Ice From Game Of Thrones: January 2013

Thursday, 31 January 2013

Steven Moffat hopes he "can hang on to" Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman News Den Of Geek Jan 30, 2013

Has Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman's new-found stardom put Sherlock's future on shaky ground?

Not six weeks ago did Benedict Cumberbatch drop many a Sherlock fan's anxiety levels by declaring that availability aside, there was no reason that his and Martin Freeman's roles in Sherlock "can't continue until we get too old". Asked if the pair could become too well-known to return to the BBC detective series, Cumberbatch replied that he didn't think it was a possibility due to his love for the show.

Never one to relieve his people of anxiety though, co-creator Steven Moffat has introduced an element of doubt into proceedings with his latest words on the future of Sherlock. Speaking to the Radio Times, Moffat said of his leads' new stardom, “It’s a problem by accident and design. We do have two of the biggest film stars in the world playing the leads in our show. But they seem to like doing it and we hope we can hang on to them for a bit.”

READ MORE: http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/sherlock/24297/steven-moffat-hopes-he-can-hang-on-to-benedict-cumberbatch-and-martin-freeman

Tom Hardy in talks to star in 'Child 44' 'Safe House' director Daniel Espinosa helming for Scott Free Productions By JUSTIN KROLL (VARIETY)

Tom Hardy continues to add to his already-busy schedule as the "Dark Knight Rises" thesp is in talks to star in the Scott Free production "Child 44."

Daniel Espinosa is helming the pic, with Ridley Scott producing for Scott Free.

Richard Price is penning the script based on the Tom Rob Smith novel. Story is set in the Stalin-era Soviet Union and follows a disgraced lawyer who is dispatched to investigate a series of child murders.

Hardy is first expected to shoot the Fox Searchlight pic "Animal Rescue" with Noomi Rapace in March, followed by "Child 44."

Keira Knightley - Keira Knightley wants love song 31 January 2013 (CONTACT MUSIC)

Keira Knightley is going to make her fiancé James Righton write a love song for her because the Klaxons singer is yet to pen a track which declares his love for the actress

(I love the look on the face of the girl behind them - she's like "Jeez get a room, I'm late for work."

The couple have been together for two years but the Klaxons singer is yet to pen a track in which he proclaims his love for the actress, and Keira insists that will soon change.

She said: ''I don't know if James ever wrote a song for me, but now that I think about it, I'll have to force him to do so! He should.''

The 27-year-old screen beauty got engaged to James, 29, in May 2012 and although she is excited about tying the knot and has been busy planning their big day, Keira admits she never thought she would ever walk down the aisle.

READ MORE: http://www.contactmusic.com/news/keira-knightley-wants-love-song_3475964

Fifty Shades of Grey Casting: Are Ian Somerhalder and Henry Cavill in the Lead to Play Christian? 1 about 19 hours ago by Ryan Gajewski

(Not even close - if you ask me!)

There are reportedly two lead candidates for the part of Christian Grey, and their names will make fans of The Vampire Diaries and Superman very happy.

Ian Somerhalder and Henry Cavill are currently being cited as the two most popular choices to play the male lead in the film version of Fifty Shades of Grey, according to IB Times.

Likewise, Celebrity Dirty Laundry refers to them as the "top contenders for the role." However, it is uncertain if this is indeed how producers are leaning.

READ MORE: http://www.wetpaint.com/network/articles/fifty-shades-of-grey-casting-are-ian-somerhalder-and-henry-cavill-in-the-lead-to-play-christian

Simon Baker scores star on Hollywood Walk BY: PETER MITCHELL From: AAP February 01, 2013 7:05AM (AUSTRALIAN NEWS)

SIMON Baker is about to pick up a valuable piece of Hollywood real estate.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced on Friday the Australian star of the hit TV series, The Mentalist, will receive a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

The ceremony will take place on February 14, making it a special Valentine's Day.

"Hearts will be pounding for Simon Baker as he unveils his star on this very special day," Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremonies, said.

"His star will be located next to the very romantic Beso Restaurant."

It will be the 2490th Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of television.

His good friend Naomi Watts and Bruno Heller, executive producer of The Mentalist, will present the star to Baker.

READ MORE:

Detailed Drafts Of Laurence Olivier's Unmade 'Macbeth' Movie Script Found NEWS BY INDIA ROSS

Remember that time when Indiana Jones found the Ark of the Covenant? This is a bit like that.

In the rural university town of Exeter, England, an academic has uncovered thirteen versions of a lost screenplay for Laurence Olivier’s "Macbeth." Exploring the library’s Laurence Olivier Archive (probably a good bet when hoping to come across such documents), the lecturer discovered a final shooting script adorned with intricate set designs and technical instructions, despite the theatrical icon’s life-long protestations that a mere “sketch” was all that remained.

