Showing posts with label Elizabeth McGovern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elizabeth McGovern. Show all posts
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
Monday, 4 February 2013
Downton Abbey Season 3: Episode 5 on Masterpiece Classic PBS – A Recap & Review 3 February 2013 by Laurel Ann (Austenprose)
By Laurel Ann (AUSTENPROSE)
Recap of episode 5 (spoilers ahead)
Lady Sybil has been laid to rest and Downton Abbey will never be the same. The family’s grief and mourning is very acute, especially by her husband Tom Branson whose future there seems uncertain. The baby must be christened and Tom is determined to have her baptized in his own faith. This appalls Lord Grantham who feels her life will be doomed as a “left footer.” Catholicism vs. Anglicism is discussed at dinner upstairs and down and there is a definite division of beliefs. The growing rift between Lord and Lady Grantham over local Dr. Clarkson’s advice to save Sybil vs. the London specialist Dr. Tapsell moves the Dowager Countess to step in and convince Dr. Clarkson to tell her son and daughter-in-law that Lady Sybil was destined to die even with the surgery he recommended. This realization mends the fence and they are reconciled in their grief.
Here are a few of my favorite moments from episode 5
“Did you hear about Tom’s announcement at breakfast? He wants the child to be a left footer.” – Lord Grantham
It was interesting to see all of the household’s reaction to the Catholic vs. Anglican issue. It helped us remember what era this drama is placed in and how important your choice of faith was.
READ MORE OF AUSTENPROSE'S RECAP: http://austenprose.com/2013/02/03/downton-abbey-season-3-episode-5-on-masterpiece-classic-pbs-a-recap-review/
Recap of episode 5 (spoilers ahead)
Lady Sybil has been laid to rest and Downton Abbey will never be the same. The family’s grief and mourning is very acute, especially by her husband Tom Branson whose future there seems uncertain. The baby must be christened and Tom is determined to have her baptized in his own faith. This appalls Lord Grantham who feels her life will be doomed as a “left footer.” Catholicism vs. Anglicism is discussed at dinner upstairs and down and there is a definite division of beliefs. The growing rift between Lord and Lady Grantham over local Dr. Clarkson’s advice to save Sybil vs. the London specialist Dr. Tapsell moves the Dowager Countess to step in and convince Dr. Clarkson to tell her son and daughter-in-law that Lady Sybil was destined to die even with the surgery he recommended. This realization mends the fence and they are reconciled in their grief.
Here are a few of my favorite moments from episode 5
“Did you hear about Tom’s announcement at breakfast? He wants the child to be a left footer.” – Lord Grantham
It was interesting to see all of the household’s reaction to the Catholic vs. Anglican issue. It helped us remember what era this drama is placed in and how important your choice of faith was.
READ MORE OF AUSTENPROSE'S RECAP: http://austenprose.com/2013/02/03/downton-abbey-season-3-episode-5-on-masterpiece-classic-pbs-a-recap-review/
Sunday, 3 February 2013
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
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
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
Monday, 28 January 2013
'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
Sunday, 27 January 2013
Downton Abbey Season 3, Episode 4 Recap: A Shocking Death Hits the Crawley Family Next Article 26 minutes ago by Gemma Wilson (WET PAINT)
To those among you who resisted the “Who died at Downton?” spoilers, we’re wiping the tears from our eyes long enough to tell you that Downton Abbey will never be the same. If you haven’t yet watched the January 27 episode, you best move along to something — anything — else.
There is no way to sugarcoat this news: Lady Sybil Crawley (Jessica Brown Findlay) is dead, and nothing is right with the world.
Lovely Lady Sybil — who wore scandalous harem pants, fought for women’s rights, helped housemaid Gwen get a job as a secretary, worked as a wartime nurse, married for love, and wanted nothing more than her independence — dies shortly after giving birth. Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan) is spot-on when she says, “The sweetest spirit under this roof is gone.”
As we open, Sybil is in the early stages of labor. The family doctor, Dr. Clarkson (David Robb), is on hand, but Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) has also hired doctor-to-the-rich-and-richer Sir Philip Tapsell to handle the actual delivery. Everyone is worried, but in a standard, floor-pacing kind of way. Even the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) is there, explaining, “I hate to get news second hand.”
