Here's the column Tamsin churned out by herself this week for ol' Father Geek here at Geek Headquarters in Austin. Of course the biggest downunder news this week was that really great trailer for ATTACK OF THE CLONES that hit the airwaves earlier, but our girl in the outback has alot of cool info for all of you below...

DOWNUNDER REPORT # 12

by Tamsin

AUSSIE JUDY DAVIS WINS SECOND EMMY

Australian Judy Davis won her second Emmy Award for her portrayal of Judy Garland in JUDY GARLAND: ME AND MY SHADOWS in the category Outstanding Actress in a Mini-Series or Movie.

Davis beat other nominees, Dame Judi Dench, Holly Hunter, Emma Thompson and Hannah Gordon Taylor. Davis won her first Emmy as Best Supporting Actress in the 1995 TV movie SERVING IN SILENCE: THE MARGUERITE CAMMERMEYER STORY.

Some of the reviews for Davis' role:

"She is a dead-ringer for Garland, replicating her mannerisms, manic behaviour and frenetic energy flawlessly," said reviewer Art Smith.

"Davis's central nervous system is always an electrical storm in progress, with lightning crackling and power lines popping," said the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Who better to capture the nervous energy? Davis is nothing short of phenomenal, smartly evading the shackles of mere mimicry."

LOTR ARTICLE

For another new LORD OF THE RINGS articles, check out "One-on-One with the Guy who's taking LOTR into the homestretch", by John Forde, on the e! website.

Here's the opening para:

"WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND--Mark Ordesky is excited. The executive producer for The Lord of the Rings has just returned to New Zealand to oversee finishing touches on The Fellowship of the Ring before the film is flown back to Los Angeles for distribution."

See article: By Just Clicking Here Right Now

FILM FESTIVALS

Cate Blanchett

Organisers of next year's Berlin International Film Festival (February 6-17) have confirmed that Tom Tykwer's HEAVEN, starring Aussie Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi, will open the festival. The film has been described as "a mixture of thriller, love story and moral drama."

THE MAN WHO MAY SUE THE PRODUCERS OF THE MAN WHO SUED GOD

Australian writer-actor Patrick McCarville is considering suing the producers of The Man Who Sued God for relegating him to a small "based on an original idea by..." mention at the end of the film. McCarville told the Sydney Daily Telegraph, "I was mortified and embarrassed when I went to see the movie with my wife, a friend and with the cast and crew. ... I was promised I would be credited but when the movie came on there was no sign of my name up front." McCarville, a former NBC correspondent, said he had no complaint about the money he received for the rights to his story, which he had been trying to interest movie producers in for nearly 40 years. "Now I find myself relegated to underneath the carpenter and the cleaning lady [in the credits] and I feel pretty bad about it." The film, starring British comedian Billy Connolly and Australian actress Judy Davis, opened to critical acclaim in Australia last week.

AUSSIE BEN MENDELSOHN TO PLAY MURDOCH

FILMING of the controversial trial of Rupert Maxwell Stuart, an Aboriginal man, Max Stuart, charged with the rape and murder of a schoolgirl, Mary Hattam, aged 9, in 1959, starts in Adelaide this month. The film BLACK AND WHITE, Ben Mendelsohn will play a young Rupert Murdoch.

At the time, Mr Murdoch owned The News, which took up the fight for Stuart's life and was instrumental in securing a retrial for Stuart after helping to raise money to send Stuart's lawyer, David O'Sullivan, to the Privy Council in London. The $7 million movie also stars Robert Carlyle as O'Sullivan, Kerry Fox as his legal partner Helen Devaney, and David Ngoombujarra as Stuart. Craig Lahiff will direct the Louis Nowra's screenplay.

VISITORS

Aussie actress, Radha Mitchell (PITCH BLACK and LOVE AND OTHER CATASTROPHES) will star with Susannah York, in the ghost thriller VISITORS to be directed by Richard Franklin. VISITORS is the story of a woman who sails from Tasmania to mainland Australia on a journey of self-discovery and is assailed by phantoms during the crossing.

And some news from Clint from Moviehole:

ADAM GARCIA NEWS

Adam Garcia, currently starring in RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS, is returning home to Australia to star in a movie called LOVES BROTHER. Love's Brother, a romantic comedy set in Australia and Italy in the 1950s, also featuring Rose Byrne (Star Wars Episode II) and American actor Giovanni Ribisi (The Eminem Biopic), has been greenlit by the Film Finance Corporation. Producers Jane Scott (SHINE, STRICTLY BALLROOM, CROCODILE DUNDEE I and II, MY BRILLIANT CAREER) and Sarah Radclyffe (LILY AND THE SECRET PLANTING, COUSIN BETTE, LES MISERABLES, MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE) and writer turned director Jan Sardi (SHINE) are attached.

Adam will be in Australia from November 28th-December 11th promoting RICWB. It will be a full nation promotional tour Thanks Clint!

That's all my Downunder News for this week. The Melbourne Cup is on today so I'd better get my bets on.

Until next week

Tamsin

tamsin@aintitcoolmail.com