I blogged last month about the U.K. June release date for upcoming British film The Edge of Love, starring Sienna Miller and Keira Knightley. A biopic about the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, Edge features Miller as his wife, Caitlin MacNamara, and Knightley as his former flame, Vera Phillips.

The movie has been on my radar – or rather my gaydar – since 2006, when Lindsay Lohan (who was then attached to star in Sienna Miller’s role) told MTV, “[Keira] is older than me, but she kind of has a mysterious relationship with my lover. And then there’s somewhat of a lesbian undertone.”

Although scriptwriter Sharman Macdonald (who is also Keira’s mum) has since made it clear that there won’t be any overt physical relationship between Knightley and Miller’s characters, all the suggestions have been that the emotional relationship between them will be central to the story. … continue reading

One of my most anticipated movies of 2008 now has a U.K. release date. The Edge of Love — a biopic about the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, starring Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller and scripted by Knightley's mother, Sharman Macdonald — will be the opening night film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on June 18. It will open in London two days later, and then across the U.K. June 27.

Why all this anticipation, I hear you ask? Well, if for no other reason, I'd be excited by this movie as a chance to see two actresses I really like together on-screen. With apologies to those people — and I know there are quite a lot of them, especially people from Pittsburgh — who find Sienna Miller madly annoying, I actually think that she's quite a good actress. And, no, it doesn't hurt that she looks like she does. (It doesn't hurt that Keira Knightley looks like she does, either.)

Adding to my interest, though, is the hint that the relationship between their characters might not be entirely platonic. In the film, Knightley plays Vera Phillips, a singer and former flame of Dylan Thomas', while Miller plays the poet's wife, Caitlin MacNamara.

Lindsay Lohan was originally attached to star in Miller's role, and back in 2006 she told MTV: "[Keira] is older than me, but she kind of has a mysterious relationship with my lover. And then there's somewhat of a lesbian undertone." … continue reading

There’s a half-funny, half-embarrassing story concerning me and women on the cover of magazines. It involves the year 1998, a newsagent, Denise Richards, a copy of FHM, and my firm insistence — to a male friend of mine who happened across me browsing — that I didn’t realize FHM was a men’s magazine. I think he believed me ... just about.

Nevertheless, for most of my teen years I didn’t dare to cast more than a furtive eye in the direction of the men’s magazine section. Fortunately, they’re not the only magazines to feature lots of glamorous women. In fact, one of my favorite magazine covers was from around the same period as the FHM fiasco, in 1997:

Now, I couldn’t care less about Cameron Diaz, but Kate Winslet and Claire Danes in the same frame? Be still, my beating teenage Titanic- and My So-Called Life–loving heart!

What I didn’t realize at the time was that this cover was part of what has become an annual series for Vanity Fair’s Hollywood Issue, by a rather well-known photographer named Annie Leibovitz. VanityFair.com is currently running a retrospective of these foldout covers (which typically entice you in with three beautiful women on the front, and then open out to reveal about seven more). That means you can time-travel all the way back to the first one in 1995:

Um. Yes. Normally I think that the expression “legs for days” is an exaggeration, but in the case of Uma Thurman (pictured second from left), it might actually be true. And I’m not even going to get started on that picture of Nicole Kidman.

Also online is the latest cover, for 2008: … continue reading

The BAFTAs took place in London last night. If you’re American, this is your chance to say, “What are the BAFTAs?” If you are British, then it was your chance to feel embarrassed as journalists ran right and left on the red carpet, trying to persuade the major Hollywood actors who had flown over for the occasion to say that the event was as big as the Oscars.

The BAFTAs — or annual film awards given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts — aren’t as big as the Oscars, but they are the closest we Brits get to an equivalent. And, in their favor, they’re usually a lot more concise than the Oscars, clocking in at a neat two hours rather than a bum-numbing four.

I’ll admit I love awards ceremonies — the women, the gowns, the often incomprehensible choices by the Academy, and the awkward acceptance speeches — so without further ado, here’s a rundown of what went down last night:

Sienna Miller was nominated for the Orange Rising Star Award (voted for by the public):

As were Ellen Page and the beautiful Lust, Caution actress Tang Wei. But they lost out to Shia LaBeouf. Yawn. … continue reading

Is it Monday? No? It sure feels like it. So here's some eye candy to help while away the day.

1. Annie Leibovitz snaps Cate Blanchett on the set of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull:

I need that picture to be much, much bigger. (From Vanity Fair — see more here.)

2. All you need to know about Lost in 8 minutes and 15 seconds (ha): … continue reading

Are George and Mary Bailey perennial guests at your holiday celebration?

