The Kid - More Casting

More Casting For The Kid: 

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JODIE WHITTAKER ( pictured), who joins Natascha McElhone, Ioan Gruffudd, Alfie Allen, Bernard Hill, James Fox and Shirley Ann Field in The Kid. 

This is the movie based on Kevin Lewis's misery memoir about his rotten childhood in South London, where his parents did ghastly things to him. He lived to write about it all and now Nick Moran is directing a film version. I wrote about this last year, but it has taken that long to gather the cast and assemble some money (not a lot) to make it. 

Kevin will be portrayed at different ages by three actors, beginning with William Finn 
Miller as a pre-teen, Augustus Prew as a teen and Rupert Friend as the older Kevin. 

Mr Moran last directed Telstar, his portrait of rock pioneer Joe Meek and the crazy goings-on at his flat in Holloway when rock 'n' roll was taking baby steps. 

GRAHAM LINEHAN, who collected the Bafta TV award for best situation comedy for The IT Crowd. He is taking his eye off the small screen for a moment to breathe new life into the Ealing Comedy classic The Lady Killers. Linehan, who also co-wrote Father Ted, has adapted The Lady Killers for the West End. 

The 1955 movie starred Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom and Cecil Parker as crooks who pose as members of a classical music ensemble and rent rooms in a house close to where they want to pull off a robbery. But they underestimate the dear old lady who owns the house. 

With Linehan at the centre of a generation of comedy stars, he'll have the pick of people for his leading men - but who will play that senior citizen? For the moment, producers Rupert Lord and Edward Snape aren't saying. Mmm, that's a challenge. 
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1175909/Baz-Bamigboye-Cou ld-Anna-Friel-make-bed-breakfast-sexier-Tiffanys.html

CBBlog Coverage

Kind of... oddly sweet Dalmatian coverage @ CBBlog. 

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Actor Ioan Gruffudd and actress Alice Evans are expecting! These two stars from different continents met while filming 102 Dalmations and married in 2007. This will be the first child for them. As a romantic touch, I hope they buy their little boy or girl lots of Dalmatian toys or decorate the nursery to a puppy theme. Then they can tell their baby about how they met and make the room that much more special! 
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http://www.celebritybabies.info/index.php/2009/04/29/alice-evans-is-ex pecting/ 

http://tinyurl.com/dy9rvm

New And Old Pics

They date back to 2008; still, they are new to me. I like the way Alice is dressed; the scarf I do not rave about, though. :)

http://www.filmmagic.com/ItemListing.aspx?cgl=361425&evntI=0

FITG - Release Date

It seems as if FITG release date is June 26th and not June 19th. 

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Fireflies in the Garden: The death of the family matriarch (Julia Roberts) triggers a series of flashback to happier times. Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hayden Panettiere and Ioan Gruffud co-star. June 26 
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http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/all-moviepreviewlist.6864407apr26,0 ,34731.story

PhotoShoots

Reece @ CelebUtopia posted these. 

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Ioan Gruffudd Various Photo Shoots 

Various MQ Pictures of Ioan Gruffudd from over the years. 220 all together 
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http://www.celebutopia.net/forum/showthread.php/ioan-gruffudd-various- photo-shoots-x220-p970941.html#post970941 

http://tinyurl.com/ckk986

Ioan Pic From ONTDN

This pics from OhNoTheyDidnT is definitely worth a gush, IMO. I like it when the curls make an appearance. 

http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/34534502.html

Hello! Coverage

Hello! has a nice comment on the kid being multilingual:

The California-based couple are likely to give their baby a globetrotting upbringing. Welsh-speaking Ioan is proud of his Celtic roots, while Alice, who was born in America, also lived for in Paris eight years and speaks fluent French.

http://www.hellomagazine.com/film/2009/04/24/ioan-gruffud-baby/

Rex PhotoShoot

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Rex has some pics I do not remember of. They are dated "17 October 2000"; I remember the outfit, but I do not remember the couch and the pillow. 
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http://www.rexfeatures.com/search/?kw=Gruffudd&iso=GBR&viah=Y& amp; amp;lkw=Ioan&stk=N&sft=&search_oldest.x=-1&search_newe st.x=0&search_newest.y=0 

http://tinyurl.com/ioanrexf

More Coverage

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Word that Tony Blair, 56 next month, was expecting to become a father for the fifth time seemed rather improbable. 

