Man held on Da Vinci Code film set

A man was arrested after causing a scene on the set of the new Tom Hanks thriller The Da Vinci Code, police have said. The 39-year-old was said to have been led away by police after trying to get the star's autograph on location at Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian. The historic building features in Dan Brown's best-selling novel on which the film is based. Hanks has spent the week filming scenes with his female co-star Audrey Tautou. A security source said that the man had been hanging around the set on and off during the week and had been warned about his behaviour. [More]

Brit surgeon cracks da Vinci code

Leonardo da Vinci probably never thought he had the proverbial Holy Grail to a revolution in heart surgery. Almost 500 years after da Vinci’s death, intricate diagrams of the human heart made by him have inspired a British surgeon to pioneer a new way to repair damaged hearts. Francis Wells from Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, says da Vinci’s observations of the way heart valves open and close were revelatory and using this understanding he has found a new method to repair the floppy mitral valve without altering its normal diameter, which is the current surgical practice. [More]

Film will be reply to ‘Da Vinci Code’

SOUTH BEND -- NewGroup Media, a South Bend communications company, will produce a documentary based on Dan Brown's best-selling novel "The Da Vinci Code" for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. "Jesus De-coded: Catholic Perspective on the 'Da Vinci Code,' " scheduled to air nationally in April 2006 on NBC -- just before release of the Ron Howard-directed studio film starring Tom Hanks -- will look at the Roman Catholic Church's position on issues raised in the novel. [More]

Tom Hanks makes it a day to remember for 10-year-old boy

HOLLYWOOD came to Scotland yesterday and one of its top stars made it a day to remember for a 10-year-old boy. Kerr Edwards was treated to a personal tour of Rosslyn Chapel by Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks during a break in filming of the international best seller The Da Vinci Code. The medieval church in Midlothian is being used for part of the £53m adaptation of the mystery by Dan Brown. [More]

Town watches as Da Vinci Code film icons come to Rosslyn Chapel

The normally tranquil village of Roslin grabbed its first taste of Hollywood yesterday when Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and his entourage swept into town to begin filming the finale to Dan Brown's international best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code. While many locals attempted to ignore the clipboards, headsets and the specially erected polystyrene wall that confirmed the arrival of a big-budget movie, Monday morning still provided opportunities for the entrepreneurial. In the village a group of pensioners - whose cottages in Manse Road have the best view of the Rosslyn Chapel - organised a "bidding war" selling prime-location spaces at bedroom windows to the world's paparazzi. All proceeds were being split between a kidney research unit at an Edinburgh hospital and St Claire's Old Folk's Lunch Club in the village. [More]

'Da Vinci chapel' filming starts

Officials have closed the Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian for a week to allow filming of the bestselling Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. The medieval building has found new popularity because of its association with the best-selling novel. But concern has been expressed that the unprecedented interest in the chapel will be damaging unless it is strictly controlled. The chapel's trustees said protection of the site was always under review. [More]

Read all about Rosslyn Chapel in our 'Locations' section. [Location: Rosslyn Chapel]

“Da Vinci Code” Author Engages in Fierce Debate With Catholic Priests

By now, “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown has become a cultural icon. The novel is a million-seller many times over, with some two million copies sold in Korea alone and more than 25 million copies sold worldwide. It has been transformed into tourist products, a movie, and a video game. Its shocking hypothetical premise, which flies in the face of orthodox Scripture, has spawned countless “reference” guides and heated theological debates. [More]

New book based on 'Da Vinci Code' diet

PORTLAND, Maine - A baker who lost half his business to the low-carb craze has written a book based on the mathematical principles of the Golden Ratio, a formula used by Leonardo Da Vinci and made popular in the best seller, “The Da Vinci Code.” Stephen Lanzalotta created what he called the “Da Vinci Diet” in response to the decline in bread consumption brought on by the popularity of the Atkins Diet. The diet consists mostly of Mediterranean foods, including bread, fish, cheese, vegetables, meat, nuts and wine. [More]

The Da Vinci Code Won't Dampen The Release Of New Bible Study Tool

The popular Da Vinci Code has questioned the authenticity of the Bible but after months of extensive testing the free Bible study tool from MyBibleBase.com is available for general use. Designed to help you organize and share your Bible studies with others you can store your Bible studies on-line and export them as PDF for use in study groups. London (PRWEB) September 22, 2005 -– The popular Da Vinci Code has tried to question the authority of the Bible, but the Bible has withstood the onslaught. Now, after extensive beta testing, there is a new Bible Study Tool from MyBibleBase.com. [More]

Secrets of Angels, Demons & Masons DVD

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- This October, KOCH Vision will bring to DVD Secrets of Angels, Demons & Masons, a must-have companion to the novels of Dan Brown. Based on Dan Burstein and Arne de Keijzer's best- selling book, Secrets of Angels & Demons, this two-part documentary investigates the Illuminati and the Freemasons, two mysterious organizations central to Dan Brown's novel Angels & Demons and his upcoming sequel to The Da Vinci Code. Secrets of Angels, Demons & Masons will be available in stores on October 4 for a suggested retail price of $19.98. [More] [Pre-Order 'Secrets of Angels Demons & Masons' at Amazon.com today!]

