Illusionist box office, Switch

It was another good weekend for The Illusionist. From the Associated Press:

Also playing strongly in narrow release was the Yari Film Group's "The Illusionist," which took in $1.8 million in 144 theaters for a $12,688 average, bringing its 10-day total to $3.2 million. Starring Edward Norton as a magician hounded by a police detective (Paul Giamatti) out to debunk him in early 1900s Vienna, "The Illusionist" expands to about 700 theaters Friday

This website is currently making the transition to its new platform (my web hosts decision, not mine). I've tried to go through everything so that it will run smoothly, but I'm expecting a few glitches here and there. I hope you won't experience too many problems navigating the site. T

Still playing catch-up at everything.

Illusionist to open Deauville Fest, Illusionist Box Office, Busy

Indiewire reports today that The Illusionist will open the the Deauville Festival du Cinema Americain which starts on September 1st. There is no mention as to whether EN will be attending, but since it's a high profile slot for the film, I would think that it's likely.

Opening weekend was very good for The Illusionist. It should be coming to a theater near you by either this weekend or Labor Day. From Variety (8/21/06):

In limited release, Yari Film Group opened "The Illusionist" to a very strong $924,886 at 51 theaters, giving it a per-play average of $18,135. Edward Norton starrer, which was distribbed by Alliance Atlantis in Canada, will expand to around 100 theaters on Friday and go wide on the Labor Day frame.

Still extremely busy at work as well as trying to hurriedly finish reading Imaginary Weapons before its due back at the library today. I've been spending too much time trying to move the web site over to my web host's new platform before their Aug 31st deadline (I mentioned in Aug 13 post). I finally got almost everything (I hope) to work when I encountered an odd problem with the SSI. And the technician that I spoke with found it to be odd as well, and sent it up to the higher level technicians who I'm waiting to hear back from. The good news is that the problem only seems to affect one page. The bad news is that it's the main page.

Happy Birthday Edward, Illusionist opens today, Traumatic Brain Injury

Today is Edward's 37th birthday. Don't forget to catch him tonight on Late Night with David Letterman. The Illusionist opens today in selected cities. Check your local listings.

As I have been for the past couple of days, I've been running from one thing to another today at my day job, so hopefully I'll be able to catch up soon. With the release of the film, there are a lot of (mostly positive) reviews out there, but watch out for plot spoilers if you're thinking of reading any. I thought it was going to be a wide release, but I think its only going out to about 13 cities (that's off the top of my head, so its probably wrong) this weekend. While The Illusionist official site has links to tickets and showtimes, it doesn't provide a list of when the film will reach different cities. If it isn't currently showing now in your area, I don't know when it will get there.

I wanted to mention that Congress is cutting funding for the research and treatment of brain injuries sustained by American troops in Iraq by 50% in the 2007 Defense Appropriations bill. It has already passed the House and will be coming before the Senate soon. Please contact your senator (you can send an email through the official Senate website). The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is encouraging people to write a letter to their local paper about the issue. They have a template and email form to many newspapers set up at their website. You can find out more about the issue at IAVA official website

Illusionist NYC Premiere

Last night, The Illusionist premiered in NYC with EN, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel and director Neil Burger present. Don't forget to check the entertainment news programs tonight for footage of the event. ET has already published a story (focus on Jessica Biel) with video clips of the arrivals Jessica's Grand 'Illusionist'. Wireimage has posted photos. Some are below

I took my car in this morning and the bill is looking like $800.

Illusionist Interview, Pics of Illusionist preview and Press Conference

Joanne was kind enough to send the audio of a recent Flicks segment on The Illusionist which featured clips of interviews of EN and Jessica Biel. Flicks segment. [Thanks again for the great audio!!!]. YouTube has also posted an Illusionist interview [Thanks to Hugh for the info!!!]

The Cinema Society and The Wall Street Journal hosted a screening of The Illusionist on August 12 in Southampton, New York which EN, Biel and director Neil Burger attended. Wireimage has some photos from the event [Thanks so much to Susanne for the photos!!!]

The Illusionist press conference was held July 29th at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills with EN and Biel present. Wireimage has some photos from the event. A few are below [Thanks to Amo for the info!!!]

