ADMITTEDLY it's not exactly the ideal date movie, but on Wednesday night 450 people turned out for the Amnesty premiere of Dead Man Walking, the movie for which Susan Sarandon won her Best Actress Oscar. The powerful film with its strong anti death penalty message made for a subdued trip from the Virgin Cinema over to the Gresham Hotel, but the post movie party was instantly lifted by the very swinging Cafe Orchestra.
Pat and Cathy Kenny, Caroline Erjskine, Mary Coughlan and Christy Moore were there, as was Noel Pearson who complimented Amnesty on having a sensibly priced (£40) screening which encouraged a full house.
He's spending a lot of his time in Ardmore Studios these days as producer/co screenwriter of Gold in the Streets, a movie about Irish emigrants in America in the 1990s. James Belushi is the biggest name in the film and he flew into Dublin this week for eight days of filming. He's staying in the Shelbourne Hotel because, according to Noel, "he read on the Internet that it's the place to stay". (Printed guide books eat your heart out!)
Karl Geary, the Dubliner who caused a furore when he made his debut in Madonna's raunchy picture book Sex, makes his first major screen appearance in the film.