Why red noses?
It’s been 14 years and it only took 15 minutes, but we’ve caught up with much of what the “Love Actually” characters are doing these days.
That’s thanks to “Red Nose Day Actually,” writer and director Richard Curtis’ sort-of sequel to the much-loved 2003 film “Love, Actually.”
Unfortunately NBC chopped it up into bits and dropped it throughout an hour-long fundraising special for Red Nose Day, but at least the episodic nature of the film lends itself to that.
Curtis is a co-founder of Comic Relief, which launched Red Nose Day in 1988, and has raised more than $1 billion to fight child poverty.
He got most of the cast back together for the sequel, which caught up with many of the folks in the ensemble. (If you’ve never seen “Love, Actually,” it’s a loosely related group of stories about eight British couples before Christmas, which has made it a holiday favorite.)
Here are four things we learned, with a bonus John McCain added at no extra charge.
1. David is still prime minister
And he also dances, although this time to Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” (He danced to the Pointer Sisters’ “Jump (For My Love)” in the first film.) He’s married to Natalie (Martine McCutcheon) and he’s still optimistic, as we learn when he addresses the media at the end of the short film. “Wherever you see tragedy, you see bravery, too,” he says. “Wherever you see ordinary people in need, you see extraordinary people come to their aid. … Good’s going to win. I’m sure of it.” Which, of course, are welcome words for both Red Nose Day and the world right now. The goofy prop helps use entertainment to raise awareness, not to mention it’s an obvious conversation starter. It lends a goofy, kid-friendly air to fundraising. Noses are sold exclusively at Walgreens and subsidiary Duane Reade locations. Walgreens will donate 50 cents for each nose purchased before June 3 to Comic Relief Inc.’s Red Nose Day Fund. Donations go to a variety of well-known organizations that help kids. The website rednoseday.org lists a few examples: » “$1 can provide 11 meals for hungry children through Feeding America food banks.” » “$10 can provide essential immunizations for a child in need,” according to Children’s Health Fund. » “$50 can provide one year’s tuition, supplies, and textbooks for a child in a developing country,” according to Save the Children. » “$100 provides food, clothing, shelter, and medical care to help get a child off the street,” according to Covenant House. Donate at rednoseday.org/donate, by calling 800-500-4373, or in-store at any Walgreens.
2. Billy Mack has cut another single
Not that Jamie knows about the fourth one, yet. Trying and mostly failing to learn Portuguese, Aurelia insists the kids speak it so that Jamie can better learn. But when she tells him — in Portuguese — that she’s pregnant, Jamie replies that this is great, but “can we have rice with it this time, though? I’m getting a little tired of stir-fry.”