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THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Catching up with 'Winn-Dixie' actness Anna Sophia Robb
By ROBERT DENERSTEIN
Scripps Howard News
Service
The acting bug often bites
early, but in the case of
Anna Sophia Robb, it must
have been buzzing around
her cradle.
The 11-year-old developed
the acting itch between ages
2 and 3.
“I saw people on TV and I
loved being around people
and performing,” said Robb.
“I loved to pretend. I think
that’s really what got me
going.”
The young actress will
experience a considerable
boost in her profile with
Friday’s release of “Because
of Winn-Dixie,” a Wayne
Wang-directed adaptation of
a much-admired Kate
DiCamillo novel about a girl
and her dog.
And come summer, Robb
will receive even more atten
tion when she’s seen in Tim
Burton’s eagerly awaited
“Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory,” playing Violet
Beauregarde to Johnny
Depp’s Willie Wonka in this
remake.
“I read the book before I
knew I was going to do the
movie,” said Robb of “Winn-
Dixie.” “It had a seriousness
- if that’s a word - that kids
could understand. ... Little
By PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Scripps Howard News
Service
Bestsellers compiled from
data from large-city book
stores, bookstore chains and
local best-seller lists across
the United States. The first
number to the right of the
author’s name is the book’s
previous week’s ranking;
the second is the number of
weeks the book has been on
the best-seller list.
Fiction Hardcover
1. The Broker. John
Grisham. Doubleday, $27.95
(1, 5)
2. The Da Vinci Code.
Dan Brown. Doubleday,
$24.95 (2, 98)
3. The Five People You
Meet in Heaven. Mitch
Albom.
Hyperion, $19.95 (3, 71)
4. State of Fear. Michael
Crichton. Harper Collins,
$27.50 (6, 9)
5. Conviction. Richard
North Patterson. Random
House, $25.95 (5, 3)
6. Survivor in Death.
J.D. Robb. Putnam, $23.95
(4, 2)
7. I Am Charlotte
Simmons. Tom Wolfe.
Farrar, Straus & Giroux,
$28.95 (10, 13)
8. Chainfire. Terry
Goodkind. Tor, $29.95 (7, 6)
9. Star Wars: Labyrinth
of Evil. James Luceno. Del
Rey/Lucasßooks, $25.95 (8,
3)
10. Prep. Curtis
Sittenfeld. Random House,
$21.95 (15, 2)
11. Night Fall. Nelson
DeMille. Warner, $26.95
Bridge lessons offered in WR
WARNER ROBINS -
Bridge lessons for beginners
are being offered at 151
Maple St., in the building
next to the Wellston Center.
The first eight lessons,
(To submit your event for
the Night Life listings, fax
the details to 988-1181, e
mail to hhj@evansnewspa
pers.com or mail to Houston
Home Journal, P.O. Box
1910, Perry, GA 31069.)
Thursday, Feb. 24
• karaoke, Our Place,
2132 U.S. 41 North, Perry,
(478) 218-2299
Friday, Feb. 25
Subscribe today • Call 987-1823
kids can start understand
ing what they might have to
deal with in life.”
The movie tells the story
of Opal Buloni (Robb), a girl
who moves to a small
Southern town (the movie
was filmed in Louisiana)
with her preacher father
(Jeff Daniels). Opal’s alco
holic mom split years ago,
leaving Opal lonely and
friendless, a condition exag
gerated by a move to a new
town. Enter Winn-Dixie, a
rambunctious Picardy shep
herd. The dog befriends
Opal, and life begins to turn
around.
Wearing a sweater, a jean
skirt and a tan pair of Uggs
for an interview that took
place in the children’s read
ing room of the main branch
of the Denver Public
Library, the self-possessed
Robb had no trouble
answering questions. Is she
anything like Opal? Not
really.
“My mom (an interior
designer) is wonderful. My
dad (an architect) talks to
me a ton. I don’t have a big
dog. I have a little one.”
To land the role, Robb
competed against 650 young
actors who submitted audi
tion tapes. She was called to
Los Angeles, met the direc
(13, 11)
12. By Order of the
President. W.E.B. Griffin.
Putnam, $26.95 (14, 7)
13. The Last Kingdom.
Bernard Cornwell.
Harper Collins, $25.95 (11,
3)
14. Gilead. Marilynne
Robinson. Farrar, Straus &
Giroux, $23 (-, 1)
15. Kafka on the Shore.
Haruki Murakami. Knopf,
$25.95 ( -, 1)
Nonfiction Hardcover
1. French Women Don’t
Get Fat: The Secret of
Eating for Pleasure.
