Billy Week

Television
ATTENTION AUSTRALIAN READERS:
"Moby Dick" is screening this evening, Sunday 8th May, at 8.30 pm on ABC. There's a good review from the Brisbane Times: (  Review under the cut )

Film
Ecstasy now has a release date of 9th September listed in IMDB.

Articles

Earlier this year, Billy became the patron of the National Youth Choir of Scotland. ( Read the announcement )

March. Empire magazine has been running regular features on The Hobbit, including much speculation about what will and won't be in the film. One feature was on which characters from LOTR would be featured. Their verdict on Pippin Took was that he wouldn't appear - but you never know what PJ will do. ( Read the snippet )

27th March. Billy was featured in a list of "Top Ten Scottish Actors" by Screen Junkies :

Billy Boyd Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Boyd’s filmography isn’t overly lengthy, however, he is well-known for his role as the hobbit Peregrin “Pippin” Took in the famous “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy directed by Peter Jackson.

http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/actors-directors/10-most-famous-scottish-actors/

31st March. The Daily Record ran an interview with Billy in which he said he hoped to get back to NZ while The Hobbit was filming. ( Text under the cut )
This interview was picked up by several other sites, including STV and TORn.

April The Aberdeen Press and Journal included Billy's marriage in a list of celebrity marriages in Scotland: ( Read the extract )

Images
Billy's playful interference with Orlando's belly button as they departed Wellington in 2003 was captioned for lolcats here.

For Purchase
The release date for LOTR:EE on Blu-Ray has been confirmed as 28th June. You have plenty of time to get your pre-order in.

Appearances
Billy was in attendance at the Grammy Awards party on 11th February. You can see photos here.

Film
1. Carmel-by-the-Sea
Billy attended a special screening of Carmel in Los Angeles on 9th March, and gave a short interview to Maximo TV, which you can see here. There is no indication of a general release date yet, though.

2. The Lion Inside
Archstone distribution has bought the worldwide distribution rights to "The Lion Inside", according to Marker Entertainment. No word yet on when it will begin filming.

3. Ecstasy
Billy gets a brief mention in two recent interviews with Irvine Welsh:
The Sun
Ask Men

Images
Billy made it into lolcat country on 2nd March when someone uploaded a gif taken from the Extended Edition behind-the-scenes interviews: you can see it here.

For Purchase
Finally! Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition on Blu-Ray is now available for pre-order at Amazon USA for $83.99. There is no release date listed yet. The set has 15 discs, comprising the three films (on Blu-Ray) and nine DVDs containing all the Extended Edition special features plus the Costa Bootes documentaries from the Theatrical and Limited Edition sets (according to the table on that page). If it does include all the additional material then this is the one set that no LOTR fan can be without.

More stories on Billy's wedding:
Monsters and Critics
The Sun
Official Big Brother
Dear Scotland

Appearances
On 15th January, Billy appeared with Beecake at the charity concert in memory of Eilidh Brown. I'll post the details in the next Beecakeweek article.

On 7th February Billy was back in Los Angeles and was spotted at the party for "The King's Speech. Photos are here and there is a video here (very short, signing autographs).

Film
1. Witches of Oz
The One Ring had a brief article on the film on New Year's Eve. ( Text under the cut )

2. The Hobbit
In early January there was some speculation on casting for The Hobbit - in particular, if the hobbits from LOTR would be returning. Billy was mentioned in several of the stories:

Digital Spy
Collider
Filmshaft
Movie web news
Buzz sugar
WTAQ

3. Ecstasy
On 12th January Billy was mentioned in an article on Scottish actor Adam Sinclair posted by the East Kilbride News.

Television
Moby Dick
A trailer appeared at the beginning of February but so far there is no further information on a screening date. You can see the trailer here.

For Purchase
"Mr Stourworm and the Kelpie's Gift" is now available for purchase from Amazon USA at a cost of USD 15.99. This story, which is narrated by Billy, features music by Savourna Stevenson, played by the Scottish National Orchestra. If you haven't heard it before, it is definitely worth getting.