Illusionist countdown, EW preview, various other matters

It's less than a week to the release of The Illusionist. Currently, I can find only the Friday Letterman appearance as EN's only scheduled TV guest spot. Hopefully, there will be more that will be announced at the last minute. I've been scanning Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, and E! News and have seen no signs of press junket interviews for The Illusionist (that's when the actor gives an interview in front of the movie poster or some other contrived bit of background with the film title prominently featured). There is an interview with Rufus Sewell in today's New York Times A Character Actor Is Hiding Behind Those Chiseled Features, an interview with Paul Giamatti in today's Baltimore Sun Giamatti's lastest role: the eyes of the audience and there have been several Jessica Biel articles. I did see The Illusionist trailer yesterday in the theaters when I went to see Little Miss Sunshine. Otherwise, the most promotion that the film is getting is from the reviews, a double edged sword at best since while they all tend to be favorable, most of them give away too much of the plot. Entertainment Weekly gives the film a B+ in its no plot spoilers review (Fall Movie Preview issue). Rolling Stone August 24 issue has an excellent review, saying that "Edward Norton is at his best here" and giving the film 3 out of 4 stars, but skip the plot spoiling last paragraph. The New York Observer also gives a great review, but again too much info: Illusionist Is Magic

Entertainment Weekly's Fall Movie Preview issue (James Bond cover) not only includes the The Illusionist review (and a small close-up of EN in the film), it also has a preview of The Painted Veil and a nice pic of EN and Naomi Watts. The preview focuses on EN's prowess as a producer, keeping the project moving forward over six years, and the reasons why the whole film was shot in China. I've scanned the article: EW Preview: The Painted Veil.

Of the Jessica Biel interviews, one from MoviesOnline included comments on working with EN

Q: What was it like working with Edward Norton

JB: Working with Edward was incredible. He’s just so passionate about every inch of the filmmaking process. He wants to know what I’m doing, what the camera is doing, what Neil’s doing. He’s on top of it. He’s got it all figured out. And he just cares. He cares so much about it. And he was lovely with me. We had a great time. We really kind of connected and I feel like he never does the same thing twice. He’s always changing it up and switching things up and saying things differently. I’m always kind of chasing after him. I feel like always trying to… I’ll go like this [gestures] and I’m meeting him everywhere. He was amazing.

Q: Did he give you…did he try to give you any direction or did he give you direction at all?

JB: Yeah, he did. He did give me some direction. I asked for it, too. I said, ‘You know. Please. I’m open to it. Anything. Talk to me about what you think. Let’s collaborate on this.’ I don’t remember exactly what it was, but I do remember he’d come and he’d whisper something to me in my ear and it was always a great note. He always has great, great ideas.

One of Paul Giamatti's interviews from The Lady in the Water also has some insight into working with EN: The Sunday Paper (7/23/06): Taking the plunge

You seem to have adjusted really well to your success of the last few years, but I'm sure you've known or worked with other actors before who weren't very well-adjusted, who were difficult to work with or hard to get along with.

Well, yeah, there are definitely people like that, and sometimes it can be really annoying, there's no mistake about it. But a lot of those people also happen to be really good actors, too, you know what I mean? I've got a movie coming out next month with Edward Norton ["The Illusionist"], and it's funny because he has such a reputation for being this intense, implacable guy. I've known the guy for years, and he's actually this really sweet guy. He just happens to also be very good and very dedicated at what he does. Russell Crowe was a guy who had a hard time leaving his role behind at the end of the day [during "Cinderella Man"], but that's because he's such a damn good actor. He's so into it, he's not even thinking about being that way, he just can't let it go. He's obsessive, but he's sensible enough that he doesn't put it on you, or at least he didn't with me. With him, it didn't feel self-indulgent or in-your-face, and believe me, I've worked with actors where it did feel that way. In some ways, it makes working with guys like Norton or Crowe so much easier for you. They're constantly living and breathing and thinking it on the set, never letting themselves down for a second, and it really helps keep you in it and on your toes.

My web host is transitioning all of its customers over to a new platform, a process which was supposed to be automatic and rather painless. Well, we've hit a few snags on my site. As it looks now, in order for my SSI (which I use extensively for navigation and footers) to work, I will probably have to rename all 550+ of my HTML files from a .html to an .shtml. This will ultimately fuck up all external links (and Google searches) to individual pages, so I'll have to also customize the high traffic pages so that people can ultimately find the desired page instead of hitting a generalized error page. Now I'd like nothing better than to completely ruin the rest of my Sunday and get this process done, extensively test the internal links, and hope for the best. However, with the Illusionist release imminent, it's the absolute worst time for a massive change. But all this has to be completed by the end of the month. So after the opening weekend, I'm going to have to get this thing going. If you hit any problems in the coming weeks, please understand I'm doing my best. I'll be setting up an special email address to report navigation problems.

