FEBRUARY 2003
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28 February 2003
Maria Hatzis info confirms status of 'ATG'
- Earlier this week, I confirmed that Maria Hatzis will play Leptine in Alexander the Great, and that I had contacted her agent with further questions about her involvement in the movie. Mr Harlington has kindly replied to my e-mail, and I am happy to report the following information about Maria's role in the film:
1) When will she be shooting her scenes, and where?
"Maria will be shooting her
scenes in the middle of 2003. We were told that Maria will be shooting in the mid. of
2003, where she will be filming in Morocco."
2) What role does her character play in the plot of the film?
"Maria will be playing
Princess Leptine. In the beginning, not very, she gets rescued by Alexander, and, at first
he doesn't know she's a Princess."
3) How much screen time will she have?
"Maria will be appearing in
and out of scenes. I'm definitely sure in the beginning and very end."
4) How did she win the part?
"First, we looked for a
role Maria would enjoy. I knew she'd love playing Leptine, her parents agreed, I let her
read the scripts, she auditioned for it, and she won the part, let's say about more than
1,000 girls."
5) How much is she looking forward to being part of Alexander the Great?
"Lol, well, after being
told, Leonardo will be playing Alexander and Nicole will be be playing his mother, Maria's
exact words to me were, "Oh my god, am i that famous? Nope, I don't think so".
She also said to me that she never realized she will be winning the part. Maria is very
happy that she will be working on this film, and had mentioned that it's a gift from
god."
6) Is she a fan of Baz Luhrmann's works?
"Yes, of course. She loved Romeo & Juliet, and couldn't believe that the same director that filmed it would be directing a movie she will be starring in."
This is exciting information for a number of reasons. It obviously indicates that casting has been taking place, and that there is a lot of interest in the film, as we can see by around 1,000 actresses auditioning for the role of Leptine! It has also previously been reported that Luhrmann's ATG would not begin filming until the end of the year. The fact that Maria has been cast and she has been told she will film her scenes in the middle of the year is a very positive indication that this movie will not be hindered by Stone's rival production that is reportedly set to begin filming in June. I am very much looking forward to following Luhrmann's production throughout the year, and I have now added the above information to my ATG Cast and Crew and ATG Development pages. I also look forward to following the work of Maria Hatzis, and hope to report more information about this young actress very soon.
Site updates!
- As I reported yesterday, I have just returned from a holiday in Sydney where I visited Fox Studios and the House of Iona! I have now created a brand new page called My Trip to Sydney!, which details what I did on my holiday, including photos. This write-up has now been linked to my Facts About Baz page.
I have also recently added three new pages to my Moulin Rouge section from my holiday to Paris last year. These pages are My Trip to Paris!, My Performance Review and my Moulin Rouge Photo Gallery. Enjoy! :-)
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27 February 2003
Back from Iona!
- I have just spent the past four days enjoying a holiday in the wonderful city of Sydney, and tomorrow I will be adding a new page to this site detailing my adventures! As you can see by the images above, I made sure I visited the home of the Bazmark creative team, the House of Iona! On the left is a picture of the gates of Iona, as featured on the Behind the Red Curtain DVD. And on the right, there I am standing at the gates myself! Full details (and more images) will be posted here very soon! :-)
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23 February 2003
Maria Hatzis confirmed as Leptine!
- In what I believe is my first internet exclusive, I am happy to announce that Maria Hatzis will be playing Leptine in Alexander the Great! I first mentioned Maria's involvement in the movie back on 3rd February, and later reported that she might be playing Leptine. However, this news was officially confirmed yesterday when I received an e-mail from Maria's agent, Michael Harlington, who is happy to provide information about the actress. Mr Harlington's help will be much appreciated, and he will soon be providing me with a publicity photo for the actress and hopefully more information about her role in the film!
Another 'La Bohème'...
- There has been some publicity regarding the opening of Franco Zeffirelli's more traditional version of La Bohème at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, and the impact it may have on Luhrmann's Broadway production. On Thursday, The Washington Post published an article called 'Bohemes' Battle on Broadway Stages' that announced the opening of Zeffirelli's version and rated it as an 'above average' production. However, it also points out that, on opening night, "at least one person in the audience decided against dressy attire in favor of a "La Boheme" T-shirt from Luhrmann's Broadway show, which opened to rave reviews in December."