I'd like to claim prescience or premonition for delaying this issue of Billyweek, but alas, it was just RL being difficult. However, we do get to start this entry with the news of Billy's wedding, which is fantastic.

Billy's and Ali's Wedding
Billy and Ali got married on Wednesday 29th December in Glasgow. There were several reports of the nuptuals, with WENN the first off the mark.
WENN/Hollywood.com (no photos)
Star Pulse (3 photos)
Celebrity Gossip (8 photos)
E! Online (1 photo)
Ace Showbiz (no photo)
Just Jared (10 photos)

The Evening Times ran a fuller story here, but with only a file photo: ( text under the cut )

The Scotsman also ran a full story here. ( Text under the cut )

The Daily Mail decided to feature the wedding guests rather than the bride and groom in its headline and lead-in paragraph (poor show, guys): ( Text under the cut )

Film
With Ecstasy being shot in Canada over November and December, there were lots of articles being posted. Most of them only mentioned Billy in passing:
Hollywood Reporter
Soo Today
Regional Film and Video
Orlando Sentinel

On 4th December The Scotsman ran a fuller story describing some of the issues that led to the film being made in Canada rather than in Scotland: ( Article under the cut )

Television
Billy recorded a seasonal message for STV show "The Hour" which you can view here. Billy is first!

Billy was also featured in the show's 2010 retrospective:

We have even had a visit from a Hobbit! Scottish actor Billy Boyd chatted about starring in Proclaimer’s inspired musical Sunshine on Leith and how it felt to be involved in one of the century’s most memorable film series Lord of the Rings.

Articles
On 21st December, Monsters and Critics posted an interview with Billy from the set of Ecstasy. ( Text under the cut )

On 23 December, the Sault Star posted an interview with Billy: ( under the cut )

Video
A lucky fan got to interview Billy on the set of Ecstasy and posted the result on You Tube: Part 1 and Part 2.

Charity
1. Aberlour Crannog
Billy expressed his support for a charity single in an article in the Stirling Observer on 8th December:

Lord of the Rings actor Billy Boyd said: “Gamu’s single with the Aberlour choir is a really strong contender for the number one spot this Christmas. Knowing that all the money made from the single will help vulnerable and disadvantaged kids is reason enough to buy it. I’d love to see the public get behind Gamu to make her fantastic single a hit this Christmas.”

The story was also covered by STV here.

2. For the Love of Eilidh
The charity concert in memory of Eildih Brown, which is raising money to build a respite home for cancer sufferers and their families, will be held on 15th January 2011. Billy will be appearing there, along with many other performers. For more details (including ticket purchase) see the article here.

The big news for this week is that according to one of the writers at The Scotsman, Billy will be getting married on 7th December: ( Announcement under the cut )

I have no idea if that is true or not, but Billy did say he wanted to get married this year, and there aren't many weeks left. If it is true, then I hope that he and Alison (and all their friends) have a wonderful day.

Appearances
On Sunday 14th November, Billy appeared at Dobbie's Garden World, Lasswade (just south of Edinburgh) to turn on the lights for the largest Christmas tree in Britain. There is a short video with Billy explaining what its all about here.

The Scotsman ran a short article as well: ( Article under the cut )

Film
1. "The Lion Inside" has been picked up for worldwide distribution before the cameras have even started rolling. The Hollywood Reporter carried an article on 16th November: ( Article under the cut )

The Dear Scotland website has featured Billy twice in recent weeks. On 9th November they showed the poster and trailer for the film "Witches of Oz", which you can see here. On 12th November there was an interesting look at "Urban Ghost Story", one of Billy's early films. ( Article under the cut )

Theatre
"Sunshine on Leith" has finished its run, but got good reviews right up to the end:

11 November: Leighton Buzzard Observer( Review under the cut )

Articles
On 15th November, Billy had a brief but positive mention in the Caledonian Mercury on actors who also have singing careers: "... although there are actors in bands - Scotland’s own Billy Boyd is in Beecake, who are pretty good - many tend not to stick at it."