While eighteen screen versions of Macbeth have been produced to date, Olivier’s was never made. Financially beleaguered, the project, which was to star Olivier and his then-wife Vivien Leigh, and would have seen them reprise what were widely believed to be their finest roles of the English stage, was derailed and abandoned. Things get a bit Da Vinci Code when one looks into the history of the Scottish Play. Shrouded in theatrical lore – a mystique which Olivier wielded with particularly public vigor after the ignominious loss of his own adaptation – "Macbeth" has haunted its prospective re-tellers with the kind of morbid revenge last seen from Banquo’s ghost. Its run on stage and screen has been beset with cast fatalities, financial ruin, and a notable severing of Macduff’s thumbs in a production of 1794. Abraham Lincoln himself purportedly read passages from Duncan’s assassination in the week prior to his death.

READ MORE: http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/detailed-drafts-of-laurence-oliviers-unmade-macbeth-movie-script-found-20130131

Masterpiece: Remembering Sybil and Branson

Watch Downton Abbey: Sybil and Tom on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch-online/shorts/downton-abbey-sybil-and-tom/?elq=dd9d3ddf3fa14635b541ef2098f15449&elqCampaignId=521

THINGS WE SAW TODAY: TOM HIDDLESTON AND TILDA SWINTON AS VAMPIRE LOVERS by Rebecca Pahle | 5:00 pm, January 30th, 2013 (THE MARY SUE)

Here’s the first pic from Jim Jarmusch‘s Only Lovers Left Alive, starring Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton as, you guessed it, vampire lovers. Named Adam and Eve, incidentally. No release date for this one yet, sorry folks. (/Film)

READ MORE: http://www.themarysue.com/things-we-saw-today-tom-hiddleston-and-tilda-swinton-as-vampire-lovers/

Pride and Prejudice’ at 200: Perfect Time to Ogle Colin Firth in a Wet Shirt By Leah Rozen | Posted on Wednesday, January 30th, 2013 (ANGLOPHENIA)

Colin Firth as a damp Darcy in the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of ‘Pride and Prejudice.’ (BBC)

Before the month is over, we’d be remiss if we failed to note that January marks the 200th anniversary – we’re talking bicentennial – of the publication of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

The beloved novel, in which both Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy overcome first impressions to realize they were meant for each other, originally appeared in three volumes on January 27, 1813. It has subsequently sold more than 20 million copies.

While we could go on and on about the novel’s long term popularity, wit, meaning and adaptability (movie versions, zombie novels!), let’s use the anniversary to look at Colin Firth in a wet shirt and to muse on stamps.

Watch: New 'Star Trek Into Darkness' Featurette, Has The Villain Been Deciphered? NEWS BY KEVIN JAGERNAUTH (THE PLAYLIST)

With all the noise surrounding the selection of J.J. Abrams to direct "Star Wars: Episode 7," you might have forgotten that the helmer actually has a sci-fi movie coming out this year. "Star Trek Into Darkness" is on the way, and despite some trailers and a even a big IMAX preview that played in select cinemas, as per usual, the secrets are being played close to the chest. But some savvy nerds may have cracked who the villain, John Harrison, actually is. READ HERE

Sherlock's Martin Freeman: I'll punch Benedict Cumberbatch again if I have to! (RADIO TIMES)

The star says he hopes John Watson's reaction to his friend's return from the dead is "something very violent"

Paul Jones

9:23 AM, 31 January 2013

Martin Freeman has already told us he's still pretty much in the dark when it comes to Sherlock series three, but he knows as well as anyone that the detective's return from the dead is unlikely to provoke quite the same reaction from his character John as it did from the literary Dr Watson in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original story.

"I think [Sherlock co-creator] Mark [Gatiss] felt probably that fainting is not very 2013," said Freeman, speaking to Radio Times at our annual covers party. "I don't know what [John's reaction] is gonna be, but hopefully something very violent."

Maggie Smith's Finest moments - Series 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lbpbpvMEe4w

Wednesday, 30 January 2013

Tom Hiddleston's Guinea field diary: Day 4 (UNICEF)

Tom Hiddleston, Tue, Jan 29 2013 3:31 PM

Tom with Alima and her one-year-old son, who's receiving treatment at a UNICEF-supported hospital for malaria and malnutrition. © UNICEF/Harry Borden/2013

It's day four for actor Tom Hiddleston on his first trip with UNICEF UK, visiting Guinea in West Africa. Tom will be meeting with Guinean children, families and communities. He'll also be seeing several UNICEF projects, and finding out about our work in child protection, education, and water and sanitation. Read his first, second and third posts, or follow Tom's trip on Twitter at #tom_UNICEFUK and @twhiddleston.

My fourth day begins with a run. We are in Kankan. Julien knocks on my door at 6:45am. I haven't slept much, because it's only at night that I have time to write. But I'm only here for a short while. It's important to make the most of it. Julien and I run along the river. At this hour, the streets are already bustling with activity, but the riverbank is deserted. In a few hours' time it will be almost as busy as Oxford Street. People will come from all over town to wash their clothes, their cars, and their bodies. Perhaps it's because it's very early in the morning, when the mind is clear, when our thoughts are unfettered by politeness and self-censorship, but Julien and I end up discussing our passions.

