This is where Dan comes in. He emailed me recently and has taken it upon himself to start up a petition to get Mayerling released! It’s not just someone collecting signatures on the internet, either; he has spoken to people associated with the company holding the rights and the main reason why the film has never been released was because they honestly think there isn’t enough interest in this piece. I know quite a few people who beg to disagree! I’m sure quite a lot of you do too, and this is where you can actively help. Dan has a petition to sign here, as well as a campaign on Facebook. Sign it, like the page, pass the links on, and get the word out! Let’s show the people in charge that there is interest in Mayerling, get it dusted off and properly released for all to enjoy. Dan has posted a message with more details on the Audrey 1 forum, and if you’ve never even heard of Mayerling before, he’s also been kind enough to post a clip on YouTube:

You may remember that Keira was in serious talks to star in a film remake of My Fair Lady before it fell through, and that the remake is still in development. This is twice now that Keira has wanted to recreate an Audrey Hepburn film role, and her first time actually doing it. Any thoughts on her choices in this regard?

The Daily Mail has the story, though really, I think the title tells you more than you want to know: ‘Audrey Hepburn was twee, mumsy and really couldn’t act’: Emma Thompson’s scathing appraisal of My Fair Lady star. The link will take you to the article, and that’s all I’m going to say on this for now. I did actually write quite a fact-filled rant schooling Emma Thompson on how wrong she is on all this, but I’ll spare you – unless you’d really like me to share.

Long Tail has the video, called “Audrey Hepburn: In Her Own Words” on DVD for the first time, and I’m so happy. The DVD is very affordable at $19.95 and also comes with a special episode of Views on World Poverty. I shall be getting a copy of this soon and will post a full review for you once I’ve seen it again, but trust me when I say that what little I remember was very, very good. I told people at the time that everyone should see this video, and now you finally have that chance. Here’s a trailer for you to watch:

And you can find more information through Long Tail’s website here.

I love Audrey’s passion over her work for UNICEF, but I love even more that this video is finally available to the public for anyone and everyone to see. This side of her needs to be shown more so we don’t forget that she was a humanitarian, and a good one at that.

Very special thanks to David, for everything he’s done.

Keira Knightley is not playing Eliza Doolittle. I know some of you will breathe a huge sigh of relief over this (myself included). Perhaps at one time she was attached to the project, or at least hoped she would be cast, as director Joe Wright, who has worked with Keira on both Atonement and Pride and Prejudice, was once on board to direct Lady. But he is off now, and so is any thought of Keira as Eliza.

Carey Mulligan is not playing Eliza either. Though she is linked to the project on IMDb, and screenwriter Emma Thompson herself said that Carey had been definitively cast via The Guardian, poor befuddled Carey herself shoots down that pesky rumor in an interview on Collider.

Daniel Day-Lewis isn’t playing Henry Higgins, and neither is Hugh Grant. Just to clarify.

In short, no one has signed on yet, as far as anyone can tell, and the only thing that is for certain is that there is a screenplay, and Emma Thompson wrote it. Beyond that, just gossip. Also, remember that this remake has been in the works for ages now, much like the infamous Why Can’t I Be Audrey Hepburn?

Does anyone have any inclination to see it? It stars Anna Friel of the terminally cute television show Pushing Daisies as Holly Golightly, and while Anna is on record as saying she wouldn’t attempt to mimic Audrey’s iconic portrayal of the callgirl with a heart of gold, the adverts certainly give another impression. Don’t blame the girl, though, as the few onstage shots I’ve managed to find show Anna as a curly blonde more reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe (Capote’s original choice for Holly) than Audrey Hepburn. I’m afraid that I can’t really show you any of the pictures I’ve found because I try to keep this as family friendly as possible, and, well . . . Anna appears completely nude onstage. Yes, starkers.

The play is based off of Truman Capote’s original novella and not the sweetened screenplay that George Axelrod adapted to film, and is set in 1943 as opposed to the then-current time of 1961 for the film. There is also a language warning on both the theatre’s website and the production’s official website, more in keeping with Capote’s sometimes blue writing. If you are interested in catching the show tickets are still available and can be found on the theatre’s website (link above), and seem to range from around £17 to £50. If you do go see, please share your thoughts with those of us who can’t make it! We’d love to hear from you.

While doing some research on this I found that this actually wasn’t the first time Breakfast had been put onstage. There had been rumors in the late 90s and early 2000s that someone somewhere was going to do an adaptation and Natalie Portman had been asked to take on Holly, but thanks to Google and an unauthorized biography you can now read more about one of the most notorious Broadway flops in history, Breakfast at Tiffany’s the Musical. Can you imagine Mary Tyler Moore as a singing and dancing Holly? Or Richard Chamberlain as the sensitive, bookish Paul Varjak? A cast recording was made shortly before the play closed and is still available on CD, surprisingly enough. Don’t waste your time on Amazon where third party sellers will try to gouge you at $50 or more. Barnes & Noble’s website has the album selling at $26.39 with listening samples! I won’t influence your minds, so if you’re curious, go listen to the samples for yourself . . . and leave comments, of course. I love hearing your thoughts on anything, especially the more bizarre findings.

