14 October 2001 – In a recent update, Charles shares that he has recently completed two radio plays. First, an adaptation of Graham Greene's 'The Heart of the Matter' will be broadcast on October 21 and 28 at 3 p.m on BBC Radio 4. Then there's a production of John Osborne's original screenplay for 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' which we have no scheduling for yet, so UK/EU Angels will want to keep an "ear" out for it!
Gosford Park, directed by Robert Altman, premiers at the London Film Festival, opening November 7. As well as Charles the starry cast includes Maggie Smith, Alan Bates, Helen Mirren, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Richard E. Grant and Stephen Fry. The film is set to open in New York on December 21.
Next is Dark Blue World, which premiers in London on November 13. You can learn more about Charles' role in this film. You can also enter a competition to attend the London premier!
Charles says, "I don't 'star' in either of them; in fact you could take me out of Dark Blue World completely and the story would not suffer. But they are both wonderful films!"
Next month he's off to Australia to shoot a film called Black and White. Charles explains: "It's based on a true story - the trial and wrongful conviction of an Aborigine charged with rape and murder in 1958. Robert Carlyle is council for the defence, while I shall be representing the Crown."
Lots happening, as we like it!
26 July 2001 – We received a very nice 'heads up' letter from Jack Crawshaw, the producer of This Is Your Life at Pearson Television, letting us know that Charles's tribute will be re-broadcast on Sunday, 29th July, at 7.30pm on BBC1. So if you're within the Beeb's broadcast range here in Europe, make sure you tune in!
Also, if you're using Netscape and can't get the AF3 photo collection page (available through Reviews) to display anything, it's not your computer -- the javascript is incompatible with your browser. I'm working on a cross-browser remedy. In the meantime, you might want to fire up Internet Explorer to indulge in the gorgeous snaps of Charles and his multitude of Angels.
3 March 2001 – New to the Homepage today are a Site Search function and Site Map feature. Both are available off the front page. Can we possibly have grown so much? Seems so.
27 Feb 2001 – A letter received from BBC Television this morning says their "This Is Your Life" tribute to Charles will air Wednesday night, 28 February, at 8 p.m. on BBC1, so crank up those VCRs if you're in broadcast range!
There are new photos up from Angel Doc (Kathryn) in the AF3 Photo Collection. See 'Angel Flights' on the Reviews page.
Fun and games are available with the Dance I.Q. Trivia Quiz, which now tells you whether your answer is right or wrong, and The Dance Conundrum, a picture puzzle to knot your brow.
22 Feb 2001 – This news is so BIG it deserved its own page! Check out the secret no one wanted Charles to know.
Charles was interviewed on Monday by Fi Glover of BBC Radio 5 Live, and a smashing interview it was too! And I don't just say that because Fi visited this site beforehand, and even drew from the Dance I.Q. Trivia Quiz to test Charles's knowledge of his own characters...or because she said such nice things about us. ;)
I've also updated the Dance I.Q. Trivia Quiz (finally!). Check it out if you're looking to test your Dance Intoxication Quotient.
22 Dec 2000 – Take a look at the Christmas Card from Charles!. (In case you're wondering, he refers to the Angels as 'The Heavenly Host'.)
30 Nov 2000 – Wow, it's all go suddenly! But it's for especially nice reasons, including the note received today from Charles, thanking us Angels for the flowers we chipped in to get him for the opening of 'Long Day's Journey into Night'. If you don't know anything about this then give yourself three lashes with a wet noodle while you read the Notice Board, where you can find out how to join the Charlie's Angels Blind E-mail List. Then you, too, can be part of Angel Plots designed to give Charles a smile!
29 Nov 2000 – Update about the new URL for Netscape users: because of the use of an invisible frame, using CTRL-D to bookmark the site won't work properly. Instead you should right click on the 'Mary's Charles Dance Homepage' link that appears for you (IE users won't see this) and choose 'add bookmark'. Thanks!
28 Nov 2000 – Some of you may be aware that earlier in November I purchased a redirection URL for the Homepage. Everything was hunky-dory until the redirection server went down -- twice within a few days -- rendering my nice, small URL useless until the server came back up again.
Ease of use? I was not impressed. That's when I decided enough was enough; this site deserves a professional-looking, permanent, and reliable web address. And the only way to get all that is to buy a domain name.
(For those of you who don't know, domain names are those succinct and therefore easily memorable URLs you type into your browser to get to a page. For example, www.cnn.com is the CNN homepage domain.)
It isn't a simple thing, playing the 'domain name game', or I would have done it sooner. There are literally hundreds of sites on the net that sell or resell domain names, each at different prices and with various options. But with some sound advice I finally sussed it, and am very proud to announce that the Charles Dance Homepage has its very own domain!
From now on, typing charlesdance.co.uk in your browser will bring you directly to the Homepage. No fuss, no bother...knock on wood. IExplorer users can bookmark the new URL by clicking the bookmark link I've provided on the Home (main) page; Netscape users just go to the Homepage and press (CTRL-D).