Theatre
There were more reviews for Sunshine on Leith as it made the transition from Scotland to England:
27th October: Southampton ( The Public Reviews )
5th November: Edinburgh ( Journal Online )
Articles

Billy got his wish to meet The Proclaimers last month, in Edinburgh. The interview was covered by News Shopper ( under the cut )

And it appears that Billy was a significant factor in the success of Scotland's recent tourism drive: ( article under the cut )

Video
I apparently missed the fourth and last of the Sunshine on Leith rehearsal video blogs, in which Billy answers some questions submitted by fans: you can watch it here. There is also a video blog from the tour which you can see here - Billy gives us a glimpse behind the scenes in the theatre.

Appearances
As if Billy wasn't busy enough at the moment, he was the narrator for a multimedia concert in Glasgow on October 19th: ( Review under the cut )

Film
1. The Hobbit
Scotland is among the countries wishing to be considered as an alternative to NZ for filming "The Hobbit", according to NZ media: ( extract under the cut )

2. Witches of Oz
Billy is featured prominently on the poster for Witches of Oz, and was mentioned in an interview with Barry Ratcliffe: ( extract under the cut )

Radio
Billy recorded two radio interviews recently:
1. In the first week of October for the BBC Stark Talk programme (no longer available online, but a download is available here).

2. On 7th October with Dave Marshall for The Evening Times:
Read the summary,
Listen online
Download.

(Thank you to kleini at bboydfor the download links)

Theatre
1. "Sunshine on Leith" continues to get great reviews.
12th October: ( It's On, It's Gone )
16th October: ( The Scotsman )
21st October: ( Chichester Online )
22nd October: ( What's On Stage )

2. TMA nominations
Billy will be presenting at the Theatrical Management Association (TMA) Awards night on 7th November. Several sites ran essentially the same story; the extract is from The Courier:

The Rep has carved itself a niche with its quality musicals, from Cabaret to the Proclaimers musical Sunshine On Leith, which is currently touring the UK. Taking the leading role in Sunshine is Billy Boyd, known to millions as Pippin in Lord Of The Rings. He is among the presenters at the TMA award ceremony on November 7 at the Lyric, Hammersmith. Host for the night is Craig Revel Horwood.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/Living/Stage/article/6119/tma-theatre-award-nomination-for-dundee-rep.html

Articles
1. Billy's wedding, which he has stated he is planning for later this year, has been picked up as a topic of interest by several sites:
( WENN.com )

Ace Showbiz and
Contact Music ran very similar articles.

2. As stated earlier, Billy did a radio interview with Dave Marshall of Smooth Radio recently. A summary of the interview was posted by The Evening Times on 7th October. ( Text under the cut )

3. The 14th October issue of Entertainment Weekly featured reunions of many classic casts, including "Lord of the Rings". Billy was photographed with other cast members in London. A brief summary was posted by Popwatch EW and a fuller summary by TORn.

Charity
It's been a big month for charity news featuring Billy.

1. Eieidh Brown Trust Fund:
( The Daily Record )

( The Stirling Observer (extract) )

2. The Marie Curie Hospice, Stobhill, Glasgow
Another charity that Billy supported was the Big Build Appeal to build a new modern hospice in Glasgow. £16.1million was raised, and the new hospice is now open to patients and families. You can read more about the appeal here.

3. Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Angus Carers Autism Group
A vocal score from "Sunshine on Leith", signed by the cast (including Billy) will be available for auction on 20th November. The proceeds will go to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh and the Angus Carers Autism Group. ( Read the press release )

Theatre
"Sunshine on Leith" has been getting many good reviews:

8th September: What's on Stage - brief mention only.