Happily, it turns out to be his 35-year-old imitator, Welshman Ioan Gruffudd - he played the former Prime Minister in Oliver Stone's W - who is celebrating the good news. 

Gruffudd's pretty wife Alice Evans, 37, is pregnant with their first child. The couple, who met on the film set of 102 Dalmatians and married 18 months ago, were keen to start a family. 

'They are delighted with the news and very excited about becoming parents,' says a chum. 
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1172983/Browns-miracle-address .html 

Ioan Gruffudd: There's some fantastic news for the Fantastic Four star. Gruffudd and his wife, Alice Evans, are currently awaiting the birth of their first child. The two actors have been married since 2007. 

http://celebrities.gearlive.com/vip/article/hollywood-baby-roundup-apr il-23-2009/

The Kid - Shooting Begins Soon

Shooting for The Kid will start soon, it seems. 

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The Kid, Nick Moran's first film for Telstar, will begin shooting in London next week. The film is based on the harrowing autobiography by Kevin Lewis, who is also writing the screenplay.

The UK financed production will shoot at various locations in London over eight weeks. The cast also includes Rupert Friend and Natascha, McElhone, Ioan Gruffudd and James Fox.

Producer Judith Hunt from Tin House said: "The Kid is the inspiring and captivating story of a boy who has transcended suffering and circumstance. I was confident I would be able to attract a passionate and enthusiastic team to bring it to fruition."

Gary Smith, the chief executive of Intandem Films, which will handle worldwide sales, says: "The response to The Kid has been encouraging and though distributors are being prudent in the current economic climate this is a film we're sure the public will want to see."
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http://www.screendaily.com/ScreenDailyArticle.aspx?intStoryID=44139&Category=

icWales Coverage

Of course, icWales reports the news:

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Ioan Gruffudd expecting first child

Apr 22 2009 by Robin Turner, Western Mail 

IOAN GRUFFUDD and his wife Alice Evans are expecting their first child, it was announced yesterday.

The Welsh Fantastic Four star, 35, met Evans, 37, while they were filming the 2002 film 102 Dalmations and were married five years later.

They live in a two-bedroom Spanish-style bungalow in Los Angeles where their circle of friends includes LA-based Welsh actors Matthew Rhys and Owain Yeoman.

Gruffudd, who was born in Llwydcoed, near Aberdare to schoolteacher parents and brought up in Cardiff, said: “I have my eyes on a brood of three.

“Ideally, I would love a little daughter born in the same month as Alice, because then she would be this strong-headed, fun-loving young thing and it would be great to have two women with that kind of energy in the house.”

He first appeared on film as a 13-year-old in the Welsh-made movie Austin (1986) then starred in Welsh soap Pobol y Cwm.

He shot to fame in the British made-for-TV series Hornblower, appeared in the 2004 blockbuster King Arthur and has also starred as Reed Richards in the Fantastic Four film series.

Last year he played Tony Blair in Oliver Stone's W and he'll next be seen playing opposite Julia Roberts in Fireflies in the Garden, due out in June.

Alice Evans, the daughter of teachers, was born in New Jersey in the US but grew up in Bristol after her parents moved to the UK.
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http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/04/22/ioan-gruffudd-expecting-first-child-91466-23441168/

http://tinyurl.com/cczs5o

More Coverage

Here's a more complete coverage on Ioan and Alice becoming parents. Again: congrats to the couple! 

http://news.google.com/news?ned=us&hl=en&q=Ioan+Gruffudd&cf=all&scoring=n

BritWeek Forum

Thanks Stevie @ Ioanzone 

If you are a US movie maker who has made or has wanted to make a movie in the UK, or vice versa,the BritWeek Filmmakers Forum on April 24th at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills (9876 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90210) is for you. Called “Over There,” the Forum shines on the BritWeek calendar (www.britweek.org) as our UK and US film luminaries trade secrets, lessons and barbs about working in each other’s cultures. This is an unprecedented opportunity for both aspiring and seasoned film industry professionals to learn from successes and mistakes of some of the most exciting people in The Business today. 

