Christmas Day 2007 Entertainment in the UK
Posted at 6:58 PM (PST) on Monday, December 24, 2007

On television - BBC1:

2:30 p.m.

Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind

Keira Knightley, Gillian Anderson and Russell Brand are among the A-list celebrities lending their vocal talents to the third instalment of this festive animation, the production profits of which are being donated to Comic Relief.*

The reindeer's fiancee Donner is kidnapped by aliens, prompting the hapless hero to embark on an unlikely mission to rescue her and prevent the destruction of the planet by the evil Vorkana, Queen of the Nargathrons. The regular voice cast is headed by Ardal O'Hanlon, Jane Horrocks, Harry Enfield, Paul Whitehouse and Sean Hughes

Actors:

Jane Horrocks (Donner), Harry Enfield (Old Jingle), Gillian Anderson (Vorkana), Sophie Ellis-Bextor (Singer), Ross Kemp (Stormtrooper), Keira Knightley (Em), Michael Palin (Gary), Graham Norton (Computer), Paul Whitehouse (Prancer), Sean Hughes (Tapir), Shane Richie (Stormtrooper), Ardal O'Hanlon (Robbie), Ozzy Osbourne (Vicar), Russell Brand (Young Earth guardian)

Book/Script: Mark Huckerby, Nick Ostler
Director: Donnie Anderson

*Comic Relief's vision is a just world free from poverty. Their mission is to drive positive change through the power of entertainment.

On BBC Radio 4:

15:00 - HM the Queen: The Queen's Christmas message to the peoples of the Commonwealth, followed by the national anthem.

15:05 - Afternoon Play: "84 Charing Cross Road" with Gillian Anderson and Denis Lawson.

Helene Hanff's classic story, adapted by James Roose-Evans, chronicles the enduring friendship between a feisty American writer and a reserved English gentleman. The tale spans two continents and three decades.

You may listen to The Afternoon Play here for seven days after the broadcast.

Message from the Alinyiikira Junior School
Posted at 1:13 PM (PST) on Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Regarding a donation for 12 Full Year Scholarships:

Dear All

Greetings.

On behalf of the entire AJS community I wish to convey to you our thanks from the bottom of our hearts for this contribution which will go a long way in helping the needy children in accessing quality education.

Thank you so much for this donation. May the Almighty reward your efforts.

Regards,

Godfrey

Charity Folks Auction: Autographed Headshot of Gillian
Posted at 1:03 PM (PST) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Click here to bid.

Proceeds of this auction item will benefit the Artists for a New South Africa.

Auction ends on January 18, 2008!

Greetings from Gillian
Posted at 3:03 PM (PST) on Friday, December 14, 2007

Okay, so I'm in the Virgin Lounge at Heathrow on our way to India and we all have colds and on antibiotics and have more luggage than a family of six. Have to say there are worse places in the world to be biding time.

There was snow today in London. Light, white, and wispy. Not ready for India. It's going to slap me in the face and hard I think. All the doing.

Fact: it took 17 hours to get my hair from Boogie red to XF red. 17 hours on my butt. Impossible to imagine for most people who know me. But true. Anyway, enough doing. Time for sun and books and mindlessness.

But for now my mind is full of all of you and wishing all you supporters of me out there a very very merry and a happy happy happy new. And I guess I'll be seeing a couple of y'all up in the snow!

Till soon,

G.

XF2 Set Visit Auction
Posted at 1:06 PM (PST) on Friday, December 14, 2007

Here's your chance to be Gillian's guest on the set of the 2nd X-Files movie!

The auction has started on eBay.

Proceeds from this fund-raiser will benefit NF, Inc.

Check out this Interview with Reggie Bibbs on his life with neurofibromatosis. And visit his web site called Just Ask!.

R.I.P. Floyd Red Crow Westerman
Posted at 1:18 PM (PST) on Thursday, December 13, 2007

Floyd Red Crow Westerman passes away
Native Times
12/13/2007

Floyd Red Crow Westerman (1936 - 2007)

Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Sisseton-Wapheton Dakota musician, actor, and activist, passed away at 5:00 a.m. PST, at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after an extended illness. He was 71.

Westerman, who began his career as a country singer, appeared in over 50 films and televison productions, including Dances with Wolves, Hidalgo, The Doors, and Poltergeist, and Northern Exposure. He appeared in 12 episodes of the 1990s TV series, Walker, Texas Ranger, as Uncle Ray Firewalker.

As a member of American Indian Movement, and a spokesman for the International Indian Treaty Council, Westerman traveled the world extensively working for the betterment of native people.

In 2006, he won a NAMMY Award for his third album, A Tribute to Johnny Cash. During his career, he played and collaborated with a number of notable musicians including Willie Nelson, Kris Kristopherson, Buffy St. Marie, Jackson Browne, Harry Belafonte, and Sting.

More at Native Times.

He played Albert Hosteen in 5 episodes of "The X Files" and was much loved by the XF Community:

The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati (1999)
Biogenesis (1999)
Paper Clip (1995)
The Blessing Way (1995)
Anasazi (1995)

Thanks, Ericka!

