Martin Clunes: Tayside equestrians recognised at BHS annual awards

THE COURIER CO.UK
BY PHILLIPA STEPHEN
DECEMBER 18, 2013



Two Tayside equestrian women took the top awards at the recent British Horse Society Annual Awards at Saddlers Hall, in London.

Stepping down as BHS Scotland national chairman after seven years, Loraine Young of Aberlemno was awarded the society’s most prestigious honour, the President’s Award, for exceptional service to the society over a period of years.

During her time as head of Scotland’s largest equine membership organisation Loraine has helped further the aims of charity across Scotland by masterminding numerous fund-raising and educational events.

Meanwhile Marjory Norrie, from Gardyne, was recognised for many years of service to the British Riding Club movement when she received the Leo Harris Award for excellent service to affiliated Riding Clubs and area liaison.

Marjory has led Area 22 (north of the Forth-Clyde line) for over a decade.

The ladies were presented with trophies by Martin Clunes, the British Horse Society president.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.thecourier.co.uk/business/farming/equestrian/tayside-equestrians-recognised-at-bhs-annual-awards-1.166844

Matthew Macfadyen: Ripper Street: the final episode, BBC One, review

TELEGRAPH
By Michael Hogan
10:30PM GMT 16 Dec 2013



Recent episodes of Ripper Street (BBC One) have been somewhat overshadowed by the news that the bowler-hatted, bewhiskered period police procedural has been axed by the Beeb. There are rumours of it being saved by a co-production deal between makers Tiger Aspect and online streaming service LoveFilm.

Meanwhile, fans are up in arms and have started a petition to keep it on-air. I have some sympathy. It’s never nice when one of your favourite shows gets dragged into an alleyway and brutally slain but I can also understand the motive for the killing: ratings have fallen from 7m to 4m and convincingly recreating 1889 East End London can’t come cheap. The false beard budget alone probably ran into thousands. It might have lapsed into gratuitous gore at times but Ripper Street was a fully realised world, populated by strong characters and the writing was superb. Its quality hasn’t dipped. Instead, the ratings decline is largely due to it being scheduled against I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

This episode, then, wasn’t just the last of the series but probably the last one ever. It’s a grimy, gritty world at Division H in Whitechapel but now the soundtrack’s lush string arrangements acquired an extra elegiac quality. The writers didn’t know this was going to be their swansong but it worked as one.

Inspector Reid (the ever-excellent Matthew MacFadyen) and his motley crew of ye olde coppers were fighting two baddies in a plot involving hapless landlords and pieces of cheesewire.

Meanwhile, Reid’s two sidekicks had problems of their own. Craggy, hangdog DS Drake (Jerome Flynn) had lost his stomach for police work but was not short of fight in the force’s boxing championship. Captain Homer Jackson was desperately trying to profit from a stolen South African diamond and not get ripped off by his own brother.

The plot threads were drawn together for the final reckoning, cutting between boxing ring and music hall.

Jackson’s brother sold the diamond to local villain Duggan (Frank Harper) and scarpered with the cash. The South Africans killed Duggan to get it back. Drake knocked the stuffing out of bent copper Shine (Joseph Mawle) in the ring.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/tv-and-radio-reviews/10521420/Ripper-Street-the-final-episode-BBC-One-review.html

Benedict Cumberbatch iPhone selfie landed him Meryl Streep movie August: Osage County

METRO
Emily Hewett
Showbiz reporter



Benedict Cumberbatch bagged a part in his latest movie August: Osage County after wooing the film’s director with a self-shot video.

John Wells – best known for his work on US TV series ER and The West Wing – had not heard of the Sherlock star until he received the amateur footage.

He said: ‘I have to confess I didn’t know Benedict’s work at all. He sent in a video – recorded on an iPhone – and he must have filmed it himself because you could see that it was being held at arm’s length, like a selfie.

‘We were sent the clip by his agent and I was really taken with his talent. It was a beautiful audition.

‘We auditioned several people after that but none of them had the warmth and humanity of Benedict in the part,’ he added to The Sun.

Benedict stars alongside the likes of Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper and Sam Shepard in the dark Oklahoma-set drama.