The New York Times also published a similar article covering the opening night of Zeffirelli's La Bohème, comparing his production with Luhrmann's. The article was called 'Puccini Neat (Unmiked)' and concludes, "Mr. Luhrman's "Bohème" offers dramatic immediacy and high production values. The Met's is supposed to counter with world-class music-making. And for some of the evening — thanks largely to Mr. Viotti — it almost did."
No more updates until Friday
- This week, I am enjoying a short holiday in Sydney. This means that there will be no news updates posted on this site from 24th - 27th February. However, the good news is that, while in Sydney, I plan to visit both Fox Studios and... the House of Iona! I will return with an update on Friday, 28th February. I also plan to post photos from my trip right here next week, so watch this space! ;-)
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20th February 2003
Luhrmann opens the doors of Iona!
(Special thanks to foxy for this scan, and
also to Nicole Kidman United and
the
Spectacular Spectacular
message board)
- An article published in The Australian entitled 'Baz to lead supporting cast for youth' announced that, last Saturday, Luhrmann openly demonstrated his support of the ATYP (Australian Theatre for Young People) by holding a launch party for the ATYP foundation. Luhrmann got his start through the ATYP, and believes strongly in what the theatre achieves, as can be seen by his comments featured in the article:
"So strongly does Luhrmann believe in ATYP that he and Oscar-winning partner Catherine Martin are emerging from their deliberate "time out" period to throw open the doors of their Sydney headquarters, the magnificent House of Iona, for the launch tonight of the ATYP foundation. A 152-strong cast of celebrities and politicians will attend the cocktail party, including Angie Milliken, Claudia Karvan, Matt Newton, Lucy Bell, Carla Zampatti, Lucy and Malcolm Turnbull and Neville and Jill Wran."
Nicole Kidman is also a patron of the ATYP and shot a video with Luhrmann in New York that was shown at Saturday night's party. Luhrmann says she would have been there if it wasn't for other commitments keeping her occupied right now, namely that Oscar nomination! Feel free to click on the image above to read the full article.
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15th February 2003
Colin Farrell not official for Stone's 'Alexander'?
- Recently, Colin Farrell spoke with MTV.com about his upcoming role in Oliver Stone's version of Alexander the Great, which is set to be simply called Alexander. While Farrell's comments do indicate that Stone's film will be going ahead, it is also very interesting to read his confirmation that he has not yet officially joined the Alexander cast:
"If it happens with Stone, I'm there, regardless of the other one,"
"There seems to be this race going on. But that's all for the other heads and the people that are involved in it on a different creative level and the business people to sort out."
"I would love to do it, man. I'm not up on my business affairs. I am just kind of focusing on what I am doing at the moment. But I'd love to work with Stone. I'd love to do that 'Alexander' piece that he wrote, [it's] just a beautiful f---ing script."
"If it happens, I will [do the research]. There is a lot of work to do if that happens."
I find it surprising to read that Farrell has not yet officially joined the cast, as he was actually chosen for the role in mid-2002 after doing a 'persuasive and extensive' screen test with Stone. It has been previously revealed that the studio is definitely set to role but, judging from Farrell's repeated statements of "if it happens", one gets the feeling that there is still some uncertainty about what effect Luhrmann's production will have on Stone's epic.
Regarding Luhrmann's own production of ATG, the article also states that a spokesperson for Leonardo DiCaprio recently described the actor is "very interested" in taking the part of Alexander. This is also surprising to read, as producer Dino De Laurentiis confirmed DiCaprio's involvement back in September 2002. Could it be that DiCaprio is similarly waiting to see what effect Stone's production will have on Luhrmann's film? Only time will tell.
Maria Hatzis interview
- Yesterday, I received an e-mail containing a short transcript of an online interview with Maria Hatzis, who is set to play a princess in Luhrmann's ATG. Unfortunately, I can provide no link to the original source, as my informer was not sure of the name of the website. Apparently, it begins with 'Celebs' but, after searching the internet, I was unable to find the relevant site. If anyone recognises the transcript, please feel free to e-mail me so I can give accreditation to the original source. Click here to read the transcript. (Special thanks goes to Amanda for providing me with this information!)
