Welcome to the new version of Confessions of Christina Ricci! :cute: I wanted to create a new look that celebrates the release of Penelope – so here it is! Penelope is currently in cinemas in the UK and will be released in the USA on February 29. Make sure you head on over and check it out if / when it’s playing in your area. Please feel free to leave your comments about the new layout in this post. :heart:

I wanted to mention about the fan forums – I’m currently in the process of moving them BACK to this site. We were experiencing some spam at the previous forums, so I’m hoping this move will remove that issue all together. 😉

I hope everyone enjoys the new look and I’ll post when the forums are back up.

Today is Christina’s 28th birthday. Confessions of Christina Ricci would like to wish Christina and very great birthday filled with family, friends and other loved ones. :heart: If you want to leave a birthday message for Christina, you can do so over at our fan forums or by leaving a comment in this post. :cute:

You don’t get to talk to Christina Ricci every day. I’m not bragging here, I’m just stating a fact. I needed some way to get the ball rolling on this interviewiticle…or maybe artiview? Whatever disturbing bastardizing of the English language to mash words together you prefer just go ahead and substitute up there. Back to you not talking to Christina Ricci, star of such classic films as The Adams Family and The Adams Family Values. In last year’s Black Snake Moan she was tied up by a loud black man who had a haircut that looked as if a cowl had been partially removed. I’ve enjoyed all facets of her career so far.

Christina herself is a very gracious young lady, who genuinely enjoyed talking to the press all day long. Or maybe she was playing pretend, you can never tell with actors… they’re always acting. Which is why it’s perfectly fine to call out to one by their character name, especially if they’re coming out of a church with a woman in their arms. Somebody needs to keep me on track, otherwise you’ll never get to hear about Speed Racer.

Now that your interest is further piqued, it’s about time we get to the little discussion Cinema Blend had with Christina Ricci on a cozy afternoon. She was kind enough to share her thoughts on the upcoming fairy tale fantasy Penelope, in which Ricci plays the titular character with a porcine nose. While the film tackles the issue of beauty and preconceived notions of society, it is far closer in tone to Ever After than the brilliant Chuck Palahniuk novel Invisible Monsters. And yes, there are some comments made about Speed, but you’ll have to read the whole interview to find them. I deliver the goods; I don’t make it easier for you to digest them. I recommend prune juice if you’re having problems though.

Can you tell us about how long it took to put on the pig nose every day?

It took about an hour and a half to put the prosthetic on. Then I’d go over to regular hair and makeup to get normal beauty makeup put on over that.

Did that get a little old after awhile?

Generally the hair and makeup trailer in the morning is kind of fun. So, the only thing that got old was I had to not talk at all while the nose was being put on my face. Because you can’t move your mouth when there’s something being glued to it. Sometimes being silent for that long – I had a problem with – because I am a compulsive talker.

We know Speed Racer will be a visual treat with plenty of action, but perhaps it will have good values too. Christina Ricci, who plays Trixie, described all the progressive women’s lib stuff she gets to play in the movie.

“Speed Racer was the most fun ever,” she said. “That’s another example of a great role model character for girls because she’s smart, she’s funny and she does all the things the boys do. She kung fu fights, she drives a car, she races and she flies a helicopter. But she has a specific outfit that she wears when she flies the helicopter, and her lipstick always matches something she’s wearing. She gets to be everything. She’s celebrated as a girl and a woman, but she’s also not treated any differently than the male characters are. So, it was so much fun, in that respect. I like being dressed up and I like doing stunts.”

That specific look also included really short hair, which Ricci resisted. After her requests for a wig were denied, she relented. “It was the Wachowskis. It’s Speed Racer. I can always ask for a wig on the second one. You feel like, if you do it once, then you’re justified in saying, ‘Okay, I did it, and I don’t want to anymore.'”

Finished footage of Speed Racer has not only produced the visual thrills one might expect. “A lot of guys were crying at the end of the 15 minute [reel] because there’s this real guy-sad thing. Also, every character in it is a very specific, funny character. Mom is always going to have her apron on, and Sparky is going to always be Chaplin-esque and funny, and Mr. Royalton will always be evil. It’s just fun. Everything about the movie makes it feel like an event movie, so that’s exciting.”

