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The Madeleine McCann Disappearance

_Lizard23_ said:
I'm not sure what paper it was, but the 'article' was several pages in after the much more pressing news that some bloke I have never heard of wants a 'romp' with some woman I have never heard of, and that Ricky-off-Eastenders in on holiday somewhere.
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The Wall Street Journal has really gone downhill recently. I've virtually given up buying it now - these days, I really only bother getting it for the "Dear Marcus" problem page.
 
Indeed, and the chorizo and Brie de Meaux paninis in that place aren't what they were either :p
 
I saw in the news that the people in Praya De Luz have gotten enough. So they are now taking down wanted posters and other such things related to Madeline McCann. They seem annoyed that so much focus was put on one little british girl, rather than all the portuguese children that go missing. The McCanns seem rather understanding about it.
 
I think the public campaign has run its course, and that the mccanns have learned that the media can fight against you as well as for you. They've done all they can do and i think they needed to do that so that they could cope themselves.

Its going to be a very sad christmas for them this year.
 
Is it not just the case that the church in Praia De Luz, amongst others, is just doing what most other churches and businesses aredoing at this time of year and focussing its efforts - and decorations - on Christmas?
 
Madeleine will be home for Christmas, says PI
By Nick Allen
Last Updated: 6:26pm GMT 13/12/2007

A private investigator hired to find Madeleine McCann said he knows who took her and the missing girl will hopefully be back with her parents by Christmas.

Francisco Marco said he believes Madeleine was taken by a paedophile ring, that she may be held in north Africa and that evidence was being collated so arrests could be made.

Mr Marco is director general of Metodo 3, a Barcelona-based detective agency hired by Kate and Gerry McCann in September to find their daughter.

He has previously travelled to Morocco to investigate a sighting reported there of a girl who was said to resemble the missing four-year-old.

“We know who kidnapped her, we believe she is in an area not very far from the Iberian peninsula and north Africa and we have a fairly certain idea of who she is with,” Mr Marco said in an interview with Spanish newspaper Metro.

“I cannot say who she is with because we are putting together conclusive proof we can present to the authorities so they can proceed with their arrests.

“God willing, I hope she’ll be back with her parents before Christmas.”

It is not the first time the agency has claimed it is close to finding Madeleine.

Last month Mr Marco claimed the agency was “100 percent sure” Madeleine was alive.

Mr Marco told Metro: “We have proof of her movements after her kidnap and we know she was alive the day after her disappearance. We are not certain she left Portugal.

“I talk of certainties because we know which group may have her or could have kidnapped her to then sell her on to others.

“One of the things that makes us believe Madeleine is alive is that every day she’s worth more to them.”

Mr Marco rejected any suggestion that the McCanns could be involved in their daughter’s disappearance.

They have been declared suspects by Portuguese police.

Mr Marco said: “You only have to spend five minutes with them to realise they’ve got nothing to do with this.”

Metodo 3 has a six month contract with the McCanns and has vowed to find Madeleine before that runs out in March.

The McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said they have “absolute confidence” in the agency.

http://tinyurl.com/2vhxrx

'Home by Xmas' sounds good, but even if true, that child's life will have been changed forever, and not for the better. She will distrust and fear everyone, including her parents.
 
Maybe Marco's more worried about losing his nice little contract just in time for christmas... :(
 
Last month Mr Marco claimed the agency was “100 percent sure” Madeleine was alive.

Mr Marco told Metro: “We have proof of her movements after her kidnap and we know she was alive the day after her disappearance. We are not certain she left Portugal.

“I talk of certainties because we know which group may have her or could have kidnapped her to then sell her on to others.

“One of the things that makes us believe Madeleine is alive is that every day she’s worth more to them.”
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S'fantasy. An expensive fantasy. :(
 
escargot1 said:
...

S'fantasy. An expensive fantasy. :(
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Strangely enough, the word, 'fantasy' occurred to me, when I read it, too. I even Googled "McCann's fantasy," to see what it might turn up.

Or, perhaps it's not that strange? :(
 
“I cannot say who she is with because we are putting together conclusive proof we can present to the authorities so they can proceed with their arrests.
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What nonsense. If the police here, in Spain or in North Africa had a tip off about where Madeleine was being held they would raid the address. Why on earth would they need "conslusive proof"?
 
Yup. Reminded me of Richard Ingrams' comment on the circumstances of the death of Diana - he said that as soon as she entered the 'James Bond world' of the Fayeds, she was doomed.

If the McCanns think this cloak-and-dagger outfit will help, they're going to be sadly disillusioned.

Here's an article from today's Grauniad. It's by someone who met the McCanns on holiday at the time she went missing.

My months with Madeleine

It was a welcome spring break, a chance to relax at a child-friendly resort in Portugal. Soon Bridget O'Donnell and her partner were making friends with another holidaying family while their three-year-old daughters played together. But then Madeleine McCann went missing and everyone was sucked into a nightmare.
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Pietro_Mercurios said:
escargot1 said:
...

S'fantasy. An expensive fantasy. :(
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Strangely enough, the word, 'fantasy' occurred to me, when I read it, too. I even Googled "McCann's fantasy," to see what it might turn up.