Mireille Guiliano. Knopf,
$22 (1, 6)
2. Blink: The Power of
Thinking Without
Thinking. Malcolm
Gladwell. Little, Brown,
$25.95 (2, 5)
3. Your Best Life Now: 7
Steps to Living at Your
Full Potential. Joel
Osteen. Warner Faith,
$19.95 (3, 17)
4. Collapse: How
Societies Choose to Fail
or Succeed. Jared
Diamond. Viking, $29.95 (5,
7)
5. He’s Just Not That
into You. Greg Behrendt
and Liz Tuccillo. Simon
Spotlight Entertainment,
$19.95 (4, 20)
6. The Purpose-Driven
Life. Rick Warren.
Zondervan, $19.99 (7, 105)
7. 102 Minutes: The
Untold Story of the Fight
to Survive Inside the
Twin Towers. J. Dwyer
and K. Flynn. Times Books,
$26 (1)
taught by Jerry Peavy, deal
with bidding. The next
series of eight lessons will
begin April 3. The course
was developed by Audrey
Grant.
NIGHTLIFE
• Ceylon Bleu, The Ville
Case, 2607 Moody Road,
Warner Robins, 918-0660
• Chris Anderson,
Shenanigan’s Case, 1291 S.
Houston Lake Road, Warner
Robins, (478) 988-8252
• Deep Fried, Our Place,
2132 U.S. 41 North, Perry,
(478) 218-2299
Saturday, Feb. 26
• Ceylon Bleu, The Wile
Case, 2607 Moody Road,
ENTERTAINMENT
tor and eventually traveled
to Louisiana for a screen
test.
Before “Winn-Dixie,”
Robb had been in a short
film and had done commer
cial work.
“When I had an agent in
Denver, I was doing com
mercials and voiceovers.
Just little things. Then I
started my acting classes ... I
had gymnastics three to six
hours a week. Then I’d go
swimming. I had Irish step
dance. I had voice. And
school. It was very busy. As
soon as I went out to L.A., it
was all dropped. I quit Irish
dance. I quit gymnastics.”
Robb is now schooled by
her mother and by tutors on
the set. She takes voice and
piano lessons.
“I go swimming for PE.,”
she said. “I go snowboarding
whenever I have a chance.”
Not that she’s had much
time lately for sliding down
hills. After “Winn-Dixie,”
Robb traveled to Canada to
make a TV movie
-“Samantha: An American
Girl Holiday” - about a girl
who learns to be a proper
Victorian young lady. Next
came London.
“For ‘Charlie,’ they asked
me if I could come to London
for a half a year. I said,
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER LIST
8. Men in Black: How
the Supreme Court Is
Destroying America.
Mark R. Levin. Regnery,
$27.95 (-, 1)
9. Secrets and
Mysteries of the World.
Sylvia Browne. Hay House,
$19.95(10, 2)
10. America (The
Book). Jon Stewart, Ben
Karlin and David
Javerbaum. Warner, $24.95
(6, 20)
11. The South Beach
Diet. Arthur Agatston,
M.D. Rodale, $24.95 (8, 93)
12. God’s Politics: Why
the Right Gets It Wrong
and the Left Doesn’t Get
It. Jim Wallis Harper San
Francisco, $24.95 (9, 4)
13. Be Honest-You’re
Not That into Him
Either. lan Kerner.
Reganßooks, $19.95 (1)
14. Smashed: Story of a
Drunken Girlhood. Koren
Zailckas. Viking, $21.95 (
1)
15. Start Late, Finish
Rich: A No-Fail Plan for
Achieving Financial
Freedom at Any Age.
David Bach. Broadway, $25
(12, 6)
Mass Market Paperback
1. The Last Juror. John
Grisham. Dell, $7.99 (1,8)
2. Angels & Demons.
Dan Brown. Pocket, $7.99
(2, 95)
3. Dark Secret. Christine
Feehan. Jove, $7.99 (3, 2)
4. Dean Koontz’s
Frankenstein: Prodigal
Son. Dean Koontz and
Kevin J. Anderson. Bantam,
$7.99 (4, 3)
Lessons are from 3 to 5
p.m. on Sunday afternoons.
Refreshments are served.
For more information call
Call Jerry Peavy at 922-
0943 or Ruth Suggs at 923-
4574.
Warner Robins, 918-0660
• Deep Fried, Our Place,
2132 U.S. 41 North, Perry,
(478) 218-2299
• (TBA), Shenanigan’s
Case, 1291 S. Houston Lake
Road, Warner Robins, (478)
988-8252
Wednesday, March 2
• Tim Chandler, Our
Place, 2132 U.S. 41 North,
Perry, (478) 218-2299
‘Sure, I’ll go.’ So we packed
up our stuff and left.”
London meant working
with Depp. “At first I was a
little nervous. Then you
meet him. He’s this totally
normal guy. ... Kind of quiet.
A wonderful actor. It’s kind
of scary in the movie, watch
ing him be Willie Wonka and
then he can snap right out of
it and be Johnny.”
Aside from having a
pigeon lodge its foot in her
mouth during the shooting
of a pet-shop scene in
“Winn-Dixie,” things seem
to be going quite well for
Robb. And she hasn’t forgot
ten the little people, which
in her case is literally true.