ACTING OVER THERE: David Hunt (24, Amazing Grace, Everybody Loves Raymond) moderates and panelists include Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four, Black Hawk Down, W.), Owain Yeoman (Troy, The Mentalist, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), and Lucy Davis (Studio 60, Shaun of the Dead, The Office). 

http://www.duckstudios.com/blog/2009/04/britweek-filmmakers-forum-on-april-24/

They Are Pregnant!

They Expect! 

This is going to be some international family! Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd and his wife, English actress Alice Evans, are expecting a baby, his rep confirms to PEOPLE. 

This will be the first child for the couple, who currently live in Los Angeles. 

The Fantastic Four actor, 35, met Evans, 37, while filming 2002's 102 Dalmations and they wed in the fall of 2007.

Gruffudd, who gained fame across the pond starring as Horatio Hornblower in Hornblower – the British made-for-TV films based on C.S. Forester's novels – has also appeared in 2004's King Arthur and 2006's Amazing Grace, and played former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Oliver Stone's W. last year. He next appears with Julia Roberts in Fireflies in the Garden, due out in June.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20273769,00.html

Welsh Stars Bond In LA

Yeoman: Welsh stars bond in LA 

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Asked about whether he hung out with the likes of Ioan Gruffudd, he said: "Funnily enough I know Ioan very well, and all the Welsh I think cling together." 

He added: "We all recently got together to watch Wales versus Ireland and were very upset with the result. 

"Matthew Rhys is over here enjoying great success in Brother And Sisters. And they're all great people at keeping things very real. They've enjoyed success over here and they've enjoyed working and we all share just the love of it," he added. 
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http://tinyurl.com/d29gwl 

http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/article.html?Yeoman:_Welsh_stars_bond_in_L A&in_article_id=626995&in_page_id=7&in_a_source=

Oh My!

Thud warning for this blog entry Lisa posted. :) 

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FROS stops by WALES and oh MY! 
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http://thegoddessblogs.com/index.php/2009/04/19/fros-stops-by-wales-and-oh-my/

Ioan And Alice Walk Home

Thanks Isa @ CUtopia 

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Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans walk home (April 17) 
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http://www.celebutopia.net/forum/showthread.php/ioan-gruffudd-and-alic e-evans-walk-home-april-112578.html?t=112578

Welsh Film Night

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The Cambrian Benevolent Society of Chicago is pleased to announce its first Welsh Film Night. 

The movie “Solomon and Gaenor” will be shown at the Wilmette Public Library on Friday May 29th, 2009 at 6:30pm. It stars Ioan Gruffudd (Solomon) and Nia Roberts (Gaenor) as two young lovers from widely divergent backgrounds. It is set in South Wales in 1911. He is from an orthodox Jewish family that peddles fabrics door-to-door to Welsh households in the valleys; she is the daughter of strict chapel-going parents. Their attraction for each other brings to a head deep seated feelings of resentment against the ‘foreigners’ and results in tragic consequences for the young couple. Our own Winston Evans has a small part as the postman in the movie. 
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http://chicagowelshcambrian.org/home/2009/04/welsh-film-night/

AG - Comments By Beth

Beth has very nice things things to say about AG. :) 

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This Friday evening found us at church for the monthly movie night, which my husband and a current seminarian began hosting a few months ago. This evening's film was "Amazing Grace," the 2006 film inspired by the life of William Wilberforce. 

