TIME FLIES WHEN YOU’RE HAVING FUN, OR GETTING OLD!
3rd NOVEMBER 2010
I am happy and I read recently that people do get happier, the older they get. If one thinks about this in all seriousness this must indicate a real lack of intelligence about life, a major loss of intellect or being just plain daft. Bette Davis said that “old age is not for sissies”. I don’t think of myself as old yet, just getting there, but she’s probably right about real old age, still it’s inevitable, unless you die young or at least younger than old, so, no, no point in worrying about it too much.
As you can tell I am wracking my brains for something interesting to say and don’t seem to be able to come up with anything really scintillating or sensible. I don’t believe in cold weather, looking back or self pity, so I wont indulge myself moan bout seeing some of my contemporaries getting quite a lot of interesting work. However I do see that some of us older actresses are getting a bit of a look in after a long fallow period. But NOT ME!!! Now I begin to feel like Stephen Fry in his worst excesses of self pity. I have been listening to him reading his latest version of his autobiography and for a man well loved and respected, he does seem to be laden down with gobs of self deprecation. I admire him, respect him, love his acting, specially Jeeves, but Stephen shut up about ‘poor me’. ‘Poor me’ is definitely what you’re not. You’re a master of wit, talent, the English language and self promotion. Even your naughty photos on the web of the latest Harry Potter film sets are suspect. Did you conspire with the Producers, to give you and “Harry Potter” a little burst of publicity!
I admire Elton John - he says he’s giving up the music. Mind you, he can afford to financially, but I do think he’s sensible. He cant compete with Lady Gaga and why should he? He has more than proved himself, time and time again and his growth as a great talent and as a human being are admirable. I watched him on Saturday, the film about his life on the BBC and the concert he gave with Leon Russell. Both fascinating and very watchable. Much more fun than “The X Factor” et al. It’s interesting that the best of the 60’s music was largely based on the Southern (US) Blues music. I love the old Blues and listen to much of it, there are many unplayed maybe undiscovered songs. It’s a shame that this young generation is so reliant on effects, costumes, gossip etc and not on decent work. They should find their own identifiable sound. I am sure it’s out there. However having said that I wonder if it is the talent that people really are interested in, it’s the shout, the publicity that it’s all about now. I thought “Big Brother’ was unbelievably boring, like watching paint dry, but people loved it, because the publicity got them talking, not the show I think, what other people were saying about it.
It’s awards season again and I am out there looking at as many of the new releases as possible. I saw my friend David Seidler’s (the writer) “The King’s Speech” and loved it.
It is fresh and original and deeply moving. I think people here will like it, I hope so, there has been such a long standing prejudice against the upper classes and films and television about them. It seems to be worse than ever and as I’ve said before the class war is now such an anomaly, such an old fashioned concept, that it really is hard to understand. Another close friend Julian Fellowes is reaping the “benefits” of that now too.
The success of his show “Downton Abbey” is more than some of the trendies can bear and they are having hard time finding ways to run the show down. Still - it’s created loads of publicity, which is great for Julian and the show. They are now resorting to cries of plagiarism against Julian, for stealing plots. For goodness sake, don’t they know that Shakespeare stole nearly every one of his plots and made no bones about it. And do we care that Hamlet is based on a well known Nordic legend, no I don’t think so, we just love the play for its greatness and its writing. So complainers and detractors of “Downton Abbey” shut up moaning and whining and let us just get on and enjoy it. Many do!!
I am getting on with working on the next film in our series “New Chilling Tales, “The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe. The script needs work and folks it ain’t easy, but I love it and no doubt will love directing it. I will be off back to the US early in the New Year to do it.
On we go.
All the best dear friends
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