Julia Roberts and the Apes!

Subject: Julia Roberts and the Apes!
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 12:26 PM

OK, so most of my threads are of the "instrument nurd" kind, but when I deviate, I REALLY deviate!

A couple of nights ago I was channel flipping at 3am. and came upon one those ubiquitous "wild kingdom" shows on a nature station of some kind.

This was about Orangutans in Borneo, and what first caught my eye was this quite attractive young woman (with camera crew) putt-putting down swampy rivers in search of these creatures. It was fascinating, as she ventured inland and found various "ape ladies" (those curious distaff folks who live 'mongst the critters, write books about them, and then get murdered by poachers)

My knowledge of Orangutans is woefully inadequate, and I seemed to think they were pretty violent (probably because of "Murders in The Rue Morgue") so I sat in amazement for a couple of hours watching these gentle animals, both solitary AND social, interact with the folks who are trying so hard to keep them from extinction. Their seeming intelligence (the animals) was positively scary and it was hard NOT to think of them as some kind of ancestor to ourselves. I'd love to see this program again (and get Heather to watch it) but I didn't get the name or the credits. Anybody seen it? Know whether it's on video?

Oh, and after thinking "Gee that intrepid marsh gallumphing young woman looks familiar"...I caught the credit that said: host..Julia Roberts. That gal looked a lot better before all the make-up and surgery.

Rick

Subject: RE: Julia Roberts and the Apes!
From: GUEST,Murray macLeodi
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 12:51 PM

Now I understand why she married Lyle Lovett .....

Murray

Subject: RE: Julia Roberts and the Apes!
From: catspaw49
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 01:08 PM

I just saw a thing this AM on the depleting natural habitat of the orangutans and that they are fast moving toward extinction in their wild state. Also a guy who takes the ones that people have bought for pets (its illegal) and reintroducing them into a refuge/preserve....He's had threats against his life, his house was fire bombed.

Also Rick, Pam Swan went to the rivalry high school in Atlanta (South Cobb) to the one that Julia Roberts attended (Campbell). But if you want to get even closer, KAREN went to Campbell. Both Karen and Pam were, uh......well, let's say they were a few years ahead of Julia, but they were there at about the same time as each other!

Spaw

Subject: RE: Julia Roberts and the Apes!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 01:12 PM

Hmmm. What could Rick be thinking of? A jungle movie, with Harrison Ford and Katharine Hepburn going up the river in a motorboat, only to be met by Bo Derek and Allan Quatermain, and then attacked by Kathleen Turner and Linda Kozlowski. Does that cover all your jungle fantasies, Rick?

Those aren't it, huh? Oh, maybe those are my fantasies...

Well, could it be Gorillas in the Mist? It stars Sigourney Weaver, and is available on video. Haven't seen it myself.
Click here for information on Julia Roberts. No jungle movies on her list, but maybe they didn't list it, if it was a minor part.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Julia Roberts and the Apes!
From: Amos
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 01:22 PM

I think Aine needs to weave this thread into her current song challenge (#42, q.v.).

A

Subject: RE: Julia Roberts and the Apes!
From: Peter T.
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 02:12 PM

I may be the only person around here who has seen orangutangs in their native habitat in Borneo, and it is all sad and true. Beautiful animals, very very shy. I don't remember Julia Roberts though.
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Julia Roberts and the Apes!
From: Sorcha
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 04:08 PM

I think Rick is talking about a documentary--I saw something similar on the Discovery Channel. Maybe their website would have some info?

Subject: RE: Julia Roberts and the Apes!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 04:31 PM

Sounds like a great show, Rick. By the way, wasn't the animal in the Murders of the Rue Morgue story a gorilla?

Orangutans are very neat. I used to wonder if Burl Ives was a shaved Orangutan...there was certainly a strong resemblance there.

As for Julia Roberts, I've seen her in some good movies and some not so good movies. She looked wonderful in the first feature film she did, called "Mystic Pizza". It's a great little movie that didn't get much attention at the time. I also like her in "Erin Brockovich". I really despised the movie, "Pretty Woman", although I like both Julia Roberts and Richard Gere a lot. That movie made me feel ill.

Subject: RE: Julia Roberts and the Apes!
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 05:21 PM

What, LH? You didn't LOVE the heartwarming tale of a orangutan hooker finding love in the arms of a strapping primatologist?

Wait... No... My brain hurts...

---Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: Julia Roberts and the Apes!
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 06:12 PM

Orangs look like unmade beds - how can you ever say they are neat? Unless you mean neat as in cool, in which case, yes, but they do the most disgusting things with mangoes....

Terry Pratchett got carted off to Borneo to do a documentary about orangs, he was besotted as well.....

LTS

Subject: RE: Julia Roberts and the Apes!
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 06:29 PM

Sorcha, thank you. I sure thought I indicated it was a documentary ("Wild Kingdom...nature channel") and not a feature flick...although the mention of Linda Koslowski DOES fulfill pretty much ALL my fantasies, Joe!

Sounds like it was the Discovery Channel. I'll check it out.

Murray...Now hold on a minute! In SOME circles we couldn't figure out what Lyle saw in HER!

Peter...tell us about it.

Thanks folks.

Rick

Subject: RE: Julia Roberts and the Apes!
From: CarolC
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 08:05 PM

Rick, if by surgery, you're refering to what they did to her for the movie Erin Brokovitch (sp?), that wasn't surgery. It was externally applied prostheses, and a lot of duct tape. As she put it, "It takes a village to raise my....".

Saw the documentary you speak of about a year ago. It's very good.

Carol

Subject: RE: Julia Roberts and the Apes!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 08:46 PM

OK, Rick - here's the video: In the Wild: Orangutans With Julia Roberts - and here's the Letterman Interview with Roberts about her trip, and the PBS Blurb about the show, and the Google Search that found all this stuff.
And if you Click here you should be able to buy the video and get some money (very little) for Mudcat.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Julia Roberts and the Apes!
From: catspaw49
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 08:50 PM

Okay Joe.....What was the one I just saw? I think it may have been on TBS or Animal Planet....maybe TLC?

PETER!!! Do tell us some more.

Spaw