A new angle on 'The Da Vinci Code'

There are numerous news pieces and documentaries on New Hamphsire author Dan Brown's bestseller ''The Da Vinci Code," but Beantown Productions' new documentary is a decidedly less reverential take. ''The chants . . . and the long shots of the stained glass, that's not us," said David Comtois of ''Da Vinci Declassifed," which he made with fellow Beantown founder and Boston University alum David Carr. [More]

Another Image of Bettany on Set

Follow this link to our 'Da Vinci Code' set images to see another photo of Paul Bettany in full Silas costume. [More]

UK date set for Da Vinci Code plagiarism trial

LONDON (Reuters) - Two historians are suing the publishers of Dan Brown's best-selling religious thriller "The Da Vinci Code" in a case which lawyers said on Thursday was due to start early next year. Richard Leigh and Michael Baigent are suing Random House for lifting "the whole architecture" of the research that went into their 1982 non-fiction book "The Holy Blood, and the Holy Grail." Lawyers on both sides of the case met on Thursday to thrash out technical details, and said a trial date had been set for February 27. [More]

Hollywood's Elite Speak Out on Faith in Film -- Narnia and DaVinci Code

Hollywood's Holy Heavyweights: Christian Culture-Makers Speak Out on Faith, Films and Culture. New book exposes truth to faith in Hollywood. Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 26, 2005 -- It’s not Kabbalah or Scientology, but Christianity that’s making a splash in Hollywood these days. Christians are behind some of the biggest movies and TV shows out there –- productions like The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Joan of Arcadia, Fantastic Four, X-Men and That '70s Show. Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film and Culture, (Nov. 2005,Baker Books) is a collection of essays by screenwriters, directors and producers who are breaking barriers and religious stereotypes in Hollywood. Behind the Screen is edited by Spencer Lewerenz, and Barbara Nicolosi, a former nun and founder of Act One, an organization that has made its mission, to train committed Christians to work in mainstream TV and film. [More]

Da Vinci Code action moves to court

LONDON - Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, is to face a High Court action in London brought by the authors of the 1982 non-fiction book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, who allege his blockbuster was based on their decade of research. Speaking ahead of a preliminary hearing of the case next week, Richard Leigh, 62, one of the writers, said: "I don't begrudge Brown his success. I have no particular grievance against him, except for the fact that he wrote a pretty bad novel." Mr. Leigh and Michael Baigent, 57, his co-author, are suing Random House, Mr. Brown's publishers, for infringement of their ideas. [More]

Bettany Hurt on 'Da Vinci' Set?

DeeDee from paulbettany.net writes: One of our forum visitors posted this today: "A guy I know works at the studio where Da Vinci Code is being shot and said [Paul Bettany] fell down the stairs and tore a ligament or something. He's off work for a few days."

More info as it comes in.

Film star in the terminal?

Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks was in town on Monday as scenes for the Da Vinci Code movie were shot at Shoreham Airport. Airport manager John Haffenden said a crew were there all day and filming took place in the evening, from 8pm onwards. The blockbuster film is being directed by Oscar winner Ron Howard and is based on the best selling book by Dan Brown. Film spokesman Claudia Kalindjian said it was a closed set and could not comment. [More]

Check out our locations section for more details on Shoreham Airport. [More]

Da Vinci Code: the game?

Sony Pictures Digital has partnered with Kayak Interactive to start churning out mobile games based on movie releases. First up: The Da Vinci Code? Okay, so the formula for the movie is there: Beautiful Mind team (Ron Howard, Brian Grazer & Akiva Goldsman) + Tom Hanks = blockbuster drama. But a game? [More]

Da Vinci picture finally exhibited in Rome

Rome - Leonardo da Vinci was so fond of the Mona Lisa, we are told, that he carried the portrait with him everywhere he went. If he also made room in his luggage for the Mary Magdalene, that went on show in Ancona in northern Italy this weekend, it would be no surprise. The two young women could not be more different. The Mona Lisa is aloof, self-contained and self-possessed, her right hand clasped on her left wrist, all her sensuality concentrated in the secretive vitality of the eyes and the famous small smile. It's the allure of a roaring fire on a winter's day. [More]

Opus Dei: Faith and work

When Terry McHugh gets to his desk at Computer Associates in St. Louis, Mo., each morning, he resolves to do things the hard way. For Jesus. McHugh, 52, and a member of the Catholic movement Opus Dei, proofs all his e-mails to make sure they are punctuated correctly and capitalized in the right places before he hits "send." If he has to return six phone calls and there is one he's dreading, McHugh makes that call first. [More]

