FIRST CHESS LONDON CONCERT: REPORT

Just back from London and here a quick report on the concert. It turned out to be an evening with some mixed feelings, but overall it was a concert I wouldn't have wanted to miss for the world.

Tim Rice opened the concert with a short note. He mentioned the fact that it is already almost 25 years ago that chess saw the light of day. Those words hit me right into my heart. I didn't realise that is was so long ago. Seeing Chess in 1986 was the first trip abroad on my own, and it was also the first ABBA related thing I saw in my life upon that moment. That is 22 years ago, a time when the future looked so bright,
while at this moment my life has been hit by loads of bad, sometimes horrific news. Because of this, the evening turned out to be a highly emotional one for me. When Idina sang nobody's side the tears flooded from my eyes and pity the child broke me.

Mixed however where my feelings about the quality of some of the performers. Two of them, Marty Pellow (former leadsinger from wet, wet, wet) and Idina Menzel ( of Rent and Wicked) failed to impress me. That was somewhat of a disappointment, because I had high expectations of Idina, whom I loved in Rent and Wicked. But she simply wasn't fit for the job. The music of chess is very complicated for singers, esp. the
part of Florence. Florence has a wide range of songs to sing from up-tempo to ballads, from rock to classical. And Idina failed at that point. She also sounded too American for me. Besides that, she sometimes didn't remember the words. Luckily she was in her own territory with the final, which she did excellent. Seeing Idina was one of my dreams left, because I missed her in the London Wicked. Marty Pellow was also a mistake. Mr Pellow has no stage presence at all. He really was a shame.

But there where also a few nice surprises. Josh Groban (who performed Anatoly once before on the New York concert) made a very good Anatoly. His first act ending, Anthem, was one of the highlights of the evening and brought down the house.

Adam Pascal who played Freddie, missed a few notes here and there, but besides that he is the ultimate Freddie for me. Some will perhaps doubt that (I heard some people talk less enthusiastic about his performance) but in a musical version he will be the ultimate Freddie I am very much convinced of that. He looks sexy, has a good rock voice and a dominating stage appearance. He was the sole reason for me to book the ticket anyway and he didn't disappoint me. Quite sensational was the performance of Kerry Ellis, whose 'someone else's story' brought down the house again. I have seen here once in Wicked in London (when she replaced Indina), and already then she managed to impress me. Although she had not many songs to sing, the few things she did sing, she did so well that she completely outshined Idina Menzel.

Tim Rice said in his intro that he hoped that the version of Chess presented in the concert will turn out to be the definite version. I doubt that, I still think the Stockholm version is by far better. Nevertheless as a concert, Chess still works very well especially with a very good orchestra and choir. Orchestra and Choir where in good shape yesterday. We all seem to forget that Chess is not a musical. It's a pop
opera and it needs a big orchestra and choir.

So, it turned out to be an highly emotional evening for me and one I will never forget. The cast brought the house down at several moments in the show and the public clearly enjoyed the evening. They received a very enthusiastic reply from the audience which rose to its feet at the ending of the show. Some ABBA fans, critical as ever (and as usual, too critical in my view) may have enjoyed the show less.

I think the second performance tonight will be much better. It was clear that the first show was not very well rehearsed.

I was also interested to hear that Björn was in the audience with Tommy Körberg and that the entire performance was filmed.

Thanks to ABBAMAILer Marco Dirven, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

SONY & ABBA MUSEUM

Sony to be the official technology partner for ABBA the Museum – Two of the world’s strongest brands in collaboration

On June 4, 2009, Stockholm's new major attraction opens - ABBA the Museum.
An interactive event house of 6,500 square metres, with sounds and images as the corner stones in the ABBA story. Now we are happy to announce that Sony will be the official technology partner and will deliver our technology solutions.

"We are very proud to be a part of this prestigious project," says Adam Fry, Director of Sony PSE Nordic. "With our knowledge and experience in the music and entertainment industry combined with our technology innovations, we are looking forward to working with ABBA the Museum to create a truly unique entertainment experience".

