Rian's Forum

The current list so far: AS OF OCTOBER 7

Aloisius Bloom
Bombadil
Ka
Brandon
Sullivan Bloom
Brother
Milo
Rodrigo
Orlando Bloom
Theodore
Melvin
Ole
Sonic Bloom
Fox Bloom
Romeo Bloom
R.C. Bloom
Keegan Bloom
Brando Bloom
Boom Boom Bloom
Tick-Tick Bloom
Click-Click Bloom
Trick-Trick Bloom
Megatron Bloom
Theo Bloom
Bartholomew Bloom
--------------------

QUESTION: WHO WILL JUDGE THIS CONTEST? I suggest we come up with one winner and 4 runnersup. And I suggest that we have just one judge, who knows the movie well, and therefore knows Brody's Bloom very well, so I suggest that the director, Rian Johnson, if he has time amid all his other work these busy months now, to be the judge. But it's up to him. If he is too busy with other things, we can try to find another judge.


Dear Rian,

I have been searching high and low for the answer to this question, all in the spirit of fun and loving the entire concept of the movie, which here in Taiwan of course I have not seen yet, but can you answer this one.

And see my contest idea here: just for fun. Hope you don't mind! It might even serve as a good PR campaign independent of the studio.....but I am doing this just for fun, as a bonafide Bloom brother myself. My brother Arthur lives in Alaska!




Blooming Brody! -- Online contest to give a first name to Adrien Brody's character "Bloom" a first name in "The Brothers Bloom"


Psst! Want to enter a contest to give Adrien
Brody's con man character "Bloom" in the "The Brothers Bloom" a first
name? Read on.

For some odd reason which only the director Rian Johnson knows, since
he wrote the screenplay, Brody's character does not sport a first
name! For the entire movie. Not once is he addressed by his first
name. He is just "Bloom".

However, his brother in the movie, played by Mark Ruffalo, does have a
first name -- Stephen -- so he is "Stephen Bloom" in the credits.
Brody is just "Bloom."

And that's kosher. Many characters in many movies do not have first
names, so one cannot fault director Rian Johnson for not giving
Brody's character a first name. He probably had a reason for doing it,
and as the screenwriter, he has every right to call his characters
what he wants.

Even Brody doesn't have the answer. However, in a recent interview
with Jenni Miller of Premiere magazine, he did offer a possible
explanation. When Miller asked him if maybe his name was meant to be
was a verb -- as in "to bloom" -- he replied: "That's probably a good
question for [Rian Johnson], but maybe it's true, too. Because I'm
[only] referred to as 'Bloom', which would mean, what, my [name is]
'Bloom Bloom'? Bloom is blooming. It's a verb."

So an online naming contest is born. Movie fans around the world may
nominate a good and fitting first name for Brody's character. If
you've seen the movie at film festivals or private screenings, and
even if you have not seen the movie but hope to see it when it is
released in late December, feel free to nominate a first name for
Brody's "Bloom".

Of course, this is just a contest, for fun, and the name won't ever
enter into the movie dialog -- the film is already in the can and
winning rave reviews from those who have seen it -- so this contest
has no connection at all with the studio that is distributing the
movie, Summit Entertainment, nor with director Johnson or his fine
cast.

By the way, did you know the original title for the movie was
"Penelope"? True story. There is a Penelope in the movie, played by
the drop-dead gorgeous Rachel Weisz. Johnson later changed the title
to "The Brothers Bloom". Go figure.

So, dear readers -- and Adrien, if you are reading this, you can join
in on the fun, too -- Brody's character needs a first name. So give
him one.

The winner of the "Give Adrien Brody's Character 'Bloom' a First Name
Contest" might receive an invitation to attend the premiere in either
Los Angeles or New York. Imagine yourself walking down the red carpet!
It could happen.

To nominate a good first name for Brody's character in the movie, send
in your nominations by email to

firstnameforbloom@gmail.com

before December 15.

