I guess given the fact that the forthcoming series of Downton Abbey will be the last (I hope you knew this and I’m not just breaking the news to you), it’s inevitable that the Dowager Countess will soon face reality and see the need to downsize in the not-too-distant future. Byfleet Manor, the 6,ooo foot, eight-bedroom manor […]
Read more
There are some things in life that you just do not want to accept as fact. For me, growing up, it was that the hated and feared New York Yankees would pretty much be the odds-on favorite to win the World Series every year. Fortunately, times change and the Yankees are but a shell of […]
Read more
Instead of having to forever wonder just “What is a weekend?” or endlessly question the need for electricity, Dame Maggie Smith has opted to swap her trademark Dowager Countess hat and dress for a knit cap and dirty raincoat (just for a bit, Downton Abbey fans) for her forthcoming role in playwright Alan Bennett’s The Lady in the […]
Read more
Well, America has begun breathing again with the return of Downton Abbey this past Sunday. While most of the forward promotion would lead you to believe that there was an wave of change getting ready to overtake Downton with Mr. Carson running screaming out of the front of the Abbey, the first episode was pretty […]
Read more
Fresh on the heels of one of the all-time greats of the acting world (Dame Judi Dench) turning 80 earlier this month on December 9, we now have the brilliant opportunity to celebrate another ‘Dame’ as she turns 80 today – Dame Maggie Smith. Although she has achieved worldwide recognition from her portrayal of Professor Minerva […]
Read more
With the 5th season series premiere of Downton Abbey a mere week away, America is preparing to let all phone calls go to voicemail when PBS’ Masterpiece series returns to Downton beginning at 9:00p ET/8:00p CT on Sunday, January 4, 2015. Since it’s been almost a year since we last visited the Crawleys, it’s time for a bit of catch-up […]
Read more
If you are wondering what it would be like to be a part of the Crawley family and stay overnight at Highclere Castle, the setting for Downton Abbey, now is your chance…sort of. Beginning Valentine’s Day, the Highclere estate is offering guests the opportunity to access your inner-most Dowager Countess and stay the night in […]
Read more
The holidays must have been so easy in the early twenties. No Tickle-Me-Elmo’s, no Transformers, no impossible to find Cabbage Patch Kids, Beanie Babies or Furbies and no iPods, iPads, iWatch or iWhatever’s to endlessly have to stand in line for or get up before the crack of dawn for that ‘hurry, only one available’ Black […]
Read more
When one thinks of Downton Abbey, the names of Julian Fellowes, Dame Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville and Michelle Dockery immediately come to mind. Right up there are the likes of Laura Carmichael, Allen Leech, Joanne Froggatt, Brendan Coyle and Jim Carter. Probably the one with the least visibility who should get much of the credit […]
Read more
While Thanksgiving isn’t officially celebrated in the UK, it has gained a bit of momentum in recent years with a number of restaurants serving Thanksgiving dinner and an increasing number of festivals, including the Harvest Festival where Brits give thanks for food and the year’s harvest. Should Cora’s mother Martha and/or crazy brother Harold blow […]
Read more