Forum should be okay, gallery doesn't work yet but I'll fix it tomorrow. There'll be also some messing with pages as I have to upload ads to every page, but that shouldn't affect you at all. So when something won't work, try to reload it. And if something is seriously wrong, let me know

Charles Martin Smith can barely contain his glee when reminded that he had achieved something Ron Howard couldn't when his old friend filmed The Da Vinci Code.

Smith managed to get permission to shoot scenes for his romantic caper Stone of Destiny in and around England's Westminster Abbey. And he hasn't let Howard forget it.

"No one's been allowed to film inside of the place for 40 years," said Smith, whose "wee Scottish comedy" recounts the true-life exploits of four patriotic Glaswegian university students who, in 1950, broke into Westminster Abbey to liberate the ancient Stone of Scone and bring the symbol of Scottish sovereignty home to salvage national pride.

The heavy, oblong slab of sandstone is believed to have been seized by Edward I in 1296, transported to Westminster Abbey and placed beneath the coronation chair upon which all subsequent British sovereigns, except Queen Mary II, were crowned.

Smith directed and wrote the screenplay adapted from the memoir by Scottish nationalist ringleader Ian Hamilton. The film stars Charlie Cox, Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting), Kate Mara, Peter Mullan and Billy Boyd.

"Ron and I talked about it. I asked him, 'Listen, where did you run aground? How do I avoid what happened to you?' " Smith, 55, recalled.

"He was actually really helpful. He pointed out that the objections the abbey had to his film were biblical, religious."

Although officials nixed the Da Vinci Code shoot there, he said Howard was impressed by their graciousness.

"They were lovely to us, too," concurred Smith. "They said as long as I tell the story the way it really happened, and don't mess with the truth to try and make them look bad they had no grounds to object."

There was one condition, the filmmaker adds with a laugh.

"They said, 'I guess we can allow them to come in as long as they promise not to take the whole chair this time.' "

An endearing feel-good charmer notable for its gentle wit, spirited performances and picturesque Scottish and English locales, Stone of Destiny was a more ambitious project than Smith and producer Rob Merilees of Vancouver's Infinity Features had envisioned.

"We agreed we had to shoot it in Glasgow, where it really happened," he said. "We didn't want to be trying to fake Scotland somewhere else. But it's expensive to shoot there, largely because of the exchange rate."

Although most of the action is set in winter, filming took place in the summer of 2007.

"We had all kinds of weather, as one does in Scotland," Smith said. "But I think we pulled off making it look like winter."

When a friend turned Smith onto Hamilton's memoir a few years ago, he was hooked.

"I loved the idea of a caper or a heist, if you will, but not something that's going to make anybody rich," he said. "It's basically a big rock, except for what it means to people. It has more worth than anything financial."

Being "a child of the '60s," what he connected to most was the youths' belief they could change the world.

"And they're right," he said. "Kids can stand up and make a difference and literally change the world. It transcends any culture. That youthful idealism and optimism -- I love that. It's not just a Scottish story to me. It's a universal story."

The first shor clip is with Billy talking about how he got to reading - I accidentaly found it on YouTube and I've never seen it before.
The second one is taken on a Comic Con, I think, as it's really funny. So watch it to spend the time till some hot news appears, and to hear his unique voice

The trasfer will also probably mean that we will have to start the forum from the very start...

But it also means no space restrictions and not having to erase half of the site when you cross the quota :)

I'm trying to find some solution, like those free hostings for fansites, but first I have to find out how it works :) God, I'm getting really depressed...

The Stone Of Destiny DVD is to be released on March 23, 2009. I didn't find it on Amazon, but you can preorder it on Play.com.

As you all know, The Stone of Destiny retells the fascinating and true story of four young Glaswegian students who, in 1951, outwitted the British authorities in their successful attempt to take back the Stone of Scone - a beloved symbol of Scottish pride, back to its country of origin.

Gallery to the film you can see here.

Shoe at Your Foot

The release date is already known! It's supposed to be on July 29 - but in France. The other change is that the French name has changed from C'est toujours mieux quand on sourit sur la photo to Jusqu'à toi, which should mean something like Till I Get You. You can also see the first pic here and mostly french video - sadly, no Billy

I was doing a backup of my Billy's folder, and I found tons of old articles, and old Billy's posts from his now closed site. And because they're really funny, I've uploaded them

• Hey, it's been a while, Part 2
• Hey, it's been a while
• Welcome to the site!

Let's hope Billy will write more

The Hobbit prequel in the pipeline

Lord Of The Rings star Dominic Monaghan is sure that he will be starring in the upcoming prequel to the trilogy The Hobbit. Monaghan along with co-stars Elijah Wood, Sean Astin and Billy Boyd, played a band of mythical Hobbits in the magical franchise.