Rennie and Godley join the cast of XF2
Posted at 12:33 PM (PST) on Thursday, December 13, 2007

By Byron Perry
December 12, 2007
Variety

Callum Keith Rennie* ("Tin Man") and Adam Godley ("Around the World in 80 Days") have signed on to co-star in the untitled "X-Files" sequel for 20th Century Fox.

Rennie�s credits include "Men in Trees" and the upcoming "Case 39" opposite Renee Zellweger. Godley�s credits include "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", �Elizabeth: The Golden Age", and "Love Actually".

*Originally, the role of Krycek was offered to Rennie, who rejected it, but later made two guest appearances on the show: "Lazarus" (1994) and "Fresh Bones" (1995). (Wikipedia)

ANSA's Auction and Dean Haglund's Improv
Posted at 11:22 AM (PST) on Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Gillian is on the Board of Directors of Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA), a nonprofit organization working in the US and South Africa to combat HIV/AIDS, assist children orphaned by AIDS, advance human and civil rights, safeguard voting rights, and educate and empower youth.

Check out their current auction at Charityfolks.com.

Auction ends: December 14, 2007

*************************

For those in London, England...

X-Files Improv with Dean Haglund at Trafalgar Studios 2

Former X-Files star Dean Haglund, who played computer geek Langly (The Lone Gunmen) in nine seasons of the cult sci-fi series, improvises an entirely new episode based on the suggestions of the audience. The resulting mayhem will delight fans of the long-running series and those who have never seen a single episode alike. His improvisational skills were honed alongside stars of Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Opening night: 2 January 2008
Closing: 5 January 2008

Click here for more information.

TXF2 Set Visit Auction Coming Soon!
Posted at 7:34 AM (PST) on Tuesday, December 11, 2007

2 Passes for A Day on the Set of TXF2 (donated by Gillian Anderson):

The lucky winner and guest are entitled to spend an entire day on the set of the 2nd X-Files movie in Vancouver, BC.

Meet Gillian and the cast that's on set on the day of your visit! Take photos when appropriate. Eat all you want. The Craft Services on the film set will keep you well fed.

Visit requires a scheduled appointment approved by the Production Manager. Visit dates available are weekdays between Monday Feb. 11 and Friday Feb. 29, excluding Feb. 15 and Feb. 18.

Revision: Visit dates available are weekdays between Tuesday Feb. 12 and Friday Feb. 29, excluding Feb. 14, 15, 18 and 21.

Transportation, incidentals and lodging will NOT be provided. Travel to and from the production location will be the winner's sole responsibility.

While on set, guests must fully follow and comply with FOX's rules and regulations at all times.

A security check will be required. Guests must also sign a confidentiality agreement.

Auction start date: Friday, December 14, 2007 on eBay

Proceeds from this fund-raiser will benefit NF, Inc. Donations to NF, Inc. are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Winning bidder should consult with a tax professional to determine how much of the contribution will be tax deductible.

Gillian talks about what inspired her
Posted at 7:20 AM (PST) on Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Creativity: Different stars talk about what inspired them
by Luaine Lee
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
11 December 2007

Creativity seems to be an indefinable something that separates the artist from the rest of the world. You never know just what�s going to trigger it. For Jim Carrey it was a teacher, for Gillian Anderson it was failing an audition, for Tim Burton it was digging in his heels.

Gillian Anderson says, "I don�t remember there being a moment when I knew. My mother seems to remember, as mothers do, that it was something I was interested in from very early on. I don�t remember that at all. I do know that when we were living in Michigan there wasn�t any theater at the school I was in but I went for an audition at the community theater for 'Alice in Wonderland.'

"It was for the role of Alice and there were probably 200 girls there. And I remember not getting cast and thinking, 'This isn�t for me' ... Years later while I was in high school I got an internship at a theater and made friends with the guy who was the theater director and I told him that story.

"He said, 'Hang on a second, were you that British girl?' I said, 'I had a British accent.' He said, 'We came this close to casting you but we didn�t because we�d never seen you before we didn�t know if you�d be able to pull it off. You hadn't done anything in your life and we went with a girl who'd done productions in this community.'

"I'd also auditioned for another community play just before that and was cast and it changed something in me. I'd always been very rebellious, not a good student, very much into the underground punk scene and stuff like that. And when I did this play and experienced the stage with an audience it transformed me. And all of a sudden, my grades went up, I started to study it was like a piece of the puzzle had been put in."

The full article is available at PopMatters.

Gillian to host Masterpiece Classic on PBS
Posted at 7:37 AM (PST) on Monday, December 10, 2007



PBS' MASTERPIECE THEATRE Gets a New Look and New Hosts

Series Introduces MASTERPIECE CLASSIC, MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! and MASTERPIECE CONTEMPORARY

BOSTON, Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- This January, MASTERPIECE THEATRE will introduce a new look, new scheduling, and the first of three new hosts for 2008. Gillian Anderson, well known to MASTERPIECE fans for her Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated performance as Lady Dedlock in Bleak House, will make her debut as the host of MASTERPIECE CLASSIC on The Complete Jane Austen, the highly anticipated showcase of all six of Austen's novels, premiering Sunday, January 13 on PBS.

