OK, not REG exactly, but his character from “Corpse Bride” has been reproduced anyway!

Barkis Bittern can now be bought for a mere pittance (almost) from Amazon.com and other dealers. The miniature figurines are exquisitely detailed by the McFarlane Company (who are the best at doing this sort of movie miniature merchandising thing) and can be found at the link below – in case anyone is interested in purchasing him.

I should also add that Barkis Bittern is in the second set of four figurines in case you want to order from anywhere other than Amazon. If Amazon is fine though then the link below will take you to the right page.

On the subject of “Corpse Bride”…. I’ve added a few pics of Barkis to the “pictures” section of the site. You can find them here.

I’ve uploaded some new pics from “Otherwise Engaged” to the REG Temple Gallery. I have to add that I’ve had a bit of trouble with the gallery software over the past couple of hours but everything should be fine now. The only problem that people may encounter is that some might not be able to login. This should only be a problem if you signed up for an account within the last 5 or 6 weeks (as the last “safe” database dates from then). If you have a problem logging in just re-register and you should be OK.

Of course if anyone’s has sent any postcards over that time then they’ll no longer be there. Sorry about that. The stuff up was my fault entirely and it won’t happen again (I hope).

Finally, it’s been a while since I last announced a new calendar page from Pat on the Temple News, but you’ll find November’s page at the bottom of the right hand bar on the home page.

Thanks to Brenda for the pics, and Pat for the calendar.

Monday 31st October, 2005

Richard watches Russell Crowe from the sidelines as he films outside The Criterion in London.

“Wah-Wah” has been nominated for two British Independent Film Awards – One for “Best Actress (Emily Watson) and one for “Best Debut Director” (REG of course!).

Stephen Frears’ “Mrs. Henderson Presents” and Lawrence Dunmore’s feature debut “The Libertine” lead the field with eight British Independent Film Award nominations each. The eight mentions for “The Libertine” surprised some U.K. industry types as the film had received some negative feedback at Toronto last year after a work-in-progress screening. It appears though that the Johnny Depp starrer has suddenly found favour as BIFA chairman Elliot Grove said the pic “has punk attitude and appeals to young audiences.”

Festival circuit favorite “The Constant Gardener,” which opened the 49th London Film Festival last week, drew seven nominations, including Ralph Fiennes for actor and Rachel Weisz for actress.

Michael Winterbottom’s “Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story” took five nominations; quirky comedy “Kinky Boots” and horror title “The Descent” are in the running for three awards.

“Mrs. Henderson Presents,” “The Libertine,” “The Constant Gardener,” “Tristram Shandy” and “The Descent” go head to head for British film kudos.

Industry recognition is a boost for “The Descent” after the pic’s theatrical box office biz was severely dented as it opened on the same day in July as the London terrorist attacks. Understandably, despite some very strong reviews, few in the U.K. had the stomach for a tough horror film immediately following the bombings.

Keira Knightley will receive the Variety U.K. personality of the year prize and Tilda Swinton will collect the Richard Harris nod for contribution to British cinema by an actor.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on November 30th.

Thanks to Sue W and REG for the news, and to Archie Thomas at Variety.com.

31st October 2005

Richard E. Grant attends the aftershow party following the press night for new play ‘Otherwise Engaged’ showing at the Criterion Theatre, at Regent Street in London.

(Photos by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)