READ MORE HERE:http://metro.co.uk/2013/12/21/benedict-cumberbatch-selfie-landed-him-meryl-streep-movie-august-osage-county-4239235/

How film star Gerard Butler helped poor children in Liberia for Mary's Meals

HERALD SCOTLAND
20 December, 2013



During a four-day trip to Liberia in Africa this month, the actor helped cooks prepare and serve meals to school pupils on behalf of Mary's Meals.

Butler loved the experience and said he has been inspired to get more involved with the charity, after he helped out in a school maths class, played football with children and danced with local villagers.

Mary's Meals was set up by Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow in a shed in Dalmally, Argyll, but has grown into an international school feeding programme, working in countries where hunger and poverty prevent children from gaining an education. It also sends backpacks filled with school essentials around the world to ensure children can make the most of their time in class.

Scot Butler, 44, presented Mr MacFarlane-Barrow with an award in 2010 and has supported the charity since.

The actor said: "I have come to know Mary's Meals but I had no idea of what that really meant until I came to see what is possible with this organisation and the effect it can have on the lives of so many children.

"One of the things that I have been struck by during this visit is the strength of people's dignity, and what I love about Mary's Meals is that it is all about retaining this. They don't operate a free system where people are just taking; instead it is all about respecting and promoting the lives of people, their culture and what they are capable of.

"I've seen a lot of these communities becoming more energised and alive, and what Mary's Meals does is that it helps create a sense of community that goes way beyond the feeding programme itself."

Mary's Meals has been working in Liberia since 1994 and the school feeding programme in the country is the second biggest run by the charity after Malawi.

It now reaches more than 820,000 children around the world.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/how-film-star-gerard-butler-helped-poor-children-in-liberia-for-marys-meals.1387523047

LAX Sighting: Henry Cavill Heads Home For The Holidays

HENRY CAVILL NEWS
Friday, December 20, 2013

atombyerz: You know... Just hanging out with the man of steel at the airport #superman #manofsteel #henrycavill #LAX #moviestar #byerspartyof2 #movie #watcheditlastnight

READ MORE HERE: http://www.henrycavillnews.com/2013/12/lax-sighting-henry-cavill-heads-home.html

Emily Blunt Looking Cuteballz Preggers On Her Way To Yoga!

PEREZ HILTON
12/19/2013 4:29 PM ET

Pre-natal yoga is SOOOOO HEALTHY!

Of course we'd see Emily Blunt heading to a yoga class while pregnant! If she treated her body right BEFORE she was pregnant, we're willing to bet she's even healthier now that she's caring for two!!

She's going to be the best mom ever!!

We only wish she looked a little happier, but we TOTALLY get it! She's allowed to feel however she wants, especially with a camera in her face!

READ MORE HERE: http://perezhilton.com/fitperez/2013-12-19-emily-blunt-heads-to-prenatal-yoga

Sherlock: 15 best moments from Benedict Cumberbatch's BBC Holmes

DIGITAL SPY
By Emma Dibdin
Wednesday, Dec 18 2013, 5:00am ES

The wait is almost over, Sherlock fans. While the two-year hiatus has felt like a cruel eternity to just about everyone who watched Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock plummet to his faux-death in 'The Reichenbach Fall', consider this: fans in 1893 were forced to wait an entire decade for Arthur Conan Doyle to resurrect their hero on the page.

A decade. So with the gap put in perspective, and third series premiere 'The Empty Hearse' now confirmed to air on New Year's Day in the UK and January 19 in the US, we can relax and look back on our favorite moments from the series so far, in chronological order...

Sherlock whipping a corpse ('A Study in Pink')

It's surprising just how rarely the first meeting of Holmes and Watson has ever been portrayed on screen - most adaptations begin with the pair already established in their odd couple dynamic - but Steven Moffat's first script picked up on an even rarer aspect of Doyle.

In the book A Study in Scarlet, Stamford warns Watson that Holmes's eccentricity takes the strange form of "beating the subjects in the dissecting-room with a stick". Cut to 2010, and Cumberbatch's Sherlock is introduced for the first time in the morgue, whipping a corpse with a riding crop. Like so many of the show's finest moments, it's at once outlandish, brash and utterly faithful to its source material.