However, none of them are featured in JRR Tolkien's prequel novel, which will be turned into a big screen version directed by Guillermo del Toro. But, Monaghan is adamant that the bosses of the franchise would certainly bring back him and his co-stars for portraying their characters, because they were such a hit with fans.

"They really want us to come back, and I think there's a really strong chance that we might be back,” The Daily Express quoted him as saying. He added: "We're not in The Hobbit, no, but I think the idea in (the producers') heads is that the trilogy of the Lord Of The Rings films was so beloved by the fans that they're really keen to try to say thank you for the support that they gave to the Lord Of The Rings movies and possibly bring back some of those characters that they know and love."

The pic is taken from Kilted Scots '09 calendar - a fundraising calendar being sold to help the homeless in Edinburgh. So if you are interesting in charity, you can help, too, by buying one for yourself. The pic was scanned by Elaine from BBB, though.

HOBBITS TO RETURN FOR PREQUEL

LORD OF THE RINGS star DOMINIC MONAGHAN is convinced he will be returning to the magical franchise for upcoming prequel THE HOBBIT along with co-stars ELIJAH WOOD, SEAN ASTIN and BILLY BOYD.

The actors played a band of mythical Hobbits in the trilogy but none are featured in JRR Tolkien's prequel novel, which will be adapted for the big screen and directed by Guillermo del Toro.

However, Monaghan is adamant that producers of the epic picture will want to bring back their characters - because they were such a hit with fans.

He tells MTV.com, "They really want us to come back, and I think there's a really strong chance that we might be back.

"We're not in The Hobbit, no, but I think the idea in (the producers') heads is that the trilogy of the Lord Of The Rings films was so beloved by the fans that they're really keen to try to say thank you for the support that they gave to the Lord Of The Rings movies and possibly bring back some of those characters that they know and love."

Four Hobbits Back For The Hobbit?

Dominic Monaghan says they might be.

Well, here's a weird story. MTV spoke to Dominic Monaghan, former Hobbit in The Lord of the Rings, and he says that he and the other original quartet of Fellowship hobbits might be back for, well, The Hobbit.

Now without extensive rewriting, Merry (Monaghan), Pippin (Billy Boyd), Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) do not at any point appear in The Hobbit - so we're guessing that, if they are indeed back, it'll be in the mooted second film, the bridge between the original story, wherein Bilbo travels with 13 dwarves to slay a dragon and steal its treasure, and the events of The Lord of the Rings. Given that Frodo, the eldest of the quartet, isn't born until some 27 years after the events of The Hobbit, even that interpretation involves some considerable narrative wriggling.

Other articles related to Hobbit topic:
• Dominic Monaghan Planning To Return For 'Lord Of The Rings' Prequels
• Elijah Wood's Hobbit return
• Hobbits to return for 'Rings' prequels?
• Original Hobbits returning for Rings prequels?

Lang may yer lumb reek!

Happy New Year!!! ( slightly late ) and I hope it brings exactly what you wish for (or exactly what you need!). Just wanted to write a quick note as I found another quick note, which I wrote around April this year and forgot to post!

This one should have gone on billyboyd.net (which some of you may have noticed has disappeared from the internet!) this was for no other reason than I felt I wasn’t updating it as much as I should be and therefore it sat there making me feel guilty that I wasn’t updating it and the worry that I wasn’t updating it was taking up so much of my time that I had no time left to update it! It was a vicious circle that resulted in a clean up ( mentally and internetadly ) but billyboyd.net will be back I’m sure.

Anyway here’s the note from April….. Hello everyone just wanted to put pen to paper (or finger to keys!) to say thank you to everyone who sent a card or gift to Jack on his second birthday. I can’t believe how thoughtful and kind you all are. Jack had a great time opening all his gifts, reading the cards and in particular dancing to the musical ones! Everyone who is involved in the BBB and donated to Jack’s grove at Trees for Life, a very special thanks. What a perfect gift for Jack. I can’t tell you how touched Ali and I were to receive such a beautiful and perfectly chosen gift for our boy. I look forward to taking him there one day and watching him climb the highest tree! I will, obviously post photos. Thank you so much again for your gifts and kind wishes and for all your time, energy and support.

So that was April and here we are in Jan 2009. Just finished the Album! That was hard work! But lots of laughs and daftness, I hope you all enjoy the results of our endeavours. Thank you so much for the support you have given Beecake and I promise we will be out playing a lot of shows this year. And for all of you who have been following what I’ve been doing these last few years, thank you so much for your love and support, you have no idea how much it means to me and I promise it won’t be a year till my next note.

Lots of love, Billy X

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