I share my admiration for Shakespeare, while Julien speaks with erudition about philosophy. He's a big fan of Michel Foucault, the French philosopher who said (among many other things): "I don't feel that it is necessary to know exactly what I am. The main interest in life and work is to become someone else that you were not in the beginning." Every day is a creative act: a step closer to becoming who you want to be. I admire Julien enormously. He believes unwaveringly in the nature of public service. He believes in the power of legacy. He believes in leaving behind a better world than the one he found. He believes, quietly but fervently, in that attempt.

As the resident representative for UNICEF in Guinea, one of Julien's greatest achievements is a project for the reintegration of children who used to be in the army, supported by the Peace Building Fund. It was our first visit of the day. In early 2011, working closely with the Minister of Youth, Julien personally persuaded the Prime Minister to approve a project to support 2000 young people who had been irregularly recruited by the armed forces. These children are essentially former child soldiers, although they have not seen actual conflict. They are young people in local communities in remote, rural areas who at the age of 15 to 17 who were recruited, some forcibly, and transported to military camps for training. They were not allowed to leave the camps and those who attempted to do so were beaten, physically punished, humiliated and deprived of food. In 2010, with the transition from military to civilian rule, these young men and women were released without any means of subsistence or transportation. In fear of stigmatisation, many of these children – frightened, scarred, adolescents – some of whom fell into crimes and banditry. Other vulnerable youths who had been affected by the conflicts in the region were recruited into the programme.

The Peace Building Fund paid for their reintegration through the government's Professional Training Centres which although reasonably equipped did not have the money to run training programmes. The project aims to facilitate the reintegration of what are now young men and women through vocational training services. The centre is a hive of activity. As I get out of the car I am directed to a quadrangle of workshop buildings, specialising in different and specific skills: woodwork; welding; plumbing, carpentry; training for electricians; brick-laying and masonry. These young adults are consumed with purpose. I've never seen craftsmen and women so proud and passionate about their work.

READ MORE: http://blogs.unicef.org.uk/authentic_voices/archive/2013/01/29/tom-hiddleston-guinea-field-diary-day-four.aspx

MORE PICTURES...

http://www.whosay.com/twhiddleston/photos

Brendan Coyle: Downton’s Bates tells fan to ‘go **** yourself’ on Twitter (THE SUN)

By ALEX WEST
Published: 3 hrs ago

The actor — famed for his Bafta-nominated portrayal of the respectful flunky in ITV1’s period drama — hit the roof in a spat over his hatred of Lady Thatcher.

NHS consultant Roberta Knighton told him Twitter comments he posted about the ex-Tory PM were “beneath” him.

Fuming Coyle, 49, hit back: “Hard to know how to respond to that... but go f*** yourself feels about right.”

He then said: “You have no idea what is beneath me... p.s. go f*** yourself x”. Then he blocked her from viewing his account.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4771020/Downton-Abbeys-Brendan-Coyle-blasts-fan-on-Twitter.html#ixzz2JWKEFxz0

(keep in mind, peoples, this is from THE SUN)

‘Pride and Prejudice’ bicentenary: Who’s your favorite Darcy? (poll) By Marama Whyte at 1:00 pm, January 29, 2013 - @maramawhyte (HYPABLE)

VOTE (CLICK HERE) FOR YOU FAVORITE DARCY !!!

It’s the role of a lifetime – the chance to steam up the screen as Regency heart-throb Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. We’ve seen many Darcys over the years, but who was the best? Now you get to decide.

Yesterday was the bicentenary of the publication of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. There’s no need to be scandalised by our blatant objectification of these leading men, we did the literary appreciation and analysis part yesterday, so now we can get to the really important matter – who was the hottest Mr. Darcy? Ladies and gentlemen, get your votes ready.

First, straight to the source. What did Austen have to say about Darcy in Pride and Prejudice?

“…Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien; and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year.

The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend.”

X-Men star James McAvoy and Ridley Scott team up for Welcome to the Punch By David Bentley on January 30, 2013 5:23 PM (COVENTRY TELEGRAPH)

The story sees ex-criminal Jacob Sternwood (Mark Strong) forced to return to London when his son is involved in a heist gone wrong. This gives his nemesis, detective Max Lewinsky (James McAvoy), one last chance to catch the man he's always been after.

Welcome to the Punch is released on March 15, 2013. A trailer is included below.

Alan Rickman - Die Hard Anniversary - Bad to the Bone

BY: FRANK DIGIACOMO

You really don't need to watch the clip to understand this about the franchise: Alan Rickman, who played deliciously contemptuous Hans Gruber n the first film, remains, far and away, the best Die Hard baddie of the franchise. His simpering imitation of an American hostage when McClane first encounters him is a thing of enduring beauty.

Why Rickman hasn't been made a Bond villain by now is beyond me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wV_d4GSarl8

Alan Rickman Is Still The Best 'Die Hard' Villain

READ MORE: http://movieline.com/2013/01/30/die-hard-movie-25th-anniversary-video-top-villains-alan-rickman/

Jude Law - Jude Law drops hints about The Grand Budapest Hotel (CONTACT MUSIC)

Jude Law has confessed he plays an author in Wes Anderson's new comedy drama and says the plot is based on layers of ''storytelling'' in different time frames.