The attraction will be built as a sequence of scenes, where the guests themselves may participate with all their senses: sing, dance, record and perhaps feel like they're one of the four members. Naturally, all original ABBA items will be there, from the late ‘60s, when Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid first met, up until 1982, when the group took a temporary break.

"ABBA the Museum will be a technology-intensive attraction, centred on the visitors' experience. This makes a collaboration with Sony the ultimate solution for the project," says Ulf Westman, founder of ABBA the Museum. "The corporation's products are of the highest quality and are innovative, and their range of products has the width that we demand. Furthermore, they are highly experienced in delivering complex technology solutions."

For further information, please contact Sony Nordic:
Adam Fry, Director, Sony PSE Nordic, adam.fry@eu.sony.com
Ulf Westman, MD and founder of ABBA the Museum, +468 650 00 80 or +4670 717 50 92 ulf@abbamuseum.com

Pictures may be downloaded from Newsdesk, via the link at www.sony.se/press or at www.abbamuseum.com

About ABBA the Museum - an interactive event house with everything about ABBA. It will be opened during an Opening Week, June 3-7, 2009. Circa 6,500 square metres located in Stora Tullhuset in central Stockholm. Apart from the museum, there will be a shop and an event hall encompassing 600 square metres. The founders and exhibition producers are Ewa Wigenheim-Westman and Ulf Westman. The project has been sanctioned by Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid.

About Sony
Sony manufactures products within the fields of audio, video, communications and information technology for consumers and professional users all over the world. With their music, image, game and online activities, Sony are in a unique position to be one of the leading brands within digital entertainment. The Sony group's sales for the financial year ending March 31, 2007, was 55.83 billion euros (8,296 billion yen), based on an average exchange rate during the same period of 148.6 yen to 1 euro. The Sony group has around 163,000 employees all over the world.
In Europe, Sony's sales were 13.71 billion euros (2,038 billion yen) during the financial year ending March 31, 2007. Sony Europe, seated at the Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, are responsible for the company's European business activities within electronics, and reached sales of 9.12 billion euros during the same period.
More information about Sony is available at www.sony.se or www.sony-europe.com.


- This release is distributed from Sony Sweden, Lennart Thulin, Press/PR
lennart.thulin@norsholmen.se, +468-598 90 000, or mobile +46705-106 106.

ABBA ON THE CHARTS

Here are the chart stats for the last 2 weeks.

25 April to 2 May 2008 (week 18)
CANADA: ABBA 20th Century Masters, The Best Of ABBA... - up 5 to #61

2 May - 9 May 2008 (week 19)
CANADA: ABBA - 20th Century Masters, The Millennium Collection... - down 5
to #66
NORWAY: ABBA - Number Ones - new in at #39

Thanks to ABBAMAILer Dean Scapolo, Wellington, New Zealand

LENA ZAVARONI DOES HEAD OVER HEELS

She sure ain't Frida but it is interesting to see someone cover ABBA's Head Over Heels.

Thanks to ABBAMAILer Lee Gale, UK

ET's MAMMA MIA! EXCLUSIVE

http://www.etonline.com/news/2008/05/61539/index.html

'The Devil Wears Prada' star MERYL STREEP and former 007 PIERCE BROSNAN dance and sing for the big-screen version of the hit musical Mamma Mia!, in theaters everywhere July 18, and ET has an exclusive preview!

"It's all about dreams, hopes and happiness," says Meryl. "They just enter your body, these songs -- they have amazing hooks."

The film centers on a bride-to-be (played by AMANDA SEYFRIED of "Big Love" and "Veronica Mars" fame) in spectacular Greece who invites three men -- one of whom just may be her father -- to her wedding. Meryl plays her mother, while Pierce, COLIN FIRTH ('Bridget Jones' Diary') and STELLAN SKARSGARD ('Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest') play the three "dad candidates."

The film is full of classic ABBA tunes, of course, with Pierce, Meryl and company belting out songs including "Dancing Queen," "Take a Chance on Me" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You."

"Everyone's danced to ABBA; everyone's been driven nuts by their songs," jokes Pierce. "The whole film has a heart to it, and I think the 'Mamma Mia!' experience has bled into this film."