Or is Ralphie Parker's quest for a Red Ryder BB gun a more relevant Christmas story?

That's the question posed by Time last week. In a 2006 poll, A Christmas Story was the favorite holiday movie among ages 18–41, while the older demographic picked It's a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street. Perhaps, speculates the article, Generations X and Y find Ralphie's memories a bit closer to their own. … continue reading

The British movie Atonement debuts in the U.S. in December. In the U.K., it has already been making waves, with many predicting that it could provide Keira Knightley with her second Best Actress Oscar nomination (her first was for Pride and Prejudice in 2006). Certainly, there are several factors that are likely to endear the movie to Academy voters: It’s an adaptation of a prestigious novel, it’s set during World War II, and it features a tragic romance (between Knightley and James McAvoy, star of Becoming Jane). It’s also very finely directed, and it deserves to be well received. But if they do start handing out Oscar nods for the performances, I hope there’ll be one in there for Romola Garai.

Garai is a young British actress who has yet to achieve the breakout success of Knightley, although she’s been on my radar for about as long. While Keira was appearing in Bend It Like Beckham in 2002, Romola was starring in the BBC’s adaptation of George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda, as Gwendolen Harleth, the beautiful, spoiled, willful heroine. … continue reading

Atonement, starring Keira Knightley, was the opening film at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday night. The film reunites Knightley with her Pride & Prejudice director, Joe Wright. Last time the two worked together, Knightley netted an Oscar nomination. Based on the reviews of Atonement coming out of Venice, another nod might not be far off. Check out the trailer here.

The film is based on the book of the same name written by Ian McEwan. The film brings to life his tale of romance and remorse set against the backdrop of World War II. Knightley and James McAvoy play the story's lovers, whose relationship is altered irrevocably by the misunderstanding of a child. The story follows not only the romance, but also the child as she grows into adulthood and old age. It's not just about love and war, it's about truth and consequences as well. Vanessa Redgrave graces the screen as the elderly version of the child whose tale altered so many lives.

While in Venice promoting the film, Knightley's been busy giving interviews. After reading a few of the snippets, I found my respect for Knightley growing slightly. First, it does not appear that the woman holds back when she talks. Second, she idolizes Kate Winslet. How can this be wrong. Here are a couple of other things she's said recently. … continue reading

Jane Austen never goes out of style. The founding mother of chick lit (I say that with love and respect; please don’t throw your dog-eared copies of Pride & Prejudice at me) has become cinema’s go-to wordsmith. Move over, Shakespeare: This is Jane’s world now.

Of course, adapting Austen’s books for the big screen is nothing new. But two upcoming films take it a step further this summer. They are inspired by the very woman herself. Becoming Jane (opening Aug. 10) and The Jane Austen Book Club (opening Sept. 21) both draw inspiration from Austen’s life. And both look, at first glance, pretty intriguing.

Becoming Jane features Anne Hathaway as a 20-year-old Austen at the start of her writing career and a crossroads in her love life. It sounds like, for lack of a better description, classic Austen. And Anne definitely fits the part. Broody writer looks good on her. … continue reading

Early reviews of the controversial new book Diana and the Paparazzi by Glenn Harvey and Mark Saunders (to be published this September) sparked a bidding frenzy for the film rights at the Cannes Film Festival this year. The early frontrunner for the role of Princess Diana (if it gets made)? Keira Knightley of Pirates of the Caribbean fame.

Producer Quentin Reynolds (Evil Aliens) is bidding for the rights and predicts that the movie adaptation will be ten times the hit that was The Queen. Reynolds said, "Already the word in Hollywood is 'get Knightley'. It's a story that has everything: pathos, tragedy, comedy, adventure...and Princess Diana."

No wonder everyone hates Hollywood folk.

In terms of casting news, you can file this one under "D" for "Duh." From the moment I first saw Knightley in Bend It Like Beckham, I thought she was a ringer for the late Princess. … continue reading

Listen, I know the Harry Potter kids are growing up before our eyes, but this is ridiculous. It seems Warner Bros. execs decided to hurry the natural process when they released the IMAX version of the new Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix poster. Take a close look at 17-year-old star Emma Watson's, uh, assets in the original and IMAX posters. Either she had one magical growth spurt, or digital breast augmentation has come to Hogwarts.

Apparently adolescence was just moving too slowly for the studio's marketing department. But after a little Photoshop hocus-pocus, Hermione Granger went from normal to ta-ta da. What was it Scribe Grrrl was saying about the sexualization of the Potter girls? Color me convinced ... and grossed out. Say it with me: "Ick." … continue reading