Jude Law has revealed he will play an author in 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'.

The 'Anna Karenina' actor dropped hints about his new role in Wes Anderson's comedy drama - which has thus far simply been billed as a ''European story'' - and admitted the film will be constructed around several layers of ''storytelling'' involving his character.

He told Collider: ''I play an author. And there are sort of several sections. It's about storytelling. There's someone who plays me at an older age, and they're recounting how they were first told a certain story, and then you cut to me being told that story, and then you cut to the story. It's sort of layers of storytelling.''

Ralph Fiennes has already been confirmed to play M. Gustave, the hotel's ''perfectly composed'' concierge, while Bill Murray is thought to be attached.

READ MORE: http://www.contactmusic.com/news/jude-law-drops-hints-about-the-grand-budapest-hotel_3473950

Benedict Cumberbatch: Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch directs Cambridge Science Festival (CAMBRIDGE NEWS)

Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch is taking a leading role in this year’s Cambridge Science Festival.

The actor has agreed to be the festival’s guest director, which means he has been helping to put together the programme for the two-week event, which starts on March 11.

Mr Cumberbatch said: “I’m delighted to be the guest director of the 2013 Cambridge Science Festival.

“My link to a science festival may seem a little tenuous but, as an actor who has played Stephen Hawking, Heisenberg and Frankenstein, I’ve long had a passion for all fields of science.

"To a layperson like me the intellectual and ethical complexities and technical details can though seem daunting and distancing. Hence a festival of this range and accessibility is a hugely important bridge between the public and science.

Henry Cavill Says ‘Man of Steel’ Is Not A ‘Dark’ Movie; Mark Millar Approves 4 hours ago by Andrew Dyce (SCREEN RANT)

Ever since Man of Steel was announced, following the success of Warner Bros. and DC Comics’ Dark Knight trilogy, the comparisons have been drawn, and expectations established. But not without cause. Director Zack Snyder has called the film “edgy,” and the words ‘realistic’ and ‘grounded’ have been thrown around like so many speeding bullets. But now, Superman (Henry Cavill) himself is putting fears to rest.

Even though Man of Steel will no doubt be serious (or as serious as any modern superhero film), Cavill is explaining that as realistic as the movie may try to be, it’s a far cry from ‘dark.’

Christopher Nolan has maintained that he may be executive producing Man of Steel, but that the film is Zack Snyder’s above anyone else’s. Even David S. Goyer has explained that making Superman as dark a figure as Batman would have been much easier than trying to ground his character in something audiences could relate to.

Who better to ask about the mood, or so-called “serious” approach being taken by Snyder in this version of the ‘Man of Steel’s origin story than the man in the tights – er, Kryptonian armor – himself? Speaking with Empire Magazine (courtesy of CBM) Henry Cavill addressed the rumors that Man of Steel would be anywhere near as ‘dark’ as Nolan’s Batman films, in about as direct a manner as one could imagine:

“It’s not a dark movie by any means. Past representations of the character have been quite light… This is a more realistic view of the character, while still maintaining the very unrealistic, or potentially unrealistic features of an alien with superpowers.”

“There is more action in Man of Steel than any of the Dark Knight Films”

READ MORE: /http://screenrant.com/superman-man-of-steel-dark-edgy-henry-cavill-discussion/

Matthew Macfadyen Tribute - filmography 1997-2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-C_q9i-I-Y

The "Darcylicious" Matthew Macfadyen

Awake My Soul

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

‘The Hobbit’ Passes Two ‘LOTR’ Pics At Worldwide Box Office By THE DEADLINE TEAM

Warner Bros and Peter Jackson have taken heat (including from Deadline) for turning JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit into three movies, but if the first film’s box office performance is any indication they might not much care. This weekend The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey eclipsed both Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring and Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers in worldwide box office.

READ MORE: http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/hobbit-box-office-worldwide-passes-lord-of-the-rings-movies/

Ripper Street Will Return News Gruesome hit drama is commissioned for a second series. Posted 29th January 2013, 3:51pm in TV (DIY)

The BBC have confirmed that period police drama Ripper Street will return for a second series next year.

The series, set in the Whitechapel area of Victorian London, has proved to be a hit with viewers,regularly attracting audiences of 7.1 million on average every Sunday night.

Starring Matthew Macfadyen (Pride and Prejudice), Jerome Flynn (Game of Thrones) and Adam Rothenberg (Person of Interest) the series is made by Tiger Aspect Productions and Lookout Point in association with BBC America.

Controller or BBC Drama Commissioning Ben Stephenson said, “quality and ambition run through Ripper Street, from Richard Warlow’s original scripts, the incredible cast and the captivating direction. All combine to create a period series with a modern and gripping edge that will return for a second series in 2014.”

Jerome "Rocky" Flynn Puts His Dukes Up (ACCESS HOLLYWOOD)

http://watch.accesshollywood.com/video/jerome-flynn-puts-up-his-dukes-in-ripper-street/2099120104001

Henry Cavill discusses online reaction to ‘Man of Steel’ casting (FAN SHARE)

Henry Cavill opened himself to public attention when he decided to take the lead role in ‘Man of Steel’. However, in a new interview with Voices of Krypton, he talks about the public perception sometimes being difficult to handle.

