DECEMBER 2002
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31st December 2002
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
- And so we reach the final news update for 2002! This week has been very quiet with no further news regarding Baz and his projects. I have, however, added a fan's review to the La Bohème section. Feel free to click here to read her account of the Broadway performance!
Due to the lack of news this week, I have used this time to work on updating the general site design. As you've probably already noticed, the site now has new title graphics and background colours on most pages. The design updates will continue in the New Year and, of course, I still have a lot more content to add to make the site more complete! :-)
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25th December 2002
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM BAZ THE GREAT!
Wishing everyone a safe and wonderful Christmas! :-)
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23rd December 2002
Baz has no qualms with 20th Century Fox
- After the surprise withdrawal of 20th Century Fox last week, Baz has said that he would still work with the studio in the future. However, he also gives reasoning for their decision to back out of his latest venture. He states:
"They were starting to express nervousness about the scale of the project. To confront this kind of epic material, I knew I had to be working with people who would have an absolute commitment to the project."
Fortunately, the general consensus across the online media is that the new Universal and DreamWorks pairing will work well for Baz.
Spielberg gives Baz the 'ultimate' compliment
- AAP has reported that the legendary Steven Spielberg (and founder of DreamWorks) has given Baz the "ultimate compliment" by saying that Luhrmann "reminds him of himself." He says he was mesmerised by him when he met Baz and is quoted as saying:
"I think Baz and I have one thing in common. I think instead of a right eye, we have a camera lens screwed into our heads. I really sensed that when I sat around and met with Baz, we had a meeting last week. Just listening to him talk, it just reminded me that here is an amazing talent who really understands about montage, about editing, about everything. He really has that lens in his right eye."
Rival Alexander film back in the running?
- Meanwhile, there is potentially negative news for Baz regarding Oliver Stone's version of Alexander. Variety has reported Stone's film is set to be backed by Warner Brothers for a start date of June 2003, and is "no longer considered the underdog in this odd little race." The publication confirms that Stone has finished the script and that Colin Farrell has definitely signed on. Variety also announces that the tentative title for Stone's version of movie is Comandante, and that Stone is scouting for locations, with Farrell clearing his schedule in order to allow shooting to begin on time.
After hearing this, I feel there is cause for concern for Baz and co. and their production of ATG. It appears that Stone's version will begin filming a lot sooner than Baz's film, and this will give them a headstart in a race that might not be able to handle two big-budget Alexander movies being made at the same time. I know that Baz is devoted to bringing his version to life, and I guess only time will tell what kind of influence Stone's film will have on Baz's production next year.
Baz and Dino meet with Prince Moulay Rachid
- Arabic News.com reports that Morocco's Prince Moulay Rachid, younger brother of King Mohammed VI, met with Baz and producer Dino De Laurentiis in Paris on Thursday, 19th December, to discuss the construction of their studio facility in Ouarzazate, Southern Morocco. The publication also announces that the studios are to be built over 150 hectares and will allow for the shooting of two major films annually per year, starting from 2004.
Arabic News.com further reports that Baz and Dino plan to use Ouarzazate and the Mediterranean coast for ATG, and the pair will then use their Ouarzazate studios for their next project with a budget of US$60 million called The Last Legion.
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17th December 2002
Alexander the Great homepage updated
- My Alexander the Great homepage has now been updated with all the latest information available on the web. This area now contains a Movie Development section, which is designed to summarise the movie news and events leading up to the start of production next year. This section is an easy way to get up to date with everything that has happened so far, and will hopefully help separate the facts from the rumours. A Movie News Articles page has also been added, which archives a variety of articles spanning from July 2002 to the current date. Both of these sections will continue to be updated on a regular basis as more news is released in the coming months.
More La Bohème publicity
- La Bohème continues to receive the recognition it deserves with rave reviews from all over the world. In my last news update, I reported that there had been a double page newspaper article in Saturday's edition of Adelaide's 'The Advertiser'. I was pleased to discover an additional article the next day in Adelaide's 'Sunday Mail' called 'Another coup as Baz conquers Broadway', plus coverage of the production on the Australian movie news television programme, 'Premiere'. Below is an account of what I saw on Sunday night:
Premiere, Sunday, 15th November, Channel 10, 6pm (CST), Australia
Near the very beginning of the
programme, host Antonia Kidman presented a short clip on the opening night of La
Bohème. There was a quick shot of the exterior of what I assume is the Broadway
theatre with a huge La Bohème title above the door. The clip then showed a
variety of stars entering the building, including Hugh Grant who stuttered that he thought
the show was great and would do really well.
Commentary mentioned a bit about how Baz created the show, and how CM did the production
design etc. The segment also showed Baz, CM and some of the cast and crew running onto the
stage, hand in hand, presumably as part of the curtain call on the opening night.
The highlight was a quick statement from Baz with his 'electocuted bird' hairstyle
(see 4th December news update!) as he chattered excitedly about what a radical and
exciting production it all is.
