Looking up the hill tonight
When you have closed your eyes
I wish I didn't have to make all those mistakes and be wise
Please try to be patient and know that I'm still learning
I'm sorry that you have to see the strength inside me burning

"THE DUCHESS" (2008 )

- "This will be the mistake of your life"

- "No, I made that many years ago"

Recently, as I am now finished up at work and am packing up my house in preparation to move on Saturday, I went to see the new Keira Knightley film, "The Duchess". It's just been released in Oz, and I hadn't heard a whole lot about it, other than that they are already talking potential Oscar nominations for Keira and Ralph Fiennes. While I enjoyed the film, I wasn't overly moved.

As a portrait of the life and triumphs of the Duchess of Yorkshire, to me it didn't delve deep enough into the person that Georgiana was. Other than wear some simply incredible costumes and wigs, and show us her 'wronged-but-stolid-in-my-duty' face, I didn't feel like we got to see the things that made the Duchess tick. Clearly her liberal views, including the peoples' right to freedom and the vote, were important to her, which is quite ironic considering the life of virtual imprisonment she ended up living, but I think they could have been more of a focus. Also, given that we only see a snippet of her life, very little extended development as a person over time is shown, which seems to me to be a waste of Keira's talent. The shy Georgiana went from an enthusiastic but lonely young bride, to a woman loved by all, and to a hardened and incredibly strong-willed woman and mother, prepared to protect her children and do her duty at all costs. But the movie just presents it all a little blandly, which is a real shame.

None of Georgiana's relationships, either with her husband, Duke William, her lover, Charles Gray, or her best friend, Lady Elisabeth, were really delved into in any great detail. While Ralph Fiennes performance was good, it would have been interesting to see more of what their personal relationship was actually like: why did this man find his own wife so unappealing, other than that she seemed unable to produce an heir? The aggression he has towards her must have come from somewhere. Similarly, Georgiana was betrayed by her best friend, and yet why did Bess throw away their friendship and choose the bizarre life of living as a mistress in the home of her lover and his wife? The fact that she ended up marrying the Duke proves that it was more than just for her children's sake.

Keira Knightley is really starting to establish herself as one of 'the' actresses of the moment. She is very good in this film, handling the role with a lot of dignity and quiet composure. I look forward to seeing her extend herself even further in some more diversified roles in the future.

Ralph Fiennes doesn't do anything for me. I've seen him in quite a few films now and I really just find him creepy. He has a very unusual presence, but it is more on the sleazy side, rather than sexy or appealing. He is very good in this restrained role as the emotionally inept but highly aggressive Duke, but I still can't say that I like him.

Hayley Atwell is really growing on me. I recently saw her in the small-ish film "How About You", and while the film was quite clichéd, she gave a good performance. She's also in the new film "Brideshead Revisited" which is a remake being released in Oz later in the year. I feel like she was quite underused in "The Duchess", but as an actress she just seems to be finding her feet, so she's got plenty of interesting roles ahead of her.

Overall, this one is not going to shake your world, but it is well shot and directed, and has a nice feel to it, if a little weakly presented. The performances are all solid, and the story is quite interesting, if a little disappointing in its overall content. It will be interesting to see what its competition proves to be for Oscar nominations, the what sort of reviews it continues to get around the place.

For now... That's all she wrote.

LLa xxx

Lookin' at you leaving...
I'm looking for a sign.

Stay... forever as you are
Don't change a thing
Because you're perfect

THE TOP 5 CHANGES

Fulfilling the last of our roles in ensuring that our voices are heard on our website during the Blackout, here is the list and explanation for the top 5 things that I would like to see considered by the powers that be.

The most important thing for me to say is that, given a choice, I would immediately vote to return back to the original layout. Of course, I fully realise that this is not only unrealistic, but probably impossible, but that is really my ultimate wish. I loved everything about the old layout, I found it extremely user-friendly, and (for me) it highlighted the key parts of our site that matter to users: our blogs, the blogs written by our friends, our reviews, and our achievements within the site.

As it is, I am happy to simply state the areas where I would like to see changes occurring. Like most other users, mine cover the same 'problem' areas, so perhaps this consistency may catch someone's attention.

