Vol. 2 No. 2 June 1999

News
Birthday Section
A Wooster A-Z

Editors:
Arleigh and Peggy

This Month's Contributor:
Tatiana Riazantseva

Special thanks to Deb, Neva, and Marique for help with news items.

Astrology sites used
for the birthday
section include:

Horoscopes from the
Heavens
TwoStar Oracle
AstroAdvice
AstrologyNow
Astrology Guide
1.Horoscope.com Online

On the other hand:
Australian Skeptics
Amazing Randi Hotline

Copyright 1999 by
Hugh Laurie FAQ

Note: In our last issue, we promised the second part of Marique's story, about going to tapings of A Bit of Fry & Laurie. Due to the recent complete loss of your editor's hard drive, this article will be delayed till a future issue. Our deepest apologies, and next time, the ed. promises to make a hard copy!

Regarding that crash...another thing I lost was my address book, complete with mailing lists. Thanks to my good friend Minda, I've recovered many of the names. What I don't have is your preference for HTML or text edition. For this issue, I'm sending the HTML version except where I know an ISP can't handle HTML mail (e.g., AOL users). If you're unable to read it through the gobbledegook, let me know and I will be pleased to substitute the text version. Thanks for your patience.

Hot off the presses: The People, a London tabloid newspaper, is reporting that Hugh will play a lead part in the new film Maybe Baby, being written and directed by Ben Elton. According to the story, Hugh will play a man trying to come to terms with his failure to have children.

Hugh can currently be heard reading Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat on BBC Radio 2, Fridays at 9:15 p.m. Last fall, his audiorecording of this book won him a "Talkie," the British spoken-word industry awards.

Penguin recently reissued the Jeeves and Bertie stories and novels, to commemmorate the publication of the first Jeeves short-story collection in 1919. To mark the occasion, The Daily Telegraph printed "Wodehouse Saved my Life," Hugh's humorous account of how he discovered P.G.W. (and Jeeves).

Hugh in America: Variety reported in 1998 that Hugh had signed a development deal with CBS Television. This past February, he also attended the Toy Fair in New York City along with other members of the Stuart Little cast and crew. It appears Sony is mounting a major toy marketing campaign for the film. ( Is there a Hugh action figure in the future?)

At last, all those rumors about a new Blackadder are coming true - sort of. Richard Curtis and Ben Elton are reportedly writing a 30-minute film, "Blackadder Back and Forth," to be shown to visitors at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, outside London. Latest word has Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Hugh and Stephen Fry attached to the project. The storyline has Baldrick making a time machine out of cereal boxes and taking Blackadder on a trip through two thousand years of British history.

UK readers can still see repeats of Jeeves and Wooster, now being shown on Granada Plus at noon and 9 p.m. Sundays. They are almost finished with Series 3. Series 1 of J and W is being re-released on videotape in the UK, after having been unavailable for a number of years. The other three series will follow later in 1999 and next year. All four series have now been released in North America by A&E Home Video.

Hugh was born on June 11, in 1959, making this his fortieth birthday. Strictly in a spirit of fun, we ran his date and place of birth through some on-line astrology sources, to see what his astrological chart looked like. With apologies to Stephen Fry (who disdains such nonsense), here's what the stars say about him. (If you're of a like mind to Stephen, best scroll down to the next section.)

Sun sign: Gemini
Moon, Venus and Mars: in Leo
Ascendant: Pisces (using noon as time of birth, by default)
Ruling Planet: Mercury
General Personality Traits of Gemini:
The Good: Intellectual, Adaptable, Versatile, Witty, Amusing, Youthful and Lively
The Not-So-Good: Nervous and Tense, Superficial and Inconsistent
General Compatibility: Libra, Aquarius
Color: Yellow
Rules: Hands, arms, shoulders, lungs

"[Gemini is], in many ways, an eternal child.His mind is bright, alert, curious, flexible, playful, and always eager for new experiences - and his attention span is often quite brief. He grasps ideas quickly and once his initial curiosity has been satisfied, he wants to go on to something else. He craves frequent change, variety, meeting new situations and people.

