MISCHA AND JOFFE

London’s California clean-living Mischa Barton has sprinted halfway round the world to join the cast of British director Roland Joffe's coming-of-age drama Finding t.A.T.u.

Yes, that is ‘t.A.T.u, pronounced ‘tattoo’, which is catchy.

Dubbed an “musical drama” (go figure), it is based on a novel called “t.A.T.u Come Back” by a Russian politician, the comeback referring to a career return for a Russian band called TATY.

Yes, TATY, pronounced ‘tatty', and you can see why that might not go down well internationally.

The story follows Janie, a friendless American teenager, who escapes her lonely life in Moscow when she meets and falls in love with Lana, a fellow fan of said pop group.

Alas, the friendless, lonely life is soon followed by rock’s familiar world of dangerous obsession, drug abuse and murder. Well, maybe not always murder.

Whatever, the film started shooting in Moscow in June and one can easily imagine it leaving Mischa longing for her more familiar Orange County sunshine mayhem.

Filed August 1, 2007