I think it’s well established that the London branch of Madame Tussauds has some talented wax artists. Check out this recently completely and eerie wax doppelganger of Kate Winslet at the London Madame Tussauds. The Vegas and NY Branches sometimes churn out some figures that look nothing like the celebrities they’re supposed to be though. So this wax statue of Colin Firth, unveiled at the London Madame Tussauds today, is more accurate than most but not up to the high standards they’ve created at that branch. It looks like Colin’s brother with bad hair. Still, it’s not bad and it does resemble him quite a bit. In a video of the wax figure on The Telegraph’s website, it looks just like him. Colin’s figure will be in the “A-list party area” of Madame Tussauds, and will be standing on a red carpet. The representative from Madame Tussauds said “hundreds of hours was spent watching Colin Firth, which is a great job to have.” That cracks me the hell up. (I wanted to just write “lol!” but I’m trying to be a professional here.) Here’s more:

Colin Firth will take his place in the A-List Party area of the museum where he is joined by waxworks of Julia Roberts, Kate Winslet, George Clooney and, this being the festive season, of course Father Christmas.

“Colin Firth has been one of the most popular figures requested at Madame Tussauds and the fact that he won an Oscar at the beginning of this year, we felt it was a great way to round off the year and get him another accolade which was a wax figure,” said Liz Edwards from Madame Tussauds.
Earlier this year, Firth received an Oscar for his portrayal of King George VI in ‘The King’s Speech’. His latest film ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ is also expected to fare well in the upcoming awards season.

It was decided that his particular pose should reflect his many red carpet appearances.

“Because he’s in the A-List party area we wanted to capture him walking along the red carpet so this pose is chosen exactly from that as he’s going to an awards ceremony and that’s what we wanted to recreate so hundreds of hours were spent watching Colin Firth which is a great job to have”, Ms Edwards said.

[From Telegraph.co.uk]

Wax Colin is hot, but as Kaiser mentioned to me his hair does look weird. Still, I would hit it. I mean, if it was real and alive and stuff and not run by computers. Well maybe not the last part. Robot Real Doll Colin Firth would be welcome in my bed. Hopefully they’ll get the accent and the self effacing charm right. Technology has come a long way.

Here’s Wax Colin Firth:

And here’s the real thing:

Last night, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy premiered in LA. Unfortunately for our collective loins, Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch were not in attendance at the premiere – BOOOOOO. Fortunately for our collective loins, COLIN FIRTH. I swear to God, the best collaboration Colin ever made was with Tom Ford. Yes, A Single Man was a good – even great – film, but the long-term effect of Colin and Tom working together is that Colin now consistently dresses like the most dapper man on the planet. I don’t even know if Colin’s suit is Tom Ford, but I know that Colin started wearing his clothes differently after he worked with Tom. Look at Colin working the hell out of this suit. I love him so much.

But Colin wasn’t the only dish there. Gary Oldman, the “star” of the film, was also in attendance. Many awards-watchers are waiting for Tinker, Tailor to have a late surge this awards season, and many think Oldman will end up with a Best Actor Oscar nomination, up there with Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Michael Fassbender. If it happens, it will be Oldman’s first ever Oscar nomination. Crazy, right? I don’t know if Oldman is deserving of the Oscar yet, but I do hope he gets a nomination at long last.

Anyway, Oldman has somehow aged into a very nice-looking, dare I say, Establishment-looking gentleman. And Colin is Colin, always beautiful and perfect. Which would you choose? And to make matters a little more complicated, I’m adding photos of Mark Strong, one of my favorites. I would go to bed with Colin and Mark… I don’t know about Gary. I think I’d just want to talk to him.

Would you like the trailer again? I want to see this movie so badly.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

I know this won’t be of interest to most of you. I get it. When you have the possibility of gawking at Alexander Skarsgard, Ryan Gosling and Michael Fassbender, why bother with the older British guys? I hear you, but I’d like to defend these men: they are hot. They’re talented and well-aged and battled-scarred. These are photos from the Venice Film Festival premiere of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, the remake of the 1970s-Le Carre book and miniseries, now in epic Cold War porn form. There are dudes missing from the premiere – neither Ciarán Hinds nor Tom Hardy could make it. I just saw Hinds in The Debt, and now that I see he’s not in Venice, I’m kind of worried about him. He looked like hell in The Debt. Is he sick? Hmm… here’s the trailer for the film once again (squeal – COLD WAR PORN).