ELVIS COSTELLO ABBA STORY

The recent edition of WORD magazine June 2008 has a feature on famous
producers and key records they produced. Nick Lowe is talking about
producing Elvis Costello.

"Elvis didn't like it at all (Oliver's Army). He was getting more and more
shirty. I thought it was a really good track, but it did sound very
obviously poppy. Maybe that was a problem for him. Anyway, something about
it was getting up his nose.... Then, out of the blue, Steve Nieve said,
'What about if I do a sort of Abba piano part on it?' There was silence.
Complete silence. An Abba piano part? Abba were really big but they weren't
hip like they are now. We knew their records were good but noone really
wanted to own up to it. But Nieve really liked them, and so did Elvis, so
the consensus was, 'Oh, alright then. Let's try it.' But I have to say, I
really didn't think this was going to disturb my plan to get the track for
myself. Anyway, of course Nieve went out and did the piano part and suddenly
the whole thing went from black and white to fireworks. I don't think it's
quite the first take that you hear on the finished record but the effect was
certainly instantaneous. We all just went, 'Yeah, that's it!' It was
definitely an afterhtought, but it gave the record an unbelievable sound and
spirit. I thought it was pretty good before but when that piano went on it I
saw my nefarious scheme going straight out the window. I didn't mind too
much because it was such a great cut. And so Elvis had the massive hit - and
I didn't!"

Thank you to ABBAMAILer Paul Campbell, York, UK

MERYL & PIERCE & AMANDA FOR SYDNEY & MELBOURNE

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/
0,22049,23681167-5006009,00.html

THE metal detectors at Sydney Airport will be on red alert and the ruby rug for visiting stars due for an extra special dry-clean - the golden girl of the Oscars, Meryl Streep, is set to touch down.

We can exclusively reveal the big-screen actress is jetting her way to Sydney as part of a star-studded press tour for Mamma Mia! the movie.

Streep will join co-stars Pierce Brosnan and Amanda Seyfried to hit town on July 8, before heading south for a gala premiere in Melbourne the following night. (Stay tuned for details on how you can be on the VIP guest list).

The whistlestop visit is scheduled to be the final stop of an amazing world tour: opening in London on July 1, Berlin on July 2, then Stockholm on July 4, where ABBA will reform for the occasion.

Inspired by the songs and storytelling of the Swedish supergroup, and based on the hit musical, the Universal film is one of the hottest cinema releases this year.

Thanks to ABBAMAILer Mark Hannam, Sydney, Australia

PICTURE FIRTH DANCING TO ABBA

http://www.mercurynews.com/movies/ci_9223947?nclick_check=1

'Mamma Mia!': Picture Firth dancing to Abba
By Susan King
Los Angeles Times

In the HBO series "Big Love," Amanda Seyfried plays the eldest daughter in a polygamist family of one husband and three wives. In the lavish new musical "Mamma Mia!" based on the long-running Broadway hit, she plays the only daughter of one mother and one of three boyfriends.

In the movie that features the music of '70s band Abba as prominently as any of its stars, Seyfried plays Sophie, the daughter of single mom Donna (Meryl Streep), who operates a small hotel on a beautiful Greek island.

For Sophie's wedding, Donna invites her BFFs (Christine Baranski, Julie Walters) the backup singers of her old group, Donna and the Dynamos.

Meanwhile, Sophie secretly invites the three guys (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard) who may or may not be her father.

Singing was Seyfried's first passion, and she trained from age 11 to 17 in her hometown of Allentown, Pa.

"When I moved to New York," she says, "I quit because I was acting regularly on (the soap opera) 'All My Children.' I didn't have time for it."

Although Streep sang in "A Prairie Home Companion" and "Postcards From the Edge," most of the actors were out of their comfort zone.

"We were all a little bit freaked out by it," Seyfried says. "I was the least freaked; I knew how to sing and dance, and I was basically playing myself in these certain circumstances."

But her three "daddies," she says, were often horrified.

"The look on their faces the first day they showed up to dance was just priceless. The facial expressions Colin Firth had were so funny."

The movie, which opens July 18, was shot in London and Greece.

