JANUARY 2003
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30th January 2003
La Bohème on tour!
Photo: Douglas Kirkland
- It's the news that international Luhrmann fans have been waiting for! Opera Australia's chief executive, Adrian Collette, has stated that there are plans to tour a production of La Bohème with Luhrmann's company, Bazmark Live. This statement was released last week as an end note to an article called 'New York's Battle of the Bohemes' by The Age newspaper. The same article was published a few days later by the Sydney Morning Herald with the title 'A Bohemian rhapsody, but not much bonhomie' and the above image but, for some reason, without the news of a possible tour. I very much hope that a La Bohème tour becomes a reality. It would be fantastic if Australia, and hopefully other countries, get the opportunity to host Luhrmann's amazing production!
The article itself raises concerns for La Bohème's Broadway run, with two rival productions of the same opera opening in New York very soon. One will be held by the Metropolitan Opera, and the other version will be by the New York City Opera. The spokeswoman for Luhrmann's production, Amy Jacobs, states, "We don't discuss box office or projections, but we're pretty confident that we are talking about different productions for different markets. There's certainly no plan to alter how we sell it to a Broadway audience."
The Metropolitan Opera's director of public affairs, Francois Giuliani, retaliates by saying, "We're just hope that the Broadway Boheme whets appetites for the opera so that theatre-goers will want to come up here and see the real thing. Our schedules and casts are set years in advance, some times four or five, so when this was set up, the Broadway, Boheme was just a twinkle in Baz Luhrmann's eye. I think the attitude here is, 'We've been doing Boheme since 1900; we don't yield to anyone'."
I think that, despite what the Metropolitan Opera may think, Luhrmann's La Bohème will hold its ground. Luhrmann's production is a refreshing take on the popular opera, and has been drawing audiences of all ages. I do hope that his production will be around for a long time to come.
Colin Farrell - Hollywood's hottest property?
- An article posted today by Mirror.co.uk called 'Lady-Killer Colin Reveals All' has labelled Colin Farrell as "Hollywood's hottest property." The article states, "Dubbed by at least one critic as 'the Irish Brad Pitt', his next big film project, an epic about Alexander the Great, is rumoured to be netting him £15 million."
Colin Farrell is set to play Alexander in Oliver Stone's rival production of Alexander the Great, due to begin filming this June. And it seems that Colin is beginning to receive increased publicity in the lead up to the shoot. I have decided to keep an eye on Stone's production right here in the news updates, and I'm contemplating creating a separate section for the movie if it begins filming as planned. I think it will be interesting to compare Stone's movie to what Luhrmann has in store for us. However, my main focus will stay with Luhrmann's production, as this is the film that I really hope will become a reality this year.
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26th January 2003
Baz and CM's wedding anniversary!
- Today marks Baz and CM's sixth wedding anniversary, and I'd just like to say congratulations to the happy couple! The pair were married on 26 January 1997, which also happens to be Australia Day and CM's birthday! Happy birthday, Catherine, and happy Australia Day to all fellow Australians! :-)
In the lead-up to today's celebrations, I have spent the last few days compiling a lengthy biography for Baz. This bio also features information about CM, including a link to an insightful newspaper interview taken with her days after she won two Academy Awards for Moulin Rouge. All of this information has been added to my newly updated Facts About Baz page. I have also made additions to the Red Curtain Trilogy page - enjoy!
Baz Luhrmann Diary Excerpts
- I have come across an excellent Leonardo DiCaprio fansite called OmniLeonardo.com containing an comprehensive news archive relating to the early development of Alexander the Great, with articles spanning back to February 2002. I have added a link to this archive on my ATG Development page, plus a link to the fansite on my ATG Cast and Crew page.
While reading through the news archive, I discovered that the November 2002 edition of Variety magazine featured sections of a diary Baz Luhrmann kept while making La Bohème. Diary entries were dated from 10 May 2001 when he was in Cannes for the opening of Moulin Rouge, until 17 September 2002 when he was in San Fransisco putting together the finishing touches to his production of La Bohème. The excerpts provide a fascinating insight into Luhrmann's early conception of Alexander the Great, and links to these diary entries can now be found in my ATG Development and News Articles sections. For direct access, click here.
If anyone has a full transcript of Luhrmann's diary excerpts, or knows how I could obtain a copy of the November 2002 Variety magazine, please contact me.