He talks about being under the microscope, and says, “If I were to take everyone’s comments to heart then of course, I think it would be [difficult]. There’s very hurtful stuff out there and wonderful stuff too, so I’d be thrown between having an enormous ego and a very small, crushed one. So it’s one of those things where it’s all part of the entertainment. It’s going to happen, people are going to talk and that’s great. If people are talking, they’re being entertained in one way or another, so carry on.”

On Death and Loss: Lessons from Downton Abbey Posted: 01/29/2013 10:20 am (HUFF POST)

Elisabeth Joy LaMotte, LICSW
Psychotherapist; Author, 'Overcoming Your Parents’ Divorce: 5 Steps to a Happy Relationship'

Once again, this week's episode of Downton Abbey is full of powerful insights about life, love and human nature. When 24 year old Lady Sybil's delivery of her first child takes a heartbreaking twist, viewers witness a telling exploration of grief and loss. Death is such a painful and taboo topic, and Sunday night's episode demonstrates the extent to which people tend to grieve differently and to process the death of a loved on in varied ways.

With the shocking death of Lady Sybil (Lady and Lord Grantham's youngest child) the upstairs and the downstairs of Dowton Abbey are paralyzed in a grief-stricken state of shock. Thomas the footman, Downton's purest villain who in three seasons of the show has yet to say or do anything remotely genuine or kind, sheds tears in a corner and sobs, "In my life... not many have been kind to me, and [Lady Sybil] was one of the few."

During Lady Sybil's final moments, her Irish husband and her American mother cling to her side and proclaim their profound love, while her British sisters, father and brother-in-law keep their distance and stare at her, jaws dropped, as if trapped in a mutual state of disbelief.

Immediately following her death, Sybil's brother in law, Matthew, inappropriately attempts to distract himself with business and financial matters. Meanwhile, the adoring chef, Mrs. Patmore, speaks lovingly of her memories:

"She wasn't much more than a baby herself poor love. When I think how I taught her to cook. She couldn't boil and egg...yet she was so eager."

READ MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elisabeth-joy-lamotte-licsw/downton-abbey-death_b_2570899.html

Jude Law, 'Side Effects' Star, Puts London Home Up for Sale (AOL REAL ESTATE)

One of the "Side Effects" of being a celebrity as hot as Jude Law? You tend to go through homes pretty quickly. At the tail end of 2010, he and then-on-again (now-off-again) girlfriend Sienna Miller settled in London's star-studded Highgate neighborhood. Then, last March, he was reportedly apartment hunting for a $10,000-and-up rental in New York City. Now, he's putting his sweet Georgian townhouse in London's posh Maida Vale neighborhood up for sale for $6.8 million, The Real Estalker reported. (That's converted from the 4.35 million pounds that it's listed for in British currency.)

We're wondering why he's cutting the townhouse loose now after all the trouble that he went through to make it his own. He rented the place for four years before finally buying it from his landlord for 3.5 million pounds, according to The Evening Standard in London. Then, he had to get his plans for extensive renovation to the place approved by neighbors, which he did last September. And now -- poof! -- he just tosses it away (albeit at a hefty price)?

Matthew Macfadyen: Ripper Street to return for second series Gritty detective drama set in Victorian London starring Matthew Macfadyen has been a hit on BBC1 and BBC America (GUARDIAN)

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/ripper%20street

Maggie Brown
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 29 January 2013 08.57 EST

BBC1 has ordered a second series of Ripper Street, the gritty Sunday night drama starring Matthew Macfadyen.

The BBC confirmed that a second, eight-part series was due for broadcast in 2014.

Ripper Street's first series, set in London's East End after the hunt for Jack the Ripper was called off in 1889, has averaged 7.1 million viewers and a 22.9% audience share so far, according to consolidated ratings including seven-day catchup viewing.

Macfadyen features as a police inspector, with Jerome Flynn as his sergeant colleague and Adam Rothenberg an American surgeon and former Pinkerton detective.

The first episode resulted in more than 90 viewers complaining about insensitive scheduling, because of the combination of sex and violence so close to the 9pm watershed.

But critics have praised the production, by Tiger Aspect and Look Out Point, for its authentic depiction of Victorian London, and gritty contrast to traditional costume dramas.

Ripper Street is a BBC Worldwide co-production which airs on BBC America, where it has been the US cable channel's most successful drama apart from Doctor Who.

READ MORE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/jan/29/ripper-street-second-series

Dawn French to play James Corden's mum in star-studded show (THE SUN)

By ANNE RICHARDSON
Published: 28th January 2013

DAWN French will play James Corden’s MUM in a new sitcom.

The comedy veteran – famed for her partnership with Jennifer Saunders – will star in The Wrong Mans on BBC Two, which has been co-written by James and his friend Mathew Baynton.

The show will also feature of a host of other comedy talents, including The Thick Of It’s Rebecca Front, Him and Her’s Sarah Solemani and Shooting Star’s Angelos Epithemiou – aka Dan Renton Skinner.