D. and I originally saw the movie back in the fall of 2007. I loved it then, as you can see from my review here, but I loved it even more the second time around. Perhaps this time I wasn't so focused on seeing whether or not they were historically accurate in the way they portrayed one of my favorite heroes of the faith. This time I just sat back and soaked in the wonderful performances. All of them were excellent, but Ioan Gruffudd was really masterful as Wilberforce. I remembered how well he captured his passion and drive; I hadn't remembered so vividly how he captured his frailty and exhaustion. 
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http://bookwormjournal.blogspot.com/2009/04/revisiting-amazing-grace.h tml

Reunion Poster

Here's the Reunion IMDB Page. I enjoy the poster!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193630/

Welsh BAFTA

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DOCTOR WHO will be given a run for his money by a rural drama at the Bafta Cymru awards.
[...]
Dafydd goes head-to-head with Ryland Teifi for Caerdydd and Matthew Rhys for The Edge Of Love. Even though Cardiff-born Rhys has now relocated to Los Angeles, where he stars in the hit American series Brothers & Sisters, he returned to Wales to shoot his scenes as Dylan Thomas in the biopic about the Swansea poet.

Last night he told the Western Mail: “Playing Dylan was one of the most nerve-wracking, challenging parts I've ever tackled, as I was most nervous about the reaction from those at home. So to receive a nomination from Bafta Cymru is a great honour.”
[...]
Last year's event was attended by a host of stars, including Gavin & Stacey stars Ruth Jones and Joanna Page and film director Mike Leigh. Ioan Gruffudd travelled from Los Angeles to pick up The Sian Phillips Award.
*****

http://tinyurl.com/deupk7

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/showbiz-and-lifestyle/showbiz/2009/04/17/doctor-who-faces-surprising-challenge-91466-23406720/2/

Top 5 Sexy SuperHeroes

Thanks Vuitton. :) 

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2. Ioan Gruffudd: Mr Fantastic 
Fantastic Four (2005); Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) 

The Welsh hunk Gruffudd stretched his CV when taking on the role of the super-supple Reed Richards, aka Mr Fantastic, in the Fantastic Four franchise. 

Bringing charm and good looks to the character of the boffin scientist, comic book guru Stan Lee regards him as the most intelligent character in the Marvel universe, heartthrob Gruffudd also cut a few fine moves on the dance-floor in the 2007 sequel. 
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http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/34239275.html

Elton John Birthday Bash

 
Thanks To Nicolette @ IoanZone

So Cool To Party In LA!

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Ioan attends the 62nd Elton John's birthday party at Hamburger Hamlet, on March 27.
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http://ioanzone.19.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?p=28509&sid=62644f15ef03efce248aa248b52982d2#28509

Walking Through Memory Lane...

Watch what this LJ says...

Fore! Alice's swing gives Gruffudd a great shiner

Like a machete perforating the Mona Lisa smile, a domestic mishap has blemished the famously chiselled features of the Welsh thespian Ioan Gruffudd.

The actor, 34, who played William Wilberforce in Amazing Grace, sported heavy make-up at Sunday night's Welsh Baftas in Cardiff, where he picked up the Tlws Siâ*Phillips Award (pronounciation, anyone?) for his contribution to film. Beneath the slap on his left cheek, there was an unmistakable shiner of a black eye.

The explanation? His wife, the actress Alice Evans, 36, apparently whacked him in the face with a golf club – but it was an accident, mercy be. The couple married in Mexico in September, and there is clearly no trouble in paradise. 

Collecting his gong, Gruffudd paid tribute to Evans, who was back home in Los Angeles: "Love you, baby angel."

Fetch my nine iron...

http://news.independentminds.livejournal.com/1912558.html

Alice On Lost

Many Thanks To GreatEscaper. 

Alice will appear in two episodes of LOST, which will air on April 29th and May 6th.

She will play Young Eloise Hawking.

Earth - World Premiere

It seems like Ioan Will Attend "Earth" World Premiere Saturday. 

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WHAT: The WORLD PREMIERE of the movie EARTH from Disneynature, the first new Disney-branded label in 60 years. Narrated by JAMES EARL JONES, this film tells the remarkable story of three animal families and their amazing journeys across the planet we call home. The World Premiere is sponsored by Kodak and MySpace. 

WHO: Jodie Foster, Jamie Lee Curtis, [...] Ioan Gruffudd [...] 