EN will celebrate B-day on Letterman

EN is scheduled to appear on Late Night with David Letterman on his 37th birthday, August 18, the same day that The Illusionist will be released in theaters. Hopefully, there will be more TV appearances in the days leading up to the 18th. With less than two weeks to go before the release date, I've been more than a little concerned at the lack of publicity around the film. There have been some favorable reviews posted recently, but unfortunately, some of them tend to give away a little too much of the plot. Other than a brief mention here and there, there hasn't been a lot about it (with the exception of the great official website). One problem has been the timing. The film comes very soon after EN and Paul Giamatti have been promoting earlier films. EN was on several covers in May for Down in the Valley and Giamatti's heavily promoted M. Night Shyamalan film Lady in the Water was just released July 21. With no magazine cover stories, The Illusionist has ended up as little more than a brief comment in earlier interviews. It's a real shame because I did get a chance to see a sneak peak of it and it is an excellent film. It's up against Samuel L Jackson in Snakes on a Plane and a film starring the Duff sisters. I kind of feel ill

Questions you shouldn't mention in an interview

There's an interview with Greg Kinnear in today's LA Times, promoting his film Little Miss Sunshine and demonstrating why sometimes, you just need to shut the fuck up. Behind the smile

Occasionally, he'll see a movie and wonder why he hadn't seen the script. "Like 'The Illusionist,' " he says. "I see a movie like that, and don't get me wrong, Ed Norton is great casting, but it does get me wondering about the process, about how the choices were made."

This may seem like a valid question on his part. But isn't that something you need to take up with your agent? So you don't have to ask questions in an interview that make you sound bad. Why not Greg Kinnear? Producers Brian Koppelman and David Levien, who obtained the rights to the short story, already worked with EN on Rounders.

Tai Shan's First Birthday

I joined the ranks of the dangerously obsessed at the National Zoo and waited for hours at the Panda Cafe overlook to watch Tai Shan come out and discover his birthday fruitsicle. It was the most amazing sight! Check the news for footage if you're interested. National Zoo Giant Pandas

In this photo provided by Ketchum Public Relations, Giant Panda cub Tai Shan celebrates his first birthday by eating a frozen mix of fruit juice, yams, apples and carrots at the National Zoo on Sunday, July 9, 2006, in Washington. (AP Photo/Ketchum Public Relations, Lauren Victoria Burke)

Illusionist Official Site Opens

The Illusionist official website has now expanded. Previously, it was nothing more than a picture and a place to sign up for updates. Now, it has expanded into a fully developed site that gives you an idea of the tone of the film and includes many special features: you can view the trailer and video clips, get the poster as desktop wallpaper, look at pictures from the film, and read the synopsis and cast bios as well as quotes from early reviews. The score plays in the background and the transitions between sections of the website recreates scenes from the film and includes the actors' dialogue. It's very impressive. The Illusionist official website

Illusionist MySpace Page

There is a MySpace page for The Illusionist. Take a look. Also, check out the official Illusionist website. The opening of the film is now just a little over a month away, so we should be seeing more and more about The Illusionist in the coming days

Illusionist trailer, Bringing Out the Dead, H02 error

The Illusionist trailer has been posted on Moviefone (scroll down the page) [Thanks to Matty for the info!]

The Guardian has posted an interview ('I was in a bad place' ) with Taxi Driver screenwriter Paul Schrader which has a very interesting passage

Contrary to internet rumours, there are no plans for a Taxi Driver sequel. Arguably, Scorsese and Schrader have already made it, with Bringing Out the Dead (1999), about an ambulance driver in New York - although Schrader felt the film went awry when Nicolas Cage was cast in the lead instead of his preferred choice, Ed Norton

My Panasonic DVD player just died with the apparently infamous H02 error. Never heard of the H02 error? Neither did I, but before you consider buying a Panasonic DVD player, google "Panasonic" and "H02"

Illusionist on Entertainment Tonight, Painted Veil release date

Tonight The Illusionist was featured in a first look on Entertainment Tonight. It looks like scenes from the trailer with a voiceover by an ET host. Hopefully the trailer will hit the web (and theaters) soon . There has been some video clips (sometimes misidentified as the trailer) posted on the web courtesy of Variety. Nothing against Jessica Biel, but with Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti in the cast, why did ET introduce the segment specifically as "Breaking Jessica Biel News"? Just another reason why I fast forward through the program.

Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a little longer for The Painted Veil. Warner Independent Pictures official website now lists the release date as December 15th. The release date has moved around a little bit, initially it was November and then it was pushed up to September. But a December release makes me wonder about one thing: are there any aspirations for Oscar gold?

Illusionist poster

Ain't it Cool News has posted the beautiful poster for The Illusionist. [Thanks to Hugh for the info!!!]

Cartier LOVE bracelet

Back on June 8th, EN attended Cartier and Interview Magazine's Charity Love Bracelet Party. USAToday.com has posted an article with more on the Cartier LOVE bracelet. They are being offered in different colors with a celeb representing each color, with a portion of the sale going to a charity specified by the celeb. EN's color is green and his charity is the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. The bracelet itself is $475 and the charity receives $100 for each green bracelet sold. Or if you don't have $475, you could contribute directly to the charity Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. USAToday.com: Celebs share the 'LOVE' and proceeds

Sina.com has posted a pic of EN at the Shanghai Film Festival as well as some articles. However, the articles are in Chinese. Pic of EN. Here are the articles (in case your Chinese is better than mine). Sina.com article 1 (EN attends festival), article 2 (EN praises Painted Veil costar Anthony Wong) article 3 (EN talks about making The Painted Veil or it might be EN presenting the Best Actress award) [Thanks to HuiHui for the info!]

