Autumn is seriously upon us now. Where I live, the air has finally turned brisk and cold and the leaves on the trees down in town (few trees up here on my mountain) just recently turned to fiery fall colors before covering the ground in a carpet of flame. Things are pretty brisk in the land of Byrne as well! In addition to his on-going projects–new TV series Maniac and In the Cloud, new films Lies We Tell, Mad to be Normal, and An L. A. Minute, and new docs Into the Night (check out their beautiful instagram account!) and Lost at Sea–Gabriel is always busy, and you will find evidence of his doings in the report below.

Happy Fall to you and please read to the end for a gift (or two)!

Spirit of Ireland Gala Pics

The last images from the October celebration in support of the Irish Arts Center are now available in the Gallery. Here is my favorite, although Mr. Byrne might not appreciate it quite as much as we do! wink

 Hilarity in response to Steve Martin’s comment about Tinder, I think.

Lies We Tell

Here’s a big posting with the new trailer and screencaps for your viewing enjoyment.

Current news: The film screens at Foyle Film Festival in Northern Ireland on November 23.

There may be more festivals after this one, but the thing to keep in mind? Lies We Tell opens in UK and USA on February 2, 2018!

Sibylla Deen and Gabriel Byrne in a scene we simply must see as soon as humanly possible!

By the way, I just noticed that I have been misspelling Sibylla Deen’s name in all of my postings about this film. I apologize! And I’ve fixed them all, I think. If you see a “Dean” anywhere, let me know. Arggh. Just when you think you have everything right, you don’t. That’s a good life lesson to learn! Eternal vigilance. wink

Gothic on Blu-ray!

Just in time for your holiday shopping, Bloody Disgusting reports:

From the Vestron Video Collector’s Series, the horror classic Gothic will arrive for the first time on limited edition Blu-ray on January 30, 2018, from Lionsgate, Bloody Disgusting exclusively learned.

Starring Golden Globe winner Gabriel Byrne (2009, Best Actor, In Treatment), Julian Sands, and Natasha Richardson, and from legendary director Ken Russell (Lair of the White Worm), Gothic is the fictional retelling of the night Mary Shelley developed the story of Frankenstein.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

  • Audio Commentary with Lisi Russell and Film Historian Matthew Melia
  • Isolated Score Selections and Audio Interview with Composer Thomas Dolby
  • “The Soul of Shelley” Featurette with Actor Julian Sands
  • “Fear Itself” Featurette with Screenwriter Stephen Volk
  • “One Rainy Night” Featurette with Director of Photography Mike Southon
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • TV Spot
  • Still Gallery

Surprise!

PoetryFest, brought to you by the Irish Arts Center

http://irishecho.com/2017/11/experiencing-others-worlds-through-words/

“What is an Irish poem?” asked Alice Lyons, a poet from Paterson, N.J., now living in Ireland. “This … for hyphenated people like myself, well it’s bigly,” Lyons said, making her own wry political reference.

It was she who fished out the surprising Irish poem by Carver, one of America’s best known short-story writers.

Writer Roger Rosenblatt who read Kavanagh said he first consulted former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins about keeping a comma. (The current Laureate Tracy K. Smith is a past PoetryFest participant.)

Collins was expected for opening night as was novelist (and Laird’s wife) Zadie Smith. Scheduling conflicts prevented them from attending. Gabriel Byrne was in the audience, but declined to read.

Darn it. But he took a nice picture, didn’t he? With Rachel Weisz. Swoon! It’s always good to see Gabriel out and about supporting the programs and institutions he loves.

Excalibur: Behind the Movie

Here’s the latest trailer for this lovely documentary about the making of John Boorman’s film Excalibur.

And it was just recently announced that the film would be broadcast by PBS on channels SKY 534, Virgin 276, and Freesat 155 in the UK on December 1. Yay!

So that’s nice. December 1 is my birthday and I live in the USA. Wah! If you are a lucky resident of the British Isles, check your local listings and catch this if you can!