John meets Mycroft ('A Study in Pink')

"Sherlock does love to be dramatic," drawls Mark Gatiss's Mycroft. "Well, thank God you're above all that," John replies, having just been abducted and driven to an abandoned warehouse in order to have this meeting. It's a witty, enormously tense scene that's firing on more dramatic cylinders than you can take in on first viewing.

It works beautifully as psychological exposition for John, it shows off Mycroft's deductive skills, and it gives John the first of many opportunities to prove his steadfast loyalty to Sherlock, as Mycroft offers him money in return for information on his wayward brother. A masterclass in character-building.

"So you've got a boyfriend?" ('A Study in Pink')

The scene that launched a thousand shippers – if Sherlock and John's first meeting hadn't already done it. This is one of the first actual conversations the pair share, as they await a murderer in a cosy candlelit restaurant, and Moffat wastes no time in addressing the homoerotic subtext that has been an aspect of Holmes fandom for decades.

It's a scene steeped in intrigue and deadpan wit, beautifully played by Cumberbatch and Freeman, and on a personal note it's exciting for us because the Digital Spy offices are visible behind John's head throughout.

"Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson" ('A Study in Pink')

We've had the introduction of Sherlock Holmes, sharp and cruel and mesmerising. We've had the introduction of John Watson, battle-torn and stoical and lonely. But as the series' first episode comes to its triumphant conclusion, we get the introduction of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, the unassailable yin-yang unit that was already, after 90 minutes, the heart of the show. 

John shoots a man dead to save Sherlock's life from a hundred-yard distance, they share a poorly-hidden giggle at the crime scene afterwards, and in that instant their bond is sealed for life. Hero shots don't come much more glorious than this slow-mo climax. 

John gets into a fight with a self-checkout machine ('The Blind Banker')

Because we've all been there. As extraordinary and heightened as most of Sherlock and John's adventures are, a huge part of the show's charm comes from its being rooted in a very recognizable, very contemporary London. And in contemporary London, unexpected items in the bagging area are an unavoidable part of life. 

The introduction of Freeman's hardened, traumatised John in the first episode left viewers in no doubt about his dramatic chops, but this moment – from the show's weakest episode to date – spotlights his comedic timing. 

Many, many more: http://www.digitalspy.com/british-tv/s129/sherlock/news/a535406/sherlock-15-best-moments-from-benedict-cumberbatchs-bbc-holmes.html#ixzz2o1et1Bmw 
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Richard Armitage's Dream Project is a Remake of a Sci-fi Classic

CLICK ONLINE
Movies by Daniel Anderson
19 December, 2013

RICHARD ARMITAGE'S DREAM PROJECT IS A REMAKE OF A SCI-FI CLASSIC

Richard Armitage is best known to audiences now as Thorin Oakenshield in Peter Jackson’s new take on The Hobbit but he’s got another dream project in mind – and he wants someone to make it!

“I’ve got a big fantasy about remaking Metropolis. I don’t know that anyone will do it. I keep hinting to people about it…” says the English actor when we met him to talk about The Desolation of Smaug.

Fritz Lang’s 1927 film is a remarkable piece of cinema – a visionary film that could be said to have created the sci-fi genre as we know it. It’s still an incredible spectacle but Armitage is sure we could do even better today.

His version would also be about: “the haves the have nots and the aspiration to the perfection of beauty.” 

When asked who he’s like to play he goes on: “I’d play the human, I’d play some kind of grungy worker that’s trying to get to the surface. Tell me that wouldn’t be cool!”

- See more at: http://www.clickonline.com/movies/richard-armitages-dream-project-is-a-remake-of-a-sci-fi-classic/21838/#sthash.oaLWHs7C.dpuf

Benedict Cumberbatch warns 'we'll see Sherlock in real peril as new villain brings him to his knees' in series 3

MIRROR
Dec 19, 2013 14:08 By Claire Hodgson



Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed that Sherlock series 3 will see the hero "in real peril" as "a master villain brings him to his knees."