You might want to read this earlier RushPRnews story for a little backgound:
http://www.rushprnews.com/2008/09/18/bl ... ombrothers

Ready? Send in your nominations by email, ASAP, and most of all, have
fun. By the way, again please note, this contest is not in any way
connected with the studio that produced the movie or the distributors
or the director or the actors or the PR people plugging the movie. The
contest is a completely independent overture to give Adrien Brody's
character "Bloom" a first name. In the spirit of fun! In the spirit of
enjoy!

----------------------------------

About the contest: This contest is this blogger's own idea.
Write to him at: firstnameforbloom@gmail.com

Rian

my blog link here: again, hope you dunna mind, this in spirit of the movie



DANNY, er, BLOOM

In another interview, Brody said:

Reporter: Now I have to ask ...in ''The Brothers Bloom'', and your character's name is Bloom, so does that make you Bloom Bloom?

Adrien Brody: We've had this discussion. *[laughs]* I dont know. I have no idea. Thats'pretty much it. We've joked around about what the first name might be, but we've all settled on being happy with Bloom. Someone mentioned that it The Brothers Bloom, like a verb, which is, actually, a nice observation. So, it is what it is. Ferdinand Bloom there you go.

Q. Ferdinand.

Adrien Brody: It just wouldnt be as cool.

Q. No.....Ferdinand just doesnt flow as much.

Adrien Brody: Nope.

http://brothersbloom.com/meetthebrothers/


I'm gunning for "Aloisius."

Wow, Sarah, thanks for that tip. You have hit on something really really interesting. So Rian did say the character did have a first name, his his writer's imagination, but it was so hideous as to be unspeakable in the film! OUCH....that makes this contest even more exciting! I was not anticiatping this turn of events, but I like it even more....so what we need from players in the contest, worldwide, are nominations of names that one might think to be hideous......such as ALOISIUS......

Okay, I am going to jot down, er, notepad down, er, key in, your nomination, it is the first to be accepted......can you tell me PM or here, later, what country of origin is ALOISIUS from, Germany, Hungary, Czeck, any idea? NOT that it matters, just curious...

BUT wow, Sarah, you have given this contest a new TWIST, if Rian was not joking in that interview, and I suspect he was, tongue in cheek, or tongue in Czech, but who knows, maybe he was serious. This contest now has LEGS, long legs. You just made my day, thanks

DANNY, er, BLOOM
firstnameforbloom@gmail.com

says Wiki Baby: re ALOISIUS BLOOM as name of Brody character:

The boy's name Aloisius \a-loi-sius\ is a variant of Aloysius.

The baby name Aloisius sounds like Ulises and Ulysses. Other similar baby names are Aleksius, Alexius, Allisoun, Alois, Aloess, Alviss and Blasius.

[b]Aloisius is a very rare male first name

Aloisius Lilius

WOW, the things you learn on the way to a name contest!

Turns out the Gregorian Calendar was created by a dude named ALOISIUS. Sarah, you are name wizard!

Danny

RE:

Aloisius Lilius, principal author of the Gregorian Calendar, was a native of Cirò or Zirò in Calabria. His name was originally Aloigi Giglio, from which the Latinized form now used is derived.

Online Contest To Give First Name To Bloom in “The Brothers Bloom”

RushPRnews.com (press release) - from Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Online contest to give a first name to Adrien Brody’s character
“Bloom” in “The Brothers Bloom”

This contest has legs. See global press release here online now:

http://www.rushprnews.com/2008/09/22/on ... hers-bloom

That was sooooooooooo what I said!

Yes, I must give credit where credit is due. Myanne originally suggested Aloisius in another thread on the topic. I am entirely unoriginal.

Aha, I see now, Myanne gets credit for that silly name of Aloisius as the first nomination......and thanks again for alerting me to Rian's interview where he said the first name of Brody's Bloom was too silly to even mention, I didn't know that reason. That gives this contest more of a raison d'etre, which is not a California raisin at all, but more of an existential angst with a French twist. I will list Myanne as the nominator of Aloisius and Sarahalyse as the seconder.....and meanwhile, Sarah, there is still a golden opportunotu for you to make a nomination still.,

Silly Danny

Now a blogger in Tokyo, a Japanese man who speaks French fluently and runs a blog called AINSI LA QUEStiON SE POSERAIT, which means soemthing like "HERE THE BLOOM BROTHERS POSE FOR A PHOTO OPP", my French is rusty...

here: from Abe Hidetoshi in Tokyo

Give the first name to Bloom

....nominate a good first name for Adrien Brody's character in "The Brothers
Bloom". It should be a first name that you think FITS his character in the
movie, so a fitting first name will be of paramount importance. ...

http://haystack.cocolog-nifty.com/main/2008/09/give-the-first-.html

Ainsi la question se poserait ...