"Gillian is the perfect choice to represent the new MASTERPIECE CLASSIC," says executive producer Rebecca Eaton. "Through Bleak House, we learned just how passionate she is about the kind of programming we offer. And she's incredibly versatile: How many other actors would choose to go from The X- Files to Charles Dickens?"

"I am a huge supporter of MASTERPIECE THEATRE and the quality and integrity of its programming," said Anderson. "And if my hosting the first season brings a new generation of viewers to the classics, then I'm proud to be a part of it."

A new MASTERPIECE CLASSIC host is not the only change coming to the series in January. Viewers can look forward to a schedule that breaks the year into three "seasons," each with its own host, stunning graphics, and fresh take on the series' famous theme music. In winter and spring, MASTERPIECE CLASSIC will feature signature period dramas. In summer, MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! will present the best British mysteries, and in fall, MASTERPIECE CONTEMPORARY will show dramas set in modern times.

"Our viewers told us that they miss having a host to lead them into the programs," said Eaton. "In 2008, we're going a step further, bringing on three hosts to the series -- each with a true appreciation for the genre they represent. We'll also introduce an elegant new on-air look, a redesigned feature-rich website, and a schedule that will help make our content easier to find. What won't change is the caliber of our programming."

Anderson will present the ten programs in the first MASTERPIECE CLASSIC season, including adaptations of all six of Austen's novels plus a new biopic; Cranford, a three-part miniseries starring Judi Dench; My Boy Jack, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Kim Cattrall; and a new adaptation of A Room with a View by Andrew Davies.

Hosts for MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! and MASTERPIECE CONTEMPORARY will be announced in 2008.

MASTERPIECE has been presented on PBS by WGBH since 1971. Rebecca Eaton is executive producer. Funding for MASTERPIECE is provided by public television viewers and CPB.

Sneak Preview of The Complete Jane Austen

XF2 Cast Additions
Posted at 10:23 AM (PST) on Thursday, December 6, 2007

Threesome mark spots for 'X-Files'
By Gregg Goldstein
Dec 6, 2007
The Hollywood Reporter

NEW YORK -- The new "X-Files" movie will be packing more heat. Rapper Xzibit, Amanda Peet and Billy Connolly have signed on for director Chris Carter's next big-screen adaptation of the hit series for Fox.

Sources said Xzibit and Peet will play fellow FBI agents to David Duchovny's Mulder and Gillian Anderson's Scully in the supernatural thriller with a stand-alone story, not a sequel or continuation of the hit 1998 feature adaptation. Citing a policy of secrecy surrounding the plot line, Fox would not confirm any details regarding the three actors' roles.

Carter and Frank Spotnitz wrote the screenplay, and production is expected to begin this month in Vancouver. The film is set to hit theaters in July.

Xzibit recently was cast opposite Bruce Willis and Woody Harrelson in Oliver Stone's "Pinkville," but his schedule was freed up when that film was put on hold because of the writers strike. The recording artist, who has finished shooting "American Inquisition," is known for his role in "8 Mile" and as host and producer of MTV's "Pimp My Ride."

Peet also has signed to star opposite Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke in Brian Goodman's drama "Real Men Cry" for Yari Film Group. The "Whole Nine Yards" star can now be seen in another alien-related film, the New Line drama "Martian Child."

Scottish comedian Connolly, who received a SAG nomination for his role in 1997's "Mrs. Brown," has appeared in "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" and "The Last Samurai."

Gift-Giving Made Easy From Coffeecakes.com
Posted at 3:59 PM (PST) on Monday, December 3, 2007

Scrumptious cakes and dazzling gourmet gifts just right for everyone on your list!

Order anytime now through December 15, 2007 and SAVE 12% ON ANY ITEM!

Just call 800-830-2696 anytime and mention this offer or enter HOLIDAYS in the coupon field when ordering online. CoffeeCakes.com has sensational gifts for everyone on your list, including Gift Certificates.

Proceeds from Coffeecakes.com go to benefit those affected by Neurofibromatosis (NF). Thanks for your support!

Gillian at the 2nd Annual Fortune Forum Summit
Posted at 3:10 PM (PST) on Monday, December 3, 2007

Gillian attended the 2nd Annual Fortune Forum Summit held at London's Royal Courts of Justice on November 30, 2007. Nobel Peace Prize winner and former US Vice President Al Gore was the keynote speaker.

Fortune Forum gathers world leaders, influential entrepreneurs, philanthropists and celebrity activists to compliment the work of major charities. The event marked the global launch of the International Clean Energy (ICE) Circle, looking at clean energy and supporting policy initiatives to address the developed and developing world. Its founder, philanthropist Renu Mehta, said, �The people who will be most affected by climate change are the poor."

Click here for photos.

Thanks to Philiater and Gilly!