READ MORE: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/4767223/dawn-french-to-play-james-cordens-mum-in-sitcom.html

Monday, 28 January 2013

Ray Stevenson, Kevin McKidd, HBO's Rome - why don't they bring this back?????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_BMMiGEiDI

Rose Knightingale

MATTHEW MADFADYEN: A Modest Defense Of Matthew MacFadyen's Darcy (HUFF POST BLOG)

Rebecca Harrington

I will admit, the first time I saw Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, I walked out of the theater in a fit of rage.

"The climatic scene took place outside in a garden? And it rained?" I screamed at my friend on the walk back home. "What is this crap, Jane Eyre?

My friend muttered in agreement.

"Also, changing the words of Jane Austen ever so slightly? Who does he think he is? Does he think he's cleverer than Jane Austen? He is not!" I said. I kept uttering versions of these two sentiments for the rest of evening. Really, I am a boring friend.

Flash forward several years, when I recently rewatched the film while feeling especially sick and lying prone on my couch. I still had much of the same feelings I had the first time. Why did so much of it take place outside? Why were Keira's bangs plastered onto her forehead like she was also sick?

But I was also granted another revelation about the film, and that was that Matthew MacFadyen was a great Darcy. Possibly the best I've ever seen.

I think there are two ways to interpret the character of Darcy. Explicitly, of course, he is motivated by a sense of genuine superiority. He is both cool and arrogant-- only able to get his comeuppance from meeting his intellectual equal. But I think one can give equal and perhaps more naturalistic weight to the idea that Darcy's behavior is motivated by a fundamental awkwardness. He is, we know, an anti-social man. He has few friends or aquaintances he enjoys.

When we first meet Darcy, he is refusing to dance and surveying the women in the room rather too harshly. "She is tolerable," he says to Bingley about Elizabeth, "but not handsome enough to tempt me." This sentiment is on the face of it arrogant, but it is also bespeaks a tremendous awkwardness. Who goes to a dance only to ridicule the other people there? Nerds, that is who. Popular kids, like Mr. Bingley et al, usually dance when asked. Darcy's first proposal scene, which many interpret as an immodest display of power, could really be the indelicate verbal vomit of someone unused to behaving in a socially normal way.

COLIN FIRTH: In The Matter of Mr. Darcy (HUFF POST BLOG)

Elinor Lipman
Author

Though hardly enough is known about Jane Austen's too-brief, non-celebrity life, there is one biographical certainty we can surmise from this distance: No one ever asked her whom she'd pick to play Mr. Darcy in the movies.

May I weigh in? ("Insolent girl!" Lizzie Bennet would scold.) I do so only after having rented, streamed, watched, read, and taken notes during a week of adaptation immersion. Thus "pleased with the preference of one," I announce that the head-and-shoulders winner of Best Mr. Darcy is Colin Firth (1995 Masterpiece Theatre, 300 minutes.)

A geological sample of Darcy's core, as portrayed so beautifully by Firth, would show the following layers: at the bottom, his breeding and wealth. Undeniable. On top of that, confusion, the push-pull of class--egad, 10,000 pounds a year and a house 10 times larger than Downton Abbey! Who wouldn't be conflicted, falling in love beneath his station with a penniless girl in possession of an insufferable mother? Next: love-struck silence. And finally, which we learn from the housekeeper who has known him since he was four, a heart of pure gold. Before Disc Two, it is only hinted at. He stares at Elizabeth Bennet with an intensity that promises passion and--spoiler alert--a happy ending.

READ MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elinor-lipman/in-the-matter-of-mr-darcy_b_2551744.html

Gerard Butler opens up about new romance (SF GATE)

Scottish movie star Gerard Butler has opened up about his relationship with Romanian model/actress Madalina Ghenea, insisting he is “happier and calmer” since they started dating.

The “300″ hunk fell for the European beauty when she was hired to help him promote a new razor for the Dubai-based Super Max brand last year, and the couple was first rumoured to be romantically involved in May.

Ghenea played down the claims at the time, stating, “Gerard is a friend of mine. We are friends and nothing more” – but Butler has now openly gushed about the beauty.

READ MORE: http://blog.sfgate.com/dailydish/2013/01/28/gerard-butler-opens-up-about-new-romance/

(Video) DOWNTON ABBEY ACCEPTS THEIR SAG AWARD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sffP8yhLIsM

Jude Law: SAG Awards 2013 with Jack Huston (JUST JARED)

Jude Law makes his way on stage to present an award at the 2013 Screen Actors Guild Awards held at the Shrine Exposition Center on Sunday (January 27) in Los Angeles.

The 40-year-old actor announced Argo as the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture winner for the evening! Congrats, Argo cast!