Dr. Clarkson starts to fear that Sybil may be in danger of eclampsia, but Sir Philip essentially tells him to shut up. “I warn you, Doctor, if you wish to remain, you must be silent.” Dr. Clarkson is adamant, and eventually Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern) sides with him. He wants to get Sybil to a hospital for an emergency C-section, but Sir Philip won’t budge, and Lord Grantham only trusts his fancy doctor. So Sybil stays put.
But good news: It’s a girl, and everyone’s fine! The exhausted Sybil only wants to sleep, and everyone — both upstairs and down — finally goes to bed.
'Downton Abbey' Recap: 'Like Too Many Women Before Her' The women - and men - of Downton pay the price for the patriarchy (ROLLING STONE)
By Sean T. Collins
January 27, 2013 10:05 PM ET
The thing about comfort food is that when someone serves you a piping hot plate of it week after week, you never suspect that one day they're going to grab it and smash it into your face.
Downton Abbey is just a soap opera, as both its admirers and detractors will tell you; what side of that divide they come down on depends on both how they feel about the genre itself and this show's impeccable version thereof. And while people die on soaps all the time, those deaths are typically tearjerkers, not gut-punchers. That's certainly been the case on Downton until this point, where the major deaths – Kemal Pamuk, Cora Bates, William, Lavinia, even the Crawley heirs whose deaths on the Titanic started it all – have meant more to us in terms of how they've affected the survivors than the dyers themselves.
So I'll admit it: Despite the ominous rumblings from across the pond, where this season aired months ago, I never saw this coming. Not when Dr. Clarkson mentioned his concerns about pre-eclampsia. Not when the family really started to fight about which doctor was in the right. Not when the childbirth seemingly went off without a hitch. Not when Sybil was issuing ominously final-sounding instructions about how her family should be treated. Not even when the panic-stricken family gathered in Sybil's room, watching her scream and pound her own head and seize and convulse and gasp for breath. Surely, surely, something could be done. That's the kind of show this is, right?
Wrong. And in proving it wrong, creator/writer/showrunner Julian Fellowes and actress Jessica Brown Findlay delivered more than just one of the most physically unbearable-to-watch death scenes this side of Breaking Bad or Deadwood – they served up the show's most powerful broadside against its own sexist system yet.
Every woman I know who's experienced pregnancy and childbirth has at least one jaw-dropping story of creepy or condescending or infuriating paternalism by some male medical professional or other. Well before you get into the well-documented War on Women territory of moving to convict rape victims who abort their pregnancies of felony evidence tampering, women's physical and psychological pain during this process is too often treated like an inconvenience to be brushed aside or powered through rather than treated with all due hippocratically mandated urgency. If those needs are not taken seriously, neither is the gender that generates them.
In tonight's episode, that paternalism becomes tragically literal. That tragedy is foreshadowed when an ebullient Lady Edith learns she's been offered a gig as a newspaper columnist, with a carte-blanche remit that would make a 21st-century freelancer of any gender flip the eff out. (Ahem.) Without even realizing how condescending he's being, Robert reacts as though the editor only made the offer to draught off the great Earl of Grantham's family name. When he looks at his daughter he sees neither her talent nor her need for support, only a weaker-sex reflection of himself. And among his peer group, he's a relatively open-minded guy! Downton Season Three's laser-precise exploitation of Lord Robert's weaknesses has been kind of remarkable to behold.
Enter the odiously arrogant doctor Sir Phillip, and the mistake that costs Sybil her life. Confronted with a difference in opinion among two male medical professionals – one of whom has known Sybil not just as a patient but as a person (and even a staff member, during the War) since birth and therefore reacts to her uncharacteristic appearance and behavior with alarm, the other who'd never even met her until the day before and therefore blows it off – Robert and Cora split on what should be done. Naturally, the default decision is to do what her father prefers: nothing. The delay costs them precious time, preventing them from taking the question to Sybil's husband Tom to make the final call; by this point Sybil herself is too incoherent to make the decision herself. Father knew best, until he didn't.