The segment lasted for about a minute, and so I did not have enough time to get direct
quotes. However, it's great to see the show is getting the Aussie attention it deserves!
:-)
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14th December 2002
20th Century Fox pulls out of Alexander the Great
- Lots of surprising news about Alexander the Great today. Just about every movie news source on the web has reported that Baz's long time financial backing studio - 20th Century Fox - has pulled out of being involved with his next project. While exact reasoning is not entirely clear, the studio is wary of the ever-increasing budget for the film that is already expected to go well over US$100 million. Dreamworks has been quick to jump in and take over, with reports that one of the studio's founders, Steven Spielberg, may play an instrumental role in the shoot. Feel free to read the complete Reuters story, Fresh plalanx for 'Alexander the Great'.
In the 'Entertainment Weekly', an article entitled 'Gangs All Here' reports:
A Fox spokesmon told the Reporter, ''Our allegiance is to Baz and our long-term relationship with him. However, this deal does not work for us economically, so we have agreed to let him see if he can put it together with other partners.''
Hmm, I wonder what Baz thinks about 20th Century Fox backing out like this?
I think the involvement of a brand new studio may prove a challenge for Baz and co. in their next cinematic venture. 20th Century Fox were the backers of both Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge, with Strictly Ballroom financed by Miramax. 20th Century Fox obviously gave Baz a great deal of creative control with his previous two films, and I can't help but wonder if Dreamworks may be a bit more restrictive?
Nicole to play Alexander's mum?
- In other Alexander the Great news, the wonderful Nicole Kidman has reportedly expressed interest in joining the production and playing Alexander's mother, Olympia. 'WOKR-TV13' reports the following in its article, 'Nicole Kidman May Join Alexander the Great':
As Olympia, Kidman would play a
role that requires her to age on screen as her son grows from a boy into a young man who
takes up his late father's mantle and goes on to conquer most of the known world of his
time. "What we are exploring is the notion of pathos," said Luhrmann. "This
notion of an unfulfilled desire, a pursuit of a horizon that never arrives."
The plot suggests that Olympia was involved in her husband's murder, which confuses
Alexander and fires his desire to make things right. "It's the Rosebud theory,"
Luhrmann said. "Alexander is the Hamlet of the ancient world."
Photo Copyright Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images as featured in the WOKR article.
Personally, I would love to see Nicole as Olympia. Her performance as Satine in Moulin Rouge was amazing, and I think she would definitely do well in this powerful role.
'Broadway Baz' in Adelaide
- Finally, back to La Bohème. I was very happy to discover a double page article in my home town newspaper today! Adelaide's very own publication, 'The Advertiser', published an article called 'Broadway Baz' that detailed the opening of the show on Broadway, including a striking picture of Alfred Boe and Wei Huang as Rodolfo and Mimi. As far as I know, this article is not available online. However, I am still working on compiling a La Bohème News Articles page solely dedicated to opening night articles from around the world.
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11th December 2002
- So much news, so little time to report it all! Since the official opening of La Bohème last weekend, there has been literally dozens of media reviews and articles emerging online from all over the world. The production has been universally labelled a hit, and every review has been full of praise for Baz's latest creation. It's been a truly amazing reaction to a truly amazing show!
I am working on compiling the dozens of articles to add to the La Bohème News Articles section. By the time I'm done, there will be well over 60 articles from various publications recorded in that area, and more are bound to follow throughout the months to come.
- The latest Baz news was reported today in the excellent Sydney Morning Herald newspaper in its article called 'Now Baz Wants to Take on Vegas with Moulin Rouge'. Yes, the rumours are true - Baz still plans to turn his multi-award winning smash hit, Moulin Rouge, into a theatrical production! And, according to this report, he wants to take it to Las Vegas! Now there's something that would truly be 'Spectacular, Spectacular!'
Other more surprising news reported in this SMH article is that a second Broadway production is in the pipeline - a theatrical version of Baz's first film, Strictly Ballroom!
Incredibly, things are still set to go ahead with Alexander the Great, as planned:
"As well as the three US stage productions, Luhrmann is leaving for the Middle East later this week to start pre-production on his $US100 million ($A179.15 million) film epic, Alexander The Great, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio.
"I'm leaving on Friday to go to Jordan to meet with the king and look at horses," Luhrmann said."
I've read elsewhere that Baz is working in co-operation with the King of Morocco and will employ around 5,000 Moroccan extras in the production of Alexander the Great. A Moroccan newspaper has also reported the movie will create 20,000 seasonal jobs. As well as employees, it seems Baz will obviously be needing a whole lot of horses too! :-)
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8th December 2002
La Bohème officially opened on Broadway today!
- To mark the official Broadway opening of the production today, I have launched a new area in the La Bohème section called La Bohème News Articles. In this area, I have located and transcribed 40 articles relating to La Bohème spanning from the San Fransisco tryouts through until the Broadway opening. It also contains an excellent article written by Vanessa Conlin, who is in the ensemble cast of La Bohème, as well as images from various newspaper articles plus video footage of Baz and co. from Broadway.com.
