The December 2004 puzzle seems to be actors in alphabetical order by surname
Fuller answers (without working) have been provided on sci.crypt by someone else.
These names come from Paul Leyland's "isomorph" program
used with large name lists, and some supporting perl code
to stick together results for first and last names.
Correctness is not guaranteed.
isomorph C source
supporting perl code
a small demo name list
The couple of names I have not got may be because these are unusual names not in my name lists. Actually "sigourney" was not in my lists either but I got it with a good guess. Alternatively they may have names produced by these tools that I have failed to recognise as being actors - I tested a few names with a search engine but not all of them.
KCRVKXHL EUJDXZ humphrey bogart WKNJVWL GSWOXU richard burton HYUE WREEYCS sean connery QFDX ORNQTP tony curtis VTWMAC UEIIML albert finney OFIIPTYX LYIJ harrison ford ZGRT BPDIIRNN alec guinness XCT GSXXJYUQ rex harrison RNBTCNP TCOSHNM anthony hopkins XIVL VFBD john hurt NRIKUSL UIQORMDB charles laughton UFIV WKXXZY jack lemmon DYFJN WCLEQPJ LVZD CONKLNFK ewan mcgregor PZSS TEBBMJ bill murray BZGZD A'GAANZ peter o'toole JRFJWRI XFCS gregory peck QJAMDU ZWWVDU mickey rooney GMTHYL IKUBGMFPTPSSPM arnold schwarzenegger KEZHQ WSNIEC kevin spacey TVFAMI WVYVTT lauren bacall KHP FNWHQBEV kim basinger MTJXMG EHXJRDT ingrid bergman ORERC VIUWFNUE honor blackman AIKUSBS EHSMKHNR marlene dietrich UQPIDJX HEXID TZMMDR WDNCRM carrie fisher ECWHX YCMBXA jodie foster LRNU FHZOHVN judy garland YVTLG UGZVYNHT linda hamilton YAERFI KFXBARV audrey hepburn OUGEUDLRZ EZBVJDR katharine hepburn CQMBSVDD LNYMICCNI scarlett johansson DGOFBL AGUCZD nicole kidman AQSEWKC XFIWFSYK shirley maclaine RKUUC VHMPUUPT kelly mcgillis CZNTBXD CFDNFE marilyn monroe OSXFSXCZ XBZGCXDUXA margaret rutherford BQKDVGBOJ OVIQXW elisabeth taylor CWUIFBLSK HSOGSB sigourney weaver
Matching these into pairs is probably something I'm bad at as I don't watch a lot of films.
humphrey bogart lauren bacall (or ingrid bergman, or katharine hepburn ?) richard burton elisabeth taylor sean connery honor blackman (or kim basinger ?) john hurt sigourney weaver jack lemmon marilyn monroe anthony hopkins jodie foster carrie fisher harrison ford or alec guinness audrey hepburn gregory peck or rex harrison ? marlene dietrich charles laughton
I haven't looked for the hidden message.
Beside advertising my website www.notatla.org.uk to anyone ariving via a search engine this page is for anyone from GCHQ who reads this. I don't like you taking my tax and using it to spy on me. Like you couldn't guess that.