EN at Shanghai Film Festival, A Note on The Illusionist

Shanghai Daily has an article on EN's press conference at the Shanghai Film Festival. The Shanghai Film Festival website also a little bit on why he was there: a special program entitled "Edward Norton: Seeking a Home for the Soul" in which four of his films were shown: American History X, Fight Club, 25th Hour and Down in the Valley. "Edward Norton: Seeking a Home for the Soul". Below are some excerpts from Shanghai Daily: The beloved antihero

The 37-year-old credited himself as "a big fan of Chinese cinema" and was eager to share the "incredible shooting experiences" he had in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region while shooting the film, "The Painted Veil," which is based on Somerset Maugham's novel and will be released at the end of this year.

"I think it is one of my best films," says Norton. "Last year, I had a fantastic time working with so many terrific Chinese actors, like Xia Yu and Anthony Wong."

The film tells the story of a young British couple's emotional journey into the beautiful yet deadly environment of 1920s rural China, where they learn the true meaning of love and devotion.

Norton is also a producer on the movie. He notes that the original novel mostly focuses on the two British characters, but the movie by John Curran has a strong flavor of 1920s China.

"Every person has their prejudices and fixed ideas - these form a 'veil'," Norton explains the title of the movie. "The 'Kitty' character (Naomi Watts) has a veil over her concept of love; the 'General' (Wong) has his views as to whether the foreigners who have come to China are there to help China or invade it. These characters' ways of thinking are removed from reality, but over time, as they live and work with each other, their 'veils' are slowly lifted."

[Further down in article]

"My teacher told me that acting is listening and reacting to the people around you," Norton says. "I still keep these words in mind."

I went to the Baltimore screening of The Illusionist. It is a beautiful film. I was completely engrossed in it from the moment it started. The whole look of the film seems authentic to turn of the century Vienna. Edward Norton displays the same virtuosity in the slight of hand and magical feats as he did in in gunslinging of Down in the Valley. He has a difficult balancing act of sorts in this film. From the very title of the film, he is first and formost a magician. The film audience, along with his stage audience, marvels at his tricks and wonders whether he is merely an excellent showman or if he might actually possess extraordinary powers. In order to achieve that mystery, there has to be a distance between the character and the viewer. At the same time, his deep longing for Sophie demonstrates his humanity and bonds him to the audience. I don't think that there is anyway that they could have improved upon the film. Everything meshed so well. Something a little strange hit me while I was watching: some elements of the score reminded me a lot of the music in "The Fog of War". After I got home I checked IMDB.com and found that Philip Glass did the score for both films. There was a brief introduction before the film by Vince Lancisi, the director of Everyman Theatre (right down the block from the Charles), as well as a Q&A with Lancisi and the Cinema Sundays organizers. The only real criticism about the film was about Crown Prince Leopold's mustache. That's it. There was some concern about how the film is going to be marketed and treated in the press, with too much of the film given away. It's a valid concern- already in the early reviews I've seen this happen. There was a mention that you might feel a step ahead of the film. I think that's natural and unavoidable. Down in the Valley received some criticism because its twist was very unexpected. It really is an excellent film.

Illusionist screening, Cult of the Suicide Bomber

If you're in Baltimore, you're in luck. "The Illusionist" will be shown at a special screening at the Charles Theatre Cinema Sundays program this Sunday morning. Individual tickets are $15. If you are thinking of going, go early. EN is the hometown boy (he grew up in Baltimore suburb Columbia) and there probably will be a pretty good size crowd. The film will not be released into theaters until Aug 18th. Up until now, previous screenings have been limited to film festivals and private screenings. So try to take advantage of this opportunity if you can.

Wednesday night, I was fortunate enough to attend a talk and book signing by former CIA officer Robert Baer. Baer was the model for George Clooney's character in Syriana and the film was (very, very) loosely based on Baer's memoir See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism. He also wrote Sleeping with the Devil: How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude in which Baer examines the history and the current relationship between the U.S. and Saudia Arabia and decribes a disturbing example of how sabotage on the Saudia Arabia infrastructure could effect the world. He is out promoting his first novel Blow the House Down which the publisher describes as "a riveting and unnervingly plausible alternative history of 9/11" (I only just bought it on Wed, so I can't yet give a description). If you've heard his name recently it's probably due to the fact that Syriana was released on DVD this week (no commentary track w/Baer unfortunately) or due to the release of his novel. Lost in the shuffle is Cult of the Suicide Bomber, a documentary in which Baer looks at origins of the modern day suicide bomber. It also came out this week on DVD. Baer spent most of his career in the Middle East, including being stationed in Northern Iraq in the nineties, so he provides a valuable perspective on the region. Cult of the Suicide Bomber will be available through Netflix next week - it's at the top of my queue.

