Archive for the 'Articles' Category

“Monsters University” has got quite a hefty cast on its hands. In addition to returning voice actors like Billy Crystal, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi, the new Disney movie has added exciting newcomers from Helen Mirren and Bonnie Hunt to Nathan Fillion and Aubrey Plaza.

“Working with this group of actors was an extraordinary experience. They each brought a unique level of humor, emotion and creativity to their work that not only complemented their individual performances, but made the overall story come together in a really wonderful way,” director Dan Scanlon says in a statement.

The full list of new actors includes Mirren, Alfred Molina, Dave Foley, Sean P. Hayes, Joel Murray, Peter Sohn, Charlie Day, Fillion, Bobby Moynihan, Julia Sweeney, Plaza, Tyler Labine, John Krasinski, Hunt, Beth Behrs and John Ratzenberger. “Monsters University” is due out on June 21.

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London: The cast of Helen Mirren`s West End play will pay tribute to late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The play features Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II and focuses on the monarch`s dealings with the prime ministers, who have served during her reign, reported Daily Star.

It features actress Haydn Gwynne as Thatcher, and it has now emerged there will be a tribute to the late politician at the beginning of their performance at London`s Gielgud Theatre.

The play`s writer Peter Morgan will be stepping up to talk about Thatcher.

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Review by Peter Brown
2 March 2013

Every week – when the relevant parties are in London – Queen Elizabeth II meets with her current Prime Minister for a cosy chat about … well, we don’t actually know what they talk about because no minutes are published, or even kept. And so far as I am aware none of the 12 Prime Ministers who have served during the Queen’s 61 year reign has given anything more than a vague hint of what their discussions have covered. So, how do you make a play out of meetings like that?

Peter Morgan’s answer to that tricky question is to blend fact and fiction. He draws on what is commonly known about the personalities of various Prime Ministers and the issues they faced during their periods in office, then mixes-in the character of a shrewd, hard-working and intelligent monarch, and finally tops it all off with completely fictional but rather witty dialogue. The recipe proves immensely successful so that the final theatrical dish is humorously entertaining, well-observed, and has enough in the way of authenticity to be (just about) believable.

In the lead, as Queen Elizabeth II, is Helen Mirren who has already had a fairly decent rehearsal for the part, as she won an oscar in 2006 for her portrayal of the same person in the film ‘The Queen’. With the kind of experience she has acquired, perhaps she may be missing a few performances in the near future in order to stand in for HMQ while she recovers from her current illness.

An equerry, well-played by Geoffrey Beevers, introduces us to the basic concept of the weekly meeting and is in evidence serving tea and the like throughout the proceedings. A parade of 8 Prime Ministers proceed into the audience room for their private sessions with the monarch. The meetings range over the entire period of the Queen’s reign, but not in chronological order. And two of the PMs – Harold Wilson and John Major – make more than one appearance. This timeline means that Ms Mirren has to get younger as well as older as the play progresses. That requires some fairly quick costume changes, some of which take place rather magically on-stage. Ms Mirren makes the transitions seem effortless, and is hugely convincing and authoritative both as the younger monarch and her older counterpart.

Edward Fox has stepped into Robert Hardy’s shoes at the last minute to take on the role of Winston Churchill – the first Prime Minister during the Queen’s reign. Richard McCabe turns in a very fine, astutely-observed performance as the mac-wearing Harold Wilson who reveals that his famous pipe was for public performances only and that he actually preferred cigars in private. Wilson was, apparently, the Queen’s favourite and we see him at Balmoral as well in the audience room in London. Haydn Gwynne is also in exceptional form as a Margaret Thatcher enraged by leaks from the palace, and Paul Ritter’s ‘ordinary’ John Major is advised by the Queen to resign. We also meet Elizabeth as a young girl wandering around Buckingham Palace and in conversation with her older self. On the night I caught the show, the young Elizabeth was admirably played by a confident Nell Williams.