Anyway, on to the photos we do have. There’s Colin Firth and his beautiful wife Livia, who wore a “Reclaim to Wear” dress from yoox.com – part of her ongoing “green carpet challenge” to wear red carpet styles that are environmentally friendly. Colin looked dapper and lovely too – they make such a handsome couple.

And here’s Gary Oldman and his wife Alexandra. Um… she’s really young, isn’t she? She’s very pretty too.

BENEDICT!!! Benedict Cumberbatch! Huzzah! He looks really good too. Um, is he a natural ginger? If he is, I need to see Benedict and the Fassdong together in a movie. They would be wonderful together.

John Hurt has not been tweaked. Neither has his wife, who looks very age appropriate. Good for them.

And lastly, Mark Strong. He’s usually so dapper and handsome, but his facial hair is throwing me off. It looks so… fluffy? Still, I wouldn’t kick Fluffy out of bed.

Photos courtesy of WENN & Fame.

A few months ago, we covered the unfortunate report that a third Bridget Jones’s Diary movie was on the way, thanks to the fact that Bridesmaids director Paul Feig was inexplicably interested in helming the project. Like many of you expressed in the comments section, I was utterly distraught at this news and couldn’t understand why either author Helen Fielding or the movie studio could justify the further desecration of the formerly lovable Bridget, who was transformed in the second movie, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, from an exhilarating heroine to a relatively idiotic buffoon in eternal pursuit of Mark Darcy’s almighty marriage proposal. To make matters worse, the second movie also shoehorned in some silly plot where the Rebecca character awkwardly planted a kiss on Bridget, which was just a shameless attempt to add some “lesbian controversy” into an otherwise vanilla sequel. What I’m trying to say is this — clearly, the first movie was lightning and couldn’t possibly strike twice with the same degree of charm.

At any rate, when the new rumors popped up a few months ago, I was discouraged but also of the firm belief that Colin Firth (and his demanding post-Oscar schedule) would step up and save the day, for he would be the only person who could possibly keep this third movie from happening. Unfortunately, I was wrong, and Colin himself has given EW some new details that are even worse than you could have imagined. Apparently, Mark Darcy is shooting blanks:

It’s finally time to re-open the diary: Bridget Jones is returning to the big screen.

EW has confirmed exclusively that Working Title Films, the production company responsible for the first movie released in 2001 and the second one dubbed The Edge of Reason in 2004, is moving ahead with a third installment. Based at Universal, Working Title has been mulling a sequel since 2009.

No other details were available, but last year, Bridget costar Colin Firth, who plays lovable Mark Darcy, told EW’s Dave Karger some details about a possible plot. “I can tell you that Bridget and Mark can’t have children, I think that’s the way it goes on,” Firth told Karger, who was reporting for Access Hollywood. “So then she makes the huge mistake of going back to Daniel Cleaver [Hugh Grant's character] for long enough to get pregnant. And I think he dumps her, and she’s left stranded, and guess who comes back to rescue her?”

The movies are based on Helen Fielding’s novel of the same name and starred Renee Zellweger as Bridget. The first film was an international hit, taking in a reported $281 million. The second was crucified by the critics but still raked in $262 million worldwide.

Earlier this year, the London Evening Standard reported that Fielding had begun writing the third installment of the best-selling books. At the time, she said there had been discussions about the next film. “I will be working on both the book and the film but I don’t know if they are the same thing yet. It’s not been decided.”

[From EW.com]

Alright, now that Colin has deserted us, maybe Hugh Grant can put the brakes on this nonsense? After all, Hugh, who is very busy and important, has been quite occupied whilst saving the whole of England (and Americans too) from the NOTW wiretapping scandal. As for Renee, she has no choice but to jump on this ill-fated ship because she’s got no other future projects lined up in the immediate future. Maybe we’ll get lucky and she won’t want to leave John Stamos’ side, but that’s a very remote possibility.