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/downton-abbey-recap-like-too-many-women-before-her-20130127#ixzz2JEqTnmup
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'Downton Abbey' Season 3 episode 4: Lady Sybil's baby arrives, get out the hankies By Andrea Reiher January 27, 2013 10:00 PM ET (ZAP 2 IT)
This might just be the finest episode "Downton Abbey" has ever done. It is certainly a masterclass in acting from everyone involved. Be warned: Don't keep reading if you haven't watched yet.
Lady Sybil has died in childbirth. What an absolutely gut-wrenching hour of television. When Sybil goes into labor, there are some issues and Dr. Clarkson wants to move her to the hospital. But Lord Grantham's stuffy specialist Sir Phillip says everything is perfectly normal.
And a healthy baby girl arrives. But Sybil goes into seizures in the middle of the night and dies, with her family surrounding her, begging the doctors to do something. By that point it's too late.
Kudos to Elizabeth McGovern and Allen Leech as Cora and Tom. Their acting in Sybil's death scene was rip-your-heart-out good. This episode could really be anyone's Emmy reel, though -- from the Crawleys to the staff to Lady Violet. Maggie Smith's small moment at the end with Carson and then the hitch in her walk said more than 1000 words could express.
It was also a nice showing for Anna and Thomas, both of whom were closer to Lady Sybil than the other staff. Really just stellar work all around.
READ MORE: http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2013/01/downton-abbey-season-3-episode-4-lady-sybils-baby-arrives-get-out-the-hankies.html
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Hugh Bonneville bares all in 'Da Vinci's Demons' 'Downton Abbey' star reveals a side of himself fans won't see on PBS By Mekeisha Madden Toby Tue 10:31 AM (SOCIAL ENTERTAINMENT)
"Downton Abbey" fans will see actor Hugh Bonneville like they've never seen him before when he appears in Starz's new series, "Da Vinci's Demons."
The drama, which debuts in April, will feature a pants-free Bonneville in the beginning of the first episode, no less.
We know Lord Crawley has hit a financial rough patch in Season 3, but nudity? That is not suitable behavior for an Earl. What would the Dowager Countess say?
READ MORE:http://social.entertainment.msn.com/tv/blogs/tv-buzz-blogpost.aspx?post=fde48b19-c5d8-4dc3-9fa0-b0fdaa465249
Sunday, 13 January 2013
Friday, 11 January 2013
Twitter Event: Season 3 (MASTERPIECE CLASSIC)
Winner of nine Emmy awards, Downton Abbey resumes for a third season as wrenching social changes, romantic intrigues, and personal crises grip the majestic English country estate. The international hit is written by Julian Fellowes and features an all-star cast including Dame Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, and Hugh Bonneville, plus a new guest star, Academy Award-winner Shirley MacLaine!
MASTERPIECE celebrates the return of Downton Abbey with live Twitter events beginning on Sunday, January 6, 2013, during the broadcast of the first part of Downton Abbey Season 3.
You’re welcomed whenever you’re watching, but during 9-11pm Eastern time, PBS and MASTERPIECE insiders - as well as moderators from Austenprose, The Daily Beast, Tom and Lorenzo and Vulture - will be tweeting too.
Tag your posts with the hashtag #DowntonPBS then follow along using your own favorite aggregator.
WHAT: PBS and MASTERPIECE are hosting a live Twitter discussion (#DowntonPBS)
WHEN: Sundays, January 6- February 17, 2013, during the national broadcast of each part
WHERE: The Twitterverse! (Use hashtag #DowntonPBS ).
TOPICS: Downton Abbey, fashion, MASTERPIECE Classic
WHO: @pbs ; @masterpiecepbs ; Laurel Ann Nattress(@Austenprose ) of Austenprose; Jace Lacob(@televisionary ) of The Daily Beast; Tom and Lorenzo (@tomandlorenzo ); and Vulture (@vulture ) – and YOU!
RSVP: Please follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #DowntonPBS tweeters
MASTERPIECE: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/programs/features/twitter-event/downton-abbey-season-3-twitter-event?elq=7111b2812cdd457890f24c5abe3f1824&elqCampaignId=499
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
Thoroughly Modern Lizzie: Downton Abbey star Elizabeth McGovern goes for futuristic look at Cheerful Weather For A Wedding premiere (MAIL ON LINE)
We're used to seeing her in period clothing as the Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey.