The interview took place online in the usual way, with a host controlling the questions asked by Maria's fans. For people who are not familiar with Maria's work, her first movie was called Sonny, which she mentions in the interview. She also makes a brief statement about her upcoming role in Alexander the Great, "Yes, that I think is going to be one of the most popular movies of 2004. I am going to film that with Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicole Kidman."
When asked what role she will be playing, Maria answers, "I'm going to play a Princess." This comment does not confirm her exact role, but it does further indicate that Maria Hatzis may play the role of Leptine, an Amazon princess.
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11th February 2003
Oscar nominations announced!
- Congratulations to Nicole Kidman for her Best Actress nomination for her work in The Hours! Kidman, who is set to play Olympia in ATG, is a hot contender after winning the Golden Globe award in the same category last month. The Oscar nominations were announced in the US this morning, with Kidman's movie,The Hours, also receiving a Best Picture nomination. This should give fellow Australians an extra incentive to go out and see the movie when it is released here on 20 February.
Congratulations also go to Martin Scorsese, who will be an executive producer for ATG. He has received a Best Director nomination, as well as a Best Picture nomination for his film, Gangs of New York. This highly anticipated film will be released in Australia on 13 February.
To view the full list of this year's Oscar nominations provided by the IMDb, click here.
Site updates
- I have been busy adding to several areas of this site over the past week or so. Updates include brand new 'Movie Merchandise' sections for both Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet, which provide information about products such as DVD, VHS and soundtrack releases. In addition, I have created a brand new section for Bazmark Inq's groundbreaking 1997 album, Something For Everybody, which includes song reviews and a detailed introduction. I have also updated my Links page, and the Alexander the Great section has now been fully updated with all the latest news about the progress of the film.
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10th February 2003
Gala Performance of 'La Bohème'
- New York Newsday columnist Liz Smith has announced news of a gala performance of Luhrmann's La Bohème on 22 February. She disclosed the following information: (click here to read the original article)
"Julia Roberts, Sting, Jim Carrey, Jodie Foster, Harrison Ford (now how about those for names!) have clamored for tickets to Baz Luhrmann's production of Puccini's La Bohème. There'll be a special gala performance Feb. 22, to benefit the National Alliance Research on Schizophrenia and Depression. Call 800-829-9289. Old-timers say Baz has made something great, but it's not opera. Young-timers say, 'Phooey! We just love it!'"
If you are able to attend, feel free to visit the La Bohème official website to purchase your tickets and help support a worthy cause.
Lisa Hopkins Article
Lisa Hopkins as Mimi, with
co-star Jesus Garcia as Rodolfo
- Yale Daily News.com
has published an insightful article about La Bohème
star, Lisa Hopkins, called 'Hopkins
'01 heads off to Broadway'. Hopkins candidly speaks about her life before La Bohème, and the journey she took to be cast as one of
the three lead performers who would play Mimi. In the article, she says that her
life will be forever changed by Luhrmann and La Bohème,
stating:
"The air is just pregnant with this creative potential that we
all need to carry on in the name of Baz, and in the name of opera, and in the name of
Boheme."
Maria Hatzis - Amazon Princess?
- Actress Maria Hatzis appeared on the IMDb cast
list for Alexander the Great a few days ago. However, as I reported in my 3
February update, her role has not yet been revealed. Yesterday, clues that may help shed
some light on her possible character were provided by LSA 7 - a contributor to the IMDb Alexander the Great message
board - "In the Alexander
trilogy by Valerio Manfredi, Alexander rescues a barbarian girl named Leptine and she
becomes his devoted slave. He later finds out that she was an Amazon princess."
As the actress is currently only 12 years old, the character of a slave girl/Amazon
princess is the most probable suggestion I've come across so far. However, obviously this
role cannot be confirmed until we hear further information from an official source.
I have been contributing to the 'IMDb ATG message board' for a while now, often updating the IMDb page with the correct details (it had Oliver Stone listed as a co-director at one stage!) The message board continues to increase in popularity, and some interesting conversations have been taking place. However, if you choose to take a look at the board, please be aware that there are several active threads that have brewed heated discussions regarding the real Alexander the Great!
