There is definitely something in the water when it comes to British actors that places them a cut above their American counterparts as it relates to stage and screen. Some point to the ‘formal’ theater training that makes them more than capable to handle both the most serious role one week and a drop-dead comedic […]
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Following the 2012 Olympics in London, Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville) was a man without a purpose. As Head of Deliverance of the Olympic Deliverance Commission in Twenty Twelve, Fletcher’s herculean task was to organize the 2012 London Summer Olympics in the face of massive logistical difficulties, production errors, infrastructure problems and troublesome contributors. It was not long after […]
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With the BBC’s Hollow Crown hitting the air on BBC2 in the UK, it’s hard, once again, to find words to describe the next chapter in the book on Benedict Cumberbatch when it comes to his acting ability. It was 2004 when I first ran across the star of Sherlock in the television film, Hawking, where he brilliantly portrayed […]
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Based on Shakespeare’s four distinct works, Henry VI, Part I, Henry VI, Part II and Henry VI, Part III (condensed into one film), and Richard III, the second installment of The Hollow Crown franchise features a cast that reads like a who’s who in British acting. Subtitled “The Wars of the Roses”, Shakespeare’s first tetralogy will star Benedict Cumberbatch as Richard […]
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Perhaps the coolest show on the planet is BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, which premiered on BBC radio in 1942. Created by Roy Plomley, the format is about as simple as you can get. A guest ‘castaway’ is invited by host Kirsty Young to choose the eight records they would take with them to […]
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Unless you have been under the proverbial holiday rock the past couple of weeks, it is beginning to hit home that the final series of Downton Abbey is virtually upon us. If you’re one of the ones that have been in denial since the end of series 5 earlier this year, no doubt the past several […]
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Only the greatness of Stephen Colbert can draw this type of brilliance out of his guests! Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville and Allen Leech perform a scene from Downton Abbey using good old American accents and, I have to say, it’s either a bit unsettling or it’s spot on greatness. Just imagine, Downton Abbey with American accents! I know, […]
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It’s December so it must be Text Santa time! At Downton Abbey, Lord Grantham and Isobel Crawley are looking for just the right Father Christmas for the Abbey. While it’s a highly sought after part, the auditions seemingly come to a standstill when DCI Vera Stanhope of the Northumberland and City police shows up to investigate […]
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It’s hard to grasp that UK audiences are within days of the return of Downton Abbey for its sixth and final series. Yes, PBS audiences in America are still several months removed from Downton opening its’ doors in January 2016 but, hey, we can live vicariously, can’t we? That said, we all know that based on the […]
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With Planet Earth’s favorite British period drama drawing to a close, most likely, on Christmas Day in the UK, filming has begun on what will be the tentative definite final farewell to the Crawleys, the Granthams and those who work for them. As you can imagine, in a technologically advanced world that would make the […]
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