3 November 2001 *** Site Update

As you can see, it's been 11 months since my last update.  Once again this is largely due to other commitments and time constraints and after careful thought, I have decided it is just not feasible for me to continue updating this site.  The site will stay, as there is a wealth of information and I invested many hours and lots of energy in putting it together, but as from today, there will be no further updates.  However, you will still be able to find the latest news on Aidan from The QUINNtessential Man, a site run by Alex in Australia who is marvellous at keeping everything up to date and has an incredible collection of pictures and information.

What I will also endeavour to do is to inform UK-based fans of Aidan films to be shown on TV or in the cinema in the UK.   To this end I will use the Updates Mailing List only (not the Latest News page), so if you are interested in receiving this information, make sure you sign up.

But before I "sign off", there is one last project of Aidan's I would like to tell you about. 

• EVELYN:   Aidan's latest project, EVELYN, began shooting on location in Dublin on 15 October 2001. The drama is set in Ireland in the early 1950s and is based on the true story of Desmond Doyle (played by Pierce Brosnan, who is also co-producer of the film), who fought a protracted battle with the Irish government to overturn an arcane custody law and with the Catholic church to recover his four children after his wife ran off and he lost his job. The film's title refers to Doyle's daughter.  Aidan plays Nick Barron, Doyle's American/Irish barrister, and other cast include Stephen Rea, Julianna Margulies, Aidan's role is that of the barrister who is asked by Stephen Rea's character, who is a solicitor, to help Brosnan's character win back his children. I have put together a page for this film, including some pictures and an extensive cast list. Just click here to see it. Aidan's sister Marian has also been cast in a role; she plays Sister Theresa, the manager of St. Joseph's Orphanage and Industrial School where Evelyn is sent.
  
  There has also been a recent interview with Aidan during the shoot of Evelyn, which I have posted in the Article Gallery.

• I have added a link to the Prince & The Pauper official website (accessible by clicking here or going to the link on the Filmography page).

• SONGCATCHER on DVD:   It's out on DVD Region 1!  If you have a multiregion or Region 1 player, you can buy it from sites such as www.dvdboxoffice.com.   Incidentally, This Is My Father is also available on DVD in Region 1.

3 December 2000 *** Update on Aidan's latest projects

First of all, BIIIIG apologies for the inexcusably long time since my last update.  Though I have been extremely busy this year, there's no excuse for this much of a delay, really.  Thanks for all of you who've still kept coming back!

• Night Terrors:   Latest news I have on this is that its name has changed to Night Visions and won't be screened in the US until January (no idea about a UK TV screening).
• New project:   Well, not so new anymore as this was announced in late spring, but Aidan is set to appear in a TV film called "See You In My Dreams" (not to be confused with 1999's In Dreams), which was partly filmed in Morgan, Utah.  It's based on the autobiographical short stories by Sam Shepard and is about the story between a struggling farmer and his wife, as well as his relationship to his young son. Marcia Gay Harden ("Desperate Measures") is said to star alongside him as his beautiful wife.
• Songcatcher:   Latest cinema release dates for this film are 1 December 2000 for a limited release in the US, and no news about a release date anywhere else...

That's about it.  Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and I promise I'll try my best to keep you more updated in the new year!

11 March 2000 *** New Project:   Night Terrors

Aidan is set to topline "Night Terrors", an anthology from Warner Bros television to Fox.  He is set to appear in the pilot episode.  Read  more about it here.   Whether we get to see it in the UK or not remains to be seen. (thanks to Russell Berman for finding and sending me the information!)

10 January 2000 *** MUSIC OF THE HEART UK PREMIERE - this time it's real

But first of all A VERY HAPPY YEAR 2000 TO EVERYONE!

After the false alarm from Empire about the premiere being in November, I am pleased to say that Music of the Heart is now definitely coming to the UK. It's premiering on 21 January 2000, but hurry, it might not be on for long!

3/11/99 *** MUSIC OF THE HEART UK PREMIERE

Hurrah!  It's coming to our cinemas soon!  Music of The Heart is premiering on 26 November 1999 in the UK cinemas.

1/11/99 *** SONGCATCHER LATEST

Contrary to my initial belief that Songcatcher is based on the story of Frances Densmore, it seems more like it is based on the stories of several folklorists in the early part of the century. This is the information I was given by a resident of Asheville, NC (where Songcatcher was filmed), who did some research during the time the film was made: "The story is much closer to the stories of several folklorists who were roaming the southern mountains in the early part of the century collecting English folk ballads, such as Cecil Sharp from England, and Olivia Campbell (whose family started the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC). There were a couple of others as well, whose names escape me--a woman named Dorothy (I can't remember her last name) wrote a book about her experience collecting ballads, and also included the words to various renditions of those ballads, and called the book "Songcatcher of the Mountains." This is far more likely to be the origin of the movie's title than Densmore's book "Songcatcher." Densmore was from Wisconsin, did her work at a much later time period, and was recording the music and traditions of the Native Americans from the prairies and plains."

26/10/99 *** MUSIC OF THE HEART - TRAILER!

The official Music Of The Heart Site is up and running. Click here to visit the site, which includes a bio on Aidan and some pics!

26/10/99 *** THIS IS MY FATHER - UK Premiere 

This Is My Father is having it's UK premiere on Sky on Wednesday, 3 November 1999, 10pm. It will be shown 3 more times after that in November. Thanks Liz for finding out!

09/99 *** BEATLEMANIA!!

Who would have thought it? Our very own Aidan is to play none other than Paul McCartney in a film directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg (who was part of the Beatles' final film "Let It Be"). Jared Harris (who, amongst many other films, played Andy Warhol in the 1996 film "I Shot Andy Warhol") will be playing John Lennon in this TV film called TWO OF US which is based around a fictional meeting of John and Paul six years after the Beatles broke up. Aidan with a Scouse accent? Now, that'll be something worth seeing!! Filming is expected to start some time in October. (thank you, Alex, for finding this needle in the haystack!)

09/99 *** New project - SONGCATCHER

After a few months rest following the filming of Music of my Heart with Meryl Streep, filming on Aidan's latest project "SONGCATCHER" started in North Carolina on 9th August. According to Harry's Ain't It Cool site, Aidan will star alongside Janet McTeer in this film for director Maggie Greenwald about a music scholar who heads deep into Appalachia at the turn of the century and discovers several folk songs and possible love in a mountain man. Though I have no confirmation of this, I believe this film is based on the story of Frances Densmore, a prim and opinionated woman from Red Wing, Minnesota, who in the early 1900s conducted a personal campaign to capture Native American traditional music before it vanished from the continent.