Oscar Buzz
- An AAP article today reported that there are around 15 or so Australians who may receive various Oscar nominations this year, with Nicole Kidman the obvious "hot favourite" after her Best Actress award at the Golden Globes. The article also points out that Jill Bilcock, editor of Moulin Rouge and a 2002 Oscar nominee, has a "solid chance" of a nomination this year for her work on the Tom Hanks movie, Road to Perdition. Click here to read this article discussing Nicole, Jill and other lesser known Australians and their most recent works.
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6th February 2003
'Alexander the Great' article in 'Woman's Day'
Click to enlarge image (may take a while to load)
(Special thanks to foxy for this scan- click
here
to see where this article was originally posted.)
- This revealing double-page article was featured in the Australian magazine, Woman's Day, in an edition released around 20th January. The article is called 'Baz and Nic's Next Big Thing', and is backed by comments provided by an "Alexander the Great insider". I'm not sure who this could be, but the person reveals a lot of information about the movie! Click on the image above to view the full article and read all that the insider has to say about the upcoming film!
Revelations featured in this article include details of how the studio was concerned about the age descrepency between Nicole and Leonardo, and how executives were afraid there would be sexual tension between them! It is also revealed that Alexander's lover, Hephaestion, will play a central role, and that Baz promises to put "a very honest depiction of a gay relationship on screen." The studio was concerned about all this but "finally caved in and agreed to let Baz film it the way he wants to."
I will be adding direct quotes from this revealing article to my ATG Development page over this coming weekend, as well as all the latest casting news to my Cast and Crew section.
Scorsese praises Luhrmann
- A couple of months ago, Steven Spielberg openly praised Baz Luhrmann, and now Martin Scorsese has done the same. Scorsese is currently preparing to shoot The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio, and will be an executive producer for Luhrmann's Alexander the Great. Today, the Sydney Morning Herald published an insightful article about the Scorsese and his work on Gangs of New York called 'A good fella gets personal'. At the end of the article, Scorsese is quoted as saying the following about Baz:
"I really admire his work and I admire the creative energy of his style. His visualisation is amazing. A lot of Moulin Rouge is really so exhilarating. At first, I screened it on a very big screen and I was sitting real close. So it was a little hard to take in. But then, when I just lay back and let the whole thing roll over me, I went with it. It's very beautiful and very interesting particularly in visualising drama through the lens."
Colin Farrell interview
- Meanwhile, there has been more news released regarding Oliver Stone's rival production of Alexander. Twentieth Century Fox held a press junket promoting Colin Farrell's film, Daredevil, last weekend, and Comics2Film.com have posted the interview here. It's entitled, 'Daredevil Interview: Colin Farrell Hits The Target', and includes several questions regarding Colin's upcoming role as Alexander the Great:
Q: Any word on the Oliver
Stone, Alexander the Great movie?
Don't know, man, but I'm there if it happens. I am there if it happens.
Oliver wrote a phenomenal, fuckin' script. It's just about amazing, amazing things.
Everything's in it. There's greed. There's jealousy. There's love. There's pain. There's
hope. There's desperation. There's pride. There's friendship. There's betrayal. It's an
amazing, amazing story. There's so much in it. It's so dense it nearly reads like bad
fiction and these are historical figures.
Q: How does Alexander's personal life read?
It's kind of tragic. He gets to a stage where he doesn't know who to trust. He doesn't
know who's on his side. He doesn't know if he's doing the right thing. He's just obsessed
with the idea of destiny and the he was born to do these things, to be at this level of
greatness, to lead his people to this place. It all gets very convoluted towards the end,
and quite messy.
I don't know as much as if I ever got to do it as I will know. Because there'll be a lot
of research and a lot of work that'll have to go into it.
Obviously bi-sexual, which wasn't even an issue back then. There was no term for
bi-sexual, it was just the way society was. People made love to men, women and it was only
later on that you had to pick one side of the fence.
It's amazing. Oliver wrote and amazing, amazing script.
Q: Does he treat that subject fairly?
I think he treats it fairly by actually not putting a huge light over it. In those days it
wasn't a big deal.
Philip of Macedon had a wife and Alexander's mother in Olympia, and he kept eunuchs and he
kept women and boys. Philip of Macedon, the king, was making love to everyone and in that
day it was just a normal thing. So yes, it's touched on, but it's so much more about
Alexander's personal journey and the journey of his people through this time.
Q: In contrast to the smaller films you've done, how does the prospect of doing
something that's going to be on an epic scale compare?
It's huge.