But on Wednesday night, the American actress decided to go for a very different look in a futuristic ensemble.
The singer/actress, 51, opted for an unusual leather-look zip-up silver paneled dress as she attended the gala screening of her new movie Cheerful Weather For A Wedding.
The TV star joined her co-stars Felicity Jones and Zoe Tapper at the screening for the period romance, which is released on DVD on Monday.
Rising star Felicity, 29, looked pretty in a pastel dress, while co-star Zoe wore a black dress.
The film stars McGovern as the mother of bride-to-be (Felicity), who is in turmoil when her ex-boyfriend turns up on her wedding day.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2259929/Downton-Abbey-star-Elizabeth-McGovern-goes-futuristic-look-Cheerful-Weather-For-A-Wedding-premiere.html#ixzz2HXjtiR00
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Monday, 7 January 2013
DOWNTON ABBEY, SEASON THREE, ENTIRE EPISODE ONE (MASTERPIECE)
Watch Downton Abbey Season 3, Episode 1 on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.
MASTERPIECE CLASSIC: http://184.73.200.164/wgbh/masterpiece/watch-online/full-episodes/downton-abbey-season-3-episode-1/?elq=60111ffbea9a4d478958894eeba872ab&elqCampaignId=492
Sunday, 6 January 2013
DOWNTON ABBEY - AMERICA'S PRESS TALKS DOWNTON
Plot spoilers pose 'Downton Abbey' challenge (ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH)
January 03, 2013 2:16 pm • Associated Press
There are many delicious reasons to watch the returning "Downton Abbey" and an exasperating one to skip it: The cover's been blown on major plot twists.
In what may be outsized revenge for the American Revolution _ or payback for years of exporting lousy U.S. TV and fast food _ the Brits are sharing "Downton Abbey" with us, but only after first airing each season.
That wouldn't matter much in the drama's early 20th-century setting but we're not there, are we, PBS and U.K. network ITV? A little gimmick called the Internet makes it impossible to keep story developments from spreading like germ warfare.
'Downton Abbey' Fans Get Peek at Season Premiere - TIME OUT, CENTRAL FLORIDA ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE
By Matt Reinstetle
THE LEDGER
LAKELAND | WEDU will host a special hour-long screening of the season 3 premiere of "Downton Abbey" at the Polk Theatre on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
This free screening will show the first 60 minutes of the 120-minute premiere, which airs for the first time in America on WEDU, Tampa's PBS affiliate, at 9 p.m. Sunday.
Space is limited so those interested in attending must register at www.wedu.org/events/downtonabbey-screenings/.
"It should be a fun evening for people to get together who enjoy the show and have that experience at the Polk Theatre," said Allison Hedrick, vice president of communications at WEDU.
A feast fit for 'Downton Abbey OMAHA.COM
The food of "Downton Abbey"
Abbey Cooks Magic Scones
Makes eight two-inch scones
Scones are the foundation of a great afternoon tea or garden party. This basic recipe is like magic. They are faster to make than a drive to your local coffee shop, lower in fat and can be adapted in an endless variety of ways. Create your own Abbey House brand to entertain guests.
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon frozen grated butter
½ cup cold milk
1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees and prepare a baking sheet.
2. Sift the dry ingredients three times into a large bowl. Rub the frozen grated butter into the dry ingredients until it feels like sand. At this point, add any of the ingredients you choose from the recipe variations. (See list below.) Add enough milk just until you get a sticky dough.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and lightly flour the top. Knead very gently once, then fold and turn the kneaded dough three or four times until it has formed a smooth texture. Pat the dough into a rectangle about 6 by 12 inches and then fold that rectangle into thirds.
4. Using a well-floured two-inch biscuit cutter, make six two-inch rounds. You can get two more scones from the scraps though they won't be as tender. Alternatively, use a well-floured sharp knife to form wedges.
5. You can either brush the tops of the scones with milk or lightly flour.
6. Bake on a baking sheet for 8-10 minutes until the scones are lightly colored on top. Immediately place onto cooling rack to stop the cooking process.
Variations
Buttermilk scones: Add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to the flour before sifting and replace the milk with buttermilk.
Cream scones: Add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to the flour and glaze with cream.
Whole-wheat scones: Replace half of the all-purpose flour with soft whole-wheat flour.
