Thanks for the car ride to subway last night. And sorry about the singing (but not really). And HAHAHA!! No Nagging For YOU!!!

so... gonna buy coffee at Timmy Ho's today cuz mom gave us (me and Mookie) money. something about if you buy coffee today, the money goes to helping kids go to camp or some such thing. and eating brunch is good too. Mmmmmmmmm... Chilli...

Then it's off to Zeller's for Mookie's yarn! YAY! and something else. can't remember right now. much things to do today. (I think).

then staying home tonight. gotta eat dinner with the fam. (i haven't seen them all week).

ummmm...

what else.... not much i don't think?????

- - - - - - - - - - -


SOOOOO CUTE!!!

ANGELIC Rachel Hurd-Wood’s life has been turned into a fairytale by Peter Pan.

The 13-year-old Brit had only ever acted in a school play but she has been plucked to star as Wendy in a new film of the favourite children’s story.

Today she is a movie star, praised for her big-screen debut and she is being offered a string of new parts.

Fans screamed for her autograph and photographers snapped her picture at the Hollywood premiere on Saturday.

Rachel, who lives with her family near Godalming, Surrey, was chosen after a year long, worldwide hunt for the girl who wins the heart of the little boy who never grows up.

Making the film presented her with a number of first-time experiences — including kissing a boy. And she had to do it again and again for director PJ Hogan in rehearsals with 14-year-old Jeremy Sumpter, who plays Peter.

She says: “We had to rehearse it a thousand times, in front of loads of people on set.

“It was my first time. PJ would make us do it over and over again. He would say, ‘OK, hold that position.’ I would lean down and kiss him and our lips would be just connecting.

“I would say, ‘Can I get up now?’ And PJ would reply, ‘No, hold it there!’ It would be really embarrassing as he lined up the shot. It took for ever.”

Jeremy loved it. He says: “I wanted more of it. I wanted to kiss her every day!” Off set, the two would play around with the other youngsters who play the Lost Boys and Tiger Lily.

“We would hang out and tease each other. She had a crush on one of the pirates.”

Rachel ticks him off saying: “He would tease me, he was really rude. And he had a crush on practically everybody else in the film.”

Rachel won her role after her grandparents saw an appeal on TV about the search for an “English rose” to play Wendy Darling.



Heavy metal ... Captain Hook gets
to grips with Rachel's Wendy


They sent her details to casting agents and persuaded Rachel, who lives with parents Philip and Sarah and brother Patrick, 12, to audition.

Producer Lucy Fisher says they realised they had found their Wendy as soon as they met the pretty youngster.

She reveals: “We combed many continents to find her. We looked all over England, the US and Canada. Rachel’s a brilliant actress and a natural beauty. A true English rose.

“She was a total unknown, she was in a play aged about seven and that was it. She wants to be a biologist, but she is so good in the movie that I think her destiny will take her elsewhere.”

Her sentiments are echoed by director Hogan, who adds: “She is a natural. She has that star quality, the camera loves her. She is an absolute discovery.”

Despite the praise. modest Rachel says: “I can’t really believe this is all happening. It feels like a dream.”

Young Jeremy claims he had a big hand in getting Rachel cast — because he fell for her.

Jeremy says: “She was wonderful in the screen test and I was at PJ saying, ‘You have to cast her, she’s really hot!’

“The second time I saw her, I immediately had a crush on her. I was training on a trampoline and I started bouncing extra hard to impress her.

“The trainer said, ‘Jeremy, take it easy’ but I bounced even harder and he said, ‘Get off, you’ll hurt yourself.’ But I was going even higher trying to impress her more.

“I thought I would bounce really high off the trampoline and land spectacularly on the pads.

“But I missed the pads by ten feet and almost killed myself.”


Rachel bursts into giggles at the memory and says: “It was funny. We get on really well. He is a good friend now.”

The youngsters’ off-screen chemistry helped make up Hogan’s mind to give Rachel her role. And the friendship helped Rachel combat her nerves too.

She says Jeremy, who has been acting since an early age, proved a big help to her on set when she was struck by stage fright.

Jeremy says: “Yeah, she gets really nervous. She sometimes starts to shake when she gets too nervous.

“I would go up and say, ‘Rachel, calm down, these people are your family. Just joke around with them.”

Rachel adds: “I just tried to breathe and relax. The whole thing was an incredible experience working with great actors like Jason Isaacs, who plays Captain Hook and Mr Darling.

“How could you not like it? It was a new adventure every day, although it was chaotic. It was great fun, a really good experience.”

For the film, the duo had to learn how to fly with the aid of high wires and to duel with swords.

Both admitted they did not enjoy the flying. Rachel, whose hobbies are ice-skating, art and music, says: “It was really painful. Putting on the harness cuts off the blood to your legs and I got bruises every day. But I think it was worse for the boys.”

Jeremy tells Rachel: “Yeah, I got one of my you-know-whats caught under the strap and it was like, ‘eeeek!’.”

They both liked the sword fighting much more with Rachel saying: “That was hard work but fun.”

The new version of Peter Pan is a lot more faithful to JM Barrie’s book. And Rachel has a major part as the story is told through Wendy’s eyes.

Wendy also narrates most of the film and the unfulfilled love story between her and Peter is a major feature.

The movie, which is released here on Boxing Day, was filmed over eight months in Australia.

Rachel had to be chaperoned by her parents, who took it in turn to spend time with her Down Under.

She says: “I got really, really homesick in the beginning. I would think of home constantly and wish I was there.

“I would e-mail and call my friends. But then I got so busy and I got over it. Now I’ve left I miss Australia.”

Rachel loved the Hollywood premiere. But she says her new-found celebrity has led to her being bullied at school by jealous boys.

She says: “They are really, really annoying. They make me sick!

“They are jealous and give me a hard time. But my friends are really, really good and have been very supportive. I love them for that.”

Her greatest fan, Jeremy, is sure we will be seeing more of Rachel on the big screen. He says: “She is a great little actress. She will be a really big star.”

Additional Reporting:
SALLY BROOK