Change in contest rules

In the posting below, I mention that EN will be one of the judges of the Current TV's Seeds of Tolerance contest. I also discuss the problem that I had with the eligibility guidelines. I've revisited the site and the rules have been changed. When I first read the announcement, the contest guidelines were in a 2 page pdf file. The guidelines were a very basic outline which included the statement that the contest was open to anyone between the ages of 18-34 that does not work (and is not related to someone who works for) Current and other contest sponsors. When I visited the site today, the link to the pdf was gone and was replaced by sections on contest rules and submission terms. The new sections are full of legalspeak, but the eligibility section now says 18 and over. And videos can now be submitted, where previously they couldn't (contest started on the 15th). While I was investigating the site today, I came across the June 14 Seeds of Tolerance press release which states that the contest is open to anyone over 18. I went through my browser history and found the link to the pdf Here are the old guidelines. They must have been preliminary and put up by mistake.

Seeds of (In)Tolerance?

EN, along with Paul Haggis, Melissa Etheridge and Margaret Cho, will judge the five finalists in Current TV's Seeds of Tolerance video contest. [NOTE: as mentioned in the posting above, the rules have changed]According to the guidelines, anyone between the ages of 18-34 can participate (as long as you and your relatives are not associated with the entities that are organizing the contest). For more info, go to Current TV's Seeds of Tolerance. I support the ideas behind this competition. That being said, leave it to me to be offended by a contest on tolerance. I can understand wanting to set a minimum age for participants to avoid the legal hassels involved with opening it up to minors. But I don't understand the reasoning behind setting a maximum age. According to their FAQ, Current has no maximum age on who can submit to viewer created content. Since the contest is specifically about tolerance, it weirdly sends the message that if you're over 34, your view on tolerance is not important. It feeds into the idea that in our culture, youth is valued over experience. I know that this is not the intention of the organizers, I'm twisting things around to make my point (note: all four of the judges mentioned above are over 34). It just surprises me that no one has taken into account that having unnecessary age limits seems discriminatory (ageism in a tolerance contest?). I'm 33, so the age exclusion doesn't apply to me, I'm just lacking the video camera (and the talent).

Fade In Interview, Pride and Glory filming completed?, Next for EN

I finally was able to get a copy of Fade In Magazine (Owen Wilson cover) that has an interview with EN. EN's Fade In Interview

It appears that principal photography has been completed on Pride and Glory (if the IMDB P&G message Board is correct).

What's next for EN? While Down in the Valley has already been released in the larger markets, it's still expanding out to more cities. In the recent Calgary Sun article, you can tell by the fact that EN talks about Calgary that this is not a just a reprinted mass market interview. He has been reaching out to the local press. Now that he is no longer filming, it's possible that he's going to do more press to draw attention to the film. I mentioned back on May 10th that it was reported that EN is expected to attend the Shanghai International Film Festival which runs from June 17 to 25. I wrongly speculated that The Painted Veil might be screened at the festival. I haven't heard any additional news about the festival, so I don't know whether he'll be there. EN has several projects in the works, but none of them have him in front of the camera anytime soon. He is in the process of developing Motherless Brooklyn (he's writing the script, starring in, directing and producing), the 10 part miniseries Undaunted Courage (he's execu producing with Brad Pitt, directing at least one episode, he's mentioned possibly starring), A Soldier of the Great War (he's at least producing - I don't know about directing/starring), and Buffalo for the Broken Heart (he's at least producing - I don't know about directing/starring). He was at one time producing the Straw Dogs remake Fear Itself (I haven't heard it mentioned for a while). Never fear, he has several movies still to come out: The Illusionist will be released on Aug 18, 2006 (EN's birthday) and The Painted Veil will be released on Sept 22 and Pride and Glory which does not yet have a release date.

Charity Love Bracelet Party, Coming to a theater near you?

Last night, EN attended the Cartier and Interview Magazine's Charity Love Bracelet Party. Pictures of him on the red carpet are posted on the photo service WireImage's website (search Edward Norton). Some of the thumbnails are below. EN has been featured in Interview Magazine several times, the most recent being in a large spread with costar Evan Rachel Wood in the May 2006 issue. [Thanks to Yvonne and Hiroko for the info!!!].

For those who are still waiting to see Down in the Valley, don't forget to check out the official website. Under "In Theaters" there is a list by state of when the film while be opening in various theaters. Unfortunately, since ThinkFilm only handles the film's distribution in the U.S., I don't know what to tell you if you are not in the U.S. The distributor (and therefore, the release date) varies by country.