Whether the elected Prime Minister should have a weekly chat with the Queen is disputable in terms of the governance of the country. However much one might admire the Queen’s commitment to her role, her formidable work ethic or the multitude of excellent personal qualities she possesses, she is an unelected Head of State who has, and should not have any political power not even if exercised by means of unobserved and unrecorded private meetings with the Prime Minister. But that really is not the issue here because Peter Morgan’s play is more concerned with the personalities involved rather than questioning the political validity of these audiences. Whatever one’s view of the role or the power of the monarch, it is hard not to be intrigued by what might go on behind these particularly expensive closed doors. And ‘The Audience’ certainly does not disappoint.

(Peter Brown)

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Dame Helen Mirren has given her support to a Bristol-based charity’s appeal by donating her Winter Fuel Payment for those who need it more than she does.

The Oscar-winning actress made the £200 donation in aid of Surviving Winter, the appeal run by the Bristol-based Quartet Community Foundation and supported by Saga, to raise money to help older and vulnerable people stay warm and well.

The charity has made its final call for donations for this winter as many of those struggling with the cold weather start to receive their winter fuel bills.

Dame Helen, 67, joined hundreds of generous pensioners who have pledged to “recycle their payment”.

Locally, the money comes in to Quartet Community Foundation, an independent charity which works with local philanthropists to meet local needs. Quartet quickly turns donations around by giving grants to community groups that support individuals in dire need.

Surviving Winter grants pay for fuel bills, warmth packs, boiler repairs and hot meals. With temperatures below freezing most nights and one of the worst winters on record, demand for help is increasing.

Dame Helen said: “I believe passionately that we need to support the vulnerable and elderly in our local communities. It’s a tragedy that thousands of older people struggle to get through the winter months. By donating my Winter Fuel Payment to the appeal, I know I am helping an elderly person enjoy a warm and healthy winter.”

Jilly Edwards, development manager, at Quartet Community Foundation said: “This winter has been exceptionally cold. We all complain, but for older and seriously ill people it can be life-threatening, and we’re finding more people asking for help.

“With energy price rises, increasing costs of other basic life essentials, and for some, falling incomes, it is inevitable that growing numbers of households will be affected. This has been a harsh winter and we are still in the middle of a cold snap.

“More than 90 local people have already donated, helping us raise more than £39,000. We very much appreciate every donation from the generous public, including many from people who have given up their winter fuel payment. Anyone can donate, not just those receiving a winter fuel payment.”

For details visit www.quartetcf.org.uk or call 01225 420300.

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Dame Helen Mirren (Hitchcock) is confirmed to voice the role of the headmistress in the prequel to the animated flick Monsters Inc., reports BBC News.

The prequel, entitled Monsters University, focuses on the relationship between main characters Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sulley (John Goodman) when they met at university. Mirren will voice a dragon called Dean Hardscrabble.

When asked about signing on to the film she said she is “a great fan” of Pixar and is “honored and exhilarated” to take on the role.

The film is scheduled to hit U.S. theaters on June 21, 2013.

Prior to the casting news, Mirren donned a new look at the BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday evening (February 10) with a pink hairdo saying she was inspired by America’s Next Top Model: British Invasion edition.

Who knew Mirren was a fan of the model scout show? She said, “I just thought it would be fun, you know,” reports EntertainmentWise.com.

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She is not a woman to mince her words regardless of the subject.

So when confronted by sexist men who wanted to know why she didn’t have children, Helen Mirren was typically forthright – even managing to turn the air blue in doing so.

The Oscar-winning actress said it has never been women who have questioned her childless existence, but ‘only boring old men. And whenever they went, “What? No children? Well, you’d better get on with it, old girl”, I’d say, “No! F*** off”!’

Miss Mirren, 67, the second of three children, has often spoken about her lack of maternal instinct.

In the past she has said she tried to talk herself into having children but does not regret her decision not to.

In a new interview for British Vogue, Miss Mirren touched on the subject once more, confessing: ‘It was not my destiny. I kept thinking it would be, waiting for it to happen, but I never did, and I didn’t care what people thought.’

Her magnificent portrayal of Elizabeth II in the 2007 film The Queen earned Miss Mirren an Academy Award for best actress and global fame.

Miss Mirren, who is married to director Taylor Hackford, is set to reprise her role as The Queen in play The Audience, which will open later this year.

But she admits she was worried about being typecast when she accepted the role the second time around.

She said: ‘Of course I wasn’t going to turn it down, it’s a lovely role to inhabit. But at the same time, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back there.

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