The actor explains: "We know from the end of series two he staged his death, he was out of the game but calculating every move and therefore in charge.

"[But] What’s exciting about this series is we see Sherlock in real peril.

"In the third [episode] they are challenged by a situation and a master villain who brings him to his knees."

He adds: "He really does lose his authority on the situation and it’s really exciting to see a hero in that much jeopardy."

So, who is this new villain? Played by Borgen and The Killing star Lars Mikkelsen, Charles Augustus Magnussen "is a businessman," says Cumberbatch.

Check out all the latest News, Sport & Celeb gossip at Mirror.co.uk http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/sherlock-series-3-spoilers-benedict-2943457#ixzz2nyODAu13 
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Henry Cavill: Is Man Of Steel an Oscar contender?

YAHOO
By Gregory Wakeman | Yahoo Contributor Network – Wed, Dec 18, 2013 17:24 GMT

Gravity,' 'Inside Llewyn Davis' and '12 Years A Slave,' have wowed critics and audiences alike over the last 12 months to almost universal levels of acclaim. But this hasn't stopped 'Man Of Steel', despite its comparatively mixed reception, from launching its own For Your Consideration page ahead of the upcoming awards season.

Warner Bros. are now hoping that it will compete in a number of categories at the Critics Choice, Golden Globes, Writer & Directors Guild of America and Academy Awards ceremonies over the next few months.



These include the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling sections.

They also fancy a dabble in the acting sections too, with Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishbourne and Russell Crowe all expected to contest in these sections.

But what chance does it have of actually competing for any of these accolades?

Personally, I can't see 'Man Of Steel' stemming the snobbish tide that has seen superheroes ignored by the Academy Awards and its various competitors over the last 13 years.

Since 'X-Men' legitimised the genre in 2000, 38 films have received just 22 nominations at the Oscars, going on to win a paltry 3 awards. And most of them were for the less respected gongs too.

The only successes came courtesy of 'The Dark Knight's' Sound Editing, Visual Effects and Heath Ledger's iconic portrayal as The Joker, which, even though it was obviously brilliant, rode a sympathetic wave to glory a year after his untimely passing. This is despite the fact that superheroes have dominated the cinematic landscape over the last decade and a half.


READ MORE HERE: http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/man-steel-oscar-contender-172400296.html

London Theater Review: ‘Coriolanus’ Starring Tom Hiddleston

VARIETY
David Benedict
@eggsbened



Making enthralling theater out of one of Shakespeare’s best-known titles is one thing. It’s an achievement of an altogether higher order to take the austerely forbidding “Coriolanus” — an argumentative tragedy discussing the demands of politics and the power of the people — and turn it into a theatrical triumph. But that’s exactly what Donmar Warehouse a.d. Josie Rourke has done. Thanks to an ideally dovetailed ensemble led by a scorching Tom Hiddleston, tension builds, fills the theater and never flags throughout an all-consuming evening.

The 250-seat Donmar is an intriguingly confined space in which to stage a play springing from the idea of a man in opposition to the crowd. Having almost single-handedly won the war against the enemy Volscians, victorious Coriolanus (Hiddleston) returns to Rome where he is to become Consul. To do so he must accede to the crowd’s demands to show his wounds and, as he sees it, beg for their approbation — an idea he finds abhorrent. Whipped up by manipulative senators, the people grow increasingly enraged until Coriolanus’s arrogance overcomes him. Banished from Rome and his family, he fatally joins the opposition headed by rival General Tullus Aufidius (Hadley Fraser).

 On the stage, bare but for a stark single row of twelve chairs and a towering ladder casting a deep metaphorical shadow, Coriolanus’s young son Martius (Joe Wills at the performance reviewed) patiently outlines a diamond-shaped acting area on the floor in blood-red paint. A sign of things to come, it’s also an immediate indication of the production’s tight focus which, from the very opening scene, yields dividends. Rourke’s cast is successfully lean with just the four named citizens skillfully deployed about Lucy Osborne’s set to conjure crowd scenes. The pitch of the crowd’s hunger-fuelled anger — and the mounting hostilities between them and proud Coriolanus — leads most productions towards shouting. But rather than the generalized rage and loss of control that shouting creates, Rourke maintains tension by keeping a lid on everything. As a result, characters’ reasonings are unusually clear and the all-important urgency and dramatic momentum is sustained.