"It was so beautiful," Seyfried says by phone from the Vancouver, Canada, set of Jennifer's Body," written by "'Juno" Oscar-winner Diablo Cody. "But it was hectic and tiring. We worked six days a week. The entire company partied every time we had a day off."

Thanks to ABBAMAILer Monique Hoevens, Tilburg, the Netherlands

CHESS STORY

Kamamica's move to bring Chess back

MEMBERS of Kamamica will be making all the right moves this month as they prepare to put on the hit musical Chess.'

It is now 25 years since the acclaimed musical was written by lyricist Tim Rice and ABBA members, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and Kamamica are marking the event with what will be their fourth production of the show.

Including songs such as I Know Him So Well, One Night in Bangkok and Heaven Help My Heart, the show takes place in the Studio at Harrogate Theatre from May 22 to 24 at 7.45pm, tickets priced £8 and £7 available from the box office on 01423 502116.

l You can also see the show in Pateley Bridge at the Playhouse from June 5 to 7. Performances at 7.30pm and tickets priced £7 are available now from the Playhouse (open Saturday afternoons).

http://www.harrogateadvertiser.net/leisure/
Kamamicas-move-to-bring-Chess.4041513.jp

LANE BRYANT COMPETITION

http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=853957

Mamma Mia! Lane Bryant Sends You to the London Movie Premiere

Lane Bryant and Universal Studios Teams Up for a One-of-a-Kind Sweepstakes

COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - May 8, 2008) - Now is your chance to share the red carpet with the likes of Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep! Plus size fashion leader Lane Bryant, together with Universal Studios and Mamma Mia! the movie, will launch a one-of-a-kind sweepstakes to win a trip for two to the star-studded Mamma Mia! Premiere in London.

Mamma Mia!, the beloved musical seen by more than 30 million people worldwide, is now a star-studded movie set to open in theatres July 18. Produced by Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, and starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Christine Baranski, and Colin Firth, Mamma Mia! promises to be a huge box office hit.

Mamma Mia! is the story of a young woman with a quest to discover the identity of her father. On the eve of her wedding, she brings three men from her mother's past back to the Greek island paradise they once visited twenty years ago -- and sets in motion a celebration of life, love and laughter.

Partnering with Mamma Mia! is a unique marketing opportunity for Lane Bryant, a brand known for designing clothes with a woman's figure and lifestyle in mind. "The promotional themes of this movie are targeted to our customer -- mother/daughter relationships, love, friendship, and family," said LuAnn Via, President of Lane Bryant. "We are very excited to give our customers a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to such an exciting event!"

The Lane Bryant/Mamma Mia! movie sweepstakes entry begins on April 28, 2008 and ends on June 10, 2008. Customers can enter in store and online at the company's website -- www.lanebryant.com.

THE CONTEST:

-- ONE (1) GRAND PRIZE WINNER will win an all-expenses paid trip for her
and a guest to the red carpet global premiere of the Mamma Mia! movie
in London.
-- Air travel to New York City for a Lane Bryant shopping spree with
a $500 Lane Bryant Gift Card
-- Overnight stay at the Hilton® New York hotel
-- British Airways® World Traveler flight roundtrip to London
-- A day of London sightseeing
-- First-class hotel accommodations in London
-- On the day of the premiere, the winner will be treated to:
-- Hairstyling by a REGIS hair artist
-- Personal makeup artist
-- Tickets to the star-studded global premiere at Leicester Square,
London

-- FIFTY (50) FIRST PLACE WINNERS will receive:
-- 4 tickets to the Mamma Mia! movie
-- $100 Lane Bryant gift card
-- Mamma Mia! movie poster
-- A special Mamma Mia! movie gift from Universal Pictures

-- FIFTY (50) SECOND PLACE WINNERS will receive:
-- 4 tickets to the Mamma Mia! movie
-- $50 Lane Bryant Gift Card

-- FOUR THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED (4,500) THIRD PLACE WINNERS will receive:
-- 2 tickets to the Mamma Mia! movie


About Lane Bryant

With over 800 stores, Lane Bryant, the nation's largest women's plus-size specialty apparel retailer, provides stylish, high-quality fashion for plus-size women in sizes 14-28. Lane Bryant offers a wide selection of apparel from career to casual -- as well as a collection of accessories, hosiery and intimate apparel. For more information about Lane Bryant's Mamma Mia! movie sweepstakes, please visit www.lanebryant.com

2,000 PERFORMANCE FOR MAMMA MIA! IN VEGAS

http://www.lvrj.com/living/18742664.html

2,000 FOR 'MAMMA MIA!'