Ricci is joined in the Wachowski-rendered Speed Racer by Emile Hirsch as Speed, Matthew Fox as Racer X, John Goodman as Pops, and Susan Sarandon as Mom. Speed will race into theaters May 9, 2008.

Article from Rotten Tomatoes. Thanks to seltaeb65 from our forums for the heads up! :heart:

Target Media, Posterscope and Ten Nine have launched integrated campaign for the blockbuster film Penelope, distributed by Momentum films across the UK this week. The campaign comprises TV, Press, Radio, Online and Outdoor including a poster campaign in school.

The TV campaign is being aired across the main commercial channels ITV, C4, five as well digital channels SKY, Living, MTV, E4 and ITV2.

The campaign will also run on several children’s channels including Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and CITV. With a promotion running across Nickelodeon

To ensure the campaign reaches the target audience, media agency Target Media and outdoor agency Posterscope collaborate with Ten Nine, a leading communications provider for responsible messaging in secondary schools and 6th form colleges, to implement six sheet poster panels in nearly 600 schools across the UK.

Press advertisements will be placed in several youth titles in January, Bliss, Sugar, Top of the Pops and Mizz and a 20-second radio advert will be aired both nationally and regionally across a number of stations including Hit40, Fresh 40, Smash Hits, KISS, and Galaxy.

The film, starring Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Reese Witherspoon and Richard E.Grant, is a modern fairytale of a young girl who is under a curse and has to overcome her looks to find love.

The online campaign comprises a strong presence across portals such as MSN, Hotmail and social networking sites Habbo and Piczo. Lifestyle website MyBliss will run rich media ads, competitions and quizzes and Mykindofplace will feature a two week homepage takeover as well as create a dedicated micro site, featuring games and multimedia content

Naomi White at Target, commented: “This is a great film so in order to capture its target audience we implemented an extensive integrated campaign involving a variety of different media channels.

“To effectively engage with the teenage audience, we supplemented out above the line and digital activity with a poster campaign in schools run by Ten Nine. This offering is proving to be a highly efficient way of targeting this demographic in a responsible and effective way.

Bob Strawbridge, National Sales Manager at Ten Nine, commented: “Working with Momentum films represents another important step into the entertainment arena for us. The campaign for Penelope portrays the fun and entertaining side of the film whilst also highlighting the underlying issue around beauty being skin deep, an important message for the youth market.”

From 4RFV

Since the release of Penelope is getting closer, it’s being released on February 29, 2008, I decided to post some various links to different Penelope related content. Of course, there is the official website – PenelopeTheMovie.com. You can join the official Myspace and the official Youtube Channel. Check them out and don’t forget to go see Penelope on February 29!

AFTER spending a summer of love with her Aussie actor beau Kick Gurry in Sydney, it may only be a matter of time before Hollywood actress Christina Ricci shacks up in his lavish Darling Point home for good.

The pair, who met in September while starring in the Hollywood blockbuster Speedracer, spent the festive season soaking up the sun together, with Ricci hinting to film writer Erin McWhirter things could be hotting up on the domestic front.

On the promo trail for her new flick Penelope yesterday, the 27-year-old turned super spruiker for the Harbour City.

“Sydney is probably my favourite city ever. After three days here I was like, ‘This is the best city I have ever been in’. There are places like Rome or Paris, but you can’t imagine living there. This seems like the most wonderful, liveable city in the world. It’s been the best start to the New Year.”

While she remained tight-lipped on the intimate details of life with Gurry, it appears his laid-back Aussie attitude has rubbed off on her and their romance.

“I have definitely grown out of thinking jaded is cool,” Ricci said.

“I used to have a real problem with sincerity, I was always sarcastic, but I think now I am confident enough within myself to be sincere.”

Now happily head-over-heels, the actress who once struggled with anorexia said she is now content, making relationships easier.

“You have to learn to love yourself and you have to learn to stick with yourself because no one is going to make you perfect,” she said.

“You are not going to meet the kind of person you are going to fall in love with until you are the best person you can be.”

Ricci, who flew out of Australia last night, plays the lead role in her latest romantic fairytale film, due for release here in April.

From the Courier Mail (Australia)