Chocolate scones: Add ¼ cup of cocoa powder and sift with the flour, and add ¼ cup plain yogurt to the milk.
Glazed scones: Lightly brush preserves on scones before baking to create a sweet glaze.
Dried fruit scones: Add ¼ cup dried fruit (sultanas, raisins, currants, cranberries or cherries) and 1 tablespoon sugar before you add the milk.
Pumpkin scones: Add 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon baking soda and sift with flour, replace the milk with ½ cup of pumpkin puree, adding only enough milk to make sticky dough.
Fresh or frozen berry scones: Add ¼ cup fresh or frozen fruit, finely chopped.
Whole wheat and fruit scones: Replace half of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour and add ¼ cup of fresh or frozen fruit.
Cheese and chive scones: Add ½ teaspoon cayenne to be sifted and then ¼ to ½ cup grated cheddar cheese and 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs before adding the milk.
Herb scones: Include 3 tablespoons of finely chopped herbs, such as parsley, dill or chives.
Why Downton Abbey Airs So Much Later in the U.S. NEW YORK TIMES
By June Thomas | Posted Friday, Jan. 4, 2013, at 11:34 AM ET
January 03, 2013 2:16 pm • Associated Press
There are many delicious reasons to watch the returning "Downton Abbey" and an exasperating one to skip it: The cover's been blown on major plot twists.
In what may be outsized revenge for the American Revolution _ or payback for years of exporting lousy U.S. TV and fast food _ the Brits are sharing "Downton Abbey" with us, but only after first airing each season.
That wouldn't matter much in the drama's early 20th-century setting but we're not there, are we, PBS and U.K. network ITV? A little gimmick called the Internet makes it impossible to keep story developments from spreading like germ warfare.
'Downton Abbey' Fans Get Peek at Season Premiere - TIME OUT, CENTRAL FLORIDA ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE
By Matt Reinstetle
THE LEDGER
LAKELAND | WEDU will host a special hour-long screening of the season 3 premiere of "Downton Abbey" at the Polk Theatre on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
This free screening will show the first 60 minutes of the 120-minute premiere, which airs for the first time in America on WEDU, Tampa's PBS affiliate, at 9 p.m. Sunday.
Space is limited so those interested in attending must register at www.wedu.org/events/downtonabbey-screenings/.
"It should be a fun evening for people to get together who enjoy the show and have that experience at the Polk Theatre," said Allison Hedrick, vice president of communications at WEDU.
A feast fit for 'Downton Abbey OMAHA.COM
The food of "Downton Abbey"
Abbey Cooks Magic Scones
Makes eight two-inch scones
Scones are the foundation of a great afternoon tea or garden party. This basic recipe is like magic. They are faster to make than a drive to your local coffee shop, lower in fat and can be adapted in an endless variety of ways. Create your own Abbey House brand to entertain guests.
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon frozen grated butter
½ cup cold milk
1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees and prepare a baking sheet.
2. Sift the dry ingredients three times into a large bowl. Rub the frozen grated butter into the dry ingredients until it feels like sand. At this point, add any of the ingredients you choose from the recipe variations. (See list below.) Add enough milk just until you get a sticky dough.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and lightly flour the top. Knead very gently once, then fold and turn the kneaded dough three or four times until it has formed a smooth texture. Pat the dough into a rectangle about 6 by 12 inches and then fold that rectangle into thirds.
4. Using a well-floured two-inch biscuit cutter, make six two-inch rounds. You can get two more scones from the scraps though they won't be as tender. Alternatively, use a well-floured sharp knife to form wedges.
5. You can either brush the tops of the scones with milk or lightly flour.
6. Bake on a baking sheet for 8-10 minutes until the scones are lightly colored on top. Immediately place onto cooling rack to stop the cooking process.
Variations
Buttermilk scones: Add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to the flour before sifting and replace the milk with buttermilk.
Cream scones: Add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to the flour and glaze with cream.
Whole-wheat scones: Replace half of the all-purpose flour with soft whole-wheat flour.
Chocolate scones: Add ¼ cup of cocoa powder and sift with the flour, and add ¼ cup plain yogurt to the milk.
Glazed scones: Lightly brush preserves on scones before baking to create a sweet glaze.