EN interview

A new interview with EN is in today's Calgary Sun Ed Norton goes 'Down in the Valley'

Illusionist lawsuit, Illusionist website, Fade In article, Yahoo Music

I only just realized I overlooked a bunch of emails so I'm playing catch up. Today's Hollywood Reporter has news on a battle over producing credits on The Illusionist.

The Illusionist official site is now up. However, it only has a picture, short summary, link to photos at the Seattle Film Fest (EN wasn't able to attend) and a place to register for updates The Illusionist official site [Thanks to Jai for the info!!!]

Fade-In Magazine (Owen Wilson cover) has an interview with EN [Thanks to Brent for the info!!!]

If you are a Yahoo Music subscriber, you also can get the Down in the Valley soundtrack through Yahoo Music [Thanks to Mary for the info!!!]

More articles, Valley soundtrack, Mistakes - I've made a few

EN must have spent more time on the phone recently since there are a few more new articles on Down in the Valley: The Globe and Mail - The great escapee, The Province- Taking licks, getting kicks, and The Oregonian - Edward Norton's 'Valley' high . An extended version of the Oregonian interview is posted at CulturePop.com, which is great. My main problem with print interviews is the space constraint and I always wonder about what never makes it into the final product. In these new articles, EN talks a little about things that had not been discussed before: the film was not finished when it was shown at Cannes, 15 or 20 minutes has been cut from the film. He and director David Jacobson edited the film themselves because they couldn't get anyone who understood what they were going after. He also talks about the physical toll of riding versus fights for Pride and Glory. There is also a new interview with David Jacobson: Sun Sentinel: Valley Guy: Tragedy of cowboy and teen is based on filmmaker's experiences growing up. There's also an Associated Press article on Silicon Valley techies starting their own underground fight clubs.

The Down in the Valley soundtrack is available through iTunes for 9.99. Unfortunately, you can't buy individual songs and it seems to only be available through iTunes. There are a lot of songs by EN friend Peter Salett (who also did the score), as well as songs by Mazzy Star, Patsy Cline, Eck Robertson Family, and The Sons of the Pioneers. There are also two selections I believe taken straight from the film (I've only listened to the samples): David Morse and EN singing "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and EN and Evan Rachel Wood talking while EN strums a guitar (their first night together) that is titled "Almost Early". The songs in the film were very appropriate, but I haven't purchased the soundtrack yet. I'm now really into Keren Ann's music after I stumbled across "L'Onde Amere" (Nolita album). Interestingly enough, she has a song "L'Illusionniste" (La Disparition album)

After seeing Down in the Valley a third time, I realize I got a few things wrong in my earlier review, which is why I probably should leave it to the professionals. Let me just state them all here. My main mistake was that the film was monochomatic before the meeting of Harlan and Tobe - it's not. It was largely a projection on my part by focusing primarily on Harlan's early scene in the Valley as well as my own expectation of the film. In the earliest scene with Tobe and Lonnie, this is not true. I also talked about a Pizza Hut behind Harlan - it was actually behind Tobe during there first conversation which cuts back and forth between the two. Also, the part where Tobe states that she's waiting for her life to start is not in the film, it's in the trailer.

EN and Pitt as Lewis and Clark?

Back in October, it was announced that EN and Brad Pitt were planning to produce a miniseries about Lewis and Clark. Here's a story from today's LA Daily News that leaves open the possibility that they will play the two explorers as well.

Norton & Pitt to play Lewis & Clark? It could happen

By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith

Will Edward Norton and Brad Pitt wind up playing great American explorers Lewis and Clark in their planned 10-hour adaptation of Stephen Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage"? It could happen. Norton is definitely not ruling out the idea of starring in the saga.

"We have friends who've been pointing out that there are some funny echoes, similarities between Lewis and Clark and us," reveals Norton. "I don't have any prejudice against it."

Speculation as to whether the two stars might take on-camera parts has been going on ever since the news broke last fall that they'd produce the ambitious miniseries for HBO. Adds Norton, "We'll reserve judgment. At the moment, we're acting as good shepherds for the project. It's being written now. It's interesting to explore the TV dynamic." Norton, who has the mesmerizing "Down in the Valley" feature widening its release this month, found "Undaunted Courage" one of the "most page-turning books I've ever read."

KOH Director's Cut

The Kingdom of Heaven Director's Cut was released today. It's a four disc DVD set. The Digital Bits review states that there is "more of Balian's interactions with King Baldwin (Edward Norton, in an uncredited performance by his own choice), and their developing respect for one another." The set also has three audio commentaries that include one with the director Ridley Scott and a huge amount of special features. More about KOH at Amazon.com

I'm not much into Red Carpet events, but I have to make an exception in this case (plus it's a purple carpet)

One of 19 penguins rescued along with two sea otters in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina walks on the tarmac after returning to New Orleans following an eight-month refuge in California, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The rescued animals were flown by FedEx back to New Orleans and will return to their home at the Audobon Aquarium of the Americas which is scheduled to reopen 26 May 2006.(AFP/Getty Images/Mario Tama)

NPR Interview, That interview sure seems familiar, David Morse

An interview with EN was on this morning's Weekend Edition on National Public Radio. The audio for this story should be available on the NPR website after 1 PM Eastern Time. Edward Norton, Examining the Dark Side

With the exception of the Times Online interview I linked to below, most of the written interviews that just came out are reprints of the Associated Press interview with a different name(good for focusing interest in the film in areas where it is newly opening) or repackaging of things that EN has said previously. So if it seems like I'm missing something, I'm just trying hard to keep from repeatedly linking to the same article posted in different papers.