The speech you couldn't hear: Dan Brown in Manchester

MANCHESTER - Even though author Dan Brown demanded that the news media be banned from his speech at a sold-out New Hampshire Humanities Council dinner last night, word got out. A New Hampshire Union Leader reporter was not allowed into the event, but heard plenty from those who attended the event at the Radisson Hotel, Center of New Hampshire. UnionLeader.com has exclusive excerpts from his remarks, including comments on his upcoming movie. Brown began with a shot at the New Hampshire Union Leader. [More]

Special Presentation: DA VINCI & THE CODE HE LIVED BY on The History Channel

NEW YORK, Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Born in obscurity and illegitimate in a tiny Italian village in 1452, young Leonardo da Vinci seemed destined for a life of peasantry. But early mastery of art and a personal code for success that he developed catapulted him to the highest levels of Italian society and ultimately made him one of the most important figures of the Renaissance and one of the world's truly immortal minds. A fierce intellect made Leonardo the master of whatever he set his mind to, and his ability to see far beyond the limits and violence of his time continues to feed his popularity to this day. Re-visit the life, accomplishments, and vision of Leonardo da Vinci with The History Channel special presentation, DA VINCI & THE CODE HE LIVED BY, airing Sunday, December 4th at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. [More]

New book tries decoding next novel by Dan Brown

Dan Brown's sequel to his super-seller "The Da Vinci Code" will not be out for perhaps a year. Or two. But that's merely a pesky detail, brushed aside by the first book to take readers inside what may be the coming book's pseudo-historical theories. Or not. This is how over-caffeinated pop culture has become: a book that cracks the code of Brown's next novel, before anyone really knows the code. [More]

French fib wins Hollywood film role

A seven-year-old girl has landed a part in the film The Da Vinci Code after lying to a Hollywood director about being able to speak French. Daisy Doidge-Hill also told Ron Howard that her father was French, in fact he had only worked on a cross-Channel ferry to France. Now the young actress from Falmouth, Cornwall, will star alongside Tom Hanks, Sir Ian McKellen and Audrey Tautou in the film based on Dan Brown`s best-selling novel. Daisy told Howard, who directed hits like A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13, a French phrase she had learned in the car on the way to the audition. [More]

Debating DaVinci, God and society

The Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church’s 100th celebration, Dr. Paul L. Maier of Western Michigan University will speak on naional bestseller “The Da Vinci Code.” “Not a fad,” said Dr. Paul L. Maier, professor of ancient history at Western Michigan University. “Every age has had a fascination with Christ — you either love Him or you hate Him.” On Saturday, as part of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church’s Centennial celebration, Maier will present a lecture under the main title, “Christ or Caricature?” Covering topics such as the media’s treatment of Christianity and distorted images of Christ, Maier will also devote an entire hour to the national bestseller “The Da Vinci Code.” [More]

Da Vinci Code fans invited to the real thing

The Franciscan Friary at Pantasaph, Flintshire, will open its doors next Sunday (16 October) to enable people to learn about spirituality and the Catholic life. Brother Loarne, one of the organisers. said, “This is an opportunity for people to dip into spirituality without having to make any commitment. In light of events like the death of Pope John Paul II and the popularity of novels like The Da Vinci Code there has been a renewal of interest in things spiritual recently. We’re looking forward to welcoming people wanting to experience an afternoon with a difference. Everyone’s welcome. Previous attendees have told us that they’ve found these afternoons life changing!” [More]

'The Da Vinci Code' and 'The Mists of Avalon'

'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown is one of those books that truly earns the title ‘unputdownable’. The pace of the story is breathless & keeps you turning the pages. If you love chases, clues and adventure you’ll love this book. The action is all packed into a twenty four hour period and it feels like you are living every minute with Robert and Sophie the main characters. [More]

Da Vinci Code translated into Vietnamese

HA NOI — The first-ever Vietnamese version of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, an international bestseller, was released in Ha Noi bookstores on Tuesday. The historical thriller’s copyright was bought by Culture and Information Publisher for a negligible cost - only US$1,500 - according to the publisher’s director, Bui Viet Bac. While tens of millions of books, in 45 languages, are in print worldwide, only 3,000 copies were released in Ha Noi with a price of VND90,000 ($5.80). [More]

Gandalf Goes for Sun Spell

Gandalf the Grey is going greenLord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen plans to summon up the power of the sun to power his Limehouse home. The veteran actor, who played the great wizard in the fantasy trilogy, has applied to Tower Hamlets Council for planning permission to mount eight solar panels on the roof of his Narrow Street home. If successful, Sir Ian could cut green-house gas emissions by savingaround 600kg of carbon dioxide each year. Covering 10 square metres, the solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are unlikely to upset neighbours as they would not increase the size of his flat roof. Anyone still wishing to object to the plans can lodge a complaint with the council. [More]

Can anyone crack Wales' Da Vinci Code?