Hats off to "Mamma Mia!" The longest running musical on the Strip celebrated 2,000 successful performances this past Sunday at the Mandalay Bay Theatre. The show is slated to run through January 2009. And if you like trivia, "Mamma Mia!" has used 600 yards of spandex and more than 150,000 sequins to create costumes for The Dynamos; 3,170 light bulbs have been replaced in the uniquely raked stage since production first began -- more than likely due to damage caused by the disco-era platforms of The Dynamos. The show's signature song, "Mamma Mia," has been sung more than 4,600 times over the lifetime of the show.

NEW YORK MAMMA MIA! COMPETITION

New Yorkers aim to be 'Dancing Queen'

BY MELISSA GRACE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Are you a "Dancing Queen"?

New York women recently put up their best renditions of ABBA's hit single - and shook it as they competed for a free trip to London's red-carpet screening of the movie version of "Mamma Mia!"

"I love to sing, not that I can sing!" quipped Lisa Frazier, 45, as she prepared to do her best karaoke version of the Swedish pop group's hit single, "Dancing Queen."

Frazier, a Harlem mom, and her engineering firm co-worker, Ladrena Andrews of Rockaway Beach, Queens, entered the Times Square contest, held at the Spotlight Live dinner club, on a lark during their lunch break.

"My friend dragged me in," said Andrews, 40. "Yes, we're awesome, we're good and I'm never going to have lunch with her again!"

The one-day, walk-in contest was part of a search for a singing trio of American women, age 40 and up who are prepared to belt out songs from the movie version of the Broadway smash "Mamma Mia!"

The nationwide "Dynamos" search, put on by the skincare company Pond's to promote the upcoming movie starring Meryl Streep, is accepting video submissions of singing female trios through Wednesday at www.ponds.com.

The contest seeks the country's "sexiest, sassiest and most confident" older women - like the "Donna and the Dynamos" characters played by Streep and two co-stars in the film version - and offers them a free celebrity-filled trip to London in July.

You don't have to look far to find sassy, confident women in and around New York - especially if you're treating them as stars.

"We want to be appreciated," said advertising executive Shari Spiro, 49, of Netcong, N.J.

And, Spiro said, "They sent a car for me - all the way to New Jersey."

OFFICAL ONE-SHEET FOR MAMMA MIA! MOVIE

Universal Pictures has released the official one-sheet for their upcoming adaptation of Mamma Mia!

Official One-Sheet: Mamma Mia!

An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna (Streep) is about to let go of Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), the spirited daughter she’s raised alone. For Sophie’s wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends—practical and no-nonsense Rosie (Julie Walters) and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya (Christine Baranski)—from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own.

On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna’s past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities.

ABBA BACK WHEN THEY WERE REAL PEOPLE ;-)

Thanks to ABBA fan Lee Gale, United Kingdom

COLIN FIRTH ARTICLE: I'M JUST AN ACTOR

http://news.therecord.com/arts/article/345127

'I'm just an actor' TheRecord.com - arts -


Starring in four upcoming films. Interviewing Snoop Dogg in Amsterdam. Singing for ABBA's Benny and Björn. Kissing a transvestite played by Rupert Everett. Raising three children.; A look behind the scenes of Colin Firth's frantic, happy life. (Just don't

Nancy Mills
New York Times news services

Mention the name "Darcy" and Colin Firth doesn't exactly cringe, but he isn't thrilled either.

"It does haunt me," he says, referring to the character in Pride and Prejudice (1995) that made him an international star. "I joked the other day, 'I should change my name to 'Mr. Darcy' and be done with it."'

Firth's work in that much-admired miniseries, based on Jane Austen's novel, launched a new wave of Austenmania and propelled Firth, 47, into a wide range of roles that might otherwise have eluded a British actor uninterested in leaving England for Hollywood.