Today's Philadelphia Inquirer has an interview with David Morse, in which he talks about his character Wade in Down in the Valley. As I mentioned in my review, I think that his character has been largely underrated in reviews, so it's good to be able to read his ideas on Wade. David Morse: Master of dark, deep characters

The Sunday Times Interview

Today's Times Online has an excellent interview with EN. Street Fighter

My review

It took me long enough to get this together after seeing Down in the Valley twice, but here's my review of the film

Baltimore Sun, SF Chronicle

Two new interviews with EN: Baltimore Sun: A Subtle Revolutionary and the San Francisco Chronicle: Valley star Norton at his artistic peak.

I did go see Down in the Valley this weekend (the trip alone was an experience unto itself) and I'm going to try and see it again sometime this week. I haven't had a chance to write up anything about it but I should have something up probably tomorrow.

MONDAY EN on Charlie Rose Show

EN is scheduled to appear on Monday's Charlie Rose Show with guest host Elvis Mitchell. Mitchell interviewed EN earlier in the week on his radio show The Treatment. The Charlie Rose Show official website

Washingon Post interview, KOH director's cut, Boston Herald review

Today's Washington Post has an interview with EN The Engaging Edward Norton as well as a favorable review White Hat, Dark Heart In 'Down in the Valley' of Down in the Valley, even labelling it a Critic's Pick in its abbreviated review. The Engaging Edward Norton

The Kingdom of Heaven director's cut will be released on May 23 as a four disc DVD set. In the first review of the cut on The Digital Bits, I found some good news. This longer version of the film (191 minutes) contains more scenes which give more depth to the characters including "...more of Balian's interactions with King Baldwin (Edward Norton, in an uncredited performance by his own choice), and their developing respect for one another." The set also has three audio commentaries that include one with the director Ridley Scott and a huge amount of special features. This sounds promising, even though the idea of four discs makes me tired even thinking of it. The Digital Bits KOH review. Currently, Amazon.com is selling it at $17.46 which is 50% less than the list price of $34.98. They'll be quite a number of retailers trying to get you to pre-order so you might want to shop around. More about KOH at Amazon.com

A bunch of new reviews cam out today to coincide with Valley's expansion into new cities. Today's Boston Herald also has a good review of Down in the Valley. Boston Herald: It’s a lonesome love in intriguing ‘Valley’. There's also one in the Boston Globe 'Down in the Valley' is lovesick about the West. The Los Angeles Daily News gives the film 3 stars out of four in Where Western myths, modern Valley meet. Zap2It also has a good one 'Down in the Valley': Strong performances drive this provocative modern Western

Zap2It has an interview with Valley director David Jacobson Director Takes Viewers 'Down in the Valley'

The Treatment interview, Ratner portrait

If you haven't had a chance to listen to EN's interview with Elvis Mitchell on The Treatment, it is really great. It's a sharp contrast in style to the Conan interview. With the Conan appearance, it's driven by the limited time, the need to entertain the audience, and more focus on the person rather than the work. The Treatment interview is much more introspective with an examination of how the film contrasts with other work by EN and other films of similar subjects. Both interviews are wonderful, but it is very rare to have an opportunity to have EN delve into his work so deeply in any format, much less to hear his voice when he talks about the film. The interview was a pleasant surprise because, I have to confess, a second into the show, I thought, "This interviewer is a fucking moron." The interviewer led off with "Since 1992 when he caught audiences off guard in his feature film debut Primal Fear..." Primal Fear came out in April 1996, so it's been just over ten years since EN came into the public consciousness, which is pointed out in the Baltimore Magazine article. It's not a good sign when the interviewer is factually wrong two words into the interview. Luckily, it dramatically improved after the introduction.

A story from FOXNews.com caught my eye. Here's the interesting part:

A highly regarded and published photographer, [Red Dragon director Brett] Ratner is showing off several of his prints tonight at a private event in Chelsea for 500 of his closest friends, including Russell Simmons, Hugh Jackman and the delectably delicious Halle Berry.

I happened to walk by the dramatic looking site of the show last night — it’s the showroom of a new building of super-high priced luxury apartments called the Altair Lofts at 32 West 18 St.