That’s epitomized by Hiddleston’s performance. Out goes roaring military might, the thunderous soldier, and in comes the diamond-bright gleam of attack-ready energy. Yet from the few tiny glimpses of the power he’s keeping damped down, the threat of what Coriolanus will unleash remains ever-present, adding immeasurably to his all-important status. Not blowing his stack too early makes him appear far more dangerous and exciting to watch.

Furthermore, Hiddleston fascinatingly makes Coriolanus a man who chooses not to listen rather than someone shouting too loud to hear. With his thought processes so legible, his arrogance becomes less of a foregone conclusion and, therefore, properly tragic.

The control of stagecraft is everywhere apparent, not least in the added, silent scene in which Coriolanus, released from public display and privately exhausted from battle, stands alone. Caught center-stage in Mark Henderson’s ferocious white light, water from high above the set surges down onto Hiddleston’s bloody body, spraying into the dark like sparks off steel. A magnificent image in its own right, it’s actually making audiences see and feel the character’s brutally defiant self-determination.

READ MORE HERE:http://variety.com/2013/legit/reviews/london-theater-review-coriolanus-starring-tom-hiddleston-1200969320/

Benedict Cumberbatch: Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington are “delightful together” in Sherlock

RADIO TIMES
Paul Jones
5:12 PM, 17 December 2013




There are many questions Sherlock fans want answered when the series returns on New Year’s Day. How did Sherlock managed that death-defying leap, for instance. How will he reveal to his friend John that he is not, in fact, dead? And how will John react to the news?

But the world doesn’t revolve around Sherlock (despite what he might think) and another thing viewers will be keeping a close eye on is the dynamic between Martin Freeman's John Watson and his new love interest Mary Morstan.

Freeman’s real-life partner Amanda Abbington plays the "sensible, quick-witted" Mary – and according to their co-star Benedict Cumberbatch, the two are "delightful" together.

“You were delightful with her. Very lovely, really lovely,” Cumberbatch told Freeman during a Q&A at the weekend, eliciting a huge “Aaaah!” from the audience.

Meanwhile, Freeman was keen to make clear that Abbington’s casting had not been the result of his own demands.

“It wasn't a John and Yoko thing where I said ‘I wan't my missus in this',” said Freeman. “I think [co-creator] Mark [Gatiss] and [producer] Sue [Vertue] had thought ‘Who would be a good Mary?’ And Amanda is a really good Mary.

READ MORE HERE:  http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-12-17/benedict-cumberbatch-martin-freeman-and-amanda-abbington-are-delightful-together-in-sherlock

The family feud that haunts Atonement star James McAvoy

 MAIL ON LINE
December 18, 2013



You could hardly blame actor James McAvoy for being a little bleary-eyed as the black limo deposited him outside the Beverly Hills mansion.

It was now past 2am, but Atonement's leading man and his actress wife Anne-Marie Duff were determined not to miss Prince's post-Oscars soiree.

Despite his tiredness, McAvoy was elated. He had earlier presented an award in front of Hollywood's finest at the 80th Academy Awards ceremony.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the poverty-stricken area of Drumchapel in Glasgow, the actor's father, James McAvoy Snr, was hard at work atop a roof.

Tired from his morning's labours, roofer McAvoy Snr was further drained by a late night of his own.

He had tried - but failed because of the eight-hour time delay with Los Angeles - to stay up to watch his son's big Oscar moment.

But the small television screen in his cramped Glasgow flat is perhaps as close as McAvoy Snr will ever get to his son.

Poignantly, he hasn't spoken to James for 21 years.

The 29-year-old actor is notorious for being fiercely private, rarely talking about his family circumstances or relationship with Anne-Marie.

Perhaps it's little wonder he is less than forthcoming about his background.

For the Mail has discovered that behind the diminutive actor's seemingly effortless rise to fame lies a heartbreaking story of a broken family, a violent half-brother and a hard childhood on one of Glasgow's most notorious council estates.

