Scattershooting on a Monday….Downton Abbey, Judi Dench and more
More trolling around the Internets bringing you more tidbits of witty banter to amaze your friends with at parties….
Downton Abbey production begins in February
We reported last week that Downton Abbey is set to go into production next month in the UK. Now that the second or four episodes has come and gone on PBS’ Masterpiece series last night, the questions are already hitting our mailbag as to what the future plans are for the audience hit in both the UK and the US. ITV has just announced that the second series of the critically acclaimed audience hit will transmit in the UK during the Fall of 2011. A special Christmas episode, penned by Julian Fellowes, will return all the main characters and is scheduled to air at the conclusion of the second series.
Judi Dench makes Clint Eastwood’s day and vice versa
Dame Judi Dench has a full plate already lined up for 2011 with the upcoming releases of Jane Eyre (Mrs. Fairfax), My Week with Marilyn (Dame Sybil Thorndike) and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. She’s currently filming The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel with Bill Nighy and Dame Maggie Smith, signed on for Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar Hoover biopic, J. Edgar, and, oh, yeah, she gets to be James Bond’s boss, M, again when Bond 23 goes into production in late 2011. Here, she talks with the BBC’s Andrew Marr about her early career, how acting wasn’t her first love but was discovered by accident and her thoughts of picking up the phone with ‘Dirty Harry’ on the other end.
Hit British comedy, Miranda, headed for third season
On the heels of being named Comedy of the Year 2010 in the annual Comedy.co.uk Awards, the BBC has given the green light for a third season of the hit BBC Two comedy, in what looks like an incredible sense of timing. Now all that’s left to determine will be whether or not it moves to BBC One or continues to be a significant ratings hit for Two. At least they have until the end of 2011 before they have to decide. What do you think?
Colin Firth and Christian Bales make Britain proud at the 2011 Golden Globes
Finally, this just in. Congratulations to Colin Firth for a well-deserved Golden Globe nod by picking up the best actor award for his performance as George VI in The King’s Speech while Christian Bales grabbed the best supporting actor award for his performance in The Fighter. Hope the Academy was watching and gets it right this year during the Oscars….still think Firth should have won for A Single Man last year. British comedy fans may remember Firth’s portrayal of William Shakespeare in Blackadder: Back & Forth. Will not forget Edmund Blackadder’s classic line after punching out Shakespeare during a MacBeth rehearsal….”That is for every schoolboy and schoolgirl for the next 400 years!“. Brilliant.