The La Bohème News Articles area will continue to be updated as more La Bohème articles are released over the coming months. As always, I will announce any new articles here first before adding them to the new section.
- The next area of this site that I plan to update is the Alexander the Great page. I will be compiling a News Articles section for the movie, as I've found that related articles are slowly beginning to emerge online. I expect news of the production to stay rather quiet until sometime early next year but, in the meantime, I will be tracking down every snippet of news I can find.
The latest Alexander the Great article can be found at Rediff.com and is called 'Baz will wait for Leo DiCaprio'. Yes, it's been confirmed by Baz himself - Leo WILL be playing the lead role in Alexander the Great. Stay tuned for further updates! :-)
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4th December 2002
- An article revealing more about the production of the much anticipated Alexander the Great was published in today's 'Sydney Morning Herald' called 'Luhrmann hints at filming with DiCaprio downunder'. It is well known that Baz plans to film the movie in Morocco, but this newspaper article states that during a recent US television interview, Baz hinted that he might also film some key scenes in Sydney! Excellent news! ;-)
- I'm happy to announce that a brilliant La Bohème Discussion Forum was launched this week by some devoted fans of the opera. Feel free to visit and discuss your views on everything to do with Baz's production of La Bohème.
- A variety of La Bohème articles have been released this week, including many great interviews with Baz. I am planning on doing a huge update this weekend but, until then, feel free to check out the latest article that was included in today's 'Washington Post' called 'Break A Leg'. The article contains the following image of Baz sporting his latest hairstyle:
And the accompanying quote from the newspaper article?
"...And then there is the spectacle of Luhrmann himself, a hipster barker decked out in a black pinstriped Prada suit and ostentatiously chunky shoes. His gray hair tufts out in several directions, suggesting nothing so much as an electrocuted bird."
Hmm, somehow I don't think Baz is going to be too happy about this verdict on his latest do! :-)
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2nd December 2002
The Original Cast Recording of Baz Luhrmann's Production of Puccini's La Bohème is out soon!
Track listing (by Festival Mushroom Records):
1. NON SONO IN VENA
– Alfred Boe and Wei Huang
2. CHE GELIDA MANINA… - Alfred Boe
3. SI, MI CHIAMANO MIMI… - Wei Huang and Alfred Boe
4. O SOAVE FANCIULLA! - Alfred Boe and Wei Huang
5. E VIA I PENSIER! – Jessica Comeau, Eugene Brancoveanu, William Youmans, Wei Huang,
Alfred Boe, Daniel Okulitch, Daniel Webb, Full ensemble and Children’s chorus
6. QUANDO ME’N VO’… - Jessica Comeau, Eugene Brancoveanu, William Youmans,
Wei Huang, Alfred Boe, Daniel Okulitch, Daniel Webb, Full ensemble and Children’s
chorus
7. CHI L’HA RICHIESTO?! – Daniel Webb, Daniel Okulitch, Alfred Boe, Eugene
Brancoveanu, Jessica Comeau, Wei Huang, Full ensemble and Children’s chorus
8. MIMI?! SPERAVO DI TROVARVI QUI – Ben Davis and Ekaterina Solovyeva
9. MARCELLO, FINALMENTE! – David Miller, Ben Davis, Ekaterina Solovyeva
10. ADDIO! CHE! VAI? – David Miller and Ekaterina Solovyeva
11. DUNQUE: E PROPRIO FINITA! – David Miller, Ekaterina Solovyeva, Ben Davis, Chloe
Wright
12. O MIMI TU PIU NON TORNI – Jesus Garcia , Eugene Brancoveanu
13. GAVOTTA! MINUETTO – Daniel Webb, Daniel Okulitch, Eugene Brancoveanu, Jesus
Garcia
14. C’E’ MIMI… - Chloe Wright, Jesus Garcia, Daniel Okulitch, Lisa Hopkins,
Eugene Brancoveanu, Daniel Webb
15. VECCHIA ZIMARRA… - Daniel Webb
16. SONO ANDATI? – Lisa Hopkins, Jesus Garcia
OH! DIO! MIMI! - Jesus Garcia, Daniel Okulitch, Lisa Hopkins, Chloe Wright, Eugene
Brancoveanu, Daniel Webb.
- Festival Mushroom Records reports that the soundtrack is released today, while amazon.com reports that the CD is not available to buy until 10th December. Whichever date is correct, the soundtrack will be available in US stores very soon!
This original cast recording will be a great way for people to experience the music who cannot make it to Broadway to see the show itself. Fans of Baz's previous productions of the opera might also want to compare this new soundtrack with previous compilations. And obviously, anyone who IS lucky enough to see the show will probably want to buy it immediately!
I have been busy compiling an archive of La Bohème related articles that chronicle the hype during the San Fransisco tryout, as well as the lead up to the show's opening on Broadway. I hope to post these online later this week and will be dividing them into relevant categories for easy reference. Many of these articles are very detailed, and I guarantee that once you've read through them all, you will know just about everything there is to know about this much-anticipated production! :-)
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