Today, his lonely father can only marvel from afar at his son's success.

"It has been hard on me not being in his life, but I'm just glad that he seems happy," says James Snr, ruefully.
"I hope one day he'll get in touch. I was amazed he'd done so well."

Hearing McAvoy's clipped upper-crust English vowels as Robbie Turner in Atonement, many fans will be unaware the actor hails from such humble Scottish beginnings.

McAvoy spent his turbulent early life in a terrace council house on the graffiti-decorated 1950s Drumchapel housing estate, where he was raised by his maternal grandparents James and Mary Johnstone.

Butcher James and wife Mary, whom McAvoy still regularly visits, were his role models when they took him in aged seven, following his mother Elizabeth's split from his father.

Psychiatric nurse Elizabeth, or Liz as the family prefer, suffered from "poor health" so felt her son James, and daughter Joy, then five, would be better off at her parents' home a few streets away.

Roofer Mr McAvoy, 50, explains: "We were a very happy family and for a long time there were no problems.

"James was a real daddy's boy - we would go swimming and play football together. We didn't have a lot of money, but we got by."

But childhood sweethearts James and Liz "grew apart" and, by their late 30s, had divorced.

"Our son took it hard," says McAvoy Snr.

"He just wasn't the carefree little boy he'd been before."

At first, father and son continued their relationship, with James Snr taking his son swimming or to watch Celtic football team.

But when a year later James Snr moved in with a new lover, Mary McKinnon, the eight-year-old McAvoy refused to have anything to do with his father.

"I think James still had hopes of me and his mum sorting things out," claims McAvoy Snr.

"He started refusing to see me because he didn't like Mary. In the end I took a step back rather than upset him."

The young McAvoy demonstrated his steely nature when a few years later he was larking around in the playground of the St Thomas Aquinas secondary school in Drumchapel and spotted his father working on the school roof.

"James just looked away without saying a word," recalls his father sadly.

It does, however, seem odd that he was so determined to wipe out of his life the man he once idolised just because of the appearance of a new lover.

Surely there must be more to the split than the reticent James Snr would have us believe.

McAvoy Jnr has himself hinted there is another side to the story.

"I can't really be bothered with it," he told one interviewer of his father's attempts to get back in touch.

"I know what happened and I know what didn't happen."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-523074/The-family-feud-haunts-Atonement-star-James-McAvoy.html#ixzz2nptR1oU0 
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BBC NEWS
December 17,2013  (PERHAPS THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS...)


Actor James McAvoy's father and half-brother face drug charges...

The father and half brother of Scottish actor James McAvoy have appeared in court charged with dealing drugs.

James McAvoy snr, 55, and Donald McAvoy, 24, are charged with being concerned in the supply of cocaine at their flat in Drumchapel, Glasgow.

Both men were arrested at the flat in Kinfauns Drive on 5 December.

They made no plea or declaration during a private appearance at Glasgow Sheriff Court and were granted bail pending a future court appearance.

Actor James McAvoy jnr, 34, originally from Drumchapel, has had no contact with his father since childhood and has never met his half brother.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-25415173

Alan Rickman interview on working with other actors...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_-273hCND4&feature=youtube_gdata

Downton Abbey Cast Reuniting with Dan Stevens This Week!

VANITY FAIR
BY Julie Miller
10 December, 2013



A year later, the Downton Abbey cast members are still being badgered with questions about the late Matthew Crawley—Dan Stevens’ character who met a nasty fate during last year’s not very jolly Christmas special. Case in point: this morning’s Good Morning America segment, featuring Julian Fellowes and select members of the cast, which was bookended with Matthew-related queries. The line of questioning about a long-dead character was not entirely for naught though—at the tail end of the conversation, Hugh Bonneville (Lord Grantham to you) revealed that he and the cast have plans to meet their former cast mate on Wednesday. “We’re missing him so much that we’re insisting on having a drink with him tomorrow night,” the Downton patriarch revealed.