In the next few months alone, he'll be seen in four movies: He's one of the possible fathers in the musical Mamma Mia!, playing opposite Meryl Streep, and will co-star with Helen Hunt in the romantic comedy Then She Found Me. He's the son in When Did You Last See Your Father?, a family drama with Jim Broadbent as the father, and the fiancé of Uma Thurman's character in The Accidental Husband.

And he has four more awaiting release, ranging from the bawdy British comedy St. Trinian's and the low-budget drama Genova to an adaptation of Noel Coward's play Easy Virtue. He's also rumoured to be involved in a version of A Christmas Carol, starring Jim Carrey.

After years of struggle Firth sounds genuinely content, although he doesn't readily admit it. "I'm not a person who spends 24 hours a day basking in joy," he murmurs in his typically self-deprecating manner, speaking by telephone from Italy, where he and his wife, documentary maker Livia Giuggioli, have a second home.

"But I'm happy with the way things are. In these last couple of years, I couldn't have asked for more variety and stimulation.

"For my wife's documentary In Prison My Whole Life (about imprisoned political activist and former Black Panther member Mumia Abu-Jamal), I was sitting in a room in Amsterdam interviewing Snoop Dogg on a Wednesday. Two days later, I was singing for Benny and Bjorn (Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of Abba, whose music provides the score for Mamma Mia!). The week before I was kissing a transvestite, played by Rupert Everett, for St. Trinian's. I was also working with Michael Winterbottom on Genova, which is about grief and death.

"I'm just an actor!," he exclaims. "To be going through all these things is incredibly fortunate."

And he hasn't even mentioned the two movies, now open. In Then She Found Me, which marks Hunt's feature-film directorial debut, Firth plays her character's potential sweetheart.

"The film offers a good balance of showing the defects in people's ability to conduct relationships," he says. "It allows everyone to be sympathetic while seeing the little and big disappointments we inflict on each other.

Firth's parents didn't initially encourage his aspirations.

"I remember watching a crowd scene on television," Firth says, "and my mom said, 'See all those people walking up and down the street? They're actors.' It was a case of 'Do you want to do that? Because that's what most actors do -- you've got two people doing dialogue in front and 200 people walking in the back.' That certainly wasn't my ambition."

As it turned out, Firth became one of the two people in front. He studied at the London Drama Centre, played Hamlet, found an agent, got cast in the West End production of Another Country (1983) and then starred in the 1984 film version. Since then he has worked steadily, making more than 50 films, including The English Patient (1996), Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Bridget Jones' Diary (2001), in which he played Mark . . . Darcy.

This summer's Mamma Mia! will give audiences a chance to see Firth's musical side. He sings ABBA's Our Last Summer -- not the group's biggest hit, which is fine with Firth.

"It's not hugely well known," he says, "so I'm not on sacred ground."

Nevertheless, the chances of his becoming a pop star are slight at this point.

"It's sad to let go of some of your dreams," he says, "but I think that one can go. I still have a private fantasy that it would be nice, so I haven't totally grown out of it. But do I really see it in my future? No. I'm not going to move over into rock 'n' roll now -- although I have to say, when I was doing Girl With a Pearl Earring (2003) and they gave me that long hair, my instinct was to get in front of a mirror and put a guitar on."

Recently Firth has begun to reorder his priorities, for which he gives partial credit to When Did You Last See Your Father?

"This movie is not just about the death of a father," he says. "It's about being a dad, and I'm a dad. Rarely do I do a film that wakes me up, but this one has made me want to be careful. I want to make sure I don't harm the people around me."

Firth has three sons, the eldest, 17-year-old Will, from a four-year relationship with Meg Tilly, his co-star in Valmont (1989). He and Giuggioli, whom he met while making the miniseries Nostromo (1996), have seven-year-old Luca and four-year-old Mateo.

"I'm not prepared to recklessly abandon myself to my job," Firth says.

"What happens when I come home is what it's all about. I want my life to be more important than my work.

"I think I'm moving in that direction," he concludes.

"I'm mellowing in my dotage."