"It may be hard for him to decide just where his talents and true vocation lies, for he has a multitude of interests and is loathe to limit himself by concentrating on just one.He is easily distracted by all of the other fascinating possibilities. His curiosity and restlessness propel him into many different experiences in life, and he is willing to taste or try anything once. Doing the same thing over and over again, even it is something he does well, is real drudgery for him.

"He lives in his head a great deal - reading, observing, thinking, spinning ideas around - and needs mental stimulation every bit as much as he needs food and drink. In fact, if he had to choose between a good book or movie and a good lunch, he would very likely choose the former. He has a creative mind and often lives by his wits.

"He is also a very social creature, with a strong need to communicate and to interact with people. He enjoys using and playing with words and has a real flair for getting his ideas across in a clever, interesting, articulate manner. Writing or
speaking are areas he has talent for.

"He also has a rather light and mischievous sense of humor, and often does not take anything too seriously. Though he craves emotional involvement, it is hard for him to achieve it, for he is frequently unwilling to commit himself to anything, to take responsibility, or to limit his personal freedom and mobility.

"His happiness lies in using his creativity and his language skills to communicate something meaningful, to teach, inspire, or bring people together. He has an unbiased mind and can usually offer a fresh, clear, uncluttered perspective. His faults are his lack of constancy and persistence, and his tendency to overlook or ignore deep emotional issues and other people's feelings.

"He has an extremely active, lively and versatile mind with a multitude of interests and an inexhaustible curiosity about life. He is quick to grasp new concepts and equally quick to lose interest in an idea or project once his curiosity has been satisfied. He likes to taste a little bit of everything -concentration and disciplined study are not his strong points. Mentally restless, he may change jobs or locations frequently, or do work that involves movement, travel, and variety.

"He has a flair for language, playing with words, speaking, writing, or teaching in an entertaining and informative way. He enjoys meeting new people, conversing and learning a little bit about them, and he works well with the public.

"Sales, advertising, communications, journalism, or public relations are good areas for him. His ability to be articulate and to communicate well is one of his greatest strengths."

He gets great pleasure out of working with his hands. Known for talking with his hands, making expressive movements to add to his already descriptive way with words.

A creative and outgoing individual who enjoys being in the spotlight. Competitive in all that he does. Needs to practice the power of positive thought to make life a little easier for himself. Wants everything to be perfect.

Attracts a great deal of attention from potential partners because he is fun to be with. Likes to operate as a couple rather than go it alone. Both business and emotional partnerships will be to his advantage.

Becomes strongly attached to his friends and usually sticks to the same people throughout his life. Generous, frank and outgoing. Friends have a strong influence on him.

Tends to work in partnerships rather then going it alone.

Has strong willpower and creativity in the arts.

Amateur acting may bring him great joy. (!)

Born with the art of persuasion...lively, energetic and humanistic.

The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young.

Physical characteristics of Gemini: Tall, slim, with long legs, arms and neck.
Their chest is narrow and movements restless. They have beautiful eyes, and a face that always looks somehow younger than their age.

And, to cover all bases, here's a Chinese horoscope:

From Chinese Astrology:

[June 1959 was the year of the Boar.]

"The Boar is honest...without artifice or pretense, and dislikes forcing himself on others or being the center of attention. Chivalrous, gallant, obliging, scrupulous to a fault, the Boar is naive, innocent, confident, and defenseless....a splendid companion...doesn't say much, but when he does decide to speak, nothing can stop him until the subject's exhausted. Reads a lot, but widely rather than deeply.
"Sensitive, caring, and indulgent...intelligent and cultured...has a streak of bawdiness and earthiness. Practical, logical and down to earth. Blessed with composure and self-control. Makes friends easily and also seems to hang on to them for life. Extremely considerate of the chosen few who do merit his affection. Untiring worker, successful in his careers. Honest, decent, generous, supportive, loyal to his friends, and thoroughly trustworthy."

A few more tidbits about the date June 11:

Others born on this date include alchemist Sir Kenelm Digby (by an odd coincidence, Stephen Fry will be playing him in a film called Longitude), the painter John Constable, composer Richard Strauss, Jacques Cousteau, and Gene Wilder. At one time, before the present calendar was adopted, June 11 was the summer solstice. In Hawaii, this is Kamehameha Day, in honor of the king who united all the islands in the 18th century.