I received a Private Message on this board from someone who identified himself as Rian Johnson, and he wrote:

"Ha! [Your contest concept is] totally hilarious, Dan, I love it! I'm away from home with limited internet access right now, but when I get back tomorrow I'll take a crack at it.

thanks, and sorry about stealing your last name...

Rian"

This thing is getting wacky. I posted my story and a link on a few blogs, just to spread the word, virally, for fun, this is all in jest, for fun, I do not work for any agency or PR firm. But one blogger, who allowed my posts to stay on his blog, nevertheless said to me:

"Hey Danny,
[I have seen your posts here on my blog, and to tell the truth, I am not sure if I can allow you to continue posting your posts here. Why? ] I haven’t decided yet how I feel about PR flacks dispensing faux commentary here. Tread carefully."

I think this blogger, who has seen the movie and loved it, thinks I am somehow a PR flack working for some agency, but I am not. I am an independent carefree blogger in a far away country just having fun with the name BLOOM. For no other reason than to have fun with all this. But it's interesting how this campaign is picking up steam online and how some people DOUBT my intentions, or are fearful that I am working for some PR agency. I am not. I have no connection to any agency or studio or firm. But I also understand why that guy was a bit paranoid......

But i wrote back to him and saidL HEY, NO PR FLACK here. just a goofball having fun. is that a crime?

Sign the Petition

To SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT, et al

Independant of my efforts, a loyal reader has put together a petition requesting that the winner(s) of the most silly first name for Adrien Brody's Bloom character be invited to attend a future showing of the movie anywhere in the known Bloomanian universe. Here’s the text of the appeal:

To: SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT INC

It has become apparent that THE BROTHERS BLOOM is a great movie and will do very well at the box office.

However, as everyone knows, Adrien Brody's character BLOOM does not have a first name, one reason being that director Rian Johnson has opined in an interview that while he had several first names in mind for Brody's BLOOM while he was writing the script, he felt that most of the names he had come up with were too silly to add to the screenplay or use in the dialog or even blab to a reporter for a film magazine who also wanted to know why the BLOOM brother that Brody plays has no first name.

The owner webmaster of the GIVE BLOOM A FIRST NAME CONTEST blog, which is located somewhere in the immense Milky Way blogosphere, hopes that the contest will lead into a worldwide cultural awakening. This movement has united people of different faiths, colors, creeds, gender, last name, sexuality, nationality and so forth, into ONE united goal: Find a good and fitting first name for Brody's BLOOM. Before the film opens wide in 2009 .

Therefore, we, the undersigned, respectfully petition:
* Summit Ent. Inc.
* XXX Corporation
* The Estate of James Joyce

and director Rian Johnson, to invite the winner(s) of the naming contest to attend any future screening of said motion picture anywhere in the known Bloomanian universe as a reward for making the Bloom Name Contest a good and fitting thing.

Nota Bene: the webmaster/convener of the contest has no attachment or connection to any PR agency whatsoever and is a completely independent blogger in a far away country and he does not want to be considered at all for an invitation to any future screenings anywhere in the known Bloomanian universe as he will get to one on his own time and on his own dime. This is for the contest players, and may the best woman or man or child win!

However, be it hereby noted that in no way does anyone expect that the first name of Brody's BLOOM will ever be added to the movie's dialog, nor does it need to be added, nor does it need to be added to the final director's cut or DVD package. This is just a game, a contest. Fun. For no other reason than to give people a smile and a chuckle in these hard, hard, hard -- some might even say difficult -- times we find ourselves living in in this, the Year of Our Lord, 2008 A.D.

Thank you

Sincerely,

The Undersigned