All the pages will be staying on the NetcomUK server for the foreseeable future, so any bookmark using the long URL will still work. However, I urge everyone to re-bookmark the site using the new URL. That way, if I do take it into my head to move the site to a new home one day, you'll always find it. And of course, if you find any problems linking to external sites, give me a shout.
9 Oct 2000 – As recently reported by Angel Margie, who, along with her husband Joey, made the trek along Hadrian's Wall in June to raise money for UNICEF in Charles's name, the final figures are in. All told the contribution is 5500 Dutch Guilders / £1500 GB / $2170 US to UNICEF! A huge congratulations to both Margie and Joey on this outstanding effort!
4 Oct 2000 – At last! Tickets for 'Long Day's Journey Into Night' went on sale today. Previews begin November 8; Opening Night is November 21. All the details can be found on The London Theatre Guide. See the Message Board for ongoing discussion about AF3 if you plan on joining us to see Charles in this play in January! Thanks to Angel Karen for this timely information.
2 Sept 2000 – More on "Long Day's Journey into Night" from Gaddy, who found this update at The London Theatre Guide:
Jessica Lange journeys to the Lyric after Brief Encounter (reported 22-08-2000)
"The eagerly awaited production of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night featuring Jessica Lange and Charles Dance will open at the Lyric Theatre on November 21. Oscar winner Lange, who stars in Julie Taymor's new film Titus, returns to the West End following her success in 1996 with A Streetcar Named Desire to play Mary Tyrone, who has become an unreformable drug addict as the result of her husband hiring a quack doctor. Dance, who returned to the stage last year in the Donmar's production of Good, plays the husband, a penny-pinching actor who also has to confront the addiction of one of his sons. The new production is directed by Robin Phillips, the British director who has a long association with Canadian theatre including six years as the Artistic Director of the Stratford Festival where he directed an acclaimed revival of Eugene O'Neill’s drama in 1980."
Plans for AF3 have been shifted to late January, although some Angels will be heading to London earlier due to conflicting schedules. It's worth mentioning that Charles prefers we don't show up in droves on opening night, when he's got enough to be anxious about!
The French site is taking longer than expected to put together because I only have weekends to work on the page nowadays. Most of Céline's initial translations are scripted in, but the navigation bars still need to be re-done and there are a few niggly bits to fix. The site will be active soon. For those of you waiting, thanks for your patience.
Recent additions to the page: Link to Margie and Joey's Hadrian Wall Walk Photo Journal under the Notice Board (with a report on the final collection total for UNICEF to follow shortly); AF San Francisco photos on the Reviews page; new article "Dances with Aliens" (1992) in The Archive.
23 July 2000 – Thanks to Angel Kathryn (Doc) for finding the following!
The London Theatre Guide reports:
"Oscar-winning actress Jessica Lange and Charles Dance will lead the cast of Eugene
O'Neill's 'Long Day's Journey Into Night' when it opens in the West End on November 21.
Dance, who returned to the stage last year to star in the Donmar Warehouse's production
of 'Good', will play James Tyrone, an actor whose wife has an enduring drug problem and
whose son is an alcoholic. Lange, who made her West End debut in 'A Streetcar Named
Desire' in 1996, plays Mary Tyrone who returns home after failing to cure her addiction.
The American actress, who set the screen on fire alongside Jack Nicholson in the
remake of 'The Postman Always Rings Twice', has won Oscars for her performances in
Blue Sky and Tootsie. 'Long Day's Journey Into Night', to be produced by Bill Kenwright at
an as yet unspecified venue, will be directed by Robin Phillips, the British director who
has a long association with Canadian theatre including six years as the Artistic Director
of the Stratford Festival where he directed the O'Neill play in 1980."
The opening date of November 21 is yet to be confirmed, but we're already looking at early December for AF3. Head over to the Message Board for more info.
30 June 2000 – In case you hadn't heard, Charles has decided not to portray Sherlock Holmes for Canadian cable TV -- instead he will take the role of Ralph Nickleby in a British TV production of Dickens' novel "Nicholas Nickleby", due to air around Christmas-time in the UK.
With a little help from some Angels, the Dance I.Q. Trivia Quiz is now up and running!
And a correction: while many parts of the French site will be up by the end of July, some will not be finished and on-line until October-time. Ange Céline has a few exams to study for in between -- Bon Chance, Céline! (Please note that certain parts of the page will not be translated at all because they change too frequently.)
10 June 2000 – Yes, it's true: Charles will be back on stage starring with Jessica Lange in Bill Kenwright's production of 'Long Day's Journey into Night' this Autumn/Winter in London! Rehearsals begin October 5. There's no opening date yet, though Charles says LDJiN is scheduled for a 14-week run, perhaps at the Haymarket Theatre.