'Alexander' Opinion Poll
- Another interesting article found in the OmniLeonardo.com Alexander the Great news archive was an opinion poll run by Hollywood Elsewhere back in October 2002. The site asked readers to explain with Alexander film they are more interested in seeing - the one directed by Baz Luhrmann, or the one directed by Oliver Stone - and received some interesting answers:
Hollywood Elsewhere: Which
Alexander?
By Jeffrey Wells , October 16, 2002
I ran a piece last week about the two Alexander the Great movies supposedly being prepped
-- Oliver Stone's with Colin Farrell in the lead, and Baz Luhrman's with Leonardo
DiCaprio, which won't be rolling until Leo finishes a Howard Hughes biopic, The Aviator,
which is expected to occupy him from April until the late summer of '03.
Anyway, I asked readers which Alexander they're more interested in seeing...
"Right now, Baz Luhrmann is
a much stronger director than Oliver Stone. Baz's three films are handsome, exciting,
rapturous and lyrical, whereas Stone's last few efforts have been heavy-handed, overlong,
obnoxious, and uncertain. DiCaprio and Farrell are both talented actors, but I don't care
about them so much as the man behind the camera, and if I could only see one Alexander
biopic, it would have to be from the man who has done Shakespeare and musicals, not the
one who has done football operas and Nixon gasbags." -- Zach Ralston, Los Angeles
"I guess I'd rather see Stone's version because I know that he can capture the
ambition and ferocity of the Macedonian conquest, even though Colin Farrell is an iffy
choice for the lead role -- why did Heath Ledger drop out anyway? While Baz's epic could
be visually arresting, my gut says it'll become over-the-top and devolve into his
trademark operatic goofiness. Still, Leo might make a better Alexander than Farrell. If
only Stone and Leo could've teamed up to start with." -- Jim Bookman
"I would rather see Baz Luhrman's Alexander than Oliver Stone's. Though I do
occasionally find DiCaprio to be a tad irritating and his last pairing with Luhrmann
(Romeo+Juliet) unsatisfying, I've always found Oliver Stone's films to be overly pedantic,
overlong, and for the most part boring. They're both known for their kind of
beat-you-over-the-head-with-the-theme styles, Luhrmann at least paces his movies so they
never tire. And he doesn't seem to approach his films with the same tired, extremely
liberal political agenda like Stone does. Even Any Given Sunday had all that Native
American music on the soundtrack, which irritated and distracted me to no end (as did most
of the rest of the movie, but that's another story)." -- Basil Swartzfager
"I'll see both Alexander movies if they're made, but if I could only see one, I think
I'd wait for Baz's. Baz and Oliver are two of the biggest over-rated directors working
right now, so it would come down to the actor for me, and I'd more interested in what Leo
could do with the role than Colin." -- John English
"Though I'm not sure what Luhrmann will do with it, and though I suspect his peculiar
style might be jarring or even alienating in the context of a biopic set in the distant
past, surely it will be more interesting than what Oliver Stone would do with the story.
Can you imagine all the soapboxing about empire and megalomania he'll put into it? Add to
that the possibility that Luhrman will decide to play it straight, drop his fascinating
gimmicks and make a more traditional historical film. To me that's far and away the more
appealing (or at least intriguing) prospect." -- Jennifer Heisler
I too would love to hear from
readers about which Alexander film they are most
looking forward to, and why. Feel free to e-mail
me with your comments!
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20th January 2003
Nicole Kidman wins Best Actress Award!
- The annual Golden Globe Awards were held last night in the US, and Nicole Kidman looked stunning as she walked down the red carpet to attend the ceremony. It was amusing to watch her before the awards as she spoke to the media, surrounded by screaming Australian fans. Nicole smiled as she assured everyone that she wouldn't win the Best Actress award for her role as Virginia Woolf in The Hours. However, just hours later, Nicole won the Golden Globe! The film also won Best Motion Picture (Drama), and it looks to be a strong contender for this years Academy Awards.
The Hours has not yet been released in Australia, but I'm sure it will do very well when it is finally released here next month. Furthermore, The Golden Globe Awards will be screened on Australian commercial television this Saturday at 8:30pm CST. This is almost a full week after the actual ceremony took place, and most people will know the results by then. However, I think the awards will still be popular as Australians tune in to watch Nicole win her award!