Hanks in secret Rosslyn visit before Da Vinci Code filming

HOLLYWOOD legend Tom Hanks has made a secret visit to Scotland ahead of filming the Da Vinci Code. The actor watched a play at the Rosslyn Chapel, which will be a key location in the movie. Filming is expected to start next week. Crews arrived in the area yesterday and have been preparing to start shooting the movie. Locals are bracing themselves for Da Vinci mania when Hanks and his Hollywood entourage descend on the small village. [More]

Hidden images to fuel Da Vinci Code conspiracies

Amid the obsessive scholars and scheming prelates who inhabit Dan Brown's global blockbuster The Da Vinci Code, there is a real person. Maurizio Seracini works in a high-ceilinged, colourfully frescoed palazzo just across the river from the Uffizi gallery in Florence, Italy. His premises are packed with machines that look as if they belong in a hospital or laboratory. Brown calls him an "art diagnostician", which is not a bad description for someone who probes paintings with state-of-the-art technology, often to advise museums, dealers and collectors on their restoration. [More]

Da Vinci Code Supplements Released by the Family Forest® Project

Kamuela, HI (PRWEB) Monday, September 19, 2005 – Da Vinci Code supplements released here from the Family Forest® Project. Da Vinci Code fans and critics alike will be surprised if not flabbergasted to discover the mystifying and highly interconnected web of generation-by-generation family ties (according to fully sourced recorded history) that actually connects most of the real people in Dan Brown's phenomenal best-seller "The Da Vinci Code" to each other as relatives. After tens of thousands of hours have been spent digitally connecting the dots of thousands of years of ancestral history according to where the experts say they should be connected, the computer was asked to analyze the results to identify the pictures that appear. [More]

Stars light up UK's Walk of Fame

The UK's answer to Hollywood's Walk of Fame has been unveiled in a TV special. Entertainers from the world of film, comedy, music and TV over the last 50 years were given plaques on the Avenue of Stars in central London. Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir Alec Guinness and The Sex Pistols were among the first 100 stars to make it onto the Covent Garden walkway. [More]

Pope blesses Opus Dei statue

Pope Benedict XVI unveiled overnight a statue of Saint Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, founder of the influential conservative Opus Dei group, honouring him with a place among saints represented at the Vatican. The pontiff blessed the five-metre statue, by the Rome artist Romano Cosci, without comment. Opus Dei, which has a chiefly lay membership, has aroused controversy over charges that it is secretive and socially ultra-conservative. It came to wider attention when it was heavily and unflatteringly featured in the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code. [More]

Pre-Order Ringers: Lord of the Fans!

CULVER CITY, Calif. (September 12, 2005) – This November 22, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) invites you to return to the Shire with the release of the feature-length documentary RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS, direct to DVD. In association with the popular fan-site TheOneRing.net, Carlene Cordova produced, directed and wrote this award-winning film with executive producer Tom DeSanto (X-Men, X2: X-Men United and Transformers), which charts the incredible influence and ripple-effect that Lord of the Rings has had on worldwide pop culture over the past five decades. Whether you are a fan or first timer, critics agree, RINGERS, stands as the most comprehensive film documenting the ongoing impact of J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary achievement. [Pre-Order 'Ringers']

Da Vinci code author to speak at dinner

MANCHESTER — Author and New Hampshire native Dan Brown will be the keynote speaker at the New Hampshire Humanities Council's 16th annual dinner, celebrating the council's mission to provide programs that foster reflection, discussion and civil debate. The dinner is Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 5 p.m., with dinner and address beginning at 6:30, at the Center of New Hampshire Radisson. In addition to Brown's keynote address, the Treat Award for Excellence in the Teaching of the Humanities will be presented to Manchester Central High School English teacher Patricia G. Hicks. [More]

Arise Sir Ian.... You're Nicked

Screen legend Sir Ian McKellen has always been an arresting presence on screen - but this was taking it too far. The actor was bundled into a police car outside Scotland Yard during the filming of the blockbuster movie The Da Vinci Code. Sir Ian plays Sir Leigh Teabing alongside Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks in the film, due out next year and expected to be a big hit. Stunning French actress Audrey Tautou will also star in the movie, based on the bestseller. The controversial novel by Dan Brown links a murder in Paris and clues in paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci to a secret society set up to protect the descendants of the purported marriage of Jesus to Mary Magdalene. [More]