Between Daredevil and starting S.W.A.T. I went home and I did a film which I'm sure none
of you have heard of called Intermission. You wouldn't have heard of it because it's like
a three million dollar Irish picture. I believe it turned out well. I think it's going to
Cannes. So I did that.
After S.W.A.T. I'm going to go do A Home at the End of the World, which is a Michael
Cunningham novel, he adapted his own novel into a screenplay, wrote the most beautiful
screenplay. Five characters, small film. Tom Hulce is producing. Michael Mayer from New
York, theater director, is directing and I'll do that next.
So I'm just trying to do that thing that a lot of actors talk about: mix it up. Do some
big ones. Do some of the smaller, more intimate ones.
Alexander will be huge thing. The most attractive thing, apart from the story of Alexander
of Macedonia and that time and doing that epic thing is to go in there and [work] with
Oliver Stone for what probably will be a six month shoot, will be something I'm sure I'll
fuckin' never forget. So I'm all for it.
New 'La Bohème' review
- Luhrmann's production of La Bohème is continuing to receive a great response, and yet another positive review has been posted by post-gazette.com called 'Stage Reviews: Opera and poetry light up Broadway'. The article states, "The bottom line is simple: As long as you don't boggle at simplistic plot leaps, La Boheme makes a lushly satisfying Broadway musical, with its soaring score, winning performances, very theatrical design and masterful sense of stage life."
Last week, the Sydney Morning Herald published an article about the life of Giacomo Puccini. Anyone who is interested in La Bohème may find it beneficial to read this short biography - click here to read about the man who started it all.
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3rd February 2003
'Alexander the Great' casting news!
- Today, the ATG IMDb page for Baz Luhrmann's production updated its cast list with, "Maria Hatzis... Adapted Princess". I assume that the character name is meant to read 'Adopted Princess' but, as I only know the basics of Alexander's history, I am unsure as to what the actual name of this character could be. I do know that Alexander married a Persian princess at some stage but, after a quick look at Maria's IMDb page, I see that this American actress is only 12 years old!
Maria's IMDb filmography features two films. One is the upcoming, Seriously Dude, Where's My Car?, in which she plays Elsa Richmond. This film is not due for release until next year. Her other film credit is her role as Little Jean Phillips in the 2002 movie, Sonny. Previous television appearances include roles in the US series, Scrubs, Malcolm in the Middle and, most notably, an episode of ER.
Her full name is Maria Abigail Hatzis, and she is 4' 10" tall. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find a photo of the actress online. However, here's some brief background information from the mini biography on her IMDb page:
"Born on August 30, 1990 in Orlando, Florida, Maria has appeared in many commercials, and is currently making feature debuts. She started her career at the tender age of fourteen months, making many commercials. Some of these commercials include: Dove, Burger King, Gap, Fredrick, Old Navy, etc. She is making her biggest TV appearance to date as Jessica Wyczenski on "ER" (1994). In the cinema, Maria will star opposite James Franco and Nicolas Cage in Sonny (2002). She is also making two other films. She enjoys soccer and basketball and currently lives in Los Angeles with her parents, two brothers and sister. Siblings: Jordan, Danny and Aubury. Parents: Justin and Clare"
If anyone has any further information about Maria, please e-mail me.
Stone's 'Alexander' casting news
- Another cast member for Stone's Alexander has been posted today on the Alexander IMDb page. The actor's name is James Holzier, but his role is currently unknown. James Clayton Holzier was born on 11 August 1981 in Virginia, USA, and his film credits include an uncredited role in Pearl Harbour. I have been unable to find a photo of this actor online, but more information about James can be found on this website containing information about his appearance in the movie, Dreams in the Attic. Here is his mini biography, as listed on James' IMDb page:
"James, who has brown hair and brown eyes, turned down a role in the movie Postman, The (1997) to finish and honor his commitment to his highschool play, "Look Homeward Angel". James graduated from Clear Lake Highschool in Houston, Texas in 1999. He started off doing plays and national commercials, but is beginning to break into the big-screen movie business."
- In other casting news, on 31 January, Dark Horizons reported:
"Pre-WMTA World Kickboxing Champ Nick Kara has apparently been handpicked by Oliver Stone for a role in the film. His scenes will be shot in Thailand."
If anyone has any further information about James or Nick, please e-mail me.
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