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18th January 2003
Stone's 'Alexander' a definite 'go'
- Variety has revealed production details for Oliver Stone's Alexander movie in an article entitled "The 'Great' race is shifting into high gear". Unfortunately, this article is only accessible to subscribers but, luckily, Dark Horizons reported the following information in yesterday's movie news:
Variety reports that Intermedia has set a late June start for the Colin Farrell/Oliver Stone version, several months before the DiCaprio/Luhrmann version is rumoured to be starting. Intermedia chairman Moritz Borman says "Barring accidents and natural disasters, this is a definite 'go' movie for us. Colin's deal has been made, he's juggled his dates and made time for training. We've not decided 100% where we are going to start, haven't made up our minds whether we'll sell territories ourselves, or to a studio like we did on 'Terminator 3.' The June date changes only in that Oliver might begin second unit shooting earlier".
So, according to Intermedia, the backing studio behind the film, June is a definite start date for Stone's project, with the possibility that he may begin second unit shooting even earlier. In fact, the Internet Movie Database page for Oliver Stone's Alexander already lists a US release date of June 2004! It will be interesting to watch how this movie progresses, and how it may or may not effect the filming of Baz Luhrmann's own project.
Nicole Kidman interview
- The Friday news update at Dark Horizons also features an interview with the Nicole Kidman, who is set to play Olympias in Luhrmann's Alexander the Great. The interview discusses her work on The Hours and how, despite her amazing success, she remains true to herself:
"Even now, with her recent star implanted on Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame Kidman continues to adopt a down to earth policy, and is clearly having the time of her life. "It's funny, as I was getting the star I was looking around and thinking: Oh gosh, this is so amazing, but I also kind of felt out of it or that I'm really here experiencing this." She adds that she's happiest "when I'm with my children or when I'm making a movie. It's just kind of lovely to be able to feel that excitement about being able to play a character and work for a new director whom you really believe in."
Leonardo in London
- Empire Online reports that Leonardo DiCaprio, who is set to play Alexander in Luhrmann's film, was in London this week for the UK premiere of Gangs of New York:
"Heading up Scorsese's cast is a fuzzy-chinned Leonardo DiCaprio, also returning to the public eye after a brief hiatus and being similarly heaped with praise for his role as Amsterdam Vallon. Far from promoting his swoon-inducing pretty-boy image, Gangs of New York sees the 28-year-old actor involved in brutal street-fights and, more often than not, at the centre of some seriously bloody mayhem. "This film is about ancient Celtic warlords; this about the large amounts of Irish immigrants who were met with immediate racism and had to defend themselves," he said. "There is a lot of violence but it’s not gratuitous violence. It’s documenting history. This is what happened."
I have heard some positive reviews of Leo's performance in this film, and I am looking forward to checking out the Scorsese's movie when it is finally released in Australia. Yesterday, I saw Catch Me If You Can, which I found to be thoroughly entertaining, and a film that truly showcases Leo's capabilities as an actor. I fully believe he will make a great Alexander, and look forward to following his preparation for the role later in the year.
Tony Committee rules on 'La Bohème'
- In my 9th January news update, I reported that the Tony Administration Committee would be meeting on 16th January to discuss La Bohème's eligibility for the upcoming Tony Awards. There were two particular questions that needed to be discussed. Will it be classed as a new musical, or a revival? And will all of the show's cast be eligible for awards, since the production works with rotating performers?
In an article published by AP called Tonys Rule on 'Boheme,' 'Movin' Out', it was decided that La Bohème is a musical revival. However, decisions involving the cast have been left undecided, with Keith Sherman, a spokesman for the awards, stating, "It was tabled until the spring meeting."
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15th January 2003
'La Bohème' at at Saks Fifth Avenue, New York!
- After signing up at the official La Bohème website a few weeks ago, I have received their very first e-mail news announcement! Lancôme and Saks Fifth Avenue are celebrating Baz Luhrmann's production of La Bohème with a new range of Lancôme make-up products, cast appearances at Saks, and fabulous window displays by CM!
"Experience the magic of
Broadway's newest sensation La Bohème by simply walking down New York City's Fifth
Avenue! Lancôme, Paris and La Bohème's award-winning designer Catherine Martin adorn
Saks Fifth Avenue's flagship store windows with breathtaking scenes and costumes from La
Bohème beginning January 10 through January 22, 2003.
On January 16th, La Bohème cast members greet the public at the Lancôme counter in the
store from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. In addition, to celebrate this partnership of Parisian
style, Lancôme introduces -- for a limited time only - an exclusive new makeup collection
called La Bohème at select Tri-state area Saks Fifth Avenue stores this month.
