New Marie-Antoinette casting

A few months ago, I posted the story that French actress Eva Green had been cast in the big screen adaptation of Chantal Thomas's fantastic novel, Farewell My Queen, the story of the relationship between Queen Marie-Antoinette and one of her servants, Agathe, who has a job as a Reader in the Queen's Household. The novel follows Agathe's worshipful respect for the doomed queen and her experiences living in the Palace of Versailles in the final week before the outbreak of the French Revolution. It's a really incredible novel and very atmospheric, capturing perfectly the terror that seized the palace in July 1789, so I can't wait to see the movie.

However, it turns out that since then, the role of Marie-Antoinette has been re-cast and German actress, Diane Kruger (above), will be playing the queen. Diane looks much more like the real Marie-Antoinette and Marie-Antoinette was Austrian, not French; that being said, both are fantastic actresses.

Agathe is being played by Léa Seydoux; Gérard Depardieu and Virginie Ledoyen will also co-star. Having read the novel, my predictions are that Depardieu will either play Captain de la Roche, the royal zoo keeper, or the King's historiographer; and my money's on Virginie Ledoyen playing Gabrielle, Duchesse de Polignac, the beautiful and controversial Versailles socialite.

Having now posted this online, I will almost certainly be proven wrong.

Either way, can't wait to see Farewell my Queen, which is due out later this year.

"Popular": South Africa, 2011

Very excited to say that Popular will be published by Penguin in South Africa on August 1st, 2011, three weeks after it's published in the UK and Ireland.

58,000 tourists due in Belfast

Great news for Northern Irish tourism - the BBC is reporting that over thirty-eight luxury liners, including the 113,000-ton Crown Princess will be docking in Belfast over the summer. Since 2008, there have been more and more cruise ships docking in Belfast and the cruising industry contributed over £15 million to the local economy in 2010 alone. 2011 is set to be the busiest summer yet and obviously Popular should be used as some sort of tour guide.


Gerry Lennon, from the Belfast Visitor & Convention Bureau, said: - "The cruise market is a global industry and Belfast had to work hard to get recognition in the early days through our Cruise Belfast Initiative in partnership with Belfast Harbour... Positive feedback from those first arrivals has seen Belfast quickly establish a reputation as a 'must see' destination."

When Royalty meets the President

Just back from their honeymoon in the Seychelles, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge carried out their first official royal duty as a married couple when they met President and First Lady Obama, who are on a state visit to the UK and Ireland this week. 

The meeting took place at Buckingham Palace and the Duchess's dress, for those fashionistas amongst you, is by Reiss.

The awkward moment when your table quiz chat gets humiliating

I may literally never stop laughing at the sorry attempt at an in-house table quiz performed at my house between myself, Susan "Malone" Howard, and my sisters Lynsey, Jenny and Ashleigh. We played it every man for themselves, from an online table quiz and picked names. Susan was standard "BT Gorgeous," Lynsey was "Quiztina Milian," Jenny, ironically, was "Team Winning," Ashleigh's doesn't bear repeating on the Internet and mine was SAF (Sound as F*k.) Proper Belfast, like.

Turns out that none of us are anywhere near as clever as we thought and the process of stupidity had started it turned into a vicious cycle. Here are a sample of some of our answers: -

WHICH FAMOUS ACTRESS IS FAMOUS FOR PRODUCING HER FITNESS VIDEOS - JANE BLANK?

Answer: Jane Eyre (Jenny.)

WHAT IS THE CAPITAL OF SRI LANKA? 

Answer: Potango (Susan.)

WHAT DO THE LETTERS E.T. STAND FOR IN THE MOVIE?

Answer: Electric Telephone (Jenny.)

WHAT IS THE CAPITAL OF MALTA? 

Answer: Potango (Susan. If at first you don't succeed...)

WHEN THE LETTERS "PB" APPEAR AFTER A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE'S NAME, WHAT DO THEY STAND FOR?

Answers: "Professional Bowler" (Gareth) 

"Pretty Bad" (Ashleigh)

WHO WAS THE LEAD SINGER OF THE POLICE? 

Answer: PC Plum (Jenny)

WHICH YOUNG ACTRESS PLAYED THE LITTLE GIRL IN THE MOVIE ET? 

Answer: Ashley Olsen (Jenny.)

WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THE SHIP THE PILGRIMS EMIGRATED TO AMERICA ON IN 1605? 

Answer: 'The Pilgrim Pirate Ship' (Susan)

WHO WROTE 'THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO'?

Answer: Pavarotti (Susan)

WHICH CITY DID RHYMING SLANG ORIGINATE IN? 

Answer: The Bronx (Jenny.)

WHO IS THE GREEK GOD OF TIME? 

Answer: Rolex (Lynsey) 

Armani (Susan.)

IN WHICH FAMOUS TUNNEL DID A FIRE START IN 1996?

Answer: The Tunnel of Doom (Jenny)

WHO WAS THE ROMAN GOD OF WAR? 

Answer: Pilate (Ashleigh. Who went to Sunday School every week for years.)

WHICH BRITISH WAR HERO WAS KNOWN AS THE IRON DUKE? 

Answer: The Duke of Iron (Jenny.)

WHO WROTE 'THE INVISIBLE MAN'?

Answer: J.K. Rowling. (Jenny)

WHICH COUNTRY IS BUCHAREST THE CAPITAL OF?

Answer: Paris (Ashleigh.)

Pay attention in class, kids. It's all I'm saying.

"Popular": Australia and New Zealand

I'm really, really excited to let everyone know that Popular is being published in Australia and New Zealand on August 29th 2011.


Popular is profiled on Penguin Australia's blog Between the Lines, here.

Starlet Express

The Daily Mail profiles five talented young British actresses - Downton Abbey's Jessica Brown-Findlay, Any Human Heart's Emerald Fennell, No Strings Attached's Ophelia Lovibond, Being Human's Lenora Crichlow and singer/actress Abi Phillips, currently appearing in the soap opera Hollyoaks.

I loved the article and whilst I'd like to say I read it because of my commendable interest in like, the arts and stuff, I read it because Emerald and I use to dress up in eighteenth century garb together at Oxford. Those were the good times.

It is actually a very good article though and I think I may be in love with Ophelia Lovibond's name.

For the full article, click HERE.

The Return of Ab Fab

Huzzah! Word on the street is that a brand new series of Absolutely Fabulous will be made for the winter of 2011.

For some of the show's best bits, cackle below.