We’re talking about kids.
“When I come home after
a film, they (friends) think
it’s cool. I miss them and
they miss me. It’s good to
see them every now and
again.”
As mature as Robb can
sound, there are limits to
what she’s allowed to do.
Take movies, for example.
“When I heard that Wayne
Wang was the director (of
‘Winn-Dixie’), my dad said,
‘Oh, we’ll watch all his
films.’ We looked him up on
IMDB (Internet Movie Data
Base). The movies were
rated PG-13 and R. I was 9
at the time. I think in a cou-
5. Deception Point. Dan
Brown. Pocket, $7.99 (8, 75)
6. 3rd Degree. James
Patterson and Andrew
Gross. Warner, $7.99 (5, 7)
7. Digital Fortress. Dan
Brown. St. Martin’s, $7.99
(11,58)
8. Wait Until Midnight.
Amanda Quick. Jove, $7.99
(6, 3)
9. High Country. Nevada
Barr. Berkley, $7.99 (10, 2)
10. A Death in Vienna.
Daniel Silva. Signet, $7.99 (
1)
11. The Good, the Bad,
and the Undead. Kim
Harrison. Harper Torch,
$6.99 (9, 2)
12. Love Overboard.
Janet Evanovich.
Harper Torch, $7.50 (12, 3)
13. The Zero Game.
Brad Meltzer. Warner
Vision, $7.99 (15, 2)
14. Visions in Death.
J.D. Robb. Berkley, $7.99 (7,
3)
15. Ransom. Danielle
Steel. Dell, $7.99 (13, 3)
Trade Paperbacks
1. The Kite Runner.
Khaled Hosseini.
Riverhead, sl4 (1, 23)
2. The Curious Incident
CiinieyN
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“Finally a place Houston County
can be proud of!”
131-B Carl Vinson Parkway
478-329-0003
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4570 PIO NONO AVE.
MACON, GA
478-788-3000
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y It’s Great!
Anna Sophia Robb stars in “Because of Winn-Dixie.”
pie of more years I’ll be able
to wqtch them.”
Her own movie tastes
seem well-defined.
“I like anything, really, as
long as it’s not cheesy and
always happy. I like more
of the Dog in the Night-
Time. Mark Haddon.
Vintage, sl2 (2, 38)
3. The Time Traveler’s
Wife. Audrey Niffenegger.
Harcourt/Harvest, sl4 (3,
37)
4. My Sister’s Keeper.
Jodi Picoult. Washington
Square Press, sl4 (8, 2)
5. The Secret Life of
Bees. Sue Monk Kidd.
Penguin, sl4 (7, 105)
6. Supernanny: How to
Get the Best from Your
Children. Jo Frost.
Hyperion, $14.95 (5, 3)
7. Reading Lolita in
Tehran. Azar Nafisi.
Random House, $13.95 (9,
56)
8. The Birth of Venus.
Sarah Dunant. Random
House, $13.95 (6, 7) ’
9. The Tipping Point:
How Little Things Can
Make a Big Difference.
Malcolm Gladwell. Little,
Brown/Back Bay, $14.95 (13,
3)
106 Fairview Drive
US 41 South
(Behind Hamby Chevrolet)
Perry, GA 31069
478-987-6080
Call us and we
will fax you our menu.
USX)
10% OFF Lunch with this coupon!
WHISKEY RIVER NIGHTCLUB
Live Entertainment Every Wed.-Sat.
Appearing Feb. 23rd-26th: “RIO DRIVE”
UB- 1 m
Coming Feb . 25th
CONFEDERATE RAILROAD
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COMEDY CLUB “ Makin Macon Luff'
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Straight From ABC’s “America’s Funniest People”
MICHAEL MACK
Be There For His Amazing Ending!
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2005 ♦
dark stories. I like stuff that
has a happy ending, but
isn’t sugary sweet. I love the
Harry Potter movies and the
books. I love the ‘Lord of the
Rings’ stories and ‘The
Incredibles.’ “
10. Dreams from My
Father: A Story of Race
and Inheritance. Barack
Obama. Three Rivers Press,
$13.95 (10, 4)
11. The Full Cupboard
of Life. Alexander McCa 11
Smith. Anchor, $11.95 (11,
2)
12. Rich Dad, Poor Dad.
Robert T. Kiyosaki with
Sharon L. Lechter. Warner,
$15.95 (14, 206)
13. The Fabric of the
Cosmos: Space, Time,
and the Texture of
Reality. Brian Greene.
Vintage, sls ( -, 1)
14. What to Expect
When You’re Expecting.
H. Murkoff, A. Eisenberg &
S. Hathaway. Workman,
$13.95 (15, 241)
15. O’Hurley’s Return.
Nora Roberts. Silhouette,
$14.95 (4, 3)
Distributed by Scripps
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Everyday Specialties
Fried Chicken
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& Other
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