Time for summer film screenings in the park! I love this part of summer. This morning I went over to Facebook, the only way I know what’s going on with any of my friends, and found an update from Cinespia, the group that does the film screenings in the Hollywood Forever cemetery. They just posted their June schedule, and it’s always a good sign when they put a picture of Audrey next to their post.

So, all you fabulous L.A. and southern California fans, mark your calendars for Saturday June 13th. Gates open at 7:30, the film starts at 9, and it’s a $10 mandatory “donation” to get in. Come early because parking is hideous and I’m sure the place will fill up fast. You’re encouraged to bring low picnic chairs, blankets, food, anything to make you comfortable that won’t block other people’s line of vision, so make a fun night of it. It’ll be great, I promise. I’ll go as an early birthday present to myself (oh, like I need an excuse!), and having seen Funny Face before on the big screen in San Francisco, I can tell you with absolute certainty that it will be amazing. It’s like seeing the film for the first time all over again. And if you haven’t seen the film yet or have some friends who haven’t, it’s a great way to introduce yourself or them to Audrey on the big screen. Or, rather, the side of a mausoleum, if you want to get technical. Either way, she sings, she dances, she wears amazing Givenchy creations, she’s completely in her element in this film. Go. GO! You can even sit with me if you can’t find anyone else to bring along, just be sure to come out, it’ll be great. Maybe we can get a sing-along going.

And I’m still working on all my pictures from my trip, so once I’m done editing I was thinking I’d just post all of the Timeless Audrey exhibit pictures on Flickr for everyone to peruse at their leisure. There’s quite a lot — they take up pretty much my entire 1 GB memory card, and they’re all huge, high quality pictures — so rather than posting in batches and making the blog load slowly, I’ll just post a link. And if you really like any you may comment.

I’ve said it before when I’ve caught other Audrey films being screened, but if you can ever catch any of her movies on the big screen, GO. Not only is it a totally different experience than watching at home, but the audience reaction and interaction is fabulous. The small theatre was packed, and many of the people there had never seen My Fair Lady before. Shocking, no? But it was great. They laughed hysterically at Henry’s colourful insults and Eliza’s childish antics, and groaned when Henry wondered why women couldn’t be more like his perfect self. It was fantastic.

There was also a small costume and design sketch exhibit in the lobby:

Forgive the darkness and the glare, but the costumes were protected by thick glass and absolutely no flash photography was allowed.

And please forgive my raccoon eyes, but I’d come straight from an unusual photoshoot and my makeup wouldn’t come off! I kept my Wayfarers on as long as possible.

Lastly, but most importantly, I’d like to give a very huge thank you to Ellen, who performed nothing short of magic to get us tickets to this sold out event. Whatever she wants I will gladly give her as a thank you for this great night!

While I still haven’t heard anything set in stone and announced officially, it seems to be a widely assumed fact that Keira Knightley is signed to play Eliza Doolittle in the upcoming film remake of My Fair Lady. Information is still scarce, and no other cast has been announced (though wildly speculated on), but now IMDb has a development page up for the film, with a release date of 2010. You have to have a Pro account to see any details, and I don’t really feel like paying to get one piece of information, but Keira’s page also has one developing project on it, which I’m betting is MFL.

While doing some wandering on the Internet, I found that Wikipedia has collected some more information. Supposedly, actress Emma Thompson will be writing the screenplay (longhand, with a fountain pen), and it’s to be a somewhat updated version of the classic film and play. Even more startling is the persistent rumor that Brad Pitt and George Clooney were looking to produce the movie together, as they have worked together many times before, but had a huge falling out over the fact that they both wanted the plum Henry Higgins role. What’s more, some are saying that Brad wanted partner Angelina Jolie as Eliza! I’d say to take all these rumors with a grain of salt or two, but it still makes for interesting news, no?

Hopefully we’ll get some more concrete news before too long, and can then focus on the long wait ’til production photos, trailers, and the film itself. Has this new information made anyone feel better — or worse — about the remake? Also, what are your views on redoing this role so famously? Audrey herself wasn’t immune to criticism when she was cast, despite the fact that Warner Bros. thought Julie Andrews was too unknown to star in the last great film musical, so how will Keira and her career hold up after trying to fill the shoes of two such memorable women and their versions of Eliza Doolittle?

Did anyone catch the Simpsons last night? I usually don’t watch TV of my own accord, but I was over at my sister’s when it was on, and I’m so glad. The whole episode was an homage to

Speaking of the film, though, when I was looking for a picture to post, since I’m lagging and haven’t posted any of my own yet, I found an album called “Two For the Road” by the producer of Nouvelle Vague, a favourite of mine. The album has the same basic feel of the film, charting a couple’s relationship emotionally and geographically, though with modern music. They made a video for the title track, and it’s all footage from the 1967 film. So even if the style of music isn’t your cup of tea, just enjoy the visuals.

Two for the Road

I really wish my copy wasn’t in storage right now! I’d love to watch this again.