READ MORE: http://www.justjared.com/2013/01/27/jude-law-sag-awards-2013-with-jack-huston/

Simon Baker, Minnie Driver premiere comedy "I Give It A Year"

Minnie Driver, Simon Baker premiere new comedy by Zoomin_Canada

New Look At Henry Cavill’s Superman For ‘Man Of Steel’ (FLICKS AND BITS)

With the March issue of Empire Magazine hitting newsstands this week, the good people over at Empire have revealed their two covers for the issue – showcasing a fresh look at Henry Cavill’s Superman. Alongside a full cover story on Zack Snyder’s ‘Man of Steel,’ the issue looks ahead at the likes of ’Iron Man 3,’ ‘The Wolverine,’ ‘Thor: The Dark World,’ ‘Kick-Ass 2,’ ‘The Lone Ranger,’ ‘The World’s End,’ ‘This Is The End,’ ‘Pain & Gain’ and ‘Oz: The Great & Powerful.’ The March issue of Empire will be on newsstands this Thursday. You can also get hold of it on your iPad here and in the US.

Besides Henry Cavill in the dual role of Superman/Clark Kent, ‘Man of Steel’ stars three-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Oscar nominee Michael Shannon as General Zod, Academy Award winner Kevin Costner as Superman/Clarke’s adoptive father Jonathan Kent, Oscar nominee Diane Lane as Superman/Clarke’s adoptive mother Martha Kent, Oscar nominee Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Antje Traue as Faora, Ayelet Zurer as Superman’s Kryptonian mother Lara Lor-Van, Christopher Meloni, Harry Lennix, Michael Kelly, Richard Shiff, and Academy Award winner Russell Crowe as Jor-El; Superman’s Kryptonian father.

READ MORE: http://www.flicksandbits.com/2013/01/28/new-look-at-henry-cavills-superman-for-man-of-steel/38016/

Colin Firth and the BBC class of '95 voted best Pride and Prejudice cast (RADIO TIMES)

RadioTimes.com poll names Firth and Jennifer Ehle, from the TV adaptation of Jane Austen's 200-year-old novel, the ultimate Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet

Ellie Walker-Arnott
1:05 PM, 28 January 2013

In honour of the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, we asked RadioTimes.com readers to take part in our poll to decide the ultimate cast from TV and film adaptations of the beloved literary romance.

We wondered if the votes might provide a new pairing of Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, or perhaps match one Mr Bennet with another Mrs B. But as it turned out, you thought the BBC's 1995 TV series, adapted by Andrew Davies, had already ticked almost all the boxes!

Aside from the role of Jane Bennet – which saw Rosamund Pike from the 2005 movie version pip 1995's Susannah Harker to the post with an impressive 50% of the vote – readers opted for the 1995 cast members in all of the categories. So we think it's fair to pronounce the TV mini-series the best ever Pride and Prejudice adaptation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hasKmDr1yrA

SAG Awards 2013: 'Downton Abbey' wins ensemble in a drama series (LOS ANGELES TIMES)

By Patrick Kevin Day
January 27, 2013, 6:45 p.m.

"Downton Abbey," the British drama series that airs on PBS, won the SAG Award for ensemble in a drama series at the 19th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

"Downton" is an international sensation, being the most-watched series on PBS in the U.S. and ITV in the U.K. It also received nominations for Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary Crawley, and Maggie Smith, who plays the Dowager Countess of Grantham, both in the category of female actor in a drama series.

READ MORE: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/tv/la-et-st-sag-awards-downton-abbey-ensemble-in-a-drama-series-20130123,0,5466491.story

Benedict Cumberbatch - Air Date for his role on the Simpsons announced (THE FUTON CRITIC)

SIMPSONS, THE

Air Date: Sunday, February 10, 2013

Time Slot: 8:00 PM-8:30 PM EST on FOX

Episode Title: (SI-2407) "Love Is a Many Splintered Thing"

VIEW ALL LISTINGS FOR SIMPSONS, THE

[NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10

"THE SIMPSONS" - (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) CC-HDTV 720p-Dolby Digital 5.1

BART'S LONG LOST LOVE MARY SPUCKLER RETURNS TO SPRINGFIELD ON AN ALL-NEW "THE SIMPSONS" SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, ON FOX

Zooey Deschanel, Benedict Cumberbatch, Max Weinberg and Robert A. Caro Make Guest-Voice Appearances

Another All-New Valentine's Day-Themed Episode!

Bart's heart strings are pulled once again when Mary Spuckler (guest star Deschanel) returns to Springfield. But his failure to pay her enough attention strains their relationship. Marge, too, puts Homer in the dog house in the all-new "Love is a Many Splintered Thing" episode of THE SIMPSONS airing Sunday, Feb. 10 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (SI-2407) (TV-PG L, V)

Voice Cast: Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson; Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson; Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson and Nelson; Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson; Harry Shearer as Skinner; Pamela Hayden as Milhouse and Jimbo; Tress MacNeille as Dolph

Guest Voice Cast: Zooey Deschanel as Mary Spuckler, Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Rickman and the Prime Minister, Max Weinberg as himself and Robert A. Caro as himself.

Read more: Listings - SIMPSONS, THE on FOX | TheFutonCritic.com http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20130122fox18/#ixzz2JHq01z00

'Pride and Prejudice,' story that launched a thousand spinoffs, turns 200 By Bryony Jones, CNN

Are you a "Pride and Prejudice" fan? Which is your favorite adaptation of the book? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

London (CNN) -- It's a simple love story: Girl meets guy, it's hate at first sight, and then they fall in love. "Pride and Prejudice," the original rom-com, turns 200 today, with fans around the world celebrating the story that launched a whole industry.