We'll wrap up this section by wishing a very happy birthday to Hugh, and hoping that the next forty years will surpass the first ones.

Did you know that Jeeves and Wooster is credited with helping to bring P.G. Wodehouse's works back to popular attention in Russia, after the books had been banned in the Soviet Union for several decades? According to the Daily Telegraph, March 18, 1998, "Interest in Wodehouse's comic masterpieces, which feature Gussie Finknottle, the bespectacled newt fancier, and tales of Blandings Castle and Lord Emsworth's prize pig The Empress of Blandings, was first ignited by the screening of the ITV series Jeeves and Wooster in Russia a few years ago." One fan, Mikhail Kuzmenko, was inspired to create a website, The Russian Wodehouse Society, a wonderful resource for Wodehouse (and J and W) fans all over the world. Tatiana Riazantseva, an ardent fan from Ukraine, was inspired to write the following delightful piece in praise of one of our favorite shows.

Jeewes and Wooster Fans' ABC : Best Regards from Ukraine.

After composing a 110-word-long ABC it's a bit hard to add an
introduction to it, even the short one. Making this jolly
alphabet WAS a real fun for me and I hope that the rest
of the J and W fans will like it too.

I feel it necessary to confess that the idea of the ABC
like this belongs rather to Lewis Carroll than to myself,
for I took the principle from "Through the Looking Glass".
All I did is modernizing and adjusting the old game
to J and W reality.

I'm also happy to inform everybody interested that P.G.Wodehouse's
stories about J and W's adventures are read and loved in Ukraine.
The number of J and W's fans here isn't of course so numerous as in
the English-speaking world, but is constantly increasing.

Strange as it may seem the Wodehouse's eccentric humour is rather
close to our best patterns, and some traits
of British national character revealed in the stories
are very familiar to Ukrainians,that's why Jeeves and
Wooster look so delightfully "ours"!

THE JEEVES AND WOOSTER FANS' ABC

Want to know why we all love Jeeves and Wooster? It's simple!
Because they are:

A) able, adventurous, advanced, artistic and amusing
B) brainy, broadminded, bizarre, brilliant and bright
C) cool, classy, clever, clean and cute
D) daring, devoted, delightful, dreamy and darling
E) elegant, energetic, euphoric, everlasting and easy-going - English!
F) fabulous, free, fantastic, fascinating and favourite (MR.FRY)
G) gallant, gorgeous, generous, gracious and great
H) handsome, hilarious, honest, humorous and helpful
I) ideal, irrefragable, intellectual and inventive
J) just,jolly and jovial
K) kind, known, knowlegeable and keen
L) lyric, loyal, lovable and learned (MR. LAURIE)
M) modern, magnificent, mysterious, mischievous and musical
N) noble, neat, nice and new
O) open and outstanding
P) perfect, practical, prosperous, polite and positive
Q) quiet, quick and qualified
R) rare, reasonable, remarcable, respectable and romantic
S) seductive, sincere, serious, special, superb and shy?
T) trustworthy, true, typical, tender and tall
U) unique, uncomparable, urban, unbeatable and useful
V) vital, varied, valuable, volatile and victorious
W) witty, wonderful, wise, wanted and world-known
X) xenial, X-ellent, X-clusive and X-treme
Y) young
Z) they have ZEST.

This ABC contains 110 words,
ADD to IT IF YOU WANT!

Hugh on the Web

Check out The Russian Wodehouse Society/Sir Watkyn Bassett's Page, for a feast of Wodehouse links, as well as a large section devoted to Jeeves and Wooster (including many pictures from the series).

Speaking of pictures, there's a new Britcomedy Pictures page with Snappys from Alfresco and A Bit of Fry & Laurie.

Read more about the proposed new Blackadder film.

Hugh's next big movie is Stuart Little, due to be released in December. In the meantime, check out the official website.

The Hugh Laurie FAQ has a slightly new look, and more pictures than ever. There is a temporary mirror site until the new version is up and running on the Prairienet Britcomedy Pages.

As always, check out Quick Fry for the very latest on both Fry and Laurie.

That's all for this issue. We hope you enjoyed it, frivolity and all. Look for another issue later this year with - we hope - Marique's report on ABOF&LL, plus a fan's tour of London from a Hugh's-eye-view, and more.