We have been avoiding posting reviews for BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON because they’re mostly pretty grim, and as the Editrix is well-known in some circles to be a militant Book!Bridget fan who thought the only redeeming value of the first film was the charming sight of Colin Firth doing his patented Darcy Smoulder in designer suits, we have thought it might be best to wait for the good reviews. But heck, it’s a slow week (see below) and besides, this review is spot-on (at least about the first film–haven’t seen the second one yet so won’t judge) as far as the Editrix is concerned.

One of the most infuriating, pervasive elements of the 2001 movie Bridget Jones’s Diary is its insistence that misguided heroine Bridget was actually fat. A blond, wispy, Texan actress (Renée Zellweger) was cast in the role of the brunette, calorie-obsessed, chardonnay-swilling English love pariah.

Zellweger was forced to gobble down Krispy Kreme doughnuts and, egads, probably something truly devilish, like pasta. All this to transform into what looks like an American size 12.

But anyone more than vaguely familiar with the Jones books, or the British newspaper columns from which both were adapted, knows that average-height Bridget always hovered around the 130-pound mark. She was hardly a heifer; she was just an average thirtysomething woman who despaired over her inability to whip herself into shape like a “lean teenage greyhound” and give up salmon pinwheels, wine and cigarettes, or to go to the gym “not merely to buy a sandwich.”

YES! YES! Remember, when she DID get to her dream weight everyone said she looked sick and too thin! And she wore designer clothes! She didn’t swan around like a dimwit in a see-through shirt! ARRRRRGH!

(*Will not harsh the buzz. Will not harsh the buzz. Will not harsh the buzz.*)

Do you want to read another bad review? No? Ah well. We promise to post the good ones, really. And we do confess that we are looking forward to the fight in the fountain.

(Private to Ms. Phoebe Flowers: If you’re in the vicinity of AustenBlog World Headquarters, stop by for a cup of tea and a dish session, will you?)

ETA: Well, this is a little better. Not a review, good or bad, but an article about Colin Firth and the Fitzwilliam/Mark Darcy phenomenon.

“When the producers of Bridget Jones’s Diary called my agent to offer me the role of Mark Darcy he asked who would play Colin Firth if they ever made the sequel,” recalls Firth. “This whole Mark Darcy thing, in one form or another, has been going on for me since 1994. It’s definitely had its bizarre and surreal moments.”

We think the interview would be rather interesting in a surreal way.

Spanning the globe to bring you the least tidbit of P&P3 news, we have the following offering from the Yorkshire Post:

The choice of Chatsworth House as the setting for a remake of Pride and Prejudice was good news for South Yorkshire’s hotel industry.

Keira Knightley was among the stars who flocked to the Peak District in September to bring Jane Austen’s classic to life.
The film crew needed places to stay, and it seems many of them headed for Sheffield.

According to a survey carried out by Deloitte, Sheffield hotels had a strong September, with occupancy rates rising by 5.4 per cent to around 74 per cent, when compared to the same month last year.

Many hoteliers cited the demand from the Pride and Prejudice team as one of the reasons for the improvement.

Sorry, but it’s a slow week for Jane news. We’re falling onto scraps here.