The tale of feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet and her relationship with the haughty, brooding Darcy is the stuff of spinoffs aplenty: Even if you've never read the original, chances are you've seen one of its many remakes, from Bridget Jones to Bollywood, zombie thrillers to murder mysteries.

But Jane Austen's best-known and most-loved novel, first published on January 28, 1813, and viewed by the author as her "own darling child" wasn't an immediate hit.

"It was very well received, and it made money, but it wasn't a massive bestseller in her day," says Louise West, curator of the Jane Austen House Museum at Chawton, in Hampshire.

Instead it became a slow-burn success, turning its creator -- after her early death in 1817 -- into a literary star. In his recent book "What Matters in Jane Austen?" expert John Mullan claims that only Shakespeare and Dickens "can rival her continuing, international appeal."

Cambridge University English professor Janet Todd puts Austen's enduring appeal down to "the mixture of simplicity and complexity -- her work looks so simple, so ordinary, and yet underneath, the more you look, the more you see, and the more complicated it becomes.

"Austen is one of the very few real crossover writers, who are popular with the public and also feted by critics and academia -- it is very rare."

"It's not just any old love story," says West. "It is also brilliantly written. Austen was the first truly modern novelist, and 'Pride and Prejudice' is full of irony, craft, careful plotting -- you read it for the story, but you get all these other layers of richness too."

But she says the secret of the story's success is down to its protagonists, Elizabeth and Darcy, "two terribly attractive characters who spark off each other in a very dynamic and sexy way," and to its heroine, in particular.

"'Pride and Prejudice' is the book that brings more people here than any other," says West. "They come looking for Elizabeth Bennet -- she is the character women aspire to be, she got the fairy story, and they want it to be real."

READ MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/28/world/europe/pride-and-prejudice-200th-anniversary/

Live Chat: Allen Leech (Downton Abbey's Branson) (MASTERPIECE)

Join actor Allen Leech (Rome, From Time to Time), Tom Branson in Downton Abbey, for a live, online chat on Monday, January 28, 2013 at 1pm, Eastern time. Leech will discuss the former chauffeur’s tumultuous return to Downton Abbey in Season 3, life upstairs, and Sybil.

Set a reminder by entering your email below. And sign up for the MASTERPIECE e-newsletter (on the right column of this page) to get advance notice of future chats.

Note: Online chats are subject to last minute change or cancellation when circumstances warrant.

READ MORE: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/programs/features/live-chat/allen-leech-branson

'Downton Abbey' Season 3 Recap: Unbearable Tragedy Strikes Posted by Adriana Velez on January 27, 2013 at 10:36 PM (THE STIR)

To quote the Dowager Countess, "Nothing is as bad as this." It was her most memorable line of the episode. But this line was uttered out of agony, and I'd take a million of her barbs over that. Did you ever think you would see Violet crumple in tears? That was one of the most heartbreaking moments in this episode.

If you haven't seen this one yet, stop right here. MAJOR SPOILER ALERT. Oh my God, this episode was almost too much. So horribly tragic -- and so infuriating.

***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD***

You saw this coming with Sybil, right? From the moment Sir Philip arrives on the scene, with his title and all that toff brotherhood between him and Grantham. Sybil was pretty much sacrificed on the altar of England's dysfunctional class system. Sir Philip breezes in, and Grantham immediately prefers him over the family physician, Dr. Clarkson. Oh sure, Clarckson's been wrong before -- but he knows his patients, and his vision isn't clouded with smug arrogance.

Grantham and Sir Philip are infuriating. But the misery over Sybil's death by eclampsia shortly after the birth of her daughter runs even deeper for the family. And what a horrible death it was -- from the scary labor down to the convulsions at the end. The kindest, most loving person in the Crawley family had an unjustly wretched end.

READ MORE; http://thestir.cafemom.com/entertainment/150209/downton_abbey_season_3_recap

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. DARCY!!!

Famous Actors Behind William Darcy of ‘Pride & Prejudice’ (ABC NEWS)

By Jennifer Abbey

Laurence Olivier

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of “Pride & Prejudice,” a story retold dozens of times in novels, films, TV shows and now a popular Internet video series.

Colin Firth has played Darcy three times

It’s often said that women like Jane Austen because they LOVE Mr. Darcy, the unlikely romantic hero of “Pride and Prejudice.”

Matthew Macfadyen

He’s the opposite of an action hero. The anti-James Bond.

Brooding. Aloof. And socially awkward. A rich, slightly finicky, older man, imprisoned by good manners. But inside lurks a smoldering romantic flame others just don’t notice.

Martin Henderson

For the past 200 years, Fitzwilliam Darcy has been the Thinking Woman’s Dream Guy, stealing the heart not just of Austen’s heroine Elizabeth Bennet but generations of young women.

So…. who’s your favorite Mr. Darcy?

READ MORE; http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/01/famous-actors-behind-william-darcy-of-pride-prejudice/