I just thought I’d start the year off with an image from Pat’s unofficial REG calendar. Proceeds from this calendar went towards the Waterford School fund which, as you know, is Richard’s favorite charity.

On the news front, apparently it seems that Monsieur N is to be released in France on February 19th, 2003 (although the date which the production company lists as the release date is February 12th 2003.) Will post more news if I find out any additional information.

A Merry War will be shown on WE (U.S.) Saturday, January 4th at 1:00 am CST.
Jack And Sarah will be shown on Lifetime Movie Tuesday, January 7th at 12:15 am and 1:45 pm CST.

Gosford Park and Ready To Wear will also be shown, but only on HBO and Starz (which are premium channels.) Also notice that Gosford Park hits Sky Box Office on Saturday 18th January and will be available to buy on VHS in NTSC format (U.S.) on January 7th.

Thanks to Susan W, Denise, Pat and Debbie for the news.

The Hound Of The Baskervilles DVD can now be pre-ordered from the BBC Shop website. The actual release date for the DVD is the 10th February, 2003. Features include Producer & Director commentary (Christopher Hall, David Attwood), Photo Gallery, Scene selection, 5.1 mix, “Making Of” interviews with David Attwood, Christopher Hall, Allan Cubitt, Richard Roxborough, Ian Hart, Richard E Grant, John Nettles, Neve McIntosh and Matt Day.

Also for you Brits, Denise informs me that FilmFour has decided to kick off the New Year by showing Withnail and I on New Years Day at 10pm. It is also showing Bram Stoker’s Dracula tonight at 12.20am.

Denise has sent me a review of The Hound Of The Baskervilles from Thomas Sutcliffe of The Independent. She adds:

The reviewer comments on two programmes shown back-to-back last night. Hound Of The Baskervilles on BBC1 and on ITV Goodbye Mr Chips. The review starts with the later of these and references it in initial comments.

There won’t be a lot of bookings for Dartmoor holidays arising out of Hound of the Baskervilles either, since it absolutely lashed it down all the way through the BBC’s rival Edwardian pot-boiler. This was aiming for your adrenal glands, rather than your tearducts, and it made its very first shot, a startling image of the hound’s first victim, lying gutted on a mortuary slab with a look of unutterable horror on his face. It made me jump a bit, but it was a while before the next jolt – when the hound suddenly appeared at a farmhouse window. It isn’t easy to make this story scary, since there can be very few people who don’t already know it backwards; it’s also faintly preposterous in its plotting.

What it can be, though, is an enjoyable exercise in style, and Allan Cubitt’s adaptation took every available opportunity for that. In a fine departure from the original, he had Holmes meet up with the villain of the piece (Richard E Grant at his most insinuating). “Such well-marked super-orbital development,” Stapleton said, admiring his opponent’s cranial formation. “Would you mind me running a finger along you parietal fissure?” Richard Roxburgh was pretty good as Holmes, but frankly, how can you compete when the enemy is given lines like that?

Just a further note to U.K. REGimentals – Richard will be on tonight in a repeat of “I Love 1987”.

Jolie and Denise both inform me that the BBC2 will be showing an interview with Arabella Weir on Posh Nosh, her TV series with REG. It’s due to be broadcast on Saturday, 11th January 2003.

For those of you who ordered a REG calendar from Pat for 2003, you may recall that part of the price included a donation to the Waterford School Trust – Bursary Fund. This year that amount, together with a couple of small donations, comes to $175 US. That’s about 170 in Euros, 109 GBP, 310 AUD, and 305 SGD. Way to go, guys!

…..And for UK Fans, don’t forget to catch REG as Stapleton on The Hound Of The Baskervilles tomorrow night on BBC1.