jane blog, fans speculate that Charles Bingley was based on the real Tom Lefroy. Read on to hear their arguments.

Drove those other childs wild

• You'll already have seen this if you keep track of the tagboard, but the photo of the two J. Ehles over there was sent by a tipster (gracias). Apparently it's from a book cover. Too cute, innit? The same person also brought our attention to an article about Natalie Herzen in the Russian Review, which you can read if you've got access to academic journal databases.
  

• Thanks to Ann for sending scans from American Vogue, one about how Jennifer Ehle proves God's existence, the other about Coast of Utopia's "crass commercialism" (not). She found a photo of Ms Ehle at the Romeo and Juliet gala from Broadway.com as well (yep, a little behind here).
  

• Listen to three gorgeous tracks from Before the Rains' score at the website of composer Mark Kilian.

• An interview with Santosh Sivan in the Times of India - hopefully not a double post:
  

  [...] “I’m looking forward to Toronto where the film will be premiered and where our film is positioned with other interesting films,” says Santosh.
  
  The Rains is set in Kerala during the British times. “Our protagonist is a British planter who shares a bond with Rahul Bose who works for him. The film’s essentially a human drama and about individual choices,” he says.
  
  Why Kerala? He says, “We adapted the script to Kerala, since it also dealt with the times of colonisation. It has always fascinated me to see these winding roads leading through forests into spice hills and the stories of how the British had constructed those roads with the help of the locals long time back.”
  
  Says Santosh, “We shot the film in Munnar with a mixed cast and crew from London and the US. It was quite interesting to see the chemistry between people from different countries.” Commenting on the film’s cast, he says, “I’ve known Rahul Bose for a long time and I was interested in seeing him in a different role. And Nandita Das is someone who can effortlessly handle the extremes of emoting any role. And we had Linus Roache who is quite a perfectionist.” [...]

• And another. See through a cinematographer's eyes in this two part interview about Mr Sivan's lush visual world at TIFF's South Facing blog. A poet of both light and words! Keep an eye out for the photo of Rahul Bose and Linus Roache in Before the Rains. On his home state, the setting for the film, he says:

  [...] My attempts to capture light are based on my experiences with weather the rain, sun, snow and clouds. In Kerala where I grew up monsoons made heavy rains a part of our life. Besides, there was always a presence of water -- Rain, ponds, sea water or the backwaters. My fascination for water in a very indirect way helped me hone my eye for colour and light in visuals and cinematography. [...] I am lucky to be born and brought up in Kerala. In the predominance of water, there are states like Bengal which are similar but Kerala is a state of visual language. Kerala has lyrics and metaphors and its arts forms. [...]

• Here are the results of our previous poll on readers' opinions of Coast of Utopia. Due to my l33t skillz, "0 stars" and "haven't seen it" were accidently coded as 1 star. Oops.
  

• YouTube goodness: watch Ethan Hawke speaking about Utopia on Jimmy Kimmel's talk show and Tom Stoppard's acceptance speech for the Best Play award at the Tonys.

• If you look up at the right hand bar, you'll see we've got a fundraising project for Broadway Cares. Initially I only intended to donate advertising proceeds from the blog, but since BC/EFA had a new option for group fundraising, thought to draw on the power and the pockets of Ehle fans as a whole. A $1 500 target has been set for the end of the year. Don't let those Colin Firth fans show us up - Colin Firth 24/7 managed $10 000 last year! Skip a coffee or two and donate $10 to help fight AIDS (and maintain Jennite Pride, yo).
  

That's it, the last of umpteen linky lists. I've been meaning to tie up loose ends and sign off properly for months now but by some superhuman feat of procrastination have avoided it, leaving Kate and Abi rather in the lurch. Though they have effectively been holding the reins from before the Tonys, and managed superbly, I feel the need to officially pass on executive powers with a bit of ceremony both for their sake and my own. First there are the practical matters - any news and questions you have can be sent to the team at ehleblog@gmail.com. jenniferehle@gmail.com is being retired although mail to that address will be forwarded to my civilian inbox. The DVD library is still running and accepting new borrowers.

To the sentimental stuff. Over two years, with many people's help and almost daily prodding, I've seen the blog grow from a tentative experiment born on a whim to the hub it is today, thriving without my efforts. I've grown up alongside it and learned so much - sometimes the hard way! It has exposed me to the alien and rich world of theatre, and through it I have gained warm friendships that have far surpassed the bounds of co-fandom. It is a joy to be able to pass guardianship of the blog on to a couple of these friends. I can scarcely believe my luck in finding two people with the dedication (coughinsanity) to take on this job, in whose initiative, judgment and discretion I have absolute faith. Kate and Abi, thank you for the hard work you've already put in. Thank you for being willing to adopt my baby.

In the course of this project, I have been moved by great and small acts of generosity. Now's the last time I can name names, so forgive me for rattling on a bit. To Chelsea, original partner in crime and better half, thank you for the crazy fun and yakka and listening and planning and and and. Agent E, thanks for those priceless DVDs and treasure chest, for all the tips and support. Kez, for the creation and liberation of Terry and for one of the most memorable phone convos evar. Sands, for being a friend in those early wobbly days. Mary, for the graphics and for the forum company. To the Jerryboreers, for those three crazy/amazing days of communal excitement. Thanks to the folks from other fandoms who have helped us out. Most notable are the girls at Colin Firth 24/7 and Josie. Also, thanks to AustenBlog and Pemberleans for tolerating ever so much potbanging, and to various cooperative Officials of the Public and Lincoln Centre Theatres. To the ever-vigilant tipsters and contributors, thanks for making the job that much easier. And thanks to everyone who has kept up with this thing, and spoken from the void. Finally- she who is made of awesome, who inspired the whole mad adventure. Who has put up with so much and given so incredibly, impossibly generously - nope, not over it yet. Whose work still elicits awe and LMAOs and excessive blinking, who still intrigues, electrifies and astonishes even when you think you've seen it all. Thanks for everything. It has been a pleasure and an honour, and I can't wait to see whatever comes next.

Festen festivities

Jennifer Ehle attended the opening night of Festen, which stars Julianna Margulies. Turns out Glenn Close was there too.

Margulies’ Close friend, Glenn , led the glitter brigade on opening night....

Others in attendance: Tony winner Jennifer Ehle , Lady Macbeth-to-be (this summer in the park opposite Liev Schreiber)...