You know what wouldn’t be a totally awful prospect though? Scrap the entire plot that Firth described and just make the entire story about Shazzer (I love that mouthy bitch) with brief interludes of a floppy-haired Daniel Cleaver and a stammering Mark Darcy running through in a homoerotic daze. Because, honestly, I want to capitulate at the thought of Mark “saving” a teary-eyed, pregnant Bridget and have no further desire to see Daniel’s womanizing baby hit upon his own mum.

Photos courtesy of Fame and AllMoviePhoto

I guess it sort of makes sense that at some point, Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz would make a movie together. Colin, fresh off of his Best Actor Oscar win, is now generally established to be one of Great English Actors. Meanwhile, what Camy lacks in awards and sweeping critical support, she makes up in box office receipts. I’m being unfair to both of them, honestly. Camy is a better actress then people generally give her credit for, and I think Colin is bigger ham and much more of an old-fashioned movie star than the critics will admit. So… when you really think about it, why wouldn’t Colin and Camy make a movie together?

And so they are. With the Coen Brothers! It’s a remake of an old con-artist film called Gambit, and these are some photos from yesterday’s shoot in London. Colin plays the con artist trying to steal a painting or sell a fake painting (something like that – I saw the original film years ago, but I don‘t remember much of it). Camy plays an American hustler type who gets involved, etc. What you need to know: Colin wears those rimmed glasses that make him look extra hot. And Camy wears a lot of denim, and her face still kind of looks like it’s melting. Also: ALAN RICKMAN is in this movie!! Camy is a lucky bitch, isn’t she?

People are saying that Camy and Colin are getting along really well, and there’s absolutely no on-set drama. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Colin having on-set drama, but you never know. I think the Coens tend to run a tight ship.

Photos courtesy of Fame.

As far as romantic comedies go, Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) is one of my very favorites of the genre. However, I’m one of those movie fans who also like to pretend that Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) never happened at all. In comparison to the exhilaration of the lovable heroine (perfectly embodied by Renee Zellweger) from the first movie, the sequel was a complete letdown to watch her transformed into a buffoon pursuing the ever-conditional marriage proposal from Mark Darcy. Quite simply, the second movie sought to replicate several key scenes from the first one (including that glorious street fight between Hugh Grant’s Daniel Cleaver and Colin Firth’s Darcy) but merely turned into a parody of the first movie. Honestly, I could go on for days about that injustice; but instead, I’ll just complain about an even worse and very likely prospect.

For the past few years, we’ve heard lots of buzzing about a potential third installment to the Bridget Jones franchise. At first, these rumors were easily dismissed, since the second movie disappointed so many Bridget fans; but now, this nightmare could indeed come to fruition, for there’s a script and a director with cred who is “beyond keen” to work on the project:

The film-maker behind the summer’s surprise success, Bridesmaids, is in the early stages of discussions about getting Bridget Jones back into her outsized pants for a third instalment of the film comedy starring Renee Zellweger.

Paul Feig, who told me he’s “beyond keen” to make a movie in London, is in the middle of very complex negotiations about making Bridget 3.

The status of the film at the moment is purely rumour because no deals involving Feig — or the film’s stars Renee, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant — have been sorted out.

An executive in Los Angeles, who is close to one of the film’s participants, told me that negotiations have been fragile because Feig and the cast have other projects; and then there are the usual problems of schedules and money.

I was told that the film-maker, the actors and the studios (Working Title and Focus) are close to agreement on important matters relating to the film, but not close enough for anyone to sign on a dotted line.

Helen Fielding, who created the Bridget Jones’s Diary column in a national newspaper, has written a script for Bridget Jones 3 that features her heroine hoping to become pregnant. But which bloke will be the daddy? Love-rat Daniel Cleaver, played by Grant, or Mark Darcy, the man who loves her just the way she is, played by Firth.

Oscar-winner Firth has indicated that if the script makes sense he’d been interested in reprising his role. Feig is just the man to bring them all together. He knows how to direct comedy and he knows how to be funny.