Alastair Fothergill (director), Mark Linfield (director) 

WHEN: Saturday, April 18, 2009 
WHERE: 
Press Arrivals: 11:00 a.m. 
El Capitan Theatre 
Celebrity Arrivals: 12:00 p.m. 
6838 Hollywood Blvd. 
Film Screening: 1:00 p.m. 
Hollywood, CA 
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http://tinyurl.com/c387ym 

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&am p;amp;newsId=20090414006143&newsLang=en

UpTown Girl

Maybe it's worth a gush... 

UpTown Girl!

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Ioan Gruffudd never fails to surprise me. He has a tendency to pop up in the most unexpected of places. 
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http://rusotherblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/ioan-gruffudd-has-never-fails-to.html

Ioan Mentions

I enjoy this Moonacre mention, which was brought to my attention by Stevie @ IoanZone and posted by Sarah. 

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The movie Chiara wanted to see was sold out. I saw a poster with a unicorn and Horatio Hornblower (or the actor who played him, good enough, good enough) on it. 

This one, I said urgently. This one, this one, this one please! 

To this day, they have not quite forgiven me. 

The movie was The Secret of Moonacre, based (I understand very loosely) on the book The Little White Horse. I loved the movie, mostly because of how entirely bizarre it was. 
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http://sarahtales.livejournal.com/128732.html 

Also, I enjoyed this AG Mention. 

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Bill Moyers did a special on "Amazing Grace" that runs on PBS every so often. And the 2006 film Amazing Grace ain't bad and is well cast (Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney, Romula Garai and Michael Gambon, among others). Wilberforce's commitment to social justice is driven in part by his religious convictions, although some of his cohorts have different motivations. Seeing and hearing about the realities of the slave trade – especially handling the shackles and smelling the rankness of the ships – also has a strong impact on Wilberforce and those he tries to move. The film's particularly good at depicting the dangers for activists of burnout, and what friendship and community can do to alleviate those. The slave trade was very profitable, and that was the chief objection in Britain's parliament to ending it. The film also shows a very clever side maneuver for achieving abolition. 
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http://vagabondscholar.blogspot.com/2009/04/bring-your-own-god-or-none .html

Ioan And Math Mention :(

As DreamTheater would say: "sadness grows inside of me" 

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But, despite a bevy of Welsh actors, notably Ioan Gruffudd, Matthew Rhys and Owain Yeoman, all seeking their fame and fortune in America, Rhodri is no rush to follow suit, happy living life in London with regular work both at home and away. 
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http://www.walesonline.co.uk/showbiz-and-lifestyle/2009/04/11/star-rho dri-meilir-loves-audiences-that-laugh-and-squirm-91466-23354026/ 

http://tinyurl.com/cftmya

KA On TV

According to KeiraWeb,

King Arthur is the BBC's big holiday film on Easter Monday at 9pm on BBC1.

Ioan Pics - The TV Set Premiere

It's a very nice pic from the TV Set Premiere. :) I remember the event, but I do not remember this specific one. :) 

http://theusdaily.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=707147&type=home

Classic Serial - Place

I hoped it was done in UK, so that he might have gone there for "The Kid". But it was done in LA, at The Invisible Studios.

Thanks mmt for pointing this out.

Admiration

Ioan And Math Get Admiration - Iwan Rheon Article 

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I really admire Welsh actors like Richard Burton and Anthony Hopkins as well as the young ones like Ioan Gruffudd, Matthew Rhys and Michael Sheen. 
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Whole Article:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/showbiz-and-lifestyle/2009/04/02/the-dark -star-of-spring-awakening-91466-23289868/

New Movie For Ioan?

New Movie? A Joke? 

Sam Mendes, a noted cricket lover, is planning to make a big-budget movie of the 1964 Ashes series, Line & Length can exclusively reveal, with Daniel Radcliffe, the star of the Harry Potter films, being lined up to play another young magician: Geoffrey Boycott in his maiden Test series. 

The film, provisionally entitled Ashes!, will also feature Ioan Gruffudd, left, as Fred Trueman, Ray Winstone as Ken Barrington and Russell Crowe as Bob Simpson.


http://timesonline.typepad.com/line_and_length/2009/04/1964-ashes-gets -the-hollywood-treatment.html