Or, perhaps it's not that strange? :(
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Not the kind of fantasy I have about Kate McCann. :oops:

:lol:

Anyway... :oops:

I'm kind of torn with this. It's obvious that other people are now riding the Maddy publicity train now and, in that sense, the McCanns are being used, but it's hard to have any real sympathy because I'm still convinced that - for whatever reason - they've actually rode the publicity train themselves.
 
Yup, of course they have. They believe that keeping the public reminded of Madeleine's disappearance is the best way to find to what's happened to her. They are probably right, although I wouldn't like to be in their shoes if the truth ever does come out. :(
 
S'posed to be posh and child-friendly.
 
NO! NO! NO!


McCanns in talks to film Madeleine's story
By Nick Britten
Last Updated: 2:10am GMT 09/01/2008

Gerry and Kate McCann have held secret talks with producers over plans to turn the story of their missing daughter into a film.

The McCanns are also considering writing a book in a bid to raise funds to prop up the dwindling Find Madeleine Fund.

It is understood the couple have held talks with the entertainment agency IMG, which produced the award winning docu-drama Touching the Void, the story of two British climbers' desperate fight for survival after getting lost in the Peruvian Andes.

The film was a mix of drama and the real life accounts of the climbers, and the McCanns appear willing to follow a similar format.

Clarence Mitchell, the family's spokesman, said: "We have had a number of preliminary meetings. Nothing has been confirmed and we are certainly not working in conjunction with any one particular organisation, film-maker or publisher at this stage."

He added that the film was not about making a profit for the family, but about keeping Madeleine's profile high and "finding their little girl".

The 39-year-old couple were, he said, extremely sensitive to public perception about anything they do to keep their daughter's disappearance in the public's mind.

He added: "The criteria we have for doing anything is: How will this help find Madeleine? That is the bottom line.

"In the case of a book or a film, or a much longer-term project, there is the question of whether it helps generate some money for the fund to find her, and, if it doesn't help find Madeleine, whether it raises some of the issues that her disappearance throws up, such as the lack of a system of child alerts in Europe in the way that there is a system for alerting the whole country in America.

"There will be no personal gain for the McCanns whatsoever. This is not about making a profit for Gerry and Kate. This is about finding their little girl.

"Any money that exists has to go into the general pot to pay for our private investigators, advertising etc."

The family has been inundated with offers from film makers since Madeleine disappeared in May last year, but have so far resisted all overtures in the hope she would be found before the fund money ran out.

The Find Madeleine Fund has received £1.2 million but the money is dwindling month by month. Mr Mitchell said they are spending £50,000 a month on private detectives, television advertising and posters.

Meanwhile Mr and Mrs McCann are facing further questions from the Portuguese police. Detectives have sent the British authorities a list of questions they want the couple, who are both official suspects in Madeleine's disappearance, to answer.

Jose Magalhaes e Menezes, the public prosecutor, has sent legal letters asking Leicestershire police to interview the couple, it has been reported in the Portuguese press. The letter is believed to contain more than 40 questions.

Detectives were hoping to fly to Britain last month to interview the couple, but were delayed by the slow bureaucratic process. Legally they are only allowed to sit in on interviews while British officers ask the questions.

They also want to speak to the McCanns' friends who were with them at the time over alleged inconsistencies over their statements.

It was revealed recently that Portuguese police are close to finalising charges against the couple and still see them as prime suspects in Madeleine's disappearance.

http://tinyurl.com/3aehwn

There is enough fantasy swirling around this topic already. These parents are obsessed - they should learn to let go. Grieve, and move on.
 
Oh dear. This just seems so wrong. I hope and believe that the McCanns are innocent of any wrongdoing beyond complacency or carelessness, and I've been careful to defend their position and sympathise with their plight. "There but for the grace of God..." and all that.

But when the story seems still to have a long way to run - and in cold, cinematic terms, it certainly doesn't have an ending yet, happy or otherwise - how on Earth can they dream of making a film about the disappearance? Surely, real people would have to be portrayed, and how can you do that without prejudicing the inquiry or any subsequent trial? Who's going to play Robert Murat, for example? Will the McCanns want total accuracy, or will they want the characters to speak carefully chosen words which reflect a certain view of events?

I now see that, in some quarters, it's being claimed that Robert Murat's girlfriend is being named arguido. Great - maybe they can get a Maxine Carr lookalike to play her, that should get the viewers foamimg with righteous fury.

No, I don't like this at all. Even the odd documentary I've seen has had to be very careful in what it claims, since very liitle is actually known beyond doubt about what happened. Even a book about the case would be too soon, IMO, but a film - no way.
 
i was in a bookshop the weekend and in the true crime section there is a book on madeleine
 
DoctorCrippen said:
i was in a bookshop the weekend and in the true crime section there is a book on madeleine
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But how cruel is the situation where the PI said he was closing in and could have her home by Xmas?
 
This is going several miles too far. (as if they have not gone too far already)

And, another matter...what about their surviving children? are they going to be constantly reminded of whats happened all their childhood?

They are young now but if this is going to continue then I dont rate their chances of having a happy childhood too highly.