Blockbuster bid to draw tourists to the Capital

The runaway success of blockbuster novel the Da Vinci Code is being used to tempt visitors to the Capital. Tourist body VisitScotland has launched a Da Vinci Code city break in a bid to cash in on the link between Dan Brown's multi- million-selling book and Rosslyn Chapel in Roslin. The weekend break will see visitors taken to the chapel, which is the setting for the climax of the novel, and promises to help them unwrap the "secrets of the Holy Grail". [More]

‘Da Vinci Code’ :Fact and Fiction

Members of the SMU Medieval Club welcomed students, faculty and guests to their first event of the year — “The Da Vinci Code: Fact and Fiction” — Thursday in Dallas Hall’s McCord Auditorium. Dr. Daniel Scavone shared his thoughts on the popular Dan Brown novel, reminding the audience that much of the book is “historical fiction.” Touching on topics from the Priory of Sion to centuries-old Christian logic to the varying faces of Jesus portrayed in the book, Scavone linked “The Da Vinci Code” to modern-day conspiracy theories against well-known public figures. [More]

McKellen 'Pushes the Envelope'

Carla writes: I just found out that Sir Ian McKellen was one of the many celebrities who had designed and signed an envelope for 'Pushing the Envelope', a charity to raise awareness and funds for a literacy program. The auction starts at 11am on 3 October 2005. You can see a picture of Sir Ian's envelope here... I think you'll like it. [More]

Howard Sidesteps Questions About 'Da Vinci' Controversy

From IMDB: Ron Howard, the director of the movie version of The Da Vinci Code, which is currently shooting in Britain, has declined to discuss the brewing controversy over his film among fundamentalist religious groups. Arriving at the Deauville American film festival for a screening of his Cinderella Man, Howard told Agence France Presse, the French wire service: "I can tell you we are halfway through the filming and the actors are doing a spectacular job. ... It's a fascinating story to adapt and essentially it's a great opportunity to entertain and provoke conversation."

Howard Sidesteps Questions About 'Da Vinci' Controversy

From IMDB: Ron Howard, the director of the movie version of The Da Vinci Code, which is currently shooting in Britain, has declined to discuss the brewing controversy over his film among fundamentalist religious groups. Arriving at the Deauville American film festival for a screening of his Cinderella Man, Howard told Agence France Presse, the French wire service: "I can tell you we are halfway through the filming and the actors are doing a spectacular job. ... It's a fascinating story to adapt and essentially it's a great opportunity to entertain and provoke conversation."

'Da Vinci Code' director Howard keeps film under wraps

DEAUVILLE, France (AFP) - The director of the movie adaptation of the bestselling novel "The Da Vinci Code", Ron Howard, isn't giving any secrets away about the shooting currently underway. "I can tell you we are halfway through the filming and the actors are doing a spectacular job," he told journalists at a French film festival in the Normandy town of Deauville, where he presented his latest film, "Cinderella Man", on Tuesday. "It's a fascinating story to adapt and essentially it's a great opportunity to entertain and provoke conversation," Howard said at the Deauville International Centre for the screening of 'Cinderella man' which is being shown at the 31st Deauville American film festival. "The Da Vinci Code" started filming in July in Paris, where much of the tale takes place. [More]

Paul Bettany as Silas Image Online!

Paul Bettany as Silas
Click to enlarge

The folks at paulbettany.net have snagged the first picture of Paul Bettany in full Silas costume! Take a look!

Choc seller in movie blockbuster

It was magic when budding actor Matt Butler landed a part in the upcoming Hollywood adaptation of The Da Vinci Code. But then again, anything can happen when you're mates with a wizard. Matt, 25, became chums with big screen star Sir Ian McKellen - best known to millions as Gandalf from Lord Of The Rings - after meeting him behind the scenes filming. And after a word in the director's ear, Matt landed the speaking part of a policeman in the movie which is widely tipped to be the box office smash of 2006. [More]

Mary Magdalene - What is the truth?

The DaVinci Code... - The very phrase can raise eyebrows on both sides of the Christian Community line in the sand about what is true and what is mystery about Jesus. In this book, the main story is the fact that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and they had a child. That after the crucifixion of Christ, Mary fled to France to raise their child in secrecy. Leaving a legacy of the line of David to be built up in Europe…the lost tribe of Judah, so to speak. Now I don’t profess to be a theological expert in any way; but I find this to be ridiculous, fodder for the imagination of the bored and spiritually searching . Below, I will discuss three reasons why I think this premise for a fiction STORY is just that, fiction. [More]

Take the Da Vinci Code seriously, says bishop

One of the UK's leading theologians says controversial best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code must be taken seriously by Christians because it offers many readers a spirituality they feel is lacking in the church. Dan Brown's book, which features Rosslyn Chapel and is being made into a Hollywood blockbuster starring Tom Hanks, was condemned by the Roman Catholic Church as blasphemous and historically inaccurate when it was published two years ago. [More]