Of course Charlie's Angels will be there en force to enjoy a performance (or two or three) with the coinciding Angel Flight 3, which is now in the planning stage. All Angels are welcome to join AF3. Pez and I and others will help to organize hotels, but ultimately each Angel is responsible for their own expenses and arrangements. Plans are discussed on the Message Board so check there for information. As soon as I learn the opening date I will let everyone know.
Charles also said he's been approached to portray Sherlock Holmes in a cable TV movie version of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'. He hasn't seen a script yet, but if he decides to do it filming will be in Montreal. More as he shares.
By the way, the Homepage is going French this summer with the generous help of Ange Céline, who has already translated a good portion of the contents. The French version of the Homepage will become available as an alternative link within the next two months.
And from Angel Birgit comes this TV-tip for German Angels: 'Rebecca' will air on channel VOX on 26 and 27 June; Alien3 will air on PRO 7 on 24 June. Danke, Birgit!
20 April 2000 – Charles phoned the other night from Prague to update us on the film he's currently shooting, by director Jan Sverak (Kolya), called Dark Blue World. It's the story of Czech flyers in the RAF during WWII, two of whom fall for Tara Fitzgerald (The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain). Charles' role is a cameo appearance, as Wing Commander Bentley -- a terribly English character, he says.
He's enjoying the time in Prague, taking a good look around when he isn't needed on the set, and will be back in the UK in early May.
During that call, Charles gave his approval of a planned walk of Hadrian's Wall by Angel Margie and husband Joey, in Charles' name, for UNICEF. Margie and Joey are gung ho to start their 'little' trek -- it's 84 miles so they need all the encouragement we can give them! If you'd like to sponsor their walk for this worthy cause, please see the Hadrian's Wall Walk Page for more information and a short sponsorship form.
27 March 2000 – The updates to the Archive, Reviews and Stalls are just about done.
If you're interested in live chat with the rest of us Angels, join our IRC Angelchats! All the info is on the Notice Board.
7 March 2000 -- The new scanner is working at last so be sure to check The Archive, Reviews and The Stalls for ongoing additions, on a daily basis, until I've caught up with the submissions backlog!
Charles recently updated yours truly regarding his appearance in "Justice in Wonderland" (below). His next project is to supply the voice for a character in an upcoming feature-length animated film centered on the 1950s British comics hero Dan Dare, who's something like a silver-tongued Flash Gordon from what Pez tells me. More as I learn it.
1 March 2000 -- Attention EU Angels within BBC broadcast range! Be sure to watch BBC2 on Sunday, March 5, at 10.05 p.m. (GMT) for "Justice in Wonderland", the drama based on the Hamilton versus Al Fayed libel case. It stars Charles as Neil Hamilton, Belinda Lang as Christine Hamilton (this is a change from Zoë Wanamaker), and Nadim Sawalha as Mohammed Al Fayed.
18 February 2000 -- According to an article in the 13 Feb Sunday London Times, which was brought to my attention by Angel MM, Charles will soon begin filming a BBC drama based on the Hamilton court case. Charles will play the role of Neil Hamilton, the former Conservative MP who was brought to ruins in December last year by an allegation of accepting cash for questions from Harrods owner Mohamed al-Fayed. You can read the article under The Archive.
31 January 2000 -- Are we blessed with connections of late or what? The answer is yes!, particularly where Charles' latest film, currently shooting in Lebanon, is concerned. Allow me to elaborate: I have very recently heard from one proud, and rightly so, parent of a young British actor by the name of Gordon McAllister. It seems that Gordon, who is 15 years old, was in Lebanon at the time of his father's writing, shooting his first film with -- you guessed it -- Charles! Gordon himself has very kindly related some of the particulars to me, which are:
Gordon says of Charles: "He really was very nice...He took time out of getting made up to get some photos done with me and he seemed genuinely interested in my plans for the future." He adds that David Suchet (perhaps best known as 'Poirot') was originally approached to play Lush but declined. Charles almost did as well, but the large budget allowed them to make him a very nice deal.
Gordon has offered to share a photo or two with us, which is mighty kind of him. In return for his generosity we'll just have to adopt him and build the first "Shrine to Gordon McAllister" here, something I intend to do as soon as Gordon sends me a bit more information about himself, because I have a feeling that one day we'll be able to say, 'We knew him when....'!
A huge thanks to Gordon and his father for taking the time to regale us with insider info. We'll be keeping our eye on you and your career, young man.
January 2000 -- Happy New Year, Angels!
In case you hadn't heard, we received a fax from Charles on 3 January, thanking
us for our Christmas gift to him and his wife of a very special pair of champagne
glasses (plus a bottle of champs to break them in). Charles also shared that
he was due to return to Lebanon shortly, to continue filming his latest project.
No word on what this film is yet, but it looks as if he may have the lead
role....More as we hear about it. In the meantime, best wishes to all of you
for a prosperous Y2K!
Need a calendar for 2001? Wish it could be one with Charles on it? Look no further than the Notice Board, where you'll find exactly what you're looking for with the help of Angel Cheryl.
I've also added a permanent link to the Gordon McAllister Shrine under On-line Resources!