"Designing the La Bohème windows at Saks Fifth Avenue, New York is a great venue to
bring the excitement and romance of this magical opera to thousands of New Yorkers and
tourists," states Catherine Martin. "We captured the spirit of La Bohème and
incorporated the elegant style and history of Lancôme, Paris to create incredibly
beautiful windows that showcase the romantic essence of Paris."
Click here to visit the website to read more! And if anyone is able to make it to New York tomorrow to meet the cast, feel free to contact me to report your experiences. I'd also love to hear from anyone who is lucky enough to check out the Saks Fifth display. I'm sure the wonderful CM has done a brilliant job! :-)
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14th January 2003
Nicole Kidman makes the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
- Nicole Kidman, the wonderful Aussie actress who is set to play Olympias in Luhrmann's upcoming Alexander the Great, was yesterday honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! The news has been publicised across Australia today, with articles appearing on television and on the internet. Nicole was greeted at the ceremony by hundreds of fans, including some Aussie tourists waving Australian flags! She is quoted in an AAP article as saying:
"Thank you everybody for showing up, I didn't think anybody would turn up. As a kid growing up in Sydney, Australia, it is amazing to stand here and become a part of a Hollywood tradition."
Hollywood Mayor Johnny Grant proclaimed the week to be officially called Nicole Kidman Week, and her star was placed right next to Steven Spielberg's! Nicole was delighted,
"I just think it is so cool that I'm next to Steven Spielberg. He's a Hollywood legend."
Click here to read the article released by AAP, and congratulations to Nicole!!!
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9th January 2003
Leo and Nicole not yet official for 'ATG'?
- MTV.com reported yesterday that both Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicole Kidman have not yet officially signed on for Alexander the Great. The article is called 'Leo DiCaprio, Colin Farrell — Same Role, Different Movies' and states:
"A spokesperson for DiCaprio — whose "Catch Me If You Can" and "Gangs of New York" are both in theaters — described him as "very interested" in starring in "Alexander the Great" and said that final contractual arrangements are underway. DiCaprio previously worked with Luhrmann on 1996's "Romeo + Juliet." Luhrmann also wants Nicole Kidman to play Alexander's mother, Olympia, though representatives for the busy actress insist she is not yet officially onboard."
Rumours that Leonardo has not yet officially signed onto the project have been circulating for a while. However, in an article published by The Toronto Sun back on 18 September 2002, there is confirmation from producer Dino De Laurentiis that Leonardo DiCaprio has signed on to Alexander the Great. Similarly, on 1st January 2003, Nicole Kidman's publicist confirmed in a Sydney Morning Herald article that she "is doing a part". Both of the relevant articles can be found in my News Articles section.
Tony Awards Buzz for 'La Bohème'
- Playbill.com and Backstage.com have reported that the Tony Administration Committee will meet on 16th January to discuss the performers and productions that have opened on Broadway during the first half of the 2002-2003 season. Discussions will include what awards La Bohème will be eligible for. There is some questions to be asked concerning Baz's production, including will it be classed as a new musical, or a revival? And will all of the show's cast be eligible for awards, since the production works with rotating performers? Producer Emanuel Azenberg states, "The committee hopefully will make a judgment that will be, to use Baz's words, 'somewhat inclusive.'"
'Behind the Red Curtain' named Best DVD
- The New York Times has named Baz Luhrmann's Behind the Red Curtain DVD as one of the best DVD's of 2002! It reports:
"Baz Luhrmann talks (and
talks) of love and art and life in another of the year's best DVD's, "BEHIND THE RED
CURTAIN" (Fox). This DVD is a collection with Mr. Luhrmann's red curtain trilogy
— "Strictly Ballroom," "William Shakespeare's `Romeo and Juliet'
" and "Moulin Rouge" — on four discs. On a fifth disc, "Behind
the Red Curtain," we visit the house of Iona, Mr. Luhrmann's jumping movie-making
headquarters in Sydney, Australia.
The collection stresses interactivity. "As Baz tells the story of this particular
cinematic style, words will pop on and off the screen," instructions say. "These
words are active, and by selecting them you can branch to another level of video, stills
or text." That's a lot of Baz, but it's fun."
The Behind the Red Curtain DVD is absolutely brilliant, and must-have for anyone wanting to learn a whole lot more about Baz, his team and the creative process that went behind making each movie in the Red Curtain Trilogy. I have only had a chance to watch through this DVD once, and there is an incredible amount of information that I hope to eventually analyse right here on this site. Stay tuned for my review in the near future! In the meantime, I have updated the Romeo + Juliet section of this site with 'Cast and Crew' and a 'Soundtrack Listing'. Enjoy! :-)
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6th January 2003
Alexander start date pushed back to 2004?