1. The colour scheme. Pale coloured fonts on a white background ARE hard to read, no matter who you are. With no differentiation between different sections of the page, it all blends into one: blogs into friends lists, into personal information, into banners. The layout needs to be easy to read, and highlight the different features of our profile pages.

2. Our blogs. A huge amount of time and energy goes into writing and formatting our blogs. I feel like they are what set us all apart, and are what represent who we are on a relatively anonymous website. They need to be presented on our profile page IN FULL, as we wrote them, with full formatting, pictures etc. If I spend 2 hours writing a blog, I don't want it squashed into a box with no formatting, hidden with other older blogs that are equally impossible to recognise.

3. Listing tracked blogs. As a writer of blogs, you rely on other people commenting on your blogs for confirmation that they are being read and appreciated. With a list of only 4 tracked blogs, it is far too easy for your blog to get missed by the very people you are writing them for. Linked to this point is the need for all comments by users to be shown, as your friends don't spend their valuable time commenting on people's blogs for the comments to be hidden or not shown at all.

4. Forums. Forums need users to exist. Users MUST find them easy to access if they are going to continue visiting. This new layout makes threads much harder to identify and respond to. The old layout really had this feature perfected, and the forums were so simple and reliable. I don't think it is unreasonable to try returning to the old forum layout for a trial period.

5. Our 'favourites'. The new layout makes listings of what the website deems to be our 'favourites'. My list of favourite shows lists "At Home with the Braithwaites" at number one. In my personal info box it lists "Kasey Chambers" as my favourite person. Neither of these are my 'favourites'. I think the concept of listing our 'favourites' is fantastic, as it makes it very easy for other users to identify why we are with the site, ie. what tv show we are 'associated' with, as well as the actors who make it important for us. But it seems absurdly simple to expect that we would get to choose our own favourites, rather than having them selected for us. This very simple feature could really enhance our personal profiles.

I could go on and on about all the things I want changed, but all that is showing is that I want the old layout back, and I'm not going to harp on and on about that. I would be thrilled if the bugs and basic issues are resolved in order to make the site more accessible and more user-friendly again. I love this site and it means so much to me. I will not leave if the problems are not resolved, but I would love to have the acknowledgement by the owners of the site that what we want matters.

Thank you to everybody who has taken part in the blackout. It has given me renewed hope and appreciation for our community and I am so glad to be here with you all.

That's all she wrote.

LLa xxx

'Cos everyone's singing we just want to be heard.

I wouldn't want to be
Anywhere else but... here
I wouldn't want to change
Anything at all
I wouldn't want to take
Everything out on you
Though I know I do
Everytime I fall...

Well, the countdown is on to Blackout day, and I just wanted to post another reminder blog to everybody out there that if you feel that your voice is important, and that we (the people who keep this site running) deserve a say, then showing your support for this event is vital.

This is not about being complainers, or making an issue where there isn't one, its about banding together with the people of our community to ensure that we are not forgotten in the decision making process. This site plays a different role in everybody's lives, and for me it has brought such a fantastic new world to my doorstep. tvDOTcom is a part of my life, and thus I want to know that the contributions I make are acknowledged and that my voice is heard.

Its very simple to show your support and be heard:

1. Change your avatar (until the end of the blackout) to our "Gone Dark" logo:

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd330/tjaman/tvdark.jpg

2. Change your forum signature:

(URL and instructions: {url=http://www.tv.com/users/Glenn11523/blog.php}{img}http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/4892/blackoutrm7.jpg{/img}{/url}

Change ALL the { } bracket combinations to [ ] and then
save it by going to your "prefs" option, then to the "Boards"
tab and paste the option in your "My Signature" box.)

3. On September 30, do not log in to tvDOTcom, do not visit, and encourage as many people as you can to do the same.

"One of our most fundamental needs is to be heard. Not just listened to, not just understood... but heard".

So on September 30, please make sure that your voice is also heard - by our absence. On the following day, ensure that the message is received loud and clear: write a blog a list the things that you want to see happen on our site.

I am so proud of our community, and what we represent. For most of us, this site brings friendship, support, a positive attitude and people with common interests into our lives. This is something to be valued, and I truly value all of my time here, and the people that I have met.

My forum signature has, for some time, featured the words of my leading ladies, The Dixie Chicks. Now, more than ever, it has relevance and meaning.

"Cos everyone's singing we just want to be heard."

That's all she wrote.

LLa xxx