Given that the segment was filmed in Good Morning America’s Times Square studio, we presume that the cast is meeting with Stevens in New York City, where the Downton expat has made his home following his grisly exit from the British period series. Since Bonneville made the admission while flanked by Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary), Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith), and Allen Leech (Tom Branson), we hope, in our heart of hearts, that Matthew’s widow, former sister-in-law, and brother-in-law will round out the drink date. Manhattan Downton-ites—already on high alert because of this week’s tea cart/safety hazard—consider yourselves on duty for a Downton reunion-search/pub crawl mission.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2013/12/downton-abbey-dan-stevens-reunion

Tom Hiddleston Mobbed After Sexiest Man Win, New Film Supports Charities

CLASSICALITE
Dec 16, 2013 06:59 PM EST |
James Knight

Tom Hiddleston has redeemed himself after losing to Superman’s Henry Cavill in Glamour UK’s Sexiest’s Man Alive contest. Hiddleston has now claimed the title in MTV’s recent poll. Shortly after the Loki actor was mobbed by a crazed throng of fan girls. Meanwhile, the actor is using his newfound fame for a good cause. Hiddleston has recently lent his talents to a short film, promoting UNICEF charities.

Tom Hiddleston is one of the hottest young actors today. The Thor star recently came in at number one in MTV’s Sexiest Man Alive poll. Hiddleston won with an impressive 77 percent of the vote. X-Men Days of Future Past star Michael Fassbender, A.K.A. Magneto, came in second place for the poll. However, Hiddleston is a bit of a magnet himself. The Disney prince was mobbed by crazed fans last week after leaving a performance of Shakespear's Coliolanius at London’s Donmar Warehouse.

Hiddleston is also using some of his immense popularity for a good cause. Hiddleston joins Ewan McGregor, Michael Sheen, Emma Bunton, Rita Ora and Tinie Tempah in Unicef's new short film, No Place Like Home. The new video was made to raise awareness and support for the children of Syria.

Hiddleston recently tweeted about the cause, writing:
 "Please watch @mcgregor_ewan @michaelsheen @RitaOra & me in @UNICEF_uk's #noplacelikehome film for Syrian children."

You can check out the new video here.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.classicalite.com/articles/4461/20131216/tom-hiddleston-mobbed-sexiest-man-win-new-film-supports-charities.htm

Henry Cavill Nominated For 'Critics Choice' Award

HENRY CAVILL ORG
Monday, 16 December 2013 18:12



It's official: Henry Cavill is among the nominees of Critics' Choice Movie Awards! He will compete for the award as the best actor in an action movie. His nomination is the only one for Man of Steel at the Critics' Choice Awards.

The highlight of Henry's acting career to date happened this year — it was the Man of Steel in which he played the title role of Superman. Immediately after the premiere audiences unanimously recognized Henry as Superman for our generation. Critics also were smitten by his screen incarnation of Superman, and, as a result, Henry Cavill is now nominated for the Critics' Choice Movie Awards.

In a nomination for best actor in an action movie, Henry Cavill will compete for the award with such stars as Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man 3), Brad Pitt (World War Z), and Mark Wahlberg (Lone Survivor).

This is the first time Henry has received a nomination for Best Actor. We are very proud of him and wish him luck in winning.


READ MORE HERE: http://henrycavill.org/en/blog/henry-cavill-news/item/863-henry-cavill-receives-a-critics-choice-awards-nomination

Death Comes to Pemberley: Matthew Rhys on Darcy and billowing shirts

DIGITAL SPY
By Morgan Jeffery
Monday, Dec 16 2013, 4:00am EST



Get ready for a whole new Darcy - The Americans star Matthew Rhys plays literature's most iconic lover (sorry, Heathcliff) in BBC One's new three-part drama Death Comes to Pemberley.

Based on the novel by PD James, Death Comes to Pemberley is part Pride and Prejudice sequel, part murder-mystery and also stars Anna Maxwell Martin, Matthew Goode and Doctor Who's Jenna Coleman.

On set, Rhys opened up about stepping into Colin Firth's shoes - or rather donning his shirt - and reveals why his is a very different Darcy...

Matthew is slightly jealous of his co-star Matthew Goode...