- An article published in the Irish Examiner today has created speculation that shooting of Alexander the Great may be pushed back to early 2004. The article is called 'Leo's back for Gangs of New York' and discusses how, after the overwhelming success of Titanic and the problems that went with it, Leo is now concentrating on getting his screen career back on track.
The article states, "Historical characters are now very much to the fore in DiCaprio's screen choices. He has agreed to reteam with Scorsese again to depict the eccentric Howard Hughes in The Aviator. He has also committed to Baz Luhrmann's epic Alexander The Great to be shot in Morocco. He’s also due to play a CIA agent in Robert De Niro's The Good Shepherd, set to shoot next autumn."
This is followed by a direct quote from Leo himself:
"I’ll do The Aviator first and then Alexander, and both those should take up at least eight months so I'm essentially booked for the next two years."
Leo's comments indicate potential shooting problems, in that filming is not set to begin on The Aviator until 12th May. If filming did indeed 'take up at least eight months', this would push the production of Luhrmann's ATG into early 2004 instead of late 2003, as planned.
An added concern is that Leo is also set to star in The Good Shepherd, which has a reported start date of the coming US autumn.
I am not sure how Leo is going to manage making three films in one year, although it's interesting to note that Leo said he would do The Aviator and then ATG, with no mention of The Good Shepherd anywhere inbetween...
Luhrmann's ATG is bound to take a long time to film because of the phenomenal scope of the movie, but it seems increasingly likely that principal photography will not be completed until late 2004. If Stone goes ahead and begins shooting his own version in June 2003 as planned, I can't help but wonder what impact this will have on Luhrmann's ATG.
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2nd January 2003
Leo the Great?
- This amusing photo was published in today's Sydney Morning Herald, and was taken from an article originally published in London's Telegraph. The 'digital mischief' by Herald Design aims to show us how Leonardo DiCaprio may look as Alexander by placing his head on this famous mosaic of Alexander riding his horse. I'm not sure where the original image came from, but it is a popular depiction of Alexander across the internet, and I was highly amused to find this digital manipulation in today's article. I have placed the images side by side for comparison! :-)
The article itself is called 'Clash of the titans' and provides an informative insight into the "battle" that Hollywood is facing this year as studios set about producing a variety of sword-and-sandal epics. The article includes information about Luhrmann's and Stone's Alexander films, a summary of which can be found on my Movie Development page.
The article also makes an interesting revelation in that Baz Luhrmann's ATG is budgeted at US$160 million. This is US$10 million more than has been previously speculated. It then goes on to report that Wolfgang Petersen's upcoming movie adaptation of Troy has a budget of US$16 million more, making a total of US$176 million. It seems ATG's huge budget may be eclipsed, with other historical epics and their ballooning budgets set to result in them becoming some of the biggest productions of all time.
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1st January 2003
Nicole Kidman's involvement confirmed!
- The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers reported today that Nicole Kidman has definitely signed on to be a part of Alexander the Great. Her publicist, Wendy Lamb, was quoted as saying:
"She's confirmed with me ... that she is doing a part in Baz Luhrmann's film, Alexander The Great,"
The articles then go on to confirm that Nicole "looks set" to play Alexander's mother, Olympia.
This is confirmation enough for me that Nicole will definitely be playing this pivotal role in the film! Personally, I am very happy that Nicole has signed on, and feel she will do a brilliant job in the role.
Regarding the name of Alexander's mother, it is interesting to note that the history books name her as Olympias, but the media continually reports her name as being spelt without the 's'. I wonder if this is an error on the media's behalf, or if her name will definitely be Olympia? It may seem petty, but I'm sure history enthusiasts will be quick to point out any discrepancies, no matter how small! For the time being, I have chosen to go with the historians and have named her as Olympias throughout this website.
The fascination surrounding Alexander
- On 30th December 2002, The Guardian published a detailed article explaining the fascination and controversy surrounding the historical figure of Alexander the Great. I highly recommend this article as a source of information for anyone who is interested in learning more about the historical figure and the difficulties of making a film about Alexander. Click here to read the article 'Kings of Hollywood in epic battle to film Alexander' at its original source. Alternatively, you can read my summary of this article on my Movie Development page, or access the article through my News Articles page.
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