Ratner’s portraits include Jackman, Al Pacino, Edward Norton, Mariah Carey (maybe the best picture ever taken of her) plus Las Vegas legends Wayne Newtons and Paul Anka, and one of Don Rickles that I long to have on my own wall.

However: these pictures are not for sale. They are just on display until the end of May, when I guess Ratner will scoop them up on the way back to L.A. from Cannes.

Conan Clip!!!, EN on the Treatment TODAY, Valley take, Shanghai surprise?, EN Video Int

Thanks so much to Joanne, who went above and beyond and sent the audio clip of EN's appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Not only is it great to have an opportunity for everyone to listen to one of EN's rare TV appearances, it also became very important over the weekend. Someone else heard the interview and the news of EN breaking his back made news in many of the gossip sections of newspapers. The Conan appearance is the first and only time to date that he spoke of the injury. To actually hear him joke about it and realize that he's okay is much more reassuring than reading one of the articles. So again, thanks to Joanne for the clip!!! EN on Conan O'Brien show [it's in Windows Media Format]

EN will be interviewed today on public radio station KCRW's The Treatment. If you're station doesn't carry the show, you can stream it live or listen online later or podcast it.

Monday's Variety gave the following assessment of Down in the Valley's opening weekend.

ThinkFilm bowed San Fernando Valley Western "Down in the Valley" to a decent $26,310 at three theaters in Manhattan, giving it an average take of $8,770. Indie is opening the Edward Norton starrer next weekend in L.A., Boston and Washington, D.C.

An article on ShanghaiDaily.com states that EN is expected to attend the Shanghai International Film Festival which will be held June 17 to 25. I find that interesting. EN will be filming Pride and Glory through the end of May, and is also promoting the release of Down in the Valley during his spare time. Plus he went from filming The Illusionist to the Painted Veil to Pride and Glory with very little time off. You'd think after all that he'd spend the next few weeks on vacation. So what would be the reason to go to the festival? Could it be that The Painted Veil will premiere at the festival? It's just speculation on my part. And my instincts are very often wrong (just check out my Kentucky Derby pick). EN's father is the senior advisor to the Nature Conservancy's Yunnan Great Rivers Project in Kunming China, so it could just be a detour on a personal visit. Still, it makes you wonder. Luc Besson joins film festival as judge

ClickFlicks.net have posted a video interview with EN talking about Down in the Valley. EN interview

CNN just posted an interview with EN entitled 'Nobody's Entitled'. However, it's not a new interview, it's actually the Associated Press interview Edward Norton Looks for Authenticity from May 3 with a different title and posted a week later.

Ooops

I was hoping to post audio and some screen captures today from EN's appearance Friday night on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. However, there's a little problem. While I did see the appearance, my TiVo erased it even though I wasn't recording anything new. And it's not in the Recently Deleted area, which would allow me to recover the program. So was there anything noteworthy in the interview? Well, just that EN broke his back. Not kidding. While filming The Painted Veil, EN fell off his horse onto some rocks. After filming on the movie was completed, he got it checked and found out.

Kentucky Derby

It's Derby day and if I pick the winner, I want the credit, the astonishment, and the unabashed admiration (allowing that this is probably another year of complete humilation and derision). So I'm going with "Showing Up" (he's 3 for 3 and 50-1).

Conan Tonight, EW scans, This week's Time

Don't forget! EN's on Conan O'Brien's show late tonight. I sent a reminder to the mailing lists. However, 5 hours later - Yahoo groups still hasn't send out the message. Down in the Valley opens today in NYC. Reviews abound in the press - I've already linked to quite a few. Here's the NY Times review: 'Aw Shucks' Cowpoke Rides the Range in 'Down in the Valley'.

I've posted the scans of EN's interview in the Entertainment Weekly May 12 edition (Tom Cruise on cover). Spotlight: Edward Norton.

This current week's Time Magazine (Most Influential People cover) includes an article written by EN on Ma Jun in the Science and Thinkers section.

AP Interview, Entertainment Weekly

The Associated Press has posted an interview and some photos with EN - Edward Norton Looks for Authenticity.

EN is also going to be in the Spotlight section of Entertainment Weekly hitting newsstands on Friday [Thanks to Sara for the info!]

Comingsoon.net Interview, Reviews

Comingsoon.net has a good interview with EN. Edward Norton Rides Back Into Town. There are also some other reviews up: NY Observer, Premiere Magazine, NY Magazine and one I posted earlier from RollingStone.com but why not read it again just for kicks RollingStone.com.

TV appearance, Video Clips

EN is scheduled to make a TV appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien this week late Fri night/early Sat (it's actually Sat at 12:37 AM). The problem with TV appearances is they are very subject to change and new ones will sometimes be announced at the last minute. I'll let you know if I hear anything new.

MovieWeb has posted some video clips from Down in the Valley