Wales' version of The Da Vinci Code remains cloaked in history amid fears there may be no experts learned enough to reveal more about the religious manuscript. The Genealogy of Jesus Christ has triggered a sensation since being discovered at the National Library of Wales earlier this year. The 17th-century tome lists huge amounts of information on the bloodlines of biblical characters, including Jesus himself. It also contains intriguingly crossed- out passages about Mary Magdalene, a figure also central to Dan Brown's phenomenal best seller The Da Vinci Code. [More]

Opus Dei 'must shed light on its dark image'

LONDON: Opus Dei, the conservative Roman Catholic group which gained international notoriety in The Da Vinci Code, is too secretive for its own good, says the author of a new study on the controversial organisation. The tightly knit movement has taken to talking more in public and posting on its websites rebuttals of charges now spread around the world because of the best-seller. But John Allen, a Vatican reporter who has just published a new study of Opus Dei, thinks the group still has a way to go. [More]

Da Vinci Filmmakers Get Their Way

Filmmakers behind the upcoming screen adaptation of THE DA VINCI CODE have won their battle to film at London's Westminster Abbey - as authorities cannot prevent them from shoot the outside of the historic site. Officials at the Abbey slammed DAN BROWN's bestselling story as "theologically unsound", and banned the crew from using interior shots of the holy building. But the production team are undeterred, as they are filming the interior of Lincoln Cathedral, but the exterior of Westminster Abbey - and officials are resigned to facing the inevitable. A spokesperson for the Abbey says, "There's nothing we can do to stop them filming in the street. So there's no point in getting annoyed about it." [More]

NEW: A section has now been added for Westminster Abbey in our Locations section. [More]

Happy Birthday Seth Gabel

The jury is still out on the rumor that actor Seth Gabel will have a small role in The Da Vinci Code movie, however it is his birthday so I have decided to add his birthday greeting here. Seth Gabel was born on October 3rd, 1981 in Hollywood, Florida. That makes him 24 today! Happy Birthday Seth!

Composer cracks Rosslyn's musical code

A musical code hidden in mystical symbols carved into the stone ceiling of Rosslyn Chapel has been unravelled for the first time in more than 500 years. Scottish composer Stuart Mitchell took 20 years to crack a complex series of codes, which have mystified historians for generations. His feat was hailed by experts as a stroke of genius. The codes were hidden in 213 cubes in the ceiling of the chapel, where parts of the film of Dan Brown's best-seller The Da Vinci Code were shot this week. Each cube contained different patterns to form an unusual 6-minute piece of music for 13 medieval players. The unusual sound is thought to have been of great spiritual significance to those who built the chapel. [More]

Churches mobilize for 'Narnia' movie, against 'Da Vinci' film

While Mel Gibson doesn't have another religious epic in the offing, that does not mean there won't be a lot of God in the movies during the next several months. The two marquee releases already are generating polar opposite reactions from faith communities. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is garnering street-level support along the lines of Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, which attracted churches to buy tickets en masse and fueled seminars and Sunday school series. [More]

Egg Neds Ruin Movie Fans' Day

A gang of young thugs wrecked plans for Hollywood star Tom Hanks to meet fans before leaving Scotland. The Oscar-winning actor had promised to sign autographs for a dozen female fans outside Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian on Thursday night. But minutes before he was due to appear, police seized a haul of eggs from a gang of up to 40 youths. One 12-year-old boy was given a police warning as dozens of others aged between 10 and 14 fled. [More]

Artist in Da Vinci mode to capture Hanks on canvas

An artist who hit the headlines after painting a portrait of the late Mo Mowlam is now hoping to add Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks to her portfolio. Aine Divine has already completed a painting of the actor from a photo taken as he left the set of The Da Vinci Code at Roslin. And she said her details had been passed on to Mr Hanks after asking him to get in touch so she could do a proper sitting. [More]