Beach Debate Escalates

Debate is clearly raging over the environmental plights of upcoming Twentieth Century Fox film, The Beach starring troubled actor Leonardo DiCaprio. If recent actions are anything to go by, people are falling over themselves to point out just exactly what is going on and who is or isn't to blame. One such body belongs to the 'neutral' website, Leonardo On The Beach, run by one Richard Barrow and his students of Sriwittayapaknam School, Thailand. Barrow has followed filming of The Beach form the very beginning and recently visited Maya Beach in late March to check on Fox's much reported but little known about actions. All his findings are included on the website via photos and in-depth commentary on the restoration of the beach thus far, providing an informed view of what exactly is going on. An earlier report was also issued entitled 'Reef Check', embarked upon by one Robert Cogen in February this year. Cogen's report directly challenged Bryony Schwan's petition and criticisms shown via Empire online in the April 12 news story, Boycott Beach. Despite its being somewhat of a scathing attack on the petition from Schwan, Cogen's report does answer many grey areas concerning the environmental issues around Fox and the Phi Phi Lee islands and as such backs up the evidence that Fox are indeed doing their part when it comes to fixing the locals' beach up. No doubt more sites are set to spring up in the near future concerning themselves with not only The Beach plight but similar instances at on-location film shoots around the world. In which case, the multi-million dollar companies like Fox are assured of some much wanted publicity whatever they do - a winner in anyone's eyes. As for the actors themselves, with all the gossip surrounding their personal lives, trouble on set is surely about as welcoming as trip to the North pole. But with die-hard fans ever on the look out for their big screen idols, it's surely just another part of their multi-million dollar jobs...