July 28 - This may seem a little "Corona"-ish, but here's a spy report from an advance screening of Brokedown Palace:

I recently got an amazing opportunity to see Claire's much-awaited film Brokedown Palace, where she finally gets top, solo, above-the-title billing.

"It's like a prison movie." -- Angela Chase

It *is* a prison movie, but it started out feeling rather My So-Called Life-ish. Claire with her shoulder-length but blonde hair, chatting with her best friend in a high school restroom (though on graduation day). The voiceover that narrates the first half of the movie... including the familiar words "or something" and describing something as "amazing".

The MSCL similarities end there. Claire's character Alice is cool and confident. She knows what she wants (choosing Thailand over Hawaii), and is the bad influence on her do-good friend Darlene (Kate Beckinsdale). The first third of the film, the two of them are just typical American girls (having a good time, not a trace of angst). I didn't think that part was particularly challenging in terms of acting. But it did give a chance for Claire to let loose and play "normal" on the screen... working (as a motel maid? yawn) hanging out with her best friend, dancing freestyle with guys, taking a nice dip in the pool -- not at all self-concious in a 2-piece bikini like in To Gillian...

The movie does pickup a bit when it gets into the real drama and suspense. The girls must cope with being thrown in a jail, and kept there by Thailand's supposed justice system. The actresses are able to convey their frustration and helplessness and struggle to survive in their new environment. There's one scene where I thought Claire's burst of anger was particularly impressive. And she doesn't hesitate to swear when she really means it. There's the expected crying and chin-quivering, but it's really necessary here, unlike that one overplayed scene from Les Miserables.

It's hard to really say any more without getting specific about the scenes or spoiling the movie. And who knows? They might change things here and there, which is the whole point of having an advance screening. One of the things they want to find out is if the ending is OK (I think so).

This is definitely a movie to look forward to, though I'm not sure if it's Oscar-caliber work. Finally, an original film with writing and a plot worthy of Claire.

July 26 - For those who missed it the first time around, Saturday Night Live is repeating the show with Claire as host on August 1st.

July 24 - Added a few more Polish Wedding reviews from CNN, Girls on Film, and Entertainment Today. Claire gets a few mentions in the current issue of Entertainment Weekly with Claire calling There's Something About Mary "Grotesque and Wonderful" -- Claire and soundtrack contributor Ben attended the premiere, after which, she was spotted lip-syncing Modern English's "I Melt With You" to you know who. As well, Claire gets a couple of mentions in the Love Issue of YM, where she is linked to Matt Damon, and "chill pal" Leonardo DiCaprio. And from "Kim-not-Don", the July 27 issue of Newsweek includes an article entitled "The Buzz Machine" with a list of the current top buzzmakers in the country. "Just by signing an actor, this team of in-laws at Industry Entertainment gives up-and-comers instant buzz by making them stablemates of Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Claire Danes and other hotties."

July 18 - Added a few links to some more reviews from The Detroit News, The Detroit Free Press, The NY Times, and The NY Daily News. And coinciding with a new Claire movie, MTV is having another MSCL marathon tonight starting at 5:00PM.

July 17 - Polish Wedding and Erin's on-screen premiere [ congrats! :-) ] opens today in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Detroit. The reviews are starting trickle in from the Toronto Star, and the LA Times. For more information on The Princess Mononoke check out this link and this link. Neil Gaiman is to pen the English-language screenplay and a release date is scheduled for 1999.

July 16 - Variety reports that Claire, along with Minnie Driver and Gillian Anderson, have agreed to lend their voices to the U.S. version of the Japanese animated blockbuster Princess Mononoke. Claire will will be the voice of the heroine "San". Polish Wedding opens tomorrow in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Detroit and across the country on July 31st (7.3MB Quicktime Trailer). Associated Press does Five Questions with Polish Wedding co-star Adam Trese.

July 14 - Mr. Showbiz's photo of the day is of "Danes and her Aussie" (Claire and Ben showing up at the premiere of There's Something about Mary)

July 12 - Added a new photo of Claire and Ben attending the premiere of There's Something About Mary. Ben is on the soundtrack to the same with the song How to Survive A Broken Heart. Claire also gets a mention in the August issue of US magazine: "Notes Claire Danes (about Leo): 'I spent four months with him and... still can't tell whether he's really transparent or incredibly complex.'" The August issue of InStyle also has a brief mention of Claire and a photo of her at a charity kids carnival and the latest issue of Glamour has a small review of Polish Wedding.

July 8 - The current issues of Twist and Teen People have a few Claire and Polish Wedding mentions / photos and the new issue of BUST, a 'tude-laden girlzine that bills itself as "The Voice of the New Girl Order" [ Harold, where do you find this stuff? ;-) ], celebrates great girlfriends in pop culture, including - of course - Angela and Rayanne, so plenty of Claire references.

July 6 - Claire's going to be quite busy this week as she's also slated to attend the premiere of Lethal Weapon 4 this Tuesday and mostNewYork has a cute Claire / Mod Squad mention in its article on about TV shows hitting the big screen. Harold has confirmed via last Friday's Chicago Sun-Times that "Later this summer, fans from a younger generation will be able to purchase box sets of My So-Called Life, with Claire Danes.". Yea!!! :-) And finally, Andi Wolf Dolphin informs us that the August issue of Seventeen has two photos of Claire and a familiar quote: "In high school I was going out with this guy who was a kleptomaniac. He would keep giving me these presents that were never wrapped and still had the tags on them. We called it quits early on when we went on a date and he tried to steal something right in front of me."

July 5 - For those in the LA area, Claire and pal Winona Ryder will be attending this Thursday's premiere of There's Something About Mary.

July 3 - At long last, Miramax has announced a release date of August 11th for the video release of I Love You, I Love You Not.

July 1 - For those on AOL: Teen People is having its "21 Under 21" best teen stars poll.