[From Daily Mail]

Why? Nobody (except perhaps the film studio) wants this third movie to happen at all. Wait, I take that back, for Renee Zellweger may be interested in reprising her role because she doesn’t have much going on professionally at the moment. Yet I honestly can’t see her wanting to gain weight (she’s so fit these days) to play Bridget once again. While they might be able to talk Hugh into coming back as well, Colin Firth is another story altogether. With his newly minted Oscar, Colin’s being pursued by any number of studios for other movies; so if anyone he can put the brakes on this impending disaster, it would be him. Colin Firth, you’re our only hope.

Photos courtesy of Fame and AllMoviePhoto

I’m probably dating myself, but some of my earliest childhood memories revolve around the Cold War. I have vivid memories of Ronald Reagan’s speeches, of “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” I remember “Perestroika”. I remember Reagan and Gorbachev’s infamous “walk in the woods” and of course, I remember when The Wall came down. Some days, I actually miss the Cold War, and I still get nostalgic for Cold War-ish things. Like when I catch an old James Bond movie, or when I’m watching a PBS documentary.

So imagine my delight when I heard there was a remake of John le Carré’s Cold War opus, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. The book had already been adapted for film, back when it was “breaking news” in the actual Cold War. And now it’s been remade anew, with a completely spectacular cast – Tom Hardy, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Gary Oldman, Benedict, Ciaran Hinds and Benedict Cumberbatch, just to name a few. The basic story – well, there’s nothing basic about it. It’s all spy stuff, double and triple bluffs, heavy on the 1970s Cold War atmosphere. But it’s about the hunt for a Soviet spy in the highest level of British intelligence. And the trailer/teaser for the film just came out, and I LOVE IT. I want to get this trailer pregnant. It’s totally Cold War Porn.

Photos courtesy of WENN & PCN.

Colin Firth winning his first Oscar was definitely one of the highlights last night. But I also loved that Colin seemed to take his time and enjoy the moment, and I LOVED the kiss he gave his wife when he won. It wasn’t slobbery and tacky, but it wasn’t brusque either. He gave her a real kiss, like, “I love you so much, my darling.” I’m getting a little teary. Sigh…

As for Livia’s dress… well… I didn’t hate it. I would have loved to see her in a jewel tone with her beautiful dark coloring, but she went with this “up-cycled Gary Harvey gown”. It was “reclaimed” from 11 different dresses. Interesting.

Also, my other pick for favorite Oscar couple (or ménage à trois): Susan Downey and Robert Downey Jr., plus Jude Law. Susan and RDJ did the red carpet thing together for the Oscars, but they picked up Jude for the after-parties, which I LOVE. I love that Jude and RDJ are totally boyfriends. And I love that Susan just deals with it. Seriously, Susan and RDJ are so beautiful together.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

This really was a coronation. Colin Firth walked into the Kodak Theatre knowing that he was the closest thing to a sure thing in Oscar betting pools. His campaign (helmed by Harvey Weinstein) was lovely, and it worked brilliantly. Colin took every major award this season, including a Globe, the SAG, the Critic’s Choice, the BAFTA, and now, the Oscar. One of the reasons Colin has succeeded so beautifully this year is because he’s able to come across as very genuine, and like each award genuinely moves him. My theory: Colin is England’s Tom Hanks. He’s genuine, warm, nice, and a family man. The comparison totally works.

Anyway, the win! First, Sandra Bullock came out and was funny and sweet. She’s the female, American version of Colin Firth!!! When Colin won, he gave his wife a nice kiss, then Helena, then a hand-hug with Geoffrey Rush. I loved his opening line: “I have a feeling my career just peaked.” I also love that he took his time, and he was allowed to take his time. He thought about what he was saying, he thanked everybody he wanted to thank, including Harvey Weinstein, “who took me on 20 years ago, when I was a mere child sensation.” Oh, he thanked Tom Ford too! Love that. I love that Colin recognizes that everyone’s opinion of him as an actor changed with A Single Man. Colin represents!

So… I’m just really happy for Colin. Well deserved!

Promotional image from The King’s Speech, additional pics by WENN.