(Says she who had an elder sister die of natural causes when she was young, but my parents (who certainly were very upset) did not mention the subject except in vagest allusions untill I was old enough to understand)
 
Peripart said:
But when the story seems still to have a long way to run - and in cold, cinematic terms, it certainly doesn't have an ending yet, happy or otherwise - how on Earth can they dream of making a film about the disappearance?
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Exactly. Has there ever been a situation in which a docu-drama was made about an event whilst it was still going on? Not to my knowledge. This whole situation is most bizarre. It's as if the current vogue for "celebrity" and "reality" TV has infected the way the McCann's are behaving... :roll:
 
I seem to recall a drama about the Waco siege being out very shortly after the climax. I think it might have entered production before the siege had ended.
 
It was on the news today that the whole film story is untrue, so we can calm down. Although exactly what is true in this case is an increasingly moot point.
 
Wasn't there some Nicholas Cage film (or some other actor) which was due for release over Christmas, but the release was stopped because it dealt with the abduction/loss of a child, who bore a resemblance to Madeleine? I can't remember where I saw it now (sorry).

Mind you, just about any film about a child disappearing is going to feature a beautiful blonde girl, so they'd all look similar.
 
gncxx said:
It was on the news today that the whole film story is untrue, so we can calm down. Although exactly what is true in this case is an increasingly moot point.
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No smoke without fire:

McCanns deny reports of Madeleine film
Lee Glendinning
Wednesday January 9, 2008
The Guardian

Gerry McCann has denied that he and his wife Kate are in talks to make a film about their daughter Madeleine's disappearance.

The couple's spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said yesterday that he had been involved in tentative discussions with the US entertainment company IMG before Christmas about the possibility of making the story of Madeleine, who went missing in Portugal on May 3, into a film or television drama. He said the meeting had been positive, but no deal had been agreed.

There was speculation that a film project could replenish the fund dedicated to finding the four-year-old. The Find Madeleine fund has received £1.2m but donations have slowed since the McCanns were named as arguidos (suspects) in September.
It is understood about £50,000 a month is spent on private detectives, posters and television advertising.

But Gerry McCann, writing on his blog on the Find Madeleine website, said the couple were not involved in a film production of any kind. "We can categorically deny that we are considering a movie about Madeleine's disappearance. This is simply untrue. We are approached by a huge number of media outlets regarding a myriad of projects, only a tiny proportion of which we agree to.

"Each proposal is considered on whether it is likely to have a positive effect, either directly or indirectly, on the search for Madeleine."

http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0 ... 15,00.html
 
Ravenstone said:
Wasn't there some Nicholas Cage film (or some other actor) which was due for release over Christmas, but the release was stopped because it dealt with the abduction/loss of a child, who bore a resemblance to Madeleine? I can't remember where I saw it now (sorry).

Mind you, just about any film about a child disappearing is going to feature a beautiful blonde girl, so they'd all look similar.
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That was the Ben Affleck-directed Gone Baby Gone:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452623/

Which has been getting great reviews elsewhere, but you can understand why it's been put on hold in Britain.
 
It sounds like a good film. Thing is, there's never going to be a good time to release a film with this premise. Sadly, it's not like Madeleine was the only child to go missing in 2007.
 
Following on from...
rynner said:
McCanns deny reports of Madeleine film

Gerry McCann has denied that he and his wife Kate are in talks to make a film about their daughter Madeleine's disappearance.

The couple's spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said yesterday that he had been involved in tentative discussions with the US entertainment company IMG before Christmas about the possibility of making the story of Madeleine, who went missing in Portugal on May 3, into a film or television drama. He said the meeting had been positive, but no deal had been agreed...
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From murky to downright... well, words fail me.

McCann fury at 'Maddie' for hire

THE boss of a lookalike agency who hopes to make a fortune out of a little Madeleine McCann double said last night: “It’s not sinister – it’s entertainment.”

Shona Adams reckons three-year-old Kelsey Lynn Kudla’s similarity to missing Maddie could earn her £9MILLION for starring in a proposed feature film about the vanished tot.

And Adams is ready to take a 20 per cent cut. The 41-year-old, who runs London’s Juliet Adams Model Agency, said: “If the film about Madeleine is ever made, then the world is Kelsey’s oyster.

“If someone like Steven Spielberg made it, she could make £9million easily – of which I’d take 20 per cent. She will become a name in her own right and make it as a child model or actress because she’s got her foot in the door.

“And from there, her earning potential is limitless. It’s not sinister. And if the McCanns are upset, there’s nothing they can do because it’s a democracy.
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OK, it's from The Sun, so the spin may be misleading, but the sentiment alone is beyond description :(.
 
The Shona Adams quotes sound like a telephone interview. She probably thought she was having a nice chat with a sympathetic hack. :)

Now she knows there's no such thing. :lol:
 
if someone is willing to pay soeone £9m to appear as maddie then thats their own stupid fault, generally you can't argue with the supply/demand nature of the real world.

I for one will not seen any such film, unless its a comedy. I think ed murphy and whoopi goldberg could play kate and gerry, and they would talk in jive all the time.
 
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