Dried fruit scones: Add ¼ cup dried fruit (sultanas, raisins, currants, cranberries or cherries) and 1 tablespoon sugar before you add the milk.
Pumpkin scones: Add 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon baking soda and sift with flour, replace the milk with ½ cup of pumpkin puree, adding only enough milk to make sticky dough.
Fresh or frozen berry scones: Add ¼ cup fresh or frozen fruit, finely chopped.
Whole wheat and fruit scones: Replace half of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour and add ¼ cup of fresh or frozen fruit.
Cheese and chive scones: Add ½ teaspoon cayenne to be sifted and then ¼ to ½ cup grated cheddar cheese and 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs before adding the milk.
Herb scones: Include 3 tablespoons of finely chopped herbs, such as parsley, dill or chives.
Why Downton Abbey Airs So Much Later in the U.S. NEW YORK TIMES
By June Thomas | Posted Friday, Jan. 4, 2013, at 11:34 AM ET
A year ago, we wondered here on Brow Beat why there was a lag between the U.K. & U.S. airings of Downton Abbey, when such a large gap does not always exist with other British shows. Season 3 of the series is about to arrive, and the disparity persists: On Thursday, TV critic Alan Sepinwall tweeted, “Nearly all the comments so far on my Downton Abbey review are people complaining about the lag between UK & US broadcasts.” Even Slate’s Downton Abbey TV Club warmed up by kvetching about the delay.
So this year, we asked Beth Hoppe, PBS’s new programming chief, to explain the scheduling.
Saturday, 5 January 2013
'Downton Abbey' Season Three Cheat Sheet Your couple-by-couple guide to the upstairs/downstairs drama Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook
By Sean T. Collins
January 4, 2013 11:00 AM ET
Ready to reenter the world of the classiest soap opera in television history? When Downton Abbey begins its third season here in the States on PBS this Sunday – it's already aired in the U.K., leaving the entire Internet a spoiler minefield more dangerous than a World War I no-man's-land – it's set to make television a more beautiful place pretty much singlehandedly, with opulent sets and costumes, gorgeous cinematography, a cast that's restrained and rock-solid from top to bottom, and a rapturous theme song that makes fans of Edwardian romance drool like Pavlov's dogs.
But it also brings with it a cast as sprawling as any on TV, from the Crawleys – the aristocratic family who dwell in the huge country house that gives the show its title – to the many servants who keep both the house and the family afloat. Add a marriage, a pregnancy, and a visit from the Crawley kids' American grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) on the way this season to the show's trademark breakneck twists and turns, and things will only get more complex.
Now's the time to sort out the daughters, suitors, butlers and dowagers that make Downton the most popular public TV drama of all time, so we're pairing off the characters to give you a couple-by-couple breakdown of who's who and what they've been up to. Whether you're new to the Abbey or a repeat visitor in need of a refresher, couple up and read on.
Lord Robert and Lady Cora: Land-rich and cash-poor, Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham, took the sleazy way out of potentially losing his family's ancestral home, the sprawling estate called Downton Abbey: he married American heiress Cora Levinson for her money. But eventually they fell in love and became the patriarch and matriarch of Downton's entire miniature society: the "upstairs" segment, consisting of them, their three daughters, and Robert's mother, Lady Violet, the Dowager Countess; and the "downstairs" servants who keep the household running – maids, cooks, footmen, housekeepers, and more.
Both Robert and Cora pretty much radiate reassurance and warmth when required, but the outbreak of World War I strained their relationship in Season Two. Relegated to the home front, where all he can do is polish the brass on his uniform, Lord Grantham grows disillusioned with the system that gives him such power but none when and where it really counts. Meanwhile, Lady Grantham throws herself first into the conversion of Downton into a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers, then into the relationship woes of her eldest daughter, Mary. Robert briefly falls for Jane, a war widow recently hired as one of Downton's maids, before recommitting to Cora, who narrowly escapes a potentially fatal bout of Spanish influenza. Now their main concern is the well-being of not one, not two, but three scandal-plagued members of their household, to which Lord Grantham has proven surprisingly, endearingly understanding.