In the Name of the Son: New Book about Gerry Conlon

This new book, by Richard O’Rawe, tells the story of Gerry Conlon’s life, from his imprisonment as a member of the Guildford 4, to his exoneration, to the dark days of addiction and despair, to his final decade of stability and service. He died in 2017.

According to the Irish Times:

Some of Gerry Conlon’s story has been told in tabloid newspapers as well in the film In the Name of the Father (1993, director Jim Sheridan), which dramatised his relationship with his father, Guiseppe, when they were in prison together. (Guiseppe died in jail on January 23rd, 1980.) However, what Richard O’Rawe’s book offers, by concentrating not so much on the well-known facts of how Conlon was wrongfully convicted (though this features) as on what happened to him after his release, is the deepest, darkest take on Conlon’s life that has yet appeared in public…

In the Name of the Son is a salutary and important book. It tells a harrowing story without hagiography; it also shows how our nearest neighbour has not yet grasped let alone accepted that the malfeasance of its legal system sent many innocent people (Irish and British) to prison in the 1970s, a failure that guaranteed miscarriages would continue to the present day, as indeed they have.

You will recall that Gabriel Byrne served as the executive producer on the film In the Name of the Father.

According to the Irish Echo:

The book also covers the “machinations and developments” of what would become the film “In the Name of the Father” and Conlon’s subsequent “high-octane attendance” at the Oscars following the film’s release.

So, another Byrne-ing title to add to your book list! I am certain this will be a riveting read.

On Harvey Weinstein

At the end of October, Gabriel Byrne authored an opinion piece for the Irish Times on the subject of Mr. Weinstein and his accusers. And I quote:

Gabriel Byrne: There are the likes of Weinstein in Dublin who should be feeling nervous
Victims were silenced by fear and shame, convinced they would not be believed

And that’s ALL I can quote because the article sits behind a pay wall.

You know what would be a great birthday present? Share the link or send me the text of this article. Please! I subscribe to so much stuff already and I really can’t afford to pay for access to the Irish Times. It would be nice, but I am not made of money. Unfortunately. wink

James Joyce in Dublin

Gabriel Byrne is the voice of the James Joyce statue in Dublin. Listen to him interpret Roddy Doyle’s words:

The Last of the Fall Wallpapers

These are in the Gallery now, so be sure to choose one (or several!) for your desktop, if you are so inclined. My current favorite:

P. S. Need a show to binge-watch for Thanksgiving? North Jersey.com has just the series for you!

“In Treatment.” (HBO). This 2008 series, based on an Israeli original, has an ingenious premise. Each half-hour episode is a different therapy session: a cross-section of Dr. Paul Weston’s (Gabriel Byrne) patients from Monday to Thursday. Every fifth episode — “Friday” — is his therapy session with his shrink (Dianne Wiest) where he talks smack about all the people in the other episodes. Yes, it’s mostly talk. But it’s riveting.

Avoid your dysfunctional family.
Watch this instead. wink

6 Comments

  1. Nice photos! I love them

  2. Thank you for so many interesting news, Stella. Reading them is the best way to follow Mr.Byrne’s works and projects. I can’t wait to watch “Lies we tell “( the trailer is so intriguing). I love photos from Gala – a great event that brought together wonderful artists . Mr.Byrne is fabulous as James Joyce. It’s a pleasure to listen to him and imagine the character. Thank you for The Fall Wallpapers . And, of course, watching Dr. Paul Weston is the great treatment from autumn melancholy ❤

  3. Such a plethora of riches for us to enjoy or anticipate! Thank you Stella.

  4. You’re beautiful I saw especially the iron mask. Wow and also live

  5. But is it your site? I’m a fan of her. I liked to know if it was. beautiful site.

    • Hi, Giorgia.

      I am not sure what you are asking? This is a website devoted to Gabriel Byrne.

      Let me know if you have other questions.

      Stella <3

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