"He's got it all - he's got the rock star looks, the rock star attitude, hollow legs, vast knowledge. He's like Stephen Fry - he knows something about everything... he actually knows a lot about everything.

"He's got that voice. He gets the accent for free - I feel like a complete fake. He's like Rik Mayall playing Flashheart."

Matthew was terrified of following Colin Firth as Darcy...

"It's sort of terrifying - I didn't realize the reaction would be so strong. The book and those characters mean such a great amount to so many people. They have this incredible connection and relationship with those characters, who they should be and how they should be played.

"Colin and Jennifer [Ehle] sort of nailed it. Matthew Macfadyen did brilliantly [in the 2005 film], but he was held up in comparison as well. It's scary to play those slightly iconic characters – the ones that people have that relationship with."


Read more: http://www.digitalspy.com/british-tv/news/a536252/death-comes-to-pemberley-matthew-rhys-on-darcy-and-billowing-shirts.html#ixzz2ngNpZA3u 
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Sherlock: The Empty Hearse, Spoiler-Free Review (Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman)

DEN OF GEEK
Review
Louisa Mellor 12/15/2013 at 5:44PM



Sherlock’s third series races out of the gates with a pacy, action-filled episode containing plenty for fans to love. No spoilers here...

Acts of violence from fans, Steven Moffat’s ire, the “strangely luxurious and well-equipped torture chamber” of Mark Gatiss... All this and more faces anyone swinish and attention-seeking enough to reveal spoilers for The Empty Hearse. Not wanting to face the above or detract in the least part from what’s in store on New Year’s Day then, nothing you read below will ruin your fun. We promise.

Fun is a solid place to start with the episode, which brims with gags and outstrips even A Scandal in Belgravia for cheekiness. Mark Gatiss’ script offers up laugh after laugh, deftly arriving at punch lines via nods to canon and fandom both.

It’s enormously playful, but never flippant. More than once, the writing and performances shimmy from comedy to pathos and back again in a single scene. Memorably, a key exchange is played with silliness and solemnity at the same time and somehow, the whole thing doesn’t fall to pieces. It’s all a bit of a coup.

Unlike The Empty Hearse’s immediate predecessor, laughter outweighs tears in the episode, though it’s worth saying that watching an episode of Sherlock in a theatre of excited fans acts as an amplifier for comedy: every tip of the hat to canon is met with applause and every punch line with a roar of laughter that muffles nuance. In a less thigh-slapping environment perhaps, the story’s quieter moments may well rise to the surface.



At this stage, it’s easy to take for granted just how strong the casting and performances are in Sherlock, but it would be a disservice to do so. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are every inch Sherlock and John in The Empty Hearse, as if they’ve been kept in costume and in storage for the last two years instead of out and about headlining Hollywood’s biggest releases. Even in this, the week The Hobbit sequel is released, all Freeman has to do is stand in front of Sherlock’s gravestone, and it's Bilbo who? Cumberbatch has only to put on that coat, and his beefier Star Trek Into Darkness counterpart evaporates.

If the stars are clearly comfortable in their roles, then the writing is luxuriating. It’s also cheekier than ever. Rather than ignore the success of the series, The Empty Hearse absorbs its own celebrity and serves it back to the audience as winks and fan-pleasing references. Some will call that self-indulgent but it’s all so winningly handled that it provides the gentle warmth of being in on a joke instead of the lurid glare of an ego-trip. Besides, who can begrudge a little indulgence when it makes so many people so happy? Certainly not us.

The variety packed in to the ninety minutes is both a boon - the thing moves along at a fair whack, at no point dips in energy - and a potential weakness. With more catching up, regrouping and track-laying to do than most episodes of Sherlock, there’s a sense perhaps that The Empty Hearse is a succession of good bits rather than a complete story. Highly enjoyable, cleverly constructed good bits it must be said (when the cast were asked to name their favourite scenes in the post-screening Q&A, there were so many to choose between that each one mentioned nudges you to think ‘Oh yeah, wasn’t that good?’), but a compilation all the same.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.denofgeek.us/tv/sherlock/231639/sherlock-the-empty-hearse-spoiler-free-review