Read about the rest: http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/downton-abbey-season-three-cheat-sheet-20130104#ixzz2H7BDVISj
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Friday, 4 January 2013
Review: A return to old ways at 'Downton Abbey' Last season seemed to be a bit over-plotted, but the household appears to be humming along again in its repressed, backbiting way. (LA TIMES)
By Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times Television Critic
January 5, 2013
"Downton Abbey," a period British TV series that has become an American obsession, is back Sunday night for its third season, in the framework of "Masterpiece: Classic." For the several millions who have waited months for its return, it is a day that has not come too soon; I am not unhappy to see it myself.
With its castle and costumes and superior production values — the show is never less than lovely to look at, and most every second of it is deliciously acted, in a way you are meant to notice — it is comfort food packaged as a gourmet meal, old soap in a Tiffany container. And after a sometimes wayward second season, with its distractions of war and influenza, the present series brings both a return to form and to its original subject matter: the preservation of the estate.
From the pen of Julian Fellowes ("Gosford Park"), it is, briefly, the story of a big house (and a little house nearby) and the people who live there and suffer as a group from poor communication skills and an excess of pride. A few, mostly below stairs, are schemers, Maggie Smith's dowager countess being the notable plotter above, though she works for her family's reputation rather than personal advancement, having nowhere higher to advance.
"Downton" is paradoxical at heart: It satisfies our yearning for what appears a more clear-cut time, when everyone knew his or her place and its rules, even as it argues, possibly in spite of itself, for its destruction. It celebrates the old days and ways we are glad not to live in or have to follow.
And although a success at home in the U.K. — a fourth season and a prequel are in the works — it might have been specifically created to exploit romantic American notions of life in a British country house, as those grand Gothic-y piles are quaintly called, as well as our inbred post-colonial impression that we are above all that. It runs on a mixture of envy and desire.
Almost in recognition of this fact, we get a visit this year from Shirley MacLaine as the Yankee mother of the Anglicized lady of the house, the countess Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), all sharp angles and straight talk. And straight talk is just what these characters like to avoid, though they are also forever explaining themselves, in order that no point go unmissed.
Last year's plotting at times seemed practical rather than organic, crafted merely to build up or destroy the credit of this or that character, as when Robert, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville), entered into an unconvincing, all-but-consummated affair with a housemaid. Even the well-loved witticisms of the dowager countess felt a bit weighted and compulsory.
READ MORE OF LA TIMES REVIEW: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-downton-abbey-review-20130105,0,3358258.story
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Three Pushy Questions for Downton Abbey’s Executive Producer By Denise Martin
Downton Abbey returns in four days, and according to our critic Matt Zoller Seitz, everything is back in its proper place after having been flip-turned-upside-down during last year’s popular, if super-soapy, upswing. (If Matthew whines about dearest dead Lavinia one more time … ) However, before we move forward with the further adventures of the Crawley clan, there are three outstanding issues with the show that needed clearing up. To get some answers, we broke the rules of decorum and asked executive producer Gareth Neame to settle such nagging questions as why Americans must wait to see more episodes until the Brits have politely dined on them and retired to the drawing room, and just why things went all soapy last season.
Why doesn’t Downton air simultaneously in the U.K. and U.S. (so that we may avoid horrible spoilers of the Christmas-ruining variety)?
The producers took extra precautions to prevent the secrets and twists of season three from spilling; paparazzi-blocking security was added to location shoots, and scripts were marked with code names. So if Neame had his way, U.S. audiences would get to share in the first viewing. “In this day and age, it’s clearly ridiculous that people watch the show in England four months early and 1.5 million people in America go and watch it illegally,” he said. “If I were PBS and I had the biggest drama I’d ever had in my entire 40-year history, I would be sorting my schedules out to make sure I was airing it more quickly.” PBS didn’t shoot down the idea of airing future seasons of Downton earlier, but said “technical hurdles and financial considerations” have prevented it in the past. And by airing in January, PBS avoids having to compete with the glut of new shows that the broadcast networks premiere in the fall. “Obviously, spoilers and piracy are two key reasons supporting the case to air Downton Abbey closer to the U.K. broadcast,” a rep for Masterpiece told Vulture. “The conversation about scheduling will continue.”
READ MORE: http://www.vulture.com/2013/01/three-pushy-questions-for-downton-abbeys-ep.html
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