9th September: The Stage - full review ( text under the cut )

10th September: Perthshire Advertiser - full review ( Text under the cut )

14th September Scottish Youth Theatre - full review ( under the cut )

17th September: Inverness courier - full review ( under the cut )

Articles
1. Billy is featured in a new campaign to help people at risk of suicide. On 8th September STV news ran an article describing his involvement. ( Text under the cut )

2. A couple of articles appeared concerning Billy's desire to appear in the Hobbit:
( STV article, includes embedded video )
( Ace Showbiz )

3. The Highland News ran a general interview with Billy on 16th September: ( Text under the cut )

4. UK Theatre tells us that Billy is supporting the restoration project "Long Live the King's" for the King's Theatre, Glasgow:

Supporting the scheme is Billy Boyd, currently starring in Sunshine in Leith at The King’s, he said: “I haven’t performed at the theatre since my King’s panto debut in Sleeping Beauty in 1998. However, being back here with Sunshine on Leith it is remarkable the differences that have been made to the auditorium so far. I did manage to get a sneak peak at the restoration work in the Upper Circle during the summer but to see it now in all its glory is breathtaking. The King’s is an iconic Glasgow theatre and it is only fitting that its crown is being well and truly polished once again.”

Radio
Billy is featured this week on BBC Radio Scotland, in an interview with Edie Stark. You can find the broadcast details here.

Screen and stage actor Billy Boyd, best known for his role as Pippin in the Oscar winning trilogy Lord of the Rings talks to Edi Stark about the importance of his friendships with schoolfriends and Hollywood stars and how one particular scene in Dundee Rep's Sunshine On Leith (in which he appears as Davy) brings back memories of the deaths of his parents when he was a young teenager."

Billy turned 42 on 28th August. I hope he had a wonderful day (though it was probably busy with rehearsals).

Articles
It seems as if every website in the world picked up on Billy's interview with Katie McKenna that we included in the last issue, in particular the remark that he had no money (which I believe was said somewhat facetiously). I guess some exposure is better than none at all ...

Theatre
There were several articles promoting Billy's appearance in "Sunshine on Leith", some of them incorporating more general questions.

( Sunday Mail, 22nd August )

( STV, 23rd August )

( The Guardian, 28th August )

( The Courier, 31st August )

( The Scotsman, 31st August )

Video
Week 3 of Billy's "Sunshine on Leith" video blog can be found here. There is also a trailer for the musical here.

Images
padabee posted several images of Billy taken from a recent photo shoot in Dundee here, and two shots of the "Sunshine on Leith" cast here.

Appearances
Billy's appearance at the Scottish Youth Theatre on 21st July was written up on their blog here, along with three photos. ( text under the cut )

Theatre
Billy is hard at work in Dundee, rehearsing for his upcoming role in "Sunshine on Leith". He is also recording a weekly video blog which you can find on YouTube under DundeeRep. The show opens for previews on 31st August (only a fortnight away) and the official run starts on 7th September. The English leg of the tour has been extended with the addition of new dates in Windsor, at the Theatre Royal (see below).

The production was mentioned in an article on the forthcoming theatre season in Northampton: "The critically-acclaimed new musical Sunshine on Leith features the music of the The Proclaimers in a moving tale of two soldiers returning home from the army starring the actor Billy Boyd (best known as the hobbit Pippin in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy)." (from here.

31 August - 18 September- Dundee Rep Theatre, Dundee
21 - 25 September - Eden Court, Inverness
28 September - 2 October - King’s Theatre, Glasgow
12 - 16 October - Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
19 - 23 October - His Majesty’s, Aberdeen
26 - 30 October - The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
9 - 13 November - Derngate Theatre, Northampton
16 - 20 November - Theatre Royal, Windsor

Articles
Billy was interviewed by Katie McKenna for "No. 1 Magazine" recently. ( text under the cut )

Video
Billy's "Sunshine on Leith" video blog: week 1 and week 2.

Blogs
I don't normally include blog entries here, but this one is so unusual I thought I would make an exception: Parfümieren is - unsurprisingly - a blog about perfumes. On 31st July the perfume under discussion was "Or Black" by Pascal Morabito, and Billy's role as the Loan Shark from "Urban Ghost Story" was used to illustrate its character. ( Extract under the cut )